The Weekend That Was: More SEC Domination in BCS, Heisman Favorites, Samford Homecoming

The season's first BCS rankings came out on Sunday, sending some of those outside of the South into a firestorm. The SEC has the top two teams, Alabama and Florida, and six of the top 12 (Alabama, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi State). Haters gonna hate.

There have been other impressive teams around the country and no doubt the bottom of the SEC is much further down than normal. There are five teams which legitimately pose a threat to dethroning the Crimson Tide from its seat as champion. It is much more likely to see a team like South Carolina or LSU (even if their offense has struggled), but it not outside the realm of possibility to see a team like Georgia win out and find themselves in the championship game, as the SEC champion has done for six consecutive seasons.

That said, watching Oregon's offense take on one of the SEC big-boy defenses, like I have said before, sounds like must-see television. Before you cry to me about Auburn-Oregon 2010, this is Ducks coach Chip Kelly' best team yet. Check the stats.

One-loss squads like Oklahoma, with their thrashing of Texas, and Southern Cal are also still alive. The great part is we are only halfway to anointing two teams worthy of playing for the championship, and if you think it will happen one way the system is bound to throw a kink in your thinking.

HEISMAN FAVORITES- I, like 99% of people who give you their Heisman hopefuls, do not have a vote. Regardless, here are my favorites for the award of the "Most Outstanding Player in College Football," not the country's most valuable player:

This Clowney character is one bad dude.

1) Geno Smith (West Virginia)- He had a bad game this week in their first loss, but Smith still has 25 TDs to his no interceptions and 2,271 yards through the air.

2) Jadaveon Clowney (South Carolina)- Like Smith, Clowney lost this week but still has a shot at the national championship game. With 12 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, he has made opponents look silly.

3) Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M)- The freshman leads the SEC in rushing (626 yards, 10 TD) and is third in passing (1,680 yards, 14 TD), and he still has prime time games on his schedule to display his talents.

4) A.J. McCarron (Alabama)- As long as he continues to not throw picks, manage the Tide to wins, and avoid getting hurt, his chances will increase.

SAMFORD ONE YARD TOO FEW- I was in Birmingham for the weekend to see my Bulldogs play the Moutaineers from Appalachian State. In typical "Samford-plays-in-a-big-game" form, the Bulldogs came up just short. This one was especially painful because it would have been the program's first win over national powerhouse, App State, but it was not meant to be.

Samford quarterback Andy Summerlin needed one
yard for the historic win.

With 2-and-1 on near midfield and less than two minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs only needed one yard in order to secure four more downs to run out the clock. Unable to get the 1 yard, Samford was forced to punt, leading to a Mountaineer drive which ended in a touchdown and win.

Though the game could have ended a little more pleasantly, it was one of the best atmospheres I have ever experienced in Birmingham. The quad was filled with tents, BBQ, and estimates of close to 10,000 people on the country's most beautiful campus.

Friends of mine who were not as fortunate to attend Samford, compared this tailgate to one at Georgia or Georgia Tech, saying it was small and not much to it. For those of us who were some of the first to set up tents on The Quad, it was a sight to see. Outsiders, think about it like this. Less than 5,000 people attend students and there were twice that number on campus on Saturday. If you take UGA's close to 50,000 students and compare it to the 100,000 or so who come to Athens for Saturdays, it puts it a little more into perspective.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

- Tommy Tuberville loves playing top-5 teams. Throughout his career, Tuberville has found a way to ignite passion within his ball clubs to go out and beat teams ranked in the top 5. He was the mastermind behind West Virginia's beat down this weak, as his Texas Tech squad held the potent Mountaineer offense to 14 points. The win pushed his record to 6-2 as the underdog against top 5 teams.

- I have been an Derek Dooley apologist before, but there is no getting around the fact that he is now 0-20 against ranked opponents. While Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, on the other hand, is having unprecedented success in Starkville. Both of these coaches will not be at their respective jobs too much longer but for totally different reasons

- Notre Dame escaped on Saturday. They won and you can not take that away from them but the more times you watch Stanford's Stephan Taylor give a second effort and hear no whistle the more convincing the Cardinal's case becomes.

The U.

The Weekend That Was: Barkley Owned, Another Historic Loss, Irish for Real?, My New Favorite Player, SEC Joke Coaches

While it is the surprises, upsets and a sense of loyalty to a team that draws us to college football, there are a few truths that seem inevitable. A few of those came true this weekend: Virginia Tech begins the year in the top 10 and falls to an inferior team, Alabama beats Arkansas, USC starts in the top 5 and is a national championship favorite and falls, and Notre Dame wins three games and moves up the polls quickly. Now that you have the gist of Week Three in football, let's get to the nitty gritty.

Barkley remains defeated versus Stanford

STANFORD OWNS BARKLEY & CO.: At some point, what Stanford did/is doing will no longer be a fluke. Cardinal coach David Shaw has to get credit. He is Andrew Luck-less and is still pulling off 'upsets' of the No. 2 team in the country. I say "'upsets'" because it should no longer come as a surprise when he is able to beat the California team from the south. Maybe, just maybe, Shaw will be able to sustain some of the success his predecessors (Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck) began. I am all up for nerds ruling the football world.

Stanford is a rarity in college football. Not only do they all make 34's on their ACTs but they know who they are and what they can and can not do. They know they run the football well with a huge push from the big uglies upfront, which creates an obvious, enormous mismatch for USC, who is setup to beat the likes of Oregon.

Matt Barkley will graduate having never beaten Stanford, which is incredible when you look at the history of these two programs.

ANOTHER HISTORIC LOSS: Remember the questions I brought up last week after Arkansas blew a 28-7 lead to University Louisiana-Monore? There are more this week. Instead of doing listing those, here is some historical perspective of what a team that was beat by ULM in 2007 (Alabama) did on Saturday in Fayetteville.

The Tide shut out the Hogs at home for the first time since 1966, a 44-0 loss to the Baylor, but that was two years post national championship. It was the worst loss for the Razorbacks since a 70-17 show from the USC Trojans. It was an embarrassing day for Arkansas, and while the weather did not help keep fans in their seat, neither did their play on the field.

Injured Razorback quarterback admitted he thought some of his teammates quit, which is a direct reflection of coaching. There's good reason to be worried as Rutgers comes to Arkansas this week.

If anything, this makes The Game of the Century III (Alabama at LSU) all the more anticipated, and as my old man said, no doubt there is a Pop Tart sale in Arkansas.

Johnson has been "The Beast" for a while.

MY FAVORITE PLAYER IS A VOLUNTEER: Is there anything Tennessee sophomore A.J. Johnson can not do? He was named to the All-SEC freshman team a year ago and now is starting to show out on the offensive side too from the Wildcat formation.

Not only does he make grown-man tackles on defense, but the Volunteer captain scored a rushing touchdown against Florida.

He did the same thing in high school, too.

A Gainesville, Georgia native, he dominated this area for four years like few have and remains a local legend. If he continues on his current path, he will soon be a legend in the Knoxville area as well before making his way to the professional ranks.

NOTRE DAME IS FOR REAL (maybe): The Irish get their fair, and maybe more, share of articles and columns written about them, but anytime you go on the road, in a night game, and defeat a top 10 team, you start getting press for all the right reasons.

Coach Brian Kelley, who was brought over from Cincinnati for his offensive prowess, has started building his program from the defensive side of the ball. Now, other than Alabama and LSU, he may have the top defensive front in the country and the best linebacker in Manti Te'o. Kelley will build his offense no doubt, and if both sides of the ball progress like they seem to be doing, the Irish could be trouble in the future.

HOW QUICKLY CAN CHIZIK BE REPLACED: It's really a three-way race between Arkansas' John L. Smith, Auburn's Gene Chizik, and Kentucky's Joker Phillips to see who will be fired first. Two of the three will definitely be told to seek employment elsewhere come season's end, but Chizik has enough equity built up from a national championship two years ago.

After two dismal performances from his quarterback Kiehl Frazier, these games are much more like what we expected from Chizik when he came from Iowa State. This is what a Chizik team minus a $200,000 quarterback looks like.

That's what a Hilltoppers look like after they get their first SEC win.

KENTUCKY'S BIG JOKE(er): Get it? Their coach's name is Joker and that's what he has made the Wildcats in the eyes of football fans. We have all heard Kentucky fans say the only sport they care about is basketball -- and horseracing. However, there are better ways to let everyone know that other than getting beat by Western Kentucky. Heck, they've only been an official FBS program for four years!

Sure you make all SEC fans proud during March and early April, but there is no excuse for this. Bye, bye Joker.

The Weekend That Will Be: Week 12

Southern California at Oregon- Because of NCAA sanctions, the Trojans will not be allowed to go to a bowl game at the end of the season.There is nothing more they would like than to defeat Oregon and ruin the Ducks' national championship aspirations. USC seems like the most likely candidate of the teams left on Oregon's schedule. For USC to have a chance they have to at least slow down a Ducks offense that scores 47 points and tallies just under 500 yards a game. Oregon tailback LaMichael James is quietly leading the country in rushing for the second season in a row with more than 150 yards per game. The Ducks are well aware of USC and its capabilities and are well prepared to handle the visitors. Ducks win easy.

Oklahoma at Baylor- With Oklahoma State going losing to Iowa State this game in Waco, TX just got a little bigger, as the Sooners see a shot at the national championship opening up. Baylor is coming off an overtime victory over Kansas in which Bear quarterback Robert Griffin III looked like the player we got used to seeing in the beginning of the season. If he is able to keep his special combination of speed and accuracy the Baylor could easily upset the Sooners. Looking forward to next weekend's huge rivalry game, the Sooners squeak by the Bears.

Mississippi State at Arkansas- When this is the 'SEC on CBS' game, you may have yourself a weak Saturday of football. The Razorbacks are looking to keeping the scoring machine (93 points in the last two games) going and not get caught looking at a date with LSU on the day after Thanksgiving. The Bulldogs have nothing to lose and can gain bowl eligibility with a win in Little Rock. War Memorial Stadium, where the game will be played, is not the regular stadium for the Hogs, but they always perform well there. It is located in the center of the state, where most of the student-athletes are from, and by all accounts the bowl setting is often louder than Donald W. Reynolds Stadium in Fayetteville. The Hogs are welcomed to the state's capital and continue put up points. Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson goes over 3,000 yards on the season, too.

Other picks (winners in bold)

Samford at Auburn- As a Bulldog fan, I have been looking forward to this game for quite some time and wish I could be there for the monumental upset. Thanks to grad school and its homework, I'm sad to say I will not be in attendance as the Red and Blue beat the defending national champions.

LSU at Ole Miss- Remember last time a Houston Nutt team played a top-ranked LSU and was fired? A couple of things are different this time around. The Rebs do not have Darren McFadden (or any real offensive threat), any motivation (Ole Miss lost to La Tech last week) or any chance to win (Ole Miss has lost 12 straight SEC games).

Nebraska at Michigan- Last week, the Cornhuskers played in the second-largest stadium in college football. This week they visit the only one larger, The Big House in Ann Arbor. Wolverine quarterback Denard Robinson has never beaten a ranked team, and this trend will continue as he throws multiple picks.

Penn State at Ohio State- As soon as I start to believe in Braxton Miller, the freshman signal-caller for the Buckeyes, I know he will let me down so I go with PSU. Getting out of Happy Valley will do the Nittany Lions some good. With a win they will set up a clash with Wisconsin for a trip to the first-ever Big 10 title game.

Kentucky at Georgia
Virginia at Florida State
Wisconsin at Illinois
Boston College at Notre Dame

The Weekend that Will Be

Back again for picks this weekend. I do not have as an exciting weekend planned as I did last weekend, but I am not going to say it won't be a good one. It is too early to tell. But really how good is the feeling of a Friday afternoon and full two days to do whatever you want. I can tell you this, fans in the Rome area go and watch the Wolves play. And for those in the Vicksburg area, go and watch your Vikings play the Gators from the city school, hands down the biggest rivalry in Warren County.

Back to the college game...

Georgia vs. Florida- I have had a hard time putting my finger on both of these teams all year long and consequently making this game one of the hardest to predict. For the first time in 31 years neither team is ranked. Flordia has owned this series, winning 17 of the last 20 meetings and coming off of a bye week head coach Urban Meyer is unbeatable. On the other hand, UGA is playing their best ball of the year and looks like they are playing as well as they can. History doesn't win games. The Dawgs from Athens win.

Missouri vs. Nebraska- Here is one of the big upsets from what will be a crazy Halloween weekend. I know that Missouri has the top ranked defense in college football but I don't see Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez being stopped by another defense like he was against Texas. Nebraska is a tough place to play and Mizzou coming off of the program's biggest win will have a hard time being on the road. Nebraska wins easily.

Michigan State vs. Iowa- Keeping up with the undefeated team losing on the road, Iowa puts away the Spartans. Iowa is a very good team and lost a heart breaker last week at home against my Big 10 crush, Wisconsin. Iowa is one of the most consistent teams in football and just does not lose two games in a row at home. Also the Spartans have not looked good against teams they should have, not have they won a big game. The undefeated magic ends here.

Oregon vs. USC- If you like offense and you like to see the scoreboard rolling this is the game to watch on Saturday. Oregon scores more points than any other team in the nation, 55.1, and the USC defense is giving up over 500 yards a game. The scorekeeper will be tired at the end of this one. USC is a good team with plenty of talent and one of the most hated coaches in college ball. Many reporters are calling this USC's Rose Bowl (USC was banned from postseason play earlier in the season), but I see Oregon ruining the Trojan's party.

Other Winners (in bold):

Auburn vs. Mississippi- Houston Nutt teams get up for games they should get killed in. Could be an upset, but I don’s think the Rebels can pull it off

Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas- Joe Adams and DeQuinta Robinson are out, but look who the Hogs are playing. No worries here. Hogs win big for the alumni back for homecoming.

Baylor vs. Texas- The Bears finally get a chance to beat the vaunted Longhorns

Stanford vs. Washington- Closer than the experts think

Miami vs. Virginia

Michigan vs. Penn State

Kentucky vs. Mississippi State

Clemson vs. Boston College

Tennessee vs. South Carolina