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Posted: Monday November 20, 2006 11:28AM; Updated: Thursday November 23, 2006 8:53AM
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Quick Hits
Chris Wells
Al Tielemans/SI 
Buckeyes' Off And Running
It's Troy Smith's party, but it was Ohio State's running backs that brought the punch to the Buckeyes' win over Michigan. You just knew Smith was going to dominate the Wolverines, but nobody could have expected OSU would run for 157 more yards against UM's lock-down run defense, which had been allowing just 29.9 yards per game. Antonio Pittman and Chris Wells each surpassed that figure on their TD runs of 56 and 52 yards, respectively. Wells, OSU's heralded freshman, should give Pittman -- who is returning in 2007 for a shot at the Heisman -- serious competition for carries. Despite Pittman's consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (the first for a Buckeyes running back since Eddie George) a former OSU player told me Pittman doesn't run with the same hunger as Wells -- who is ultimately the better back -- and takes too many direct hits instead of eluding tacklers. He expects Pittman's shortcomings to be exposed next season without Smith. Any RB controversy is obviously months away, but for now OSU has one of the country's most explosive one-two punches in the backfield, giving Arkansas' Darren McFadden and Felix Jones a run for their money.
Drifting With The Tide
It's looking like that 10-2 run last year that got Mike Shula a raise and an extension wasn't the beginning of the rebirth Alabama had been praying for. The Crimson Tide lost their fifth straight game against rival Auburn, dropping Shula to 0-4 in Iron Bowls. Alabama is 6-6 on the season, but don't think Shula is on the way out -- for now. He is under contract through 2012 and has a $3M buyout, and the last thing a program that's gone through four coaches since '00 needs is even more instability. Shula says everyone associated with the team will be evaluated after the season, meaning some assistants are more than likely on the way out, and he'll have to make changes to distract from his 4-13 record against ranked teams and 3-15 mark against SEC teams with winning records. But if Shula can't put get the Tide back on track next season, he may well be in the same shoes as Miami's Larry Coker.
Knights Schooled
Down goes another Big East national title contender. While Rutgers is probably wondering what could have been, for Mark Dantonio and Cincinnati, this was a program-defining win. The Bearcats, who came to the Big East from Conference USA largely for their hoops skills, beat UConn and Syracuse last year, but in upsetting Rutgers they have three conference wins and are bowl eligible. "It made a statement that we belong in the Big East Conference, that we can compete in this conference," Dantonio told the Cincinnati Enquirer. Don't think UC's win was a fluke: the Bearcats did hang with Ohio State for a half and put a scare into Louisville before shutting down Heisman hopeful Ray Rice to the tune of 54 yards. Behind Pat Narduzzi's speedy defense, Cincy could be competing for a Big East title soon.
Tailback U's Next One?
Could C.J. Gable be the answer in USC's backfield? The Trojans are using five different running backs -- including four freshmen -- to try and fill the void left by Reggie Bush and LenDale White. But in Saturday's win over Cal, Gable showed off the kind of electric moves that have been missing in a USC ground game, running for 91 yards on 19 carries and catching one pass for 35 yards. "C.J. has had a great rookie season," Trojans coach Pete Carroll told the San Francisco Chronicle. "He's a tremendously dedicated, quiet, hard-working son of a gun." Gable's been behind Chauncey Washington and Emmanuel Moody, but keeping USC in the BCS title hunt may prove to be his coming out party.
Ups & Downs
Wisconsin Badgers
The Badgers won 11 games for the first time in school history with a victory over Buffalo. At 11-1 they may be the best team in the land not to play in a BCS game and likely headed to the Capital One Bowl.
Michigan Wolverines
This isn't about Michigan's performance at Ohio State -- because UM delivered -- but the BCS, where UM's edge on USC fell from 0.103 points to 0.007, meaning the chances of a rematch are slim if USC wins out.
Syracuse Orange
Greg Robinson's crew snapped their 12-game Big East losing streak, giving the coach his first conference win in two seasons as the Orange dropped UConn 20-14 behind a D that had five sacks and three picks.
Kansas State Wildcats
A week after stunning Texas, the Wildcats followed their victory with a meltdown against rival Kansas as QB Josh Freedman committed six turnovers, including three picks against KU's 117th-ranked pass defense.
Louisville Cardinals
The Cardinals are out of the national title hunt, but thanks to Rutgers' loss, Louisville is in the driver's seat for the Big East's BCS bid. They finish the season with games at Pitt and then play UConn at home.
Duke Blue Devils
The Dukies have lost 19 straight, the nation's longest losing streak and have lost 23 straight in the ACC and 29 conference road games, begging the question: How bad does it have to get before they fire Ted Roof?
They Said It
"I'm sick of losing, Miami's sick of losing, this football team's sick of losing."
--Miami quarterback Kirby Freeman after losing to Virginia 17-7. 'The U' has lost four in a row for the first time since 1997 and at 5-6 have the most losses since that same season.
"It was good for our guys to get hit in the mouth by a top team in the country."
--Western Carolina Kent Briggs, whose team lost 62-0 to Florida in Gainesville. The Catamounts gave up 582 yards as Florida scored on nine of its first 10 possessions.
"They made videos about us last year. That stuck in our mind."
--Tennessee wide receiver Robert Meachem referring to DVDs Vanderbilt made following their win over the Vols in 2005. Meachem & Co. took out their frustrations by rolling 39-10.
Big Men On Campus
John BeckQB - BYU
The senior was 28-of-42 passing for 464 yards and four touchdowns in the Cougars' 42-17 win over New Mexico. Beck also joined Ty Detmer as the only Brigham Young quarterbacks to throw for over 10,000 yards in their careers.
Ahmad BradshawRB - Marshall
The junior torched UTEP's rush defense for 261 yards and five touchdowns as the Thundering Herd won 49-21. It was the second 200-yard game this season for the nation's fifth-leading rusher, who is averaging 128.45 yards a contest.
Pat WhiteQB - West Virginia
Mr. Dual Threat was at it again, passing for 204 yards and two TDs and running for 220 yards and two scores as WVU beat Pitt in the Backyard Brawl. Said Panthers LB H.B. Blades: "[He] is the best quarterback in college football."
Statitudes
22
JaMarcus Russell and Dwayne Bowe became the most prolific combo in LSU history as Russell hit Bowe with 14 seconds left against against Ole Miss for their 22nd scoring strike.
38
Number of years between Ohio University's football titles. The Bobcats beat Akron 17-7 to win the MAC East, their first crown of any kind since 1968, the longest drought in the MAC.
538
Discrepency in total yards between TCU and San Deigo State in the Horned Frogs' 52-0 win. TCU had 538 yards behind QB Jeff Ballard's five TDs, while the Aztecs mustered 89 yards.
Top 25 Photo Gallery: Week 12

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Crystal Ball
LSU at ArkansasNOVEMBER 24
The Hogs won the SEC West, but to stay in the BCS title hunt they have to beat LSU for the first time since 2002. Did LSU pick up on Mississippi St.'s ability to slow Darren McFadden? Will it matter? Arkansas 24, LSU 18
Texas A&M at TexasNOVEMBER 24
Colt McCoy's dad says the Longhorns' QB would have to "be in a straightjacket not to play" against A&M. McCoy's arm could make all the difference. UT looked horrendous without him in its loss to K-State. Texas 31, Texas A&M 17
Wake Forest at MarylandNOVEMBER 25
Will Wake's Cinderella story continue on into the ACC title game? This will be decided by the Deacons' 39th-ranked defense cracking down on the Terps No. 82 offense. See you in Jacksonville, Wake. Wake Forest 20, Maryland 13
Notre Dame at USCNOVEMBER 25
You can bet Charlie Weis and the Irish have been waiting for this one since The Push in '05. This will come down to ND's secondary vs. USC's WRs. If the the WRs win this battle, so do the Trojans. USC 35, Notre Dame 31

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