Who's in first? Nobody
Posted: Monday October 11, 1999 12:54 PM
By Stewart Mandel, CNN/SI
Two weeks from the inevitable frenzy that surrounds the release of the first BCS standings, and there's not a team in the country that screams, "Invite me to the Sugar Bowl." Heck, there's even a 2-3 team in the Top 25.
Florida State is on top, but for those keeping track at home, FSU's supposed draft-combine defense ranks 94th against the pass. Think Steve Spurrier's noticed? (Not that the Gators don't have their own problems right now.)
Penn State keeps winning unimpressively, and Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan State and Michigan all await the Lions. The Spartans look good, but past history says, "Don't believe them until it's Nov. 27." The Wolverines are by no means done, but they face an uphill climb. And Nebraska is getting better by the week, but the '99 Huskers haven't been mistaken by anyone for their juggernaut predecessors.
It's just a shot in the dark, but would a Tennessee-Virginia Tech title game surprise anyone? The torrid Hokies have the clearest path to the finish (Syracuse this week and Miami Nov. 13 are both at home). The Vols' ugly-but-decisive win over Georgia Saturday was done just the way they did things last year, particularly Tee Martin's performance. And a second SEC loss for Florida does not seem unrealistic.
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Each week, the Glance offers its projected BCS lineup based on current standings. |
| Sugar:
Florida State vs. Penn State |
Orange:
Georgia Tech vs. Florida |
| Rose:
Michigan State vs. Arizona |
Fiesta:
Nebraska vs. Virginia Tech |
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The bowl race at a glance: |
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Michigan State now controls its own destiny in the Big Ten -- the Spartans play Penn State, the only other undefeated team, the last week of the season -- and even if it lost, MSU would win a tiebreaker for the Rose Bowl with Michigan, Wisconsin or Ohio State. Nebraska at Kansas State (Nov. 13) is shaping up to be another Big 12 North title showdown, but first the Huskers have Texas and Texas A&M. And in the up-for-grabs Pac-10, Arizona returns to the top of our list after five weeks and three other projected champs away. |
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ON:
Trung Canidate. And since the Heisman is still wide open, sportscasters won't let the last-name pun die. |
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ON:
Oregon's space-age uniforms. Seemed kooky at first, but after three straight weeks on national TV, fans suddenly transfixed by mysterious light beaming from the "O." |
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OFF:
BCS computer ratings. Depending on who you ask, Marshall is the 26th, seventh, 44th or ninth-best team in America.
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OFF:
Rutgers. Oh wait, we were never on it.
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ON:
Michigan State students. Congrats. Not so much for beating Michigan, but for not setting fire to anything this time. |
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OFF:
Lou Holtz. Apparently, the older you get, the less you score. |
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| Florida State Criminoles |
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OK, so Peter Warrick gave his side of the story and apologized to his teammates. And Bobby Bowden made sure to get out a few harsh-sounding sound bytes. But one thing has yet to be explained -- how come expendable receiver Laveranues Coles is on the street, but All-World receiver Warrick is on the tentative lineup card for next week?
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| Here come the Huskers |
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Don't look now, but Nebraska, so beset by defections and dismal offensive showings as recently as three weeks ago, is 6-0 and has averaged 337 rushing yards its first three Big 12 games. DeAngelo who?
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| I are ticked! |
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Joe Paterno called his troops "dumb." Steve Spurrier said this year's Gators are "one of
the most undisciplined teams we've had." And Iowa's Kirk Ferentz said, "Uhh ... wanna trade?"
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| Toledo at Marshall, Thursday |
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A rematch of the last two MAC championship games. Too bad for the Rockets, Marshall these days is capable of playing for any number of other championships.
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| Michigan State at Purdue, Saturday |
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The Spartans set a passing record against Michigan. Boilers QB Drew Brees once threw 83 times in one game. The game will last four-and-a-half hours, and ABC's Brent Musburger will spontaneously combust after each of the game's 63 pass completions.
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| Syracuse at Virginia Tech, Saturday |
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Michael Vick is purportedly the Hokies' Donovan McNabb, which means this week he'll have to puke his brains out, then throw a cross-field end zone pass to win it.
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| * Three games selected at random |
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Ask the Glance and
you shall receive.
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Remember: this column is updated on Sundays, so don't be that guy who asks,
"Is my team gonna win this weekend?"
Is there any chance the BCS would consider dropping conferences in the dumps like the Pac-10 this year and replace its spot with the clearly better Mountain West conference champ?
Bartholomew, Indianapolis
The BCS does have a "conference review" clause, but it's not a year-to-year deal. If the conference champion doesn't average a No. 12 or better ranking (in the final BCS standings) over a four-year period, only then can the league lose its spot. So, no one's getting kicked out before 2002, and even then, don't count on the Pac-10 putting up stinkers every year. Remember, this rule was created because the Big East was so inferior last year, and now, Virginia Tech is a legitimate national title contender. The Pac-10 is historically a very competitive conference and will be back. As for the Mountain West, BCS officials will surely be keeping an eye on its teams' rankings over the next few years, but the only immediate fix is that if a BYU or Air Force finishes No. 6 or better, it is guaranteed one of the two at-large bids.
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