... Who's Not (Oct. 24) Big 12 North, & More

The Big 12 North, Alabama offense, Auburn, and more. Richard Cirminiello spotlights who the fizzling players, coaches and programs are in the Week Eight Who's Not.

Who's Hot & Not - Week 8

Oct. 24 Games 

Past Hot and Not: 2007 Hot & Not | 2008 Not & Not

- Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6
- Week 7

By Richard Cirminiello

- ... and Who's Hot? (Week 8)

Who’s Not …

10. The Tulsa Offense
What has happened to this plug-and-play attack? It used to be that you could write the Hurricane down for 40 points against average defenses. However, that hasn’t been the case since coordinator Gus Malzahn left for Auburn. The Hurricane has been stuck in the 20s the last three weeks, a key reason it’s dropped back-to-back games to Boise State and UTEP.

9. Baylor (Since Robert Griffin’s Injury)
How important is the sophomore to the program? Since he was lost for the year in the rout of Northwestern State, the Bears have gone 1-3, with the lone win coming against Kent State. In the last three losses, Baylor has managed to score just 24 points and has completely faded from bowl contention.

8. BYU in High-Profile Home Games
In two huge opportunities to strut in front of the home crowd this fall, the Cougars have flopped miserably, getting waxed by Florida State in September and TCU over the weekend. In both instances, BYU hardly showed up, losing by a combined score of 92-35. After those two performances, all of the routs of UNLV, Colorado State, and New Mexico will be hollow.

7. South Florida
In two weeks, the Bulls have gone from Big East contender to an also-ran. Haven’t we seen this routine before out of Jim Leavitt’s teams? In consecutive losses to Cincinnati and South Florida, the defense has disappeared, giving up 75 points after appearing to be the backbone of this year’s edition. At 5-2, a league championship is no longer and option, and that Sept. 26 upset of Florida State feels a lot longer than a month ago.

6. North Carolina
Yikes. Weren’t you guys supposed to be a sleeper for an ACC championship this season? Oh, the Heels have been asleep alright, losing their first three league games, capped by an inexcusable 18-point blown lead to Florida State last Thursday. T.J. Yates managed just 64 passing yards versus a brutal Seminole pass defense, and even the usually reliable Carolina D collapsed down the stretch. This program is suffering through a nasty funk.

5. Auburn
After opening with five straight wins, the Tigers have plummeted back to Earth with consecutive losses to Arkansas, Kentucky, and LSU. What’s worse is that they haven’t even been especially competitive. The passing game is a wreck and the defense has started to run out of gas. It’s a good thing Furman is left on the schedule because Auburn might not have another SEC win left in it.

4. Kansas
It turns out that close calls with Southern Miss and Iowa State a few weeks ago were omens. The Jayhawks have dropped two straight to Colorado and Oklahoma, and have yielded at least 34 points in three consecutive games. With a tough stretch that includes dates with Texas Tech, Kansas State, Nebraska, Texas, and Missouri, a spot in the Big 12 Championship game is beginning to look improbable.

3. The Nebraska Offense
Against decent opponents, Zac Lee and the Husker offense have wilted all season. In the last four games with BCS opponents, they’ve produced just 59 points and a bunch of miscues. In Saturday’s ugly home loss to Iowa State, Nebraska failed to score a point over the final three quarters and Lee was picked off three times. Expect some changes in Lincoln because the status quo just isn’t working on offense.

2. The Alabama Offense
If not for RB Mark Ingram and PK Leigh Kiffin, where would ‘Bama be these days? Certainly not thinking SEC and national championships. The Tide has failed to score more than 22 points in any of the last three games, while Tiffin has gone 11-of-12 in field goal tries. In 38 trips into the red zone this season, Alabama has scored just 16 touchdowns, an abysmal number for an unbeaten team.

1. The Big 12 North
Does anyone want to win this division? Just like much of this decade, the division has drifted into obscurity, lacking even a single ranked team. No disrespect to Kansas State, but when the Wildcats lead the division by a full game over Iowa State, there’s a problem. This past weekend, its supposed three best teams, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri, all got embarrassed...at home. The Huskers lost to the Cyclones in Lincoln for the first time since 1977. The Jayhawks were ransacked by Oklahoma in Lawrence. And the Tigers lost, 41-7, to Texas in Columbia.

- ... and Who's Hot? (Week 8)