John Roberts Week Ten Storylines

Which national title contender should be nervous this week?

Storylines
The Week of Saturday, November 7, 2009



Check out this week’s rankings. Previous ranking is in parentheses.

1. Alabama (1)
2. Texas (3)
3. Florida (2)
4. Iowa (4)
5. Oregon (7)
6. Cincinnati (5)
7. TCU (8)
8. Boise State (12)
9. Penn State (10)
10. Georgia Tech (9)
11. LSU (13)
12. USC (6)
13. Ohio State (14)
14. Pittsburgh (18)
15. Houston (16)
16. Miami, FL (15)
17. Arizona (22)
18. Notre Dame (24)
19. Oklahoma State (17)
20. Oklahoma (19)
21. California (--)
22. Wisconsin (--)
23. Utah (25)
24. Oregon State (23)
25. Auburn (--)


- Who dropped out? Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and South Carolina all dropped out. The Hokies were a big dropper but they have suddenly stopped looking good.

- Who is almost in? These ten teams probably deserve to be called the next ten. In no particular order- Clemson, Virginia Tech, Boston College, South Florida, West Virginia, Rutgers, Texas Tech, Stanford, and Tennessee.

- I know you hate Iowa. But come on people. Iowa’s schedule has been brutal. I hate the fact that they only beat Northern Iowa and Arkansas State by less than three points, but I can’t put a team ahead of them at this point.

- So, who’s got a shot at the national title? There are only eleven teams left with any shot at the national title. Things are looking bleak for Penn State, Georgia Tech, TCU, and Boise State at this point, but they are all in the discussion. LSU has to beat Alabama this weekend and then beat Florida in the SEC Championship Game to have any shot at the national title. Oregon is on the outside at the moment, but if they beat Arizona, that will only move them up. Then there is Iowa and Cincinnati who have decent shots if things break right. Finally, the big three are Florida, Alabama, and Texas. Right now, I’ll take Alabama and Texas. In my rankings, these teams should all be ranked number one basically.

Onto this week’s top storylines!

Two More Big Ones! Last week, there were two marquee games that fell flat (at least in terms of close games). This week, there are two more big ones. Both will occur at 3:30 Eastern. One is LSU’s visit to Alabama. It is certainly possible that both teams control their own destiny in the national championship race. The second big game is Ohio State’s visit to Penn State. Ohio State hosts Iowa next week, and if the Buckeyes win both games, then they will likely win the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions need some help to win the Big Ten, but are still in the national title discussion. Both teams are very much in the BCS discussion. This weekend will clear the air a little bit more about who the national title contenders really are.

Conference Race Clarity. The conference races will begin to be cleared up a little bit more. With Alabama-LSU and Penn State-Ohio State, the Big Ten and SEC will take a much clearer picture by the weekend’s end. A Penn State win and an Iowa win over Northwestern would mean the Hawkeyes would just have to beat either Minnesota or Ohio State to win the Big Ten. Georgia Tech holds the edge in the ACC over Virginia Tech and Virginia, but Miami only has two conference losses and is still in the mix. Duke only has one conference loss as well, and Duke and Georgia Tech play next week. However, the Yellow Jackets play Wake Forest this week and that will help clarify both divisions of the ACC some. The Big 12 race will be cleared up some with Kansas State-Kansas and Nebraska-Oklahoma.

Tuesday and Thursday in the MAC! It’s not every week that the MAC gets to be the focus of attention, but Bowling Green and Buffalo square off on Tuesday night. The winner keeps their bowl chances alive, while the loser falls out of the mix. On Thursday, Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan play with NIU looking to keep alive their MAC West title hopes. Also on Thursday, Miami (OH) battles Temple. The Owls clinched bowl eligibility. They are still unbeaten in the MAC and can continue their chase for the conference title with a win over a bad RedHawks team.


GAMES TO WATCH

Each week, three games to watch will be listed. One will be the best match-up of the weekend. One will be either an Upset Special or a game that most people aren’t talking about that you should watch for an entertaining game. One will be the non-BCS game of the week, the best match-up between two non-BCS teams. All times Eastern.

Game of the Week
LSU at Alabama 3:30 CBS

Alabama is not playing great on offense, as Greg McElroy has really taken a step back at the quarterback position. Lucky for the Tide, the defense is so good that it doesn’t really matter. For LSU, they rely on defense too. They have Jordan Jefferson at quarterback, and he’s an athlete, but has not been making many big plays this year. That is, until the last two weeks. Suddenly, the Tigers offense seems to be finding some life. This is the Saban Bowl, and these teams are really getting intense about this rivalry. Last year, LSU nearly beat Alabama in Baton Rouge, and LSU was significantly worse last year than they are this year. This game should be all about the defenses.

“You Should Be Watching” Game of the Week
Oregon at Stanford 3:30 ABC

Coming off a huge, program changing type of win that vaults Oregon into the national title discussion, this has letdown written all over it. The Cardinal have four ranked teams left on their schedule, but they are clearly an improved football team. Toby Gerhart will lead the ground attack. This is at Stanford, and Oregon could easily get caught up reading their own press clippings this week and get stunned by a hyped up Stanford team in the process. With the way Stanford has played at home, this has potential for a major upset.

Non-BCS Game of the Week
Fresno State at Idaho 10:30 ESPNU

No one wants to talk about the WAC in glowing terms, but Fresno State and Idaho have both been good this year. Both teams are 4-1 in the WAC right now. Ryan Matthews leads the Bulldogs ground attack, averaging 7.4 yards per carry. For Idaho, they are now a week away from their showdown with Boise State. That’s a huge in-state rivalry for those two teams. Can Idaho focus this week on the Bulldogs before what is one of the biggest home games in the program’s history next week against Boise State?

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, or just want to talk college football, please feel free to e-mail me at [e-mail]