2009 College Football - Week 9 Recap

This weekend had the potential to be amazing. There were upsets to be had by many teams but alas, none of them came into fruition. So so sad, especially for a guy secretly hoping to see Boise State face TCU in the title game to spite all those who think the BCS is a good idea. But the good thing is that most years, November is where the real action is. That's because every conference race is determined in the month and maybe more importantly, some of the best team trip up in games they have no business tripping in. So plenty of great stuff to some hopefully but before we move along, here's the look back at Week 9.

THE BIG 10 THINGS I LEARNED THIS WEEK

1. Saturday Statements - After a few weeks of not playing overly impressive, Florida and Texas made some statements this week. Florida showcased its offense and defense in a good performance against Georgia. Tim Tebow played like the Tebow that won the Heisman and the Gators defense shut down the sometimes dynamic Dawgs offense. Meanwhile, Texas did the same to a very good Oklahoma State team. OKST QB Zach Robinson was pressured and pushed to his limits from the start and the Longhorns never let off the gas. Both teams are now are in great shape to finish undefeated before conference title games.

2. Pac-10 Power Shift - For a while, it seemed like the only sure thing in life were death, taxes, and USC winning the Pac-10. Well, that's probably not gonna happen this year, thanks to Oregon. And who saw this coming after Week 1. The Ducks scored just 8 points against Boise State and lost their starting RB for the season due to a punch. But ever since, the Ducks have just gotten better and clearly are the best in the conference. USC isn't a bad team but Oregon sure made them look like it. Props to Chip Kelly for getting the team back on the right track. Still some tough games to go but with a 2-game lead and all the confidence in the world, they should be just fine.

3. BCS Busters in good shape - Give some credit to TCU and Boise State. Despite their long odds of playing in the BCS championship game, they play every game as if they were in the thick of the race. TCU crushed UNLV 41-0 while Boise State disposed of San Jose State 45-7. Winning games convincingly is huge for both, considering the voters' propensity to have other teams jump them just because of the level of competition TCU and BSU play. But no matter what these teams do, they're not gonna move up the BCS standings unless the teams above fall prey to a upset or two.

4. The ACC is ridiculous - You could always seem to count on Virginia Tech to carry the torch for the ACC. No matter how average the conference may be, VT had always been the one to give it credibility. And then, Thursday night happened. The Hokies lost to a UNC team that had been struggling mightily and even worse, they lost to them in Blacksburg. Later that night, Miami (FL) needed a 4th quarter comeback to beat Wake Forest and Duke, once the laughing stock of college football, beat Virginia to give them a better conference record than VT and Miami (FL). Oh, and the entire ACC Atlantic will give you a headache trying to figure it out.

5. Fun November to come in Big Ten - If you think you've got the Big Ten figured out, let me know. Michigan started the season on fire but now, have just one conference win. This week, they lost to an Illinois team many thought would finish near the top. Minnesotsa took down MSU in the battle of mediocrity and Iowa escaped once again, despite 5 INT from Ricky Stanzi. But the best is yet to come. OSU has to face PSU and Iowa. The outcome of those games will determine who will face (and inevitably lose) to Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

6. Tricky Tressel - Oh, and speaking of Ohio State, how about the tricks from Jim Tressel lately? The onside kick, the wide receiver pass. It's actually been fun to watch the Ohio State offense again. Terrelle Pryor is still struggling but if he just focuses on being an athlete and not a quarterback, OSU should be able to survive. Plus, the more tricks the better. Tressel has always been one to play things close to the vest (pun intended) so the more random things he can do against the toughest competition yet, the better.

7. Big East Battles to come - West Virginia did suffer a loss to South Florida but don't count them out of the race yet. They have an underrated team and overlooking them one but could be costly to Pitt and Cincy. Here's how it breaks down. Cincy and Pitt are undefeated in Big East play but still face each other. Both also have to face WV, who could play spoiler by beating them both. Cincy is still playing without QB Tony Pike and been thriving. Meanwhile, Pitt has been playing great football since a terrible loss to NC State. Most years, the Big East is laughed at but this year, there is some real talent and the action to come in November should be fun to watch.

8. Falling Apart - It wasn't too long ago Michigan, Kansas and Ole Miss were in the Top 25 and said to be having great seasons. Forget about that. Michigan began Big Ten play with a win over Indiana and a perfect 4-0. Since then, it's all gone downhill. The Wolverines have lost 4 conference games in a row and at 5-4, still are not bowl eligible. Kansas seemed to be on the fast track to playing Texas in the Big 12 title game but they've hit a huge bump in the road. The Jayhawks have lost 3 in a row and the last two were by 21 or more points. At 1-3, they can still finish in first amazingly but they need to step up their game. And as for Ole Miss, yikes. Once a top 5 team, they're now unranked and losers of 3 conference games. Their latest loss to Auburn was particularly embarrassing, seeing they were never even close to winning. They still have Tennessee and LSU on the schedule so finishing at 7-5 is not out of the question.

9. Non-BCS races - Of course, all the attention has been focused on the BCS conference races but there are some decent ones outside of that. In Conference USA, Houston has a tough one against Tulsa this week to keep tabs on its top spot in the West division. ECU should be fine in the East. The MAC West is all but settled thanks to CMU but the East picture is still muddled. Temple has the lead at 4-0 but still must play OU (4-1) and Kent State (4-1) and in back-to-back games on a short week. The Mountain West is led by TCU and Utah who are both undefeated. Winner of their battle in two weeks will settle that conference. And in the WAC, Boise State and Nevada lead the pack. Their game on the day after Turkey Day should decide that conference.

10. Heisman Watch - With his great performance against Georgia, Tim Tebow went a long way to becoming the second two-time Heisman winner. But Colt McCoy isn't going anywhere. He put up good numbers to and his were on the road against a top-15 team in what was a huge game. Mark Ingram had the week off and Jimmy Clausen played a scrub Washington State team so while his numbers were good, they were expected. CJ Spiller only had 5 carries this past week, really hurting his chances. Other names like Houston QB Case Keenum, Pitt RB Dion Lewis and Miami (FL) QB Jacory Harris had good games but probably aren't solidly in the running yet.

11. A non-Promise commercial from OU? - That's right folks. OU Athletics has created a commercial that will hopefully replace the awful one that includes yours truly and infects the airwaves. You can check out the artistic masterpiece here. (OSU fans beware).

OVER/UNDER
- Can't believe I'm saying this but VIRGINIA TECH is my OVERRATED team of the week. Most years, they are always underrated because of the mediocrity of the ACC but this year, they're just not a good team. Their offense goes non-existent for long stretches in games and while Tyrod Taylor is one heck of an athlete, he is not a great passing quarterback yet, which really hurts this offense. Their defense isn't terrible but they can't get off the field.
- I had a lot of choices for the UNDERRATED team of the week but after deep thought, I went with TENNESSEE. Yes, they're just 4-4 but this team is much better than that. Under Lane Kiffin, this offense has really taken off. Johnathan Crompton is passing the ball with confidence and Montario Hardesty has turned into one of the best backs in the league. Meanwhile, the defense led by the elder Monte Kiffin has really excelled. Safety Eric Berry leads a group that can get after the quarterback and can shut down both the run or pass. They've played well against Florida and Alabama and just got done beating a quality South Carolina team. With the recruits Kiffin is bringing in, expect the Vols to be a dominant team in 2-3 years.

HE/SHE SAID WHAT?
"Eight's not half of 29. It's half of 16, which is half of 29." - Craig James

3 QUESTIONS

1. Who can throw the better deep ball: Terrelle Pryor or Devier Posey?

2. Do the Cincinnati Bearcats have a quarterback controversy once Tony Pike is healthy?

3. If Notre Dame finishes at 10-2, are they worthy of a BCS bowl game?