College Football Thread - Pandemonium Reigns!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Ah... actually forget about Arizona State..

1) Ohio State
2) USF (South Florida)
3) Boston College
4) Oregon
5) Oklahoma
6) West Virginia
7) California
8) LSU
9) USC (South Carolina)
10) Kentucky

Cal is ranked above LSU because Cal was missing their starting QB due to a shoulder injury.

[reismark]

I'm going to wait out on the Arizona State/Washington game. The Sun Devils will be my #10 team should they win.

I will say this, though: I only dropped LSU to #4.

I'll explain why when I put my entry out.

[pchang]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Ah... actually forget about Arizona State..

1) Ohio State
2) USF (South Florida)
3) Boston College
4) Oregon
5) Oklahoma
6) West Virginia
7) California
8) LSU
9) USC (South Carolina)
10) Kentucky

Cal is ranked above LSU because Cal was missing their starting QB due to a shoulder injury.

Ankle injury

[reismark]

1. Boston College (+2)
2. Ohio State (+2)
3. South Florida (+2)
4. LSU (-3)
5. Oklahoma (+2)
6. South Carolina
7. Virginia Tech
8. California (-6)
9. Kentucky (New Entry)
10. Arizona State (New Entry)

Dropped: Missouri, Cincinnati
On the brink: Oregon, West Virginia, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas

Why LSU only drops to #4:

- They lost on the road in triple-overtime to a Top 20 team and one that re-enters my Top 10 this week. That pales in comparison to a team losing at home in regulation to a mid-tier team.

- I was very unimpressed with South Carolina's performance and could not justify dropping LSU below the Gamecocks, especially since LSU beat them head-to-head and has more quality wins than them.

- Virginia Tech (another team LSU not just beat, but destroyed) beat up on dead money and wasn't going up unless the upsets really flew on by.

[Guynemer]

Undefeated update:

Six teams remain; their next opponents and odds of being beaten:

Boston College, bye
Kansas, at Colorado: 50% chance of losing
South Florida, at Rutgers: 50% chance of losing
Ohio State, vs. Michigan State: 15% chance of losing
Arizona State, bye
Hawai'i, vs. New Mexico State: 20% chance of losing

[snoopy369]

NMSU won't beat Hawai'i... they could've been a good team this year, but they lost too many people to injuries.

Then again, given your 50% chances for USF and Kansas, perhaps 20% is not an unreasonable amount comparitively

[Tuberski]

1) Ohio State (+2)
2) Boston College (+2)
3) Oklahoma (+3)
4) LSU (-3)
5) South Carolina (unchanged)
6) South Florida (+1)
7) Arizona State (+1)
8) Cal (-6)
9) Kentucky (new)
10) USC (unchanged)

LSU got less of a drop than both USC and Oklahoma did when they lost.

ACK!

[Lord Avalon]

BCS Top 10

1. OSU
2. USF
3. BC
4. LSU
5. OU
6. USCar
7. UK
8. ASU
9. WV
10. OR

11-17: VT, Cal, KS, USCal, UF, MO, Aub (I didn't catch the rest)

[Imran Siddiqui]

WoohooO!!!! USF is #2 (which is what I ranked them at).

And they were unranked to start the season .

[-Jrabbit]

I will spend the rest of the season rooting for S.FL. to run the table.

[Tuberski]

The BCS Top 25:

1. Ohio State
2. South Florida
3. Boston College
4. LSU
5. Oklahoma
6. South Carolina
7. Kentucky
8. Arizona State
9. West Virginia
10. Oregon
11. Virginia Tech
12. California
13. Kansas
14. USC
15. Florida
16. Missouri
17. Auburn
18. Hawaii
19. Virginia
20. Georgia
21. Tennessee
22. Texas
23. Cincinnati
24. Texas Tech
25. Michigan

Michigan returns to the Top 25......

ACK!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
I will spend the rest of the season rooting for S.FL. to run the table.

Me too

[DanS]

I have no special love for USF, and think they'll lose at least a couple. On the other hand, from what I have seen, they have a rather stout defense.

[SlowwHand]

When it's all said and done, it will still be LSU and Oklahoma duking it out.

[Lord Avalon]

When I first read this article earlier today, the title was Fans livid over Nebraska's swoon.

This afternoon it's

Nebraska fires athletic director

Pederson dismissed over lack of football progress

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson was fired Monday, two days after the school's once-mighty football team was rocked with its worst home loss in nearly a half-century.

Pederson, along with coach Bill Callahan, has been heavily criticized after a series of one-sided losses this season. The most recent was a 45-14 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday with former Cornhuskers coach Tom Osborne and his 1997 national title team in attendance.

Over the past two weeks, the Huskers (4-3) have lost by a combined margin of 86-20, dropping a 41-6 decision at Missouri two weeks ago.

"We are, of course, disappointed about the progress in our football program," Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman said in a news release. "Steve has done many positive things for Husker athletics during his tenure, but I think only new leadership can objectively assess the state of our program and make the decisions necessary to move us forward."

At the end of the July, Pederson's contract was renewed for five years, but this season has been a nightmare for the most part. Even in victory -- a 41-40 nail-biter against Ball State -- the Huskers' defense was far from the force it used to be.

For the first time in its 118-year history, the Cornhuskers have allowed at least 40 points four times in a season.

"You make the best decision you can with the information you have," Perlman said.

Perlman also said that since July he's noticed a decline in morale and growing concern about keeping key personnel in the athletic department. Paul Meyers, a key fundraiser, was among several people who departed.

A search for an interim athletic director has begun, with the next step to find a permanent replacement.

"It is not clear how long such a process will take or its precise form," Perlman said. "It is important it be done expeditiously but thoughtfully."

There was no immediate word on the status of Callahan, who signed a five-year contract last month. He said less than two hours before Pederson's firing that they talked almost daily about the program.

"We've come under a steady stream of criticism," Callahan said. "It's important you stand tall. You'll be the direct target of critics. I understand that. You're in the public eye and in a high position in order to lead. We're going to continue to lead in a very positive manner."

In four seasons under Callahan, the Huskers are 26-18 overall, 14-14 against the Big 12, 3-8 against teams in the Top 25 and 0-6 against the top 10. They have given up 40 points or more nine times.

Pederson has been a polarizing figure in Nebraska, widely criticized for firing Solich and then for conducting a protracted one-man search for a new coach.

Pederson may have been his own worst enemy, setting the bar high for Callahan and raising fans' expectations.

"I refuse to let the program gravitate into mediocrity," Pederson said the day he announced Solich's firing. "We won't surrender the Big 12 to Oklahoma and Texas."

The Huskers went 5-6 in Callahan's first season but improved to 8-4 in 2005. They were 9-5 last year, winning the Big 12 North and losing to Oklahoma in the conference title game. They then lost to Auburn in the Cotton Bowl.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/ncaa/10/15/nebraska.swoon.ap/index.html

That sure didn't take long.