Week 12 and All is Well

A weekly roundup, followed up by a preview of this upcoming week, starting off with my boys in blue . . .

1. Nittany Lions in the BCS - JoePa finally wins (at least a share of) his second Big Ten title, 11 years after the first one, and his first BCS bowl bid (though he's won them all before they were the BCS bowls). Though I firmly believe that Penn State should've stopped Michigan on that last play (for God's sake, Vandy could stop the Vols!), the Nittany Lions are only 1 second away from an undefeated season and BCS controversy. To top it off, as the Seminoles have continued to struggle this year, JoePa has cut Bowden's lead down to 5, with 353 wins to 358. Bobby and his boys still have 2 games to play (Florida and the ACC champ), so the margin may keep, but there's always next year. I've got the boys in blue slotted to play in the Orange Bowl, though Miami now looks like it won't be making it to the ACC championship game. Of course, if USC manages to drop one to UCLA (after pulling yet one more out of their ass to Fresno State - well done, Bulldogs. Pat Hill has shown that his boys will play anyone anywhere), or if either A&M or Colorado surprise the Longhorns, it'll be a cat fight between PSU and LSU for that #2 slot (assuming LSU wins out, of course).

2. The Iron Bowl - Though this was mostly a one-sided affair (Auburn had a 28-7 lead at the half, and, much like last year's Sugar Bowl, allowed its opponent to score points that makes it look much closer than it was), the participants had the highest rankings (9 and 11) for over a decade. Auburn, in winning, is pinning its hopes on Arkansas rising up against the other Tigers, while Alabama has seen its hopes for an at-large BCS bid fade away to nothing.


3. Vandy, there was this OTHER team in Tenn. too - Vandy finishes its season with an upset victory against the Vols, and breaks a streak of 21 (22?) years of losing to Tennessee. The Commodores end up 5-6, and not bowl-eligible, because they lost to that other team from Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State. The mighty Blue Raiders. To top it off, Vandy could've also beaten Kentucky, but failed to do that as well. Looking at their schedule, after their 4-0 start, Vandy dropped close games to 4 of the 6 teams that beat them. Florida, MTSU, S. Car., and Kentucky all won by a TD or less - a little bit more effort, and Vandy would've been bowling. Still and all, though, good run, boys, though your coach may be on the want list for schools looking for a change this year.

4. TCU wins MWC, goes undefeated . . . almost - Being such a fan of Cinderella teams, and anything that embarrasses the BCS, TCU could've been a contender, but for a pack of pesky Mustangs. Though once again the Frogs show that the Big 12 took the wrong private school from the SWC, it's still that entirely inexplicable loss to SMU that keeps them out of BCS contention. TCU is going bowling, but since the Libery Bowl no longer gets the MWC champ, no one knows where yet.


Preview of the big games of Week 13 -

1. The Lone Star Showdown - This one shouldn't be much of a showdown, right? Right? Well, maybe not, but A&M has three things that may make this more of a challenge than it should be to the Horns. One, it's in Kyle Field (though with mighty Baylor almost pulling off the upset, that may not mean much). Two, A&M needs this win to be bowl eligible and that may give them some more incentive in this game. Three, history has seen that whenever one of these two teams has clinched a berth in the Big 12 championship game, the other rises up and puts the smack down on them (98 for the Horns, 99 for the Aggies). Still, this Longhorn team should be able to march up and down the field against these Aggies. Expect a 49-10 blowout in this one, and a lot of sad faces in the Dixie Chicken.

2. Arkansas at LSU - The Tigers need to win this one to face Georgia in the SEC championship game. The Razorbacks need to win this one to, well, nothing more than be spoilers or pains in the ass. The Hogs aren't going bowling, whether they win or not, but LSU hasn't played with any consistency this year. The Hogs almost pulled off the upset between the hedges, and they'll be looking to do the same against the Tigers. Expect LSU to pull it out, to set up a showdown in Atlanta against the Dawgs, 20-10.

3. Virginia at Miami - With the Canes dropping one to the Rambling Wreck, they need to beat the Wahoos when they come to Coral Gables. Plus, they have to hope that UNC manages an upset win against the Hokies to win back their place in the ACC championship game, and a rematch against the Seminoles. The schizoid Cavaliers, who managed to beat FSU, yet lose to UNC, are a true wild card. Will the real Cavs please stand-up, so we can figure out what you're doing? All the evidence indicates Miami should just run away with this one, but the Cavs make it sticky.

4. The GA Bowl - The game with nothing on the line. Georgia has clinched its spot in the SEC championship game, and can only get to a BCS bowl if they win that game. Ga Tech, meanwhile, despite its upset of Miami, can't get to the ACC championship, and just wants a better bowl bid. This one is always nasty, and pits two dominant defenses against each other. I've got to give the Yellowjackets the edge, as the Reggie Ball-Calvin Johnson connection can take advantage of a Bulldog secondary that allowed Auburn to throw deep and set up the game winning field goal. Ga Tech takes this one, 17-14.

5. Gator eats Seminole, or maybe it's the other way around - Head south from Atlanta, and you find a similar situation. FSU has clinched its place in the ACC champ, while Florida is on the outside looking in. Neither is in the running for a BCS bowl bid, and both have coaches with something to prove. While Bowden hasn't faced the depths of badness that JoePa has, the Seminoles have managed to lose at least 3 games now for 5 years in a row. Urban Meyer, meanwhile, needs to show that his wunderkind status will be able to hold up against the big boys. Florida has the better QB, and the game is in the Swamp, so I've got the Gators chomping on Chief Osceola, 20-17.