I've updated my 2011 Coaching Carousel. Twenty-four positions have been filled and only one vacancy is left. Penn State is the last opening.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Hawaii hires Norm Chow
Hawaii announced Norm Chow as its new head coach. Chow was most recently the offensive coordinator at Utah last year. He has spent the past 16 seasons as the offensive coordinator at USC, UCLA, the Tennessee Titans, and others. He was born in Honolulu, but is alumnus of Utah. He has never served as a head coach. Despite that lack of experience, I am on board with this choice.
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Southern Miss hires Ellis Johnson
Southern Miss announced Ellis Johnson as its new head coach. Johnson was the assistant head coach and defensive coach at South Carolina for the past four years. In 1988-89, Johnson served as the defensive coordinator for Southern Miss. Johnson has some experience as a head coach, with one year at Gardner-Webb and three years at The Citadel. I'm surprised Southern Miss didn't turn to an offensive guy to continue the success that Larry Fedora had. I don't hate this hire, but I'm not thrilled with it either.
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Houston hires Tony Levine
Houston announced Tony Levine as its new head coach. Levine was the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator at Houston for the past four years. He was named the interim head coach after Kevin Sumlin took the Texas A&M job, and he will coach the Cougars in the TicketCity Bowl. I thought Houston would promote one of its two co-offensive coordinators to be the new head coach to attempt to continue its recent success. Perhaps the athletic director thought Levine was more prepared for the top job, so I won't disagree. I will be interested to see how successful the Cougars will be without its record-setting quarterback Case Keenum.
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Pitt hires Paul Chryst
Pitt announced Paul Chryst as its new head coach. Chryst was the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin for the past seven years. He has been coaching for over 20 years, but has never been a head coach. This is the third head coach Pitt has hired since Dave Wannstedt stepped down after the 2010 season. Chryst led the Badger offense to over 44 points per game this season, and it was time for him to try his hand at being a head coach. If Chryst stays in Pittsburgh, then I think this could be a very good hire for the Panthers.
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Akron hires Terry Bowden
Akron announced Terry Bowden as its new head coach. Bowden was the head coach at North Alabama for the past three years. He is most well known for a six-year coaching stint at Auburn where he went 47-17-1 with two bowl wins. Bowden put together a solid 29-10 record at North Alabama, but some considered his team to underachieve though. He loaded his team with division one talent, but never got further in the DII playoffs than the quarterfinals. Terry Bowden has finished with a winning record at every school he coached at, so I like this hire.
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Thursday, December 15, 2011
2011 Bowl Picks - Updated through 12/31
**updated with bowl picks for the rest of 2011**
Week 1: 69-9 (88.5%)
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Week 9: 44-10 (81.5%)
Week 10: 35-18 (66%)
Week 11: 41-16 (71.9%)
Week 12: 42-18 (72%)
Week 13: 43-11 (79.6%)
Week 14: 20-3 (87%)
Season: 589-188 (75.8%)
Saturday, December 17
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Temple (8-4) vs Wyoming (8-4)
Three of Temple's four losses were by a combined 11 points. Temple outscored its opponents by an average of over 16 points per game and only twice was Temple held to under 200 rushing yards (both losses). On the other hand, Wyoming scored the same amount of points as it gave up despite being four games over .500. Wyoming was helped by being 4-0 in close games. Wyoming doesn't have the same defense as Temple. Temple is a power rushing team and Wyoming gives up over 230 rushing yards per game. Wyoming's defense is opportunistic though, and has an advantage with a +14 turnover margin.
The Pick: Temple
Confidence: 27
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Ohio (9-4) vs Utah State (7-5)
Ohio lost the MAC Championship Game after going up 20-0 on Northern Illinois at the half. The offense stagnating and getting shut out in the second half was a major disappointment for a team that hasn't won a postseason game under Frank Solich. He's 0-2 in conference championship games and 0-3 in bowl games. In fact, Ohio has never won a bowl game (0-5). Ohio was 3-3 in close games, and the worst loss was at Rutgers by 12 points. Utah State is probably best known for pushing the reigning national champions Auburn in the opening weekend. That loss was one of four close losses by the Aggies, but they also had five close wins. I'm guessing this one will be close too. Both teams finished strong with Ohio winning its last four regular season games and Utah State winning its last five games.
The Pick: Ohio
Confidence: 15
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
San Diego State (8-4) vs Louisiana Lafayette (8-4)
Rocky Long took a two-year break from coaching but came back when Brady Hoke was hired away by Michigan. SDSU had its top two wide receivers drafted last year, so it relied heavily on stud running back Ronnie Hillman. He didn't disappoint, finishing third nationally in rushing yards with 1656 and added 19 rushing touchdowns. Louisiana-Lafayette had a great first season under Mark Hudspeth and is playing in its first major bowl game. Hudspeth should be proud of what he accomplished, but I just don't think his team is close to being equal with Long's team.
The Pick: San Diego State
Confidence: 26
Tuesday, December 20
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl
FIU (8-4) vs Marshall (6-6)
FIU started off the season as the darling of the Sun Belt with non-conference wins over Louisville and UCF. They lost a couple of games and actually finished fourth in their conference. FIU has one of the most explosive players in the country in T.Y Hilton who has scored eight times as a receiver and returner. Marshall barely slipped into the postseason with a one-point win over a terrible Memphis team and then needing overtime to win a home game against East Carolina. Marshall was outscored by its opponents by 98 points over the season. Marshall is led on defense by Vinny Curry, who is sixth in sacks with 11 this year and has also forced five fumbles.
The Pick: FIU
Confidence: 4
Wednesday, December 21
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
TCU (10-2) vs Louisiana Tech (8-4)
TCU just missed out on going to another BCS bowl game despite returning only eight starters. The two losses were by two points to Baylor and in overtime to SMU. TCU picked up five wins over bowl teams, obviously the most impressive one was beating Boise State on the blue turf. The defense took a step back from 2010's dominant version, but the offense still rang up over 40 points per game. Louisiana Tech had a great season that included a conference championship and winning the last seven straight games. They also played both participants of the C-USA championship game in close losses and pushed Mississippi State to overtime. They picked up a signature win in a 27-7 beatdown of Mississippi, one of five road games they won. Unfortunately, Louisiana Tech got paired up with a great team and I can't imagine them continuing their winning streak.
The Pick: TCU
Confidence: 34
Thursday, December 22
Maaco Bowl
Arizona State (6-6) vs Boise State (11-1)
This is the most mismatched bowl game of the season. Arizona State started off strong with an amazing 43-22 win over USC. They then went on to lose five of the last six games and missed out on playing in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game. Head coach Dennis Erickson is gone, but he will coach the bowl game. Boise State simply had another great season and was a single point loss away from going unbeaten again. Many people disparage Boise's schedule, but the Broncos did beat seven bowl teams. The seniors on this Boise team are 5-0 against AQ conference teams and this should be the sixth win for them. Also, the seniors have only lost three times (by a combined five points), and two of those were to TCU.
The Pick: Boise State
Confidence: 35
Saturday, December 24
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Nevada (7-5) vs Southern Miss (11-2)
Nevada won every game it played against a team with a losing record and lost every game it played against a bowl team. The Wolfpack did play three of those bowl teams close, and getting blown out at Oregon and Boise State is understandable. Nevada averages more than 250 rushing yards and 250 passing yards per game. Nevada has been far less efficient on offense this season, posting a few more yards per game but over eight fewer points. Southern Miss won C-USA by beating previously undefeated Houston in the championship game. They also beat three other bowl teams including the WAC champion Louisiana Tech. Southern Miss is clearly the better team, but will be without head coach Larry Fedora who left for the North Carolina job.
The Pick: Southern Miss
Confidence: 33
Monday, December 26
AdvoCare v100 Independence Bowl
Missouri (7-5) vs North Carolina (7-5)
Missouri disappointed this season with only a 7-5 record. It might be tempting to blame this regression on the loss of Blaine Gabbert, but the offense actually scored more points and gained more yards. The offense did change to a more run-heavy attack due to QB James Franklin's dual-threat abilities and the emergence of RB Henry Josey. The two sophomores combined for over 2000 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns. The defense was a bigger culprit, giving up an additional touchdown per game and forcing nine fewer turnovers. Missouri also struggled on the road, going 1-4 with the only win at Texas A&M. North Carolina fired head coach Butch Davis a week before the preseason and named an interim coach for the year. Given the circumstances plus the loss of nine players to the NFL Draft, he had a pretty good year. North Carolina was similarly bad on the road, posting a 1-4 record with the only win at East Carolina.
The Pick: Missouri
Confidence: 8
Tuesday, December 27
Little Caesars Bowl
Western Michigan (7-5) vs Purdue (6-6)
Western Michigan is led by senior wide receiver Jordan White who leads the country in receptions and receiving yards, and is second in receiving touchdowns. Western Michigan beat Connecticut on the road and almost upset Illinois too. Purdue returns to the postseason for the first time since 2007. The Boilermakers only won a single road game, and that was against 1-11 Indiana. The question will be whether Purdue can score enough to keep up with Western Michigan. Purdue only scored more than 27 points in a game three times this season.
The Pick: Western Michigan
Confidence: 7
Belk Bowl
Louisville (7-5) vs NC State (7-5)
Louisville started off the year really slow with a 2-4 record. The two wins were unimpressive showings against Murray State and Kentucky. They turned it on in the second half, winning five of the last six. The offense sputtered, averaging less than 22 points per game for the year. Fortunately the defense was strong, which kept them in every game. Their worst loss was only be nine points. NC State's season mirrored Louisville's. They started 2-3 with wins only over FCS opponents. Then they won five of the last seven to become bowl eligible. They are capable of beating good teams (Clemson) and losing to bad teams (Boston College). NC State led the country in interceptions with 24.
The Pick: Louisville
Confidence: 3
Wednesday, December 28
Military Bowl
Toledo (8-4) vs Air Force (7-5)
Toledo won eight games, but lost three others by no more than five points. Toledo's offense is high-powered, averaging more than 42 points and almost 500 yards per game. The defense gives up a lot of points and yards, so the Rockets have to outscore most of their opponents. Toledo has a +16 turnover margin, which is much better than Air Force's even margin. Air Force beat two FCS teams and five FBS teams that didn't make it to the postseason. The five losses were all to bowl teams. Air Force was second in the country in rushing offense behind Army. Air Force also passed for over 1600 yards, so it isn't a completely one-dimensional attack. I expect both sides to put up a lot of points in this defense-optional affair. I would be more concerned about Toledo losing its head coach if it hadn't promoted its offensive coordinator, who should keep things rolling at least in the bowl game.
The Pick: Toledo
Confidence: 30
Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl
California (7-5) vs Texas (7-5)
Cal was a very uninteresting team to me this season. The most intriguing thing was when they played Stanford to a field goal game near the end of the season. They do have a trio of offensive playmakers who should all return next season. QB Zach Maynard transferred from Buffalo and helped Cal to almost 1000 more passing yards than last season. Junior RB Isi Sofele had over rushing 1200 yards and nine touchdowns, and sophomore WR Keenan Allen had over 1200 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Texas improved from last season, but still has a long way to go to make it back to where they've been for most of Mack Brown's tenure. The Longhorns won at least nine games in each of his first twelve seasons. Texas had the best defense in the Big XII based on yardage, but turnovers and a struggling offense hurt them in losses. In the seven wins, Texas had a +8 turnover margin and scored 37 points per game. In the five losses, it was a -13 margin and 17 points scored. That wasn't due just to the schedule, since they had four wins over bowl teams. It was more that Texas just couldn't beat the top teams in the conference this year.
The Pick: Texas
Confidence: 20
Thursday, December 29
Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State (8-4) vs Notre Dame (8-4)
A battle between two 8-4 teams I expected to be better in the preseason. Florida State lost three games by five points or fewer, but lacked any quality wins. At least they have state bragging rights, beating Miami and Florida for the second straight year. The defense was second nationally in run defense, sixth in total defense, fourth in scoring defense, and had two shutouts. My favorite random fact about the Seminoles is that they lost consecutive games by the score of 35-30 and then won consecutive games by the score of 41-16. Notre Dame could have won ten games in the regular season if the Irish could have held onto the ball. A -7 turnover margin in the first two games turned into two close losses. Turnovers remained a problem all season, with Notre Dame posting a negative margin in nine games and finished third worst in the country. WR Michael Floyd will be playing his last game with the Irish and he already is the program's career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns by a large margin.
The Pick: Florida State
Confidence: 6
Valero Alamo Bowl
Washington (7-5) vs Baylor (9-3)
Each season under Steve Sarkisian, Washington has improved by one win in the regular season. Despite the improvements, Washington hasn't broken into the upper tier of the Pac-12. Just like last season, Washington finished with a winning record despite being outscored by its opponents. The Huskies were 5-0 in games decided by less than 12 points. It's concerning that each year under Sarkisian, the defense has gotten worse. Baylor's first Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III has to be excited to face Washington's porous defense. Baylor is second in the country in total offense and sixth in scoring offense. Baylor won its last five games, including wins over Oklahoma and Texas. Both offenses are much better than both defenses, so expect a lot of fireworks.
The Pick: Baylor
Confidence: 29
Friday, December 30
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
In BYU's first season as an independent, they played a very soft schedule inflating their win-loss record to 9-3. BYU went 1-3 against bowl teams, with the only win over Utah State. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall has led BYU to a bowl game in each of his seven seasons with a postseason record of 4-2. Tulsa played four teams in my top 15, and lost to all of them by 20+ points. They won the other eight games by an average of 24 points. Only one team played them within a touchdown. Tulsa is another team that struggles with turnovers. They were tied as the second worst team in country with 32 turnovers lost. The Golden Hurricane force a lot of turnovers too, so their margin wasn't too bad.
The Pick: Tulsa
Confidence: 9
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Rutgers (8-4) vs Iowa State (6-6)
Rutgers surprisingly won eight games with a stout defense and forcing more than 2.5 turnovers per game. Rutgers offense was relatively inept, turning the ball over itself 28 times and rushing for five yards or fewer on four separate occasions. Rutgers has already won a game at Yankee Stadium when they beat Army there earlier this year. Iowa State is best known for upsetting Oklahoma State's perfect season. Other than that game, the Cyclones just haven't been that impressive. They were outscored by over six points per game because they were 5-1 in close games.
The Pick: Rutgers
Confidence: 19
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Mississippi State (6-6) vs Wake Forest (6-6)
Mississippi State was one of the more disappointing teams in the country, unable to build on the success Dan Mullen had in his second season. The Bulldogs only won two SEC games and were only close in two others. The offense took a noticeable step back this season, while the defense gave up almost the exact same number of points and yards. Wake Forest started 4-1 with only an overtime loss, but then won just twice more the rest of the season. Wake Forest was outscored by exactly one point per game on the season, but also only turned the ball over once per game. Wake Forest lost badly at home to Vanderbilt in the season finale, so I don't have much hope for them against another SEC team in the bowl game.
The Pick: Mississippi State
Confidence: 31
Insight Bowl
Iowa (7-5) vs Oklahoma (9-3)
Iowa had a slightly down year due mainly to the defense taking a step back. Iowa won every home game except against Michigan State, and lost every road game except against Purdue. Iowa picked up a nice win against Michigan, but also had a terrible loss against Minnesota. Oklahoma was considered to be a national title contender, but then lost two close games and got blasted by rival Oklahoma State in the Bedlam game. The Sooners played one of the toughest schedules in the country, beating seven bowl teams and Ball State who was bowl eligible but not invited. Oklahoma will be playing without its best running back and wide receiver, which has hurt the offense at the end of the season. Bob Stoops had lost five out of six straight bowl games, but has evened up his postseason record with bowl victories the past two years.
The Pick: Oklahoma
Confidence: 32
Saturday, December 31
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
Texas A&M finished a disappointing 6-6 and were an amazingly horrible 1-5 in close games. A&M outscored its opponents by 131 points and outgained them by over 1300 yards for the season. Because of the collapses, A&M fired head coach Mike Sherman and interim head coach Tim DeRuyter has accepted the vacancy at Fresno State. I think A&M is the much better team, but motivation and focus could be factors. Northwestern had the stats more similar to a 6-6 team, including going 2-2 in close games. Northwestern gains more than 400 yards per game, but they also give up over 400 yards per game. This bowl game could be another high-scoring affair.
The Pick: Texas A&M
Confidence: 24
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Georgia Tech (8-4) vs Utah (7-5)
Georgia Tech started off with six straight wins, but then only won twice over the second half of the season. As is typical in Paul Johnson's triple option offense, Georgia Tech finished third nationally in rushing yards per game. One limitation of the option attack is that it is easier to defend with a month to prepare, as is the case in bowl season. That's one reason why Georgia Tech is 0-3 in bowl games under Paul Johnson. Utah finished 7-5 in its first season as a member in the Pac-12. The Utes could have played in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game, but lost in the finale to Colorado. Utah is seventh in the country in rush defense, so it will definitely be strength versus strength.
The Pick: Utah
Confidence: 14
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Illinois (6-6) vs UCLA (6-7)
Illinois is playing without its fired head coach Ron Zook and offensive coordinator Paul Petrino who returned to coach with his brother at Arkansas. Illinois won its first six games and then lost its last six games. The offense scored more than 100 fewer points that last year and the turnover margin went from +8 last year to -8 this year. UCLA is in just as bad of shape as Illinois. UCLA will be without its recently fired head coach Rick Neuheisel. The Bruins also lost the Pac-12 Championship Game and had to petition the NCAA to get a waiver to play in the postseason with a losing record. UCLA was outscored by 110 points this season. With all of the missing coaches, the poor records and the impotent offenses, this might be the worst bowl game of the season.
The Pick: UCLA
Confidence: 5
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Cincinnati (9-3) vs Vanderbilt (6-6)
Cincinnati found a way to win nine games this year in head coach Butch Jones' second season. I tend to harp on turnover margin, but Cincinnati improved by five games this season due in large part due to going from -15 in 2010 to +11 in 2011. Vanderbilt is playing in the postseason for the second time in four years. Not only did the Commodores win six games, they also played four other conference games within a touchdown. Vanderbilt made great strides under first year head coach James Franklin. Being competitive in six of eight conference games is a new identity for Vanderbilt.
The Pick: Vanderbilt
Confidence: 18
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Virginia improved by four wins this season thanks to winning five out of six close games. The Cavaliers outscored their opponents by just 11 points. Virginia appears to be headed in the right direction, while its opponent seems to be in disarray. Auburn is the reigning national champs, but they lost five games including getting handled by the top four teams in the conference. The only good win was at South Carolina. Auburn is dealing with the loss of both coordinators for the bowl game. The offense scored 17 fewer points and gained 170 fewer yards per game compared to last year.
The Pick: Virginia
Confidence: 17
**more bowl picks to be posted next week
Week 1: 69-9 (88.5%)
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Week 9: 44-10 (81.5%)
Week 10: 35-18 (66%)
Week 11: 41-16 (71.9%)
Week 12: 42-18 (72%)
Week 13: 43-11 (79.6%)
Week 14: 20-3 (87%)
Season: 589-188 (75.8%)
Saturday, December 17
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Temple (8-4) vs Wyoming (8-4)
Three of Temple's four losses were by a combined 11 points. Temple outscored its opponents by an average of over 16 points per game and only twice was Temple held to under 200 rushing yards (both losses). On the other hand, Wyoming scored the same amount of points as it gave up despite being four games over .500. Wyoming was helped by being 4-0 in close games. Wyoming doesn't have the same defense as Temple. Temple is a power rushing team and Wyoming gives up over 230 rushing yards per game. Wyoming's defense is opportunistic though, and has an advantage with a +14 turnover margin.
The Pick: Temple
Confidence: 27
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Ohio (9-4) vs Utah State (7-5)
Ohio lost the MAC Championship Game after going up 20-0 on Northern Illinois at the half. The offense stagnating and getting shut out in the second half was a major disappointment for a team that hasn't won a postseason game under Frank Solich. He's 0-2 in conference championship games and 0-3 in bowl games. In fact, Ohio has never won a bowl game (0-5). Ohio was 3-3 in close games, and the worst loss was at Rutgers by 12 points. Utah State is probably best known for pushing the reigning national champions Auburn in the opening weekend. That loss was one of four close losses by the Aggies, but they also had five close wins. I'm guessing this one will be close too. Both teams finished strong with Ohio winning its last four regular season games and Utah State winning its last five games.
The Pick: Ohio
Confidence: 15
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
San Diego State (8-4) vs Louisiana Lafayette (8-4)
Rocky Long took a two-year break from coaching but came back when Brady Hoke was hired away by Michigan. SDSU had its top two wide receivers drafted last year, so it relied heavily on stud running back Ronnie Hillman. He didn't disappoint, finishing third nationally in rushing yards with 1656 and added 19 rushing touchdowns. Louisiana-Lafayette had a great first season under Mark Hudspeth and is playing in its first major bowl game. Hudspeth should be proud of what he accomplished, but I just don't think his team is close to being equal with Long's team.
The Pick: San Diego State
Confidence: 26
Tuesday, December 20
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl
FIU (8-4) vs Marshall (6-6)
FIU started off the season as the darling of the Sun Belt with non-conference wins over Louisville and UCF. They lost a couple of games and actually finished fourth in their conference. FIU has one of the most explosive players in the country in T.Y Hilton who has scored eight times as a receiver and returner. Marshall barely slipped into the postseason with a one-point win over a terrible Memphis team and then needing overtime to win a home game against East Carolina. Marshall was outscored by its opponents by 98 points over the season. Marshall is led on defense by Vinny Curry, who is sixth in sacks with 11 this year and has also forced five fumbles.
The Pick: FIU
Confidence: 4
Wednesday, December 21
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
TCU (10-2) vs Louisiana Tech (8-4)
TCU just missed out on going to another BCS bowl game despite returning only eight starters. The two losses were by two points to Baylor and in overtime to SMU. TCU picked up five wins over bowl teams, obviously the most impressive one was beating Boise State on the blue turf. The defense took a step back from 2010's dominant version, but the offense still rang up over 40 points per game. Louisiana Tech had a great season that included a conference championship and winning the last seven straight games. They also played both participants of the C-USA championship game in close losses and pushed Mississippi State to overtime. They picked up a signature win in a 27-7 beatdown of Mississippi, one of five road games they won. Unfortunately, Louisiana Tech got paired up with a great team and I can't imagine them continuing their winning streak.
The Pick: TCU
Confidence: 34
Thursday, December 22
Maaco Bowl
Arizona State (6-6) vs Boise State (11-1)
This is the most mismatched bowl game of the season. Arizona State started off strong with an amazing 43-22 win over USC. They then went on to lose five of the last six games and missed out on playing in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game. Head coach Dennis Erickson is gone, but he will coach the bowl game. Boise State simply had another great season and was a single point loss away from going unbeaten again. Many people disparage Boise's schedule, but the Broncos did beat seven bowl teams. The seniors on this Boise team are 5-0 against AQ conference teams and this should be the sixth win for them. Also, the seniors have only lost three times (by a combined five points), and two of those were to TCU.
The Pick: Boise State
Confidence: 35
Saturday, December 24
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Nevada (7-5) vs Southern Miss (11-2)
Nevada won every game it played against a team with a losing record and lost every game it played against a bowl team. The Wolfpack did play three of those bowl teams close, and getting blown out at Oregon and Boise State is understandable. Nevada averages more than 250 rushing yards and 250 passing yards per game. Nevada has been far less efficient on offense this season, posting a few more yards per game but over eight fewer points. Southern Miss won C-USA by beating previously undefeated Houston in the championship game. They also beat three other bowl teams including the WAC champion Louisiana Tech. Southern Miss is clearly the better team, but will be without head coach Larry Fedora who left for the North Carolina job.
The Pick: Southern Miss
Confidence: 33
Monday, December 26
AdvoCare v100 Independence Bowl
Missouri (7-5) vs North Carolina (7-5)
Missouri disappointed this season with only a 7-5 record. It might be tempting to blame this regression on the loss of Blaine Gabbert, but the offense actually scored more points and gained more yards. The offense did change to a more run-heavy attack due to QB James Franklin's dual-threat abilities and the emergence of RB Henry Josey. The two sophomores combined for over 2000 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns. The defense was a bigger culprit, giving up an additional touchdown per game and forcing nine fewer turnovers. Missouri also struggled on the road, going 1-4 with the only win at Texas A&M. North Carolina fired head coach Butch Davis a week before the preseason and named an interim coach for the year. Given the circumstances plus the loss of nine players to the NFL Draft, he had a pretty good year. North Carolina was similarly bad on the road, posting a 1-4 record with the only win at East Carolina.
The Pick: Missouri
Confidence: 8
Tuesday, December 27
Little Caesars Bowl
Western Michigan (7-5) vs Purdue (6-6)
Western Michigan is led by senior wide receiver Jordan White who leads the country in receptions and receiving yards, and is second in receiving touchdowns. Western Michigan beat Connecticut on the road and almost upset Illinois too. Purdue returns to the postseason for the first time since 2007. The Boilermakers only won a single road game, and that was against 1-11 Indiana. The question will be whether Purdue can score enough to keep up with Western Michigan. Purdue only scored more than 27 points in a game three times this season.
The Pick: Western Michigan
Confidence: 7
Belk Bowl
Louisville (7-5) vs NC State (7-5)
Louisville started off the year really slow with a 2-4 record. The two wins were unimpressive showings against Murray State and Kentucky. They turned it on in the second half, winning five of the last six. The offense sputtered, averaging less than 22 points per game for the year. Fortunately the defense was strong, which kept them in every game. Their worst loss was only be nine points. NC State's season mirrored Louisville's. They started 2-3 with wins only over FCS opponents. Then they won five of the last seven to become bowl eligible. They are capable of beating good teams (Clemson) and losing to bad teams (Boston College). NC State led the country in interceptions with 24.
The Pick: Louisville
Confidence: 3
Wednesday, December 28
Military Bowl
Toledo (8-4) vs Air Force (7-5)
Toledo won eight games, but lost three others by no more than five points. Toledo's offense is high-powered, averaging more than 42 points and almost 500 yards per game. The defense gives up a lot of points and yards, so the Rockets have to outscore most of their opponents. Toledo has a +16 turnover margin, which is much better than Air Force's even margin. Air Force beat two FCS teams and five FBS teams that didn't make it to the postseason. The five losses were all to bowl teams. Air Force was second in the country in rushing offense behind Army. Air Force also passed for over 1600 yards, so it isn't a completely one-dimensional attack. I expect both sides to put up a lot of points in this defense-optional affair. I would be more concerned about Toledo losing its head coach if it hadn't promoted its offensive coordinator, who should keep things rolling at least in the bowl game.
The Pick: Toledo
Confidence: 30
Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl
California (7-5) vs Texas (7-5)
Cal was a very uninteresting team to me this season. The most intriguing thing was when they played Stanford to a field goal game near the end of the season. They do have a trio of offensive playmakers who should all return next season. QB Zach Maynard transferred from Buffalo and helped Cal to almost 1000 more passing yards than last season. Junior RB Isi Sofele had over rushing 1200 yards and nine touchdowns, and sophomore WR Keenan Allen had over 1200 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Texas improved from last season, but still has a long way to go to make it back to where they've been for most of Mack Brown's tenure. The Longhorns won at least nine games in each of his first twelve seasons. Texas had the best defense in the Big XII based on yardage, but turnovers and a struggling offense hurt them in losses. In the seven wins, Texas had a +8 turnover margin and scored 37 points per game. In the five losses, it was a -13 margin and 17 points scored. That wasn't due just to the schedule, since they had four wins over bowl teams. It was more that Texas just couldn't beat the top teams in the conference this year.
The Pick: Texas
Confidence: 20
Thursday, December 29
Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State (8-4) vs Notre Dame (8-4)
A battle between two 8-4 teams I expected to be better in the preseason. Florida State lost three games by five points or fewer, but lacked any quality wins. At least they have state bragging rights, beating Miami and Florida for the second straight year. The defense was second nationally in run defense, sixth in total defense, fourth in scoring defense, and had two shutouts. My favorite random fact about the Seminoles is that they lost consecutive games by the score of 35-30 and then won consecutive games by the score of 41-16. Notre Dame could have won ten games in the regular season if the Irish could have held onto the ball. A -7 turnover margin in the first two games turned into two close losses. Turnovers remained a problem all season, with Notre Dame posting a negative margin in nine games and finished third worst in the country. WR Michael Floyd will be playing his last game with the Irish and he already is the program's career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns by a large margin.
The Pick: Florida State
Confidence: 6
Valero Alamo Bowl
Washington (7-5) vs Baylor (9-3)
Each season under Steve Sarkisian, Washington has improved by one win in the regular season. Despite the improvements, Washington hasn't broken into the upper tier of the Pac-12. Just like last season, Washington finished with a winning record despite being outscored by its opponents. The Huskies were 5-0 in games decided by less than 12 points. It's concerning that each year under Sarkisian, the defense has gotten worse. Baylor's first Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III has to be excited to face Washington's porous defense. Baylor is second in the country in total offense and sixth in scoring offense. Baylor won its last five games, including wins over Oklahoma and Texas. Both offenses are much better than both defenses, so expect a lot of fireworks.
The Pick: Baylor
Confidence: 29
Friday, December 30
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
In BYU's first season as an independent, they played a very soft schedule inflating their win-loss record to 9-3. BYU went 1-3 against bowl teams, with the only win over Utah State. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall has led BYU to a bowl game in each of his seven seasons with a postseason record of 4-2. Tulsa played four teams in my top 15, and lost to all of them by 20+ points. They won the other eight games by an average of 24 points. Only one team played them within a touchdown. Tulsa is another team that struggles with turnovers. They were tied as the second worst team in country with 32 turnovers lost. The Golden Hurricane force a lot of turnovers too, so their margin wasn't too bad.
The Pick: Tulsa
Confidence: 9
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Rutgers (8-4) vs Iowa State (6-6)
Rutgers surprisingly won eight games with a stout defense and forcing more than 2.5 turnovers per game. Rutgers offense was relatively inept, turning the ball over itself 28 times and rushing for five yards or fewer on four separate occasions. Rutgers has already won a game at Yankee Stadium when they beat Army there earlier this year. Iowa State is best known for upsetting Oklahoma State's perfect season. Other than that game, the Cyclones just haven't been that impressive. They were outscored by over six points per game because they were 5-1 in close games.
The Pick: Rutgers
Confidence: 19
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Mississippi State (6-6) vs Wake Forest (6-6)
Mississippi State was one of the more disappointing teams in the country, unable to build on the success Dan Mullen had in his second season. The Bulldogs only won two SEC games and were only close in two others. The offense took a noticeable step back this season, while the defense gave up almost the exact same number of points and yards. Wake Forest started 4-1 with only an overtime loss, but then won just twice more the rest of the season. Wake Forest was outscored by exactly one point per game on the season, but also only turned the ball over once per game. Wake Forest lost badly at home to Vanderbilt in the season finale, so I don't have much hope for them against another SEC team in the bowl game.
The Pick: Mississippi State
Confidence: 31
Insight Bowl
Iowa (7-5) vs Oklahoma (9-3)
Iowa had a slightly down year due mainly to the defense taking a step back. Iowa won every home game except against Michigan State, and lost every road game except against Purdue. Iowa picked up a nice win against Michigan, but also had a terrible loss against Minnesota. Oklahoma was considered to be a national title contender, but then lost two close games and got blasted by rival Oklahoma State in the Bedlam game. The Sooners played one of the toughest schedules in the country, beating seven bowl teams and Ball State who was bowl eligible but not invited. Oklahoma will be playing without its best running back and wide receiver, which has hurt the offense at the end of the season. Bob Stoops had lost five out of six straight bowl games, but has evened up his postseason record with bowl victories the past two years.
The Pick: Oklahoma
Confidence: 32
Saturday, December 31
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
Texas A&M finished a disappointing 6-6 and were an amazingly horrible 1-5 in close games. A&M outscored its opponents by 131 points and outgained them by over 1300 yards for the season. Because of the collapses, A&M fired head coach Mike Sherman and interim head coach Tim DeRuyter has accepted the vacancy at Fresno State. I think A&M is the much better team, but motivation and focus could be factors. Northwestern had the stats more similar to a 6-6 team, including going 2-2 in close games. Northwestern gains more than 400 yards per game, but they also give up over 400 yards per game. This bowl game could be another high-scoring affair.
The Pick: Texas A&M
Confidence: 24
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Georgia Tech (8-4) vs Utah (7-5)
Georgia Tech started off with six straight wins, but then only won twice over the second half of the season. As is typical in Paul Johnson's triple option offense, Georgia Tech finished third nationally in rushing yards per game. One limitation of the option attack is that it is easier to defend with a month to prepare, as is the case in bowl season. That's one reason why Georgia Tech is 0-3 in bowl games under Paul Johnson. Utah finished 7-5 in its first season as a member in the Pac-12. The Utes could have played in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game, but lost in the finale to Colorado. Utah is seventh in the country in rush defense, so it will definitely be strength versus strength.
The Pick: Utah
Confidence: 14
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Illinois (6-6) vs UCLA (6-7)
Illinois is playing without its fired head coach Ron Zook and offensive coordinator Paul Petrino who returned to coach with his brother at Arkansas. Illinois won its first six games and then lost its last six games. The offense scored more than 100 fewer points that last year and the turnover margin went from +8 last year to -8 this year. UCLA is in just as bad of shape as Illinois. UCLA will be without its recently fired head coach Rick Neuheisel. The Bruins also lost the Pac-12 Championship Game and had to petition the NCAA to get a waiver to play in the postseason with a losing record. UCLA was outscored by 110 points this season. With all of the missing coaches, the poor records and the impotent offenses, this might be the worst bowl game of the season.
The Pick: UCLA
Confidence: 5
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Cincinnati (9-3) vs Vanderbilt (6-6)
Cincinnati found a way to win nine games this year in head coach Butch Jones' second season. I tend to harp on turnover margin, but Cincinnati improved by five games this season due in large part due to going from -15 in 2010 to +11 in 2011. Vanderbilt is playing in the postseason for the second time in four years. Not only did the Commodores win six games, they also played four other conference games within a touchdown. Vanderbilt made great strides under first year head coach James Franklin. Being competitive in six of eight conference games is a new identity for Vanderbilt.
The Pick: Vanderbilt
Confidence: 18
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Virginia improved by four wins this season thanks to winning five out of six close games. The Cavaliers outscored their opponents by just 11 points. Virginia appears to be headed in the right direction, while its opponent seems to be in disarray. Auburn is the reigning national champs, but they lost five games including getting handled by the top four teams in the conference. The only good win was at South Carolina. Auburn is dealing with the loss of both coordinators for the bowl game. The offense scored 17 fewer points and gained 170 fewer yards per game compared to last year.
The Pick: Virginia
Confidence: 17
**more bowl picks to be posted next week
Arizona State hires Todd Graham
Arizona State announced Todd Graham as its new head coach. Graham was the head coach at Pitt, where he stayed for just one year. Todd Graham is a solid head coach, but his constant job changing is really hurting his reputation. Graham is 49-29 overall as a head coach and took his team to the postseason in five of his six seasons. Despite being a defensive guy, he is known for fielding exciting offenses. He has been helped by having Gus Malzahn and Chad Morris as two of his offensive coordinators. I think this is a solid hire for Arizona State if Graham is serious about sticking around long-term.
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Fresno State hires Tim DeRuyter
Fresno State announced Tim DeRuyter as its new head coach. DeRuyter was most recently the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M. He is also serving as the interim head coach and will coach in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas against Northwestern. DeRuyter is from California and has some experience coaching out west at Nevada and Air Force. I don't really have much of an opinion, good or bad, about this hire except that I doubt he'll be as good as the previous head coach.
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Arkansas State hires Gus Malzahn
Arkansas State announced Gus Malzahn as its new head coach. Malzahn was most recently the offensive coordinator at Auburn for the past three seasons. He spent 14 years coaching high school in Arkansas and won the state title thrice. I thought Malzahn would hold out for a more prestigious job, but it appears he wanted to return home to coach in Arkansas. I think this is a great hire for Arkansas and the Red Wolves will be a force to be reckoned with in the Sun Belt for as long as he's there.
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Colorado State hires Jim McElwain
Colorado State announced Jim McElwain as its new head coach. Jim McElwain has been the offensive coordinator at Alabama for the past four seasons. Under Nick Saban, Alabama has been known for its defense, but in every season the Crimson Tide has averaged over 30 points per game. McElwain is from Montana, played at Eastern Washington, and has other ties to West. Most recently, he was the offensive coordinator at Fresno State in 2007.
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Toledo hires Matt Campbell
Toledo announced Matt Campbell as its new head coach. Matt Campbell served as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for Toledo for the past three seasons. Toledo is the latest program to gamble on a young head coach. In fact, at age 32 he becomes the youngest head coach in the FBS. I think hiring from within will help Toledo continue its explosive offense, but I don't think all of these young, inexperienced hires will work out.
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Saturday, December 10, 2011
Coaching Carousel Update - Dec 10
I've been updating my 2011 Coaching Carousel. There are fourteen positions that have been filled and ten other vacancies. Penn State and Arizona State are the two biggest openings left. Updates will continue as jobs open or are filled.
UCLA hires Jim Mora
UCLA announced Jim Mora as its new head coach. To say he is inexperienced as a college coach is an understatement. He was a graduate assistant for Washington in 1984 and has spent the rest of his career coaching in the NFL and as a broadcaster for the NFL Network. He needs to put together a great staff with lots of experience with recruiting, since he doesn't have any. UCLA seems like a program with tons of untapped potential because its coaching hires are so strange. This will probably be my least favorite hiring of 2011.
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Illinois hires Tim Beckman
Illinois announced Tim Beckman as its new head coach. He was 21-16 in three seasons at Toledo with two bowl games. He may want to keep the Illini defensive coordinator around since Beckman's team gave up 126 points in two weeks while the Illini only gave up 241 points in the entire season. I think Backman is a good coach, but it's a little disconcerting that he never coached in the MAC Championship Game. With the large amount of coaching turnover, it appears more teams are rolling the dice with less proven head coaches.
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Texas A&M hires Kevin Sumlin
Texas A&M announced Kevin Sumlin as its new head coach. He was 35-17 in four seasons at Houston with three bowl games and two conference championship game appearances. Texas A&M will be joining SEC next season, so this will be quite the step up for Sumlin. Sumlin has been very successful, but there are a couple worrisome traits. He is only 1-3 in the postseason and had a losing season when his record-setting quarterback Case Keenum was out for the year with an injury. I think Sumlin is a good coach, but he may suffer from moving up too fast.
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Thursday, December 8, 2011
Kansas hires Charlie Weis
Kansas announced Charlie Weis as its new head coach. Weis was most recently the offensive coordinator at Florida, but his most famous college position was as head coach of Notre Dame. Weis started out strong at Notre Dame, taking the Irish to back-to-back BCS bowl games. After that, his team was five games under .500 over the past three seasons. I'm not sure why Kansas thinks Weis will more resemble the first two years in his tenure rather than the last three. I would call this hire questionable, since I think Weis is a much better offensive coordinator than head coach.
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North Carolina hires Larry Fedora
North Carolina announced Larry Fedora as its new head coach. Fedora was the head coach at Southern Miss for the past seasons. He put together a 33-19 record and four winning seasons. This past season, Southern Miss won 10 regular season games and then won the C-USA Championship Game for the first time under Fedora. Fedora's team consistently improved until it reached an apex this season. North Carolina made a good hire.
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Memphis hires Justin Fuente
Memphis announced Justin Fuente as its new head coach. Fuente was most recently the co-offensive coordinator at TCU for the past three seasons. While TCU is known for its defense, the offense has held its own. Under Fuente, TCU averaged at least 38 points per game in every season. TCU also averaged over 200 yards passing and rushing per game in every season. Fuente is young and only has experience as a co-coordinator, but I think Memphis made a solid hire.
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Monday, December 5, 2011
Greg McMackin retires from Hawaii
Greg McMackin retired from Hawaii after four seasons and a 29-25 record. Hawaii reached the Hawaii bowl twice in his tenure (both losses), and just missed being bowl eligible by one game in the other two seasons. I'm surprised to see McMackin retire, and I hope he wasn't forced out. Hawaii is a difficult job to succeed at, and I don't have any idea who they will try to hire next.
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Mississippi hires Hugh Freeze
Mississippi announced Hugh Freeze as its new head coach. He was the offensive coordinator for Arkansas State in 2010 and the head coach in 2011. He won ten regular season games this past season, becoming the first Sun Belt coach to accomplish that feat. He was undefeated in conference and won the last nine games of the season. Freeze has ties to Mississippi, as he was an assistant athletic director there for one year and a position coach the next two years. He is taking a major step up, going into the toughest division in college football. It's a gutsy hire by Mississippi, but no doubt what he did in one season at Arkansas State was impressive.
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FAU hires Carl Pelini
FAU announced Carl Pelini as its new head coach. Pelini was the defensive coordinator for Nebraska the past four seasons, working for his brother Bo. His defenses have always been strong at Nebraska, averaging less than 20 points and 320 yards per game in his tenure. His only head coaching experience is at the high school level, so this is definitely a step up for him. Time will tell if this is a good hire, but I think Pelini is worth taking a chance on.
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Tulane hires Curtis Johnson
Tulane announced Curtis Johnson as its new head coach. Johnson was most recently the Wide Receivers coach for the New Orleans Saints for the past six seasons. He is also a native of New Orleans. Johnson has almost 20 years of experience in coaching at the college level, including a decade at Miami, but only as a WR coach. He has won a National Championship with Miami and a Super Bowl with New Orleans, and those two rings will definitely impress recruits. Still, I'm concerned that he has never been more than a position coach until now.
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Sunday, December 4, 2011
Coaching Carousel Updated
I've been updating my 2011 Coaching Carousel. There are five positions that have been filled and 14 other vacancies. A lot of big name positions are still open, including Penn State, Texas A&M and UCLA. Updates will continue as jobs open or are filled.
UAB hires Garrick McGee
UAB announced Garrick McGee as its new head coach. McGee has spent the last four years at Arkansas, including serving as Offensive Coordinator the past two years. He has also spent two seasons as Northwestern's Offensive Coordinator. McGee is one of the five finalists for the Broyles Award, given annually to the best assistant coach. While hiring anyone without head coaching experience is a gamble, McGee is a rising up-and-comer who will bring energy and excitement to the UAB program.
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Fresno State fires Pat Hill
Fresno State fired Pat Hill after 15 seasons, 11 bowl appearances, and a 112-80 overall record. This is only the third losing season in Pat Hill's tenure. I think this is a terrible move, as Hill has been extremely successful. He deserves to survive one bad season every half-decade. I can't imagine Fresno State hiring someone new who will have more success than Pat Hill had here, or would have had if he remained head coach.
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Colorado State fires Steve Fairchild
Colorado State fired head coach Steve Fairchild after going 16-33 in four seasons. He started off strong, posting a 7-6 record with a New Mexico Bowl win. Since then, he has gone 3-9 in the following three seasons. Colorado State was supposed to be noticeably improved this season, but instead it was just slightly improved. The Rams lost four close games, but they also won a couple of close games. Fairchild just wasn't getting it done, and with a new athletic director in town, it was time for him to go.
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2011 Week 14 Top 25
1 - LSU (1)
2 - Oklahoma State (3)
3 - Alabama (2)
4 - Boise State (4)
5 - Stanford (5)
6 - Michigan (11)
7 - Oregon (9)
8 - Virginia Tech (6)
9 - Houston (7)
10 - South Carolina (12)
11 - USC (13)
12 - Wisconsin (14)
13 - Arkansas (15)
14 - Kansas State (17)
15 - Oklahoma (8)
16 - Michigan State (16)
17 - Georgia (16)
18 - Clemson (19)
19 - Southern Miss (23)
20 - TCU (21)
21 - Penn State (18)
22 - Nebraska (20)
23 - Baylor (22)
24 - Arkansas State (24)
25 - Northern Illinois (UR)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: BYU, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Tulsa, West Virginia
Added: Northern Illinois
Dropped: Cincinnati
2 - Oklahoma State (3)
3 - Alabama (2)
4 - Boise State (4)
5 - Stanford (5)
6 - Michigan (11)
7 - Oregon (9)
8 - Virginia Tech (6)
9 - Houston (7)
10 - South Carolina (12)
11 - USC (13)
12 - Wisconsin (14)
13 - Arkansas (15)
14 - Kansas State (17)
15 - Oklahoma (8)
16 - Michigan State (16)
17 - Georgia (16)
18 - Clemson (19)
19 - Southern Miss (23)
20 - TCU (21)
21 - Penn State (18)
22 - Nebraska (20)
23 - Baylor (22)
24 - Arkansas State (24)
25 - Northern Illinois (UR)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: BYU, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Tulsa, West Virginia
Added: Northern Illinois
Dropped: Cincinnati
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Texas A&M fires Mike Sherman
Texas A&M fired head coach Mike Sherman after going 25-25 in four seasons. This season was particularly disappointing as it began high expectations and closed with a .500 record. Texas A&M was 1-5 in close games this season, including two overtime losses. They were in every game except for Oklahoma, but just couldn't finish them. One problem that Sherman could never fix was turnovers. In all four years under Sherman, Texas A&M posted a negative turnover margin including -8 this year. I think this firing was a big premature. This season was disappointing, but they only played one bad game and were in the Cotton Bowl just last year.
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Washington State hires Mike Leach
Washington State announced Mike Leach as its new head coach. I think this is the best possible hire for Washington State. Mike Leach has established his brand and will be able to recruit to eastern Washington. Leach had a winning record in all ten seasons he was a head coach at Texas Tech and had a winning percentage of over 66%. He also led them to ten bowl games, although he did not coach in the last one. I think Leach will be similarly successful at Washington State.
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Tuesday, November 29, 2011
2011 Week 14 Picks
Week 1: 69-9 (88.5%)
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Week 9: 44-10 (81.5%)
Week 10: 35-18 (66%)
Week 11: 41-16 (71.9%)
Week 12: 42-18 (72%)
Week 13: 43-11 (79.6%)
Season: 569-185 (75.5%)
Thursday, December 1
West Virginia at USF
Friday, December 2
MAC Championship Game at Detroit
Ohio vs Northern Illinois
Pac-12 Championship Game
UCLA at Oregon
Saturday, December 3
Syracuse at Pitt
Connecticut at Cincinnati
Iowa State at Kansas State
Wyoming at Colorado State
UNLV at TCU
Utah State at New Mexico State
Texas at Baylor
Louisiana Monroe at FAU
MTSU at North Texas
Idaho at Nevada
Troy at Arkansas State
New Mexico at Boise State
BYU at Hawaii
Fresno State at San Diego State
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State
C-USA Championship Game
Southern Miss at Houston
SEC Championship Game at Atlanta
Georgia vs LSU
ACC Championship Game at Charlotte
Virginia Tech vs Clemson
Big Ten Championship Game at Indianapolis
Wisconsin at Michigan State
Saturday, December 10
Army vs Navy at Washington DC
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Week 9: 44-10 (81.5%)
Week 10: 35-18 (66%)
Week 11: 41-16 (71.9%)
Week 12: 42-18 (72%)
Week 13: 43-11 (79.6%)
Season: 569-185 (75.5%)
Thursday, December 1
West Virginia at USF
Friday, December 2
MAC Championship Game at Detroit
Ohio vs Northern Illinois
Pac-12 Championship Game
UCLA at Oregon
Saturday, December 3
Syracuse at Pitt
Connecticut at Cincinnati
Iowa State at Kansas State
Wyoming at Colorado State
UNLV at TCU
Utah State at New Mexico State
Texas at Baylor
Louisiana Monroe at FAU
MTSU at North Texas
Idaho at Nevada
Troy at Arkansas State
New Mexico at Boise State
BYU at Hawaii
Fresno State at San Diego State
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State
C-USA Championship Game
Southern Miss at Houston
SEC Championship Game at Atlanta
Georgia vs LSU
ACC Championship Game at Charlotte
Virginia Tech vs Clemson
Big Ten Championship Game at Indianapolis
Wisconsin at Michigan State
Saturday, December 10
Army vs Navy at Washington DC
Washington State fires Paul Wulff
Washington State fired head coach Paul Wulff after going 9-40 in four seasons. He posted the best record of his tenure this season at 4-8. Wulff obviously wasn't getting the job done and needed to be replaced.
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Monday, November 28, 2011
Ohio State hires Urban Meyer
Ohio State announced Urban Meyer as its new head coach today. Obviously, this is a great hire. Meyer has won two national championships plus another undefeated season at Utah. He is 4-0 in BCS bowl games and 7-1 overall in bowl games. He has never won fewer than eight games in a season as head coach. Interim coach Luke Fickell is rumored to be retained by Urban Meyer, although I wouldn't be surprised if he interviewed for another head coaching vacancy.
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Arizona State fires Dennis Erickson
Arizona State fired head coach Dennis Erickson after five seasons. He earned a 31-30 record with bowl appearances in his first year and an upcoming bowl bid this season. Arizona State started off strong this year with a 5-1 record including a 21-point beatdown of USC that looked more and more impressive as the season continued. Unfortunately, the Sun Devils only won one more game the rest of the way and choked away their chance to win the Pac-12 South.
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UCLA fires Rick Neuheisel
UCLA fired head coach Rick Neuheisel after four seasons. He earned a 21-28 record with one bowl appearance, a win. UCLA actually won the Pac-12 South despite a 6-6 overall record and will play in the inaugural championship game. Neuheisel will coach the conference championship game but not the bowl game. The Bruins did appear to be mired in mediocrity, and losing to your crosstown rival USC 50-0 is inexcusable. I think the timing of this announcement is strange. I realize that it's a long shot, but what if UCLA upsets Oregon and plays in the Rose Bowl. UCLA should have waited a week before deciding Neuheisel's fate.
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Sunday, November 27, 2011
Kansas fires Turner Gill
Kansas fired head coach Turner Gill after two seasons. He recorded a 5-17 record with only one conference win. Kansas lost the last ten games of the season. Kansas has been terrible under Gill's leadership, and it was obvious that he was not the right guy for the job. Turner Gill had some success building a program at Buffalo, so maybe returning to the MAC and coaching at Akron would be a good move for him.
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UAB fires Neil Callaway
UAB fired head coach Neil Callaway after five losing seasons. He compiled a 18-42 record failing to ever reach six wins in a season. With no postseason appearances and dwindling attendance, this move was inevitable.
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2011 Week 13 Top 25
1 - LSU (1)
2 - Alabama (2)
3 - Oklahoma State (3)
4 - Boise State (4)
5 - Stanford (5)
6 - Virginia Tech (6)
7 - Houston (7)
8 - Oklahoma (9)
9 - Oregon (10)
10 - Michigan State (11)
11 - Michigan (12)
12 - South Carolina (13)
13 - USC (14)
14 - Wisconsin (15)
15 - Arkansas (8)
16 - Georgia (18)
17 - Kansas State (17)
18 - Penn State (16)
19 - Clemson (19)
20 - Nebraska (21)
21 - TCU (20)
22 - Baylor (22)
23 - Southern Miss (23)
24 - Arkansas State (25)
25 - Cincinnati (UR)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Texas, Tulsa, West Virginia
Added: Cincinnati
Dropped: Notre Dame
2 - Alabama (2)
3 - Oklahoma State (3)
4 - Boise State (4)
5 - Stanford (5)
6 - Virginia Tech (6)
7 - Houston (7)
8 - Oklahoma (9)
9 - Oregon (10)
10 - Michigan State (11)
11 - Michigan (12)
12 - South Carolina (13)
13 - USC (14)
14 - Wisconsin (15)
15 - Arkansas (8)
16 - Georgia (18)
17 - Kansas State (17)
18 - Penn State (16)
19 - Clemson (19)
20 - Nebraska (21)
21 - TCU (20)
22 - Baylor (22)
23 - Southern Miss (23)
24 - Arkansas State (25)
25 - Cincinnati (UR)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Texas, Tulsa, West Virginia
Added: Cincinnati
Dropped: Notre Dame
2011 Coaching Carousel
New Head Coach:
Akron: Rob Ianello is out after a 2-22 record in two seasons.
Akron hired: Terry Bowden (North Alabama HC)
Arizona: Mike Stoops was fired in the middle of his eighth season.
Arizona hired: Rich Rodriguez
Arizona State: Dennis Erickson is out after a 31-30 record in five seasons.
Arizona State hired: Todd Graham
Arkansas State: Hugh Freeze was hired away by Mississippi after just one season.
Arkansas State hired: Gus Malzahn (Auburn OC)
Colorado State: Steve Fairchild is out after four seasons.
Colorado State hired: Jim McElwain (Alabama OC)
FAU: Howard Schnellenberger will retire at the end of this season.
FAU hired: Carl Pelini (Nebraska DC)
Fresno State: Pat Hill is out after 15 seasons.
Fresno State hired: Tim DeRuyter (Texas A&M DC)
Hawaii: Greg McMackin has retired after four seasons at Hawaii.
Hawaii hired: Norm Chow (Utah OC)
Houston: Kevin Sumlin was hired away by Texas A&M.
Houston hired: Tony Levine (Houston asst HC)
Illinois: Ron Zook is out after disappointingly losing the last six games of the season.
Illinois hired: Tim Beckman
Kansas: Turner Gill is out after a 5-17 record in two seasons.
Kansas hired: Charlie Weis
Memphis: Larry Porter is out after two seasons.
Memphis hired: Justin Fuente (TCU co-OC)
Mississippi: Houston Nutt is out after four seasons.
Mississippi hired: Hugh Freeze
New Mexico: Mike Locksley was fired early in his third season for problems both on and off the field.
New Mexico hired: Bob Davie (ESPN analyst, former Notre Dame head coach)
North Carolina: Everett Withers was named the interim head coach before the season. Withers won seven games, but a coaching search is likely to reopen after the season.
North Caroline hired: Larry Fedora
Ohio State: Luke Fickell was named the interim head coach before the season. Fickell did some good things such as gaining bowl eligibility and beating Wisconsin, but a coaching search is likely to reopen after the season.
Ohio State hired: Urban Meyer
Pitt: Todd Graham was hired away by Arizona State.
Pitt hired: Paul Chryst (Wisconsin OC)
Southern Miss: Larry Fedora was hired away by North Carolina.
Southern Miss hired: Ellis Johnson (South Carolina asst HC)
Texas A&M: Mike Sherman is out after four seasons, a 25-25 overall record, and two bowl losses.
Texas A&M: Kevin Sumlin
Toledo: Tim Beckman was hired away by Illinois.
Toledo hired: Matt Campbell (Toledo OC)
Tulane: Bob Toledo is out after five seasons and zero bowl game appearances.
Tulane hired: Curtis Johnson (New Orleans Saints WR Coach)
UAB: Neil Callaway is out after five seasons and zero bowl game appearances.
UAB hired: Garrick McGee (Arkansas OC)
UCLA: Rick Neuheisel is out after five seasons and zero bowl game appearances.
UCLA: Jim Mora
Washington State: Paul Wulff is out after four seasons and zero bowl game appearances.
Washington State hired: Mike Leach
Open Position:
Penn State: Joe Paterno is out at Penn State after an eternity of coaching there. The job that everybody was waiting for is now the most toxic situation in the country.
Possibilities: Tom Bradley, Greg Schiano, Al Golden, Dan Mullen
Akron: Rob Ianello is out after a 2-22 record in two seasons.
Akron hired: Terry Bowden (North Alabama HC)
Arizona: Mike Stoops was fired in the middle of his eighth season.
Arizona hired: Rich Rodriguez
Arizona State: Dennis Erickson is out after a 31-30 record in five seasons.
Arizona State hired: Todd Graham
Arkansas State: Hugh Freeze was hired away by Mississippi after just one season.
Arkansas State hired: Gus Malzahn (Auburn OC)
Colorado State: Steve Fairchild is out after four seasons.
Colorado State hired: Jim McElwain (Alabama OC)
FAU: Howard Schnellenberger will retire at the end of this season.
FAU hired: Carl Pelini (Nebraska DC)
Fresno State: Pat Hill is out after 15 seasons.
Fresno State hired: Tim DeRuyter (Texas A&M DC)
Hawaii: Greg McMackin has retired after four seasons at Hawaii.
Hawaii hired: Norm Chow (Utah OC)
Houston: Kevin Sumlin was hired away by Texas A&M.
Houston hired: Tony Levine (Houston asst HC)
Illinois: Ron Zook is out after disappointingly losing the last six games of the season.
Illinois hired: Tim Beckman
Kansas: Turner Gill is out after a 5-17 record in two seasons.
Kansas hired: Charlie Weis
Memphis: Larry Porter is out after two seasons.
Memphis hired: Justin Fuente (TCU co-OC)
Mississippi: Houston Nutt is out after four seasons.
Mississippi hired: Hugh Freeze
New Mexico: Mike Locksley was fired early in his third season for problems both on and off the field.
New Mexico hired: Bob Davie (ESPN analyst, former Notre Dame head coach)
North Carolina: Everett Withers was named the interim head coach before the season. Withers won seven games, but a coaching search is likely to reopen after the season.
North Caroline hired: Larry Fedora
Ohio State: Luke Fickell was named the interim head coach before the season. Fickell did some good things such as gaining bowl eligibility and beating Wisconsin, but a coaching search is likely to reopen after the season.
Ohio State hired: Urban Meyer
Pitt: Todd Graham was hired away by Arizona State.
Pitt hired: Paul Chryst (Wisconsin OC)
Southern Miss: Larry Fedora was hired away by North Carolina.
Southern Miss hired: Ellis Johnson (South Carolina asst HC)
Texas A&M: Mike Sherman is out after four seasons, a 25-25 overall record, and two bowl losses.
Texas A&M: Kevin Sumlin
Toledo: Tim Beckman was hired away by Illinois.
Toledo hired: Matt Campbell (Toledo OC)
Tulane: Bob Toledo is out after five seasons and zero bowl game appearances.
Tulane hired: Curtis Johnson (New Orleans Saints WR Coach)
UAB: Neil Callaway is out after five seasons and zero bowl game appearances.
UAB hired: Garrick McGee (Arkansas OC)
UCLA: Rick Neuheisel is out after five seasons and zero bowl game appearances.
UCLA: Jim Mora
Washington State: Paul Wulff is out after four seasons and zero bowl game appearances.
Washington State hired: Mike Leach
Open Position:
Penn State: Joe Paterno is out at Penn State after an eternity of coaching there. The job that everybody was waiting for is now the most toxic situation in the country.
Possibilities: Tom Bradley, Greg Schiano, Al Golden, Dan Mullen
Illinois fires Ron Zook
Illinois fired head coach Ron Zook after seven seasons. He compiled a 34-50 record with two bowl appearances. The Illini will also earn a bowl bid this season. This season started with much promise after a 6-0 start. Illinois went on to lose the final six games of the regular season, culminating with a blowout loss to Minnesota who had previously win only twice. Ron Zook did bring the Illini to a Rose Bowl, but was too inconsistent and just didn't win enough games. Upgrading Paul Petrino from offensive coordinator might be an option, or the Illini might go with a clean slate.
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Akron fired Rob Ianello
Akron fired head coach Rob Ianello after just two seasons. He compiled just a 2-22 record with just one FBS win. Rob Ianello was an assistant coach at every stop of his coaching career. Just like Larry Porter at Memphis, he was obviously not prepared to be a head coach. I strongly believe Akron should pursue Luke Fickell for its opening, who has only ever coached at Akron and Ohio State.
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Memphis fires Larry Porter
Memphis has fired head coach Larry Porter after just two seasons. He compiled just a 3-21 record with only one conference win. Larry Porter was a running backs coach at every stop of his coaching career. I normally don't condone firing a coach after two years, but he was obviously not prepared to be a head coach.
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Arizona hires Rich Rodriguez
Arizona hired Rich Rodriguez to a five-year contract. I think this is a great hire. Rodriguez never really fit it in Michigan, but he was very successful at West Virginia. If he can learn from the mistakes made at Michigan, he should have the Wildcats as annual contenders in the Pac-12 South.
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2011 Week 13 Picks
Week 1: 69-9 (88.5%)
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Week 9: 44-10 (81.5%)
Week 10: 35-18 (66%)
Week 11: 41-16 (71.9%)
Week 12: 42-18 (72%)
Season: 526-174 (75.1%)
Tuesday, November 22
Miami (OH) at Ohio
Thursday, November 24
Texas at Texas A&M
Friday, November 25
Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois
Louisville at USF
Kent State at Temple
Iowa at Nebraska
Houston at Tulsa
Bowling Green at Buffalo
Akron at Western Michigan
Toledo at Ball State
Arkansas at LSU
Colorado at Utah
Boston College at Miami
Pitt at West Virginia
UTEP at UCF
California at Arizona State
Saturday, November 26
Rutgers at Connecticut
Georgia at Georgia Tech
Michigan State at Nebraska
Ohio State at Michigan
Cincinnati at Syracuse
Iowa State at Oklahoma
Rice at SMU
Tennessee at Kentucky
Troy at Western Kentucky
Maryland at NC State
Wyoming at Boise State
Nevada at Utah State
FIU at MTSU
Alabama at Auburn
Purdue at Indiana
Illinois at Minnesota
Duke at North Carolina
Vanderbilt at Wake Forest
Virginia Tech at Virginia
Penn State at Wisconsin
East Carolina at Marshall
Missouri vs Kansas at Kansas City
Oregon State at Oregon
Louisiana Lafayette at Arizona
UAB at FAU
New Mexico State at Louisiana Tech
Memphis at Southern Miss
Air Force at Colorado State
Florida State at Florida
Texas Tech vs Baylor at Arlington
Mississippi at Mississippi State
Washington State at Washington
Clemson at South Carolina
Notre Dame at Stanford
San Jose State at Fresno State
UCLA at USC
San Diego State at UNLV
Tulane at Hawaii
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Week 9: 44-10 (81.5%)
Week 10: 35-18 (66%)
Week 11: 41-16 (71.9%)
Week 12: 42-18 (72%)
Season: 526-174 (75.1%)
Tuesday, November 22
Miami (OH) at Ohio
Thursday, November 24
Texas at Texas A&M
Friday, November 25
Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois
Louisville at USF
Kent State at Temple
Iowa at Nebraska
Houston at Tulsa
Bowling Green at Buffalo
Akron at Western Michigan
Toledo at Ball State
Arkansas at LSU
Colorado at Utah
Boston College at Miami
Pitt at West Virginia
UTEP at UCF
California at Arizona State
Saturday, November 26
Rutgers at Connecticut
Georgia at Georgia Tech
Michigan State at Nebraska
Ohio State at Michigan
Cincinnati at Syracuse
Iowa State at Oklahoma
Rice at SMU
Tennessee at Kentucky
Troy at Western Kentucky
Maryland at NC State
Wyoming at Boise State
Nevada at Utah State
FIU at MTSU
Alabama at Auburn
Purdue at Indiana
Illinois at Minnesota
Duke at North Carolina
Vanderbilt at Wake Forest
Virginia Tech at Virginia
Penn State at Wisconsin
East Carolina at Marshall
Missouri vs Kansas at Kansas City
Oregon State at Oregon
Louisiana Lafayette at Arizona
UAB at FAU
New Mexico State at Louisiana Tech
Memphis at Southern Miss
Air Force at Colorado State
Florida State at Florida
Texas Tech vs Baylor at Arlington
Mississippi at Mississippi State
Washington State at Washington
Clemson at South Carolina
Notre Dame at Stanford
San Jose State at Fresno State
UCLA at USC
San Diego State at UNLV
Tulane at Hawaii
2011 Week 12 Top 25
1 - LSU (1)
2 - Alabama (3)
3 - Oklahoma State (2)
4 - Boise State (7)
5 - Stanford (6)
6 - Virginia Tech (11)
7 - Houston (9)
8 - Arkansas (8)
9 - Oklahoma (4)
10 - Oregon (5)
11 - Michigan State (14)
12 - Michigan (15)
13 - South Carolina (12)
14 - USC (20)
15 - Wisconsin (17)
16 - Penn State (18)
17 - Kansas State (19)
18 - Georgia (12)
19 - Clemson (10)
20 - TCU (22)
21 - Nebraska (16)
22 - Baylor (UR)
23 - Southern Miss (13)
24 - Notre Dame (24)
25 - Arkansas State (25)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, Tulsa, West Virginia
Added: Baylor
Dropped: Cincinnati
2 - Alabama (3)
3 - Oklahoma State (2)
4 - Boise State (7)
5 - Stanford (6)
6 - Virginia Tech (11)
7 - Houston (9)
8 - Arkansas (8)
9 - Oklahoma (4)
10 - Oregon (5)
11 - Michigan State (14)
12 - Michigan (15)
13 - South Carolina (12)
14 - USC (20)
15 - Wisconsin (17)
16 - Penn State (18)
17 - Kansas State (19)
18 - Georgia (12)
19 - Clemson (10)
20 - TCU (22)
21 - Nebraska (16)
22 - Baylor (UR)
23 - Southern Miss (13)
24 - Notre Dame (24)
25 - Arkansas State (25)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, Tulsa, West Virginia
Added: Baylor
Dropped: Cincinnati
Thursday, November 17, 2011
New Mexico hires Bob Davie
New Mexico hired Bob Davie to be the new head coach. Bob Davie has spent the past decade away from coaching and has been an announcer instead. Davie has only been a head coach at one program, Notre Dame. He compiled a 35-25 record there including an 0-3 record in bowl games. I would say this hire is questionable at best. New Mexico has been one of the worst FBS programs over the past three seasons, and I don't expect that to change next year.
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Monday, November 14, 2011
2011 Week 12 Picks
Week 1: 69-9 (88.5%)
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Week 9: 44-10 (81.5%)
Week 10: 35-18 (66%)
Week 11: 41-16 (71.9%)
Season: 484-156 (75.6%)
Tuesday, November 15
Ball State at Northern Illinois
Wednesday, November 16
Ohio at Bowling Green
Western Michigan at Miami (OH)
Thursday, November 17
Southern Miss at UAB
North Carolina at Virginia Tech
Friday, November 18
Oklahoma State at Iowa State
Toledo at Central Michigan
Saturday, November 19
Louisville at Connecticut
Minnesota at Northwestern
Indiana at Michigan State
Nebraska at Michigan
Cincinnati at Rutgers
Wisconsin at Illinois
Akron at Buffalo
Iowa at Purdue
Citadel at South Carolina
Kentucky at Georgia
Georgia Tech at Duke
Samford at Auburn
Furman at Florida
Army at Temple
Eastern Michigan at Kent State
Georgia Southern at Alabama
New Mexico at Wyoming
Maryland at Wake Forest
Arkansas State at MTSU
Mississippi State at Arkansas
Miami at USF
Texas Tech at Missouri
Clemson at NC State
Penn State at Ohio State
Washington at Oregon State
Tulane at Rice
Kansas at Texas A&M
SMU at Houston
Colorado State at TCU
FAU at Troy
Navy at San Jose State
Boston College at Notre Dame
Louisiana Tech at Nevada
Utah State at Idaho
Utah at Washington State
FIU at Louisiana Monroe
UNLV at Air Force
LSU at Mississippi
UCF at East Carolina
Western Kentucky at North Texas
Vanderbilt at Tennessee
Colorado at UCLA
Virginia at Florida State
Boise State at San Diego State
Marshall at Memphis
Oklahoma at Baylor
Kansas State at Texas
USC at Oregon
Tulsa at UTEP
Arizona at Arizona State
California at Stanford
New Mexico State at BYU
Fresno State at Hawaii
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Week 9: 44-10 (81.5%)
Week 10: 35-18 (66%)
Week 11: 41-16 (71.9%)
Season: 484-156 (75.6%)
Tuesday, November 15
Ball State at Northern Illinois
Wednesday, November 16
Ohio at Bowling Green
Western Michigan at Miami (OH)
Thursday, November 17
Southern Miss at UAB
North Carolina at Virginia Tech
Friday, November 18
Oklahoma State at Iowa State
Toledo at Central Michigan
Saturday, November 19
Louisville at Connecticut
Minnesota at Northwestern
Indiana at Michigan State
Nebraska at Michigan
Cincinnati at Rutgers
Wisconsin at Illinois
Akron at Buffalo
Iowa at Purdue
Citadel at South Carolina
Kentucky at Georgia
Georgia Tech at Duke
Samford at Auburn
Furman at Florida
Army at Temple
Eastern Michigan at Kent State
Georgia Southern at Alabama
New Mexico at Wyoming
Maryland at Wake Forest
Arkansas State at MTSU
Mississippi State at Arkansas
Miami at USF
Texas Tech at Missouri
Clemson at NC State
Penn State at Ohio State
Washington at Oregon State
Tulane at Rice
Kansas at Texas A&M
SMU at Houston
Colorado State at TCU
FAU at Troy
Navy at San Jose State
Boston College at Notre Dame
Louisiana Tech at Nevada
Utah State at Idaho
Utah at Washington State
FIU at Louisiana Monroe
UNLV at Air Force
LSU at Mississippi
UCF at East Carolina
Western Kentucky at North Texas
Vanderbilt at Tennessee
Colorado at UCLA
Virginia at Florida State
Boise State at San Diego State
Marshall at Memphis
Oklahoma at Baylor
Kansas State at Texas
USC at Oregon
Tulsa at UTEP
Arizona at Arizona State
California at Stanford
New Mexico State at BYU
Fresno State at Hawaii
2011 Week 11 Top 25
1 - LSU (1)
2 - Oklahoma State (2)
3 - Alabama (5)
4 - Oklahoma (6)
5 - Oregon (7)
6 - Stanford (3)
7 - Boise State (4)
8 - Arkansas (8)
9 - Houston (9)
10 - Clemson (10)
11 - Virginia Tech (11)
12 - South Carolina (13)
13 - Southern Miss (15)
14 - Michigan State (17)
15 - Michigan (18)
16 - Nebraska (20)
17 - Wisconsin (19)
18 - Penn State (12)
19 - Kansas State (14)
20 - USC (21)
21 - Georgia (22)
22 - TCU (24)
23 - Cincinnati (16)
24 - Notre Dame (UR)
25 - Arkansas State (UR)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: Georgia Tech, Rutgers, Texas, Tulsa, West Virginia
Added: Arkansas State, Notre Dame
Dropped: Georgia Tech, Texas
2 - Oklahoma State (2)
3 - Alabama (5)
4 - Oklahoma (6)
5 - Oregon (7)
6 - Stanford (3)
7 - Boise State (4)
8 - Arkansas (8)
9 - Houston (9)
10 - Clemson (10)
11 - Virginia Tech (11)
12 - South Carolina (13)
13 - Southern Miss (15)
14 - Michigan State (17)
15 - Michigan (18)
16 - Nebraska (20)
17 - Wisconsin (19)
18 - Penn State (12)
19 - Kansas State (14)
20 - USC (21)
21 - Georgia (22)
22 - TCU (24)
23 - Cincinnati (16)
24 - Notre Dame (UR)
25 - Arkansas State (UR)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: Georgia Tech, Rutgers, Texas, Tulsa, West Virginia
Added: Arkansas State, Notre Dame
Dropped: Georgia Tech, Texas
Friday, November 11, 2011
Joe Paterno out at Penn State
Joe Paterno was fired this week in the midst of the terrible Sandusky scandal. Joe Paterno will go down as one of the greatest coaches in college football history, but his legacy will also be forever tainted by this scandal. There have been five in-season firings so far this year.
Monday, November 7, 2011
2011 Week 11 Picks
Week 1: 69-9 (88.5%)
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Week 9: 44-10 (81.5%)
Week 10: 35-18 (66%)
Season: 443-140 (76%)
Tuesday, November 8
Northern Illinois at Bowling Green
Western Michigan at Toledo
Wednesday, November 9
Miami (OH) at Temple
Thursday, November 10
Ohio at Central Michigan
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech
Houston at Tulane
Friday, November 11
USF at Syracuse
Saturday, November 12
Rice at Northwestern
Pitt at Louisville
Texas at Missouri
Marshall at Tulsa
Nebraska at Penn State
Wake Forest at Clemson
West Virginia at Cincinnati
Michigan State at Iowa
Ohio State at Purdue
Florida at South Carolina
Oklahoma State at Texas Tech
Kentucky at Vanderbilt
NC State at Boston College
Buffalo at Eastern Michigan
North Texas at Troy
Wyoming at Air Force
Kent State at Akron
Baylor at Kansas
Arizona at Colorado
Duke at Virginia
San Jose State at Utah State
Louisiana Lafayette at Arkansas State
Washington at USC
Miami at Florida State
Auburn at Georgia
TCU at Boise State
Wisconsin at Minnesota
Rutgers vs Army at Yankee Stadium
Michigan at Illinois
Texas A&M at Kansas State
MTSU at Louisiana Monroe
Navy at SMU
UAB at Memphis
Tennessee at Arkansas
San Diego State at Colorado State
FAU at FIU
Oregon State at California
UCLA at Utah
Western Kentucky at LSU
Maryland vs Notre Dame at Landover, MD
Louisiana Tech at Mississippi
Alabama at Mississippi State
Oregon at Stanford
Fresno State at New Mexico State
UCF at Southern Miss
East Carolina at UTEP
Idaho at BYU
UNLV at New Mexico
Hawaii at Nevada
Arizona State at Washington State
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Week 9: 44-10 (81.5%)
Week 10: 35-18 (66%)
Season: 443-140 (76%)
Tuesday, November 8
Northern Illinois at Bowling Green
Western Michigan at Toledo
Wednesday, November 9
Miami (OH) at Temple
Thursday, November 10
Ohio at Central Michigan
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech
Houston at Tulane
Friday, November 11
USF at Syracuse
Saturday, November 12
Rice at Northwestern
Pitt at Louisville
Texas at Missouri
Marshall at Tulsa
Nebraska at Penn State
Wake Forest at Clemson
West Virginia at Cincinnati
Michigan State at Iowa
Ohio State at Purdue
Florida at South Carolina
Oklahoma State at Texas Tech
Kentucky at Vanderbilt
NC State at Boston College
Buffalo at Eastern Michigan
North Texas at Troy
Wyoming at Air Force
Kent State at Akron
Baylor at Kansas
Arizona at Colorado
Duke at Virginia
San Jose State at Utah State
Louisiana Lafayette at Arkansas State
Washington at USC
Miami at Florida State
Auburn at Georgia
TCU at Boise State
Wisconsin at Minnesota
Rutgers vs Army at Yankee Stadium
Michigan at Illinois
Texas A&M at Kansas State
MTSU at Louisiana Monroe
Navy at SMU
UAB at Memphis
Tennessee at Arkansas
San Diego State at Colorado State
FAU at FIU
Oregon State at California
UCLA at Utah
Western Kentucky at LSU
Maryland vs Notre Dame at Landover, MD
Louisiana Tech at Mississippi
Alabama at Mississippi State
Oregon at Stanford
Fresno State at New Mexico State
UCF at Southern Miss
East Carolina at UTEP
Idaho at BYU
UNLV at New Mexico
Hawaii at Nevada
Arizona State at Washington State
Houston Nutt out at Mississippi
Houston Nutt will resign at the end of the season from Mississippi. He has a record of 24-23 in four seasons with three games left in the year. Mississippi is 2-7 and ineligible for the postseason. Houston Nutt led Mississippi to consecutive Cotton Bowl wins in his first two seasons, but has only won a single conference game in his past two seasons. I'm not surprised that Mississippi chose to make this move.
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2011 Week 10 Top 25
1 - LSU (1)
2 - Oklahoma State (3)
3 - Stanford (5)
4 - Boise State (4)
5 - Alabama (5)
6 - Oklahoma (6)
7 - Oregon (7)
8 - Arkansas (8)
9 - Houston (9)
10 - Clemson (12)
11 - Virginia Tech (13)
12 - Penn State (15)
13 - South Carolina (11)
14 - Kansas State (16)
15 - Southern Miss (17)
16 - Cincinnati (18)
17 - Michigan State (19)
18 - Michigan (14)
19 - Wisconsin (20)
20 - Nebraska (10)
21 - USC (21)
22 - Georgia (22)
23 - Texas (23)
24 - TCU (UR)
25 - Georgia Tech (24)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: Arizona State, Auburn, Louisiana Lafayette, Notre Dame, Ohio State
Added: TCU
Dropped: West Virginia
2 - Oklahoma State (3)
3 - Stanford (5)
4 - Boise State (4)
5 - Alabama (5)
6 - Oklahoma (6)
7 - Oregon (7)
8 - Arkansas (8)
9 - Houston (9)
10 - Clemson (12)
11 - Virginia Tech (13)
12 - Penn State (15)
13 - South Carolina (11)
14 - Kansas State (16)
15 - Southern Miss (17)
16 - Cincinnati (18)
17 - Michigan State (19)
18 - Michigan (14)
19 - Wisconsin (20)
20 - Nebraska (10)
21 - USC (21)
22 - Georgia (22)
23 - Texas (23)
24 - TCU (UR)
25 - Georgia Tech (24)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: Arizona State, Auburn, Louisiana Lafayette, Notre Dame, Ohio State
Added: TCU
Dropped: West Virginia
Monday, October 31, 2011
2011 Week 10 Picks
Week 1: 69-9 (88.5%)
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Week 9: 44-10 (81.5%)
Season: 408-122 (77%)
Tuesday, November 1
Northern Illinois at Toledo
Wednesday, November 2
Temple at Ohio
Thursday, November 3
Akron at Miami (OH)
Florida State at Boston College
Tulsa at UCF
Friday, November 4
Central Michigan at Kent State
USC at Colorado
Saturday, November 5
Syracuse at Connecticut
Minnesota at Michigan State
Indiana at Ohio State
Texas Tech at Texas
Louisville at West Virginia
Ball State at Eastern Michigan
Michigan at Iowa
Vanderbilt at Florida
New Mexico State at Georgia
Kansas at Iowa State
Virginia at Maryland
North Carolina at NC State
TCU at Wyoming
Duke at Miami
Tulane at SMU
Mississippi at Kentucky
Northwestern at Nebraska
Texas A&M at Oklahoma
Stanford at Oregon State
UTEP at Rice
Purdue at Wisconsin
Louisiana Monroe at Louisiana Lafayette
Army at Air Force
Troy at Navy
Idaho at San Jose State
FIU at Western Kentucky
Southern Miss at East Carolina
Arkansas State at FAU
Washington State at California
Houston at UAB
Utah at Arizona
USF at Rutgers
Cincinnati at Pitt
Missouri at Baylor
MTSU at Tennessee
South Carolina at Arkansas
Arizona State at UCLA
Tennessee-Martin at Mississippi State
New Mexico at San Diego State
Notre Dame at Wake Forest
Kansas State at Oklahoma State
LSU at Alabama
Oregon at Washington
Louisiana Tech at Fresno State
Boise State at UNLV
Utah State at Hawaii
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Week 9: 44-10 (81.5%)
Season: 408-122 (77%)
Tuesday, November 1
Northern Illinois at Toledo
Wednesday, November 2
Temple at Ohio
Thursday, November 3
Akron at Miami (OH)
Florida State at Boston College
Tulsa at UCF
Friday, November 4
Central Michigan at Kent State
USC at Colorado
Saturday, November 5
Syracuse at Connecticut
Minnesota at Michigan State
Indiana at Ohio State
Texas Tech at Texas
Louisville at West Virginia
Ball State at Eastern Michigan
Michigan at Iowa
Vanderbilt at Florida
New Mexico State at Georgia
Kansas at Iowa State
Virginia at Maryland
North Carolina at NC State
TCU at Wyoming
Duke at Miami
Tulane at SMU
Mississippi at Kentucky
Northwestern at Nebraska
Texas A&M at Oklahoma
Stanford at Oregon State
UTEP at Rice
Purdue at Wisconsin
Louisiana Monroe at Louisiana Lafayette
Army at Air Force
Troy at Navy
Idaho at San Jose State
FIU at Western Kentucky
Southern Miss at East Carolina
Arkansas State at FAU
Washington State at California
Houston at UAB
Utah at Arizona
USF at Rutgers
Cincinnati at Pitt
Missouri at Baylor
MTSU at Tennessee
South Carolina at Arkansas
Arizona State at UCLA
Tennessee-Martin at Mississippi State
New Mexico at San Diego State
Notre Dame at Wake Forest
Kansas State at Oklahoma State
LSU at Alabama
Oregon at Washington
Louisiana Tech at Fresno State
Boise State at UNLV
Utah State at Hawaii
2011 Week 9 Top 25
1 - LSU (1)
2 - Alabama (2)
3 - Oklahoma State (3)
4 - Boise State (4)
5 - Stanford (6)
6 - Oklahoma (7)
7 - Oregon (9)
8 - Arkansas (10)
9 - Houston (11)
10 - Nebraska (12)
11 - South Carolina (13)
12 - Clemson (5)
13 - Virginia Tech (15)
14 - Michigan (16)
15 - Penn State (19)
16 - Kansas State (8)
17 - Southern Miss (20)
18 - Cincinnati (21)
19 - Michigan State (14)
20 - Wisconsin (18)
21 - USC (17)
22 - Georgia (23)
23 - Texas (24)
24 - Georgia Tech (UR)
25 - West Virginia (UR)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: Arizona State, Auburn, TCU, Texas A&M, Washington
Added: Georgia Tech, West Virginia
Dropped: Texas A&M, Texas Tech
2 - Alabama (2)
3 - Oklahoma State (3)
4 - Boise State (4)
5 - Stanford (6)
6 - Oklahoma (7)
7 - Oregon (9)
8 - Arkansas (10)
9 - Houston (11)
10 - Nebraska (12)
11 - South Carolina (13)
12 - Clemson (5)
13 - Virginia Tech (15)
14 - Michigan (16)
15 - Penn State (19)
16 - Kansas State (8)
17 - Southern Miss (20)
18 - Cincinnati (21)
19 - Michigan State (14)
20 - Wisconsin (18)
21 - USC (17)
22 - Georgia (23)
23 - Texas (24)
24 - Georgia Tech (UR)
25 - West Virginia (UR)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: Arizona State, Auburn, TCU, Texas A&M, Washington
Added: Georgia Tech, West Virginia
Dropped: Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
2011 Week 9 Picks
Week 1: 69-9 (88.5%)
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Season: 364-112 (76.5%)
Tuesday, October 25
Troy at FIU
Wednesday, October 26
Connecticut at Pitt
Thursday, October 27
Rice at Houston
Virginia at Miami
Friday, October 28
BYU vs TCU at Arlington
Saturday, October 29
UAB at Marshall
NC State at Florida State
Northwestern at Indiana
Syracuse at Louisville
Purdue at Michigan
Michigan State at Nebraska
Missouri at Texas A&M
Central Michigan at Akron
Arkansas at Vanderbilt
Virginia Tech at Duke
Bowling Green at Kent State
Air Force at New Mexico
Ball State at Western Michigan
Boston College at Maryland
Washington State at Oregon
Georgia vs Florida at Jacksonville
Navy at Notre Dame
Iowa at Minnesota
Tulane at East Carolina
Wake Forest at North Carolina
West Virginia at Rutgers
Buffalo at Miami (OH)
Baylor at Oklahoma State
SMU at Tulsa
Illinois at Penn State
Fordham at Army
Oklahoma at Kansas State
Western Kentucky at Louisiana Monroe
Memphis at UCF
San Jose State at Louisiana Tech
Hawaii at Idaho
Colorado State at UNLV
Colorado at Arizona State
Mississippi at Auburn
California at UCLA
Mississippi State at Kentucky
Kansas at Texas
North Texas at Arkansas State
Iowa State at Texas Tech
South Carolina at Tennessee
Louisiana Lafayette at MTSU
Stanford at USC
Clemson at Georgia Tech
Nevada at New Mexico State
Wisconsin at Ohio State
Oregon State at Utah
Southern Miss at UTEP
Wyoming at San Diego State
Arizona at Washington
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Week 8: 32-20 (61.5%)
Season: 364-112 (76.5%)
Tuesday, October 25
Troy at FIU
Wednesday, October 26
Connecticut at Pitt
Thursday, October 27
Rice at Houston
Virginia at Miami
Friday, October 28
BYU vs TCU at Arlington
Saturday, October 29
UAB at Marshall
NC State at Florida State
Northwestern at Indiana
Syracuse at Louisville
Purdue at Michigan
Michigan State at Nebraska
Missouri at Texas A&M
Central Michigan at Akron
Arkansas at Vanderbilt
Virginia Tech at Duke
Bowling Green at Kent State
Air Force at New Mexico
Ball State at Western Michigan
Boston College at Maryland
Washington State at Oregon
Georgia vs Florida at Jacksonville
Navy at Notre Dame
Iowa at Minnesota
Tulane at East Carolina
Wake Forest at North Carolina
West Virginia at Rutgers
Buffalo at Miami (OH)
Baylor at Oklahoma State
SMU at Tulsa
Illinois at Penn State
Fordham at Army
Oklahoma at Kansas State
Western Kentucky at Louisiana Monroe
Memphis at UCF
San Jose State at Louisiana Tech
Hawaii at Idaho
Colorado State at UNLV
Colorado at Arizona State
Mississippi at Auburn
California at UCLA
Mississippi State at Kentucky
Kansas at Texas
North Texas at Arkansas State
Iowa State at Texas Tech
South Carolina at Tennessee
Louisiana Lafayette at MTSU
Stanford at USC
Clemson at Georgia Tech
Nevada at New Mexico State
Wisconsin at Ohio State
Oregon State at Utah
Southern Miss at UTEP
Wyoming at San Diego State
Arizona at Washington
Sunday, October 23, 2011
2011 Week 8 Top 25
1 - LSU (1)
2 - Alabama (2)
3 - Oklahoma State (6)
4 - Boise State (5)
5 - Clemson (7)
6 - Stanford (8)
7 - Oklahoma (4)
8 - Kansas State (9)
9 - Oregon (10)
10 - Arkansas (11)
11 - Houston (14)
12 - Nebraska (12)
13 - South Carolina (13)
14 - Michigan State (22)
15 - Virginia Tech (15)
16 - Michigan (16)
17 - USC (17)
18 - Wisconsin (3)
19 - Penn State (18)
20 - Southern Miss (25)
21 - Cincinnati (UR)
22 - Texas A&M (UR)
23 - Georgia (UR)
24 - Texas (UR)
25 - Texas Tech (UR)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: Arizona State, Georgia Tech, SMU, Washington, West Virginia
Added: Cincinnati, Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Dropped: Georgia Tech, Illinois, SMU, Washington, West Virginia
2 - Alabama (2)
3 - Oklahoma State (6)
4 - Boise State (5)
5 - Clemson (7)
6 - Stanford (8)
7 - Oklahoma (4)
8 - Kansas State (9)
9 - Oregon (10)
10 - Arkansas (11)
11 - Houston (14)
12 - Nebraska (12)
13 - South Carolina (13)
14 - Michigan State (22)
15 - Virginia Tech (15)
16 - Michigan (16)
17 - USC (17)
18 - Wisconsin (3)
19 - Penn State (18)
20 - Southern Miss (25)
21 - Cincinnati (UR)
22 - Texas A&M (UR)
23 - Georgia (UR)
24 - Texas (UR)
25 - Texas Tech (UR)
Rank from previous week in parentheses
Others Receiving Votes: Arizona State, Georgia Tech, SMU, Washington, West Virginia
Added: Cincinnati, Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Dropped: Georgia Tech, Illinois, SMU, Washington, West Virginia
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
2011 Midseason Bowl Predictions
BCS Bowl Games:
BCS National Championship Game: LSU vs Oklahoma
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs Boise State
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs Stanford
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs Oregon
Orange Bowl: Clemson vs West Virginia
The Rest:
New Mexico Bowl: Syracuse vs Colorado State
Idaho Potato Bowl: Utah State vs Ohio
New Orleans Bowl: Tulsa vs Louisiana-Lafayette
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl: Cincinnati vs UCF
Las Vegas Bowl: TCU vs Utah
Poinsettia Bowl: Nevada vs San Diego State
Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs Houston
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Ohio State vs Toledo
Independence Bowl: Air Force vs Virginia
Insight Bowl: Nebraska vs Kansas State
Champs Sports Bowl: Virginia Tech vs Notre Dame
Military Bowl: Wake Forest vs Navy
Car Care Bowl of Texas: Illinois vs Baylor
Alamo Bowl: Arizona State vs Texas
Armed Forces Bowl: BYU vs SMU
Pinstripe Bowl: Northern Illinois vs Rutgers
Music City Bowl: Miami vs Mississippi State
Holiday Bowl: Missouri vs Washington
Belk Bowl: North Carolina vs USF
Sun Bowl: UCLA vs Florida State
Liberty Bowl: Tennessee vs Southern Miss
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Auburn vs Georgia Tech
TicketCity Bowl: Iowa vs Marshall
Outback Bowl: Georgia vs Michigan
Capital One Bowl: Michigan State vs South Carolina
Gator Bowl: Penn State vs Florida
GoDaddy.com Bowl: Arkansas State vs Temple
Cotton Bowl Classic: Arkansas vs Texas A&M
BBVA Compass Bowl Pitt vs Vanderbilt
Fight Hunger Bowl: FIU at California
Conference Championship Games
ACC: Clemson vs Georgia Tech
Big Ten: Michigan State vs Wisconsin
C-USA: Houston vs Southern Miss
MAC: Temple vs Toledo
Pac-12 Arizona State vs Stanford
SEC: LSU vs South Carolina
BCS National Championship Game: LSU vs Oklahoma
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs Boise State
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs Stanford
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs Oregon
Orange Bowl: Clemson vs West Virginia
The Rest:
New Mexico Bowl: Syracuse vs Colorado State
Idaho Potato Bowl: Utah State vs Ohio
New Orleans Bowl: Tulsa vs Louisiana-Lafayette
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl: Cincinnati vs UCF
Las Vegas Bowl: TCU vs Utah
Poinsettia Bowl: Nevada vs San Diego State
Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs Houston
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Ohio State vs Toledo
Independence Bowl: Air Force vs Virginia
Insight Bowl: Nebraska vs Kansas State
Champs Sports Bowl: Virginia Tech vs Notre Dame
Military Bowl: Wake Forest vs Navy
Car Care Bowl of Texas: Illinois vs Baylor
Alamo Bowl: Arizona State vs Texas
Armed Forces Bowl: BYU vs SMU
Pinstripe Bowl: Northern Illinois vs Rutgers
Music City Bowl: Miami vs Mississippi State
Holiday Bowl: Missouri vs Washington
Belk Bowl: North Carolina vs USF
Sun Bowl: UCLA vs Florida State
Liberty Bowl: Tennessee vs Southern Miss
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Auburn vs Georgia Tech
TicketCity Bowl: Iowa vs Marshall
Outback Bowl: Georgia vs Michigan
Capital One Bowl: Michigan State vs South Carolina
Gator Bowl: Penn State vs Florida
GoDaddy.com Bowl: Arkansas State vs Temple
Cotton Bowl Classic: Arkansas vs Texas A&M
BBVA Compass Bowl Pitt vs Vanderbilt
Fight Hunger Bowl: FIU at California
Conference Championship Games
ACC: Clemson vs Georgia Tech
Big Ten: Michigan State vs Wisconsin
C-USA: Houston vs Southern Miss
MAC: Temple vs Toledo
Pac-12 Arizona State vs Stanford
SEC: LSU vs South Carolina
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Bob Toledo out at Tulane
Link
Bob Toledo is out at Tulane in his fifth season. Offensive coordinator Mark Hutson will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Tulane is 2-5 with four straight losses. I'm surprised the Tulane is changing coaches in the middle of the season, especially with a very winnable game versus Memphis this weekend.
Bob Toledo is out at Tulane in his fifth season. Offensive coordinator Mark Hutson will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Tulane is 2-5 with four straight losses. I'm surprised the Tulane is changing coaches in the middle of the season, especially with a very winnable game versus Memphis this weekend.
Monday, October 17, 2011
2011 Week 8 Picks
Week 1: 69-9 (88.5%)
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Season: 332-92 (78.3%)
Tuesday, October 18
FIU at Arkansas State
Thursday, October 20
UCF at UAB
UCLA at Arizona
Friday, October 21
Rutgers at Louisville
West Virginia at Syracuse
Saturday, October 22
Cincinnati at USF
Jacksonville State at Kentucky
Oklahoma State at Missouri
North Carolina at Clemson
Northern Illinois at Buffalo
Indiana at Iowa
Kansas State at Kansas
Illinois at Purdue
Arkansas at Mississippi
Wake Forest at Duke
Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan
Central Michigan at Ball State
New Mexico at TCU
Idaho State at BYU
Boston College at Virginia Tech
Louisiana Tech at Utah State
Oregon at Colorado
Maryland at Florida State
Texas A&M at Iowa State
Air Force at Boise State
Auburn at LSU
Nebraska at Minnesota
Temple at Bowling Green
NC State at Virginia
Ohio at Akron
Georgia Tech at Miami
East Carolina at Navy
Memphis at Tulane
Louisiana Lafayette at Western Kentucky
Fresno State at Nevada
Marshall at Houston
Louisiana Monroe at North Texas
Utah at California
Penn State at Northwestern
Army at Vanderbilt
Tulsa at Rice
Miami (OH) at Toledo
Tennessee at Alabama
USC at Notre Dame
Washington at Stanford
Wisconsin at Michigan State
Texas Tech at Oklahoma
MTSU at FAU
SMU at Southern Miss
Colorado State at UTEP
Oregon State vs Thursday, October 13
at Seattle
New Mexico State at Hawaii
Week 2: 53-12 (81.5%)
Week 3: 49-15 (76.6%)
Week 4: 46-14 (76.7%)
Week 5: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 6: 40-12 (76.9%)
Week 7: 35-15 (70%)
Season: 332-92 (78.3%)
Tuesday, October 18
FIU at Arkansas State
Thursday, October 20
UCF at UAB
UCLA at Arizona
Friday, October 21
Rutgers at Louisville
West Virginia at Syracuse
Saturday, October 22
Cincinnati at USF
Jacksonville State at Kentucky
Oklahoma State at Missouri
North Carolina at Clemson
Northern Illinois at Buffalo
Indiana at Iowa
Kansas State at Kansas
Illinois at Purdue
Arkansas at Mississippi
Wake Forest at Duke
Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan
Central Michigan at Ball State
New Mexico at TCU
Idaho State at BYU
Boston College at Virginia Tech
Louisiana Tech at Utah State
Oregon at Colorado
Maryland at Florida State
Texas A&M at Iowa State
Air Force at Boise State
Auburn at LSU
Nebraska at Minnesota
Temple at Bowling Green
NC State at Virginia
Ohio at Akron
Georgia Tech at Miami
East Carolina at Navy
Memphis at Tulane
Louisiana Lafayette at Western Kentucky
Fresno State at Nevada
Marshall at Houston
Louisiana Monroe at North Texas
Utah at California
Penn State at Northwestern
Army at Vanderbilt
Tulsa at Rice
Miami (OH) at Toledo
Tennessee at Alabama
USC at Notre Dame
Washington at Stanford
Wisconsin at Michigan State
Texas Tech at Oklahoma
MTSU at FAU
SMU at Southern Miss
Colorado State at UTEP
Oregon State vs Thursday, October 13
at Seattle
New Mexico State at Hawaii
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