Fourth and inches… (game week of Nov 24, 2007)

By T Erickson  |   Friday, November 23, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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Lloyd Carr's retirement from the University of Michigan head coaching job has led to all sorts of speculation regarding his replacement ... LSU's Les Miles is at the forefront of every discussion and prediction, and if he has any interest in the job, he better take it because the Wolverines have only had three head coaches in the past 38 years ...

► Will the coaching change affect Michigan's recruiting? Actually, the impact should be very light. That's why Carr made the announcement right away. Since he's retiring rather than leaving for another job, he can continue to help communicate and persuade recruits they've already landed and those they are still working on. There may even be some recruits that Michigan had lost who will reconsider their decision, depending on Carr's replacement.

Obviously, the longer Michigan goes without naming their new coach, the better chance it will be Les Miles. As long as LSU has a shot at the national title, and Michigan feels they have a chance at getting Miles, they will wait while they move forward on other fronts. If LSU falters in their bid to make the BCS championship game, the effort to secure Miles could quickly become very transparent.

► Trojans on a roll ... USC's Turkey Day 44-24 smack-down of Arizona State will most likely land them in the Rose Bowl Game on New Year's Day. Without Dennis Dixon, Oregon looks very ordinary on offense and the (lame) Ducks should lose one or both of their remaining games. That would give the Trojans the tie-breaker in the Pac-10. The last time the Trojans faced the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl was January 1, 1985.

► Believe it or not, there could be a shortage of qualified teams for the BCS bowl games ... the problem results from BCS rules which prohibit any conference from having more than two teams playing in BCS bowl games. Add to that the qualification that a team needs to have at least 9 wins and finish in the top 14 of the final rankings to receive an at-large bid, and you have some problems this year. If fewer than 10 of the top 14 teams in the standings are eligible for an at-large bid, the qualifying standard will extend to the top 18. That would make it a bit easier for non-BCS teams like Hawaii, Boise State or BYU to play in January.

► Both Kansas and Missouri control their own destinies ... the stakes have never been higher in this 116-year old rivalry, and the odds are that it will be years and years--even decades--before these two programs are ranked #2 and #3 in the nation this late in the season again. The winner heads to the Big 12 championship game on December 1, and a win there would land them in the National Championship game in New Orleans on January 7. This is a must-see game this Saturday on ABC at 8pm Eastern Time.

►Heisman top 5 ... Pat White (West Virginia) and Darren McFadden (Arkansas) are leading the ever-changing pack of potential award winners ... Matt Ryan (Boston College) moves back into the picture with his last minute game-winning TD pass on the road against Clemson ... Andre Woodson (Kentucky) is still hanging in there, while Chase Daniel (Missouri) and Tim Tebow (Florida) are moving up fast. All five candidates can make huge statements this weekend, but White, McFadden and Daniel have the best stages to play on. Dennis Dixon (Oregon) drops out with season-ending injury.

►Best Games of the Week--and why ...

#2 Missouri Tigers vs #3 Kansas Jayhawks in Kansas City: Big 12 North Division title is on the line with a berth in the Big 12 championship game and a shot at the national title beyond that. Oh yeah, don't forget bragging rights for the year. It doesn't get any bigger than this.
#30 Arkansas Razorbacks at #1 LSU Tigers: Razorbacks can play the spoiler, McFadden can boost his Heisman resume, and a good test to see if LSU is able to withstand the pressure to remain on top.
#36 Utah Utes at #23 BYU Cougars: A huge rivalry ... Both teams have 7-game winning streaks coming into the game. BYU clinched a share of the MWC title last week and can win it outright at home on Senior's Day. State bragging rights, and some undecided 2008 recruits are also on the line.
#19 Tennessee Volunteers at #28 Kentucky Wildcats: The Vols need to win to make the SEC title game and Kentucky needs to win to get a better bowl bid ... Wildcat QB Andre Woodson could boost his Heisman profile with a big performance and a win.
#13 Texas Longhorns at Texas A&M Aggies: Rivalry. Period. But if you want more reasons, Texas needs to win to have a chance to play in the Big 12 title game if Oklahoma loses, and this will most likely be Dennis Franchione's last game at A&M.
#17 Boise State Broncos at #14 Hawaii Warriors: The WAC championship is on the line, as well as a BCS berth for Hawaii. BSU might also have an outside chance at a BCS bowl again, depending on how the rest of the season plays out above them in the rankings.
Alabama Crimson Tide at #25 Auburn Tigers: A huge rivalry that doesn't have any conference title or BCS carrots attached to it.
#8 Virginia Tech Hokies at #16 Virginia Cavaliers: The winner gets to face Boston College next week in the ACC championship game. State bragging rights are secondary.
#21 Clemson Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks: State bragging rights and a better bowl game offer are on the line.
#33 Florida State Seminoles at #12 Florida Gators: The Seminoles are trying to salvage a disappointing season while the Gators still have a shot at a BCS bowl game ... a win is always good for in-state recruiting.
#20 Connecticut Huskies at #4 West Virginia Mountaineers: The Big East title and an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game is on the line, with the Mountaineers still in the running for the national championship game.

►Upset Specials of the Week ... Last week (2-2, season 20-19) ...

UCLA Bruins over #9 Oregon Ducks: Only because Dennis Dixon is out and the Bruins have home field advantage.
Texas A&M Aggies over #13 Texas Longhorns: Aggies are at home and Longhorns have looked very ordinary for much of the season ... A last hurrah for Coach Franchione.
#28 Kentucky Wildcats over #17 Tennessee Volunteers: Admittedly, this would be a mild upset, but it would knock the Vols out of the SEC title game.

Todd Erickson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the author of Road to the Rose Bowl (Silverback, 2005) the definitive book on the last 50 years of match-ups and tradition in the Rose Bowl Game.

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