RF365 Sweet Sixteen - week of Nov 21 2009

By Todd Erickson  |   Saturday, November 21, 2009  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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The countdown to the bowl season is winding down rapidly with just three weekends of regular season surprises remaining. Pitt officially knocked Notre Dame out of the BCS bowl game picture, and Ohio State locked up the Big Ten’s automatic Rose Bowl Game berth with an overtime win over pesky Iowa. TCU assumed King of the Mountain status in the MWC with a 55-28 thrashing of last season’s non-BCS darling Utah, and the most shocking fall from the elite BCS ranks this season took place in the Los Angeles Coliseum as Stanford pummeled USC, 55-21.

1. FLORIDA GATORS/SEC (10-0). The Gators took on former coach Steve Spurrier in Columbia, South Carolina, emerging unscathed with a 24-14 victory. Tim Tebow was responsible for 225 of Florida’s 339 total yards and two TDs. Up next: Florida International.
2. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE/SEC (10-0). Mark Ingram rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns and the Tide defense stifled Mississippi State, allowing just 213 total yards and a field goal in a 31-3 beatdown. This week will be a breather with Chattanooga visiting Tuscaloosa.
3. TEXAS LONGHORNS/Big 12 (10-0). Texas reached the ten-win plateau for the ninth straight season with a thorough 47-14 thrashing of the Baylor Bears. They’ll host a Kansas team that is seriously tanking with five straight losses on the books.
4. TEXAS CHRISTIAN HORNED FROGS/MWC (10-0). TCU jumped out to a quick 35-7 lead over defending conference champion Utah, ending up with an emphatic 55-28 smack-down. The Frogs travel north to Laramie this weekend to take on Wyoming in 39-degree weather.
5. CINCINNATI BEARCATS/Big East (10-0). Cincy outlasted West Virginia last Friday night, 24-21, and have a well-deserved weekend off before hosting Illinois on Nov 27.
6. GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS/ACC (10-1). The Yellow Jackets spotted Duke a brief lead before overwhelming the Blue Devils, 49-10. They host instate rival Georgia on Nov 28.
7. BOISE STATE BRONCOS/WAC (10-0). Boise State pistol-whipped the Idaho Vandals for the umpteenth time in a row, 63-25, but their wins over weak competition doesn’t stack up to the competition TCU and Cincinnati have been taking down. They take on 3-7 Utah State next.
8. PITTSBURGH PANTHERS/Big East (9-1). The Panthers survived Notre Dame’s 19 fourth quarter points to prevail, 27-22. They have the weekend off to ready for two tough season ending games vs West Virginia and Cincinnati.
9. LSU TIGERS/SEC (8-2). The Tigers toyed around with Louisiana Tech for too long and ended with a rather unimpressive 24-16 victory. They’ll lose on the road to Mississippi this weekend if they serve up the same effort in Oxford.
10. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES/Big Ten (9-2). The Buckeyes nipped Iowa in overtime, 27-24, and earned their first Rose Bowl Game berth in 13 years. They clash with bitter rival Michigan in The Big House this weekend with the Wolverines needing the win to reach .500 and become bowl eligible.
11. STANFORD CARDINAL/Pac-10 (7-3). Stanford crushed USC and can earn the Pac-10 title if A) they knock off California this weekend, B) Arizona beats Oregon this weekend, C) Oregon beats Oregon State on Dec 3, and D) Arizona loses to either ASU or USC. Got that?
12. OREGON DUCKS/Pac-10 (8-2). The Quacks knocked off Arizona State at home, 44-21, and need to survive Arizona on the road this weekend to remain in contention for Pasadena on New Year’s Day.
13. WISCONSIN BADGERS/Big Ten (8-2). The Badgers roughed up Michigan to the tune of 45-24 last weekend and head out on the road for their last two games at Northwestern and Hawaii.
14. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS/Big Ten (9-2). PSU plays Michigan State in East Lansing this weekend in both teams’ season-ending contest.
15. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS/Big 12 (9-2). The Cowboys had a scare earlier this week, barely beating Colorado, 31-28. They clash with instate rival Oklahoma next weekend and should wrap up a Cotton Bowl invitation with a win.
16. IOWA HAWKEYES/Big Ten (9-2). Playing without starting QB Ricky Stanzi, Iowa fell on the road in OT to Ohio State. The Hawkeyes host a dangerous, under-achieving Minnesota Golden Gopher squad this weekend.
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About Todd Erickson

Todd Erickson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and pens the RealFootball365 Top 25 college football power rankings and "Fourth and inches..." weekly columns from August thru January. He is currently working on the second edition of Road to the Rose Bowl...
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