Fourth and inches… (week of Sept. 29, 2007)

By T Erickson  |   Thursday, September 27, 2007  |  Comments( 2 )

College Football
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Will Notre Dame win a game this season? Let's just say it's the perfect winter for Golden Domer fans to treat their wives to a tropical island vacation. No bowl game this year. But take heart, Fighting Irish fans. Of course your boys will win this year. The way I see it, you have four more consecutive losses to endure (at Purdue, at UCLA, Boston College, and USC), then a four-game winning streak to close the season at 4-8.

►The number 6... The Irish loss was their sixth in a row, stretching back to last season, making it the second-longest losing streak in the history of Notre Dame football. Meanwhile, Michigan State's victory last Saturday made it the first program to defeat Notre Dame six times in a row at Notre Dame Stadium.

►Biggest disappointments this season?... Michigan and Louisville share the ignominy of heading up this short list. The Cardinals began the season ranked 10th and moved up to No. 8 before their defense exposed them as an impostor. The Wolverines started out the season ranked fifth and promptly suffered one of the worst upsets in the history of college football, losing to I-AA Appalachian State in "The Big House." While both teams will go bowling this year, it's a far cry from the possibility both held for making it to national title game by starting the season with top 10 rankings.

►Heisman hopefuls ... Kentucky QB Andre Woodson has shot to the top of my Big 5 list after the Wildcats beat Arkansas in Fayetteville with a fourth-quarter comeback. That's Woodson's second comeback win in a row over recently ranked opponents ... Darren McFadden rushed for 173 yards and a score in the losing effort. It doesn't help that his Razorbacks have lost two in a row, but he's still the class of the running back set this year. Cal's DeSean Jackson, West Virginia's Pat White and USC's John David Booty round out my current Big 5 list.

►23 teams still undefeated ... Among the undefeated going head-to-head this week are: West Virginia at South Florida, Michigan State at Wisconsin, California at Oregon, and although Massachusetts doesn't count among the 23 unbeaten because it's a D-IAA school, the team still brings its 4-0 record to Boston on Saturday to take on unbeaten Boston College.

►Talk about courage... and you'd have to include the latest nomination for this year's FedEx Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award, Danny Langsdorf, the offensive coordinator at Oregon State. Langsdorf donated one of his kidneys over the summer to Laurie Cavanaugh, the wife of his offensive line coach, Mike Cavanaugh. Laurie had been looking for a donor for over a year. Langsdorf tested out to be a match and he didn't hesitate to help out. Two other nominees announced so far this year are Brian Kajiyama (Hawaii), and Terry Clayton (Kentucky). Last year's award winner was Ray Ray McElrathbey, the Clemson running back who is raising his little brother on his own.

QUICK HITS

► The one team that has JoePa's number... Michigan has a nine-game winning streak against the Grand Old Master of Happy Valley. Before the streak began in 1997, Penn State had a three-game winning streak of its own against the Wolverines (1994-96).

►Whom would you start this week? ... Chad Henne, senior QB with an 0-2 record this season, and recovering from an injured knee, or Ryan Mallett, freshman QB with a 2-0 record (wins over Notre Dame and Penn State)? Do you hand the job back to Henne just because he's a senior, or do you stick with your winning ways? I would stick with my winner, Mallett. If he falters down the road, then you've got a solid veteran to relieve him.

►When a Buckeye really is a nut ... Ohio State's third-team QB, Antonio Henton, was arrested this week for soliciting a prostitute. Obviously, this young man doesn't believe that being a member of the Buckeye football team offered any advantage to help him find a date for the homecoming dance next month.

►Nebraska fans are up in arms after close shave win over Ball State ... They ought to be thankful they don't have Oklahoma on their schedule this year. Forty points by Ball State is the equivalent of 80 by the Sooners. The way I see it, Cornhusker fans should be bracing themselves for losses to Missouri on Oct. 6 and Texas on Oct. 27, and maybe -- just maybe -- to Kansas on Nov. 3.

►Potential BCS Busters ... Hawaii is the only one left, unless, and it's a big one ... unless Boise State wins out the rest of its games this year. With only one loss early in the season to Washington, BSU could do it. Right now, the Broncos are No. 32 in the coaches' poll and not ranked in the AP poll or the Harris poll. Hawaii cannot afford to lose at all with its weak strength of schedule.

►Best reunion game of the week? ... I didn't mind losing PlayStation NCAA Football to my oldest son, Andrew, last weekend. We hadn't been able to play against each other in over three years, since he moved to the opposite coast.

►Quick Snap ... presented by the 83rd East-West Shrine Game, Jan.19, 2008, in Houston, on ESPN2:

What is the jersey number that has been worn most by Heisman Trophy winners?

Be quick and be correct. Send your answer to quicksnap@realfootball365.com. The first email received with the correct answer wins you a limited edition two-card set of 2007 Rose Bowl Game trading cards. The winner will be announced in next week's Fourth and inches...

►Best Games of the Week ... West Virginia Mountaineers at South Florida Bulls ... Air Force Falcons at Navy Midshipmen ... Michigan State Spartans at Wisconsin Badgers ... Maryland Terrapins at Rutgers Scarlet Knights ... Clemson Tigers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets ... California Golden Bears at Oregon Ducks ... Alabama Crimson Tide at Florida State Seminoles ... Colorado State Rams at TCU Horned Frogs ... UCLA Bruins at Oregon State Beavers ... Pittsburgh Panthers at Virginia Cavaliers ... USC Trojans at Washington Huskies ... Auburn Tigers at Florida Gators ... BYU Cougars at New Mexico Lobos ...

►Upset Specials of the Week ... Last week (3-0, season 7-9) ... Florida State Seminoles over Alabama Crimson Tide ... South Florida Bulls over West Virginia Mountaineers ... Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets over Clemson Tigers ...

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.

Get more original college football insights at Realfootball365.com
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