Poll Busting: Week 9

By Neal Ternes

So for this week’s poll busting we will take an examination of the AP poll. It is about this time of year we will get some bickering about who should or shouldn’t be in the title discussion from the press so I figure it is only fair to examine what they are thinking. The results are interesting.

1. Florida: I agree
2. Texas: I agree
3. Alabama: I agree
4. Cincinnati: I agree
5. Boise State: Still too high. Someone needs to start voting down BSU for their poor scheduling
6. TCU: A little too high but this is a very solid team
7. Oregon: The win over USC was great, I agree with this
8. Iowa: Who else on this list can claim that their fifth string running back scored five touchdowns last weekend? Give me a break
9. LSU: I agree
10. Georgia Tech: They should be slightly lower, the ACC is proving to be overrated
11. Penn State: They should be higher, the only loss is to a top five team.
12. USC: They beat OSU and Notre Dame, but neither of those teams have been their usual selves this year. This should be lower.
13. Houston: Lower, Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, I really like the Cougars but they were nearly upset this week by another Conference USA team.
14. Pittsburgh: should be higher, they are going to be a real challenge for the Bearcats in a few weeks
15. Ohio State: I agree
16. Miami: Should be a little higher
17. Utah: Are you kidding me? Come on people
18. Oklahoma State: I agree with this
19. Notre Dame: I agree with this
20. Oklahoma: Still have no business being ranked
21. Arizona: should actually be a little higher
22. Virginia Tech: No, this is not a ranked team
23. California: I have them a little higher
24. Wisconsin: Badgers blasted Purdue and have only lost to top 15 teams, they should be higher.
25. BYU: ………..Seriously?

As you can see, the top of the poll is pretty solidified. My biggest problem continues to be the amount of love that voters are giving to the non BCS schools. Three unranked BCS teams from the Big East have as good of records as BYU yet none are ranked. South Florida, West Virginia, and Rutgers all have some good wins but apparently the voters just want the cougars in to justify keeping in Oklahoma. The Boise State placement is maddening since they have done absolutely nothing since that win against Oregon. Blowing out a team this week seemed until you realized that team was San Jose State who only has one win on the year. Here are my rankings:

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Cincinnati
5. Iowa
6. TCU
7. Penn State
8. Oregon
9. LSU
10. Boise State
11. Georgia Tech
12. Pittsburgh
13. Ohio State
14. Miami
15. USC
16. Wisconsin
17. Houston
18. Oklahoma State
19. Arizona
20. South Florida
21. California
22. West Virginia
23. Rutgers
24. Auburn
25. Utah

A Look into the 2009-2010 NBA Season

By Josh Roth

The NBA season is officially under way and there are plenty of great stories to go along with it. Including Shaq joining the Cavs, Vince Carter teaming with Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic, Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza switching places and much more.

First maybe the most intriguing story is that of the trade that Cleveland and Phoenix made that brought Shaq to the Cavaliers. It will be interesting to see how he fits, if he fits at all. Will he clog the lane instead of being effective in the post? Has he past his prime? How will he mesh with LeBron James? A lot of people seem to like the idea of the two, however, to me it doesn’t seem like a great idea. I do believe that Shaq will clog up the lane and he doesn’t play towards the basket, I don’t think he will be very effective. Plus it may slow down Cleveland’s offense a bit, but it should be interesting to say the least.

What about Vince Carter heading to the Orlando Magic for Rafer Alston and Courtney Lee? Does this really make the Magic better? Is Vince the piece that gives them the title? I am a little skeptical whether this move actually makes them better. I was a huge fan of Courtney Lee and Alston was a big part of their team as well. In order for this to be a good move for the Magic, Vince has to be a bit more unselfish and more of a team player, because I think the piece that they will miss the most will be Hedo Turkaglo who could be that facilitator that every team needs. So Vince or Rashard Lewis will have to play the role of Hedo in order to make it back to the Finals. However, the good news is that Orlando is a very deep team that should help them tremendously for a run at the NBA title.

Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza switched places as well. Ron Artest should be a solid fit for the Lakers, he gives them another veteran with great defensive ability and a solid all around game. He is also very versatile and can play a couple of different positions and can guard most positions. However, the Lakers may miss the athleticism and the upside of Trevor Ariza who should be a great fit in Houston and give them another option or someone to pick up the slack for Yao Ming. He also isn’t too shabby defensively either. Expect to see a lot more of Shannon Brown for the Lakers, who could step up in place of Trevor Ariza.

San Antonio made some huge moves this offseason as well. They added Richard Jefferson and were able to draft DeJuan Blair, which could be the biggest steal, not only of this draft, but drafts in the last couple of years. Jefferson gives them another offensive option, who is a versatile forward and should help in case Parker or Ginobili go down again. Then Blair gives them more size and should flourish under one of the greatest power forwards in the game in Tim Duncan. Watch out for the Spurs, they could be the team to represent the Western Conference and at the very least, give the Lakers a run for their money.

The Pistons also made a couple of interesting acquisitions as well. They picked up both Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Both of which are solid offense shooters, however the rest of their game is questionable at best. The Pistons have completely lost their identity as a defensive team and these additions do not help them one bit. In this league you have to be able to do both, you can’t just simply be a good shooting team. In my humble opinion I think the Pistons are heading in the wrong direction and should be a poor rebounding and defensive team. Don’t be surprised to see them finish towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Finally, both conferences seem to be getting a lot stronger and the parity in both leagues seems to growing. I think any team, aside from maybe the Milwaukee Bucks, could wind up making the playoffs. Watch out for teams like the Thunder, Raptors, Wizards, etc to potentially enter the playoffs. And look for teams like Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, and Portland Trailblazers to be serious conference title contenders. Here is a look at my prediction for this year.

Eastern Conference Prediction

1. Boston Celtics
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Orlando Magic
4. Chicago Bulls
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Miami Heat
7. Toronto Raptors
8. Washington Wizards
9. Philadelphia 76ers
10. Indiana Pacers
11. Detroit Pistons
12. New York Knicks
13. Charlotte Bobcats
14. New Jersey Nets
15. Milwaukee Bucks

Western Conference Prediction

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Portland Trailblazers
4. Denver Nuggets
5. New Orleans Hornets
6. Houston Rockets
7. Utah Jazz
8. Dallas Mavericks
9. Oklahoma City Thunder
10. Phoenix Suns
11. Golden State Warriors
12. Memphis Grizzlies
13. Los Angeles Clippers
14. Minnesota Timberwolves
15. Sacramento Kings

Awards:

6^th Man: Kirk Hinrich PG Chicago Bulls

Defensive Player: Shane Battier SF Houston Rockets

Rookie of the Year: DeMar DeRozan SG Toronto Raptors

Coach of the Year: Greg Popovich San Antonio Spurs

MVP: LeBron James SF Cleveland Cavaliers

NBA Finals:

Boston Celtics vs. San Antonio Spurs

NBA Finals Winner:

San Antonio Spurs

This year could be a bit more unpredictable, which should make for a very fun and exciting NBA season.

MLB World Series Predictions

By Dave Heffernan

New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies

When first looking at this matchup it may look like the Yankees should absolutely dominate with the payroll that they field, but these teams matchup very evenly on paper. CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte are a formidable one-two-three for any starting rotation. However, Cliff Lee, Pedro Martinez, and Cole Hamels are just as tough to matchup against. Alex Rodriguez is absolutely dominating this post-season, but so is Ryan Howard. Brad Lidge was horrendous during the regular season, but has been almost lights out in the post-season. Meanwhile, Mariano Rivera is probably the best post-season closer of all time. Both teams are pretty equal defensively and at stealing bases. So who do I like? The team that won it all last year or the franchise that seems to make it to the World Series just about every year? Both teams have been fairly dominant in the first couple rounds of the playoffs albeit the Phillies have appeared to be under just about everyone’s radar. They are not under mine. Phillies in 7.

One Week at a Time: Week 8

- A weekly blog by KRUI Sports Director Jordan Loperena, who covers Iowa Football from the press box at all home and away games.

“?!?! … !!!!”

EAST LANSING, MI – In what was an unbelievable display of resiliency on Saturday night, the Iowa Hawkeyes took down the Michigan State Spartans with a Ricky Stanzi to Marvin McNutt 7 yard touchdown as time expired to preserve an undefeated season and move up to #4 in the BCS rankings. However, I can’t put the anxiety and the emotion charging through every Iowa Hawkeyes’ fan’s body during the final drive, in which Stanzi led the Hawkeyes down the field more efficiently in about a minute and a half then the entire game.

Both teams played outstanding, tough, “Big Ten” football style games. While both defenses stymied most offensive production the entire night, the offenses did their job in not trying to make too much happen and executed tremendous ball security for a game dominated so much by defense. We saw three Iowa Hawkeyes injured and on the ground for an extended period of time. Despite a small handfull of Iowa fans that I was in East Lansing with that had positive overall experiences with Michigan State fans, I can only say that the Michigan State fans got what they deserved after prominently boo’ing Iowa WR Colin Sandeman on his way off the field after a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit, followed by some classless taunting, from Michigan State DB Jeremy Ware. Say what you want, maybe you think they were boo’ing the call, which they were initially. However, after they boo’d the late call, after they boo’d the JumboTron replay, there was a pause. As Sandeman was brought to his feet by the Iowa Training Staff and walked off the field, a flood of boo’s once again rained down at Spartan Stadium to no new announcements and no other replays being shown. That, my friends, is booing an injured player and thus, the kind of classlessness that deserves a loss in the final seconds to disrupt an upset bid. Think I’m crazy? Nah, just ask Iowa MLB Pat Angerer, who told me in postgame interviews that the act by Spartan fans was “classless” as him and several other players, including Iowa safety Tyler Sash also took notice. Sash mentioned that seeing a teammate get hit like that was enough reason to get fired up, let alone hearing the crowd boo him off the field. After the way this game concluded, that’s about as far as I will take my rant.

I can tell you first hand that a fairly comfortable walk down to the sidelines from the press box with Scott Miller of the DI and Bob Brooks with a field goal lead in hand soon turned into an unsettling voyage. Having to be guided through the Michigan State crowd to get down to the field amidst a Kirk Cousins to Brian Linthicum to Blair White hook ‘n later’ play was not anywhere near what I would call a pleasant feeling. Nor was finally getting a comfortable spot on the Michigan State sideline and watching Cousins miraculously avoid heavy Hawkeye pressure and launch a touchdown to White to take the lead with less than 2 minutes left on the clock.

Then it happened. The drive happened. The 3rd and 8 to Stross happened. The needle-threader to DJK happened. The interception happened. Then, the defensive holding happened, negating the interception. First and goal happened, then second, then third. In shades of what seemed like a possible situational deja vu of last year’s nothing and goal debacle at home against Northwestern, there was a certain feeling of desperate hope and promise with an undefeated season on the line. This is a new season. This is a new team. These are your “block 2 consecutive field goal attempts to beat Northern Iowa in the season opener” Iowa Hawkeyes. These are your “block a punt and return it for a touchdown and win at Penn State” Iowa Hawkeyes. These are your “win in Camp Randall after the worst first half all season” Iowa Hawkeyes”. For most of the season, these have been your “NO (expletive) WAY!” Iowa Hawkeyes … and mostly in a good way. Well … Stanzi to McNutt happened. THAT just happened, in the words of Ricky Bobby, and Michigan State was almost nonresponsive in shock as an Iowa Hawkeyes team flooded the field in hysterical joy, with an undefeated season, Big Ten Championship hopes, Rose Bowl hopes, and national title hopes in-tact on their way out of East Lansing.

AFTER THOUGHTS: I want to mention that I had the opportunity of leaving Spartan Stadium directly behind Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins following post-game interviews on Saturday night. While he was clearly hurting from the loss, this young and promising QB left Spartan Stadium with his head held high, but that wasn’t the most impressive thing I saw from him that night. Upon exiting the stadium, the first thing that Kirk Cousins did was put down his bag and sign an autograph for a little girl wearing a Michigan State Spartans jacket. That is the class that these two teams and the entire Big Ten Conference display for the most part as a whole and head coach Mark Dantonio should be proud of his young QB, and the rest of his players.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have moved up to 4th in the BCS Rankings and are 8-0 for the first time in school history.

R.I.P Jasper Howard

By Dan Wallace

Every year there are surprises in college football. Some of these surprises are the ones that take your breath away. For example, not many people believed that Iowa would be 8-0 at this point in the season and #4 in the BCS rankings. The fans, and possibly even the players are probably surprised by what is going on in Iowa City.

But on the other hand, there are surprises make you speechless for a whole other reason. Today was the funeral service for Jasper Howard, a cornerback for the University of Connecticut, who was fatally stabbed to death after a school-sponsored dance on October 18^th. The entire UConn football team made the trip to Miami, Howard’s hometown, for the viewing and funeral after their game against West Virginia University this past Saturday.

What makes this funeral in Miami so much different then from any other funeral is all of the story lines that lay behind the murder. The team traveled to Miami for the funeral after a gut-wrenching defeat against WVU this past week. The WVU fans applauded the entire UConn team as they ran onto the field. UConn played emotional, inspired football as the jersey of Howard hung on the sideline. They was minutes away from winning a game they desperately wanted to win in Howard’s memory before Noel Devine of West Virginia broke a long touchdown run in the final minutes to secure a West Virginia win.

The entire team traveled to Miami, the exact place the Howard wanted to get away from. Howard grew up in a troubled neighborhood in Miami that was riddled with violence and poverty. Howard, the first in his family to go to college, wanted to get away from the violence that occurred where he grew up. He went to UConn to get away from it all, but was sadly and ironically stabbed on UConn’s campus which has been knows as the “quiet corner” of Connecticut.

Howard mentioned in his post game interview (seen here) that you have to play every play like it’s your last, and unfortunately for him, this was the case.

Howard had dreams of making it to the NFL so he could help better the lives of his mother and two sisters, and sadly now those dreams are gone. Howard was doing all the right things to make life a little bit better for the ones he loves, everything that the coaches asked him to do so he could become that NFL player he dreamed of being.

Howard will be dearly missed on and off the football field. For the rest of the year, the football team will play with the burden of losing one of their teammates, and one of their friends. I have never followed UConn football, but from this point on I have two things for you. R.I.P Jasper “Jazz” Howard and Go Huskies!!

Poll Busting Week 8

By Neal Ternes

What the…….Ok so perhaps my reaction to the coach’s poll involved a few more expletives, but trust me they were warranted. Instead of wasting everyone’s time complaining now, here is the Coach’s Poll.

1. Florida: not buying it, Alabama is still my number one
2. Alabama: See above
3. Texas: I actually think the Longhorns have a case to be number two but will keep them here.
4. USC: Whatever, the Trojans best win is still Ohio State. lower
5. Boise State: Not even close, they are not a top ten team
6. TCU: barely a top ten team
7. Cincinnati: Should be higher, Bearcats schedule isn’t great but it is still stronger than Boise or TCU
8. Iowa: Because winning at East Lansing, at Happy Valley, and at Madison is less impressive than beating Oregon at home.
9. LSU: About right for now.
10. Penn State: Their only loss is to unbeaten Iowa. They should be higher after what they did to Michigan.
11. Georgia Tech: They should be higher
12. Oregon: This is about right
13. Oklahoma State: This is about right
14. Virginia Tech: best win was over Miami, they should be lower
15. Ohio State: should be lower
16. Houston: should be higher
17. Pittsburgh: should be higher
18. Miami: this is about right
19. Utah: Should not be ranked
20. West Virginia: Should be higher
21. South Carolina: They almost lost to Vanderbilt, they should be lower
22. Ole Miss: They should be lower
23. Oklahoma: WHY ARE YOU STILL RANKED?
24. Arizona: Should be a little higher, that loss to Washington was a fluke
25. Notre Dame: Should actually be higher, they are only a few plays away from being undefeated

At a certain point people need to start being objective about this. What wins do Boise State and TCU have that come close to Iowa or Cincinnati? And how does one loss USC get into the top five? This whole poll is a complete mess. Here are my rankings, as before, the BCS ranking is in parenthesis.

1. Alabama (2)
2. Florida (1)
3. Texas (3)
4. Cincinnati (8)
5. Iowa (4)
6. USC (5)
7. LSU (9)
8. Penn State (12)
9. TCU (6)
10. Georgia Tech (11)
11. Boise State (7)
12. Oregon (10)
13. Oklahoma State (14)
14. Pittsburgh (15)
15. Houston (18)
16. West Virginia (21)
17. Virginia Tech (13)
18. Miami (19)
19. Ohio State (17)
20. Arizona (20)
21. Notre Dame (23)
22. Wisconsin (NR)
23. South Carolina (22)
24. Ole Miss (25)
25. Navy (NR)

Poll Busting Week 7

By Neal Ternes

So here we are, the first release of the official BCS rankings. Of course there is still plenty left to be desired, but I have to admit, the BCS standings feel a lot more accurate to me than the Coach’s poll which we will look at this week. Here are the coach’s (assistants) rankings:

1. Florida: The Arkansas game proved Florida is mortal and not number one
2. Alabama: Should be number one
3. Texas: why? They have been unimpressive and almost lost to Bradfordless OU
4. USC: You BARELY beat Notre Dame and are number four? Give me a break
5. Boise State: Barely passed Tulsa, they are barely in the top ten
6. Cincinnati: This team is deep and impressive, should be much higher
7. TCU: What for? Beat BYU in Provo this weekend and prove you belong here
8. Iowa: I am cautious about the Hawks, but they keep finding ways to win and should be higher
9. Miami: They should be higher
10. LSU: Surprisingly, I buy this
11. Penn State: if they win in Ann Arbor next week this will be more justified, but it fits for now
12. Oklahoma State: WAAAAAAAY too high
13. Georgia Tech: Should be higher, they beat a really good VaTech team
14. Oregon: Should be higher
15. Virginia Tech: Should still be higher, but not much
16. BYU: Doesn’t anyone remember what FSU did to them IN PROVO? lower
17. Ohio State: That loss to Purdue was inexcusable, they should be lower
18. Houston: Slightly higher
19. Pittsburgh: Should actually be a little higher
20. Utah: Why? They didn’t get blown out by Oregon? They should be lower
21. Kansas: Really? They lost to Colorado. They shouldn’t be ranked
22. West Virginia: Should be higher
23. South Carolina: Should still be higher, Gamecocks played Bama tough and could surprise Florida
24. Texas Tech: Should actually be higher
25. Ole Miss: nope, shouldn’t be ranked

I know people think I am hating on the mid majors but I refuse to rank a team with a good record against crappy opponents. Beating dinky schools and losing to anybody with even a marginal pulse (looking at you BYU) does not make you a good team. That being said, TCU and BYU meet in Provo and a win for either program gives them a little bit of reason to gloat. The ACC is a mess and is probably a tad overrated but Miami and Georgia Tech are both deserving of slots in the bottom half of the top ten. Virginia Tech lost to the Yellow Jackets and Alabama and is still a very impressive team so I think they should be slightly higher than where they are. Also, I hate to complain about officials, but did anyone watch the Florida game? After the go-ahead touchdown by Arkansas the refs spotted the Gators 30 yards that ended with a tying touchdown. That doesn’t mean the gators won the game by officiating, Arkansas had opportunities to win the game after that, but it does tell me that this Gator team needs breaks to win games and it makes me think that trip to Columbia in a few weeks could be the end of their reign. Here are my rankings and for your convenience I have put the BCS rank next to it for comparison.

1. Alabama (2)
2. Cincinnati (5)
3. Florida (1)
4. Texas (3)
5. Iowa (6)
6. Miami (10)
7. USC (7)
8. Oregon (11)
9. Georgia Tech (12)
10. LSU (9)
11. Penn State (13)
12. TCU (8)
13. Virginia Tech (14)
14. Boise State (4)
15. Pittsburgh (20)
16. West Virginia (23)
17. Houston (17)
18. Texas Tech (NR)
19. Oklahoma State (15)
20. South Carolina (24)
21. Ohio State (19)
22. South Florida (NR)
23. Utah (18)
24. Wisconsin (21)
25. Notre Dame (NR)

MLB Championship Series Predictions

By: Dave Heffernan

New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels

This series hosts the two best teams in baseball this year. The series will have everything from pitching, to hitting, to defense. The Angels offense has been as good as anybody this year and continued that with a first round domination of the Red Sox. Not many people believe it, but their starting rotation is real. John Lackey is a clear-cut number one starter in the MLB. Rays castoff Scott Kazmir is going to be my wildcard for the Angels. You can not say good enough things about the Yankees first round sweep of the Twins. Alex Rodriguez already is having a better postseason then he ever has had in the past. CC Sabathia had a good start, something he has been unable to do in his postseason past. If they do go with that 3-man rotation that Joe Girardi has been talking about it will work out fine for workhorse Sabathia, but you have to wonder the toll that it could take on Andy Pettite. I hope this series goes the distance and I think it will. Yankees in 7.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Here we have a rematch of last year’s NLCS. The Phillies have the better starting lineup and more quality starters. However, the Dodgers have a better bench and better bullpen. Philadelphia proved why they are the defending champions with some incredible late game victories in their first round series victory over the Rockies. Brad Lidge needs to pitch the same way he did in the first round and I am still waiting on Cole Hamels to regain his form from last year’s postseason. He will have a chance to do it in the first game of this series. With Jonathan Broxton, the Dodgers have the better closer and the Phillies will find it much harder to have late rallies in this series. With Jim Thome and Juan Pierre the Dodgers have quality power and speed off of their bench. The Cardinals didn’t show up against the Dodgers in the first round, but the Phillies will show up this round. Phillies in 6.

Big Ten championship? YES!

By Brandon Hurley

The Iowa Hawkeyes football team pulled out yet another nail bitter on this past Saturday against Michigan to push their undefeated record to 6-0. Tate Forcier and company were no match for Iowa. Forcier did not manage to throw a touchdown pass, and was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter. And once again, the Hawkeyes gritted out a tough victory in a game that never seemed out of their control. The Wolverines took the quick 7-0 lead thanks to another Ricky Stanzi pick six but then the Hawkeyes answered and never looked back.

It’s almost a given now that Stanzi will be spotting the opponents seven points every game. This was the third time this season that he has thrown an interception for a touchdown. I just don’t get this man sometimes, one moment he will throw a perfect ball to one of the many talented receivers, and then the next drive he will throw a touchdown pass to the opposing cornerback. His consistency is almost unwatchable, and yet he has not lost a game this year. Stanzi just finds a way for the Hawkeyes to win, even if it means throwing in a couple bad plays to go with his genius plays. Stanzi has the potential to either be an All-Big Ten QB or be Jake Christensen. And yet every game so far he has shown both sides. When Stanzi finally plays a complete game from start to finish, (Hopefully it’s every game the rest of the season) the Hawkeyes will have no problem handling whatever opponent is on the other end of the field, whether it be Northwestern or THE Ohio State.

Along with the play of Stanzi, the return of the oft injured tight end, Tony Moeaki for the blackout game was a huge factor. He found himself wide open in the middle of the field twice to rumble into the end zone for two huge scores. In the two and a half games Moeaki has played this year he has 17 receptions for 190 plus yards and three touchdowns. Imagine if the Hawks had Moeaki for his entire career. Moeaki really makes this offense move. He adds another weapon to this already dangerous repertoire that Stanzi has at his disposal. If the entire offense can stay healthy for the rest of the season, the may also be unstoppable. With the likes of Marvin Mcnutt, Trey Stross, Darrell Johnson-Koulianos, Paul Cheney Jr., Allen Risner and Moeaki all huge receiving threats, along with Brandon Wegher and Adam Robinson making catches out of the backfield, the Hawkeyes may have the deepest receiving corps in the entire Big Ten.

The defense finally had their consecutive quarter streak without allowing a rushing touchdown end early in the first quarter, and even had the Michigan offense run for over 200 yards. But even though the rush defense faltered, the secondary found a way to keep the Hawks in the lead, along with a little help from Forcier, who seemed to mishandle the ball quite a number of times and finished the game with only eight completions. When it was all said and done, Brett Greenwood sealed the deal with an interception under a minute left and up by two, fitting that the strong part of the defense on this particular night would close out the game.

I have been hearing some very interesting comparisons being drawn to this undefeated Iowa team, and the most intriguing one that I have heard is the comparison to the 2002 Big Ten and 2003 national championship team of THE Ohio State Buckeyes. This resemblance is strikingly eerie. Both teams had very average quarterbacks who played very well at times, tOSU with Craig Krenzel and Iowa with Stanzi. Both teams have very good defenses, with a few stars and both teams had freshmen running backs, albeit OSU’s back was Maurice Clarett, much better than Wegher or Robinson. Also, the Buckeyes had many close victories against teams that they should have easily beat, such as four point victories over Purdue and Cincinnati, an overtime victory against Illinois, and a five point win over Wisconsin. They also had wins against Penn State and Michigan that were under 10 points.

The Hawks already have the two point victory over Michigan, and the close calls against Arkansas State and UNI in their rear view mirror and only a few more tight victories are left. They keep finding ways to win, no matter how they come, just like the ‘02 Buckeyes.

Now in no way am I saying the Hawkeyes are going to win the national championship, or even compete for it, but they do have a very realistic chance at winning the Big Ten. If they can win these next two games on the road, it is very likely that Hawkeyes will be spending winter break in sunny Pasadena. In 2002 though, Iowa went undefeated in the conference as well, and did not get the chance to play the Buckeyes. This season, the Hawkeyes play OSU in the Horseshoe the second week of November.

With a new facet of the defense stepping up each game, and the offense finally healthy, it is quite conceivable that the Hawks go into Columbus undefeated with the conference championship on the line.

Poll Busting Week 6

By Neal Ternes

We turn our attention back to our good friends at the Coach’s Poll who continue to flaunt reason in their quest to prove who idiotic it is to have people who do not watch the football games to rank other teams. This week’s travesty of a poll:

1. Florida: easy enough
2. Texas: because it took them three and a half quarters to put away Colorado?
3. Alabama: should swap with Texas
4. Virginia Tech: ACC getting a lot of undeserved love. Should be slightly lower.
5. USC: They went up two spots for not playing…….wow
6. Boise State: They are still not a top six team
7. Ohio State: that win over the Badgers was impressive, but they need to be a little lower
8. TCU: Has not beat a ranked team since the Poinsettia Bowl
9. Cincinnati: I want them higher but it is going to contradict what I say later
10. LSU: For right now, this is ok
11. Miami: Should be higher
12. Iowa: Should be higher
13. Penn State: They have rebounded well, but still haven’t beaten a great team
14. Oklahoma State: Should be much lower, you still lost to Houston
15. Kansas: Right now, this is about right, but they will fall eventually
16. Oregon: Should be higher, this team keeps winning
17. Nebraska: Should be higher, the Mizzou win was very cool
18. Oklahoma: The best team they have beaten? Baylor. Should not be ranked
19. BYU: Sure they beat Oklahoma in Arlington, but they lost to 2-4 Florida State in Provo
20. Georgia Tech: should be higher
21. South Florida: should be a little higher
22. South Carolina: Maybe a little higher, but that Ole Miss win just got a lot less impressive
23. Houston: I will buy this
24. Missouri: for not beating a good team and losing in the fourth quarter to Nebraska? No rank
25. Notre Dame: I buy it, but it won’t last long

My biggest issue is the complete and utter disrespect for resume. Beating highly ranked teams should put you ahead of teams that share a similar record and have not played ranked teams. Yet there is TCU in the top ten along with Boise State who will only play one BCS team this year (Oregon). As I said before, I am contradicting myself with Cincinnati who has not beaten a ranked team but has beaten a good Rutgers team and Oregon State on the road. Those wins are not too shabby and I think a win over undefeated South Florida on Thursday makes them a top ten team. I think they will win that game but obviously if they lose there is going to be some reevaluation. USC somehow gets into the top five without playing a game but I think that is more predictive since the Pac 10 doesn’t look like it is going to have a new champion this year and no one looks capable of beating the Trojans except Oregon who will have to navigate a very tough schedule. My rankings are listed below.

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Cincinnati
5. Virginia Tech
6. Miami
7. USC
8. Ohio State
9. LSU
10. Boise State
11. Iowa
12. Oregon
13. Nebraska
14. Penn State
15. TCU
16. Kansas
17. South Florida
18. Georgia Tech
19. South Carolina
20. Oklahoma State
21. Pittsburgh
22. Wisconsin
23. Houston
24. BYU
25. Notre Dame