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Impressing the Judges The BCS Standings are out, and the top three teams are looking to impress the judges. Bama, FSU and Oregon destroyed their respective opponents by a combined score of 136-41 and laid claim that they are a cut above everybody else in college football. The Ohio State Buckeyes won their 20th straight game and spanked Penn State 63-14.....it was the Bucks' best, most complete game of the year. The biggest issue for Ohio State is that their schedule doesn't provide them with enough high-powered, ranked opponents. In fact, Urban Meyer is still perfect in the record department, but none of his teams have even played a Top 15 team. That's really hard to do, if you think about it....especially in a power conference. This upcoming week, both Bama and Oregon have the weekend off as they prepare for LSU and Stanford, respectively. Meanwhile, the FSU Seminoles get ready for a visit from an old, arch-enemy...the undefeated Miami Hurricanes. The Canes have escaped double-digit deficits in each of their past three games, and apparently the folks in Vegas have taken notice. The ACC match-up between Top 10 teams has FSU as a 3-touchdown favorite. The way the Noles are playing, that might not be enough. We'll see what happens as the calendar turns to November.....college football always gives us something to talk about. Speaking of....I need to give some love to the Duke Blue Devils. Coach Cut's boys rolled into beautiful Blacksburg, Va. and the Devils emerged with a stunning upset of the previously 14th ranked Hokies. It was Duke's first win over a ranked team on the road since 1971.....it was their first win over a ranked team since 1994, and it snapped a 47-game losing streak to ranked teams in the process. That's a great win. Same thing can be said for South Carolina, which rallied from a 17-zip deficit in the 4th quarter to beat #5 Missouri in double overtime. Connor Shaw came off the bench and performed.....the kid is tough and produced an amazing effort in the Gamecocks' overtime win. The victory allowed the Cocks to get right back in the SEC East chase. Your guess is as good as mine, in trying to figure out which team wins the East division. The Carolina Panthers are riding a three-game win streak....and in the process now find themselves over .500 for the first time in 70 games. Up next, sub .500 Atlanta. I think the Panthers have a schedule that's easier than the one played by Ohio State.....do they ever play anybody over .500? They do....in November. But like Ohio State, it's not the Panthers' fault that they are loading up on a bunch of scrubs. Carolina is playing well....Cam Newton has been efficient, the defense consistent and the club is not turning the ball over. That combo is a recipe for success. It's still stupid to talk about playoff bids in late October......it's the same syndrome that exists with college football junkies in trying to figure out the two teams vying for the crystal in Pasadena. But it's been so long since the Panthers have given their fans any hope of meaningful football when the temps drop, I can understand why there is chatter about January football. The NBA regular season is getting ready to tip-off. That reminds me....please let me know when the playoffs start 7 months from now......and Go Bobcats! The World Series has been thrilling so far....but baseball, much like the NBA, has become an acquired taste. I enjoy the game, even though it is too slow. But what I've enjoyed the most is that the series showcases two damn good baseball teams.....plus, both teams have great fans in markets that truly love the game of baseball. You figured it would be an entertaining series.....the ending of Game 3 on an obstruction call makes it an instant classic. Nobody has seen a World Series game end under that circumstance....it was nuts. But I am looking forward to the rest of the series....and there is no doubt that the winner is worthy of calling themselves the "world champs". I bet the NFL schedule maker is glad that this week is over. Think about it.....the Monday Night game featured a winless NY Giants team playing a 1-win Vikings team. The Thursday Night prime-time game involved the winless Tampa Bay Bucs. And Sunday's European NFL game in London had the winless Jacksonville Jags in town. Yuck. It was good to see Jeff Gordon back in Victory Lane. The 24-car took care of business down the stretch in Martinsville to capture the checkered flag. He's now in third place in the Chase for the Cup standings and trails both Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth by 27 points with three races to go. NASCAR has a tight race for the championship with Kenseth & Johnson battling it out.....but the sport also has two of its calmest, quietest personalities tied for the lead. The racing intensity should be at an all-time high for the final races of the season, but I wonder how many people are paying attention? I must point out that Danica Patrick has closed to within two points of Tony Stewart in the standings. Unless something crazy happens, she will pass "Smoke" in the standings. I didn't think she could catch Stewart, but she has proven me wrong. It needs to be noted that Tony Stewart hasn't raced since his dirt track accident in early August, but the fact that Danica can catch him in the standings in two months should be worthy of another NASCAR promotional tour. |
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