2006 BCS, polls, Bowl Predictions and computer ratings

[osugrad21]

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INSIDE THE COLLEGES Mike Huguenin Buckeyes, not Texas, upon us

Published September 11, 2006


Last year at this time, everyone was singing the praises of Texas QB Vince Young after his Longhorns beat Ohio State.

Now it's Ohio State QB Troy Smith's turn.

Smith was marvelous in guiding Ohio State to a resounding 24-7 victory over the Longhorns on Saturday night. The result of the first No. 1-vs.-No. 2 regular-season game since 1996 left no doubt the Buckeyes are No. 1.

Smith was 17-of-26 for 269 yards and two TDs as the Buckeyes rolled. He was 13-of-19 for 219 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, then helped the Buckeyes control the ball and the clock in the second half.

"Troy Smith made play after play," Texas Coach Mack Brown said.

When the season started, it was assumed Smith would have to make a lot of plays, especially early in the season, as the Buckeyes' defense jelled while nine new starters got acclimated.

But going off Saturday's results, the Buckeyes may not have as tough a road as once expected. They host Cincinnati this week in a breather, then finish off the month by hosting Penn State and traveling to Iowa.

Penn State, to be kind, looked bad in getting whipped by Notre Dame on Saturday. And Iowa, to be kind, looked bad in needing overtime to win at Syracuse on Saturday. Granted, the Hawkeyes were without starting QB Drew Tate, but come on -- Syracuse reeks.

There's a game at Michigan State on Oct. 14 and the season-ender in Columbus against Michigan on Nov. 18, but the rest of the games are against Bowling Green and the usual flotsam and jetsam that is the second division of the Big Ten.

In other words, unless the Buckeyes implode or Tate or Michigan State QB Drew Stanton play the games of their lives, the Buckeyes will be 12-0 and packing for Phoenix on the night of Nov. 18.

As for Texas, Brown said his Longhorns "didn't make the plays we needed to make."

That's true. And it didn't help that the Longhorns were without star CB Tarell Brown, who was suspended for the game after being arrested last Monday.

At the same time, the Longhorns played it mighty close to the vest offensively. Yes, redshirt freshman QB Colt McCoy was making just his second career start and Longhorns coaches obviously didn't want to put the game in his hands. But, still, throw the ball downfield a few times -- if for no other reason than to show you can do it.

It's hard to rally from 10 down when your base pass play is a screen to TB Jamaal Charles.

"We've been winning so much, I forgot how it feels to lose," Texas WR Limas Sweed said.

The loss snapped Texas' 21-game winning streak. But unless Texas gets a little more imaginative on offense, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Longhorns lose one or two more games.

 

[osugrad21]

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Bucks tighten hold on No. 1
BY RALPH D. RUSSO | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK - There's little doubt about Ohio State after a convincing victory in the 1 v.s 2 showdown with Texas.
The Buckeyes were No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday, tightening their hold on the top spot the day after beating the defending champion Longhorns 24-7.
Ohio State received 59 of a possible 65 first-place votes, up from 39 last week, and 1,614 points in the media poll. Notre Dame is back at No. 2 off its 41-17 victory over Penn State. The Fighting Irish slipped two spots last week when Texas moved up to No. 2.

Notre Dame received three first-place votes. No. 3 Auburn got two first-place votes and Southern California had two first-place votes is just one point behind the Tigers.
No. 5 West Virginia also received two first-place votes. No. 6 is LSU, which plays at Auburn on Saturday. No. 7 Florida also has a big Southeastern Conference game as the Gators visit No. 13 Tennessee.
The Longhorns slipped to No. 8 after having their 21-game winning streak stopped by the Buckeyes. The Longhorns' ranking is their lowest since they were No. 8 on the Oct. 24, 2004 poll.
No. 9 Florida State and Georgia rounded out the top 10.
Everyone knew Ohio State had a championship-caliber offense, with Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. leading the way. The questions about the Buckeyes centered on their rebuilt defense with nine new starters.
The new guys gave the Buckeyes' D some bite to go with their quick-strike offense, but they weren't quite dominant.
Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis made two of the game's biggest plays, forcing a fumble by Billy Pittman at the Ohio State 2 in the first half that defensive back Donald Washington returned to midfield. A few plays later Ohio State was in the end zone with a 7-0 lead.
Laurinaitis came through again in the third quarter with an interception that set up a field goal.
On the down side, Texas ran for 172 yards against the Buckeyes. But the Longhorns managed only a touchdown after scoring at least 40 points in 12 consecutive games.
"Anytime you hold someone to seven points in their stadium, incredible," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.
No. 11 is Michigan followed by Louisville, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Iowa, Miami, Oregon, Nebraska and TCU.
The final five are California, Arizona State, Boston College, Texas Tech and Penn State.
Boston College entered the rankings for the first time this week.
The two SEC showdowns highlight a schedule with several games matching ranked teams on Saturday. Michigan is at Notre Dame; Louisville hosts Miami; No. Nebraska visits USC; Oklahoma is at Oregon; and Texas Tech meets TCU.
The one team to drop out of the Top 25 this week, Clemson, plays at Florida State.

 

[osugrad21]

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Ohio State aces hardest test

Lackluster Penn State, Iowa among few potential pitfalls for No. 1 team
By Mike Huguenin
Originally published September 11, 2006





Last year at this time, everyone was singing the praises of Texas quarterback Vince Young after his Longhorns beat Ohio State.

Now it's Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith's turn. Smith was marvelous in guiding Ohio State to a resounding 24-7 victory over the Longhorns on Saturday night. The result left no doubt the Buckeyes were No. 1.
Smith was 17-for-26 for 269 yards and two touchdowns as the Buckeyes rolled. He was 13-for-19 for 219 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, then helped the Buckeyes control the ball and the clock in the second half.
"Troy Smith made play after play," Texas coach Mack Brown said.
When the season started, it was assumed Smith would have to make a lot of plays, especially early in the season, as the Buckeyes' defense jelled while nine new starters got acclimated. But going off Saturday's results, the Buckeyes may not have as tough a road as once expected. They host Cincinnati this week in a breather, then finish off the month by hosting No. 25 Penn State and traveling to No. 16 Iowa.
Penn State, to be kind, looked bad in getting routed by Notre Dame on Saturday. And Iowa, to be kind, looked bad in needing overtime to win at Syracuse on Saturday. Granted, the Hawkeyes were without starting quarterback Drew Tate, but come on - Syracuse is terrible.
Ohio State plays at Michigan State on Oct. 14 and the season-ender in Columbus against No. 11 Michigan on Nov. 18, but the rest of the games are against Bowling Green and the usual flotsam and jetsam that is the second division of the Big Ten.
In other words, unless the Buckeyes implode or Tate or Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton plays the game of his life, the Buckeyes will be 12-0 and packing for Phoenix on the night of Nov. 18.
As for Texas, Brown said his Longhorns "didn't make the plays we needed to make."
That's true. And it didn't help that the Longhorns were without star cornerback Tarell Brown, who was suspended for the game after being arrested last Monday. At the same time, the Longhorns played it mighty close to the vest offensively. Yes, redshirt freshman quarterback Colt McCoy was making just his second career start, and Longhorns coaches obviously didn't want to put the game in his hands. But, still, throw the ball downfield a few times - if for no other reason than to show you can do it.
Unless Texas gets a little more imaginative on offense, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Longhorns lose one or two more games.

 

[bkochmc]

We could simply enjoy the fact that tOSU just got a historic road victory over the defending national champions, ending the longest winning streak in the country.

We could be proud of the fact that we root for the #1 team in the land, which received #1 votes from a combined 90% of the voters in the AP and USA Today Coaches' polls.

Or we could choose to focus on a handful of folks that ranked another team higher, and whine about it. But I'd like to express the opinion that I'm tired of all of the bitching and whining over every perceived slight to tOSU.

Great post, needed repeating. Who cares if we don't have all the first place votes? We're only 2 weeks into the season... Plain and simple, Ohio State wins their games and everything will fall into place.

 

[Jagdaddy]

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Ohio State aces hardest test

Lackluster Penn State, Iowa among few potential pitfalls for No. 1 team
By Mike Huguenin
Originally published September 11, 2006

Ugh . . . The deafening silence concerning Mr. Stanton and co. doesn't excite me. Hopefully they'll beat UM the week before they play the Bucks becausethat would (1) get the Bucks attention; and (2) Pretty much ensure, based on past history, that Sparty will tank the rest of the season.

Of course, it's generally safe to assume that a John L. Smith team will find ways to beat itself against a team like the Bucks, so I'm probably worrying a bit too much. I do think that Smith simply won't let the Bucks lose this year, but I'm hardly seeing a cakewalk.

 

[bucknut4life]

anyone else disagree when i say that auburn should be ranked higher than ND?

 

[scooter1369]

anyone else disagree when i say that auburn should be ranked higher than ND?

Right now its hard to say.

 

[Dryden]

anyone else disagree when i say that auburn should be ranked higher than ND?

I submitted my ballot for the BP Top-25 this morning and had Auburn #2. I believe Auburn is a solid #2 in everything that they do, from a program standpoint, from an offensive standpoint, from a defensive standpoint, and from a special teams standpoint.

 

[bucknut4life]

I submitted my ballot for the BP Top-25 this morning and had Auburn #2. I believe Auburn is a solid #2 in everything that they do, from a program standpoint, from an offensive standpoint, from a defensive standpoint, and from a special teams standpoint.

good..i am glad you agree...cause honestly i feel the same exact way

 

[Saw31]

I submitted my ballot for the BP Top-25 this morning and had Auburn #2. I believe Auburn is a solid #2 in everything that they do, from a program standpoint, from an offensive standpoint, from a defensive standpoint, and from a special teams standpoint.

Better check that ballot...

 

[Steve19]

We could simply enjoy the fact that tOSU just got a historic road victory over the defending national champions, ending the longest winning streak in the country.

We could be proud of the fact that we root for the #1 team in the land, which received #1 votes from a combined 90% of the voters in the AP and USA Today Coaches' polls.

Or we could choose to focus on a handful of folks that ranked another team higher, and whine about it. But I'd like to express the opinion that I'm tired of all of the bitching and whining over every perceived slight to tOSU.

I agree. I think its time we worked up a number 6 on 'em.



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071230/maindetails

Taggart: I got it. I got it.
Hedley Lamarr: You do?
Taggart: We'll work up a "Number 6" on 'em.
Hedley Lamarr: "Number 6"? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that one...
Taggart: Well, that's where we go a-ridin' into town, a whampin' and whompin' every livin' thing that moves within an inch of its life. Except the women folks, of course.
Hedley Lamarr: You spare the women?

It would be politically incorrect to post Taggart's next answer (visit http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071230/quotes).

Anyway, would it cheer you up if'n we did a number 6 on the next whiner, Bill?

 

[Steve19]

Better check that ballot...

Yeah, that's what he said...

 

[BearBuck27]

OSU has smooth road to undefeated season

 

[BB73]

I agree. I think its time we worked up a number 6 on 'em.



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071230/maindetails

Taggart: I got it. I got it.
Hedley Lamarr: You do?
Taggart: We'll work up a "Number 6" on 'em.
Hedley Lamarr: "Number 6"? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that one...
Taggart: Well, that's where we go a-ridin' into town, a whampin' and whompin' every livin' thing that moves within an inch of its life. Except the women folks, of course.
Hedley Lamarr: You spare the women?

It would be politically incorrect to post Taggart's next answer (visit http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071230/quotes).

Anyway, would it cheer you up if'n we did a number 6 on the next whiner, Bill?

Marvelous, and stop calling me Hedy.

 

[OSUBuckeye4Life]

ESPN.com's Power 16 Week 3 RANK TEAMRECORD POINTS COMMENTS

1 Ohio State (15) 2-0 255 After the win at Texas, the Ohio State helmets should have a few more Buckeyes on them this week.

2 USC (1) 1-0 221 The Coliseum should be jumping when the Trojans host the Huskers in USC's home opener on Saturday.

3 Auburn 2-0 220 If the Tigers beat LSU on Saturday, Toomer's Corner will experience another toilet paper blizzard.

4 Notre Dame 2-0 217 The Irish defense has looked much better in 2006, but Chad Henne, Mike Hart and the Wolverines will present more of a challenge.

5 West Virginia 2-0 188 Haven't seen Pat White, Steve Slaton and the rest of the Mountaineers yet? Catch their act on Thursday night at 7:30 ET on ESPN.

6 LSU 2-0 182 The Tigers warmed up for the showdown in the "loveliest village on the plains" with a pair of 45-3 romps.

7 Florida 2-0 159 Think Chris Leak and the Gators noticed that the Vols have had a few key defensive injuries?

8 Texas 1-1 142 The Horns won't have many highlights from the Ohio State loss to show on their Godzillatron.

9 Michigan 2-0 89 Ron English and the Wolverines will be dreaming about Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija and Darius Walker. Of course, nightmares might be more accurate.

10 Louisville 2-0 88 The Cards are averaging 60.5 points per game. The Canes are allowing 11.5. Will offense or defense prevail?

11 Florida State 2-0 86 FSU-Clemson looked good. Then the 'Noles had to rally past Troy and the Tigers lost at BC.

12 Georgia 2-0 83 With Joe Tereshinski out, the Bulldogs get what they've been wanting: freshman Matthew Stafford at quarterback.

13 Tennessee 2-0 71 OK. So the Vols crushed Cal, but barely survived Air Force. What does that mean for Florida's visit on Saturday?

14 Oklahoma 2-0 46 Adrian Peterson has 304 rushing yards after his first two games. That's his best start at OU.

15 Oregon 2-0 39 After giving up 154 yards to Fresno State's Dwayne Wright, the Ducks have to deal with OU's Peterson.

16 Virginia Tech 2-0 30 BeamerBall produced a blocked punt, forced a fumble and returned an interception for a touchdown against the Heels.

Others receiving votes: Iowa 27, Miami 12, Nebraska 9, TCU 8, Boston College 2, Boise State 1 and Rutgers 1.