Tim Tebow and Gators seeking revenge after last season's Georgia Stomp

#5 Florida vs. #8 Georgia
Saturday, November 1, 2008 - 3:30 EST - CBS
Jacksonville, Florida - Gator Bowl
Florida -6.5

Summary
The "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" is once again in Jacksonville...this game alone pumps $25 million into the city's economy...the game has been played in Jacksonville annually since 1933 with the exception of two years in 1994-95...Georgia leads the all-time series 47-37-2...

After losing to Ole Miss on September 27th, the Gators are 3-0 and have outscored their opponents 152-33...we all know about the Florida offense with Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, and Jeffrey Demps (photo below)...here is an interesting note, Tebow did not throw a fourth quarter incompletion throughout the month of October...

The Gators defense has raised their level of play over the last three games...the defense is anchored by MLB Brandon Spikes

The Dawgs are led by RB Knowshon Moreno (photo below) who has rushed for 925 yards and 12 TDs so far this year...QB Matthew Stafford has thrown 12 TDs to 5 INTs...his favorite targets are senior Mohammed Massaquoi and freshman A.J. Green...combined, the two have caught 9 of Stafford's 12 TDs...

Quick Numbers
Offensive Numbers
Fl - Rushing per game - 196 yards
Ga - Rushing per game - 172 yards

Fl - Passing per game - 214 yards
Ga - Passing per game - 258 yards

Defensive Numbers
Fl - Rushing allowed - 102 yards
Ga - Rushing allowed - 77 yards

Fl - Passing allowed - 170 yards
Ga - Passing allowed - 221 yards

- Florida is 13-3 straight up against Georgia since 1992...

What the experts say
Power Sweep - Florida 41-27
The Gold Sheet - Florida 38-30

Florida Gators (6-1) - Head Coach Urban Meyer
Here are the Florida game notes for the Georgia game...

Florida Game Notes

Michael DiRocco of the (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union writes how Urban Meyer stresses blocked punts... "It's sort of a double "whump" - a football being kicked, immediately followed by it smacking against a hand, forearm, chest or stomach of a player. When his team is responsible for the second whump, Meyer loves it. It's when the Gators create the first whump that his stomach tightens and twists." ...

Michael DiRocco

Robbie Andreau of the Gainesville Sun writes how Florida must stop Knowshon Moreno... "The spirited Georgia tailback ran all over the Gators last year. He ran around them, he jumped over them, he ran through them. He ran them into the ground, wearing them out with 188 yards rushing and three touchdowns on a whopping 33 carries in Georgia’s 42-30 victory." ...

Robbie Andreau

Andreau writes how the Gators running back position has become a strength with the emergence of speedster Jeffrey Demps... "In Meyer’s first three seasons, the tailbacks were pretty much a drag on UF’s up-tempo, big-play offense. They were just sort of there, their contribution usually being an occasional 5-yard run or a fumble or a missed blocking assignment. At one point, Meyer grew so frustrated with the lack of production that he referred to his tailbacks as trash." ...

Robbie Andreau

Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel writes how Georgia disrespected the Gators last season... "With that logic, Georgia wasn't too brilliant on two occasions in the Southeastern Conference in 2007, especially one. UGA's en masse celebration in the Gators' end zone on the first score of last season's 42-30 win on Oct. 27 has become the focal point of this year's heated rivalry." ...

Jeremy Fowler

Georgia Bulldogs (7-1) - Head Coach Mark Richt
Here are the Georgia game notes for the Florida game...

Georgia Game Notes

Terence Moore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes how neither team is talking about Georgia's "Stomp" last season... "The week of the Florida game, Richt said he told his offensive players on the field to celebrate enough after Georgia’s first touchdown to draw an unsportsmanlike penalty. Instead, all of his players sprinted from the sidelines to the end zone for a dog pile between screaming and clowning." ...

Terence Moore

Thomas Stinson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes how Tim Tebow is still hurt by Florida's loss to Georgia last season... "Tim Tebow, who last month nearly broke into tears while trying to explain the Gators’ loss to Ole Miss, isn’t so sure that defeat was harder to take than last year’s 42-30 loss to Georgia." ...

Thomas Stinson

Stinson writes about Florida's stellar defense... "Yet among the dozen subplots bubbling around Saturday’s Georgia-Florida game, the Gators’ celebrated defense poses the most intricate question. How well might it hold up against a quality quarterback? How will it react against a team like Georgia, which can run and pass with equal alacrity?" ...

Thomas Stinson

Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald writes how Knowshon Moreno is quietly back in the Heisman race... "If Moreno can keep up his recent pace, he might have to figure out a way to thank his linemen for helping him get a December invitation to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist." ...

Marc Weiszer

Check out this 37 second clip of the Georgia players storming the field after the Bulldogs scored its first touchdown in last year's game...

Tony Romo-less Cowboys face difficult task at Giants Stadium

Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants
Sunday, November 2, 2008 - 4:15 EST - FOX
Giants Stadium - The Meadowlands
Giants -8.5

Summary
Last season, the Dallas Cowboys won the two regular season games, however, when it counted the most, the New York Football Giants went into Texas Stadium and won the Divisional Playoff game 21-17...Dallas leads the all-time series 54-36-2...the Giants hold a 17-14 edge in games played at Giants Stadium...

As known, the Cowboys are a banged up bunch...they have the 21st ranked defense...they are ranked 17th in scoring defense (23.0 points/game)...on the offense, Dallas is ranked 2nd overall...they are 10th in the league in scoring offense (25.3 game)...the 120 yards per game on the ground ranks them 10th...

The Giants offense and defense are ranked in the top 10...on offense, the G-men are ranked 7th overall and have the number 1 rushing offense in the NFL with 157.3 yards/game...the Giants defense is ranked 3rd overall...they lead the league in sacks with 26 and have allowed only 3 rushing TDs all year...

Quick Numbers
Offensive Numbers
Dal - Rushing per game - 120 yards
NYG - Rushing per game - 157 yards

Dal - Passing per game - 245 yards
NYG - Passing per game - 221 yards

Defensive Numbers
Dal - Rushing allowed - 94 yards
NYG - Rushing allowed - 83 yards

Dal - Passing allowed - 204 yards
NYG - Passing allowed - 185 yards

- Dallas is 20-20 over the last 3 years in all games against the spread...

What the experts say
Power Sweep - New York 33-13
The Gold Sheet - New York 38-17

Dallas Cowboys (4-3) - Head Coach Wade Phillips
Brian Davis of the Dallas Morning News gives his mid-season report card on the Cowboys... "Just like the Dow, the Cowboys have fallen from last year's highs. With eight games remaining, it's time for the team to start a rally in hopes of zooming up the standings and into the playoffs." ...

Brian Davis

Cedric Golden of the Austin American-Statesman writes about Dallas' win over Tampa Bay... "These are the new-look Cowboys. Led by a 40-year-old quarterback whose arm strength was questioned even when he was in his 20s; a head coach who seems to take more delight in opponent's missed field goals than his team's touchdowns, rare as they are these days; and joined by a Detroit Lions refugee wide receiver who is no stranger to this state but just plain happy to be here." ...

Cedric Golden

Sports Illustrated did a nice shoot of 24 photos of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders...

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News writes how the Cowboys should play loose on Sunday since they are expected to lose... "Anyway, if the Browns can beat the Giants and the Chiefs can beat the Broncos and the Rams can beat the Cowboys ... you get the picture. Because the Cowboys are so universally expected to lose, they have nothing to lose. They can play without fear. If there are no consequences to actions, then mistakes are impossible." ...

Tim Cowlishaw

Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News writes how Marion Barber is a workout freak... "Late in the morning, the Cowboys running back – and more than 30 teammates – showed up at Valley Ranch to get in a workout with Juraszek, the team's strength and conditioning coach. And on his other off day, Tuesday, Barber was back in the weight room." ...

Todd Archer

New York Giants (6-1) - Head Coach Tom Coughlin
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reviews what happened in the Giants locker after the Steelers win and how Justin Tuck hates the Cowboys... "On their way into the visitors' locker room at Heinz Field, general manager Jerry Reese was there to shake the hand of every player and coach, saving a quick hug and hearty back-slap for a few select individuals. In every corner of the large room, the laughter and outward sense of accomplishment served as a reminder that even Super Bowl champions are capable of finding new mountains to climb." ...

Paul Schwartz

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes how the Giants have a golden opportunity to stick it to Dallas... "The Giants (6-1) could build a huge cushion over the Cowboys (4-3) with a win on Sunday that would make Dallas an afterthought in the NFC East race." ...

Ralph Vacchiano

Matt Mosley of ESPN's blog network writes how the image of Eli Manning and Tony Romo have changed since their last meeting at the Meadowlands... "If someone told you on Nov. 11, 2007, that Eli Manning would be the MVP of Super Bowl XLII, you probably would've laughed. On that fall afternoon, Manning threw two interceptions and was sacked five times in a 31-20 loss to the Cowboys at Giants Stadium." ...

Matt Mosley

Steve Serby of the New York Post warns the Giants not to take the Cowboys lightly... "Don't you dare believe you are Supermen, immune to Kryptonite, who can strut onto your home field and wait for the wounded Cowboys to swoon at your feet. Don't believe the hype because this becomes a trap game if you do." ...

Steve Serby

Texas Shootout - Colt McCoy vs. Graham Harrell

#1 Texas @ #7 Texas Tech

Saturday, November 1, 2008 - 8:00 EST - ABC

Jones AT&T Stadium - Lubbock Texas

Texas -6.5



Summary

Texas leads the all-time series 42-14...last year, Texas won 59-43...Texas dominated the time of possession 40 minutes to 20 minutes...the Red Raiders only ran the ball 7 times for 10 yards, but passed for 466 yards...the Longhorns were more balanced as they had 283 yards on the ground and 268 through the air...the Red Raiders last win against Texas was in 2002...



Texas Tech, Penn State, and Utah enter the week with the nation's longest win streak at 10 games...



This will be the fourth in a string of four tough conference opponents for the #1 ranked Texas Longhorns...the Longhorns took care of business last week by beating a tough Oklahoma State team 28-24...QB Colt McCoy can basically secure the Heisman with another impressive performance this week...



The Red Raiders are led by Heisman hopeful, QB Graham Harrell...Harrell has thrown 28 TDs and 5 INTs this season...Harrell is fortunate to be throwing to maybe the best receiver in the nation in sophomore Michael Crabtree...Crabtree has 60 receptions for 794 yards and 14 TDs...Texas Tech's running game is led by Baron Batch (537 yards, 4 TDs) and Shannon Woods (481 yards, 10 TDs)...



Texas Tech made some headlines a few weeks back when they asked Matt Williams to joing the team...the Red Raiders were having an awful time in the kicking department and decided to ask Williams to be their place kicker after he won a halftime promotion during a game this season...



The Red Raiders pass defense is rated third nationally with 14 interceptions...Brandon Williams and McKinner Dixon are team leaders in the sack department...



Quick Numbers

Offensive Numbers

UT - Rushing per game - 183 yards

TT - Rushing per game - 138 yards



UT - Passing per game - 303 yards

TT - Passing per game - 418 yards



Defensive Numbers

UT - Rushing allowed - 69 yards

TT - Rushing allowed - 101 yards



UT - Passing allowed - 265 yards

TT - Passing allowed - 245 yards



- Texas is 5-3 straight up in games played in Lubbock since 1992...

- Over the last 3 years, as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points, the Longhorns are 7-1 straight up...



Texas Longhorns (8-0) - Head Coach Mack Brown

Here are the Texas game notes for the Texas Tech game...

Texas Game Notes

Alan Trubow of the Austin American-Statesman writes about former running back, now DE Henry Melton... "Defensive end Brian Orakpo , the teacher, was wondering if his pupil, Henry Melton, could start over and succeed. The lessons were about how to become a good defensive end." ...

Alan Trubow

Tim Griffin of ESPN's blog network writes about the banged up Texas secondary... "The test for Brown mirrors that for the Texas defense, which will be challenged to stop a Tech offense that ranks first nationally in passing offense, second in total offense and third in scoring. The Red Raiders have scored at least 35 points in every game this season and feature a deep collection of playmakers besides Crabtree. Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will attempt to counter that offensive firepower with an injury-riddled secondary." ...

Tim Griffin

Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman writes how the Longhorns will need to establish the run this week... "But if Texas is to get by an excellent Red Raiders team, it will have to devote itself to a clock-eating, chain-moving ground game. Not exclusively, but when it counts." ...

Kirk Bohls

Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-0) - Head Coach Mike Leach

Here are the Texas Tech game notes for the Texas game...

Texas Tech Game Notes

Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalache-Journal writes about the Tech defensive line... "Texas Tech defensive end Jake Ratliff has started every game this season, but when circumstances dictate he doesn’t mind deferring to McKinner Dixon and Brandon Williams. The latter two, statistically speaking, are among the top three pass rushers in the Big 12 Conference." ...

Don Williams

Adam Zuvanich of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal writes about Texas stud DE Brian Orakpo... "Brian Orakpo’s dream is to win the Heisman Trophy. Only one full-time defensive player has ever won the award - Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997 - and he also was a punt returner who played a little offense. Another obstacle to Orakpo’s Heisman hopes is teammate Colt McCoy, the Texas quarterback who is widely regarded as the frontrunner." ...

Adam Zuvanich

Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com writes how Texas Tech has a history of folding in big games... "Now is the time to prove the nation wrong. Under Leach, the Red Raiders are 10-26 against ranked teams, 63-11 against everyone else." ...

Ivan Maisel

Tim Griffin of ESPN's blog network writes how Tech QB Graham Harrell is preparing for the biggest game of his career... "So much for worrying about satellite shoots, radio shows or teleconferences with the national media. If Harrell wins the Heisman this season he'll do it the old-fashioned way -- by earning it on the field with a big performance over No. 1 Texas and during the rest of the season." ...

Tim Griffin

The following is a 1:27 clip of Michael Crabtree's performance against Texas A&M this year...

Derek Jeter staying busy with no October baseball

The Associated Press caught up with New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter who is spending his first October not in the baseball playoffs... "It's seems like a long October for Jeter, whose Yankees missed the playoffs this year after a 13-season string of postseason appearances." ...

Associated Press

Patti LaBelle was a disgrace when singing the national anthem at the World Series

Stiles Points checked out some other blogs about Patti LaBelle's rendition of the national anthem at Sunday's World Series...the overwhelming majority had very negative responses to her performance...

By Bob Beecher on October 26, 2008 11:58 PM
She came up with an overlong rendition ... AND ... couldn't remember the correct lyrics!

She sang, "skylight's last gleaming," (instead of twilight's)

She sang, "through the perilous flight," instead of perilous fight.

Don't think so? Well, just like that mistaken "safe" call near third base, go back and check the tape!

By Jason on October 27, 2008 12:26 AM
As a Canadian I was embarassed at that horrible rendition of a beautiful national anthem. It was a travesty and she is not the only one who does it. And for some reason the fans in the stands seemed to have loved it. Go figure!

By MaxCackle on October 27, 2008 12:31 AM
Labelle's anthem performance was one of the worst I've ever seen. She screwed up the lyrics twice & the rest was sliced, diced & pureed. Note to all artists: stop trying to reinvent the wheel & just sing the song with a light touch of your own style. The girl who sang it before game 3 did a great job, however, and hers would be a good reference for all who sing it in the future.

By James on October 27, 2008 2:03 AM
Oh patti...yikes that was so bad! Yes, I agree w/ the above poster the girl (taylor swift) who sang it Sat. nite did so much better!

As a native Philadelphian I was embarassed Sunday night and the group of people I was watching the game with all agreed that her take on the anthem was awful. Just sing it as it is please?

By Michael Crane on October 27, 2008 3:06 AM
I was embarrassed to be an American while listening to that. People were mainly cheering that it was over and the game was finally going to begin. But that was about as bad of a rendition I've ever heard...

By Daniel Barrott on October 27, 2008 3:33 AM
Currently I am living overseas in New Zealand. I am from America. We got game 4 of the World Series on T.V. here and I was embarrassed that the world had to watch a horrible attempt at the National Anthem. Our anthem is beautiful when song the right way with a little change from the artist. I wanted to mute the tv when she was singing.

By SKYYSYKO on October 27, 2008 8:11 AM
DITTO DITTO DITTO.....I CANT AGREE MORE WITH THE FIRST THREE COMMENTS.THERE SHOULD BE GUIDELINES SET FOR THESE PERFORMERS.JANET JACKSON/JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE DEBACLE DOESNT SEEM SO BAD NOW

By steve on October 27, 2008 8:20 AM
LaBelle's National Anthem was extremely hard to bear, painful to the ear, and extremely unpatriotic. Philadelphia should be ashamed of themselves for allowing her to butcher such a sacred song. It's a good thing Citizen's Bank Park doesn't have a roof because they would be repairing a lot of cracks in it this morning. If you're going to sing the National Anthem at America's greatest pastime, baseball's World Series...LEARN THE WORDS AND SING IT RIGHT!!! The National Anthem is a sacred song and should not be altered. Patti LaBelle is a discrace to the United States after what she did.

By James G on October 27, 2008 8:23 AM
I can't believe that someone could actually enjoy that torrid performance. Melodically she was all over the place, the lyrics were slaughtered, and the song clocked in at what felt like 17 minutes. A terribly embarrassing showing.

By Jeff on October 27, 2008 10:00 AM
"Not one (anyone) could have sung along with, but one that almost equalled the power of the accompanying fireworks."

That is the main point of singing the Anthem at a public event - to lead the crowd in the singing. If she wants to sing the Anthem that way, she should do it in her concerts. I feel this way for anyone doing the Anthem at an event – including Taylor Swift and the Backstreet Boys.

I think the vast majority of the people in this country know Patti LaBelle can sing. She has an amazing voice, IF she would just sing. I looked up some older clips of her on YouTube and she was spectacular. The older she gets, however, the more “dressing up” she does with her songs and it becomes difficult to listen.

I thought Los Lonley Boys did a superb job when they sang the Anthem and if Patti would just sing it the correct way, people would be mesmerized. She should realize that being asked is a huge honor and she should perform the song with dignity, not as if she’s auditioning.

By Barry Eynon on October 27, 2008 2:38 PM
The third worst rendition of the National Anthem I have ever heard. Only Carl Lewis and Rosanne Barr did worse. Hopefully tonight we have a singer who wants to respect the anthem and not try to personalize a song that is meant for our nation and not for individual experimenataion.

By Joseph D. Marquis on October 27, 2008 3:16 PM
That was probably the worst rendition of the national anthem I have ever heard. There have been other bad ones. Maybe they should have to audition before being allowed to butcher our national anthem on national T.V. A real embarrassment.

By cindy on October 28, 2008 8:47 AM
It's not a matter of white or black. She butchered the song. Best rendition I ever heard was Whitney Houston's at the Super Bowl, maybe 15+ years ago. I'll never forget that performance!

Ronan Tynan - God Bless America - the best voice in the business

Even though this is not the Star Spangled Banner, this is the way America's songs should be sung...

Here is a clip of the great Ronan Tynan singing God Bless America during the 7th inning stretch at Yankee Stadium...he sings it first class, A #1...

A Disgrace - National anthem was hacked by Patti LaBelle and Backstreet Boys during World Series

So far, I was able to watch the pre-game ceremonies for Games 1 and 4 of this year's World Series between Tampa Bay and Philadelphia...I was totally appalled and disgusted with the singing of our country's national anthem during those games...

The Backstreet Boys sang in Game 1 and Patti LaBelle in Game 4...anyone, and I do mean anyone, who thought they did a good job in their rendition of the Star Spangled Banner has to be out of their mind...

Major League Baseball should be ashamed in having these artists perform during the World Series...the Boys and LaBelle changed the words, added words, changed the melody, rhythm, and/or everything else...in other words, it sucked and they should be embarrassed...both the Boys and LaBelle's rendition ranks up there with that of Carl Lewis and his off-tune hackjob...

The Star Spangled Banner should be sung with dignity and honor, not as a Top 40 Pop singles hit...this butchery of our song at sporting events must stop!!!...
Below is a clip of the Backstreet Boys awful performance...


Below is a clip of LaBelle's hatchet job...

Tulsa Golden Hurricane - a quiet perfect season goes on for Todd Graham and his team

Just who is this team?...the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (singular, not plural) are sitting at 8-0 and will not be making an appearance in a BCS bowl even if they run the table...the Canes are from Conference USA...this Saturday, they travel to take on Arkansas of the SEC...their closest games this season came at SMU on October 11...Tulsa won 37-31...

Head Coach
Todd Graham is in his second year as the head coach at Tulsa...he posted a 10-4 mark in his first year which included a 63-7 trouncing of Bowling Green in the GMAC Bowl...the 44-year-old Graham was previously the head coach, for 1 year, at Rice before coming to Tulsa...he also worked as a defensive assistant to Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia...

Offense
Tulsa is a high powered offense as they average 255 yards on the ground and 346 through the air per game...through eight games, they have scored 61 touchdowns...the offense is led by QB David Johnson who has thrown 32 TDs and 9 INTS...Johnson spreads the ball around to various receivers such as Brennan Marion (31 rec, 827 yards, 7TDS), Damaris Johnson (28,388,6), and Slick Shelley (25, 457, 6)...the running game is held down by Tarrion Adams who has 5 rushing TDs and 643 yards...

Tulsa has been in the red zone 50 times this season, and they have scored 44 times (38 TDs 6FGs)...

Defense
Tulsa's D gives up 382 yards per game...the defense does toughen as the game moves on...in the first quarter, they have given up 72 points, 58 in the second, 44 in the third, and 35 in the fourth...opponents have a 41% sucess rating in third down coversions...

James Lockett leads the team with 10 sacks and is followed by Mike Bryan with 7 sacks...

Kicking
The field goal kicker is Jarod Tracy who is 5 of 6 this year, however his longest field goal is 34 yards...Kevin Fitpatrick has made a 41-yard field goal this year...

Notables
This past weekend, Tulsa retired jersey number 83 in honor of former great and NFL Hall of Famer Steve Largent...other former players with their jerseys retired include: Billy Guy Anderson (#14), Jerry Rhome (#17), Ellis Jones (#31), Felto Prewitt (#36), Glenn Dobbs (#45), Marvin Matuszak (#64), and Howard Twilley (#81)...

Also honored was former Tulsa head football coach John Cooper...Cooper coached Tulsa from 1976-84 and compiled a record of 57-31...

Colt McCoy strengthens grip on Heisman

The latest Stiles Points Top 16+1 (games through 10/26/08)...this is the 4th week of the Top 16+1...this past weekend was "Knockout Saturday" in which Ohio State and LSU are eliminated from the BCS title picture...for the second straight week, Georgia is on the edge as they take on 1 loss Florida - the loser will be out of the title picture..you will notice that #13 & #14 are left vacant...I just don't feel there are worthy teams to occupy those spots...I also don't believe LSU and Ohio State are worthy of those spots either...so instead of putting any team in the rankings, I have decided to leave those spots vacant...(note, the second number in parenthesis is the previous week's ranking)...

1. Texas (8-0) (1) - the Longhorns showed their toughness by gutting out a win over a very strong Okie State team...
2. Penn State (9-0) (2) - JoePa finally got the monkey off his back in Columbus...
3. Alabama (8-0) (3) - the Tide survived talk of an upset bid at Rocky Top...
4. Southern Cal (8-1) (4) - USC dodges a major bullet in Tucson...
5. Oklahoma (7-1) (5) - OU may look back on this season and wonder what could have been...

6. Florida (6-1) (6) - the Gators layed waste to Kentucky...
7. Georgia (7-1) (7) - an impressive win at LSU...another big game by Moreno, and he will be back in the Heisman hunt...
8. Texas Tech (8-0) (8) - T2 took care of Kansas right from the start...this week's game is on national television...Mike Leach has arrived...
9. Oklahoma State (7-1) (9) - Okie State is for real...you cannot drop this team even though they lost...
10. TCU (8-1) (14) - the Horned Frogs held their last four opponents to only 7 points...they play at Utah on Nov. 8th...

11. Utah (8-0) (12) - one more game until their showdown against the Horned Frogs...
12. Boise State (7-0) (15) - are they going back to a BCS bowl again?...
13. Vacant -
14. Vacant -
15. Ohio State (7-2) (11) - the defense played well against Penn State...
16. LSU (5-2) (14) - LSU's defense has been a major disapointment...
+1 - Navy (5-3) - Navy became the first team in 11 years to go an entire game without attempting a pass...Navy ran the ball 77 times for 404 yards in their 34-7 win over SMU...Ricky Dobbs, who played the quarterback position ran 42 times for 224 yards...SMU finished the game with -13 yards rushing..

Heisman Four Horsemen
1. Colt McCoy, qb, Texas - if he could get by Texas Tech, you might as well start engraving the trophy...
2. Tim Tebow, qb, Florida - T2 was kinda off the radar earlier this season, but he is coming on strong now...
3. Sam Bradford, qb, Oklahoma - steady...
4. Graham Harrell, qb, Texas Tech - Harrell gets the national stage this Saturday night...an impressive performance may catapult his to the top...

Games of the Week
Stiles Points will be previewing the following ttwo games this week:
Texas @ Texas Tech - this will be the 4th of four straight difficult opponents for the Longhorns...
Florida vs. Georgia - whoever loses will probably be headed to the Capital One Bowl...
NFL Special - NFC East Dallas @ New York - Stiles Points will always preview any NFC East match-up...

Other games to keep an eye on:
Tulsa @ Arkansas - the Golden Hurricanes are playing a lower SEC team, but it is still an SEC team...
Pitt @ Notre Dame- this would have been a marquee game if the Panthers would not have lost to lowly Rutgers...just when it looked like Wannstedt had things going in the right direction, he screwed up - again...
Southern Cal @ Arizona - the Trojans smashed Wazzou on Saturday...Arizona is a sneaky team that could make things interesting...
Utah @ New Mexico - New Mexico is 4-5, but they are not a horrible team...they already beat Arizona...and they have played TCU and Tulsa...the Utes better watch themselves...

Penn State "country boys" shutdown then shut up Terrelle Pryor

Penn State 13 Ohio State 6
Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette lays into Terrelle Pryor for his "country comments" about Penn State... "It happened because of the critical mistake by Pryor, the heavily hyped kid from Jeannette who had dissed Penn State -- at least in the minds of its players -- during the recruiting process last winter by saying State College was too "country" for his liking." ...

Ron Cook

Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch writes how the game was set perfectly for Tressel Ball... "Tressel had a game suited to his style, but one turnover -- he hates turnovers -- was the killer." ...

Bob Hunter

Texas 28 Oklahoma State 24
Barry Tramel of the Oklahoma City Oklahoman writes how Oklahoma State made a statement even though they lost... "The Cowboys stood toe-to-toe for 60 minutes with the team that through two months has proven to be college football’s best. And the only difference was a play here, a penalty there." ...

Barry Tramel

Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman writes how the Texas defense made the stops when they needed... "Lofty and perhaps unattainable standards aside, Will Muschamp's defense stiffened after intermission and checked the Cowboys on 10 second-half points, using a critical fourth-quarter stand and a fourth-down stop late to secure unbeaten Texas' eighth straight victory." ...

Kri Bohls

USC 17 Arizona 10
Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times writes how USC's chance at the BCS title game may have faded after Penn State's win... "That means Penn State, with three easy finishing games, probably will occupy one spot in the national title game. Which means the other spot will surely go to either the SEC or Big 12 champion, both leagues containing enough unbeaten or strong one-loss teams to squeeze USC out." ...

Bill Plaschke

John Moredich of the Arizona Republic writes how Arizona's Rose Bowl dreams are over... "USC came away with a 17-10 victory at Arizona Stadium, putting a halt to the Wildcats' run of at least one win over a top 10 team for a fourth straight season and likely spoiling any chance UA had at going to the Rose Bowl for the first time." ...

John Moredich

Other Stories
William Rhoden of The New York Times writes about a study that deals with NFL players and their coaches... "Last season, the N.F.L. players union commissioned the Wharton Sports Business Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania to conduct an unprecedented survey of players. It was the first time players had been asked about issues related to their coaches. The survey asked players to name names, and the players overwhelmingly obliged." ...

William Rhoden

Dave Anderson of The New York Times writes about former Jet Larry Grantham and his role as the Super Bowl team's alumni director... "Befitting a six-time all-star in the American Football League, he still knows where everybody on that Super Bowl team is. He has emerged as their alumni director and their inspiration, a recovering alcoholic for more than two decades and now a throat cancer survivor." ...

Dave Anderson

Nose Picking Clean Finish!

Ugly Sunburn

Look at this guy.. What a body sunburn..but he looks like he's wearing some stockings.
lol

Cute Duckling Scam

Beware of this cute duckling scam.
A thief lurks somewhere.

Grocery List

Nice Grocery List Photo..

Will JoePa finally win at The Shoe?

#3 Penn State @ #9 Ohio State
Saturday, October 25 - 8:00 EST
Columbus, Ohio - Ohio Stadium
Penn State -2.5

Summary
The last time Joe Paterno won in Columbus, Jimmy Carter was president...Spetember 16, 1978, the Nittany Lions shutout Woody Hayes 19-0...in that game, Hayes shocked the crowd by starting a freshman quarterback named Art Schlichter...

Since joining the Big Ten, Paterno is 0-7 at Ohio Stadium...he has come close a few times, most notably was in 2002 when Penn State held the Buckeyes without an offensive touchdown, only to lose 13-7...the last time JoePa was in Columbus, he had to leave the field twice for bathrooms breaks...

The Penn State offense is engineered by Youngstown, Ohio native Daryll Clark who has thrown 11 TDs this season...the run game is led by Evan Royster (photo, below) who has 893 yards and 10 TDS...Deon Butler, Derrick Williams, and Jordan Norwood are the main weapons at the receiver position...

The one who got away is now the one who stands in the way - Terrelle Pryor...during the winter, Pryor, from Jeanette, Pa., played Penn State like Charlie Daniels plays a fiddle...thinking they had a chance at him, Penn State assistant Tom Bradley was basically living in the small Pa. town...in the end Pryor wanted to be a Buckeye...now he has a chance to show up his possible teammates once again...

The Buckeyes like to run the ball with Chris Wells and Dan Herron...when they go to the air, it is usually going to Brian Robiske...the defense is loaded with big name players, who have yet to come up big in a national game...with his win last week against Michigan State, Jim Tressel became the fastest Big Ten coach to reach 80 total wins in his first 8 seasons...Tressel is currently the Big Ten's second winningest coach all-time with a winning percentage of .825 which is .08 behind Fielding Yost of Michigan...

Quick Numbers
Offensive Numbers
PSU - Rushing per game - 234 yards
OSU - Rushing per game - 182 yards

PSU - Passing per game - 248 yards
OSU - Passing per game - 140 yards

Defensive Numbers
PSU - Rushing allowed - 103 yards
OSU - Rushing allowed - 97 yards

PSU - Passing allowed - 159 yards
OSU - Passing allowed - 168 yards

- Over the last 3 years, Penn State is 1-5 against the spread when the line is +3 to -3
- Over the last 3 years, Ohio State is 4-0 against the spread when the line is +3 to -3
- Since 1992, Ohio State is 7-0 against the spread and straight up at home against Penn State

What the experts say
The Gold Sheet - Penn State 27-20
Power Sweep - Penn State 21-20
Point Wise - Penn State 27-20

Penn State Nittany Lions (8-0) - Head Coach Joe Paterno
The following are the Penn State game notes for the Ohio State game...

Penn State Game Notes

For more on Penn State football, check out the blog - Black Shoes Diary...

Black Shoes Diary

Ron Musselman of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes how Penn State has been able to vanquish past Big Ten demons - is OSU next?... "Long before the season began, many were predicting a Red October for Penn State. The gloomy forecast was based on the Nittany Lions' past performances against Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State and the fact that the Lions had to play those three traditional Big Ten powers during a three-week stretch. Penn State was a combined 5-16 against that trio since 2000." ...

Ron Musselman

Jeff Rice of the State College Centre Daily writes about Penn State's woes at Ohio Stadium... "In seven games against Ohio State in the Horseshoe since 1993, the Nittany Lions have managed a total of five touchdowns. In those games, the Buckeyes have scored eight touchdowns via interception, fumble or kick returns." ...

Jeff Rice

Musselman writes how Penn State tried hard to get Terrelle Pryor - now he stands in their way to a perfect season... "Instead, Pryor, the most sought-after high school recruit in the country, chose Ohio State. Instead of playing for Paterno, who sometimes has been reluctant to start freshmen athletes, Pryor, 19, is calling the plays for another national football powerhouse." ...

Ron Musselman

Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1) - Head Coach Jim Tressel
The following are the Ohio State game notes for the Penn State game...

Ohio State Game Notes

For more information about Ohio State football, check out the blog - Around the Oval...

Around the Oval

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN's Blog Nation writes how Ohio State is playing the no respect card... "Added Buckeyes cornerback Malcolm Jenkins: "If we could come out with a win, it would force some people to respect us again because we pretty much don't have any right now." ...

Adam Rittenberg

Former Ohio State walk-on Drew Norman gives his thoughts about the upcoming game in the Columbus Dispatch... "Saturday will be the eighth time Jim Tressel has led Ohio State into battle against Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions. The first seven games between JoePa and Coach Tressel have produced some of the best games in recent memory in not only the Big Ten, but the entire country. When the Buckeyes and Lions get together, there are several things you're guaranteed to see." ...

Drew Norman

Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch writes how Jim Tressel wants a Sea of Red on Saturday... "Jim Tressel showed up at his weekly media luncheon today wearing a bright scarlet jacket and urged Ohio State fans to follow his lead when Penn State comes to town Saturday." ...

Tim May

Doug Lesmerises of the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer writes about Youngstown, Ohio native and Penn State starting quarterback Daryll Clark... "In a season in which Ohio State coach Jim Tressel quickly benched senior drop-back quarterback Todd Boeckman in favor of more mobile freshman Terrelle Pryor, No. 3 Penn State enters as an example of what can happen when you stick with a veteran." ...

Doug Lesmerises

Lesmerises writes about Penn State and their standard uniform and how Malcolm Jenkins did not want to go there... "That's why when Nike creative director Todd Van Horne and his people meet with coach Joe Paterno and the Penn State administration, they don't go in advocating change." ...

Doug Lesmerises

Georgia - LSU: Mark Richt vs. Les Miles

#7 Georgia vs. #13 LSU
Saturday, October 25 - 3:30 EST
Tiger Stadium
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
LSU -2.5

Chris Low of ESPN Blog Nation gives a brief summary comparing Les Miles and Mark Richt...

Chris Low

Quick Numbers
Offensive Numbers
Ga. - Rushing per game - 169 yards
LSU - Rushing per game - 178 yards

Ga. - Passing per game - 260 yards
LSU - Passing per game - 222 yards

Defensive Numbers
Ga. - Rushing allowed - 61 yards
LSU - Rushing allowed - 96 yards

Ga. - Passing allowed - 208 yards
LSU - Passing allowed - 199 yards

- Over the last 3 years, Georgia is 5-1 against the spread as an underdog
- Over the last 3 years, LSU is 6-8 against the spread when coming off a win against a conference rival and 0-2 this year
- 4 of 5 games in this series have gone over the total points since 1992

What the experts say
The Gold Sheet - LSU 26-20
Power Sweep - Georgia 26-17
Point Wise - LSU 27-20

Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) - Head Coach Mark Richt
The following are the Georgia game notes for the LSU game...

Georgia Game Notes

For more information about Georgia football, check out the blog - Dawg Sports...

Dawg Sports

Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes if Georgia's inexperienced O-line will be able to handle the LSU defense... "Richt and others have praised the line’s recent progress. But the challenge the group faces from LSU will be “very similar,” Richt said, to that posed by Alabama in Georgia’s lone loss." ...

Tim Tucker

Tucker writes how closer-than-expected wins are common in the SEC... "But while routs rule in some leagues, close games dominate in the SEC. Eighteen of the 25 intra-conference games played in the SEC this season — 72 percent — have been decided by 10 points or less." ...

Chris Fowler

Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald writes how the Georgia D-line is getting inside info from a former LSU assistant who is now with the Dawgs... "The senior sought out the inside skinny from Stacy Searels, who coached the LSU offensive line for four seasons from 2003-06 and now is in his second year coaching the same position for the Bulldogs." ...

Marc Weiszer

LSU Tigers (5-1) - Head Coach Les Miles
The following are the LSU game notes for the Georgia game...

LSU Game Notes

For more information about LSU football, check out the blog - And the Valley Shook...

And the Valley Shook

George Morris of the Baton Rouge Advocate writes how the LSU running back by committee is not led by veteran Keiland Williams... "When the 2008 season opened, however, Charles Scott stepped on the field first. And, after taking the first handoff 56 yards, Scott was the committee chairman. And vice chairman. And every other office, including parliamentarian." ...

George Morris

Randy Rosetta of the Baton Rouge Advocate writes how special it is when LSU and Georgia play each other because they are not on the regular rotation... "In Southeastern Conference football, the quirky rotation of Western and Eastern Division matchups — necessitated by the permanent opponent setup — leads to old rivals not seeing each other for years at a time. So when a juicy inter-division game pops up on the schedule, it’s like Uncle Jack is on his way." ...

Randy Rosetta

James Varney of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes LSU may be shaky at QB, but they have plenty of options elsewhere... "LSU runs jailbreak screens underneath coverage and flanker screens out of five-wide sets. Hatch and Lee often employ a two-handed play-action maneuver -- sometimes deep in the backfield and in obvious passing situations -- reminiscent of a wishbone quarterback faking to the fullback. The Tigers' leading rusher, Charles Scott, has lined up as a tailback in some sets and a fullback in others. Tailback Richard Murphy has taken direct snaps, and both he and Keiland Williams are receiving targets." ...

James Varney

Surveys: Take Time To Answer

Chris Fowler: Penn State still has tough road after Columbus

ESPN's Chris Fowler writes that a win in Columbus for Penn State may still not be enough... "The Big Ten is viewed as a pretty weak conference, but it has been a team effort. Mediocrity reigns. A key blow is that Wisconsin (with four straight losses) now ranks among the nation's most disappointing teams. The Badgers' meltdown and Michigan's struggles are depriving Penn State of quality wins." ...

Chris Fowler

Wayman Tisdale and his Sooner leg are moving forward after battle with bone cancer

Jenni Carlson of the Oklahoma City Oklahoman writes about former NBA and Sooner great Wayman Tisdale who lost a leg due to bone cancer... "Diagnosed early last year with bone cancer in his leg, Tisdale fought the disease for a year and a half before doctors determined the treatment hadn’t eliminated it. His leg was amputated just above his knee on Aug. 25 in hopes of eradicating the cancer." ...

Jenni Carlson

Okie State-Texas Preview: Randy Moss the reason Dez Bryant went to Oklahoma State

#6 Oklahoma State vs. #1 Texas
Saturday, October 25 - 3:30 EST
Darrel K. Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium
Austin, Texas
Texas -13.5

Summary
At the start of the season, who would have thunk it?...both Oklahoma State and Texas are coming into this game with perfect 7-0 marks...not too many people...

Okie State keeps rolling along...QB Zac Robinson is third in the nation in passing efficiency while RB Kendall Hunter is sixth in rushing with a 136 yards/game...WR Dez Bryant is fourth in total receiving yards with 809...the offense gets most of the attention in Stillwater, but the Okie State defense is not that bad...the defense is led by junior LB Andre Sexton...Jeremiah Price leads the team in sacks and Patrick Lavine is the top Poke in INTs... this is Okie State's third road game of the year...they are winning on the road by an average score of 33-18...

Another week, another big game for Texas...Colt McCoy is still leading the Horns in rushing, but Chris Ogbonnaya (photo, below) is coming on strong...Ogbonnaya is a 6'1", 225 lb senior running back...the force on defense is DE Brian Orakpo who will be a First Team All-American at the end of the season...

Quick Numbers
Offensive Numbers
OSU - Rushing per game - 283 yards
Tex - Rushing per game - 193 yards

OSU - Passing per game - 218 yards
Tex - Passing per game - 290 yards

Defensive Numbers
OSU - Rushing allowed - 116 yards
Tex - Rushing allowed - 48 yards

OSU - Passing allowed - 219 yards
Tex - Passing allowed - 275 yards

- Over the last 3 years, Okie State is 1-2 against the spread as an underdog of 10.5 to 21 points
- Over the last 3 years, Texas is 3-5 against the spread as a favorite of 10.5 to 21 points
- Over the last 3 years, Okie State is 6-8 straight up in road games

What the experts say
The Gold Sheet - Texas 38-31
Power Sweep - Texas 41-31
Point Wise - Texas 47-34

Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-0) - Head Coach Mike Gundy
Here are the Oklahoma State game notes for the Texas game...

Oklahoma State Game Notes

Christopher Shelton of the Stillwater News-Press writes how the Pokes have come a long way since last season... "Junior quarterback Zac Robinson said he got chills when he considered the magnitude of the upcoming Cowboys-Longhorns battle. However, he added that the team will approach the contest the same way they prepare for every other game they play." ...

Christopher Shelton

John Rohde of the Oklahoma City Oklahoman writes how Okie State controls its own destiny... "If the Cowboys keep on winning, it won’t matter what the Sooners or anyone else does because OSU would be headed for the national title game in Miami." ...

John Rohde

Scott Wright of the Oklahoma City Oklahoman writes how Randy Moss was a big reason Okie State receiver Dez Bryant (photo) went to Stillwater... "But when it comes to players like Bryant — a guy with the talent to play anywhere in the country — it isn’t always the obvious attractions that draw them to a particular school." ...

Scott Wright

Bill Haisten of the Tulsa World writes about the battle between the Okie State running game and the Texas run defense... "Texas ranks No. 2 nationally in run defense. The Longhorns have allowed only 48.1 rushing yards per game. The Oklahoma State rushing attack is the fifth-most productive in college football." ...

Bill Haisten

Andrea Cohen of the Oklahoma City Oklahoman writes about the Okie State secondary who will face Colt McCoy... "On Saturday, Oklahoma State’s secondary — which nicknamed itself the "D-Block” last season — will be seriously tested by Colt McCoy, the hottest quarterback in the country, and the Longhorns’ receivers. If McCoy "can’t beat” the D-Block, OSU’s odds of beating the country’s No. 1 team improve dramatically." ...

Andrea Cohen

Texas Longhorns (7-0) - Head Coach Mack Brown
Here are the Texas game notes for the Oklahoma State game...

Texas Game Notes

Suzanne Haliburton of the Austin American-Statesman writes how Mack Brown is motivating his team this week... "The Oklahoma game ball, complete with a funeral theme, was buried at the Texas practice field early last week. Two days later, Sports Illustrated cover boy Colt McCoy took the magazine from his locker and tossed it in the trash to the delight of his teammates." ...

Suzanne Haliburton

Jimmy Burch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that a shootout may occur in Austin on Saturday... "Heading into Saturday’s game against No. 7 Oklahoma State (2:30 p.m., Austin), McCoy’s 2008 statistics inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium include an 86.4 completion rate (89-of-103), with 1,073 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and no interceptions." ...

Jimmy Burch

Tim Griffin of ESPN Blog Nation writes how Mack Brown enjoys drawing his points... "After beating Oklahoma, Brown sketched a ladder and had the Longhorns climbing it. He continued on that theme this week, after Texas' 56-31 victory over Missouri enabled it to claim No.1 spot in the initial BCS standings." ...

Tim Griffin

Kirk Bohls of the Austin American Statesman writes about the team chemistry of the Texas Longhorns... "Among the first racing onto the field for the ensuing celebration were Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley, one the Heisman Trophy frontrunner and the other the star of Texas' statement victory over Oklahoma. Two leaders leading." ...

Kirk Bohls

The Big Lead, Deadspin try to get Lou Holtz fired by fanning the flames of Hitler comment

This past Friday, ESPN's Lou Holtz made a poor decision when he made a comparison of Michigan's Rich Rodriguez with that of Adolph Hitler...Holtz left himself wide open as some bloggers, such as The Big Lead and Deadspin, and liberal media wonks are trying to get Holtz fired...

Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel wrote:
That ESPN needs to fire, or at the very least suspend, Lou Holtz. I get that Holtz plays the funny, lighthearted sideshow on ESPN's studio shows. I get that the network doesn't seem to mind that the former coach offers almost no actual substantive analysis. But like they say, it's all fun and games until someone pokes his eye out -- or, in Holtz's case, compares Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez to Adolf Hitler.

Holtz apologized Saturday for his bizarre, incredibly offensive remark. TV personalities spend hours and hours talking, which means they're bound to eventually say something they regret. Usually it's enough just to apologize and move on. But Holtz went waaaaay out of bounds. Sports commentators have been fired in the past for making racially insensitive remarks. You would think the same rule applies when making light of a man that killed 6 million innocent people on the basis of their religion -- but as of Sunday afternoon, the network had yet to issue any reprimand.

Of the many comments left for Mandel, this one caught my attention:
Mandel, where was the outrage when Madonna compared John McCain to Hitler?

This person hit it right on the button...I am neither liberal nor conservative, but i think it stinks when the liberal media and bloggers will go after a 71-year-old man who clearly misspoke...but none of them have the grapefruits to take on the left-wing liberal nutjob Madonna...this is a woman who hasn't lived in this country for the last 5 years...instead of posting half naked women, why doesn't Deadspin or The Big Lead look into when the last time Madonna voted in a United States presidential election?...

I am a 100% Michigan Man, but I have no problem with what Holtz said because it was an obvious error in judgement - he misspoke!!!...haven't we all said something that came out the wrong way?...

So the highly moral Stewart Mandel should get back to writing about college football...and bloggers like Deadspin and The Big Lead should worry less about trying to get a feather in their cap by trying to get an old man fired...

Got To Win!

This is just a very quick post. You see, I joined a contest "Captivating Capiz". It's about to end and am not even in the top 3. So I'm doing this post to add additional backlink to my article "Captivating Capiz". I don't know if this will have an impact on my entry for this contest. But I hope so.

Scott Brosius and Yankees sweep Padres - 10 years ago

With the World Series now upon us, Stiles Points will be reflecting back on some anniversary moments of the World Series...

It was exactly 10 years ago today that the New York Yankees completed their 4-game sweep of the San Diego Padres to claim the 1998 World Series...this was the first of three straight World Series title for the Yankees...

Third baseman Scott Brosius (photo, right) was named the Series MVP as he batted .471 with two homers and 6 RBIs...another star was first baseman Tino Martinez (photo, below) who hit .385 for the Series, but his biggest hit occurred in Game 1 when he broke open a close game with a grand slam in the 7th inning...Derek Jeter and Chuck Knoblauch were also solid with .353 and .375 averages respectively...

Mariano Rivera recorded three saves in Series and did not allow a run...the only disappointment for the Yankees was the play of centerfield Bernie Williams who batted .063 and had only one hit...

With Joe Torre as the manager, the Yankees posted a 114-48 regular season mark...including the post-season, New York finished with 125 wins, which is the most ever by a team in a single season...just one year earlier, the Yankees were defeated by the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS...immediately after the game, owner George Steinbrenner vowed that the Yankees would win the Series next year...

Nittany Lions holding steady at #2

The latest Stiles Points Top 16+1 (games through 10/18/08)...this is the third week of the Top 16+1...the Longhorns have a solid grip of #1 after their beatdown of Missouri...this coming Satuday is "Knockout Saturday" in which the loser of a few games will be knocked out of the national title picture... (note, the second number in parenthesis is the previous week's ranking)...

1. Texas (7-0) (1) - Texas showed right from the get-go that there was not going to be any letdown from the Oklahoma victory...Okie State comes calling this Saturday...
2. Penn State (8-0) (2) - JoePa has not won in Columbus since he beat Woody Hayes 19-0 in 1978...this may be his best shot...
3. Alabama (7-0) (3) - the Tide has been winning ugly of late...they cannot sleep on Tennessee this week...
4. Southern Cal (7-1) (4) - 69-0!...I think the Trojans are mad...
5. Oklahoma (6-1) (5) - a nice bounce back win against a very pesky Kansas team...

6. Florida (5-1) (7) - the Gators were idle...
7. Georgia (6-1) (8) - Vandy's days are done after Dawgs bite them...
8. Texas Tech (7-0) (9) - T2 had a tough battle at A&M but took care of business in the end...they have a tough one at Kansas this week...better be on Upset Alert...
9. Oklahoma State (7-0) (10) - no let down as they took care of business at Baylor...this is the Pokes chance - they march into Texas on Saturday...
10. LSU (5-1) (12) - they scummed out a tough win at South Carolina...the loser of this week's Georgia-LSU game is out of the picture...

11. Ohio State (7-1) (13) - Ohio State throttled a good Michigan State team...a win this week against Penn State and a few other upsets may land Ohio State back in the BCS title game...
12. Utah (8-0) (15) - the spotlight is now on Utah after BYU got dumped by TCU...
13. Pitt (5-1) (NR) - the Panthers impressed me by whooping on Navy this week...who knows what could have been if not for the Bowling Green loss in week 1...
14. TCU (7-1) (NR) - the Horned Frogs stunned BYU...their only loss was to Oklahoma...
15. Boise State (6-0) (NR) - Ian Johnson is still running the ball on the blue rug...
16. Kansas (6-2) (14) - I have a feeling the Fighting Manginos are going to upset Texas Tech...
+1 - Boston College (5-1) - remember when BC jumped to #2 in the nation last season...after losing Matt Ryan, the Eagles are quietly putting together another solid team...

Heisman Four Horsemen
1. Colt McCoy, qb, Texas - he is getting a firm grip on the Heisman...
2. Daryll Clark, qb, Penn State - an impressive performance this Saturday at Ohio State will make him a legitimate threat to McCoy...
3. Sam Bradford, qb, Oklahoma - he is still in the race...
4. Tim Tebow, qb, Florida - did not play this week...

Games of the Week
Stiles Points will be previewing the following three games this week:
Georgia @ LSU - the loser will be out of the title picture...
Oklahoma State @ Texas - both are undefeated...a loss will hurt their chances...
Penn State @ Ohio State - the loser is out of the BCS title game...

Other games to keep an eye on:
Michigan State @ Michigan - Sparty should be ashamed of their showing against Ohio State...they can redeem themselves by beating a hated rival...
Alabama @ Tennessee- Alabama is the better team, but they cannot sleep on this big rival game...the Volunteers have the talent to pull an upset...
Southern Cal @ Arizona - the Trojans smashed Wazzou on Saturday...Arizona is a sneaky team that could make things interesting...
Boston College @ North Carolina - BC has only 1 loss this year and the Tar Heels are coming off a heartbreaking OT loss at Virginia...take UNC...

Texas keeps impressing

ESPN reviews the college football weekend...

Brother vs. Brother - Jim Tressel vs. Mark Dantonio

#12 Ohio State @ #20 Michigan State
Saturday, October 18, 2008
East Lansing, Michigan - 3:30 (EST)
Ohio State -3.5

Summary
This is a battle of big brother vs. little brother...Jim Tressel vs. Mark Dantonio...it is a battle of "Family"...

Ohio State has been winning since getting thumped 35-3 by Southern Cal...the offense has been sluggish of late as they did not score an offensive touchdown last week against a weak Purdue team...there has been some mumbling that senior quarterback Todd Boeckman deserves to see action again, but that will not happen...Tressel has the man that he wants under center - Terrelle Pryor...by bringing Boeckman back into the picture, Tressel could start another quarterback controversy, something he wants to avoid at all costs...

When reading the newspapers, there is a clear divide on this team...the seniors want Boeckman to see more playing time...interestingly, Tressel always stresses senior leadership, but he is refusing to put in Boeckman even though he is one of the team captains...

Things have changed up north - and we aren't talking about the Wolverines...this year, baby brother has a team that just may win the Big Ten and play in the Rose Bowl...Michigan State is the team to beat in the State of Michigan...

The Spartans are led by senior running back Javon Ringer who is moving his name up the Heisman list...Ringer already as 1,112 yards rushing and 14 TDs...the Spartans rely heavily on the running game to score points...QB Brian Hoyer has thrown only 6 TDs this year...overall, the Spartans average 176 yards/game on the ground and 192 through the air...

The Spartans have committed only 6 turnovers all year while forcing their opponents to 16 turnovers...

What the experts say...
The Gold Sheet - Michigan State 21-20
Point Wise - Ohio State 22-21
Power Sweet - Ohio State 24-14

Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1) - Head Coach Jim Tressel
Here are the Ohio State game notes for the Michigan State game...

Ohio State Game Notes

Here is the transcript from the weekly press conference...

Jim Tressel Press Conference

For more information about the Buckeyes, check out the blog Around the Oval...

Around the Oval

Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch writes how Michigan State has become a mentally tougher team under Dantonio... "But those moments are becoming fewer and fewer as the Michigan State program more and more embodies the tough, no-nonsense ethic of Dantonio, who was hired two years ago to rescue it from the mood swings that marked his predecessor." ...

Bob Baptist

Ken Gordon of the Columbus Dispatch writes how Tressel has found his man in Terrelle Pryor even though the numbers keep dropping... "Pryor has accounted for progressively fewer total yards in each of his starts: 205 against Troy, 167 against Minnesota, 164 at Wisconsin and 124 last week." ...

Ken Gordon

Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes how Ohio State is trying to get the offense rolling again... "Three days after failing to score an offensive touchdown in a 16-3 win over Purdue on Saturday, the Buckeyes hit the practice field Tuesday in a continued search for answers." ...

Doug Lesmerises

Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch writes how offensive coordinator Jim Bollman is dealing with the lack of offense... "Bollman was asked yesterday what he would tell fans who are fretting the malaise will continue. They think it could deep-six what is still a promising season, perhaps even Saturday when the Buckeyes (6-1, 3-0) play at Michigan State (6-1, 3-0)." ...

Tim May

Michigan State Spartans (6-1) - Head Coach Mark Dantonio
Here are the Michigan State game notes for the Ohio State game...

Michigan State Game Notes

Here is the transcript from Mark Dantonio's weekly press conference...

Mark Dantonio

For more information about Michigan State, check out the blog Spartan Tailgate...

Spartan Tailgate

Joe Rexrode of the Lansing State Journal writes how there are 24 players from the state of Ohio on the Michigan State team... "For a team with just as many starters from Ohio as from Michigan, it's fair to wonder which of the next two Saturdays will see the bigger "rivalry game." Obviously, Michigan State's No. 1 nemesis is Michigan, which will host the Spartans on Oct. 25. But Saturday's home game against Ohio State will have an awfully intense feel to it for many Spartans." ...

Joe Rexrode

Marlen Garcia of USA Today writes how MSU running back Javon Ringer is piling up the yards and Ws... "In part, Ringer said shaky academics kept him from getting to OSU. But he didn’t beat himself up over it." ...

Marlen Garcia

Shannon Shelton of the Detroit Free Press writes that this year's game is more than Tressel vs. Dantonio... "Last season, the biggest story line entering Michigan State's game against Ohio State was the teacher vs. student battle between Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel and protégé Mark Dantonio, the first-year coach at MSU." ...

Shannon Shelton

In honor of the 10-year anniversary of when Michigan State went into Columbus as 28-point underdogs and upset the #1 ranked Buckeyes, here is a 3:32 clip of that game...