Undefeated:

• Alabama
• Boise State
• Cincinnati
• Florida
• Iowa
• Kansas
• South Florida
• TCU
• Texas

Winless

• Ball State
• Eastern Michigan
• Florida Atlantic
• Miami (OH)
• New Mexico
• Rice
• Western Kentucky

Really, I think the big surprises here are that there are no major surprises. Few people would have put Iowa on the undefeated list when predicting records at this point in the season, considering that they played Penn State, but once again, the boys at Happy Valley choked.

I guess South Florida on the list is a little surprising too. They haven’t had a totally easy season. Cincinnati has (sorry, I know ya’ll love ‘em, but I’m not sure they aren’t totally overrated). Next week, they play one another, so that will end for one team.

WR Mardy Gilyard has been important for the Bearcats so far this season. Can they continue to charge ahead as they meet harder opponents on the field? Image: Newscom

I’m hoping that Cincinnati proves they deserve to be ranked so high, but I don’t think South Florida will just roll over.

As for the winless list…well…let’s just say that Michigan is happy to not be on it.

Post from: EveryJoe

2009 Midseason Undefeated and Winless

The feat in question? After a 60-yard pass reception, he became the second person to ever have at least 2500 yards rushing, 1500 yards in kick off returns, 1000 yards receiving, and 500 yards in punt returns. The only other person to ever reach those stats was the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush of USC. Bush is now a player for the New Orleans Saints.

CJ Spiller, playing against Duke last year. Image: Newscom

Clemson eventually lost their game to TCU 14 – 10, bringing them to a record of 2 – 2 overall and 1 – 1 in the ACC. He’s definitely someone to watch, especially if he continues at this pace. Players like him are players worth the money paid to top picks by NFL teams, but will being on a mediocre team hurt him?

Post from: EveryJoe

Congratulations, CJ Spiller

Washington wide receiver #3 James Johnson breaks down field, Image: Newscom

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Mississippi
5. Penn State
6. California
7. LSU
8. Boise State
9. Miami
10. Oklahoma

What’s significant to note is who is not there anymore. And really, that boils down to my favorite team to bash, USC.

Sorry, USC fans. This was supposed to be an easy week for you. The Trojans took on Washington, and after a week at Ohio State’s horseshoe, everyone thought that this would be a relaxing game. Only Matt Berkley couldn’t start, so Aaron Corp took his place. And then Washington actually turned out to be good. Now, Washington already lost to LSU, but they took the moment of the 42-23 win against Idaho from Week Three and used it to beat back USC 16-13. The Trojans had absolutely no passing game, and the Huskies took advantage of that.

It was also a hard week for the MWC. BYU lost at home to Florida State, who is proving not to be a totally terrible team. So MWC fans put their confidence in TCU and Utah instead. TCU pulled through with a thorough beating of Texas State, but Utah was another story. They lost on the road to Oregon, and I couldn’t help but chant “overrated” in my head a bit. They were ranked too high after wins to just Utah State and San Jose State. So now, it’s up to you, TCU.

The week started off with an upset, though, so I guess it was Week Three’s fate to have a bunch of games that pissed people off. Thursday gave us #20 Miami beating #14 Georgia Tech 33 – 17. They’re done. Miami has more than proved that the deserve to be in the top ten. Georgia Tech has more than proved that they deserved to be dropped from the rankings completely. On Friday, Boise State (#10) won against Fresno State 51-34, but don’t be too fooled by the score. Boise State played like crap, both the teams’ defenses sucked, and the game looked like it might go either way for awhile there.

And then there was the Florida – Tennessee game. Coming into this game, my money was on Florida, but I knew that Tennessee wasn’t just going to lie down and take a beating – and they didn’t. The Vols put up a fight, but also knew when they were bested. I think the main problem here was that Kiffin played it safe. Rather than making big plays, which was what they needed for any hope of winning against the Gators, they chose to hold back, focusing more on not doing anything stupid than on taking risks. Florida won 23-13, but it was a good game.

Some other games of interest:

• #13 Virginia Tech beat #18 Nebraska 16-15. VT just has a strong defense, and the game ended up coming down to possession time at the end. Kudos to Nebraska’s kicker, who kept the Cornhuskers in the game.
• Michigan State lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame on Saturday. With a final score of 33 – 30, we’re beginning to see just how disappointing this Fighting Irish team really is. They should have killed MSU.
• In what I like to call “the battle of who sucks less,” Washington State beat SMU 30 – 27 in overtime.

Post from: EveryJoe

College Football Week Three 2009 in Review

Poinsettia Bowl Result:

TCU 17, Boise State 16

Texas Christian Horned Frogs players pose for a team photo after winning the Poinsettia Bowl.

Poinsettia Bowl Summary:  Boise State ALMOST had a perfect season, but I guess that all good things have to come to an end. They almost pulled it off, but a later touchdown put a stop to the Broncos. In the first half, it didn’t look good for TCU, but the horned frogs overcame the 13 point deficit with 17 unanswered points in the second half. Boise State didn’t play worse…TCU just played better. 

TCU had now won four bowl games in a row, which is the longest bowl win streak in TCU’s history. Once again, this bowl game reminded me why I absolutely love college football – it was a great game by two schools who were really evenly matched.

Overall Records: TCU 11-2, Boise State 12-1

Read more about the Poinsettia Bowl:

• Five Thoughts: How TCU beat Boise State at BallHype
• Poinsettia Bowl Lives Up to Hype at Johnny228’s Weblog
• Morning paper: Boise State football links at One Bronco Nation Under God

Got a link or opinion of the game? Leave a comment below!

Pictures via Newscom.

Post from: EveryJoe

The 2008 Poinsettia Bowl

#8 Utah 13, #12 TCU 10

• Utah vs. TCU at Kopp Stop
• Utah-TCU Blackout Cake at A Bountiful Kitchen (ok, not really football…but mmm cake)
• Other coaches give their thoughts on Utah-TCU at Utes Fooball

Wyoming 13, Tennessee 7

• Dougherty’s Diatribe Post Mushroom Cloud at VolNation
• Fulmer, Vols Crying Some More Fulmer, Vols Crying Some More
• Wyoming Topples Tennessee, 13-7 at MWC Football News

#15 BYU 41, San Diego State 12

• BYU Cougars v. San Diego State Aztecs at Helen
• BYU report card vs. San Diego State at Real Football 365

Air Force 38, Colorado State 17

• Air Force defeats Rams, 38-17 at Colorado State Rams News

UNLV 27, New Mexico 20

• UNLV Tops New Mexico, 27-20 at UNLV Football News

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC

(check back soon if the link isn’t live yet)

Post from: EveryJoe

2008 Week 11: Blogging about Mountain West

Air Force 16, Army 7

• How do they get the A’s in there? at The Pinetar Rag
• Army – Air Force Football. Nov. 1, 2008. at Chet Gordon’s Blog
• In-Game Football Blog: Army vs. Air Force at Army Headline News

Wyoming 35, San Diego State 10

• SDSU Football Postgame Notes vs. Wyoming at San Diego State Aztecs News

#20 BYU 45, Colorado State 42

• Highlights & Lowlights: Colorado State at Cougar Crazies
• BYU escapes Hughes with 45-42 victory over Rams at Colorado State Rams News

#13 TCU 44, UNLV 14

• TCU 44, UNLV 14 at The Purple Wimple
• Brutal at Rebel SportsCast

#10 Utah 13, New Mexico 10

• Utah 13, New Mexico 10 at Lurp’s Lounge
• No. 10 Utah Edges New Mexico, 13-10 at MWC Football News

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC

(check back soon if the link isn’t live yet)

Post from: EveryJoe

2008 Week 10: Blogging about Mountain West

Air Force 23, New Mexico 10

• Guys Behind the Guy at Air Force

#21 BYU 42, UNLV 3

• BYU beat UNLV… therefore, what? at From the Frozen Wasteland
• BYU vs UNLV at Scott G. Winterton
• BYU football: UNLV unstoppable – until it counts the most at BYU Cougars

#14 TCU 54, Wyoming 7

• No. 14 TCU 54, Wyoming 7 at Sports Snipe
• TCU Pounds Wyoming, 54-7 at TCU Football News

Colorado State 38, San Diego State 34

• Rams Defeat San Diego State at CSU Football

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC

(check back soon if the link isn’t live yet)

Post from: EveryJoe

2008 Week 9: Blogging about Mountain West

TCU 32, #9 BYU 7

• BYU gets sacked by TCU at Josh’s Sports Blog
• BYU vs. TCU Game at Matt and Amy Kohler
• TCU ends BYU’s 16-game win streak at The Wenatchee World

#14 Utah 49, Colorado State 16

• Utah 49, Colorado State 16 at Playing fro Pride
• Utah’s offense explodes in victory over Colorado State at Block U
• Utah v. Colorado State Live Blog at The Fan Utah’s Super Sports Network

New Mexico 70, San Diego State 7

• Ferguson Leads Lobos in Rout of San Diego State at New Mexico Football News

Air Force 29, UNLV 28

• Air Force Falls At UNLV, 4-0 at Air Force Falcons News

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC 

(check back soon if the link isn’t live yet)

Post from: EveryJoe

2008 Week 8: Blogging about Mountain West

Air Force against San Diego State

• San Diego State Review at Air Force Academy Sports Blog

#8 BYU against New Mexico

• No. 9 BYU Tops New Mexico at New Mexico Lobos News
• BYU Cougars: Post-game report card vs. New Mexico Lobos at BYU Cougars Football News

Colorado State against TCU

• TCU Tops Colorado State, 13-7 at TCU Football News

#14 Utah against Wyoming

• Utes\\\\\\\’ offense stop and go at Utes Football
• Cougars remain at No. 8 in coaches\\\\\\\’ poll at BYU Cougars

(UNLV did not play)

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC

Post from: EveryJoe

2008 Week 7: Blogging about Mountain West

Every Monday night, I’ll be highlighting one of the game’s players’ college careers, so stop back every week to check out some “back in the day” stats about current NFL players. For more in NFL football news, check out b5’s Every Morning Quarterback.

Tonight’s Spotlight: LaDainian Tomlinson

Current Team, Number, Position: San Diego Chargers, 21, Running Back

Current Stats: Since being drafted into the NFL, he 115 touchdowns and about 10,800 rushing yards

College: TCU

Draft: Round 1, Pick #5 in 2001

College Highlights: In high school, Tomlinson played defense until his senior year, so he was not considered one of the nation’s top running back recruits. He signed with TCU, which was then a part of the WAC.

There, he really grew into his running back roll. In 1998, he played against USC in the Sun Bowl, and TCU won their first bowl game in 41 years. As a junior, he set an NCAA record for yards in a single game (408 against UTEP), and was the NCAA leading rusher with 1,850 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Things only got better his senior year. He was a finalist for the Heisman, and won the Doak Walker award, as well as was named the Senior Bowl MVP. He lead the NCAA with over 2,100 yards and 22 touchdowns. In 2005, TCU retired his jersey number.

Something of note: Although Tomlinson could very well retire tomorrow and live a financially secure life, in December of 2005, he fulfilled a promise to his mother and finished his degree. Tomlinson holds a BA in Communications. 

Pictures via Newscom.

Post from: EveryJoe

Monday Night Football College Spotlight: LaDainian Tomlinson