The Week in Review

[MountaineerDave]

Just some notes on this week:

1. I don't know if anyone really stands out in the Heisman race anymore, but my book just dropped its leader, Mr Orton of Purdue, from the top five. A bad game is survivable. Being responsible for the loss means there's no award. But, I'm mean.

2. Quietly, WVU destroyed UConn for 3.5 quarters at Storrs. Sure, it's not the world's toughest place to play, and WVU started slow, but got their groove on in the third quarter. Game was well over before the Huskies --known for the high-flying pass game-- eclipsed 150 yards in the air.

3. I hate Miami. I can't help it. I just do. I hope they lose to somebody really awful, like UNC.

4. I admit to having been reminded by a column I read somewhere else, but Wisconsin's Erasmus James OWNED the left side of Purdue's offensive line. OWNED them, that is, till they cut blocked him and hurt him.

5. Um, UVA, this is FSU: are you sure you made it to Tallahassee Saturday? Pretty sure that was a high school team we took on the other day.

6. Minnesota, I have a question: what is it about Michigan teams that makes your balls shrivel up for an entire 5 quarters, anyway? Really, what the hell? The Spartans are a pedestrian college football team at best, you guys have shown some real talent and skill and ability... and yet you collapse to the vulnerable Wolverines and get planted by the Spartans. Embarrassing. Just embarrassing. Still love your backs, but as a team, I'm just shaking my head.

7. Arizona State honestly has a pretty good defense. They were outclassed, outmanned, and outgunned and just plain absent Saturday. Same for the O, for that matter. It would be embarrassing if SoCal wasn't the best team in college football. Instead, it just hurts a bit.

8. Oklahoma State had a pretty good thing going. And then they met Texas A&M. The Aggies, except a pretty terrible showing v. the Utah Utes, having been playing pretty solid ball this season, Franchione's second. From my point of view, both the Cowboys and Aggies will have a real opportunity to knock off the Sooners. And should either of them accomplish it... lookout BCS.

9. Wisconsin-Purdue was the first Big 10 game I've had opportunity to watch and see a couple instances where review could have been used, and was used once. I don't think I get it, though. If review were used this way in the NFL... it wouldn't still exist in the NFL. The Big 10 should have made a better effort at installing it. Some guy on a Tivo isn't review, it's just some guy on a Tivo. And, being uninformed, has it had any real effect on a Big 10 game yet this year? Seemed like they missed some opportunities to utilize it in the Badgers-Boilermakers game. It's gotta get better, or be dumped altogether. It doesn't look like a test right now, it's just an annoyance.

Dave

[buckeyefan78]

On your points Dave...

2. WVU does look better and better since the Tech loss. BC lost to a Pitt team that seriously suffers from multiple personality disorder. If WVU gets Pitt on a day when they are in " bad mood", WVU could run the table the rest of the way, however, Cuse is up next with two weeks to prepare. The Orange have played vastly superior since getting blasted at Purdue on Labor Day so....

3. Who doesn't hate Miami?

4. Alvarez is keeping Erasmus out this week vs NW, then Wisconsin has a bye, and he'll be back. Those who control the line of scrimmage control the world ( said like a prophet with a staff in his hands ).

7. Yeah, ASU might not be THAT bad, but let us not forget the job Stanford and Cal did on USC, losing in a respectfull way. Kind of sours me on ASU at this point in the Pac Ten.

8. Your whole scenario there kind of makes you wonder how good Utah really is basically. I'm getting intrigued as well.

9. They threw this instant replay thing together really quick and sloppily Dave. They even used it in the OSU Spring Game I went too and it was mass confusion then. And it MAY have had some effect on the OSU-Wisconsin game two weeks ago when the refs blew two plays dead before their time and they happened to be fumbles that OSU got. The plays were unreviewable because obviously, the play was blown dead, and players stopped playing. The Big Ten issued a memo on Monday for all the refs in their games to NOT be so quick with the whistle, because instant replay was in effect. A direct decison from the OSU-Wisc game. I guess that isn't really an effect of the instant replay per say, but had the refs been more aware of the instant replay, they could have just let the plays go a little more before blowing the whistle, instead of being so quick. And that's what the memo was all about.

[#47]

Dave,

1. I agree, its wide open, no clear cut fav.

3. LOL..........Miami wont lose to UNC Dave, unfortunately,

6. I thought they were overrrated, said so in a thread before the loss to Michi...........but now I have to question there commitment to the season a bit. We have seen teams in the past fall apart after a big loss, Minny looking bad right now.

7. USC has had a lot of success with one dimensional teams. Hakim Hill was no threat to run against SC's D.

8. Franchione(despite many people disliking him for the Alabama thing) can coach football. And he is doing that right now. Doing a great job of getting McNeal to play to his strenghts. I think your man Rodriguez should be doing the same at WVU with Marshall.

Fight On!

[MountaineerDave]

47-- Rodriguez loosened the shackles a bit on Marshall against UConn. Marshall was WVU's first QB is '89 and Major Harris to run and pass for more than 100 yards Wednesday night.
As long as he keeps this up, he should easily eclipse the Big East QB rushing record held by one Donovan McNabb (not Michael Vick, as so many folks might suggest), if he hasn't already.

He entered the season not needing a ton of yardage to eclipse McNabb's numbers, but I haven't followed that stat closely enough to know how he's doing in its search.

78--As far as Pitt, I'm completely unconcerned. The win over BC notwithstanding, there's a little nugget that everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) seems to be overlooking: BC isn't very good. It's really that simple. They've had one single solitary nice game, the sort-of rout of Penn State. (I don't include UConn, who's record v teams with winning records is 0-whatever and only 1-whatever v bowl-teams from last year) Otherwise, this BC team
a)struggles to run the ball (injuries hurt, but they came into the season without a proven back, and will finish the season without one, too)
b) has a mean defense, but isn't any better or worse than in its been in past seasons
c) has a QB with the occasional decision-making problem
d) doesn't appear to have the O line that they usually have
e) plays shabby football on the road
f) struggle to score more than 17 points a game; which would be okay if their D could keep others from scoring 18, alas... against teams with together offenses, they simply aren't good enough

I'm surprised by the Pitt win, however, because I was pretty certain the team had mostly quit on Harris. Maybe they have, and simply are playing for themselves. I don't know. Haven't seen that much of them.

Either way, as a WV fan, I'm aggravated to no end by idiot sports writers suggesting that Pitt and BC are legitimate contenders to the Big East title. The Mountaineers haven't played great yet, but have been more consistent and have played better overall than anyone on the Big East schedule. The only fair team they play comes to Morgantown, where BC hasn't won is quite a long time.

And, about the Orange. Yeah, okay whatever. Not really worried about the Orange. Thanks for the note, though.

Dave