Ripper Ramblings

Bowls. Many major conferences will have more bowl eligible teams than bowl tie-ins. My projections have their being five at-large picks amongst your lesser bowls due to other conferences not filling all of their tie-ins. Those five are available first to 7-5 teams not picked up by their conferences tie-in bowls. I'm projecting there to be 3 such teams (Arkansas, TCU, and Ball State). That will leave two remaining bowl bids for 6-6 schools. I'm projecting the following will all finish 6-6: The N.C. State/Maryland winner, South Carolina, Northwestern, Michigan State, Indiana, Louisville, and the Nebraska/Colorado winner. A total of seven BCS conference 6-6 schools. If that plays out, I'd expect South Carolina to get an invite for sure. If Nebraska wins they would probably go bowling. Otherwise it will be a tossup between Michigan State, Louisville, and Colorado. Those 6-6 bubble schools need to be rooting for as many teams to not reach 6 wins. A Washington State upset of Oregon State would be bad this weekend as finishing 6-6 in the Pac 10 will get the Cougers into a bowl since the Pac 10 has tie-in spots remaining (WSU would still need a win in the Apple Cup). It will be painful for some of those BCS programs to watch 7-5 mid-major programs playing in bowls.

Missouri. Despite sitting at number five in the current BCS standings, Missouri is in great shape. They have has good of chance as anyone this side of LSU to play in the BCS title game. They will have the opportunity to play the two schools immediately ahead of them, easily bumping them up to at least number three. However, if they run the table that would mean a win over Oklahoma and avenging their season's only loss, a 10 pointer at Oklahoma. The only time a two loss school has been given any consideration to play in the BCS title game it was Colorado in 2001. That team avenged an earlier season loss to Texas in the Big 12 title game and because of that were viewed very much like a one loss team. Expect Missouri to be treated similar, even if voters don't know it yet. Prior to championship week last year, the voters knew if USC got knocked off we would be looking at a rematch between Michigan and Ohio State in the title game. But it wasn't until that scenario was put right in front of their face that the voters decided that was something they didn't want to see and voted Florida ahead of Michigan in their final polls. If Missouri knocks off Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, expect a lot of voters to change their mind and move the Tigers ahead of Oregon at the 11th hour.

Tulsa. The most surprising score from the past weekend was Tulsa's 56-7 win over Houston. In a game effectively for the Conference USA West, Tulsa dominated. Former Arkansas offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has the Golden Hurrican at number two in the nation in total offense. For the second consecutive year, Todd Graham, he of a defensive background, has a program way up due to offense. Graham left Rice after one season after sending them to their first bowl in years. What it shows is Graham knows how to hirer offensive coordinators. Major Applewhite was key to Rice's success a year ago.

Michigan. Mike Hart didn't play at all and Chad Henne didn't play the majority of the game against Wisconsin this past Saturday. Strange considering that both players performed well one week prior against Michigan State. Lloyd Carr's explanation for their sitting was equally strange. After initially declining to comment about Henne, Carr said he "just didn't feel right." Carr about Hart, "Mike would have played, but I just didn't feel like putting him out there." Hart was held out due to a sprained ankle sustained four weeks ago. Versus Michigan State Hart ran for 110 yards. After the Wisconsin game, the usually loose in the jaw Hart only spoke by saying "I'm not speaking today." So why didn't Michigan's two starts play? Michigan knew that the Ohio State game was the only one with BCS implications for them. With the loss Michigan can still advance to the Rose Bowl with a win this Saturday. A win against Wisconsin followed by a loss to Ohio State would have left Michigan outside the BCS top 14 and ineligible for a BCS at-large birth. The Wisconsin game was inconsequential to Michigan's BCS prospects and therefore didn't want to harm their chances at a lucrative BCS payout by harming their stars against the Badgers.

Hawaii. For those who stayed up late on Saturday and saw the hit that rocked Colt Brennan's world, they know that wasn't any run of the mill concussion. Brennan laid on the Aloha Stadium turf for several minutes. When he finally came to his feet he stumbled and looked as lifeless as if he was on a week long bender. UH is now asking him to fly roughly eight hours over the Pacific Ocean and play a football game six days after that raucous hit. I don't doubt Colt Brennan will take the field for the Rainbow Warriors Friday in Reno, after all, millions of dollars are on the line. Let's hope Brennan doesn't really do some damage.

Boise State. It is beginning to look like a dead heat between Boise State and Hawaii for an automatic BCS bid. Right now Boston College - a team very likely to pick up another loss - is all the separates the two WAC programs in the BCS standings. If Boise State were to beat Hawaii their chances to get to a BCS bowl would be only slightly worse than Hawaii's. Over the last two weeks Hawaii has fallen from 14 to 16 in the BCS standings and finishing in the top 12 may not be a lock. But it is starting to look like a top 12 finish may not be necessary to get a BCS bowl bid. Its also not the back door method that will get them in, finishing in the top 16 and ahead of a BCS automatic qualifier. The top 14 may be the magic number. I'll explain: Like BCS conference schools, WAC schools become eligible for a BCS at-large by finishing in the top 14. With it looking like only one Big East, ACC, and Big Ten school will be in the top 14, that will mean that the remaining conferences (SEC, Big 12, Pac 10) will likely have more than two schools in the top 14. Being that a conference can only send two schools to BCS bowl games it is likely that if any school from the Big East, ACC, Big Ten or mid-major can sneak into the top 14, they will get an at-large bid by default by being the only eligible team to choose.

Mangino. Everybody loves Kansas Head Football Coach Mike Mangino. But not quite as much as everybody loves to poke fan at the big bellied ball coach. The Sportingnews' Matt Hayes talks up Kansas by saying, "At some point, we all have to stop whining about KU's non-conference schedule and embrace the beauty that is Manginotown." Tom Deinhart asks a good question, "Can we go ahead and name Kansas coach Mark Mangino national coach of the year? And if the KU Big Boss Man were coaching Notre Dame, would the Irish stink?" The Dallas Star-Telegram's Wendell Barnhouse uses the coach's mobility to help explain how the spread offense attack has generated so much scoring, "the offensive advantage is like Mark Mangino trying to guard Steve Nash." Brent Musberger took some shots in his opener to the Kansas vs. Oklahoma State game by saying "The big man in the Big 12" has some "tricks up his ample sleeve."