College Football Week 9 Thoughts

Can’t Say We Didn’t See It Coming

Well, maybe not to Oregon State but I think we all knew that USC was going to lose this season. This isn’t the same Trojans team that we have seen the past three seasons and I’m not just talking personnel. They have struggled several times this season and just don’t have the ability to put teams away. To use the famous pun, “they lack that killer instinct.”

You almost get the feeling with this USC team that they need to figure out that they are not going to win just because the name on the front of their jersey. They need to go out on the field and earn it!

Mountaineers Moving Up!
Thanks to the USC loss and another impressive victory on their part the West Virginia Mountaineers are the number three team in the most recent BCS Poll giving them a legit opportunity to be in the BCS Championship Game.

Before you drop the company line about the Big East being no competition and the Mountaineers a fraud consider this. West Virginia's BCS average of .7862 was just slightly ahead of Florida (.7791) and Louisville (.7621). WVU still has Louisville, Pittsburg and Rutgers on their schedule. If they are able to run the table they will move up in the computer rankings which will broaden the gap between them and teams behind them. Ohio State and Michigan own the top two spots and for obvious reasons they both won’t stay there giving West Virginia the opportunity to take the second spot.

Bears Hopes Dashed
The Baylor Bears had hopes, and a legitimate shot, of making it to a bowl game this season for the first time since 1994 until senior quarterback Shawn Bell was lost for the season when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the fourth quarter of Baylor's 31-21 loss to No. 21 Texas A&M on Saturday night.

Redshirt freshman Blake Szymanski will make his first career start Saturday when the Bears play at Texas Tech. Baylor needs to win two of its last three games to become bowl eligible.

The Streak Ends!
Sometimes it’s a bad thing when a streak ends (see USC) but sometimes it can be very good. The Temple Owls beat Bowling Green 28-14 Saturday, snapping a 20-game losing streak.

"We had more points and it was a great thing to see," said Travis Shelton, who scored on a 96-yard kickoff return for one of his two touchdowns. "Our players were jumping up and down and were so excited. We've worked so hard for so long, and it was worth all the hard work."

The U of the Big Sky Conference?

It appears that the University of Northern Colorado Bears are doing their absolute best to get the nickname Thug U. Former backup punter Mitch Cozad faces charges of attempted first-degree murder and second-degree assault in an attack on starter Rafael Mendoza, who was stabbed in his kicking leg last month.

Two weeks ago, defensive lineman and co-captain Jacob Carlson was cited for disorderly conduct after a bar fight. A police report indicated Carlson was punched after telling a Hispanic man he didn't like Mexicans. He has been suspended from the team.

Last weekend, fullback Garrett Bliss was arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault. Police said investigators suspect Bliss was angry over text messages sent to his girlfriend's mobile phone. He was suspended for one game.

Those are definitely not the type of headlines you want your football team creating!

Your Opinion: Leave your comment below or share your thoughts on week nine in the forum.