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CFI WEEKLY - MONDAY DECEMBER 8, 2008

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Oklahoma vs. Florida...it's never too early to breakdown the BCS Championship Game. Plus coverage of all the BCS Bowl Games, as well as other bowl games of interest. Who has a gripe? Plus, the latest news...

SPECIAL GUESTS

NADER ABDALLAH of Ohio St., who is playing in Fiesta Bowl vs. Texas. JOHN SEARS, CFI'S Big Ten Insider makes a case for Penn St., Super Scout KELRON SYKES gives is the lowdown on week 15 and Small School Insider JOSH BUCHANAN on the FCS Playoffs.

Photo Credit: OU Athletics Department

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CFI WEEKLY - MONDAY DECEMBER 1, 2008

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Did the BCS get it right? How does a three-way tie become a two-way tie? Conference Championship games. The latest on coaches in South Carolina, Charlie Weis and black coaches.

SPECIAL GUESTS

KIRK BOHLS, AUSTIN-AMERICAN STATESMAN
BERRY TRAMEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
BRANDON GEORGE, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
CFI Insider JOSH BUCHANAN

Photo Credit: OU Athletics Department

Between the Hashes - Inventing the Mess

THE BIGGEST MESS the BCS has made are some of the notions coming out of the sports media. Names have been redacted to protect the innocent.

“IF THERE WAS A PLAYOFF SYSTEM SET UP, WE WOULDN’T BE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION.”

THE DISCUSSION THEY wouldn’t be having is which team – Oklahoma, Texas or Texas Tech – deserves to win the Big 12 South and represent the divison in the Big 12 Championship game. Of all criticisms of the BCS, this is the farthest stretch. Each conference decides their own tiebreaker. People need to begin to accept that all too often there is no objective way to decipher and rank teams in the word of college football – there are no standings.

The implication was that both Oklahoma and Texas would make an eight-team playoff and there would be no need for discussion. But, who decided that Texas Tech doesn’t deserve to be in the same discussion? Which leads us to...

“TEXAS TECH DOESN’T BELONG. YOU CAN SEE IT.”

REALLY? YOU CAN see it? I guess not every college football writer received their full proof know-which-is-the-best-team glasses. I wonder how many people saw the New York Giants were the best team in the National Football League last season? You know, the league that has a playoff. Is that


how they decided who makes the playoffs in the NFL?

Presumably, the call for a playoff is one for objectivity not subjectivity. Let them decide it on the field many cry! Well on the field all three teams – Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech – have the same overall record, the same conference record and the same head-to-head record. No matter what you think you saw.

While we’re at it, let’s take a look at how the humans have done rankings these teams:

On October 11th No. 5 Texas defeated No. 1 Oklahoma. On November 1st No. 7 Texas Tech defeated No. 1 Texas. On November 22nd No. 5 Oklahoma defeated No. 2 Texas Tech. With that track record – 0-for-3 – maybe it is time for the computers to pinch hit for the pollsters in this crucial late-inning at-bat.

TEXAS TECH IS A “ONE TRICK PONEY”, “HOT TEAM”, “TRENDY TEAM” (TAKE YOUR PICK)

HELLO! TEXAS TECH was 10-0 before they lost to Oklahoma on Saturday. Yes, they were utterly dominated, but does that erase 10 weeks of resume building? They did beat No. 1 Texas, didn’t they? Yes, it was at home and by a close margin, but the Longhorns didn’t blowout the Sooners (45-35) or Oklahoma St. (28-24), who by the way, Tech handled 56-20. Moreover, Texas has only left the state only twice all season long, so lets not make them out

to be road warriors if that is suddenly a criterion. Their best road win is at Kansas 35-7. The Red Raiders went into Lawrence and won 63-21.

“A PLAYOFF WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT”

TAKE CARE OF what exactly? Most playoff proponents are in favor of an eight-team playoff. After six automatic bids (which could include Oregon St., Cincinnati and Virginia Tech), there are two at-large bids remaining. You try picking between a one-loss USC, two one-loss Big 12 schools, and the SEC Championship game loser. Better yet, you go tell the 11-1 Trojans or the 12-1 Crimson Tide they don’t belong in an eight-team playoff. How about undefeated Utah and Ball St. (possibly Boise St. as well)? Isn’t the college basketball argument that it gives the “little guys” a chance, so they would need to be included as well, wouldn’t they?

“IT’S BETTER TO LEAVE OUT NO. 9 THAN NO. 3.”

HOGWASH! BY NOW we’ve established we don’t know who really is No. 3 or No. 9. Can anyone say with a straight face they believe USC, Alabama, Oklahoma or Texas is the ninth best team in the country? One should at least believe in their own argument.

Mind you, this is not a position that the BCS is the solution, but let’s not pretend a playoff is a panacea either.

Photo Credit: College Press Box (Texas, Texas Tech)

Between the Hashes - The Road to Miami

A CLEAR PATH

THREE PROGRAMS CONTROL their destiny – Alabama, Texas Tech and Florida. A trip to Norman awaits the Red Raiders this Saturday and a December 6 playdate is on the docket for the Crimson Tide and the Gators. It’s far from a day at the beach for these three BCS teams, but they are in the driver’s seat. At this point in the season what else can you ask for?

Win and you’re in – the four prettiest words in all of sports. In the past, the BCS has brought election controversy befitting the Sunshine State. There was undefeated Auburn left out in 2004 and both Oklahoma and Nebraska advancing despite not winning their conference. Kind of like winning a presidential election without winning your party’s primary – something we as a nation thankfully have not seen yet.

If the Red Raiders win out and play the winner of the SEC Championship game, the BCS will be flak and fuss free – no “hanging chad” if you will. Of course, the current could shift at any time and, as the natives of Miami can tell you, chaos can strike at moment’s notice and disrupt the college football atmosphere.

Ironically, the National Weather Center makes its home on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. Nevertheless, don’t expect the Storm Prediction Center to inform us if Sam Bradford is prepared to play the role of jet stream this Saturday. This much we do know – Bob Stoops is 60-2 at home since taking over the Sooners.

A LITTLE HELP

IF BOOMER SOONER is able to defeat the tidal wave coming out of Lubbock, conventional wisdom says they’ll take the lead in the Big 12 South race. Technically they would create a three-way tie atop the standings between themselves, the Red Raiders and the Longhorns heading into the final week of the season. How does the Big 12 plan to settle that tempest? The team with the highest BCS ranking is declared the South representative. Seriously.

Currently, Texas leads Oklahoma in the BCS standings, but what will happen if the Sooners knock off the No. 2 team in the country and a very good Oklahoma St. team (No. 12 in the BCS)? The expectation is that those two wins would be enough to sway voters and impress the computers’ radar, vaulting the Sooners into the top two.

A LOT OF HELP

IF THIS LOGIC holds true, expect a long lasting cold front out in Austin when it comes to the BCS. The Longhorns need Oklahoma to win in Lubbock to even have a chance. They also need the Sooners to win in Stillwater, because if they are left tied with Texas Tech alone, the Red Raiders advance via their head-to-head win (assuming Tech handles Baylor).

Could it be that the 10-1 ‘Horns are already frozen out? The only chance UT has is if the voters step back and decide that the Longhorns have had a better season than either Oklahoma or Texas Tech. After all, their lone loss (assuming they defeat Texas A & M) came in the final seconds in Lubbock.

Even then, who can say if that would be enough?

The only other team with a fighting chance is the USC Trojans. They need the most help of all, but it’s rather simple. If Missouri wins the Big 12 Championship game, it would in all likelihood knock the Big 12 out of the BCS Championship game – no Texas Tech, no Oklahoma, no Texas. It would also behoove the Men of Troy to win the Pac-10 Title, which is also out of their hands. Not only do they need to win out, but Oregon St. must drop one of their final two games (at Arizona, home for Oregon).

See you in Miami…

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media, University of Texas Athletics

Between the Hashes: BCS Mess or BCS Yes?

BCS MESS — legitimate criticism or hyperbole?

Any criticism of the BCS system the past few days has been completely out of bounds – for one Saturday in November at least. Just because the BCS is college football’s favorite punching bag, let’s not lump it in with the John McCain campaign, capri pants for men or the designated hitter.

The BCS has made the bowl system – imagine undefeated Texas Tech playing in the Orange Bowl and undefeated Alabama playing in the Sugar Bowl – less broken. It did not create the chaos. If anything, the BCS brings relevancy!

Did your palms get a little sweaty flipping between Penn St.-Iowa and Alabama-LSU on Saturday? Did your heart race a little faster when Iowa kicker Daniel Murphy’s field goal attempt sailed through the uprights in Kinnick Stadium and Alabama’s Leigh Tiffin’s didn’t in Tiger Stadium?

You can thank the BCS.

If a spot in the BCS champion-ship game wasn’t on the line, would you really have spent a good portion of your Saturday afternoon watching undefeated Penn St. play a four-loss Iowa team? Not in a playoff world.

Penn St. still controls its destiny in the Big Ten and will win it if they take care of Indiana and Michigan St. at home. In terms of a Big Ten Title, not much was on the line in Iowa City. However, because of the BCS, everything was on the line when the Nittany Lions made the trip to the Hawkeye State.

The same can be said about Nick Saban’s return to Cajun Country. Sure, all of Acadiana would have been up in arms regardless, but would the college football nation have tuned in without the BCS? Was it the fact the SEC West title was on the line that sucked you in? Didn’t think so.

How about this week’s game between Florida and South Carolina? It’s a pretty big one – on CBS and is CFI’s game of the week – because of the BCS. The Gators are going to play Alabama in the SEC Cham-pionship game regardless of what they do this Saturday against the Gamecocks or when they visit Tallahassee to take on the Florida St. Seminoles in two weeks.

These games provide the potential for drama and what else can one say? Will Tim Tebow pull off his first career fourth quarter comeback? Will he have his 2008 Heisman moment to match Graham Harrell’s? Or will South Carolina’s Eric Norwood step up and make a game-changing play to knockoff the No. 3 Florida Gators?

Isn’t this why we watch sports?

In a playoff system, the Gators and the Crimson Tide would be slotted into a playoff-play-in game on December 6, making the next three weeks almost irrelevant.

There is nothing worse in sports than knowing the outcome before you see the event take place. It’s why you do everything in your power to not know the score of game you’ve recorded on your TIVO. Sports are about possibilities.

Think of all those fun NFL games in weeks 16 and 17 when teams cannot help their playoff chances. How much would Tim Tebow and John Parker Wilson play this Saturday? Or next? Headmen Saban and Urban Meyer would at least have to think about resting their quarterbacks, as well as other key players. Wouldn’t they?

Please let’s not compare it to college basketball, which has evolved into a three-week sport – how many American sports fans even know who the players are until the NCAA Tournament begins? While we’re at it, college hoops has a tournament – not a playoff – with men getting together in a room to decide the participants, seed teams and create match-ups. That…is not a playoff as we know it.

President Elect Barack Obama said if he could change anything in the sports world, it would be to replace the BCS with an eight-team playoff. With all due respect Mr. Obama, you have a bigger mess ahead of you – there’s no need for a clean up in aisle BCS.

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

College Football Insiders Radio

CFI WEEKLY - MONDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2008

Get the answer to all your college football questions: Who's No. 1? Who's the best one loss team? How could Texas Tech's win help Oklahoma? How could Penn St.'s loss hurt Michigan St.?

SPECIAL GUESTS

QB John Parker Wilson, Alabama
LB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest
QB Brian Hoyer, Michigan St.
Announcer Gary Dolphin, Iowa

Click to Listen to Monday's Show

Photo Credit: Brian Westerholt of Sports on Film

Missouri, West Virginia victory away from BCS title game - Ohio State looms

By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Missouri and West Virginia have one more step to take before bumping into each other in New Orleans.

The Tigers and Mountaineers hold the top two spots in the Bowl Championship Series standings released Sunday with a week left in a topsy-turvy regular season.

The Tigers play Oklahoma (10-2) in the Big 12 championship game at San Antonio on Saturday and the Mountaineers face rival Pittsburgh (4-7) at home. If both win, it'll be Missouri-West Virginia in a most unlikely BCS championship game Jan. 7 at the Superdome.

A month ago, neither team was even in the top five of the BCS standings, but a string of upsets have left Chase Daniel and the Tigers and Pat White and the Mountaineers in control of their own destinies.

``I've been telling the guys, the more you win, the more that's at stake,'' West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said Sunday in a conference call with reporters.

If either Missouri (11-1) or West Virginia (10-1) trip up next week, third-place Ohio State (11-1) is poised to take advantage and play in its second straight title game.

If the Tigers and Mountaineers both lose, the national title picture gets very murky.

Georgia was fourth in the standings, followed by Kansas (11-1). Neither will play in their conference title games, but both still have a shot to play for a national championship.

Georgia (10-2) could become the first team with two losses to play for a national title and several other two-loss teams could make a claim to be in the championship game if the top two lose for a second consecutive week.

Sixth-place Virginia Tech (10-2), seventh-place LSU (10-2), eighth-place Southern California (9-2) and ninth-place Oklahoma all have one last opportunity to surge up the BCS standings on Saturday.

Ohio State's regular season ended Nov. 17 with a victory over Michigan that made the Buckeyes the Big Ten champions. The week before, Ohio State was No. 1 in the country when it lost to Illinois at home and seemingly fell out of the title race.

At worst, the Buckeyes, who lost the national championship game 41-14 to Florida last season, will be in the Rose Bowl.

Hawaii moved up to 12th in the standings after beating Boise State 39-27 and winning the Western Athletic Conference, putting Colt Brennan and the Warriors in position to earn an automatic BCS bid.

The Warriors, the last remaining unbeaten team in the nation, finish the season at home against Washington and need to be in the top 12 when the final standings come out next Sunday.

Missouri was No. 1 in the Harris poll and West Virginia was No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll Sunday. Those polls make up a two-thirds of a team's BCS average. Missouri was first in the computer rankings with West Virginia second.

The Tigers' BCS average was .978 and the Mountaineers were at .971.

A Missouri-West Virginia final seemed to be a long shot when October ended. Both had a loss and were stuck behind a pile of teams in the BCS standings. On Oct. 28, West Virginia was seventh in the standings and Missouri was ninth.

Since then it's been a steady climb as the Tigers and Mountaineers have kept winning while the other contenders have tanked.

It started when Ohio State lost to Illinois on Nov. 10. A few days later, Oregon lost quarterback Dennis Dixon to an injury in the first quarter and the Ducks' national title hopes went with him in a loss at Arizona.

Two days later, Oklahoma lost its second game of the season at Texas Tech, leaving Missouri and Kansas as the Big 12's best hope for a national title.

At that point, it became apparent that the winner of the Missouri-Kansas game would go to the Big 12 title game with a chance to play for the national championship at stake.

The Tigers, who entered the season unranked, took care of their business, handing Kansas its first loss of the season, 36-28.

LSU also went down, losing in triple overtime 50-48 to Arkansas on Friday, and that opened up a spot for the Mountaineers.

West Virginia grabbed it emphatically with a 66-21 victory against Connecticut to clinch the Big East title and a BCS bid. The Mountaineers were ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll, but lost in late September 21-13 at South Florida. White injured his thigh against the Bulls and didn't finish the game.

Neither West Virginia nor Missouri has ever won a national title.

Source: ncaafootball.com; Photo Credit: Mizzou Media Relations

CFI: THE POST GAME REPORT

WEEK 13 - PART I

OHIO ST. VERSUS WEST VIRGINA

Yes, that could be your National Championship game. With Arizona St. and LSU going down and Missouri playing Kansas later today, the Buckeyes and Mountaineers figure to be two and three in the upcoming BCS Rankings. The number one team (either Kansas or Missouri) will likely play the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 Championship game next week, which means the Youngstown (Ohio) boy could put the Ohio St. Buckeyes in the Championship game for a second straight season. To complete the circle, OSU headman Jim Tressel coached at Youngstown St. before taking the job in Columbus.

RUN DARREN, RUN

Darren McFadden made a final statement on his Heisman campaign with his 206 yards and three touchdowns against the No. 1 team in the country. The junior tailback lined up as the Razorbacks’ quarterback for much of the day and was 3-of-6 passing for 34 yards and another touchdown, as he connected with his fullback Peyton Hillis from 24 yards out with less than six minutes remaining in the game to give the Hogs a 28-21 lead. McFadden finishes the season with 1,725 yards and 15 touchdowns…not too shabby. He is deserving of winning the Heisman as well as becoming the top overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft should he decide to declare.

MR. JACKSON IS NOT SORRY

"They came to hit tonight," Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter said after USC’s beating of Arizona St. "I think tonight, we were overmatched."

Ya think Carpenter had senior defensive end Lawrence Jackson (8 tackles, 5.5 TFLs) in mind when he made that statement?

Just as he did last season, Jackson is making a late push. His four sacks give him 9.5 on the season. When he recorded 10 sacks in his redshirt sophomore season, the assumption was that Jackson would have an All-American junior season and declare for NFL Draft. He turned in just four sacks last season, all four in two November games, so he returned for his senior season and until Thursday night, Jackson was having an underwhelming season, a microcosm for the Men of Troy.

Also joining the sack party were fellow senior Sedrick Ellis and true freshman Everson Griffen. Ellis now has 52 tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks, tremendous numbers for an interior lineman. Ellis’ production has never been questioned. Griffen is the heir apparent at defensive end, a five-star recruit who will be on many preseason All-American lists next season. The Arizona native has 5.5 sacks on the season. As a schoolboy in 2006, Griffen rumbled for 1,251 yards and 20 touchdowns as a running back…and he’s 6’3”, 265 pounds. I want to meet the kid that tackled him!

ROSE BOWL BOUND?

With their win in Tempe, the Men of Toy could find themselves on their way to Pasadena. What do they need? A win next week against cross-town rival UCLA in the Coliseum, and an Oregon loss to either UCLA or Oregon St. The Bruins are not ones to help the Trojans, but they are capable of beating the Dennis Dixon-less Ducks at home, as are the Beavers in the “Civil War”. Ironically, UCLA and Oregon St. are the two teams that spoiled USC’s Championship run last season.

LET THEM PLAY

Anyone who has followed CFI’s Top 25 this season knows we are not the champions of the WAC and we would have loved to have seen Hawaii play some tougher competition this season (they came into the week with 119th strength of schedule out of 119). But, if they finish the season undefeated they deserve to play in a BCS Bowl. Why not? It is not as if they are lobbying to play in the Championship game and is it is, it appears the BCS conferences will struggle to fill the ten slots.

* Check Back on Monday for Part II

Photo Credit: WVU Sports Communication

Black Friday: No. 1 LSU Falls to Arkansas in 3OT

By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - LSU's national title hopes were crushed by a Heisman-worthy performance.

Darren McFadden rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another to lift Arkansas to a 50-48, three-overtime victory over the top-ranked Tigers on Friday.

Peyton Hillis also scored three TDs, the last in the third overtime. Felix Jones ran for the critical 2-point conversion to make it 50-42 Razorbacks (8-4, 4-4 SEC).

LSU (10-2, 6-2) responded when Matt Flynn found Brandon LaFell for a 9-yard TD, but Matterral Richardson intercepted the 2-point conversion attempt, and Arkansas' bench emptied onto the field in triumph.

McFadden, last year's Heisman Trophy runner-up, rushed for 206 yards 32 carries and now has 1,725 yards rushing this season. No doubt there are West Virginia and Ohio State fans who'd vote for McFadden for Heisman if they could.

By knocking off LSU, which was in first place in the BCS standings, Arkansas boosted the national championship hopes of West Virginia and Ohio State.

McFadden wasn't the only running back LSU had trouble wrapping up.

Hillis and Jones each ran for 89 yards as Arkansas finished with a 385 yards on the ground against one of the best run defenses in the country.

It's the second time this season the Tigers have fallen while at No. 1 and it's probably too late in the season now for them to get another chance.

The winner of tomorrow night's game between No. 2 Kansas and No. 3 Missouri will likely take over the top spot in the rankings and the BCS standings. No. 4 West Virginia, which was third in the BCS standings, has a chance to sneak up to at least No. 2 in each with a win over Connecticut.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes are done and waiting it out. They were fifth in the last BCS standings.

Flynn finished 209 yards passing and three touchdowns. He also ran for another score in the first overtime, when LSU could have emerged victorious with a stop on fourth-and-10.

But Casey Dick found Hillis open for a 12-yard game to keep the Razorbacks alive, then later found Hillis again for a 9-yard tying TD.

Jacob Hester rushed for 126 yards and two TDs for LSU, which had to rally from a seven-point deficits three times in the second half, and convert two fourth-down plays on its last drive in regulation, just to force overtime.

But in the end, Arkansas and embattled coach Houston Nutt walked away holding the ``Golden Boot,'' a trophy shaped like the states of Arkansas and Louisiana.

Nutt, who will have his team in a bowl game, may not be back with the Hogs next season after growing unrest in Fayatteville, Ark., and a slow start to the season. Arkansas officials have yet to confirm that, however, and firing Nutt may be a less popular move now.

LSU had already clinched the SEC West Division and will move on to the conference title game in Atlanta on Dec. 1, but will do so feeling a little hollow after letting a chance at a national title slip away. Winning the SEC title will put LSU in New Orleans in January, but for the Sugar Bowl, not the BCS Championship game they wanted to be in a week later.

Source: ncaafootball.com; Photo Credit: University of Arkansas

LSU coach Les Miles said his team isn't satisfied yet

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Les Miles isn't satisfied with LSU's West Division title in the Southeastern Conference, or the Tigers' rise back to No. 1 in the country.

Simply put, there's more work to be done.

``We enjoy being the West representative,'' the Tigers' coach said. ``But we have not accomplished what we want to accomplish. Nobody in our building is accepting any congratulations right now.''

Earlier this season, the Tigers won one game as the top-ranked squad before losing at Kentucky in triple overtime. LSU moved back to the top of the poll after routing Louisiana Tech 58-10 on Saturday, while Ohio State lost 28-21 to Illinois.

``We've been ranked highly all year long,'' Miles said at his media luncheon Monday. ``All our work is in front of us.''

The Tigers clinched a berth in the SEC championship game by virtue of losses by Auburn to Georgia and Alabama to Mississippi State.

The goal, however, is the BCS title game in New Orleans. LSU's final two games, against Mississippi on Saturday and at Arkansas on Nov. 23, appear to be very winnable. But Miles knows his team needs to be wary of a letdown.

While the Rebels (3-7, 0-6) haven't won a conference game this season, they nearly beat the Tigers last year. LSU had to rally to win in overtime.

``We expect the Ole Miss game to be a very competitive game,'' Miles said. ``We know we will get Ole Miss' best shot.''

The Tigers will finish the season on Nov. 23, at Arkansas (6-4, 2-4).

``At this time of the season, we have a chance to be at the top spot if we keep doing what we are supposed to be doing,'' Miles said. ``I understand what I have to do. I'm focused on the task at hand.''

Source: ncaafootball.com; Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

Ohio State, BC top BCS, Arizona State positioned to make push

By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - While Boston College gained some cushion on third-place LSU in the Bowl Championship Series standings and Ohio State held firm to first place, Arizona State moved into position to make a big stretch run.

The unbeaten Sun Devils raised their BCS average to .849 after beating California 31-20 on Saturday. Arizona State, with its most challenging games still to play, might not need teams ahead of it to lose to move up the standings.

The Sun Devils play at Oregon, which is fifth in the BCS standings, on Saturday, then finish with games against USC, UCLA and Arizona.

``If they win all of those games, that type of run would be difficult for voters to ignore,'' said BCS analyst Jerry Palm, who runs collegebcs.com.

The top seven teams in the BCS standings remained the same this week, with Ohio State and Boston College still in position to play for the national title in New Orleans on Jan. 7 if they can maintain their rankings.

Ohio State was No. 1 in both the Harris and coaches' polls and tied for second in the computer ratings with Arizona State. The Buckeyes had a BCS average of .976.

BC was second in both polls and first in the computer rankings. The Eagles have a BCS average of .956 and a lead of .068 on LSU.

The Tigers who were off this week, have a BCS average of .888.

Ohio State, Boston College and LSU also are the top three teams in the AP Top 25.

Both the Eagles and Buckeyes are coming of big road wins. Boston College rallied from 10 points down in the final 2:11 behind quarterback Matt Ryan to beat Virginia Tech 14-10 on Thursday night.

Ohio State had little problem staying unbeaten at Penn State, beating the Nittany Lions 37-17 on Saturday night.

The rest of the BCS top 10 was Oklahoma in sixth place, followed by West Virginia, unbeaten Kansas, Missouri and Georgia.

Unbeaten Hawaii moved up three spots to 14th place in the BCS standings. The Warriors of the Western Athletic Conference need to be in the top 12 of the final BCS standings to earn an automatic bid to one of the five marquee bowl games.

SOURCE: NCAAFOOTBALL.COM; PHOTO CREDIT: COLLEGIATE IMAGES

No. 1 Buckeyes hold off Spartans, 24-17

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- No. 1 Ohio State got a scare, but avoided being yet another upset victim.

The Buckeyes built a comfortable lead and then gave up two touchdowns off turnovers late in the third quarter - and almost lost another fumble deep in their own territory on the next play - to slip past Michigan State 24-17 on Saturday.

All week, both sides had talked about what happened in the 1998 meeting, when the unbeaten Buckeyes were 26 1/2-point favorites and had a 24-9 lead in the third quarter yet unraveled to lose the No. 1 ranking when the Spartans pulled off a 28-24 shocker.

Michigan State (5-3, 1-3 Big Ten) almost pulled off a repeat of that performance from nine years ago.

The Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0) rolled for most of the first three quarters, building their big lead on two touchdown passes by Todd Boeckman, the running of Chris Wells and a bruising defense that thoroughly shut down Michigan State.

Ahead 24-0 late in the third quarter, they were seemingly in command and looking ahead to next week's test at Penn State.

In the span of four plays, it was 24-14 and Michigan State blew a chance to recover another Ohio State turnover on the very next play when two defenders touched Wells' fumble, but the back ended up recovering.

The comeback started when Boeckman flipped a pass under pressure that safety Otis Wiley picked off and returned 54 yards to put the Spartans on the board.

After the ensuing kickoff, a short run and two penalties gave the Buckeyes a first down at their own 15. But Boeckman was sacked by Jonal Saint-Dic and fumbled, with linebacker Sirdarean Adams swooping in to scoop up the ball and run 25 yards to make it 24-14.

Suddenly, a crowd of 105,287 was so silent you could hear a national championship trophy drop.

After the next kickoff, the Buckeyes took over at their own 22. On first down, Wells fumbled when hit by Jeremiah Antonio and the ball bounced loose. Wiley and end Ervin Baldwin each had a clear shot at falling on the ball but failed to grab it.

Boeckman, who completed his first 10 passes in the game and tied a school-record with 12 straight completions, now had trouble even getting time to pass, much less complete one.

After an Ohio State punt midway through the fourth quarter, Brett Swenson kicked a 43-yard field goal to tighten it to 24-17 with just 3:42 left.

It got so bad that on the kickoff that followed, the Ohio State coach Jim Tressel even instructed returner Brandon Saine to take a knee to avoid turning the ball over with another fumble.

The Buckeyes took no more chances. Wells carried on the final seven carries while Michigan State exhausted its timeouts, gaining 36 yards as Ohio State played keepaway to stay perfect.

Wells, so close to being a goat, ended up a hero as he finished with 221 yards on 31 carries including a 5-yard touchdown.

After hitting his first 10 passes, Boeckman struggled, completing 15-of-23 passes for 193 yards and touchdowns of 14 yards to Jake Ballard and 50 yards to Brian Robiskie.

The Spartans mustered just nine first downs and 185 yards of total offense against an Ohio State defense which came in No. 1 in the nation in points (6.57 per game) and yards allowed (212 per game).

Michigan State didn't help itself in the opening half, with Brian Hoyer throwing an interception to Doug Worthington which helped set up Wells' TD run, and a 19-yard punt which gave the Buckeyes the ball at the Michigan State 29.

Hoyer, who finished 12-of-23 passing for 126 yards with the one interception, didn't complete his second pass until the Spartans' fourth possession.

Javon Ringer, averaging 178 yards in Big Ten games, ran for 49 yards on 18 attempts.

Ohio State's players wore small ``23'' decals on the back of their helmets in support of Ron Springs, a star running back from 1976-78 who is in a coma in a Dallas hospital after surgery. His son Shawn, currently a member of the Washington Redskins, also played for Ohio State from 1994-96.

Source: ncaafootball.com; Photo Credit: Collegiate Images