Playing the Poll Game: TEXAS VS OSU

[DKW 86 7,437]

I know this is way too premature, but I had a lot of time to kill.

Face it guys, we have to have OSU beat Texas and then lose to someone in the Big Ten. We get to play USC in the BCS game.

http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/

TEXAS LONGHORNS

GAME 1 Texas 56, North Texas 7

GAME 2 #1 Ohio State Loseable

GAME 3 Rice W

GAME 4 Iowa State W

GAME 5 Sam Houston State W

GAME 6 #15 Oklahoma W

GAME 7 Baylor W

GAME 8 Nebraska W

GAME 9 # 24Texas Tech W

GAME 10 Oklahoma State W

GAME 11 Kansas State W

GAME 12 Texas A&M W

GAME 13 Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship W Not really Loseable

http://ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com/sports/m...otbl-sched.html

OSU BUCKEYES

Sat 09/02/06 Northern Illinois W, 35-12

Sat 09/09/06 # 2 Texas Loseable

Sat 09/23/06 # 19 Penn State Maybe Loseable

Sat 09/30/06 #14 Iowa Maybe Loseable

Sat 10/07/06 Bowling Green W

Sat 10/14/06 Michigan State Maybe Loseable

Sat 10/21/06 Indiana W

Sat 10/28/06 Minnesota W

Sat 11/04/06 Illinois W

Sat 11/11/06 Northwestern W

Sat 11/11/06 #10 Michigan Loseable

http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl...otbl-sched.html

USC TROJANS

Sat 09/02/06 Arkansas W

Sat 09/16/06 #21 Nebraska

Sat 09/23/06 Arizona W

Sat 09/30/06 Washington State W

Sat 10/07/06 Washington W

Sat 10/14/06 Arizona State W

Sat 10/28/06 Oregon State W

Sat 11/04/06 Stanford W

Sat 11/11/06 #20 Oregon W

Sat 11/18/06 #22 California W

Sat 11/25/06 #4 Notre Dame Maybe Loseable

Sat 12/02/06 #27 UCLA

http://und.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/...otbl-sched.html

Notre Dame

Sat 09/02/06 #28 Georgia Tech W

Sat 09/09/06 #19 Penn State Loseable

Sat 09/16/06 #10 Michigan Loseable

Sat 09/23/06 Michigan State

Sat 09/30/06 Purdue W

Sat 10/07/06 Stanford W

Sat 10/21/06 #27 UCLA W

Sat 10/28/06 Navy W

Sat 11/04/06 North Carolina W

Sat 11/11/06 Air Force W

Sat 11/18/06 Army W

Sat 11/25/06 #3 USC LOSS

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/teamsched?teamId=277

WVU MOUNTAINEERS

September 2 Marshall W

September 9 Eastern Washington W

September 14 Maryland W

September 23 at East Carolina W

October 7 at Mississippi State W

October 14 Syracuse W

October 20 Connecticut W

November 2 No. 13 Louisville Loseable

November 11 Cincinnati W

November 16 at Pittsburgh W

November 25 South Florida W

December 2 Rutgers W

AUBURN TIGERS

9/2 Washington St Auburn W 40-14

9/9 Mississippi St Starkville

9/16 #8 LSU Loseable

9/23 Buffalo

9/28 South Carolina Maybe Loseable

10/7 Arkansas

10/14 #7 Florida Loseable

10/21 Tulane

10/28 Ole Miss

11/4 Arkansas St

11/11 #12 Georgia Loseable

11/18 #26 Alabama Maybe Loseable

12/2 SEC Championship Loseable

Best Scenario:

OSU Beats Texas

Michigan beats OSU (Michigan use to own OSU until just recently)

Notre Dame loses to USC

WVU loses to Louisville

We have to win out to get to BCSCG...

[vatz22au 142]

Texas also has:

Oklahoma (loseable on a bad night)

Nebraska (pretty impressive)

OSU has basically the 5 you listed.

USC:

Nebraska

Oregon

Cal

Notre Dame

UCLA

Notre Dame:

Penn St.

Michigan

UCLA

USC

WVU:

Who cares... they play the simplest of teams. My highschool team could go against this competition. They play one ranked team?? Wow...

Auburn (not including South Carolina...That team is no way ready to handle the top of the SEC....Spurrier does not come onto the field and punt/kick/throw passes, etc. Only too much talent to be had over there):

LSU

Florida

Georgia

Alabama (its the Iron Bowl... only reason they are where they are)

SECCG

[aucanucktiger 1,796]

Last year for TX, notwithstanding, only Fulmer can lose any game @ any time w/ a major program more than Mack Brown (e.g. vs. Nebraska, A&M)

[saniflush 0]

I cannot believe that after the pillow fight Spurrier had on national tv last week anyone still thinks that they are good!

[Guest Tigrinum Major]

I, for one, refuse to participate in this kind of crazy talk.

I agree with Tim, let's take them one at a time.

[DKW 86 7,437]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14771759/

COMMENTARY

By Michael Ventre

MSNBC contributor

Updated: 3:10 p.m. CT Sept 10, 2006

Michael Ventre

Rarely is the ending of a mystery or thriller revealed at the beginning. It would ruin the suspense and eliminate any reason to read the darned thing in the first place.

Which brings us to the college football season of 2006 and the wake of Ohio State’s convincing 24-7 victory over Texas.

The rest of the slate from here on out should provide some mild amusement and perhaps even token conflict. But it will also be anticlimactic, because if all goes according to form, No. 1 Ohio State will play the winner of the Nov. 25 USC-Notre Dame clash in the national championship game on Jan. 8.

What’s that? Too soon to make such a proclamation? What about all the other teams with a legitimate crack at the top two BCS spots?

Well, what about them?

First, Ohio State showed against Texas that its young but talented defense is almost as formidable as its high-powered offense, which is saying something. Peruse the Buckeyes’ schedule from here on out and identify the opponent that will deter them.

Penn State? Exposed as a rebuilding work-in-progress by Notre Dame.

Iowa? Without Drew Tate, the Hawkeyes on Saturday looked like they couldn’t beat the Buckeyes’ scout team.

Michigan? Remember, Lloyd Carr is still there.

There is nobody. Barring an injury to one of Ohio State’s key players — most notably Troy Smith, but also receivers Ted Ginn Jr. or Anthony Gonzalez or even linebacker James Laurinaitis — the Buckeyes should have a clear path.

And so, theoretically, should Notre Dame and USC. The Irish got past its one pothole at Georgia Tech, and Saturday’s home date against the Wolverines potentially represents their final real tussle.

As for the Trojans, have you checked out the Pacific 10 conference teams this year? They’re like newly formed intramural clubs stepping up too high in class. They’re like the actors who didn’t make the cut for “Gridiron Gang.” My goodness, they’re like … Colorado! And the Trojans’ “toughest” conference foes, Cal and Oregon, have to visit the Coliseum. USC should get to the Notre Dame game unscathed.

There’s still the matter of whether Ohio State, Notre Dame and USC are 1-2-3 in the polls that long — as well as the BCS rankings — if it is perceived their paths are too easy and one of the SEC teams under them like Auburn, Florida or LSU wins out and is deemed worthy of a leap into the top three. But that’s unlikely, given the national respect those top three have.

In Sunday’s latest USA Today coaches poll, it was Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame, Auburn as 1-2-3-4. In the latest AP poll, it was Ohio State, Notre Dame, Auburn, USC. But that should change after Saturday’s lineup of key games, including Nebraska at USC and LSU at Auburn.

It’s hard to believe one game that takes place on September 9 can form the beginning, middle and end of a season. But Ohio State got it done, Texas didn’t, and the rest is already history.

Trophy talk

The Ohio State-Texas game may also have played a significant part in determining the winner of this year’s Heisman Trophy. It didn’t decide it outright, of course, but it set the tone.

Before, it was a one-man race. The hardware was Brady Quinn’s to lose, and that might still be the case.

But Saturday Troy Smith proved to be his equal, and now Quinn has some legitimate competition instead of players in the category of “others receiving votes.”

• Ohio State's Smith leapfrogs Quinn Heisman is now Quinn versus Smith, forget the rest...

Quinn played a terrific game against Penn State, but he might have actually been more impressive against Georgia Tech when the Irish were off their game, in a hostile environment and needing his leadership. Without Quinn, the Irish would have lost to Georgia Tech. Without Quinn against Penn State, the outcome would have been the same, just less severe.

Troy Smith played like a poised veteran in a season-defining game that received more advanced fanfare than any such contest in recent years. He completed big play after big play against a defense that was still stout despite the absence of cornerback Tarell Brown.

“Others receiving votes” played well also, notably Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma (165 rushing yards and two TDs against Washington) and Marshawn Lynch of Cal (139 yards, two TDs vs. Minnesota). But they have about as much chance to win it as Louisville’s Michael Bush, who is out for the year.

Quinn or Smith? It appears the primaries in this race are over.