College Football Lessons: Week 6
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by The Beast
Sorry I'm a little late posting these but here they are.
1. USC Has an Identity Problem
After the Trojans' 24-23 upset loss to Stanford on Saturday, the critics come out of the closet, blaming USC's problems on everything from quarterback play to the band's performance. In reality the cause of USC's early season struggles is an identity problem. Under the Matt Leinart-Reggie Bush national championship teams of 2003 and 2004, the Trojans had a high-powered offenses that could score fifty points against any team. Currently, the Trojans lack the experience on offense to score fifty points a game and throw for more than thirty-five times. In reality, they are a power running team with a quarterback more suited to throwing a ten yard slant than a thirty yard wheel route. However, Head Coach Pete Carroll and Offensive Coordinator Steve Sarkisian refuse to believe that the Trojans are indeed a power running team. The days of Leinart and Palmer are still in recent memory, as they want the offense to throw numerous deep balls. At times they try to be too cute with the offensive playcalling and need to be a little more conservative. Their imaginative playcalling has led to turnovers and short drives which has left the defense on the field way too long.
Additionally, the Trojans have been uncharacteristically poor in regards to turnovers and penalties. Pete Caroll's USC teams have built a reputation on committing very few turnovers, while forcing several per game. However, this season, the Trojans rank last in the Pac Ten in turnover margin, and against Stanford, they committed an astounding, five turnovers. The penalties have also been a major issue, especially two weeks ago against Washington where they had sixteen penalties. It seems as if the team is not as disciplined and sharp as they it to be.
2. Wisconsin was Never a Top Ten Team
The Badgers were placed as a preseason top ten team but they clearly have not been worthy of such status. They have played average football this season, especially defensively, and it finally caught up to them Saturday in Champaign. While Tyler Donovan, P.J. Hill, and the rest of the offense have been solid so far, the defense has been absolutely horrible. They gave up a bunch of points to the Citadel and also allowed 34 points against Michigan State. If they are able to figure out some of the defensive holes than a top twenty-five finish isn't out of the question.
3. Matt Ryan is the Heisman Leader
The Heisman Trophy race is pretty much formulaic now: the top quarterback on a top five team. So far this season, Boston College's Matt Ryan fits the description the best. Boston College is now undefeated while being ranked fourth in the polls. If they can run the table, which is entirely possible in a weak ACC, then Ryan should be the Eagles's first Heisman Trophy winner since Doug Flutie in 1984.
4. Boise State deserves some Love
Let me make it clear that Boise State deserves to be ranked once again despite an early season loss to Washington. This is virtually the same team that went undefeated last year while beating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. During their loss to Washington they were were still trying to integrate their new personnel, specifically quarterback. Since then, the Broncos have been impressive with a big 55-0 win last Sunday against New Mexico State. While they are not going to crash the BCS again, the Broncos definitely deserve to be amongst the nation;s top twenty-five teams.
5. Louisville Could Miss a Bowl Game
At the beginning of the season, I thought that Louisville would be in the hunt for the Big East crown but now I am wondering if they can even make it to any bowl game this year. Last Friday, the Cardinals layed another, giving up 582 yards of offense in a 44-35 loss to Utah. Louisville has to win three more games to become bowl eligible and it will be a challenge for them to do so. They need to beat both Pittsburgh (2-3) and Rutgers (3-2) at home and then must beat at least one of the Big East "beasts" on the road. For the Cards, that means winning at Cincinnati (6-0), at UConn (5-0), at South Florida (5-0), or at West Virginia (5-1), to become bowl eligible.
