The 2005 Tennessee Volunteers saved their season with an inspiring 30-27 win in overtime against LSU on Monday. There had to be plenty of doubting Thomases in the hills of Tennessee when the Vols were down 21-0 at the half. LSU was efficiently moving the ball down the field while Erik Ainge couldn't get anything going on offense. The vultures were circling the field, and the crowd was roaring — all that was left was for Tennessee to succumb to the pressure.
Phillip Fulmer then made one of the best decisions in his tenure at Knoxville — he inserted Rick Clausen into the offense. Clausen, who transferred from LSU to Tennessee to get a shot to play, led an unbelievable second half revival. Even Lazarus would have been impressed (I've gotta stop watching the History Channel) as Tennessee resurrected themselves and started performing on offense. Once Gerald Riggs crossed the goal line in overtime, victory was won, and I know it was sweet.
And did anyone see Fullabull, I mean Louisville, get smashed by South Florida? The Cardinals were full of something, as I was shocked at how slow they looked on Saturday. I saw defensive backs getting beat and not being able to take the angle against the obviously quicker South Florida receivers. The Bulls certainly bullied their way to an amazingly effortless 45-14 win.
Louisville's season reminds of those mass e-mails that get passed around on the internet. Is Microsoft really tracking my activity and going to pay me to forward this message? Am I really going to get bit by some Brazilian spider in the airport bathroom? Is Louisville really going to win the national championship? The answer is a definitive "no" to all three. I have to admit, columnists including myself across the country ranted and raved about this team, and people began to buy in. I'm sorry, America, but as Malcolm X said, "you've been bamboozled, hoodwinked, snookered, and led astray."
The NasDAQ
The race for the Heisman Trophy fluctuates week by week. The HeisDAQ will let you know whose Heisman "stock" is rising and falling.
1) Matt Leinart, QB USC (strong buy) — Leinart certainly looked human in the first half of the game against Oregon. Unfortunately for Duck fans, the kryptonite wore off at halftime and Leinart returned to his superhuman status and dissected his way through the Oregon defense. Leinart will be tested again at ASU, but I expect him to pass with flying colors.
2) Reggie Bush, RB/KR/PR USC (strong buy) — Well, my friends, we now have a race for the Heisman. Bush clearly showed last Saturday why he is the best player in the country. He made fellow alum Marcus Allen proud with an unbelievable 20-yard touchdown run where he reversed his field, made about six guys miss as he scampered into the end zone. He should have another banner week against ASU, who has no one that can cover him. Then again, does anybody?
3) Vince Young, QB Texas (buy) — The gap between the top two contenders and the rest of the field is beginning to widen. Young will have to put up excellent numbers this week against Missouri in order to affirm his other-worldly performance against Ohio State a couple of weeks ago.
4) Chris Leak, QB Florida (buy) — This guy flat-out gets the job done. If anyone's noticed, Urban Meyer has customized his spread offense to fit Leak's talent of throwing the ball down the field. Leak certainly did that against an overmatched Kentucky team by throwing for over 300 yards and four touchdowns. He will face a much stiffer test against Alabama this week, and he might be able to move up a slot with a repeat performance.
5) Laurence Maroney, RB Minnesota (buy) — Okay ,Laurence, you are definitely for real. Maroney's 46-carry, 217-yard day against Purdue put him in my top five, and he is in serious Heisman contention. The road to the trophy will not get any easier as he will face a tough defense in Penn State, but this guy has shown that he is more than ready to leave his imprint on the national landscape.
6) Brady Quinn, QB Notre Dame (buy) — Quinn kept his Heisman hopes alive with a solid showing against Washington on Saturday. Quinn and the Irish flattened former coach Ty Willingham's hope of an upset against his former employer. Quinn has an excellent chance of putting up solid numbers when he faces in-state rival Purdue this week. In order for Quinn to have any hopes of winning the Heisman, the Irish can't lose another game (yes, that means beating USC).
7) Drew Stanton, QB Michigan State (speculative buy) — Stanton reminded me of another Michigan State alum, Magic Johnson, on Saturday. Stanton got everyone involved and threw a couple of no-look passes as he put up some gaudy numbers against an obviously overmatched Illini team. I don't think he'll throw for 5 touchdowns against Michigan, but any type of victory will enhance his Heisman hopes at this point.
8) Sam Keller, QB Arizona State (buy) — Sam Keller is probably the best quarterback in the country that no one's heard of. He has an opportunity this week to be known as the best quarterback in the country. Keller has put up superb numbers this season, and he will face the ultimate test this Saturday against USC. If the Sun Devils shock the world and win, he moves up at least to the top five.
9) Gerald Riggs, RB Tennessee (buy) — I thought I heard the Tennessee playing Eminem in Gerald's locker room as the real Mr. Riggs stood up against LSU on Monday. Riggs began running downhill in the second half and help to engineer the dramatic comeback I highlighted earlier. Riggs will begin to ascend the rankings with more performances like this, and Ole Miss provides a great opportunity to pad his stats.
10) Reggie McNeal, QB Texas A&M (speculative buy) — McNeal makes his second appearance to the HeisDAQ top 10 after throwing for 300 yards in two consecutive games. McNeal has the talent and the senior leadership to be ranked higher, but until now, we haven't see enough output to keep him in the HeisDAQ. Well, he's back and his team's schedule gets much harder from now till December, so he has numerous chances to climb the ladder.
Dropped Out: Drew Tate, Iowa; Maurice Drew, UCLA
Others to Watch: D.J. Shockley, Georgia; Brian Calhoun, Wisconsin
Games to Watch/Picks to Click
In this section of Bluebook Notes, I highlight three of the best potential games for the next week. I will also give my pick as to who will come out victorious.
Season Record: 5-4 ATS; Last Week: 2-1 ATS
USC @ Arizona State (+16)
Arizona State is a fun team to watch, and Sam Keller will put up good numbers, but they have no shot at beating USC this week. Kush Stadium in Tempe is certainly not an intimidating venue, and Southern Cal fans will probably make up a decent number of those in attendance. USC has covered every spread this season, and ASU does not have the personnel to cover the multi-faceted Trojan attack. On the flip side, Arizona State will move the ball, but just not consistently enough to win the game. USC has also dominated this rivalry in the recent past, and as they say, "the trend is your friend."
University of Serious Contenders 49, Sun Bedeviled 24
Florida @ Alabama (+3 ½)
This is one of those rare times that I'm even stumped. Florida has played very well, and their defense has been one of the best seen in Gainesville in recent memory. However, if we look at the teams that they have played, none of them really posed much threat on offense. Of course, with Alabama, there is the same quandary. They look great on D, but have they really faced anyone that would challenge them there. In situations like this, I tend to go with the team with the superior personnel. In this case, that would be Florida. I think the Gators win, but Alabama should definitely keep it close.
Meyer For President 24, Low Tide 17
Notre Dame (+3) @ Purdue
The assumption with this spread is that Purdue is as good as Michigan State who beat the Irish by 3. I can't buy off on that at this point in the season, and I think the Irish will pull off the upset as well. Purdue hasn't beaten Notre Dame three straight times in almost 40 years and I don't see it happening now. Purdue has been exposed on the ground and I think the Irish running attack will take advantage of that.
Leprechauns 27, Boilemissing 20
Bonus: Oregon @ Stanford (+7)
There are certain spreads that you look at and say "this is how I'm going to put the down payment on my new Mustang." Well, my friends, this is one of them. In case you haven't heard, Stanford's home-opener was ruined by none other than Division I-AA, UC-Davis. Yes, the Cardinal lost at home to a team full of "Rudies." Oregon will murder Stanford and the spread will be covered in the first quarter. Yes, I will be betting "the Ducks on the farm."
Lewis and Clark U 35, Division I-AA Reject 14
The Mailbag
The mailbag is the final section of Bluebook Notes. This week's comes from Tom in San Diego.
Assuming USC stays ranked #1, who do you think among Texas, VT, LSU, Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Ohio State will wind up in the next three or four spots????
And if LSU beats Tennessee decisively, should they pop back up to #3?
Tom, I happened to participate in an collegiate poll, and on Sunday, I voted USC, Texas, Virginia Tech, LSU [gulp], and Florida in my top five . Of course, now that LSU has lost to Tennessee, this will shake up the rankings for next week.
Also, rankings are kind of a quirky beast. I say this because even though I feel that Texas is the second best team, I don't think that they would be the stiffest opponent for USC. In fact, Ohio State, the team I have currently ranked seventh has, in my opinion, the best chance for beating USC this year.
Their corps of A.J. Hawk, Anthony Schlegel, and Bobby Carpenter have proven to be the best in the country, and I think these guys just might have a shot at slowing down the Trojan offense. Of course, they are on the outside looking in right now, but with some help, they could be right back in the mix.
Thanks for the e-mail, Tom, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon!
Do you think that I'm "off my rocker," or did I hit the proverbial "nail on the head?" Let me know! Send an e-mail to [email protected] and include your name and hometown. I'll do my best to include it in the next week's column.
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