It was the head-scratcher of the year. It left me speechless, and that's extremely hard to do. But that's just Les Miles for you. The LSU coach did it again on Saturday. With the Tigers down to Tennessee, 14-10, with just under 30 seconds left in the game, the bizarre occurred. If you follow college football, you know by now about Miles' absurdly bad clock management skills, the 13th Volunteer, and as confusing and lucky a win as the Tiger program has ever had.
This is what you get with the coach nicknamed the "Mad Hatter." It's the same man who failed to get his team together for a spike of the ball at Ole Miss last year, which led to a missed opportunity for a chip shot field goal attempt to win that game. But it's also the same man whose team converted 13-of-16 fourth down plays when they rode his emotion and gut to the national title back in 2007.
These Jekyll and Hyde personas have also infiltrated some of the nation's most recognized teams. Coming into the halfway point of the regular season, many teams with high expectations have been "Maddening" to their fan bases. On the flip side, several programs have seen an uptick, showing signs of "Mad Genius." So, in each of the power conferences, who's tiptoeing through the Mad Scale?
ACC
Maddening: Virginia Tech
The loss to Boise State was possible, if not expected by some. But then Frank Beamer's squad went home to lick their wounds and opened up the gashes even more. A 21-16 loss to James Madison made everyone's eyes bug out. So what do they do to regroup? Crush East Carolina, shut out Boston College in Chestnut Hill, and run away from NC State in Raleigh. The Hokies seem to have steadied themselves, but the first two results couldn't have left Blacksburg residents staring at the brightest of futures.
Mad Genius: NC State
This might be seen as a reversal of reality after this weekend's contest between the Wolfpack and the Hokies, but Tom O'Brien seems to finally have a foothold in the Research Triangle. QB Russell Wilson had led State to their first AP ranking since 2003. However, even with the loss, O'Brien has this squad well on their way to a second bowl appearance in three years (and a better one than the PapaJohns.com Bowl). The two toughest hurdles figure to be BC and Florida State, both at home.
Big East
Maddening: Everybody except Louisville and South Florida
To be fair, Pittsburgh (at Utah, vs. Miami), West Virginia (at LSU), Connecticut (at Michigan), and Cincinnati (vs. Oklahoma) have dropped some tough games. But aren't these the games you're supposed to win if you want to establish some respect as a conference? Add those losses to ones against Fresno State and Temple, plus Syracuse getting housed by Washington, and you have a recipe for disaster — or even worse — mediocrity.
Mad Genius: Louisville
A 2-2 team? Really? When you've got a first-year head coach (Charlie Strong) and your losses were by a touchdown to both Kentucky and Oregon State (in Corvallis), you've got a leg up on this batch of competitors.
Big Ten
Maddening: Minnesota
Trust me, the record is only the tip of the iceberg. I live in the Twin Cities, and the wrath gets more palpable from loss to loss. The Gophers hung with USC. They were one drive from beating Northwestern. But, beginning with South Dakota, Goldie hasn't tasted victory in over a month. Minnesota now hits the road for the second time this year. Good news...the Gophers' lone win was on the road. Bad news...Middle Tennessee State isn't quite the team Wisconsin is.
Mad Genius: Michigan and Michigan State
Rich Rodriguez has been Denard Robinson's biggest fan, and the head Wolverine has reaped the benefits. It's taken a Heisman Trophy candidate to revive the "Hail" to their victories, but there is a long road to hoe for them. That all starts this upcoming weekend against their in-state rivals.
Speaking of...the Spartans simply made this list with their gutsy fake field goal to beat Notre Dame in overtime. But to have a team rally after their coach has a mild heart attack is awesome. The cherry came last weekend, when Sparty beat one of the three upper-tier squads in the conference. MSU has been good the last few years, but they just couldn't get that signature win over a team like the Badgers. If they beat the Maize and Blue this week, there could be whispers that this might be the year.
Big 12
Maddening: Texas and Kansas
Texas has tons of tradition, a huge fan base, and some championship trophies to boot. What the Longhorns don't have is a running game. Actually, UT hasn't had much of one for the last three seasons. Sure, Colt McCoy was basically a hybrid runner, but there wasn't anyone else to take the load off of the all-everything quarterback. And when the Longhorns ran into a team with a concentrated run attack (UCLA), they couldn't hold on to the ball, creating a whirlwind of a beating. Now, with a loss to Oklahoma and a matchup with Nebraska next, Bevo could have a lengthy wait between wins.
Meanwhile, Turner Gill has gotten off to a rough start in Lawrence. The Jayhawks have alternated losses and wins. The wins include a shocking victory over then-top-15 Georgia Tech. The losses ... well. North Dakota State, Southern Miss, and Baylor aren't a Steel Curtain of college football (and they got routed by the Bears). With Colorado and Iowa State scoring somewhat surprising wins in their last efforts, this could be a last-place season for KU.
Mad Genius: Texas A&M
After an appearance in the 2009 Independence Bowl, the Aggies continue to show life in 2010. Despite a close loss at Oklahoma State, A&M, behind QB Jerrod Johnson, will give their other conference opponents problems. This week's contest against Arkansas could lend us a surprise, as well.
Pac-10
Maddening: UCLA and Cal
Okay. Lose the opener in bruising fashion at Kansas State. Get shutout at home to Stanford. Then knockout the high-flying Houston Cougars and shock top-10 stalwart Texas in Austin. That's the way you draw up 2-2, right? Maybe this is the year that the Bruins will move up in the conference's order of stature. I just don't know which side to trust yet.
A lot could be told Saturday when UCLA goes to Cal. The Golden Bears did what they needed to do early. They crushed UC-Davis and blew away Colorado. Then it all went south. They let up 50-plus to Nevada and couldn't score on Arizona's defense. Now Cal has one of those games that Jeff Tedford seems to have grown famous for winning. Backs are against the wall, and wheels are threatening to fall off. One thing is certain: one of these Bears will come out of this tilt with sharper claws and nastier teeth ... supposedly.
Mad Genius: Arizona
Oregon was picked to be the class of the conference at the beginning of the year. But on September 18th, it was the Wildcats that had the best win-to-date, beating (and beating up) Iowa in the desert. Now that the Ducks have pushed Stanford aside, it might be up to the ‘Cats to spoil an Oregon repeat. Several obstacles are still visible on the way to such a blockbuster, but Arizona should be favored until they get to their game at Stanford on November 6th.
SEC
Maddening: LSU and Ole Miss
The Bayou Bengals have all the angina they need with Miles at the helm. LSU may be 5-0, but they are far from impressive. They let North Carolina back into the season opener, were flat offensively against West Virginia, and we don't need to go back into the Tennessee debacle/sudden victory. Next up is Florida ... in Gainesville ... coming off a drubbing. Yikes.
The Rebels have had their share of headaches, including a loss against Vanderbilt. But that wasn't the worst defeat in Oxford. Most of the pain stems back to opening weekend. The whole conversation during the week related to the eligibility of transfer QB Jeremiah Masoli. But late Saturday afternoon, everything turned to the stunning result on the field by Jacksonville State. And if you don't quite remember, Ole Miss led JSU in this game by 21 ... at halftime. After that, a loss to the Commodores actually is a step up.
Mad Genius: Auburn
Is it just me, or did Gene Chizik pull a Clark Kent when his plane took off from Iowa State and landed him back at his former employer two years ago? The Tigers of the Plains are one of the hot properties across the country. Cameron Newton is making good of his second stint in the SEC. But to continue on that momentum, these guys need to get off to better starts. Against Clemson and South Carolina, Auburn needed to come from behind starting the second half. I guarantee these Tigers won't enjoy eating any dust if they trail Arkansas, LSU, or Alabama.
There are other notable teams from the other conferences that can fit into these categories. For every Air Force, Miami (OH), San Diego State, and UTEP that's a "Mad Genius," there's a BYU or Central Michigan that might be a bit "Maddening." But there's only one "Mad Hatter." And if your team doesn't have him roaming the sidelines, that should be good for at least five extra seasons of health that LSU fans may not benefit from.
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