Wednesday Night Football

#23 Ball State (10-0) at Central Michigan (8-2)

(Wednesday, 6 pm, ESPN)
This game features two of the best junior quarterbacks in the nation. Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour put up Tim Tebow-like numbers a year ago, running and passing for a combined 46 touchdowns. His production has dropped off significantly this season, but he is still capable of putting the Chippewas on his back and carrying them to victory.

Ball State’s Nate Davis is one of the leading candidates for the Faulk Trophy. His steady play has led the Cardinals to a perfect 10-0 record despite the loss of the best receiver in the MAC, Dante Love, who suffered a severe spine injury in the fourth game of the season.

Without Love in the lineup, head coach Brady Hoke has leaned more on the running game than expected. MiQuale Lewis responded to the challenge in a big way, with his 1,273 yards and 17 td pacing the MAC’s top rushing attack.

The Ball State offensive line has been excellent in 2008 so far, but they’ll have their hands full trying to block Frank Zombo. The senior Chippewa pass rusher has 8 sacks, which matches the total the Cardinals line has allowed all season.

If Zombo can break through and cause some disruption in the backfield, it will take a lot of pressure off the porous CMU secondary. The Chippewas allow a league-worst 273.7 yards passing per game, which isn’t good going up against one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.

One other chance Central has for generating some momentum is the play of Antonio Brown. Not only does Brown lead the team in receptions, he’s also one of the top punt returners around.

Overall I give Ball State the edge. Despite the fact that the game will be played in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, Hoke has the better overall team in all three phases of the game. The Cardinals don’t beat themselves, and I don’t believe the Chippewa defense will be able to contain Nate Davis.
J.Pike’s Pick: Ball State 31, Central Michigan 23

Will Muschamp News

Big news out of Austin this afternoon: Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, one of the hottest commodities on the Coaching Carousel, isn't going anywhere.

Mack Brown announced today that Muschamp will remain on staff as the defensive coordinator, and will eventually replace Brown as the head coach when he decides to retire. [LINK]

This is big news because Muschamp has been linked to a number of open jobs (Clemson and Tennessee to name two). He's such a hot commodity because he has consistently coordinated great defenses over the last several years, including the national championship defense at LSU in 2004.

I'm sure the rest of the Big XII wasn't as happy with this news as the people in Austin.

Mack Brown still has eight years left on his contract, and said he has no plans of retiring in the immediate future. That means there is still plenty of time for Muschamp to change his mind. Personally, I believe he'll stay in Austin because the Texas job is one of the top gems in the coaching world - 95% of all coaches would kill for it. Even if Muschamp has to wait eight years, he'll only be 46 years old when he gets the job. And taking over the Texas job when you're 46 is a pretty sweet gig.

Even if he does end up getting wooed to go somewhere else in a couple years, at least he drove up his price a little bit. And Texas will get at least a couple more years of great defenses out of him.

News & Notes

*BYU could be without two key starters on offense Saturday night when they take on undefeated rival Utah. All-Mountain West offensive lineman Ray Feinga is listed as questionable due to a lower back strain. Tight end Dennis Pitta, a big part of the passing game with 76 receptions for 992 yards (3rd best in the conference), is also listed as questionable due to a sprained knee. If both of these players aren't able to play, it could spell big trouble against the stout Ute defense.

*North Carolina head coach Butch Davis has opened up the quarterback job again. T.J. Yates, the starter until a broken left ankle caused him to miss the last 7 games, is now healthy enough to play. Cam Sexton went 4-2 in his absence, but his struggles against Maryland caused Davis to re-evaluate the position. I expect Yates to win his job back and lead the Tarheels the rest of the way.

*Steven Threet probably won't be available for Michigan this weekend thanks to a shoulder injury. The reeling Wolverines take on bitter rival Ohio State, and they will be forced to go with Nick Sheridan at quarterback. With a 3-8 record already guaranteeing this to be the worst season in the program's history, Threet's injury can't be considered much more than par for the course this year.

*Notre Dame will be without two starters for the next two games. Freshman wide receiver Michael Floyd and middle linebacker Brian Smith both suffered knee injuries in the win against Navy Saturday. Smith was the team's fourth leading tackler, but Floyd is the more damaging loss. The rangy freshman is easily one of the best skill players the Domers have had in years and he has already had a notable impact on the offense.

*Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer is electing to start Jonathan Crompton at quarterback. The Vols travel to face in-state rival Vanderbilt this weekend, who happen to have one of the most talented secondaries in the SEC. I have a feeling it won't take long for Compton to get yanked for poor play once again.

*Finally, here's some early news for the Ball State/Western Michigan game in a couple of weeks. Two time All-MAC cornerback Londen Fryar might miss what could be an epic matchup due to a toe injury. The injury caused him to miss last week's game against Toledo, but the Broncos have a bye week and hope he can recover in time.

BP25 Week of 11/17

1 Alabama Crimson Tide IDLE
That Defense is the real thing and give Mr Coffee some love.
2 Florida Gators vs The Citadel
Giving the SEC the nod this week, Urban Meyer is the bully at the schoolyard poor Spurrier no more lunch money. Also will the Gators Score 100 this week against the Citadel?
3 Texas Tech Red Raiders At #9 Oklahoma
This will be the toughest game so far and lets see Tech outside of Lubbock. Maybe that soft early season schedule will come back to haunt.
4 Texas Longhorns IDLE
Shredded Jabba's Jayhawks but will have to wait their turn and wait for a team to slip.
5 Georgia Bulldogs IDLE
I know they have to losses but its to #1 and #2!
6 Utah Utes vs #18 BYU
One more game till Cinderella shows up. BCS machine will be hurting this year.
7 USC Trojans IDLE
Looking better and better every week, seem to be peaking but PAC-10 is horrible so strength of schedule catching up with them.
8 Boise St Broncos AT Nevada
Biggest game since Oregon and the Wolfpack has been playing better lately, BCS is praying Nevada wins.
9 Oklahoma Sooners vs #3 Texas Tech
Sooners have their first big game since losing to Texas and they are playing their best football right now. This game will be epic.
10 Ohio St Buckeyes vs Michigan
This Defense is the best in the nation, Wolverines and Richie Rich Rodriguez will have their hides tanned.
11 Penn St Nittany Lions vs #12 Michigan St.
Will this be Joe Pa's last regular season game? The Spartans may make that happen.
12 Michigan St Spartans AT #11 Penn St.
Javon Ringer will be leaned on heavily against the stout Penn St D, another great matchup!
13 Ball St Cardinals AT #24 C Michigan
First Test for the Cards, BCS wants this story to end also.
14 Oklahoma St Cowboys IDLE
Sitting on the sideline waiting for the Sooners, Dez Bryant is incredible.
15 Missouri Tigers IDLE
Chase and Co. have been looking like Missouri lately.
16 Cincinnati Bearcats vs #17 Pittsburgh
Tony Pike continues his heisman push.
17 Pittsburgh Panthers AT #16 Cincinnati
Another big game with alot on the line, Will Lesean McCoy show up?
18 BYU Cougars AT #6 Utah
The Soft Cougars will pay the hard nose Utes, but anything can happen...
19 N Carolina Tar Heels vs NC St
Another upset by Maryland and they face the suddenly better Wolfpack, watch out for Robert Wilson
20 TCU Horned Frogs vs Air Force
Which Horned Frog team will show up? If they care this will be a route.
21 Miami Hurricanes AT Georgia Tech
The Young Canes will be facing a very tired Ga Tech.
22 LSU Tigers vs Ole Miss
The Tigers really need to pad that resume, Troy gave them all they can handle but it showed they still have something in the tank
23 Oregon St Beavers AT Arizona
Maybe one of the hottest teams going right now, but Desert may claim another victim in their search for a bowl
24 C Michigan Chippewas vs #13 Ball St.
Are they deserving of a spot we will see this weekend.
25 Boston College Eagles AT Wake Forest
This Defense is for real, still not sold on Frazier Crane.

Florida St AT Maryland
W Michigan IDLE
Georgia Tech vs #21 Miami
Virginia Tech vs Duke
Nebraska IDLE
UCONN AT South Florida
Oregon IDLE
Maryland vs Florida St.
S Carolina IDLE
Tulsa vs Tulane

Does the Mountain West Exist?

If a game is to be played between two top 25 teams, but it’s going to be on a channel 99% of America doesn’t get, does the game actually exist?

I have professed my affinity for the Mountain West on this site before, and I still think it is a better league top-to-bottom than the Big East this year. But it’s getting harder and harder to defend the league from the slam jobs going on in the national media.

Popular opinion is that Utah, if they go undefeated has no business playing in a BCS bowl game. Most casual college football fans see the league as being on par with the WAC. I disagree. If you’re going to give the Big East and ACC champs a spot in the BCS this year, then Utah more than deserves a bid if they go undefeated. In fact, I’ll take it a step further and say that the Mountain West champ – even with a loss – is more deserving of a BCS bid than the ACC or Big East champ.

The problem is I have a hard time convincing anybody of this (including myself) because there are never any Mountain West games on television. It’s hard to commit to defending the league when I never actually get to see any of its teams play. Even inferior leagues like the MAC and WAC have tv contracts far better than what the Mountain West has.

Here’s some proof: Potentially the biggest game in the conference’s history will be played Saturday night between 8th ranked Utah (11-0), and 24th ranked BYU (10-1). However the game is set to be televised by some network called “The Mtn.” [LINK]. Do you get this network? Have you ever heard of it? I answered “no” to those questions, and I follow these sorts of things pretty closely.

It’s an abomination to me that this game won’t be on a channel that anybody gets, but it’s even worse that it isn’t going to be streamed on the internet for free. That means Utah/BYU won’t be seen by anybody outside the 45,000 or so at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Even the die hard college football fans that go out of their way to try to find it will most likely not get to watch.

There have been some rumblings this fall of the Mountain West making a case to become an official member of the BCS. I’m not sure how they plan to make a move of this magnitude without at least a little bit of support from the casual football fan.

If the Mountain West wants to gain some legitimacy among casual fans, they have to get some of their games on channels the rest of the world has heard of. I'm not saying they should sell their soul like the MAC and play games on Tuesday and Wednesday every week, but at least make big games like Utah/BYU available for free online so that people like me who have an interest can watch and spread the word.

JP25 Update

In a week that featured virtually no upsets (other than in ACC country), there is little reason to shake up my top 25. Alabama took care of business against pesky Mississippi State while Texas and Florida proved they are both deserving title game contestants should Texas Tech or the Crimson Tide falter.

USC finally showed a little heart in the second half against Stanford. After sleepwalking through the past three seasons, the Trojans finally looked like they actually cared about winning a game rather than padding their NFL resumes. I still don't think they are a top five team, but the fact that they are playing with a fire now makes them dangerous.

Speaking of the Pac-10, why haven't I ranked Oregon State until now? That's a pretty good team.

Is anybody going to step up and take control of the ACC? The frontrunners in that conference are dropping like flies, only to re-emerge two or three weeks later. Is North Carolina the top dog? Is it Maryland? Miami? Boston College, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Virginia Tech and even Virginia and Wake Forest all still have a chance to win the conference. And we're getting toward the end of November now!

How weird is it that one of the three teams completely out of the running in the ACC race is Clemson? In the preseason it looked like Clemson was head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. I guess that's why they play the games. That's also probably part of the reason Tommy Bowden isn't patrolling the sideline any more.

Top 25 (last week, record)
1. Texas Tech (1, 10-0)
2. Alabama (2, 11-0)
3. Texas (3, 10-1)
4. Florida (4, 9-1)
5. Oklahoma (5, 9-1)
6. USC (7, 9-1)
7. Penn State (6, 10-1)
8. Georgia (8, 9-2)
9. Ohio State (9, 9-2)
10. Utah (10, 11-0)
11. Oklahoma State (11, 9-2)
12. Boise State (12, 10-0)
13. Missouri (14, 9-2)
14. Oregon State (NR, 7-3)
15. Michigan State (18, 9-2)
16. TCU (17, 9-2)
17. Pittsburgh (22, 7-2)
18. Maryland (NR, 7-3)
19. North Carolina (15, 7-3)
20. Miami (NR, 7-3)
21. LSU (13, 7-3)
22. Georgia Tech (19, 7-3)
23. Boston College (23, 7-3)
24. Oregon (24, 8-3)
25. Cincinnati (25, 8-2)

Dropped Out: California (16), Florida State (20), Virginia Tech (21)

Just Missed the Cut: Ball State (10-0), Virginia Tech (6-4), BYU (10-1), California (6-4), Nebraska (7-4), Florida State (7-3), West Virginia (6-3), Northwestern (8-3), Iowa (7-4)

Week Twelve Results

B.PIKE

Against The Spread
Midweek Games: 3-4 (42.9%)
Saturday: 25-16-1 (60.7%)

Week Twelve Total: 28-20-1 (58.2%)
SEASON TOTAL: 294-275-11 (51.6%)

J.PIKE

Straight Up
Midweek Games: 2-0 (100%)
Top 25 Picks: 12-4 (75%)
Under the Radar: 1-2 (33.3%)

Week Twelve Total: 15-6 (71.4%)
SEASON TOTAL: 253-95 (72.7%)

Against The Spread
Locks: 2-1 (66.7%)
Other Picks: 4-3 (57.1%)

Week Twelve Total: 6-4 (60%)
SEASON TOTAL: 71-69-1 (50.7%)
SEASON TOTAL ("Locks"): 32-23 (58.2%)