Oregon State Football

Week 7 means we are on the back end of the season. It feels like just yesterday when the season started.

This will be the break point for a few teams out there. If they lose, their season is officially a losing one—no bowl bid and home for the holidays.

Wednesday Oct. 13

UCF at Marshall

Much like last week's mid-week Conference USA game, it’s on, so I guess I will watch it.

Thursday Oct. 14

South Florida at West Virginia

Remember a couple years ago when this was like THE game of the Big East? Yeah, that’s kind of changed now.

Kansas State at Kansas

Kansas State will try to rebound after last week's debacle against Nebraska. Seems like after the first couple weeks, I haven’t heard much about Kansas this season.

Friday Oct. 15

Cincinnati at Louisville

More Big East. For the past few years, Louisville hasn’t been doing so well, while Cincinnati has been running through the conference.

Saturday Oct. 16

Illinois at Michigan State

Michigan State is having a tremendous start to the season and is 6-0. Illinois is suddenly a surprising team that could be capable of upsetting someone along the way.

Pitt at Syracuse

Syracuse is suddenly finding success that they haven’t had in years. Pitt isn’t quite where many thought they would be at this point in the season.

Maryland at Clemson

Picked by many to fall to the bottom of the ACC, Maryland is actually 1-0 in conference and 4-1 overall. Clemson, on the other hand, is 0-2 in the ACC and 2-3 overall.

Missouri at Texas A&M

Missouri is still undefeated at 5-0 but are coming up to the meat of their schedule. A&M would like to turn around their current two-game losing streak.

Miami (OH) at Central Michigan

Miami is actually in the MAC title picture just a year after going 1-11. Central Michigan is struggling a year after winning the conference.

Army at Rutgers

I am still interested to see Army get to a bowl. I don’t know if this one will help get them there, but it could be a fun game to watch.

Arkansas at Auburn

If this isn’t a shootout then I might just give up trying to be a fanalyst. Both of these teams are capable of putting up points, and this will go a long way toward SEC west standings.

Cal at USC

If it has been nearly a decade since USC has lost back-to-back conference games, I would assume it has been a while since they lost three in a row. Not saying it will happen, but it could.

Iowa at Michigan

I have to wonder if this is where Michigan really starts heading downhill. Not sure they have enough on both sides for Iowa.

Texas at Nebraska

At the start of the season, everyone pointed at this as a key game in the Big XII and in the national championship picture. Not so sure about all that now, but it still has the potential to be a pretty good game.

SMU at Navy

I think this one is the going to be one of the highest scoring games of the season.

Oklahoma State at Texas Tech

Oklahoma State is undefeated and rolling along. I am all about the kicking game with Bailey. I think Tech needs a bit more time under Tuberville before they are a true threat in the Big XII.

BYU at TCU

Normally this would be a key Mountain West matchup. BYU might be back on track, but for now, they still look like they are in a rebuilding year.

South Carolina at Kentucky

South Carolina finds themselves in the driver's seat in the SEC East, but after a huge win last week, there could be a letdown.

Kentucky might not appear to be a great team with a 0-3 SEC record and just a 3-3 mark overall, but they are capable of doing some stuff.

Utah at Wyoming

Everyone is focusing on TCU in the Mountain West, and it’s not like Utah is being completely ignored, but I think they are being underrated.

Iowa State at Oklahoma

Oklahoma State may be undefeated but they have done it in a rather inconsistent way. I don’t know that Iowa State has enough on their best day if Oklahoma is having one of their down days.

Ohio State at Wisconsin

The new No. 1 team in the country starts their run by going on the road to Wisconsin. Ouch.

Mississippi at Alabama

If Nick Saban has his potty mouth under control, now maybe we can get around to seeing how Alabama deals with a loss. Let’s just say I wouldn’t want to be Ole Miss this week.

Oregon State at Washington

I find if funny how a team that is 3-2 will have so much impact on the BCS due to how they affect the SOS for at least three of the teams currently ranked highly. Washington is still a team I can’t quite figure out.

Nevada at Hawaii

People forget about Hawaii and focus on Boise State and Nevada in the WAC. Even Fresno State gets more publicity, even though Hawaii is 2-0 in the WAC while Fresno is 1-1. Look for a shootout here.

Feels like I said that a lot this week. Shootouts across the country and the top scoring team, Oregon, isn’t even playing.

 

Me and My Big Mouth

Last week I proclaimed Alabama and everyone else would be the way the rest of the season would play out. I let the win over Florida convince me that Alabama was the best team in the country and that no one, SEC or otherwise, was close. I was wrong. I am not saying they aren’t still good or still one of the best but I guess there is now argument for who is the best.

Luck of the Tiger

Two weeks in a row now, LSU has pulled out a victory from near certain defeat.

First was the Tennessee mess up that allowed LSU another chance at the end zone and the win.

This week in the final minutes of the game, LSU was able to drive down the field, and with the clock running down, they scored the game-winning touchdown leaving just seconds on the clock. But this of course came with a fake field goal that may have been a forward pass. The fact that it was called a lateral, in my opinion, was kind of lucky.

And it isn’t just this year. Les Miles has a history of these kinds of wins. When will it run out?

No Luck Trojans

Two weeks in a row now, USC has had victory kicked away from them, literally.

Last week Washington did the same thing it did last year and beat the favored Trojans with no time left on the clock.

As if two consecutive years to the same team, in the same fashion wasn’t bad enough, Stanford went and made it two weeks in a row to a different team.

Last season Stanford blew the Trojans away; this season it was a lot closer. Stanford was down by one and 74 yards away from the end zone with just over a minute left. With four seconds left, they were only 12 yards away. On a chip shot they got the win as the clock hit 00:00, winning by two.

Shoelace

He is still good and will likely have a few more jaw dropping games and performances, but now we know he is human. He put up average numbers against Michigan State and was unable to win it all himself much the way he had before. This is another in the me and my big mouth series.

Undefeated match up, Michigan State vs. Ohio State…

Won't be seen this year. Now I am not saying both or even one will finish the season undefeated. It is a hard thing to do. But it could. And we, as fans will be robbed of seeing a potential matchup of any kind between these two teams.

There is, of course, the talk of these two being the only two undefeated teams at the end of the season and maybe meeting for the MNC but I wouldn’t put money on that.

Four Now, Two Later

The non auto qualifiers lately seem to be always coming down to the champions of the Mountain West and the WAC as the BCS busters. Normally it has been Boise State representing the WAC but let’s not forget Hawaii was there too. And the Mountain West is usually TCU or Utah.

This season Boise State is there again, as well as Utah and TCU. The fourth team is Nevada. This is the last game people expect to be a challenge for Boise State, and I would say the same the other way around too. Should these two meet both undefeated, the winner has a good track toward a BCS bowl while eliminating the other. TCU and Utah will do the same to each other before the seasons end for the Mountain West but will both have to face a few other challenges along the way.

Oregon State

Like a jet taking off so has been Oregon State football for the last few seasons. They start out slowly, losing games starting out around 2-2 and then pushing down on the gas and going 9-3.

They are doing it again. After losing, winning and losing again, they have started Pac-10 play 2-0 and now sit at 3-2. If history holds, they might lose another along the way to being right in the middle of the conference race down the stretch.

Dan Bailey for Groza

If Bailey doesn’t win this award, well, I don’t know what I will do but I am not too worried because I think he will win it.

Bailey is a perfect 32-for-32 on extra points and 11-for-11 on field goals. He hit two field goals over 50 yards and has four from between 40 and 49 yards.

Oklahoma State has a pretty good offense and will score points but they should still give him plenty of opportunities to continue showing what he is capable of.

Bowling

As we hit the halfway mark in the season, a handful of teams are now eligible for bowl games. With only six games having been played, there are no teams that cannot make bowls but I would think that it is a fairly safe bet on who won't make it.

The official bowl-eligible tally is at six—Auburn, LSU, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon, and TCU.

Of note, Nevada is at 6-0 but plays 13 games this season and so must finish 7-6 instead of the normal 6-6 to be eligible.

The Worst

We have a few answers. New Mexico State defeated New Mexico and FIU took care of Western Kentucky. It is very likely that these two will finish without a win this season and be candidates for the worst team of DIA football in 2010. Still also in the running, Akron and Eastern Michigan.

As we've seen in recent years, the Pac-10 Conference seems to be loaded with talent, yet they are somewhat absent in the national scene and AP Top 10 rankings. The main reason why? They are destroying themselves.

There hasn't been a clear-cut Pac-10 champion since the early 2000s when USC was the dominant force in the conference. Sure, the Trojans have been at the top for the better part of the decade, but it has been a close horse race since Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush left for the NFL, with USC still winning by a nose or tying until Oregon smelled roses last season.

In the last few years, the trend in the Pac-10 has been for one ranked program to knock out another ranked Pac-10 opponent, only for the victor to fall weeks later.

Believe it or not, for the Pac-10 to overcome the apparent "West Coast bias" and begin receiving legitimate national attention, there needs to be a clear cut champion, with a few ranked teams following in the shadows.

It's likely there are only two possible scenarios for this to happen in the Pac-10 this season: First, the University of Oregon will have to win every Pac-10 game it plays. So far, so good, but as we've seen in recent years, it's no small task.

The second option is one of the other highly ranked teams winning out, and Oregon fading. This is the more difficult plan, but it is possible.

For that team to rise in Oregon's fall, they would have to win early, and win continuously. If Oregon State pulls off the upset against Arizona this weekend in Tucson, they would owe the conference continued success. A surprise dominant force in the conference would attract plenty of media attention, on a much larger scale than Boise State in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). 

Imagine if Boise State played in a power BCS conference (which everyone is already thinking about), and they won out over teams like Ohio State, Alabama, or Oklahoma. There would be zero discussion regarding the Broncos ranking. 

Such is the case for teams like Oregon and Oregon State. Currently the Ducks are receiving plenty of attention in the national rankings and media, having gone undefeated to this point. But the Pac-10 schedule is still infantile, only three weeks in and the Ducks have only faced Stanford, then ranked No. 9 in the country.

Granted, the Ducks won large, but it just takes one or two matchups with talented teams that have done their homework, and the situation repeats itself.

Getting back to Oregon State, the program has played spoiler time and time again in years past. Their roster still features players that were on the team that defeated then-No. 1 USC at Reser Stadium in 2008, and in 2009 knocked out the Cal Bears. 

This season will have to be an enhanced story for the Beavers, as another 8-5 finish is nice, but may hurt the Pac-10 in terms of rankings and stature. 

It may not be the Beavers, it may even not be the Ducks, but the Pac-10 needs a clear-cut champion again. If Oregon State upsets Arizona, and they do stand a chance at it, they will have the responsibility of representing the conference, while already having two losses on national television.

The progression of sophomore QB Ryan Katz is encouraging, and running back Jacquizz Rodgers will have momentum entering Saturday, but this game may come down to Mike Riley's defensive line applying pressure on Arizona QB Nick Foles.

The game, and the remainder of the Pac-10 season may just hinder on this game as it floats largely under the radar.

Catch the matchup this Saturday, Oct. 9 at 6:00 pm ET on Versus. 

Despite missing their star wide receiver in James Rodgers, Oregon State generated plenty of offense to keep ahead of the defense in an impressive 31-28 victory over a talented Arizona State team.

However, the Beavers have just begun to run the gauntlet. This Saturday, OSU faces yet another AP Top 10 team, the Arizona Wildcats. 

Arizona is undefeated (4-0), and unpredictable. They have proven themselves tough in a gritty 34-27 victory over No. 17 Iowa, but then appeared dazed and confused against Cal, winning a low-scoring affair by one point, 10-9, at home.

In any event, the old phrase "a win is a win" remains valid and the Wildcats will present an uphill battle for Oregon State in the desert. 

Going into the game against the Sun Devils, the Beavers knew they would be challenged by a passing game ranked fifth in the country.

OSU's secondary stepped up to the challenge, forcing ASU QB Steven Threet to throw three interceptions and the turnovers were a huge part of the Beavs' defenses successes.

A repeat performance will likely be necessary, and inducing turnovers may be the Beavers' only chance at stopping another high-powered passing attack.

Arizona is ranked eleventh in the nation averaging 301 yards per game; the Wildcats' defense is also stingy, allowing just 11 points per game.

Oregon State didn't fare well against a top ranked defense, losing to TCU while the offense was still finding out what worked and what failed miserably. The Black and Orange ranks a dismal 95th in the country in points against, allowing almost 31 points per contest. That number is right where the Wildcats are comfortable, scoring 34 a game.

It's hard to ignore the numbers, which show Arizona allows a number of points scored in the ballpark of what the Beavers produce and score what the Beavers allow.

Arizona is 4-0, and Oregon State is 2-2, so for the Beavs, "something's gotta give."

That something may be the increased play of Beavers QB Ryan Katz, who improved his completion percentage while racking up 260 yards and connecting for two touchdowns; running back Jacquizz Rodgers also returned to form, running for 145 yards, 74 of them on one run in route to the end zone.

The focus will continue to be on defense for Oregon State, as the offense has begun to solidify. The linebacker core has come under heavy scrutiny and will have something to prove against a potent Arizona offense.

Look for the Beavers to be embroiled in another high-scoring affair, as Wildcats QB Nick Foles battles it out with Katz. Foles will likely win head-to-head, as OSU will protect Katz with several handoffs to Rodgers. 

James Rodgers' return will be anticipated and a big boost to the morale of the team and to the play-calling.

Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, October 9 at 6:00 pm EST in Tucson, AZ. The game will be airing on Versus.

As Oregon State enters the Pac-10 football schedule, the program is reeling following a high-powered loss to Boise State on the blue turf.

Followers of the Beavers knew it would a tough to come out flawless against one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. That fear has been realized for OSU, going 1-2 in the first three games while facing two AP Top 5 teams (TCU, Boise State). 

Coming into this Saturday, four Pac-10 teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 (#4 Oregon, #9 Stanford, #14 Arizona, #18 USC), and Arizona State is no pushover either. The Sun Devils too are victims of tough scheduling, having narrowly lost to #11 Wisconsin on a blocked extra point, and showing up well against Oregon in their Pac-10 opener. 

Both schools will be looking to turn things around, and another loss for either program may spell the end of a Top 25-caliber season.

For the Beavers, another overall loss may spell disaster. The team will only see a tougher road as the schedule plays out, and a loss to unranked ASU won't impress pollsters. 

Adding insult to injury, literally, the Beavers may be without star wide out James Rodgers, who suffered a concussion in a helmet-to-helmet collision with Boise State safety Winston Venable. Venable has since been suspended by the NCAA.

Despite their losing record, Oregon State is showing signs of life. Sophomore QB Ryan Katz's passes have looked more crisp as of late, and the Beavers offense has began to pick up the pace. However, the defense looks lost. Boise State QB Kellen Moore picked apart the secondary last week en route to around 250 yards before halftime.

Arizona State's offense features a similar passing attack. The Sun Devils are ranked fifth in the nation in passing yards, racking up 325 yards per game. Junior QB Steven Threet 1,228 yards and eight touchdowns in 2010, and the receivers around him have plenty of talent.

The bright side for Oregon State? Threet has thrown seven interceptions to compliment his eight touchdowns, including four against the University of Oregon. The Ducks forced Threet into bad decisions, a feat the Beavers will have to accomplish to keep the Sun Devils at bay.

Threet put up 53 passing attempts against the Ducks, and is the only major piece of the Sun Devils offense. If the Beavs expect to compete, their struggling secondary will have to put on a similar performance to the Ducks and make it count.

Additionally, Jacquizz Rodgers has been largely a non-factor this season. He began the year on the radar as a Heisman candidate, but has been shut down by two highly capable and speedy defenses. He will need to bounce back against a weak ASU defense, or the offensive load will once again be placed on the shoulders of Katz.

If Oregon State cannot defeat Arizona State this weekend, they will likely set the pace for the rest of their Pac-10 schedule, and it won't look good...

The Western Athletic Conference today took the rare action of suspending Bosie State Bronco linebacker, Winston Venable for unsportsmanlike conduct stemming from a helmet-to-helmet hit that left an Oregon State player motionless and unconscious on the field.

In subsequent plays, Venable was seen to be leading with his helmet and was called for a personal foul. The one-game suspension was reduced to a half game after a review by a WAC committee.

This is the second significant action taken against Boise State in the past three seasons for unsportsmanlike conduct. In 2008, Bronco Jeron Johnson was ejected from a game against Oregon for a helmet-to-helmet hit. Three Oregon players left that game due to injuries sustained in questionable plays including then-quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who suffered a concussion.

In 2009, Venable was penalized for a helmet-to-helmet hit delivered against a Fresno State quarterback.

Also in 2009, a BSU player, Byron Hout, was punched by Oregon running back LeGarrett Blount after taunting him. Hout was suspended for one game by coach Chris Peterson.

Today's suspension and the publicity the incident has received could not be worse for the Broncos, who are hoping that an undefeated season will lead to an opportunity to play for the national championship.

An article appearing in the Idaho Statesman just days before the game against Oregon State described Boise's love of "smash mouth football."

The Boise State Broncos remain undefeated, and continue their quest for a shot at the BCS Championship after a penalty marred game on Saturday in Boise. Failing to beat the spread, the Broncos struggled at times with sloppy play and penalties.

With eight penalties for 58 yards, Boise State was a combination of potent offense, stifling defense, and costly miscues.

In a very worrisome moment, Oregon State receiver James Rodgers was left motionless and unconscious on the field after a devastating blind helmet-to-helmet hit by Boise's Winston Venable. Yanked from the game, Rodgers appeared confused on the sidelines. The incident sparked tensions on both teams, and a series of unsportsmanlike conduct calls and personal fouls followed. BSU gave up 30 yards and a TD as a direct result.

The hit by Venable was not penalized. But Oregon State certainly was by the loss of Rodgers, who had earlier scored a TD on a kickoff return.

Reminiscent of the game against Oregon in 2008 when Bronco Jeron Johnson was ejected for helmet-to-helmet hits, BSU's reputation as a physical team is becoming legendary. BSU knocked three players out of that game with bell-ringing head shots, including then QB Jeremiah Masoli en route to a close victory.

With Venable's hit, it is becoming obvious that the Broncos have taken physical play to a new and very dangerous level, relying upon it as a key component of their winning formula.

Johnson's 2008 hit sparked complaints to WAC and the NCAA officials about BSU's use of helmet-to-helmet hits, and resulted in increased penalty calls afterward. Brain injuries among football players are increasingly being recognized in the medical literature and helmet-to-helmet hits may be a contributing factor.

Before someone is killed or paralyzed, the NCAA should once again take measures to curtail such hits.

BSU is solidifying their brand. They are now becoming nationally known as a very well-coached, terrific football team. Gone are the days when they were cute underdogs with an arsenal of trick plays.

The Broncos are now etching their mark as a taunting and physical team, so physical in fact that they are leaving players unconscious on the field, dazed on the sidelines and out of the game.