Monday, October 27, 2003

By Pete Aldrich, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

That exhaling sound you're still hearing -- some would describe it as a "whew" -- is coming from Bowl Championship Series officials, who are breathing again after finally getting Northern Illinois out of their hair.

With the season closing in on November, the BCS has exactly what it wants: two unbeaten teams -- Oklahoma and Miami -- at the top of the heap. If those two win out, they will play for the national title in the Sugar Bowl. And there will be no argument. Sort of like last season, when Ohio State and Miami ran the table to set up a clear-cut championship game in the Fiesta Bowl.

At this rate, we can just keep hitting the snooze bar until January.

But the sweating is far from over for those computer whizzes meddling in the race for No. 1. A regular-season loss by Oklahoma (unlikely), Miami (possible) or both (forget it), and the BCS is going to have one fine mess on its hands. Should one of the two unbeatens stumble, we'll be left with a bunch of real good one-loss teams -- and plenty of fodder for heated discussions -- worthy of a shot at the Sugar Bowl.

By the way, if I failed to mention TCU, the other unbeaten team in Division I-A, it wasn't an accident. The Horned Frogs are 8-0 and ranked No. 15, but they shouldn't waste their time with any us-against-the-BCS speeches -- not when they've played a laughable non-conference schedule (Navy, Vanderbilt and Arizona). And they didn't exactly help their case Saturday, when they allowed 684 yards in a 62-55 victory against Houston. Enjoy the Liberty Bowl.

Northern Illinois could have caused the biggest headache for the BCS, but the Huskies' Cinderella story ended abruptly with a 34-18 loss at Bowling Green. And speaking of Bowling Green, why had it been playing second fiddle to Northern Illinois in the Mid-American Conference in the first place? The Falcons are 7-1 -- with the lone defeat coming by a touchdown at Ohio State -- and own a road victory against Purdue.

Things could get more interesting as soon as Saturday, which is shaping up to be the biggest day of the season. Forget about Separation Saturday from Oct. 11; this is even better:

No. 14 Oklahoma State at No. 1 Oklahoma: Before you say no way, remember that less-heralded Cowboys teams knocked off the Sooners the past two seasons.

No. 2 Miami at No. 10 Virginia Tech: This would have been the game of the year in the regular season, but the Hokies put a damper on it with an incredibly lame effort in a 28-7 loss at West Virginia. Still, this appears to be the most dangerous game for the Hurricanes, who also face Tennessee at home and Pitt on the road down the stretch.

No. 6 Washington State at No. 3 Southern California: If the Trojans win, they'll maintain their status as the nation's best-looking one-loss team (and we're not just talking about those slick uniforms).

No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 23 Florida (at Jacksonville): The Bulldogs have much more on the line than the Gators in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. A victory keeps them atop the Southeastern Conference East Division and on track to play in the league title game, where they could get a chance to avenge their lone loss to LSU.

No. 11 Michigan at No. 9 Michigan State: Even if the Spartans win, their road to the Big Ten title will be a rugged one with upcoming games at Ohio State and Wisconsin.

No. 12 Nebraska at No. 16 Texas: The one-loss Cornhuskers face an uphill climb in the BCS standings, but they are in line to win the Big 12 North and reach the league championship game, where they likely would get a shot at top-ranked Oklahoma.

There are three other one-loss teams not involved in marquee matchups this week but still with a chance to remain in the title hunt. No. 5 Florida State is at Notre Dame; No. 7 LSU, coming off an impressive 31-7 dismantling of Auburn, gets a breather against Louisiana Tech; and No. 8 Ohio State plays at Penn State.

Game balls go to ...

Missouri quarterback Brad Smith. Quarterbacks aren't supposed to rush for 291 yards and a school-record five touchdowns, as Smith did in a 62-31 victory against Texas Tech. Smith found time to throw the ball, too, passing for 128 yards.

Mississippi. Most of the talk in the SEC West has centered around Auburn and LSU, but neither has what Mississippi does -- an unbeaten record in league play. The Rebels beat Arkansas, 19-7, to improve to 4-0 in the SEC, a half-game ahead of the two Tigers.

Bowling Green quarterback Josh Harris. He led the Falcons in their victory against Northern Illinois with 438 yards passing and three touchdowns.

Stat of the week

TCU and Houston combined for 117 points, 1,466 total yards and 63 first downs in their Conference USA shootout.

Hometown hero

Penn running back Sam Mathews, a sophomore from Mt. Lebanon, gets mention for the second week in a row. Mathews rushed for a career-high 204 yards and a touchdown as the Quakers remained unbeaten with a 34-31 overtime victory against Yale.

Thumbs up

Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen showed plenty of grit in rallying Tennessee to a 51-43 five-overtime victory at Alabama in what might have been the game of the year. Clausen, who saved his team from a three-game losing streak, accounted for five touchdowns -- four of them in the extra sessions.

Michigan's hopes for a national championship fizzled with two losses in a three-game stretch, but the Wolverines remain very much in the running for the Big Ten title after their 31-3 thumping of Purdue. Credit for the revival should go to Minnesota, which gave Michigan new life when it squandered that 21-point fourth-quarter lead earlier this month.

Buffalo and Rutgers could not be denied forever. Buffalo beat Ohio, 26-17, to end the longest losing streak in Division I-A at 18 games, and Rutgers halted a 25-game Big East Conference drought with a 30-14 victory against Temple.

Thumbs down

Alabama has lost five of its past six, and it has only itself to blame for the heartbreaking loss to Tennessee. In regulation, the Crimson Tide failed to score on first-and-goal from the 2 and first-and-goal from the 5. Then, in the second overtime, it allowed the Volunteers to convert a fourth-and-19 to keep the game alive.

Notre Dame and Penn State are a combined 4-11. Hard to believe -- unless you've watched them play.

Virginia Tech looked unprepared for West Virginia, and that was inexcusable. It was a Wednesday night -- making it the only game in town -- on national television against a Big East Conference rival. If the Hokies were looking ahead to Miami, they got exactly what they deserved.

Quotable

Missouri offensive tackle Rob Droege, on quarterback Brad Smith: "He's still Superman, that's all I can say."

Two-minute drill

Florida State coach Bobby Bowden earned his 339th career victory to overtake Joe Paterno for No. 1 all time in Division I-A. Some argue that Bowden shouldn't be credited with the 31 wins he got at Howard (now known as Samford, a Division I-AA school). It's a valid argument, but the way things are going for Penn State, Bowden won't need those 31 victories to hold off JoePa when it's all said and done.

The West Virginia State Police turned in the goal-line stand of the season in preventing overzealous Mountaineers fans from tearing down the goal posts after the upset of Virginia Tech. Here's some advice for those fans: When a state trooper is standing in front of you with a can of pepper spray, go in the other direction.

What were the odds of ESPN's "College GameDay" making a tour stop in Bowling Green, Ohio, this season? It's another sign that the MAC is gaining steam in its fight to play with the big boys.

Pitt wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald should keep Dec. 13 free on his schedule. That's the night the Heisman Trophy will be handed out in New York. He might not win it, but he deserves to be a finalist.

So much for Wisconsin. After ending Ohio State's 19-game winning streak, the Badgers have lost two in a row -- the latest being an embarrassing 16-7 setback at Northwestern -- to fall out of contention in the Big Ten.

So much for Arkansas. After a 4-0 start, the Razorbacks have lost three in a row to fall out of contention in the SEC West.

This week's question: Who should be the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy? E-mail answers (include full name and address) to paldrich@post-gazette.com.

"These teams are grossly overrated in the polls and could not compete on a weekly basis in the major conferences." -- Bob Charlton, Springdale

"There will be a lot of two- and three-loss teams that will have proven a lot more this season than either of these schools would hope to." -- Sean Hart, Fort Myers, Fla.

"No. The MAC has made quite statement this year, but no one will want to watch these teams play in the national spotlight." -- Gino Canella, Pittsburgh

"Why not? They will have played their schedule and have won all their games." -- Stanley Scott, Portland, Texas

"Yes. Going undefeated is a big achievement, particularly at the Division I-A level." -- Drew Schenk, St. Louis

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