Oh boy, some team in college football is about to get royally jobbed. Until we get the playoff system in place either Oregon, Kansas State or Notre Dame could potentially go undefeated and not have the opportunity to compete for the national title. As we are FBSchedules.com, let’s take a look at these three teams schedules and do a little odds making on who will end up shooting for a “moral” victory in January.
Kansas State remaining schedule (Oklahoma State, at TCU, at Baylor, Texas)
Odds on playing in BCS Championship: 60%
TCU has been struggling since they had to send their QB to rehab, Baylor will be like an all you can eat offensive buffet for QB Collin Klein, and Texas might be tough as Mack Brown might be coaching for his job. I think Oklahoma State has a chance at an upset this Saturday. No one is playing better than Klein, so if he continues his high level of play, K-State will write it’s own destiny in 2012.
Oregon remaining schedule (at USC, at Cal, Stanford, at Oregon St.)
Odds on playing in BCS Championship: 75%
The Ducks 49-0 win over #22 Arizona in September is looking pretty good these days. As the Ducks continue to steamroll their way through the Pac-12, they have two road games against ranked opponents who both lost last week. Assuming the Ducks beat the Trojans and Cal on the road, they should handle Stanford at home with little problem. The only real obstacle for them is the last game at Oregon State. In-state rivalry games are unpredictable, but no one has been able to hold the Ducks offense under 40 points this year.
Notre Dame remaining schedule (Pitt, at Boston College, Wake Forest, at USC)
Odds on playing in BCS Championship: 90%
After the game against Oklahoma, I’m a believer. Notre Dame’s running attack and great defense will chew up the rest of their schedule. QB Everett Golson has proved that he can go into hostile territory and make plays with his arm and legs, and I anticipate USC will have three losses on their schedule by the time Notre Dame arrives at the L.A. Coliseum. Also, as an Independent, Notre Dame doesn’t have a conference championship game to worry about.
So, bookmark this column. Unless Alabama somehow loses, which seems about as likely as me not losing power during this hurricane, it will be a showdown of the Crimson Tide and the Fighting Irish in the BCS Championship. Which won’t be a bad thing, unless you live in Manhattan, KS or Eugene, OR.
BMOC: Manti Te’o (LB Notre Dame)
While I was watching Notre Dame-Oklahoma last Saturday night, I was filled with skepticisim about how good the Fighting Irish really were. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the ND defense is the real deal. About midway through the 3rd quarter I texted my buddy who’s a Ravens fan and wrote “Te’o looks like Ray Lewis in 2000.” The guy clearly has a nose for the ball, and his interception all but sealed the deal for the Irish. I’m not sure if he can win the Heisman Trophy, but he is a worthy candidate and just might lead Notre Dame to a championship, just like Ray Lewis did with the Ravens in 2000. His next test will be at home against Pitt.
They gave HIM a scholarship? Gary Nova (QB Rutgers)
I could have easily given this to the whole Florida offense, who put on a putrid display against Georgia. Then again, that whole game was as sloppy as most of the fans were tailgaiting outside of the stadium. But Rutgers was at home, playing a MAC opponent, and it was homecoming. Maybe Nova had a bad sandwich at one of the grease trucks around Piscataway before the game, because he tossed SIX interceptions against the Kent State Golden Flashes. Coming into the game, Kent State was 0-22 against ranked opponents. While Rutgers still can win the Big East Conference title and a BCS bowl bid even after this loss, it will be interesting to see if they have a hangover from it. Luckily, they have this week off before Army comes into town.
Project Runway NCAA: Maryland Terrapins
When Randy Edsall replaced Ralph Friedgen as head coach of Maryland, he promised to take the Terps to the next level of success. They certainly haven’t got there yet, and after reaching an agreement with Under Armour to drastically change their uniforms on a week to week basis, one has to wonder about their bad luck or if the uniforms are cursed. While they have shown improved play this year, maybe they should invest more in padding for their QB’s, as they have lost their 4 scholarship quarterbacks to injury this year, and will be starting either a linebacker or a tight end at quarterback against Georgia Tech on Saturday.
Small School, Big Time Numbers: Zac Dysert (QB Miami, Ohio)
The #24 ranked Ohio Bobcats probably thought they would have a cakewalk over the up and down Miami (OH) RedHawks last Saturday. It was anything but that. Miami spoiled the Bobcats’ perfect season behind the arm of Dysert who completed 21-of-36 passes for 311 yards with a 54 yard pass for a TD that put Miami up 10-0 in the first quarter. This will probably be the highlight of the RedHawks season, and they’ll try to build on it when they travel to Buffalo to face the Bulls this Saturday.
Thursday Night Social: Virginia Tech at Miami (FL) 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
The Hokies travel south to Miami in a battle of 4-4 teams Thursday night on ESPN. Both teams are coming off painful losses, as the Hokies were defeated by Clemson and the Canes were throttled by Florida State. It’s a crucial matchup, as the winner of this game could end up in the ACC Championship Game. Virginia Tech has won three straight games in this series, and looks to continue that trend on Thursday. The Miami defense is awful, but the Canes will have a healthy Stephen Morris at QB to counter. Should be a pretty good ACC matchup for a Thursday.
Speaking of hurricanes, we here at FBSchedules.com hope everyone who is in the path of Sandy (that includes me) stays safe and dry. We’ll get through it.
Josh Adams is a contributor to FBSchedules.com. Follow him @Joshthescribe.