Week 8 Wrap Up

Not a good week for yours truly.  I took it on the chin (just like USC) as I had my first losing week going 6-8.

THE LINE:  Michigan St......3 1/2.....AT MINNESOTA     (LOSS)
FINAL SCORE:  Minnesota 42-Michigan St. 34
Adam Webber threw 3 second half TD's to lead the Gophers.  Michigan St. continues to put themselves in position to win ballgames and fumbles them away at the end.

THE LINE:  Miami.....7.......AT WAKE FOREST      (LOSS)
FINAL SCORE:  Miami 28-Wake Forest 27
Jacory Harris hit Travis Benjamin on a 17 yard touchdown with 1:38 remaining to save the Canes' and keep their hopes alive for an ACC Championship Game appearance.  WF blew a 13 point fourth quarter lead and really should have won the game.

THE LINE:  Missouri.....4......AT COLORADO     (LOSS)
FINAL SCORE:  Missouri 33-Colorado 17
Blaine Gabbert threw a pair of touchdowns as the Tigers won for the first time in three weeks. 

THE LINE:  AT OKLAHOMA.....28.....Kansas St.     (WIN)
FINAL SCORE:  Oklahoma 42-Kansas St. 30
Landry Jones and the Sooners jumped out to a quick 21-0 first quarter lead and held off a furious second half Kansas St. rally to beat the Wildcats in Norman, OK.  It looks like Oklahoma will not be in a BCS game this season and this loss for Kansas St. hurts them in their chance to take control of the Big-12 North.

THE LINE:  AT TENNESSEE.....5 1/2.....South  Carolina     (LOSS)
FINAL SCORE:  Tennessee 31-South Carolina 13
Can't quite figure this one out.  For the first three games of the season, Vols quarterback Jonathan Crompton was terrible, now he's playing like an all conference QB ?  The Gamecocks looked sluggish and just beat down while Tennessee continues to improve every week.  Memo to the rest of the SEC, the Vols will be VERY good next year.

THE LINE:  AT UTAH.....17.....Wyoming     (WIN)
FINAL SCORE:  Utah 22-Wyoming 10
I can alway count on my Utes to dig me out of a hole !  Even though they continue to win (with the exception of the Oregon game) they do not look impressive.  TCU looms in two weeks in Fort Worth.

THE LINE:  Notre Dame.....27.....Washington St.     (LOSS)
FINAL SCORE:  Notre Dame 40-Washington St. 14
Notre Dame had their way with the lowly Cougars.  Jimmy Clausen threw for ONLY 2 TD's  ?   Golden Tate is getting some Heisman attention and caught 8 passes for over 100 yards and a TD and also ran for a TD.

THE LINE:  AT OREGON ST.....9.....UCLA     (LOSS)
FINAL SCORE:  Oregon St. 26-UCLA 19
The Beavers nearly blew a 19-3 fourth quarter lead and needed a James Rodgers 17 yard end around TD run to save the day for the Beavers.  This loss marks the third straight Pac-10 setback for the Bruins.

THE LINE:  Florida.....15.....Georgia     (LOSS)
FINAL SCORE:  Florida 41-17
The Gators showed their offense isn't a work in progress as they trashed the Bulldogs in their annual "Worlds Largest Cocktail Party" in Jacksonville.  This was Tim Tebow's last game at his hometown and he didn't dissapoint, breaking the SEC rushing touchdown record previously held by Georgia RB Herschel Walker.  The two were tied at 49 until Tebow's 23 yard TD run in the second quarter.  Tebow also threw for a pair of touchdowns to Riley Cooper and ran for an additional TD in the third quarter.  This is Georgia's worst weason since 1997.

THE LINE:  USC.....3.....AT OREGON     (WIN)
FINAL SCORE:  Oregon 47-USC 20
FINALLY......I win one !   This game PROVES the Trojans are vastly overated (as I've been saying all season long).  They are not as physical, fast or explosive as everyone states.  Their supposed 5 star recruits are playing like 2 stars !   Jeremiah Massoli is playing incredible football and the Ducks now have a stranglhold on the Pac-10 and a BCS berth.  LaMichael James torched the Trojans defense for 183 and Massoli ran for 163 and a TD and also passed for 222 and a score.  I think the Trojans will stumble one more time before it's all said and done.  The Ducks still have two difficult games left, a trip to Tucson and Arizona and the "Civil War" battle with rival Oregon St.

THE LINE:  Michigan.....7.....AT ILLINOIS    (LOSS)
FINAL SCORE:  Who Cares ?
All I know is the Wolverines stunk the joint out !   Illinois is one of the WORST teams in college football and decimated Michigan by 24 ?  The once promising season for Coach Rodriguez is turning into a nightmare.  Do I dare say it ???   We miss you Lloyd Carr ????  Wayne what in Maize & Blue is happening ?

THE LINE:  Cincinnati.....14 1/2.....AT SYRACUSE     (WIN)
FINAL SCORE:  Cincinnati 28-7
Zach Collaros continues to impress with another outstanding performance, this time at the expense of the Syracuse Orange.  Collaros completed 22 of 28 for 295 yards and 4 TD's.  Word is that Tony Pike may be ready next week....I'm not sure I make the switch the way Collaros is playing.

THE LINE:  Texas.....9 1/2.....AT OKLAHOMA ST.    (WIN)
FINAL SCORE:  Texas 41-Oklahoma St. 14
The Texas defense completely controlled the game intercepting Cowboys quarterback Zac Robinson four times including two for touchdowns as the Longhorns rolled.  Texas now has a clear path to the Big-12 Championship game.  The only remaining test could come from Texas A & M in the traditional rivalry game.  With the way the Texas defense is playing, I think they will play in the BCS Championship game (as I predicted at the beginning of the season).  Hey...with the way this week went, I need to regain my confidence !

THE LINE:  AT WISCONSIN.....6 1/2.....Purdue      (WIN)
FINAL SCORE:  Wisconsin 37-Purdue 0
John Clay ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns as the Badgers shut out the Boilermakers 37-0 for their first Big-10 shutout since 1999.

One last thought....do you think USC Coach Pete Carrol will EVER vacation in the state of Oregon ?  He has lost his last four games dating back to 2004, two each to the Ducks and Beavers.  It was a Halloween nightmare for the Trojans !