The Wiz of Odds

Snapshots of Week 8

A look at the week that was. Thanks to 30fps. Click an image to enlarge.

Week 9

Set your football clock early this week. Boise State, jockeying for position in the Bowl Championship Series standings, will try to score serious style points Tuesday night against visiting Louisiana Tech. The Broncos opened as 35-point favorites and the number has already climbed to 38 at one offshore book.

Wednesday is a day of rest, then Florida State and North Carolina State go at it Thursday in Raleigh. The Seminoles opened as 4-point favorites.

On Friday, West Virginia travels to Connecticut. The Mountaineers are favored by 6.

Saturday's games of note: Michigan State at Iowa (-4.5); Auburn (-7.5) at Mississippi; Baylor at Texas (-9); Tulsa at Notre Dame (-10); Stanford (-7) at Washington; Missouri at Nebraska (-6); Utah (-5) at Air Force; Michigan (-3) at Penn State; Oregon (-7) at USC and Idaho at Hawaii (-13).

For the latest numbers on all games, click here. For the Week 9 broadcast schedule, visit Matt Sarzyniak's site.

A Boulder Approach to College Football Saturday

A slight chill in the air, the changing of seasons in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains and a college football game. Boulder is a great place to be on a fall afternoon, and Wiz correspondent Greg Laughlin was on hand for Saturday's Big 12 matchup between Texas Tech and Colorado, won by the Red Raiders, 27-24. View Greg's complete gallery by clicking here, and check out the video of Ralphie making the pregame run around Folsom Field at the end of this post.

The Way It Is (Death to the BCS)

The truth about the Bowl Championship Series and why it must die. Thanks to 30fps.

Columnists Corner

Kirk Bohls, Austin American-Statesman: The worst Texas game these eyes have seen since perhaps the 1984 Freedom Bowl slaying by another team from the state of Iowa could be summed up like this: Iowa State, a 28-21 winner, was the better team Saturday. Clearly.

Tony Barnhart, CBS Sportsline: The best offense in college football resides in Auburn, Ala. It could well be that the best team in the land is located there as well. And did I mention that the probable Heisman Trophy winner lives there, too?

Neill Woelk, Boulder Daily Camera: Over? While Colorado still has a chance — granted, an outside chance — at becoming bowl eligible, there is almost no chance that Dan Hawkins survives to usher the Buffaloes into the Pac-12.

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids, Gazette: Would Iowa partisans have believed it Saturday morning were it suggested the Hawkeyes would get outcoached? It happened.

Berry Tramel, Oklahoman: The truth about Oklahoma-Missouri: The Tigers kicked the Sooners all over the field.

David Climer, Tennessean: Has Rocky Top touched bottom yet? Stay tuned. At 2-5 and with no wins in four Southeastern Conference games thus far, Tennessee's Volunteers are staring into the abyss. How low can they go?

Rick Morrissey, Chicago Sun-Times: What you saw Saturday with Northwestern is what you got: a gritty team without scads of talent. It was a wonderfully entertaining game in which the team with the better athletes (Michigan State) prevailed. Maybe that's what makes it so painful for the Wildcats: They still had the lead halfway through the fourth quarter. Brains appeared to be on their way to beating brawn. And then brainlock set in on a fake punt.

This Arizona State Fan Has Seen Enough of Erickson

Pardon the profanity, but this is a rant of epic proportions. A fan lets it rip after the disinterested Sun Devils lost at California, 50-17.