The Wiz of Odds

Columnists Corner

David Teel, Newport News Daily Press: Virginia Tech is the nation's only program to win at least 10 games the past seven seasons. It's headed to an 18th consecutive bowl, is the first team to go unbeaten through the Atlantic Coast Conference since Florida State in 2000 and has won 10 games in a row since a bumbling 0-2 start.

Michael Rosenberg, Detroit Free Press: It shouldn't take long for Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon to decide the fate of Rich Rodriguez.

Bob Wojnowski, Detroit News: The latest loss to Ohio State shows that Michigan needs to make a coaching change.

Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The future looks dim for Penn State.

Jeff Jacobs, Hartford Courant: Connecticut's resilience can't be underestimated.

Dick Weiss, New York Daily News: Boise State and Nevada deserve more respect.

T.J. Simers, Los Angeles Times: If a crummy team like Notre Dame can beat USC, then why not UCLA?

A Trip to the Bottom of the College Football World

Wiz correspondent Greg Laughlin got a look at the entire spectrum of college football in two days.

On Friday, he attended the unforgettable Auburn-Alabama game in Tuscaloosa. On Saturday, he saw how miserable life can be for a losing team, venturing to Memphis for the Conference USA game between the hometown Tigers and Central Florida.

Few teams can match the inept level of play displayed by the Tigers, who lost to the Knights, 37-17, before an estimated 6,000 at the Liberty Bowl. As you can see from several images after the jump, 6,000 might be stretching it.

Memphis finished 1-11 in Larry Porter's first season as coach. Geoff Calkins of the Commercial Appeal has an entertaining column on the Tigers' forgettable season.

Central Florida has reason to celebrate. It advanced to next Saturday's Conference USA title game against Southern Methodist in Orlando.

To view Greg's gallery, click here.

Revisiting Nevada's Stunning Defeat of Boise State

An unforgettable Thanksgiving weekend of college football featured several classic moments, but one game stands out: Nevada's 34-31 overtime victory against Boise State on Friday night at Mackay Stadium. It was called the biggest sporting event in Reno since world heavyweight champion Jack Johnson defeated Jim Jeffries in 1910.

Our friends at Image of Sport, the sports photography wire service for daily newspapers and editorial publications, were on the scene and captured several classic plays from the game. You can view Image of Sports catalog of shots by clicking here.

BCS Guru: Will Ohio State Move Ahead of Wisconsin?

Update:The BCS Guru says he whiffed on Wisconsin and has written an apology with an explanation.

The formula is simple for Oregon and Auburn. Win and they're in the Bowl Championship Series title game on Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz.

The Ducks play at Oregon State and Auburn plays South Carolina in Atlanta this Saturday. If either loses, undefeated Texas Christian is ready to take their spot. If both lose, all hell breaks loose.

The intrigue starts at No. 4, according to the BCS Guru. He projects that Stanford will be in the coveted No. 4 slot, which guarantees a BCS bowl spot. But get this: Ohio State could edge in front of Wisconsin for the No. 5 slot when the official standings are released Sunday night. Didn't Wisconsin beat Ohio State? How can this be?

The Guru writes: "LSU's loss (to Arkansas) made the Wisconsin-Ohio State race much closer, because the Tigers were wedged between these two teams in the polls. So close that the Guru is calling Ohio State to edge slightly in front. Keep in mind that the Big Ten will send the highest-ranked team in the final BCS standings to the Rose Bowl, so this won't be decided until next week even though the Big Ten schedule is done."

Rounding out the Guru's top 10: No. 7 Arkansas, No. 8 Michigan State, No. 9 LSU and No. 10 Oklahoma.

The next five: No. 11 Boise State, No. 12 Oklahoma State, No. 13 Nebraska, No. 14 Missouri and No. 15 Nevada.

That's three Big Ten teams in the top eight and no Big East team in the top 15. Connecticut, which lost to a second-division Big Ten team (Michigan) and a third-place team from the Mid-American East Division (Temple), is one win from a berth to a BCS game. As the Guru writes, "The Big East is committing grand larceny."

What about Boise State? The Broncos are the biggest losers, falling from a likely BCS game to either the Kraft Fight Hunger or Humanitarian Bowl. The likely opponent would be a 6-6 team.

Iron Bowl: Bama Tried to Keep Cam Newton in Check

Wiz correspondent Greg Laughlin was in Tuscaloosa for Friday's Auburn-Alabama game and as you can see from the image above, Crimson Tide fans were waiting for Cam Newton and the Tigers. There's more after the jump and you can view Greg's gallery by clicking here.

So How Do Fans Really Feel About Boise State's Loss?

Both videos come with a strong language warning.