The Wiz of Odds

Columnists Corner

Berry Tramel, Oklahoman: The hype, the Sports Illustrated cover, it all blew up in Oklahoma State's face during a stunning loss to Houston.

Geoff Calkins, Memphis Commercial Appeal: You can change the head coach. You can spend a bazillion dollars on assistants. You can recruit a whole bunch of talented freshmen. You can try to make an impact by sticking your tongue out at every major program in the Southeastern Conference. But if you don't have a quarterback, you'll lose a lot of important games. Tennessee doesn't have a quarterback.

David Climer, Tennessean: Lane Kiffin got his first serving of humble pie when UCLA, a second-tier team from the Pacific 10, beat Tennessee. Kiffin was humble afterward, but he needs to save some of that humility for later. The Volunteers play Saturday at Florida. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times: Matt Barkley's poised leadership on the drive to USC's winning touchdown against Ohio State shows he's ready to lead a potential national championship contender.

Bob Hunter, Columbus Dispatch: The close loss to USC will help Ohio State's reputation.

David Ching, Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia fans hoping to see the team establish an identity are apparently out of luck. This team has more personalities than Herschel Walker.

Drew Sharp, Detroit Free Press: If Michigan State wishes to be taken seriously as an emerging national presence, it cannot lose to the little brothers of the collegiate landscape. It must smack the Central Michigans of the world in the mouth.

Columnists Corner

Ray Ratto, San Francisco Chronicle: The Bowl Championship Series is such a disaster it's perfect.

Ron Morris, Columbia State: A Hall of Famer with 170 victories was outcoached by a wet-behind-the-headsets "interim" coach whose experience is a mere six games. Yes, veteran Steve Spurrier got schooled by the youngster, Dabo Swinney.

Jeff Carroll, South Bend Tribune: If Charlie Weis is guilty of anything, it is being a square peg in a round hole.

San Venable, Knoxville News-Sentinel: It was only fitting that a cold, steady rain fell during Phil Fulmer's final game as Tennessee coach.

Rich Bozich, Louisville Courier-Journal: Kentucky played an uninspired and unimaginative game against Tennessee. Its offense looked more confused and erratic than it looked in August. Its defense gave up the longest running play, longest passing play and longest drive that Tennessee generated all season.

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel: Urban Meyer doesn't lose many games period, but he especially doesn't lose games to Florida's arch-antagonists. The Urbanator is the terminator when it comes to seeking and destroying the teams Florida fans most want to beat.

Doug Blackburn, Tallahassee Democrat: It doesn't take a Rhodes Scholar to know that Florida State is not in the same league as Florida, but he asked one anyway. "You can know what's going to happen, but if you don't make tackles and you miss assignments you're going to get beat," Seminole safey Myron Rolle said. "It got out of hand. I guess there's no way to stop them."

Jason Whitlock, Kansas City Star: A look at Saturday’s Border War, a pulsating, last-minute 40-37 Kansas triumph, gives you a pretty good indication of how Missouri wound up a "disappointing" 9-3. Gary Pinkel struggles with the details. Mark Mangino does not.

Geoff Calkins, Memphis Commercial Appeal: If you want to read a column about how crazy and terrible and unfair the firing of coaches has become, you've come to the wrong place. It's business, people. Nothing more, nothing less.

George Schroeder, Eugene Register-Guard: It took 12 games, but Oregon finally got its signature victory, denying Oregon State a trip to the Rose Bowl.

Columnists Corner

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: The best team in the country right now is not Alabama, Texas Tech, Texas or Oklahoma. The best team this minute is Florida.

Ron Morris, Columbia State: It got so bad for South Carolina that Steve Spurrier sent Ryan Succop out to kick a couple of meaningless field goals. Neither of those field goals mattered, except to say that the Gamecocks scored. It was quite a statement for a coach who often poked fun at opponents that settled for field goals to counter his Florida team’s touchdowns.

Jeff Carroll, South Bend Tribune: With Navy rallying, Charlie Weis was forced to put the starters back on the field to bail the Fighting Irish out of what would have been one of the most embarrassing, deflating defeats in the history of the program. And probably Charlie Weis’ Waterloo.

Kevin Scarbinsky, Birmingham News: It's Alabama's worst nightmare. There's nothing standing between the Crimson Tide and their first undefeated regular season since 1994 but an Auburn coach on the hot seat and the worst Tiger team in a decade.

Rick Maese, Baltimore Sun: Maryland is the sudden favorite to climb out of the trash heap that is Atlantic Coast Conference football and reach the Orange Bowl in Miami.

Ray Melick, Birmingham News: It's too bad somebody had to win. So Georgia slipped out of Jordan-Hare with a 17-13 victory over Auburn.

Jake Curtis, San Francisco Chronicle: California's season is circling the drain. Can the Golden Bears avoid the kind of collapse that scarred the 2007 season?

Loren Tate, Champaign News-Gazette: This is, unlike a year ago, an Illinois team that never quite came together.

Paola Boivin, Arizona Republic: A team drowning in futility found a savior in the Washington State Cougars, who came along and threw Arizona State a lifeline. More startling? The Sun Devils didn't drop it.

Mitch Vingle, Charleston Gazette-Mail: It's year four of the Mark Snyder plan at Marshall and if the coach sticks around for another season, it won't go over with Thundering Herd fans.

Columnists Corner

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Maybe America looked at this and only saw Penn State squandering a lead, a perfect record and all hope of squeezing into the national-title game. Look a little harder. See an Iowa squad that got its motor warmer as a raw day grew colder.

David Jones, Harrisburg Patriot-News: Joe Paterno could not have been more mature after his team's loss to Iowa. He did not spit venom. He did not writhe in angst. He did not grow sullen with three-word answers. He didn't cut the postgame interview session short.

Jeff Carroll, South Bend Tribune: Charlie Weis is a good, charitable man who was a successful NFL offensive coordinator. But if you do not have grave concerns at this point about his ability to steer a college program you are obstinately refusing to recognize what is right in front of your eyes. If your faith in his ability to motivate isn't shaken to the core, you are electing delusion.

Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times: What USC can't ignore is the fact that, once again, it wasted a memorable defense with a forgettable attack that now has little chance of even sneaking it into the national title game.

Mark Tupper, Decatur Herald & Review: Not the best of weeks for Illinois. It started with running back Mikel LeShoure suffering a broken jaw in an "incident" with teammate Jeff Cumberland. It ended with a 23-17 loss at Western Michigan.

Tom Powers, St. Paul Pioneer Press: Cue the psychedelic music. Put on the paisley shirts. Fire up the strobe lights. Minnesota is suddenly having a flashback to the 2007 season.

John Adams, Knoxville News-Sentinel: On a positive note, it can't get any worse for Tennessee.

Berry Tramel, Oklahoman: Oklahoma State reached the end of the BCS road on the lonely frontier of Lubbock that some say is the end of the Earth.

Bud Withers, Seattle Times: This was the scene inside the final minute at Husky Stadium: Washington threw on four downs from the Arizona State 3, failing to punch in the touchdown that would cover the spread. Gulls circled the field, and there might have been 3,000 people to see it.

Ray Ratto, San Francisco Chronicle: California's season has been downgraded from possibly going to the Rose Bowl to needing a victory against Oregon State to avoid a trip to the Sun Bowl.

Pat Dooley, Gainesville Sun: On one chilly night in Nashville, Florida not only won the SEC East but probably put itself in position to win out and play for a national title. And certainly, Tim Tebow doesn't seem like such a longshot to win another Heisman Trophy.

John U. Bacon, Detroit News: Given time, Rich Rod will make Michigan proud.

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Columnists Corner

Kirk Bohl, Austin American-Statesman: There were no excuses. Texas just wasn't good enough to defeat Texas Tech.

Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: The only thing better than the hype was the game. Texas Tech's victory lived up to its billing.

Jeff Schultz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia gave up 90 points in its two biggest games of the year. It never competed. There can be no louder or clearer defining statement about this team.

T.J. Simers, Los Angeles Times: It has come to this for former USC tailback Anthony Davis. He's charging $10 an autograph, saying it goes to his foundation.

Kevin Scarbinsky, Birmingham News: Auburn's Tommy Tuberville suggests the end may be drawing near.

Jeff Carroll, South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame, which has fattened its record artificially by drumming doormats, let one slip away in a home loss to Pittsburgh.

Tim MacMahon, Dallas Morning News: Penn State would finish fifth in the Big 12 South.

Lynn Henning, Detroit News: What should be as distressing to Michigan's football camp as this incomprehensible string of losses — five in a row — is Rich Rodriguez's attitude.

Jason Whitlock, Kansas City Star: Many Kansas State fans want Ron Prince fired. Who is going to hire his successor? And who would be foolish enough to apply for the job given the current leadership void?

David Teel, Newport News Daily Press: Playing at home against an undisciplined opponent (12 penalties) quarterbacked by freshmen and coached by neophyte Randy Shannon, Virginia had countless chances to seize command. But the Cavaliers failed once again.

Neill Woelk, Boulder Daily Camera: It's time for Dan Hawkins to make a decision. Pick a quarterback and stick with him. Either live with the physical limitations of Cody Hawkins and hope his experience pays a dividend down the stretch; or live with the inexperience of freshman Tyler Hansen and hope his natural abilities make the difference.

Ed Graney, Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Las Vegas was exposed as a program lacking the foot speed necessary to stay close to a team like Texas Christian, never mind considering the idea of beating one.

Ron Musselman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Is Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley the rightful heir to Joe Paterno?

Columnists Corner

Tom Dienhart, Rivals: Please, don't give us Penn State on Jan. 8, 2009, in Dolphin Stadium. Give us life, give us liberty, give us hope for a good game. That means give us Texas, Florida, Alabama, Georgia or USC. Heck, we'll even take Texas Tech and its diabolical offense and kooky coach. They all have been more impressive than — and likely would beat — any Big Ten team.

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: No one wants to see another Big Ten team in the Bowl Championship Series title game, do they?

David Jones, Harrisburg Patriot-News: What if fans in the rest of the nation mock this sort of football and say the Big Ten is a pretender? What about particularly those pockets in the Big 12 metroplexes of Dallas and Austin and Oklahoma City and some other places like Los Angeles and Gainesville, where more points and excitement seem to proliferate? "I can't do anything about it," Joe Paterno said. "What do I care what they say?"

Greg Hansen, Arizona Daily Star: Yes, USC beat Arizona, but it was the single most encouraging loss of the Mike Stoops years. Is it OK to say that?

Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times: Not only will USC probably miss the national title game, it could also miss the Rose Bowl, as Oregon State controls its destiny there.

Paola Boivin, Arizona Republic: Forget about losing games and losing sleep. Dennis Erickson's biggest challenge is not losing his team.

John Adams, Knoxville News-Sentinel: Influential boosters have seen enough of the Phillip Fulmer Era. How much more evidence do athletic director Mike Hamilton and the Tennessee power brokers need to make a coaching change?

Mark Bradley, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Alert the Urban Crier. "We’ve been hearing about [the celebration penalty] since that [Florida] game was over," Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran said. "We know [the Gators] are going to use that play to get fired up." And you know what? Let 'em.

David Ching, Athens Banner-Herald: What happened to the Southestern Conference and all that defense?

Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star: Reigning Orange Bowl champions aren’t supposed to get chopped like this. And keep in mind that 19th-ranked Kansas was favored to beat Texas Tech.

Sean Keeler, Des Moines Register: Take a look around before throwing Iowa State's Gene Chizik under the bus.

Gene Collier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Rutgers had scored 37 points in the Big East Conference this season — that's 37 total — and then piled 34 on Pitt. In the first half.