By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
The USC game on Saturday was more than a rivalry game. It was more than a measuring stick for how far the Irish had come. It was the gateway to the postseason. And now that door is closing. One more loss and it will be slamming shut.
The Irish went into this season with questions upon questions and heading into Saturday's game, not many had been answered. The Irish drubbed Nevada, but its next four games all came down to the last minute or overtime. They were 11 seconds from being 5-0 and about at the same token, they were about one minute from being 1-4.
Notre Dame took to their home field and defended it honorably against the Trojans. They could have folded and called it a day when they fell behind, 34-14, but they didn't give up, cutting a 20-point deficit to seven and within four yards of sending the game to overtime.
But near wins count for nothing and the loss just adds to the questions surrounding Notre Dame.
Just how good is this team?
By most accounts, it seems pretty clear that pollsters see Notre Dame as a good team, but not great. The AP poll ranks the Irish 26th. The Harris Poll has them at 28th, while the USA Today rankings put them 30th. The computers don't seem to be quite sure what to think of the Irish, as different formulas rank them anywhere from 17th to 31st. Combine the Harris and USA Today polls with the computers and BCS rankings have Notre Dame at 31st.
Bottom line, if the Irish want to even have a shot at the BCS, they need to win out. And with the remaining schedule, it's easier said than done.
Boston College, who has won six straight against the Irish and four of the last five games in South Bend. The Eagles have done well victimizing weak defenses, especially against the run, and Notre Dame qualifies. The difference between this matchup an the Eagles' previous wins is their opponents have not exactly had powerhouse offenses. Notre Dame does.
Washington State is the only real cupcake on this season's schedule for the Irish and doesn't figure to be a huge challenge.
But that is followed by the toughest matchup remaining on paper and what could be the Irish's biggest bargaining chip. Pitt is currently ranked 20th in the BCS rankings with two winnable games against South Florida and Syracuse coming up that could improve its stock. If the Irish comes in at 6-2 and beats the Panthers, they could put themselves into a decent position heading into the final two games of the season. But again, a strong running attack could pose some serious problems for Notre Dame.
Connecticut suffered a major tragedy for its program with Jasper Howard getting stabbed to death on campus on Saturday, just hours after getting the game ball. How the team carries on the rest of the season remains to be seen, but from what the coach has shown so far in terms of being a rock for his players, the Huskies should be just fine in terms of on-field play, but are beatable.
Stanford is another game that the Irish could easily cough up, but also looks beatable.
Lose another game and they are done. Win out and it could get interesting. The BCS championship chances are long gone, not that they were really ever there to begin with, but heading into the USC game, there was still a sense of confidence that the BCS was within reach. But can the Irish really come off a heartbreaking loss and win six straight? The more realistic scenario may be the Gator Bowl.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Saints have been really impressive, but don't crown them yet
By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
The New Orleans Saints appear to be one of the elite teams in the NFL -- at least right now.
Everyone has known about the Saints' high-powered offense for years with Drew Brees at the helm, but now they have a good defense -- yes, I said good -- with new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams calling the shots. This attacking and ball-hawking defense is especially good when they can pin their ears back and rush the passer since the Saints offense has been building big leads.
That's a great recipe for success, too.
If you were still questioning how good the Saints really were, bet you're believing now since they kicked the heck out of the New York Giants, 48-27, and it wasn't even that close.
The Giants were torched by Brees (369 yards, 4 TDs) and the defense limited Eli Manning to only 14-of-31 passing for 178 yards with one TD and one INT. Plus that vaunted Giants running game was kept in check. Brandon Jacobs had 33 yards and Ahmad Bradshaw had 48.
So that should show you right there that the Saints are legit contenders in the NFC.
Don't go crowning them yet, but they are a complete team on offense (Brees, running backs Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, Reggie Bush, and WRs Marquis Colston, Lance Moore and Robert Meachem, and TE Jeremy Shockey, etc.), defense (Darren Sharper, Roman Harper, Tracy Porter, Jonathan Vilma and Jabari Greer) and special teams (kicker John Carney, punter Thomas Morstead, punt returner Reggie Bush and kick returner Courtney Roby).
Head coach Sean Payton has a very good team, but it's way too early to say they're destine for the Super Bowl.
But if they stay healthy, who knows what this team can do? No doubt they're talented enough to make the playoffs and unlike years past, the defense is holding up their end of the bargain and is no longer a crutch.
In any case, the Saints have been impressive and extremely fun to watch.
What we learned this week in college football: Week 7
By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
A nice week in college football, featuring some close games pulled out by favorites, along with a few upsets, adding intrigue to the release of the first BCS rankings of the season. But with all the excitement, there's one thing we re-learned this weekend:
Football is just a game
We're reminded that in the great scheme of things football doesn't mean all that much after UConn's Jasper Howard was stabbed to death outside an on-campus dance Saturday night. The stabbing, which came hours after Howard had helped lead the Huskies to a win with 11 tackles and a big forced fumble and recovery, happened after someone pulled a fire alarm. An altercation occurred outside between two groups of people and Howard and another student were stabbed. If this story wasn't sad enough, Howard was going to be a father.
The BCS is still a lightning rod for controversy
It's incredibly clear that Alabama is the best team in college football at this point. Clear to everything except the BCS. Florida hangs at No. 1, followed by Bama, Texas and Boise State. The real problem with the BCS is it doesn't take into serious account the level of competition teams are playing. If that were the case, the 7-0 Crimson Tide, who has knocked off three ranked teams would be a clear-cut number one and Boise State would be nowhere near the top 5. Florida has played one ranked team and the rest of their FBS schedule had a combined 13-11 record. They also beat up on a 2-4 Charleston Southern team.
The Heisman is looking more like Tebow
Colt McCoy could have really boosted his stock with a big game against Oklahoma, but failed to do so. Jimmy Clausen had a more than respectable game, passing for more yards than any other quarterback has against USC and scoring the first two passing touchdowns against them all season, but he needed to complete one of his three passes on the four-yard line at the end of the game. Tim Tebow was Tim Tebow, completing 64 percent of his passes for 255 yards and a touchdown, while also leading the Gators in rushing yards. Alabama's Mark Ingram is the only non-quarterback gaining real consideration at this point and the last time someone besides a quarterback was Reggie Bush, who had over 2,100 total yards and 18 touchdowns in 2o05. Ingram is on pace for just under 1,900 total yards and 19 scores.
Matt Barkley is the real deal
Sure, Notre Dame's defense isn't the strongest by a long shot, but Matt Barkley showed the poise of an upperclassmen in one of the toughest places to be a visiting team in college football. When he had protection, he stood back there, read the coverage and fired the ball all over the field. When the Irish finally got pressure on him, he hit his outlets, who turned the short passes into big gains. All told, Barkley had 380 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Purdue is a team that gets up for the big game
The Boildermakers may have a putrid 2-5 record, but they have played three of the better programs in college football hard this season. It started against Oregon, where they lost a 38-36, scoring a touchdown with just over a minute remaining, but failed to convert the two-point conversion. Later, they gave up a last-minute touchdown to Notre Dame in a 24-21 loss. But they finally came through with a win in a big game, embarrassing Ohio State, 26-18.
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
A nice week in college football, featuring some close games pulled out by favorites, along with a few upsets, adding intrigue to the release of the first BCS rankings of the season. But with all the excitement, there's one thing we re-learned this weekend:
Football is just a game
We're reminded that in the great scheme of things football doesn't mean all that much after UConn's Jasper Howard was stabbed to death outside an on-campus dance Saturday night. The stabbing, which came hours after Howard had helped lead the Huskies to a win with 11 tackles and a big forced fumble and recovery, happened after someone pulled a fire alarm. An altercation occurred outside between two groups of people and Howard and another student were stabbed. If this story wasn't sad enough, Howard was going to be a father.
The BCS is still a lightning rod for controversy
It's incredibly clear that Alabama is the best team in college football at this point. Clear to everything except the BCS. Florida hangs at No. 1, followed by Bama, Texas and Boise State. The real problem with the BCS is it doesn't take into serious account the level of competition teams are playing. If that were the case, the 7-0 Crimson Tide, who has knocked off three ranked teams would be a clear-cut number one and Boise State would be nowhere near the top 5. Florida has played one ranked team and the rest of their FBS schedule had a combined 13-11 record. They also beat up on a 2-4 Charleston Southern team.
The Heisman is looking more like Tebow
Colt McCoy could have really boosted his stock with a big game against Oklahoma, but failed to do so. Jimmy Clausen had a more than respectable game, passing for more yards than any other quarterback has against USC and scoring the first two passing touchdowns against them all season, but he needed to complete one of his three passes on the four-yard line at the end of the game. Tim Tebow was Tim Tebow, completing 64 percent of his passes for 255 yards and a touchdown, while also leading the Gators in rushing yards. Alabama's Mark Ingram is the only non-quarterback gaining real consideration at this point and the last time someone besides a quarterback was Reggie Bush, who had over 2,100 total yards and 18 touchdowns in 2o05. Ingram is on pace for just under 1,900 total yards and 19 scores.
Matt Barkley is the real deal
Sure, Notre Dame's defense isn't the strongest by a long shot, but Matt Barkley showed the poise of an upperclassmen in one of the toughest places to be a visiting team in college football. When he had protection, he stood back there, read the coverage and fired the ball all over the field. When the Irish finally got pressure on him, he hit his outlets, who turned the short passes into big gains. All told, Barkley had 380 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Purdue is a team that gets up for the big game
The Boildermakers may have a putrid 2-5 record, but they have played three of the better programs in college football hard this season. It started against Oregon, where they lost a 38-36, scoring a touchdown with just over a minute remaining, but failed to convert the two-point conversion. Later, they gave up a last-minute touchdown to Notre Dame in a 24-21 loss. But they finally came through with a win in a big game, embarrassing Ohio State, 26-18.
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