Sports Playpen NCAA Football

Editorial: Are college rankings fair?

2009-01-10T10:05:00.001-08:00

Okay, I am confused. How did Oklahoma remain #1 in the BCS poll even though they lost in the BCS championship to Florida? And.. why Utah did not play in the BCS championship being the one of two teams without a loss? Boise State is the other. What is the formula?

2008 BCS standings

RANK	TEAM	BCS AVERAGE
1	Oklahoma	.976
2	Florida	.948
3	Texas	.930
4	Alabama	.844
5	USC	.821
6	Utah	.785
7	Texas Tech	.784
8	Penn State	.739
9	Boise State	.698
10	Ohio State	.635
11	TCU	.585
12	Cincinnati	.538
13	Oklahoma State	.487
14	Georgia Tech	.452
15	Georgia	.377

The BCS explained here.

Scoreboard

2009-01-02T22:04:00.000-08:00

EagleBank Bowl

Final

		WAKE FOREST (8-5)		29
		NAVY (8-5)		19

PASS:	Skinner (WAKE): 11-11, 166, TD Kaheaku-Enhada (NAVY): 2-7, 32
RUSH:	Harris (WAKE): 24-136 Kaheaku-Enhada (NAVY): 15-83, TD
REC:	Boldin (WAKE): 4-66 Barnes (NAVY): 2-32

New Mexico Bowl

Final

		COLORADO STATE (7-6)		40
		FRESNO STATE (7-6)		35

PASS:	Farris (CSU): 17-29, 257, 2 TD Brandstater (FRES): 13-23, 186, TD
RUSH:	Johnson (CSU): 27-285, 2 TD Harding (FRES): 18-120, 2 TD
REC:	Johnson (CSU): 5-90 Ajirotutu (FRES): 3-81

St. Petersburg Bowl

Final

		MEMPHIS (6-7)		14
		SOUTH FLORIDA (8-5)		41

PASS:	Hall (MEM): 15-31, 154, TD Grothe (USF): 17-24, 236, 3 TD
RUSH:	Steele (MEM): 12-48 Grothe (USF): 15-83
REC:	Calhoun (MEM): 6-39, TD Mitchell (USF): 4-60

Las Vegas Bowl

Final

17		BRIGHAM YOUNG (10-3)		21
		ARIZONA (8-5)		31

PASS:	Hall (BYU): 30-46, 328, TD Tuitama (ARIZ): 24-35, 325, 2 TD
RUSH:	Unga (BYU): 17-71, TD Grigsby (ARIZ): 20-87, TD
REC:	Collie (BYU): 11-119 Dean (ARIZ): 7-88, TD

New Orleans Bowl

Final - OT

		SOUTHERN MISS (7-6)		30
		TROY (8-5)		27

PASS:	Davis (USM): 20-34, 276, 2 TD Brown (TROY): 26-43, 255, TD
RUSH:	Fletcher (USM): 14-78, TD Harris (TROY): 19-52
REC:	Baptiste (USM): 5-88, TD Jernigan (TROY): 9-65

Poinsettia Bowl

Final

9		BOISE STATE (12-1)		16
11		TCU (11-2)		17

PASS:	Moore (BOIS): 22-35, 222 Dalton (TCU): 22-35, 197
RUSH:	Johnson (BOIS): 7-28, TD Brown (TCU): 14-102, TD
REC:	Childs (BOIS): 7-61 Bryant (TCU): 6-67

Hawaii Bowl

Final

		HAWAII (7-7)		21
		NOTRE DAME (7-6)		49

PASS:	Alexander (HAW): 23-39, 261, 2 TD Clausen (ND): 22-26, 401, 5 TD
RUSH:	Pilares (HAW): 2-19 Hughes (ND): 17-55, TD
REC:	Bain (HAW): 8-109, 2 TD Tate (ND): 6-177, 3 TD

Motor City Bowl

Final

		FLORIDA ATL (7-6)		24
		C MICHIGAN (8-5)		21

PASS:	Smith (FAU): 20-35, 306, 2 TD LeFevour (CMU): 28-40, 253, 2 TD
RUSH:	Pierre (FAU): 16-77 LeFevour (CMU): 14-56
REC:	Gent (FAU): 7-98, TD Brown (CMU): 11-92, TD

Meineke Bowl

Final

		WEST VIRGINIA (9-4)		31
		NORTH CAROLINA (8-5)		30

PASS:	White (WVU): 26-32, 332, 3 TD Yates (UNC): 15-25, 211, 2 TD
RUSH:	Devine (WVU): 13-61, TD Draughn (UNC): 17-65
REC:	Arnett (WVU): 7-93, 2 TD Nicks (UNC): 8-217, 3 TD

Champs Sports Bowl

Final

		WISCONSIN (7-6)		13
		FLORIDA STATE (9-4)		42

PASS:	Sherer (WISC): 9-16, 132, TD Ponder (FSU): 18-31, 199, 2 TD
RUSH:	Hill (WISC): 15-140 Jones (FSU): 4-55, TD
REC:	Graham (WISC): 3-62 Carr (FSU): 8-78, TD

Emerald Bowl

Final

		MIAMI (FL) (7-6)		17
		CALIFORNIA (9-4)		24

PASS:	Harris (MIA): 25-41, 194, 2 TD Longshore (CAL): 10-21, 121, TD
RUSH:	Cooper (MIA): 12-63 Best (CAL): 20-186, 2 TD
REC:	Zellner (MIA): 8-48 Boateng (CAL): 3-27

Independence Bowl

Final

		N ILLINOIS (6-7)		10
		LOUISIANA TECH (8-5)		17

PASS:	Harnish (NILL): 20-40, 186, TD Jenkins (LATC): 12-27, 144
RUSH:	Spann (NILL): 14-79 Porter (LATC): 18-78, TD
REC:	Simon (NILL): 6-44 Livas (LATC): 4-18

Papa John's.com Bowl

Final

		NC STATE (6-7)		23
		RUTGERS (8-5)		29

PASS:	Wilson (NCST): 11-23, 186, TD Teel (RUT): 22-37, 319, 2 TD
RUSH:	Wilson (NCST): 8-46 Martinek (RUT): 9-58
REC:	Williams (NCST): 7-126 Britt (RUT): 6-119, TD

Alamo Bowl

Final - OT

25		MISSOURI (10-4)		30
22		NORTHWESTERN (9-4)		23

PASS:	Daniel (MISS): 27-44, 200, 2 TD Bacher (NW): 27-43, 304, 3 TD
RUSH:	Washington (MISS): 15-44 Sutton (NW): 29-114
REC:	Coffman (MISS): 7-67 Ward (NW): 7-101, TD

Humanitarian Bowl

Final

		MARYLAND (8-5)		42
		NEVADA (7-6)		35

PASS:	Turner (MD): 13-27, 198, 2 TD Kaepernick (NEV): 24-47, 370, 3 TD
RUSH:	Scott (MD): 14-174, 2 TD Taua (NEV): 23-101, TD
REC:	Tyler (MD): 5-55, TD McCoy (NEV): 13-172

Texas Bowl

Final

		W MICHIGAN (10-3)		14
		RICE (9-4)		38

PASS:	Hiller (WMU): 19-42, 198, 2 TD Clement (RICE): 30-44, 307, 3 TD
RUSH:	West (WMU): 15-56 Clement (RICE): 12-72, TD
REC:	Simmons (WMU): 6-92 Dillard (RICE): 8-86, TD

Holiday Bowl

Final

13		OKLAHOMA STATE (9-4)		31
15		OREGON (10-3)		42

PASS:	Robinson (OKST): 27-50, 329, TD Masoli (ORE): 18-32, 258, TD
RUSH:	Robinson (OKST): 16-54, TD Johnson (ORE): 12-119, TD
REC:	Bryant (OKST): 13-167, TD Scott (ORE): 8-125

Armed Forces Bowl

Final

		HOUSTON (8-5)		34
		AIR FORCE (8-5)		28

PASS:	Keenum (HOU): 22-33, 252, TD Jefferson (AFA): 7-14, 98
RUSH:	Beall (HOU): 22-135, TD Tew (AFA): 27-149, 2 TD
REC:	Carrier (HOU): 5-49 Armstrong (AFA): 2-60

Sun Bowl

Final

24		OREGON STATE (9-4)		3
18		PITTSBURGH (9-4)		0

PASS:	Moevao (ORST): 21-42, 193 Stull (PITT): 7-24, 52
RUSH:	Francis (ORST): 15-76 McCoy (PITT): 24-85
REC:	Stroughter (ORST): 6-88 Dickerson (PITT): 2-37

Music City Bowl

Final

		BOSTON COLLEGE (9-5)		14
		VANDERBILT (7-6)		16

PASS:	Davis (BC): 15-36, 190, 2 TD Smith (VAND): 10-17, 121
RUSH:	Harris (BC): 15-68 Nickson (VAND): 8-57
REC:	Harris (BC): 5-25, TD Umoh (VAND): 3-29

Insight Bowl

Final

		KANSAS (8-5)		42
		MINNESOTA (7-6)		21

PASS:	Reesing (KU): 27-35, 313, 4 TD Weber (MINN): 19-34, 176, TD
RUSH:	Sharp (KU): 16-64, TD Weber (MINN): 12-31
REC:	Briscoe (KU): 14-201, 3 TD Decker (MINN): 8-149, TD

Chick-fil-A Bowl

Final

		LOUISIANA STATE (8-5)		38
14		GEORGIA TECH (9-4)		3

PASS:	Jefferson (LSU): 16-25, 142, TD Nesbitt (GT): 8-24, 150
RUSH:	Scott (LSU): 15-65, 3 TD Dwyer (GT): 10-67
REC:	Dickson (LSU): 4-50, TD Dwyer (GT): 3-66

Outback Bowl

Final

		SOUTH CAROLINA (7-6)		10
		IOWA (9-4)		31

PASS:	Smelley (SC): 16-31, 179, TD Stanzi (IOWA): 13-19, 147, TD
RUSH:	Garcia (SC): 5-25 Greene (IOWA): 29-121, 3 TD
REC:	McKinley (SC): 6-86 Myers (IOWA): 4-49

Gator Bowl

Final

		NEBRASKA (9-4)		26
		CLEMSON (7-6)		21

PASS:	Ganz (NEB): 19-36, 236, 2 TD Harper (CLEM): 17-37, 206, 2 TD
RUSH:	Castille (NEB): 18-125 Davis (CLEM): 12-26
REC:	Peterson (NEB): 4-96, TD Kelly (CLEM): 6-74, TD

Capital One Bowl

Final

16		GEORGIA (10-3)		24
19		MICHIGAN STATE (9-4)		12

PASS:	Stafford (UGA): 20-31, 250, 3 TD Hoyer (MSU): 18-34, 169
RUSH:	Moreno (UGA): 23-62 Ringer (MSU): 20-47, TD
REC:	Moore (UGA): 6-97, TD Cunningham (MSU): 6-52

Rose Bowl

Final

6		PENN STATE (11-2)		24
5		USC (12-1)		38

PASS:	Clark (PSU): 21-36, 273, 2 TD Sanchez (USC): 28-35, 413, 4 TD
RUSH:	Green (PSU): 10-57 Johnson (USC): 15-63
REC:	Green (PSU): 5-67 Williams (USC): 10-162, TD

Orange Bowl

Final

12		CINCINNATI (11-3)		7
21		VIRGINIA TECH (10-4)		20

PASS:	Pike (CIN): 16-33, 239, TD Taylor (VT): 13-22, 140
RUSH:	Ramsey (CIN): 4-34 Evans (VT): 28-153, TD
REC:	Gilyard (CIN): 7-158, TD Coale (VT): 3-52

Cotton Bowl

Final

20		MISSISSIPPI (9-4)		47
8		TEXAS TECH (11-2)		34

PASS:	Snead (MISS): 18-29, 292, 3 TD Harrell (TT): 36-58, 364, 4 TD
RUSH:	Bolden (MISS): 11-101, TD Woods (TT): 6-46
REC:	McCluster (MISS): 6-83 Morris (TT): 10-89, TD

Liberty Bowl

Final

		KENTUCKY (7-6)		25
		EAST CAROLINA (9-5)		19

PASS:	Hartline (UK): 19-31, 204, TD Pinkney (ECU): 18-36, 296, TD
RUSH:	Dixon (UK): 28-89 Simmons (ECU): 10-44, TD
REC:	Lanxter (UK): 5-46, TD Drew (ECU): 5-120

Sugar Bowl

Final

7		UTAH (13-0)		31
4		ALABAMA (12-2)		17

PASS:	Johnson (UTAH): 27-41, 336, 3 TD Wilson (ALA): 18-30, 177, TD
RUSH:	Asiata (UTAH): 13-29, TD Coffee (ALA): 13-36
REC:	Brown (UTAH): 12-125 Jones (ALA): 7-77

Bradford named 2008 Heisman Trophy winner

2008-12-14T06:39:00.000-08:00

Sam Bradford claims Heisman fame after leading Oklahoma to an NCAA record 702 points and leading the nation in TD passes. Bradford becomes the 5th OU player to win the Heisman after edging out Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow.

BCS Title game teams decided

2008-12-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

There were seven teams with one loss at the top of the rankings. Two more were undefeated.
Another big BCS mess? Not this time.
Nobody dominated the last two months of college football like Oklahoma and Florida, and the Gators and Sooners were easy picks to play in the national title game despite having one loss each. The power programs with Heisman-worthy quarterbacks and 12-1 records meet Jan. 8 in Miami. Oklahoma was ranked first and Florida second in the final BCS standings released Sunday. They were flip-flopped in the Associated Press poll, which is not used in determining the BCS, but was used by BCS chairman John Swofford as another way of validating the matchup.
“One of the interesting aspects of where we are, looking at the standings, is that Florida and Oklahoma are one or two in the Harris poll, coaches’ poll and even the AP poll, which is not used in the BCS standings,” Swofford said.

“You have a consistency there with the human polls on those same two teams,” he said.
Including Texas, Southern California, Texas Tech, Penn State and Alabama, there were seven teams with one loss in the BCS’ final top 10. Two more—Utah and Boise State—finished undefeated. But only two had resumes like Florida and Oklahoma. Led by Tim Tebow, the Gators rebounded from their only loss to dominate the next nine games, scoring more than 49 points a game in wins that culminated with a 31-20 victory over Alabama on Saturday for the SEC title. Sam Bradford was the same kind of force for Oklahoma. The Sooners lost 45-35 to Texas in October, but still ended up with an NCAA-record 702 points this season. They ended the season by becoming the first team since 1919 to score 60-plus in five straight games.
“We beat five ranked teams and three ranked teams as the last three games of the year,” Sooners coach Bob Stoops said. “That decided it.”

This will be the first meeting between these two power programs, each seeking their second title this decade. Florida was an up-and-coming power and Oklahoma was a declining one back in 1998, when Stoops decided to leave his post as Gators defensive coordinator and take his first head-coaching job with the Sooners. In 2000, he helped Oklahoma to its seventh national title. Still, when Steve Spurrier left Florida a year later, many Gators thought Stoops’ return was only a matter of logistics. Stoops declined, though, saying he had everything a coach could ever ask for at Oklahoma—nice campus, good boosters, fantastic resources and, yes, even more tradition than they had at Florida. “I had great memories of my time there and great experiences,” Stoops said. “But I had also been making my own here at Oklahoma. I felt so strongly about what we were doing and positive about what we were doing, I wanted to see it through.”

He has won six conference championships and this will be the fourth time he’s played for the national title. “He had a wonderful situation there,” said Spurrier. “No reason to get out of there.” Spurrier coaches South Carolina now, and was the only SEC coach to vote the Sooners No. 1 in the coaches’ poll. Who is the former Gators quarterback and ‘ball coach’ rooting for in the title game? “I guess you naturally pull for your alma mater,” he said. “But I pull for Stoopsie all the time. It’ll be a little bit of both. Should be a good game.” After Stoops turned down the Gators, they hired Ron Zook, then after three years, they turned to Urban Meyer. He’s trying for Florida’s second title in three seasons. Tebow has a chance to become only the second player to win back-to-back Heismans.

Two years ago, Meyer took some heat for lobbying to get his team into the title game. This time, he didn’t have to work so hard. It was fairly clear-cut that if Florida defeated a top-ranked Alabama team in the SEC title game that the Gators would be going. “When I hear coaches sticking up for their team, they’re simply doing their job,” Meyer said. “But after a while, enough is enough. The rules are in place. Until it changes, that’s the way it is.” A reality most everyone can accept, save for third-ranked Texas—which actually finished ahead of Oklahoma in the computer rankings component of the BCS. The Longhorns finished in a three-way tie in the nation’s toughest division — the Big 12 South—but were denied a spot in the title game because of the tiebreaker, which looks to the BCS standings. Oklahoma won the tiebreaker. Texas protested. Coach Mack Brown said UT’s 45-35 win over OU should be a deciding factor, but even he was moving on, having accepted a bid to the Fiesta Bowl to play Ohio State. “The BCS doesn’t satisfy everybody,” Brown said. “We’ve been on the positive side of it a few times. We’ve been on the negative side a few times.”

Auburn coach resigns

2008-12-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

AUBURN, Ala. (AP)—For most of Tommy Tuberville’s 10 seasons as Auburn coach, the Tigers were the best college football team in a state where that title is almost as important as the national championship. In 2008, Nick Saban and Alabama took the state back as Tuberville’s Tigers faltered, and that was enough to make Auburn want a change in leadership.
Tuberville stepped down Wednesday, ending a tenure that included a perfect season and a string of teams that contended for Southeastern Conference championships.

He was 85-40 in his decade with Auburn, including a 13-0 season in 2004 when the Tigers finished No. 2 in the nation and won the SEC title for the first time in 15 years. But Auburn went 5-7 this year and was routed 36-0 at the end by rival Alabama, currently ranked No. 1.
“The last 10 years have been a great time in my life, both professionally and personally,” Tuberville said in a statement. “It’s been a great place to coach and live, and we’ve had a lot of success along the way. I’m going to remain in Auburn and help the Auburn family however I can. I’m very appreciative of the coaches, players, staff and Auburn fans over the last decade.”
Tuberville informed the players in a team meeting at the football complex after three days of meetings with Auburn officials. The players were not allowed to speak to the media as they walked out or lingered in the parking lot afterward.

“Tommy and I have had the opportunity to discuss the direction of the program,” athletic director Jay Jacobs said in a statement. “Through those discussions, Tommy felt it would be in his and the program’s best interest to step aside as Auburn’s head football coach.”
The Tigers lost six of their last seven games this season after a failed move to the spread offense that was abandoned—along with first-year offensive coordinator Tony Franklin—at midseason. Their first five SEC losses came by a combined 23 points, falling just short of the end zone on final drives against Arkansas and Georgia and twice losing by one point after missed PATs.
The season also included an ugly 3-2 win over Mississippi State.

Tuberville did not immediately return a call to his cell phone Wednesday. His contract was extended through 2013 after the previous season and was worth $3.3 million annually. It also included a $6 million buyout if he was fired after this season Auburn’s statement said the buyout will be paid but no state or university funds will be used. Jacobs is scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday morning to discuss the coaching change.
Tuberville had led the Tigers to 42 wins over the previous four seasons, the fifth-most in the country.

That included a six-year winning streak in the Iron Bowl to give the Tigers in-state bragging rights for longer than ever before. He went 7-3 against the Crimson Tide but the Tigers were handed their worst beating in the series in 42 years last weekend.
It didn’t help that while they were struggling Alabama was going 12-0 in its second season under Saban, winning the SEC West and rising to the top of the polls.
Tuberville met with university president Jay Gogue on Monday and followed that up with two days of meetings Jacobs.

Auburn’s offense sputtered badly the past two seasons. Tuberville gambled with the hire of Franklin and a departure from the team’s more traditional, run-oriented attack, going to the no-huddle, spread at a school noted for turning out NFL-caliber tailbacks.
The Tigers finished 11th in the Southeastern Conference and 110th of 119 teams in scoring offense, and a midstream switch back to the smashmouth style didn’t help.
The biggest problems all were evident in the season finale against Alabama. The Tigers had three turnovers and never got clicking behind sophomore quarterback Kodi Burns while a talented defense that kept getting put back out on the field sputtered.

Auburn finished with its worst record since going 5-6 in 1999, Tuberville’s debut season. The team went on to win the SEC West the following year and captured at least a share of the division title four other times. The Tigers often overachieved but struggled in two seasons when much was expected of them, including this one. The 2003 Auburn team opened with a No. 6 ranking but finished 8-5. His perfect ‘04 squad opened at No. 17. Tuberville joins Mississippi State’s Sylvester Croom and Tennessee’s Phillip Fulmer as SEC coaches stepping down this season after both teams also failed to live up to expectations.

2008-12-02T13:49:00.001-08:00

Records through Mon Dec 1, 2008

Bowl Champ. Series Ranking

			Harris			USAToday			Computer		BCS
Rank	Team	Record	Rank	Pts	%	Rank	Pts	%	Rank	Avg	Avg	Last Week
1.	Alabama	12-0	1	2815	0.9877	1	1521	0.9974	-	-	0.9700	1
2.	Oklahoma	11-1	4	2569	0.9014	2	1397	0.9161	-	-	0.9400	3
3.	Texas	11-1	3	2575	0.9035	3	1396	0.9154	-	-	0.9200	2
4.	Florida	11-1	2	2619	0.9189	4	1385	0.9082	-	-	0.8900	4
5.	USC	10-1	5	2378	0.8344	5	1298	0.8511	-	-	0.8100	5
6.	Utah	12-0	7	2111	0.7407	7	1153	0.7561	-	-	0.7800	6
7.	Texas Tech	11-1	8	2090	0.7333	8	1116	0.7318	-	-	0.7800	7
8.	Penn St.	11-1	6	2177	0.7639	6	1176	0.7711	-	-	0.7400	8
9.	Boise St.	12-0	9	1937	0.6796	9	1044	0.6846	-	-	0.7000	9
10.	Ohio St.	10-2	10	1856	0.6512	10	999	0.6551	-	-	0.6300	10
11.	TCU	10-2	12	1502	0.5270	11	836	0.5482	-	-	0.5600	14
12.	Ball St.	12-0	11	1526	0.5354	13	765	0.5016	-	-	0.5300	15
13.	Cincinnati	10-2	13	1425	0.5000	12	770	0.5049	-	-	0.4800	16
14.	Oklahoma St.	9-3	14	1217	0.4270	15	613	0.4020	-	-	0.4300	12
15.	Georgia Tech	9-3	16	1065	0.3737	16	590	0.3869	-	-	0.4000	22
16.	Georgia	9-3	20	833	0.2923	19	440	0.2885	-	-	0.3300	11
17.	Boston Coll.	9-3	19	834	0.2926	20	435	0.2852	-	-	0.3200	21
18.	BYU	10-2	17	990	0.3474	18	461	0.3023	-	-	0.3100	18
19.	Oregon	9-3	15	1076	0.3775	14	658	0.4315	-	-	0.3000	23
20.	Missouri	9-3	18	896	0.3144	17	470	0.3082	-	-	0.2800	13
21.	Michigan St.	9-3	21	688	0.2414	21	414	0.2715	-	-	0.2600	19
22.	Northwestern	9-3	22	414	0.1453	22	333	0.2184	-	-	0.1200	24
23.	Pittsburgh	8-3	23	346	0.1214	23	154	0.1010	-	-	0.1000	25
24.	Florida St.	8-4	NR	-	-	NR	-	-	-	-	0.0800	20
25.	Virginia Tech	8-4	NR	-	-	NR	-	-	-	-	0.0600	NR

SWAC Announces Three-Team Coin Flip Procedure

2008-11-25T06:04:00.000-08:00

BIRMINGHAM - The Southwestern Athletic Conference Council of Presidents and Chancellors Wednesday approved the coin flip procedure for the final step of the conference’s three-team tie breaker for football.
The procedure would be put in place only if Grambling State loses to Southern on Saturday, Nov. 29. If that occurs, Grambling State, Prairie View A&M and Southern would finish with identical 6-1 records in SWAC play. In following the three-team tie breaker procedure, none of the previous six steps would eliminate one team from the other two. SWAC Football Tie-Breaker PolicyIn the three-team coin flip, three coins (one for each school) would be flipped by a school representative simultaneously. The odd coin not matching the other two coins would be eliminated. If all three coins come up as the same designation, a second coin flip would take place and would repeat until one coin comes up different from the other two within that round. The two schools with the same coin designation would then follow the steps for the two-team tie breaker (with the first step being head-to-head competition) to determine the Western Division representative for the 2008 SWAC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 13 in Birmingham.If the coin flip is necessary to break the tie between the three teams, it would occur Sunday, Nov. 30 in New Orleans at a location to be announced.
WESTERN DIVISION TITLE SCENARIOS
Grambling State (9-2, 6-0) can win the division outright with:• A victory over Southern, giving the Tigers the best division record.A loss to Southern would force a three-team coin flip.Prairie View A&M (9-1, 6-1)
• Can only win the division through a three-team coin flip.The Panthers must have Southern defeat Grambling State to force the coin flip.

Prairie View A&M is eliminated from title contention if Grambling State defeats Southern.

By virtue of being in conference title contention, the Panthers are not eligible for the FCS playoffs. Southern (6-4, 5-1)• Can only win the division through a three-team coin flip. The Jaguars must defeat Grambling State to force a three-team coin flip.Southern is eliminated from division title contention with a loss to Grambling State.BIRMINGHAM - The Southwestern Athletic Conference Council of Presidents and Chancellors Wednesday approved the coin flip procedure for the final step of the conference’s three-team tie breaker for football.
The procedure would be put in place only if Grambling State loses to Southern on Saturday, Nov. 29. If that occurs, Grambling State, Prairie View A&M and Southern would finish with identical 6-1 records in SWAC play. In following the three-team tie breaker procedure, none of the previous six steps would eliminate one team from the other two. SWAC Football Tie-Breaker PolicyIn the three-team coin flip, three coins (one for each school) would be flipped by a school representative simultaneously. The odd coin not matching the other two coins would be eliminated. If all three coins come up as the same designation, a second coin flip would take place and would repeat until one coin comes up different from the other two within that round. The two schools with the same coin designation would then follow the steps for the two-team tie breaker (with the first step being head-to-head competition) to determine the Western Division representative for the 2008 SWAC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 13 in Birmingham.If the coin flip is necessary to break the tie between the three teams, it would occur Sunday, Nov. 30 in New Orleans at a location to be announced.
WESTERN DIVISION TITLE SCENARIOS
Grambling State (9-2, 6-0) can win the division outright with:• A victory over Southern, giving the Tigers the best division record.A loss to Southern would force a three-team coin flip.Prairie View A&M (9-1, 6-1)
• Can only win the division through a three-team coin flip.The Panthers must have Southern defeat Grambling State to force the coin flip.

Prairie View A&M is eliminated from title contention if Grambling State defeats Southern.

By virtue of being in conference title contention, the Panthers are not eligible for the FCS playoffs. Southern (6-4, 5-1)• Can only win the division through a three-team coin flip. The Jaguars must defeat Grambling State to force a three-team coin flip.Southern is eliminated from division title contention with a loss to Grambling State.

Utah State fires coach

2008-11-17T18:08:00.001-08:00

LOGAN, Utah (AP)—Utah State fired football coach Brent Guy on Monday, 11 games into his fourth season.

Guy will coach the Aggies’ season finale Nov. 29 at home, but that will be the end of his disappointing tenure at Utah State.

The Aggies fell to 2-9 last week with a loss to Louisiana Tech and are 8-38 since Guy took over as coach in 2005.

“Brent has undoubtedly made some progress during his four years but the program has yet to established any significant or consistent momentum nor has that progress translated into wins,” athletic director Scott Barnes said in a release Monday.

“I feel a change in leadership at this critical time in our program’s history will help us create and sustain a new level of success.”

Utah State went 3-8 in Guy’s first season, then fell to 1-11 in 2006. The Aggies were 2-10 a year ago and can do no better than 3-9 this season.

“I’m extremely grateful to the coaches, players and support staff for their tremendous hard work, day in and day out,” Guy said in a statement. “We didn’t win as many games on the field as I would have liked, but we started down a path that I believe will benefit the university and this program very soon.”

The Aggies have not had a winning season since going 6-5 under former coach John L. Smith in 1996. Utah State hasn’t played in a bowl game since closing a 6-6 season in 2007 with a loss to Cincinnati in the Humanitarian Bowl.

Saturday's Scoreboad

2008-11-16T09:25:00.000-08:00

Final

14		BALL STATE (10-0) at CEN MICH 11/19		31
		MIAMI (OH) (2-8) at TOLEDO 11/21		16

PASS:	Davis (BALL): 17-24, 289, TD Raudabaugh (MIOH): 25-42, 254, TD
RUSH:	Lewis (BALL): 26-165, 2 TD Merriweather (MIOH): 18-65
REC:	Orsbon (BALL): 7-97 Rogers (MIOH): 5-61

Final - OT

		C MICHIGAN (8-2) vs. BALL ST 11/19		33
		N ILLINOIS (5-5) at KENT ST 11/18		30

PASS:	LeFevour (CMU): 19-26, 189, 2 TD Harnish (NILL): 18-36, 288
RUSH:	LeFevour (CMU): 29-121, 2 TD Harnish (NILL): 17-31, TD
REC:	Brown (CMU): 7-50, TD Simon (NILL): 6-131

Final

		TEMPLE (3-7) vs. E MICH 11/22		38
		KENT STATE (3-7) vs. NIU 11/18		41

PASS:	DiMichele (TEMP): 17-29, 282, 3 TD Edelman (KENT): 18-26, 232, TD
RUSH:	Griffin (TEMP): 11-56, TD Jarvis (KENT): 34-185, TD
REC:	Harper (TEMP): 10-209, 2 TD Bayes (KENT): 5-60

Final

		BUFFALO (6-4) at BGSU 11/21		43
		AKRON (5-5) at OHIO 11/22		40

PASS:	Willy (BUF): 27-39, 252, TD Jacquemain (AKR): 20-38, 295, 2 TD
RUSH:	Starks (BUF): 37-151, 3 TD Kennedy (AKR): 25-142, 3 TD
REC:	Starks (BUF): 13-90 Jones (AKR): 8-99

Final

		VIRGINIA TECH (6-4) vs. DUKE 11/22		14
		MIAMI (FL) (7-3) at GA TECH 11/20		16

PASS:	Taylor (VT): 6-12, 75 Marve (MIA): 7-16, 121
RUSH:	Evans (VT): 17-43 Cooper (MIA): 15-52
REC:	Coale (VT): 4-59 Johnson (MIA): 3-48

Final

		WYOMING (4-7) at UNLV 11/15		14
		UNLV (5-6) vs. WYOMING 11/15		22

PASS:	Stutzriem (WYO): 12-21, 143, 2 TD Clausen (UNLV): 16-30, 138, TD
RUSH:	Moore (WYO): 18-91 Summers (UNLV): 21-75, TD
REC:	Bolling (WYO): 4-52, TD Wolfe (UNLV): 7-53

Final

22		CINCINNATI (8-2) vs. PITT 11/22		28
		LOUISVILLE (5-5) vs. WVU 11/22		20

PASS:	Pike (CIN): 19-33, 250, 2 TD Cantwell (LOU): 19-35, 204, TD
RUSH:	Goebel (CIN): 10-77, TD Anderson (LOU): 13-60, TD
REC:	Goodman (CIN): 9-134, TD Beaumont (LOU): 4-61

Final

		DUKE (4-6) at VA TECH 11/22		7
		CLEMSON (5-5) at VA 11/22		31

PASS:	Asack (DUKE): 10-22, 61, TD Harper (CLEM): 20-26, 292, TD
RUSH:	Asack (DUKE): 10-32 Spiller (CLEM): 10-71, TD
REC:	Riley (DUKE): 3-51, TD Kelly (CLEM): 10-96

Final

		NORTHWESTERN (8-3) vs. ILLINOIS 11/22		21
		MICHIGAN (3-8) at OHIO ST 11/22		14

PASS:	Bacher (NW): 17-29, 198, 2 TD Sheridan (MICH): 8-29, 61
RUSH:	Simmons (NW): 22-56, TD Brown (MICH): 23-115
REC:	Lane (NW): 7-77, TD Mathews (MICH): 5-46

Final

		NOTRE DAME (6-4) vs. SYRACUSE 11/22		27
		NAVY (6-4) at NIU 11/25		21

PASS:	Clausen (ND): 15-18, 110 Dobbs (NAVY): 2-8, 54
RUSH:	Aldridge (ND): 16-80 Kettani (NAVY): 11-42
REC:	Allen (ND): 7-60 Barnes (NAVY): 2-54

Final

		RUTGERS (5-5) vs. ARMY 11/22		49
		SOUTH FLORIDA (6-4) vs. CONN 11/23		16

PASS:	Teel (RUT): 18-29, 294, 3 TD Grothe (USF): 28-43, 292, TD
RUSH:	Martinek (RUT): 21-98, 2 TD Grothe (USF): 13-50
REC:	Britt (RUT): 8-173, TD Hester (USF): 10-110

Final

		PURDUE (3-8) vs. INDIANA 11/22		17
		IOWA (7-4) at MINN 11/22		22

PASS:	Painter (PUR): 24-30, 190, 2 TD Stanzi (IOWA): 8-15, 72
RUSH:	Sheets (PUR): 16-53 Greene (IOWA): 30-211, 2 TD
REC:	Tardy (PUR): 13-131, TD Brodell (IOWA): 4-42

Final

10		OHIO STATE (9-2) vs. MICHIGAN 11/22		30
		ILLINOIS (5-6) at NU 11/22		20

PASS:	Pryor (OSU): 6-10, 49, TD Williams (ILL): 17-26, 192, 2 TD
RUSH:	Wells (OSU): 24-143, TD Dufrene (ILL): 8-79
REC:	Sanzenbacher (OSU): 2-22, TD Dufrene (ILL): 5-42

Final

		INDIANA (3-8) at PURDUE 11/22		7
7		PENN STATE (10-1) vs. MICH ST 11/22		34

PASS:	Lewis (IND): 9-21, 57 Clark (PSU): 20-36, 240, 2 TD
RUSH:	Thigpen (IND): 8-72, TD Royster (PSU): 12-63, TD
REC:	Fisher (IND): 3-17 Norwood (PSU): 7-69

Final

13		GEORGIA (9-2) vs. GA TECH 11/29		17
		AUBURN (5-6) at ALABAMA 11/29		13

PASS:	Stafford (UGA): 15-24, 215, 2 TD Burns (AUB): 16-30, 179, TD
RUSH:	Moreno (UGA): 22-131 Fannin (AUB): 8-59, TD
REC:	Green (UGA): 5-81, TD Billings (AUB): 6-66

Final

4		TEXAS (10-1) vs. TEXAS AM 11/27		35
		KANSAS (6-5) at MISSOURI 11/29		7

PASS:	McCoy (TEX): 24-34, 255, 2 TD Reesing (KU): 25-50, 258, TD
RUSH:	McCoy (TEX): 16-78, TD Crawford (KU): 7-42
REC:	Cosby (TEX): 6-70, TD Briscoe (KU): 9-115

Final

		MID TENNESSEE (4-6) vs. N TEXAS 11/22		21
		W KENTUCKY (2-9) at FLA INT 12/6		10

PASS:	Craddock (MID): 19-29, 212, 2 TD Wolke (WKU): 18-30, 213, TD
RUSH:	Tanner (MID): 27-92, TD Booker (WKU): 11-53
REC:	McDonald (MID): 4-56, TD Gaebler (WKU): 11-125, TD

Final

		UL-MONROE (3-8) at FLA INT 11/22		0
		MISSISSIPPI (6-4) at LSU 11/22		59

PASS:	Lancaster (ULM): 5-9, 30 Snead (MISS): 6-12, 170, 3 TD
RUSH:	Goodin (ULM): 12-41 Eason (MISS): 14-106, TD
REC:	Ambrose (ULM): 2-14 Wallace (MISS): 2-111, TD

Final

		TOLEDO (2-8) vs. MIAMI-OH 11/21		17
		W MICHIGAN (9-2) at BALL ST 11/25		27

PASS:	Opelt (TOL): 18-31, 213, TD Hiller (WMU): 22-36, 225, 3 TD
RUSH:	Williams (TOL): 16-83 Winchester (WMU): 28-111
REC:	Moore (TOL): 10-97 Simmons (WMU): 8-96

Final

		NEW MEXICO (4-8)		6
		COLORADO STATE (5-6) at WYOMING 11/22		20

PASS:	Gruner (UNM): 23-39, 204 Farris (CSU): 16-27, 237, TD
RUSH:	Ferguson (UNM): 14-85 Johnson (CSU): 30-127, TD
REC:	Williams (UNM): 5-54 Greer (CSU): 6-71

Final

		UTAH STATE (2-9) vs. NMSU 11/29		38
		LOUISIANA TECH (6-4) at NMSU 11/22		45

PASS:	Borel (UTST): 12-18, 204 Jenkins (LATC): 12-17, 145, 2 TD
RUSH:	Turbin (UTST): 17-99, 3 TD Porter (LATC): 24-114, TD
REC:	Gwacham (UTST): 3-76 Womack (LATC): 3-39

Final

		EAST CAROLINA (6-4) at UAB 11/22		3
		SOUTHERN MISS (5-6) at SMU 11/29		21

PASS:	Pinkney (ECU): 20-34, 189 Davis (USM): 18-30, 239, 2 TD
RUSH:	Whitley (ECU): 14-71 Fletcher (USM): 23-121, TD
REC:	Harris (ECU): 6-28 Brown (USM): 8-124, TD

Final

		UAB (3-7) vs. ECU 11/22		41
		TULANE (2-8) at TULSA 11/22		24

PASS:	Webb (UAB): 15-21, 154 Moore (TUL): 15-30, 235, TD
RUSH:	Webb (UAB): 18-130, 3 TD Austin (TUL): 8-43
REC:	Anderson (UAB): 3-43 King (TUL): 3-74

Final

		CALIFORNIA (6-4) vs. STANFORD 11/22		21
23		OREGON STATE (7-3) at ARIZONA 11/22		34

PASS:	Riley (CAL): 11-25, 117, TD Moevao (ORST): 14-28, 145
RUSH:	Best (CAL): 15-116, TD Rodgers (ORST): 27-144, TD
REC:	Ross (CAL): 3-30 Rodgers (ORST): 6-50

Final

		NEBRASKA (7-4) vs. COLORADO 11/28		56
		KANSAS STATE (4-7) vs. IOWA ST 11/22		28

PASS:	Ganz (NEB): 16-25, 270, 2 TD Freeman (KSU): 7-18, 114, TD
RUSH:	Ganz (NEB): 11-95, 2 TD Brown (KSU): 13-49
REC:	Swift (NEB): 4-98 Pierce (KSU): 4-94, TD

Final

		MINNESOTA (7-4) vs. IOWA 11/22		32
		WISCONSIN (6-5) vs. CAL POLY 11/22		35

PASS:	Weber (MINN): 15-30, 202, 3 TD Sherer (WISC): 18-31, 242, TD
RUSH:	Weber (MINN): 11-43, TD Hill (WISC): 24-117, 2 TD
REC:	Green (MINN): 5-80, TD Anderson (WISC): 6-114

Final

		WAKE FOREST (6-4) vs. BC 11/22		17
		NC STATE (4-6) at UNC 11/22		21

PASS:	Skinner (WAKE): 21-33, 176, TD Wilson (NCST): 16-33, 152, 2 TD
RUSH:	Pendergrass (WAKE): 16-72 Wilson (NCST): 14-69, TD
REC:	Boldin (WAKE): 8-66, TD Hill (NCST): 3-26, TD

Final

16		BRIGHAM YOUNG (10-1) at UTAH 11/22		38
		AIR FORCE (8-3) at TCU 11/22		24

PASS:	Hall (BYU): 28-37, 354, 2 TD Jefferson (AFA): 12-20, 98
RUSH:	Unga (BYU): 19-88, 2 TD Newell (AFA): 21-116, TD
REC:	Pitta (BYU): 9-113 Halderman (AFA): 3-17

Final

24		SOUTH CAROLINA (7-4) at CLEMSON 11/29		6
3		FLORIDA (9-1) vs. CITADEL 11/22		56

PASS:	Smelley (SC): 13-24, 92 Tebow (FLA): 13-20, 173, 2 TD
RUSH:	Baker (SC): 6-23 Harvin (FLA): 8-167, 2 TD
REC:	McKinley (SC): 6-37 Murphy (FLA): 4-54

Final

17		NORTH CAROLINA (7-3) vs. NC STATE 11/22		15
		MARYLAND (7-3) vs. FLA ST 11/22		17

PASS:	Sexton (UNC): 10-24, 166, TD Turner (MD): 16-31, 141
RUSH:	Draughn (UNC): 13-46 Scott (MD): 29-129, TD
REC:	Nicks (UNC): 3-57 Heyward-Bey (MD): 5-43

Final

		UL-LAFAYETTE (5-5) at TROY 11/22		29
		FLORIDA ATL (5-5) at ARK ST 11/22		40

PASS:	Desormeaux (ULL): 11-18, 84 Smith (FAU): 17-26, 290, 4 TD
RUSH:	Fenroy (ULL): 18-92, TD Pierre (FAU): 10-109, TD
REC:	Chery (ULL): 6-29 Grant (FAU): 5-86, TD

Final

		TEXAS A&M (4-7) at TEXAS 11/27		21
		BAYLOR (4-7) at TEX TECH 11/29		41

PASS:	Johnson (TAMU): 19-30, 244, TD Griffin (BAY): 13-23, 241, 2 TD
RUSH:	Johnson (TAMU): 7-31 Finley (BAY): 23-116, TD
REC:	Tannehill (TAMU): 4-67 Wright (BAY): 4-71, TD

Final

		SAN JOSE STATE (6-5) vs. FRESNO 11/21		17
		NEVADA (6-4) vs. BOISE ST 11/22		41

PASS:	Reed (SJSU): 15-27, 215, 2 TD Kaepernick (NEV): 15-31, 192, TD
RUSH:	Rutley (SJSU): 4-3 Kaepernick (NEV): 16-147, 2 TD
REC:	Richmond (SJSU): 9-91, 2 TD Mitchell (NEV): 5-80, TD

Final

		UCF (3-7) at MEMPHIS 11/22		30
		MARSHALL (4-6) at RICE 11/22		14

PASS:	Calabrese (UCF): 4-17, 29, TD Cann (MAR): 4-17, 32, TD
RUSH:	Harvey (UCF): 33-150, TD Marshall (MAR): 16-142
REC:	Williams (UCF): 2-12 Slate (MAR): 2-46, TD

Final

9		BOISE STATE (10-0) at NEVADA 11/22		45
		IDAHO (2-9) at HAWAII 11/22		10

PASS:	Moore (BOIS): 23-31, 210 Enderle (IDA): 15-26, 225, TD
RUSH:	Avery (BOIS): 11-156, 2 TD Jackson (IDA): 15-53
REC:	Childs (BOIS): 11-99 Hardy (IDA): 4-91, TD

Final

		NEW MEXICO ST (3-7) vs. LA TECH 11/22		17
		FRESNO STATE (6-4) at SJSU 11/21		24

PASS:	Holbrook (NMSU): 27-38, 192, TD Brandstater (FRES): 14-20, 146
RUSH:	Colston (NMSU): 4-20 Harding (FRES): 23-101
REC:	Harris (NMSU): 9-97, TD Wylie (FRES): 4-30

Final

		WASHINGTON ST (1-10) vs. WASH 11/22		0
		ARIZONA STATE (4-6) vs. UCLA 11/28		31

PASS:	Lopina (WSU): 11-16, 82 Carpenter (ASU): 17-25, 213, 3 TD
RUSH:	Tardy (WSU): 10-27 Nance (ASU): 9-47
REC:	Anderson (WSU): 5-32 McGaha (ASU): 3-39

Final

		ARIZONA (6-4) vs. ORE ST 11/22		45
		OREGON (8-3) at ORE ST 11/29		55

PASS:	Tuitama (ARIZ): 29-45, 328, 2 TD Masoli (ORE): 21-26, 298, 2 TD
RUSH:	Antolin (ARIZ): 20-87, 4 TD Masoli (ORE): 10-89, 3 TD
REC:	Gronkowski (ARIZ): 12-143, TD Dickson (ORE): 7-84

Final

12		MISSOURI (9-2) vs. KANSAS 11/29		52
		IOWA STATE (2-9) at KAN ST 11/22		20

PASS:	Daniel (MISS): 32-40, 328, 2 TD Arnaud (ISU): 36-54, 326, 2 TD
RUSH:	Washington (MISS): 11-128, 2 TD Robinson (ISU): 11-59
REC:	Maclin (MISS): 8-103, TD Darks (ISU): 8-59

Final

		CONNECTICUT (7-3) at USF 11/23		39
		SYRACUSE (2-8) at ND 11/22		14

PASS:	Lorenzen (UCON): 7-15, 70 Dantley (SYRA): 4-16, 38
RUSH:	Brown (UCON): 22-131, TD Brinkley (SYRA): 21-94, TD
REC:	Moore (UCON): 3-31 Hogue (SYRA): 3-17

Final

6		USC (9-1) vs. ND 11/29		45
		STANFORD (5-6) at CALIF 11/22		23

PASS:	Sanchez (USC): 11-17, 136, 2 TD Pritchard (STAN): 9-22, 111
RUSH:	Johnson (USC): 14-115, 2 TD Gerhart (STAN): 23-101, TD
REC:	Williams (USC): 4-35, TD Howell (STAN): 3-42

Final

		MISSISSIPPI ST (3-7) vs. ARKANSAS 11/22		7
1		ALABAMA (11-0) vs. AUBURN 11/29		32

PASS:	Lee (MSST): 11-28, 132, TD Wilson (ALA): 10-17, 148
RUSH:	Dixon (MSST): 11-26 Ingram (ALA): 13-78, TD
REC:	Dixon (MSST): 4-32 Jones (ALA): 3-53

Final

		BOSTON COLLEGE (7-3) at WAKE 11/22		27
20		FLORIDA STATE (7-3) at MARYLAND 11/22		17

PASS:	Crane (BC): 14-26, 181, TD Ponder (FSU): 15-31, 183
RUSH:	Harris (BC): 25-121, TD Gano (FSU): 1-24
REC:	Gunnell (BC): 5-37, TD Parker (FSU): 6-53

Final

		VANDERBILT (6-4) vs. TENN 11/22		31
		KENTUCKY (6-5) at TENN 11/29		24

PASS:	Nickson (VAND): 15-27, 155, 3 TD Cobb (UK): 11-26, 144
RUSH:	Nickson (VAND): 20-118 Cobb (UK): 15-72, TD
REC:	Hawkins (VAND): 4-49 Adams (UK): 4-61

Final

25		TULSA (8-2) vs. TULANE 11/22		30
		HOUSTON (6-4) vs. UTEP 11/22		70

PASS:	Johnson (TULS): 18-29, 271, 4 TD Keenum (HOU): 24-37, 402, 6 TD
RUSH:	Adams (TULS): 12-62 Beall (HOU): 17-56
REC:	Clay (TULS): 6-82, TD Hafner (HOU): 8-93, 2 TD

Final

8		UTAH (11-0) vs. BYU 11/22		63
		SAN DIEGO STATE (1-10) vs. UNLV 11/22		14

PASS:	Johnson (UTAH): 27-38, 283, 5 TD Lindley (SDSU): 23-41, 247, 2 TD
RUSH:	Asiata (UTAH): 14-83, TD Campbell (SDSU): 5-40
REC:	Brown (UTAH): 11-110, 2 TD Henderson (SDSU): 6-29

Final

11		OKLAHOMA STATE (9-2) vs. OKLAHOMA 11/29		30
		COLORADO (5-6) at NEBRASKA 11/28		17

PASS:	Robinson (OKST): 15-23, 217, TD Hawkins (COLO): 19-37, 171, TD
RUSH:	Hunter (OKST): 11-102, TD Sumler (COLO): 22-86, TD
REC:	Pettigrew (OKST): 7-75 McKnight (COLO): 4-51, TD

Final

		TROY (6-4) vs. LA-LAF 11/22		31
19		LOUISIANA STATE (7-3) vs. MISS 11/22		40

PASS:	Brown (TROY): 34-72, 316, 2 TD Lee (LSU): 20-34, 216, TD
RUSH:	Harris (TROY): 14-65 Scott (LSU): 24-90, TD
REC:	Jernigan (TROY): 10-63 LaFell (LSU): 12-126, TD

Final

		SMU (1-10) vs. SO MISS 11/29		10
		UTEP (5-5) at HOUSTON 11/22		36

PASS:	Mitchell (SMU): 9-24, 95 Vittatoe (UTEP): 21-31, 410, 3 TD
RUSH:	McKinney (SMU): 4-36 Buckram (UTEP): 7-45
REC:	Zimmerman (SMU): 4-49 Adams (UTEP): 5-145, 3 TD

Final

		UCLA (4-6) at ARIZ ST 11/28		27
		WASHINGTON (0-10) at WASH ST 11/22		7

PASS:	Craft (UCLA): 13-22, 135 Fouch (WASH): 7-22, 39
RUSH:	Bell (UCLA): 25-97, 2 TD Johnson (WASH): 20-75, TD
REC:	Johnson (UCLA): 4-33 Goodwin (WASH): 4-13