College Football: Quest to be the best heating up

Published 12:18 am Wednesday, October 8, 2008

October means one thing around college football.

It’s time for national title contenders to get serious. Yes, September offered a one-weekend return to the tumult-filled 2007 season. But last Saturday saw eight of the top-10 teams all emerge victorious by an average of 24 points.

Yes, No. 10 South Florida did lose to Pitt. But did anybody take the not-ready-for-prime-time Bulls seriously in the BCS title race? Or anybody in the mediocre Big East for that matter?

Six of the nation’s top 17 teams square off Saturday with the results helping set up the initial order of the first BCS standings released in three weeks.

Yes, we know LSU won the national title with two losses last year. But file that as the ultimate 2007 anomaly — kind of like a sober day for Britney Spears.

So here’s how Set-Up Saturday shapes up:

No. 1 Oklahoma (5-0) vs. No. 5 Texas (5-0) in Dallas

The annual Red River Shootout sees the pressure squarely on Sooners coach Bob Stoops. Two of the OU’s 10 losses since the start of the 2005 season have been to Texas, which grates on Sooner nation even more than the last two disheartening Fiesta Bowl upsets to Boise State and West Virginia.

Which OU team will show up? The 7-point favorite that has blitzed five foes by an average score of 49-13. Or the one that is 4-6 vs. ranked teams not named Missouri since ‘05?

This will be fun with two of the nation’s best quarterbacks — Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Texas’ Colt McCoy (a combined 34 TD passes vs. 6 interceptions this season) — lighting it up. So it comes down to who can slow down the other’s fierce pass rush (Texas leads the nation with 19 sacks with Oklahoma fifth with 17).

Once again, the Longhorns’ suspect secondary (96th nationally vs. the pass) lets them down. Oklahoma, 36-28.

No. 4 LSU (4-0) at No. 11 Florida (4-1)

A year ago, this is where the legacy of let-it-ride Tigers coach Les Miles was born. Converting a staggering four fourth-down gambles (two that resulted in touchdowns including the game-winner with a minute left), LSU pulled out a thrilling 28-24 win over the Gators.

Florida is a 4-point favorite based mainly on playing at The Swamp and the quarterback disparity — the Gators Mr. Heisman (Tim Tebow) vs. the Tigers’ freshman Jarrett Lee, he of the one career start. LSU counters with the mouth of DT Rick Jean Francois who told the Orlando Sentinel “If we get a good shot on (Tebow), we’re going to try our best to take him out of the game … I think every lineman wants to get a good hit on a Heisman Trophy winner.”

But it’s the Gators defense that will laugh last. After some inexplicable blunders in the upset loss to Ole Miss two weeks ago, this underrated unit (fourth in the nation in scoring, 11.4 ppg) makes a statement. Florida, 23-7.

No. 17 Oklahoma State (5-0) at No. 3 Missouri (5-0)

At last, a chance for Mike “I’m a man. I’m 40!!!” Gundy, Oklahoma State’s he-man coach, to make a national statement on the field, as opposed to being a YouTube phenomenon starring in public tantrums with newspaper columnists.

Compare Gundy’s bravado to the tranquil leadership of Tigers coach Gary Pinkel, the former University of Washington offensive coordinator who dodged the ax after starting 22-24 in his first four years at Missouri. Since then, the Tigers are 30-12 including two bowl wins and a brief stay at No. 1 last December, the best run for UM football since going 34-7-3 from 1959-63.

Hmm. Tigers Heisman favorite QB Chase Daniel against a Cowboys defense that gives up a lot of yards (51st nationally in total defense) and can’t rush the passer (only four sacks, 114th in the nation). No tricks here. Missouri, 45-30.

John Lindsay is sports editor for Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com. Contact him at lindsayjshns.com