History will be made here tonight when the Texas Rangers host the first World Series game in their existence.
No doubt many folks in these parts had something quite different in mind, though. They didn't expect to need to rally these Rangers from a 2–0 deficit in this best–of–seven series.
It was bad enough when, as Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News wrote, the Giants claimed a "psychedelic" 11–7 victory in Game 1.
They were playing in San Francisco, after all, so I guess it was appropriate that the first game was something of a mind–altering experience. Certainly, it altered perceptions — of players, of pitching rotations, of victory scenarios.
Of teams.
But at least the Rangers were conscious in that game. It was hard to tell in Game 2. The Giants won, 9–0.
Tonight, they return to Arlington, to home cooking and their long–suffering fans. And the objective should be clear, writes Jean–Jacques Taylor in the Dallas Morning News.
In the words of Al Davis — Just win, baby.
Just win this game. Worry about Game 4 tomorrow. And Game 5, if there is one, on Monday.
But don't think about those games — or the games that were played in San Francisco on Wednesday and Thursday.
A win can make a big difference, at least temporarily.
A win can take that monkey off the Rangers' backs. They will know that they can win against these Giants, that it is possible.
That is not something they can say with confidence today.
But if they win today, they know they will get two more games in Arlington. And they will have a chance to return to San Francisco with a 3–2 lead.
But if the Giants win today, the Rangers will be down 3–0. They will have to run the table against a team they still haven't proven they can beat at least once.
So they better not think about that right now.
Or that, historically, teams who got off to 2–0 leads in the World Series went on to win it all about 80% of the time.
The odds are against these Rangers, no matter what happens tonight.
But the odds will be much longer if they don't win this one.
As I wrote the other day, folks in north Texas have been waiting a long time for a World Series to come here.
Tonight, the long wait comes to an end.
Well, not literally.
I mean, the first World Series game to be played in north Texas is still a few days away.
But tonight, the Texas Rangers will make their first World Series appearance when they take the field in San Francisco.
And a fellow named Darrell Cook — who happens to be a lawyer from Irving — will be there, too.
Cook made a motion to postpone a pretrial conference in a lawsuit in which he is participating so he could attend the game. That conference was supposed to be held this afternoon. But the judge granted the request.
OK, the postponement really isn't a big deal. As Mede Nix writes in the Dallas Morning News, the hearing really is a routine matter.
Still, why did it have to be postponed? The case involves the City of Irving and the Villas of Irving (which, Nix reports, Cook represents). If Cook has a partner, couldn't the partner attend the meeting in his place?
Should a baseball game — even the first game in the World Series — permit the judicial system to be slowed down even more than it already is?
Around here, I guess, some folks would say yes. Certainly, that's what Darrell Cook would say — if you could reach him. But he's probably flying to the West Coast right now — and you know the airlines don't like for folks to use their cell phones during flight.
Tim Cowlishaw writes, in the Dallas Morning News, that the Rangers will win in seven games — which would be quite dramatic. It certainly would set up a storybook ending with the Rangers looking for their first title and the Giants looking for their first since they were the New York Giants.
Over at the Fort Worth Star–Telegram, Ray Buck has learned there is some mileage to be gained from this Cinderella angle.
And Gil LeBreton, in a Star–Telegram column that most Giants fans are not likely to see (unless they surf over to the Star–Telegram's website), urges San Francisco baseball fans — for whom "Giants baseball ... torture" appears to have become a local rallying cry — not to compare their stories of victimization to the Rangers' fans. It's just no contest.
In another year — when the Cowboys weren't 1–5 and the Texas Longhorns weren't 4–3 — even a berth in the World Series for the Rangers might not warrant this much attention.
But sports fans around here are hungry for a winner, damn it!
I was exchanging e–mails with a friend of mine on Saturday afternoon, and, at one point, I said, "Iowa State is beating Texas. And the Rangers are going to the World Series. Did I wake up in an alternate reality this morning?"
Which, I should point out, would not bother me. I believe college football must have a legitimate playoff system in place to determine its champion. The BCS is simply inadequate.
And it seems to me that events in this college football season are making my point for me.
Oregon and Boise State scratched and clawed their way into the top two spots in the human polls last week, but the computer rankings gave traditional powerhouse Oklahoma the top spot. Then, of course, OU got flattened by Missouri.
Well, Oregon may be a newcomer to the top spot in the college football polls, a mostly unknown quantity, but one thing you can say about the Ducks that you couldn't say about their two immediate predecessors is that they know how to defend their ranking. They held up their end of the deal.
Granted, they didn't have to go on the road, the way Alabama and Ohio State did, but they did have kind of a short week after being named the #1 team in the land.
But, in spite of that, the BCS Guru blog was proclaiming a day before the human polls were released that Auburn would be the BCS' top team. And, given the logic of modern college football, it made sense. The Guru is probably right, I thought. And, as it turned out, the Guru was right.
In an odd kind of way, it seems appropriate that it should be this way. There has been a kind of surreal quality to sports in America this year — the Saints won the Super Bowl, Butler played in the NCAA Tournament final, James Madison and Jackson State shocked college football, now the Rangers are going to the World Series.
Sometimes, I must admit, I do feel like "Doc" Brown in the first "Back to the Future" movie, when Marty McFly tells him that Ronald Reagan is the president in 1985.
"Ronald Reagan? The actor?" he asks incredulously. "Then who's vice president? Jerry Lewis? I suppose Jane Wyman is the first lady! And Jack Benny is secretary of the Treasury!"
There are definitely times in life that simply defy belief. At the very least, they defy understanding.
It's not that I don't think Auburn is deserving. But two teams are ranked ahead of the Tigers in the human polls. Doesn't logic dictate that they should be ahead of Auburn in the race for the national championship berths?
But if that happened, Auburn could be undefeated when the regular season is over — and still be shut out of the national championship game. How can anyone justify that?
Same thing could happen to teams like TCU, Michigan State, Missouri, Utah.
Chances are that most, if not all, of those schools will be beaten at least once before the bowls begin. In fact, we know that at least one of those teams will lose once — Utah and TCU will be playing each other on Nov. 6.
Even so, college football could have as many as half a dozen undefeated teams when the regular season is over.
College football needs a playoff system. Isn't that clear to all by now?
Four teams are idle this week: #6 Alabama, #9 Wisconsin, #12 LSU and #21 Virginia Tech. All times are Central.
Today
Louisiana Tech at #2 Boise State, 7 p.m. on ESPN2: Boise State has won eight in a row against Louisiana Tech, and Tech hasn't beaten Boise State on the road since 1997, when the schools were not yet in the same conference.
When it comes to offense, the teams still aren't in the same league. Boise State is fourth in the nation; Louisiana Tech is 51st.
But the glaring difference between them is on the defensive side of the ball. Boise State's defense is ranked #1 in the nation; Louisiana Tech's is 113th. That's about as far apart as two teams can be.
Boise State should win easily.
Thursday
#16 Florida State at North Carolina State, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN: Florida State has won 13 of 18 contests with North Carolina State since they became conference rivals in 1992, and the Seminoles have won the last three.
The most intriguing matchup, I suppose, will come when North Carolina State has the ball. The Wolfpack are ranked 20th in total offense while Florida State is 21st in defense.
Florida State is pretty good on offense, too, with a #37 ranking, but North Carolina State's 47th–ranked defense may be capable of handling the Seminoles.
I'll give a slight edge to Florida State.
Saturday
#1 Oregon at #24 USC, 7 p.m. on ABC: OK, USC isn't what it used to be. But the Trojans are in the Top 25.
And Oregon is a lot better than it used to be. If you saw the Ducks' game with UCLA last week, you saw ample reasons why Oregon is #1 in total offense — namely LaMichael James (who is rushing for more than 160 yards per game), Darron Thomas (who is completing nearly 61% of his passes) and Jeffrey Maehl (who makes nearly six receptions a game).
But USC's offense is pretty good, too. It is ranked seventh in the nation, thanks to Matt Barkley and his 65% completion rate. Many of Barkley's passes have been caught by Ronald Johnson, who is averaging nearly six receptions a game.
With two potent offenses, the key to success may be found with the defenses. Advantage, Oregon. The Ducks are 30th in the nation on defense while USC is 87th.
I'll take Oregon.
#3 Auburn at Ole Miss, 5 p.m. on ESPN2: Auburn has won all but four of its last 20 meetings with Ole Miss, but two of the Tigers' losses have come in the last seven years.
Auburn also lost the last time the Tigers played in Oxford (in 2008), but that ended a seven–game Auburn winning streak on Ole Miss' turf.
The key to the game seems to be the performance of Auburn's Cam Newton and the Tigers' 10th–ranked offense. And I'm thinking they'll do pretty well against Ole Miss' 66th–ranked defense.
Give me Auburn.
#4 TCU at UNLV, 10 p.m. on CBSCSN: TCU is 6–0 against UNLV since 1998.
But, as nearly as I can tell, UNLV's only victory over TCU in football came in Las Vegas (in 1997).
In those days, neither team was very good. UNLV still isn't terribly good, but TCU, of course, is in the national championship discussion. If they want to remain in that conversation, they can't look ahead to their date with #8 Utah. They've got to take care of business this weekend.
TCU has decisive advantages on both sides of the ball — which could lull the Frogs into a false sense of security. When the Frogs' 11th–ranked offense is on the field, it should be too much for UNLV's 92nd–ranked defense. Likewise, when UNLV has the ball, its 114th–ranked offense should be no match for TCU's second–ranked defense.
As long as the Frogs stay focused, I have no problem with picking TCU.
#5 Michigan State at #18 Iowa, 2:30 p.m. on ABC: Looking for a game where home field really means something?
In 13 games between these schools since 1993, the home team has won 11. One of the two exceptions occurred last year, when Iowa went into East Lansing and won the game, 15–13. The other exception came in 1995 — when Iowa also went to East Lansing and won, 21–7.
Michael Rosenberg writes, in the Detroit Free Press, that Michigan State just might be good enough — or lucky enough — to play for a national title in January.
But, if Michigan State is going to remain unbeaten (and remain in the national title conversation), the Spartans will have to do something they haven't done since 1989 — win at Iowa.
And that is not something I am convinced the Spartans can — or will — do.
The Spartans' offense might be up to the challenge. Ranked 22nd in the nation, Michigan State's offense is fueled by Kirk Cousins' 66% completion rate and nearly 100 yards on the ground per game from Edwin Baker. But Iowa's 13th–ranked defense might be able to stop them.
Meanwhile, Iowa's 43rd–ranked offense, while not dazzling, features Adam Robinson's 105 rushing yards per game, which opens things up for quarterback Richard Stanzi (who completes more than 68% of his passes). The Hawkeyes seem certain to test Michigan State's 32nd–ranked defense.
It will probably be considered a mild upset, but I pick Iowa to win this one.
#7 Missouri at #14 Nebraska, 2:30 p.m. on ABC: Perhaps a dose of reality is required here.
If the Missouri Tigers are to make a legitimate run at a national title, they need to avoid reading press clippings like the one in the New York Times that fantasizes about Mizzou making it to the big stage.
We're about halfway through the college football regular season. There are a number of hurdles to leap yet — including, possibly, a rematch with Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game — and one of them is this weekend in Lincoln, Neb.
Since 1979, Nebraska is 27–4 against Missouri, and the Tigers have beaten the Cornhuskers in Lincoln only once in all those years.
But that win came in 2008, the last time Missouri visited Nebraska. It was Missouri's first win in Lincoln in 30 years.
If last week's Oklahoma–Missouri game told the Cornhuskers anything, it is that they will need a solid performance from their defense to beat the Tigers. Until Nebraska's game with Oklahoma State, that seemed like nearly a foregone conclusion (with the exception of that performance against Texas).
Meanwhile, even Missouri fans have to be wondering how the Tigers have managed to remain unbeaten. Sure, the Tigers have a good quarterback (Blaine Gabbert). He completes a higher percentage of his passes than Nebraska's quarterback (Taylor Martinez), but he doesn't get as many yards. And he isn't close to being the same kind of running threat.
And Nebraska's defense is rated higher than Missouri's, which leads me to believe Nebraska will end Missouri's fairy tale run and reclaim control of the Big 12 North.
#8 Utah at Air Force, 6 p.m. on CBSCSN: Since 2001, Utah is 6–3 against Air Force.
Both teams have great offenses — Utah is 14th in the nation, Air Force is 27th. Utah's attack is more balanced; Air Force depends heavily on the run.
With the offenses being so close, defenses should play a prominent role. And Utah, with its fifth–in–the–nation defense (sixth against the run), should be better equipped to handle Air Force's offense than Air Force's #68 defense will be to stop Utah.
So I'm picking Utah.
#10 Ohio State at Minnesota: Ohio State has won seven in a row against Minnesota.
The Gophers rarely experience victory in this series. They beat the Buckeyes in Columbus in 2000. It was their first win over Ohio State since 1981.
Ohio State has the clear edge on offense and defense. When the Buckeyes have the ball, their 20th–ranked offense (led by Terrelle Pryor) should have little trouble with Minnesota's 90th–ranked defense. When the Gophers have the ball, their 59th–ranked offense should struggle against Ohio State's third–ranked defense.
I have no trouble picking Ohio State to win.
Colorado at #11 Oklahoma, 8:15 p.m. on ESPN2: Since 2002, OU is 5–1 against Colorado — and that includes two victories in Big 12 championship games.
I guess Oklahoma is still the favorite to represent the South in this year's Big 12 title game. But I don't think anyone believes 3–4 Colorado will be waiting for the Sooners at the end of the season.
So this should be their only meeting in 2010.
Can the Sooners bounce back after their loss to Missouri? Well, let's see.
OU has the 18th–best offense in the nation, thanks to quarterback Landry Jones, receiver Ryan Broyles and halfback DeMarco Murray. Colorado's 74th–ranked offense is not without its stars (Rodney Stewart, for example, runs for nearly 100 yards per game), but it just isn't in the same class.
And Oklahoma's defense, while exposed as a shell of its former self, should be good enough to stop Colorado.
I pick Oklahoma.
#13 Stanford at Washington, 6 p.m. on Versus: There was a time, not too long ago, when Washington routinely beat Stanford.
But lately — well, in four of the last five meetings — Stanford has been the winner.
Stanford brings a relentless offense (15th in the nation) into Saturday's game, and Washington (98th in the nation on defense) appears woefully unprepared for QB Andrew Luck and running back Stepfan Taylor.
Washington's 53rd–ranked offense doesn't seem capable of generating enough firepower against Stanford's defense to keep up.
I pick Stanford.
#15 Arizona at UCLA, 2:30 p.m. on FSN: These teams have split their last 10 games, but the most important point to remember about their recent series is that Arizona has beaten UCLA in their last three meetings and four of their last five.
In a conference where offense is valued as highly as it is in the Pac–10, that's definitely not a good thing. But it is even worse when the assignment is to face Arizona's defense. The Wildcats are 10th in the nation in total defense.
Arizona's offense isn't too shabby — 28th in the nation. At least, it ought to be able to handle UCLA's #85 defense.
I have no problem picking Arizona to extend its winning streak against UCLA.
Tennessee at #17 South Carolina, 11:21 a.m. on the SEC Network: South Carolina has been more competitive with Tennessee in recent years, winning two of five meetings since 2005.
But, before that season, Tennessee ruled the series, winning 12 straight.
South Carolina actually beat Tennessee the last time they played in Columbia. That snapped a nine–game Tennessee winning streak on South Carolina's field. But I think a new streak has begun — and will continue.
South Carolina is ranked well ahead of Tennessee in both offense and defense. The Gamecocks have the fifth–rated passer (Stephen Garcia) and a runner who gets nearly 90 yards a game (Marcus Lattimore).
One day, Tennessee will be atop the SEC East. But not this year. This year, it looks like it might be South Carolina.
I certainly think South Carolina will be the winner on Saturday.
Vanderbilt at #19 Arkansas, 6 p.m. on FSN: The Razorbacks have won three of four games with the Commodores since the two became members of the same conference.
Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett isn't mentioned in the Heisman conversations these days, but he's ninth in the nation in passing with a 67% completion rate. And he's a big part of the reason why Arkansas' offense is 12th in the nation.
Not too long ago, Vanderbilt had one of the better offenses in America. But today, the Commodores have one of the worst.
It is probably safe to say that neither defense is likely to dominate the game. Arkansas' defense — 55th in the nation — might be able to control Vanderbilt's pathetic offense, but it might not. It is all but certain, however, that Vandy's 82nd–ranked defense won't be able to stop Mallett.
I pick Arkansas.
#20 Oklahoma State at Kansas State, 11 a.m. on FSN: These teams have split their 22 meetings since 1980, but that statement is deceptive.
In fact, OSU dominated KSU in the 1980s, but Kansas State seized the series in the early 1990s. Now, Oklahoma State — winner of two of its last three games with Kansas State — seems to be taking it back.
The Cowboys are third in the nation in offense (thanks to Brandon Weeden, Kendall Hunter and Justin Blackmon). Kansas State is 60th. As for the defenses, well, the less said, the better.
I pick Oklahoma State to win at Kansas State for the first time since 1988.
#22 Miami (Florida) at Virginia, 11 a.m. on ESPN: Since they became conference rivals six years ago, Miami has won four of their six meetings and is 2–1 at Virginia.
I think the difference in the game will be the defenses. The offenses are similarly productive (Miami's is ranked 49th, Virginia's is ranked 54th). But Miami's defense is in the Top 20 (at #17) while Virginia's defense is languishing at #74.
And Miami is particularly good at defending against the pass, which is the best part of Virginia's offense.
I'll take Miami.
Kentucky at #23 Mississippi State, 6 p.m. on ESPNU: In recent years, this has been kind of an odd series. The home team has lost the last four contests.
Actually, it's been a spirited, competitive series. Kentucky has won nine of the last 20 games.
If Kentucky's Mike Hartline (completion rate exceeds 67%) and Derrick Locke (nearly 100 rushing yards per game) are free to do their thing, the Wildcats' 31st–ranked offense can top Mississippi State's 35th–ranked defense.
But if Kentucky's offense doesn't win that battle, the game may be decided by Mississippi State's 55th–ranked offense against Kentucky's 50th–ranked defense.
The Bulldogs surged into the Top 25 following their stunning victory over Florida, but they struggled to beat lowly UAB last week. And, frankly, that win over Florida seems less impressive as the season plays out. The Bulldogs are better than they were thought to be before the season began, but they aren't Top 25 material.
They're primed for plucking and Kentucky, which narrowly lost to the team currently in the #1 slot in the BCS rankings, Auburn, is ready to deliver.
I'm going to pick Kentucky to continue the home team's woes in this series.
#25 Baylor at Texas, 6 p.m. on FSN: My, how times have changed.
When I was growing up, the Baylor–Texas football game often matched a team that was ranked and a team that wasn't. But in those days, Texas was the team that was ranked.
We all knew, however, that, when the Longhorns lost to Iowa State last week, they wouldn't be in the Top 25 this week.
It must have been a daunting assignment for the Cyclones to come to Texas after the Longhorns returned from their victorious trip to Nebraska. But, in spite of the history of their series, Iowa State went into Austin last week and prevailed, anyway.
And, this week, Baylor has the opportunity to do the same thing.
The Bears have a couple of monkeys on their backs, though. Texas has beaten Baylor for 12 straight years, and Baylor hasn't won in Austin in nearly two decades.
But maybe, just maybe, the time is right. Baylor's offense is fifth in the nation, thanks to Robert Griffin III, who has completed about two–thirds of his passes. Texas' offense is dismal, ranked 71st in the nation.
Texas' defense is sixth in the nation, though, whereas Baylor's is 79th.
Such a thing would have been almost incomprehensible when I was growing up — in the years that I was in public school, Texas was 10–2 against Baylor — but I'll pick Baylor to win Saturday.
I will always remember the night of Saturday, Oct. 26, 1985.
I was working on the sports copy desk of the Arkansas Gazette in Little Rock. Football season was two months old, and I had been working there long enough to know that Fridays and Saturdays in the fall meant everyone on the sports staff had to be in the office to handle the workload.
Football season was — and is — serious business in Arkansas. High school. College. The pros. All of it.
The University of Arkansas' Razorbacks, of course, were — as they are today — at the center of attention, but every high school in the state had its rabid followers for whom every Friday night in the fall was a life–and–death situation. And the pros — mostly the Cowboys when I was growing up — had plenty of devotees.
The Gazette's longtime sports editor, Orville Henry, was widely credited with saving the paper in the late 1950s when readers were leaving it over its series of Pulitzer Prize–winning editorials supporting the integration of Little Rock Central High School.
How did he do that? By promising that, during football season, the Gazette would have, in the Saturday morning papers, the scores from every football game involving every high school in the state that fielded a football team.
The Gazette, you see, served the entire state, and most of its sports readers, whether they lived in Little Rock or its neighboring counties or any of the 75 counties within Arkansas' borders, cared about high school football. But the paper had multiple deadlines each night, and the edition that went out to the far corners of the state went to press long before any night games had ended. Those readers — in places like Fayetteville and Blytheville and Texarkana and points in between — didn't expect to get the football scores in their Saturday morning papers.
But the edition that went out to the neighboring counties in central Arkansas went to press around 11 at night, and the city edition went to press around 12:30, so there were plenty of readers who did expect to see those scores in the paper that was delivered to their doorsteps on Saturday mornings.
And everyone on the sports staff had to stay in the office until we had scores for every game. As the hours went by, staffers were calling anyone they could think of from areas where we hadn't heard a score — a principal, a teacher, the county sheriff.
Many times, we published scores based on something as iffy as "Well, I think the score was ..." I'm sure we got it wrong sometimes. But, in all the years I worked there, we always had a score, whether it was right or wrong, for every game when the city edition went to bed on Friday nights.
There were — and, I presume, still are, although there was considerable consternation over the possibility of school consolidation at the time I left — many tiny, rural high schools all across the state. And it could be quite challenging at times to get their scores.
I was there for four football seasons, and I remember nights when we were in the office until nearly 3 in the morning trying to track down the score from a single football game.
I guess it goes without saying that, on many Saturdays, the sports staff was dragging.
I don't remember if Friday, Oct. 25, 1985, was such a night. It may well have been one of those (comparably rare) football Friday nights when everything went smoothly and we managed to put the paper to bed at what was a normal time for us. But, for those of us in the sports department, it was a time of year when things were complicated by the World Series.
And the sixth game of the World Series was to be played that Saturday night. The teams that were playing were the Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals in what was known as the "I–70 Series" — in honor of the highway that directly connects the two cities.
With both of the teams coming from cities in the state the bordered Arkansas to the north, it should be obvious that there was a distinctly regional flavor to that year's World Series.
When I was growing up, central Arkansas was Cardinal country, and that tradition was alive and well in the Gazette newsroom in 1985. Lots of people, whether they worked on the sports side or not, were openly pulling for the Cardinals.
But there was no TV in the newsroom in those days — so many folks who had to work at night (usually that was almost exclusively the copy desk, but there were some reporters who wrote at night) had to listen to the radio at their desks if they wanted to know the score in that pre–internet world.
The Cardinals led the Royals, three games to two, when the Series returned to Kansas City, and St. Louis was on the brink of winning its second world title in four years. One of the guys on the sports copy desk brought a TV to the newsroom that night so we could watch the game while we worked.
And it was about the most dramatic World Series game I have ever seen.
It started as a pitchers' duel. Neither team scored until the Cardinals managed to score a run in the top of the eighth, and it looked like they were on their way. But, in the bottom of the ninth, trailing by a run, the Royals scored two runs, thanks to a blown call at first base by umpire Don Denkinger.
I guess it is possible that the Royals might have scored two runs in their half of the ninth even if Denkinger had made the right call. But it would have been a lot more difficult to achieve.
Replays from every angle clearly confirmed that Denkinger had made the wrong call, but he stubbornly refused to reverse himself and there was no mechanism in place for overturning an umpire's call through the use of instant replay. The call stood; the Royals rallied for an improbable victory and forced the decisive Game 7 the next night.
Except for football, major team sports championships are decided in a best–of–seven playoff series. When they happen, Game 7s are often dramatic events, reflecting the even split of the previous six games.
But there was nothing terribly dramatic about Game 7 of the 1985 World Series.
Maybe the Cardinals were shell–shocked, having come so tantalizingly close to winning the World Series only to have it snatched away from them by something that was beyond their control.
Whatever it was, the Cardinals, who had looked unbeatable on the eve of their series with their meek sister from western Missouri, couldn't scratch out a single run in the finale. Their manager, Whitey Herzog, and their pitcher, Joaquin Andujar, were ejected from the game, and Kansas City won a blowout, 11–0.
Compared to the previous night, it was anticlimactic.
Baseball fans in these parts have been dreaming for a long time.
The local major league baseball team, the Texas Rangers, began its existence as the Washington Senators in 1961. Following the 1971 season, the team relocated to north Texas and has gone under the name of the Texas Rangers since 1972.
It took the Rangers nearly a quarter of century even to get into the postseason — and they only recently tasted victory in the playoffs for the first time — but, although most of the early Rangers teams weren't very impressive, loyal baseball fans still sang the official team song before each home game and after the team's triumphs between 1975 and 1980 ...
... And dreamed of scaling baseball's heights.
Those long–suffering fans are entitled to savor the Rangers' American League championship, writes Richard Justice in the Houston Chronicle. It's been a "long, odd, agonizing trip," he says, "and because it has taken 39 years, because the Texas Rangers have had a view of the bottom of the baseball world for so long, this moment is that much more special."
This morning, the Rangers are closer than they have ever been to proclaiming themselves kings of the baseball world. Believe it or not. And even I have to pinch myself at times to remind myself that — wait for it — the World Series really is coming here.
We already knew that the Super Bowl will be played here next February. They determine those things years ahead of time. But there was no way — until last night — that anyone could have known that the World Series would be played here just a few months before.
America's two greatest professional sports championships will be played here in north Texas within four months of each other. How incredible is that?
As Jon Paul Morosi writes for Fox Sports, the Rangers' series with the New York Yankees was pretty one–sided. With the exception of a single late–game meltdown, the Rangers simply overwhelmed New York.
Surprisingly, it never really was close.
Evan Grant writes, in the Dallas Morning News, that the Rangers need an icon that is worthy of their never–say–die resilience.
"All things locally are now officially possible," writes Randy Galloway in the Fort Worth Star–Telegram, "even logical."
And, after the Rangers disposed of the two best teams in the American League, who's to say they won't be able to toss aside either the Giants or the Phillies like rag dolls in the World Series?
I guess, to a certain extent, the Rangers have a lot of folks in this city dreaming this morning. Even me. And I'm not even that much of a baseball fan anymore. I used to be — and I still pull for the team I have always pulled for, the Los Angeles Dodgers, even though I've never lived less than two time zones from L.A. — but it's been more than 10 years since I attended a game.
As Galloway said, all things now seem possible. Perhaps we'll have a World Series parade in Dallas in early November.
North Texas is an area that is hungry beyond words for a champion. It's been more than a decade (and, pardner, that's a long time by Dallas standards) since a champion in any professional sport was crowned around here — and that was in, of all things, hockey!
The basketball team did play in its championship series a few years ago but fell flat.
And the football team hasn't lived up to local preseason expectations for 15 years.
(That's a lifetime for you and me.)
Now, the Rangers can erase — at least, temporarily — the disappointments and the frustrations that have been shouldered by sports fans in this city for years.
I think it is safe to say that, if this city must wait another 39 years for a World Series to come to Arlington, most of us will not be around to see it.
So, for those of us who live here, this is probably our chance.
But this is their moment.
Both the Giants and the Phillies have had their opportunities to win it all in my memory. But not the Rangers. Never before.
My father always encouraged me to root for the underdog. He grew up in Dallas, but he wasn't a product of years of pulling for the woeful Rangers. He'd been away from the Metroplex for many years before the Rangers came to town.
I don't know if the Rangers will be the favorites or the underdogs in this World Series.
And I've been a National League partisan most of my life.
But I'll pull for the Rangers in this World Series.
Traditional college football powers Alabama and Ohio State have gone down in flames in recent weeks, and the latest polls have Oregon sitting in the top spot.
But then, when the first BCS rankings — which will determine, eventually, the two schools that will play for the national title in January — came out, as they always do in midseason, Oklahoma was sitting in the top spot.
So, according to the BCS, if the season ended today, Oklahoma would be in the title game. Oregon would still be in it — but as the #2 team.
And Boise State, currently ranked second in the old–fashioned polls conducted by and with humans, is left out of the title game by the computer.
No wonder Steve Wieberg and Jack Carey write in USA Today that the BCS could be headed for a big mess at the end of the season.
Darren Everson observes in the Wall Street Journal that Oregon's ascendance is a clear sign that college football's "middle class" is on the rise.
And that may be so. But, with Boise State and TCU angling to get into the Big Game, the NCAA's bottom–feeding conferences are making their bids for "Hoosiers"–like immortality. That may seem very democratic to some people, but there really is nothing democratic about sports contests, is there?
Both teams are given an equal opportunity to compete, of course, But, if you asked for a show of hands at tonight's UCLA–Oregon game on the question of whether Oregon or Oklahoma should be #1, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that the vast majority would vote for Oregon.
But if you asked that same question at the next Oklahoma home game, you'd get a much different response.
Sports contests are not about persuasion, and that is what is going to be needed for college football to get a legitimate national championship game. To persuade the powers that be that the current system is a sham and an injustice, it is going to take some situations where at least one truly deserving team was clearly left out in the cold — perhaps two.
It remains to be seen if that will happen this year.
Of course, nothing is going to be settled this week. In fact, it is possible that the team that is currently atop the human polls could lose — for the third consecutive week.
Fasten your seatbelts. The second half of the season could be a bumpy ride.
Two teams are idle this week: Second–ranked Boise State and #16 Florida State. All times are Central.
Today
UCLA at #1 Oregon, 8 p.m. on ESPN: Oregon is 7–2 in its last nine games with UCLA, but before 2000, Oregon rarely beat UCLA.
For that matter, I believe this will be the first time that Oregon's football team takes the field as the top–ranked team in the country. And John Canzano of The Oregonian hopes the Ducks make it to the title game so Oregon's coach, who is earning a reputation for bluntness, will be in a position to tell off the BCS.
But, at this point, it is anyone's guess who will be in the national championship game. If the current rankings are to be believed, it will be Oregon and Boise State. But Oklahoma will have something to say about that, as will the winner of this week's LSU–Auburn game.
Will one of those schools — or someone else, a once–beaten Alabama, say, or Michigan State or the winner of the Wisconsin–Iowa game — leap past the top two? Time will tell.
Or will Oregon run the table? That's a dicey proposition in the Pac–10. I guess it all starts with this game.
Offense always seems to be decisive in the Pac–10, and not only does Oregon have the top–rated offense in the conference, but the Ducks also have the top–rated offense in the nation. UCLA is 99th.
Chris Dufresne writes in the Los Angeles Times that Oregon's quickness is killing its foes. It's hard to argue that point.
Defense is the redheaded stepchild in the Pac–10. Oregon is ranked higher than UCLA in defense, but that really means little. Oregon's defense is 38th in the nation; UCLA's is 65th.
I'll take Oregon and its offense.
Saturday
#3 Oklahoma at #18 Missouri, 7 p.m. on ABC: The last time these schools met was in the Big 12 championship game in December 2008. OU cruised to a 62–21 victory.
The year before that, OU beat Mizzou twice — during the regular season (41–31) and in the Big 12 title game (38–17). In 2006, OU beat Missouri in Columbia.
The teams play in different divisions so they don't face each other every year, like they did in the days of the old Big Eight Conference, but Missouri's last win over Oklahoma came in 1998. And that is Missouri's only win over OU in more than 25 years.
I don't think the numbers particularly work in Missouri's favor, either. OU has the higher–rated offense (17th to 43rd), but Missouri has the higher–rated defense (29th to 71st).
While we're on the subject of defense ...
It's worth remembering that Missouri hasn't faced a Top 25 foe yet, while OU has played (and beaten) two teams that are currently ranked and a third team that was ranked earlier this season. There's a big difference between giving up 20 points to Texas and giving up 24 points to San Diego State.
I'll take Oklahoma.
Air Force at #4 TCU, 7 p.m. on CBSCSN: As conference rivals, TCU has won four of five encounters with Air Force.
Both teams have Top 15 offenses (Air Force is 13th, TCU is 15th). But TCU has a clear edge on defense. The Frogs are second in the nation while Air Force is 42nd.
I'll pick TCU to bottle up Air Force's best–in–the–nation ground attack and win the game.
#6 LSU at #5 Auburn, 2:30 p.m. on CBS: This is the game of the week — hands down.
And, while you probably don't need any additional hype piled onto this one, MSNBC says this is one of the 12 biggest games left in the regular season.
Ya think?
For several years (between 2000 and 2007), the home team won this game.
Lately, the advantage has belonged to LSU, winner of the last three. But this year, LSU has been enjoying an increasingly unlikely streak of improbable victories. It's a house of cards, and it's been apt to come tumbling down for several weeks now.
Auburn, meanwhile, has just been downright convincing in its triumphs.
Whether LSU can make it four in a row remains to be seen. But five of the last six meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less. And the current rankings would suggest another down–to–the–wire finish.
The battle may well be decided when Auburn has the ball. That should be the marquee matchup. Auburn's offense is ninth in the nation while LSU's defense is third.
You might want to go to the bathroom and visit the kitchen for something to eat or drink when LSU has the ball. LSU's offense shouldn't be too fearful. It is ranked 92nd in the nation, one spot ahead of Louisiana–Monroe. Auburn's defense is in the middle of the pack, ranked 63rd.
I think I'll pick Auburn in what may be considered a mild upset.
#7 Alabama at Tennessee, 6 p.m. on ESPN: Both schools have known success against the other. Tennessee is 10–5 against Alabama since 1995. Alabama had a similar advantage from 1980 to 1994 (10–4–1).
Neither is intimidated by the other. Last year, when Alabama went unbeaten and won the national title, Tennessee came closer to knocking off the Crimson Tide than any other school.
But Alabama enters this game with decisive advantages in both offense and defense. I pick Alabama.
#8 Michigan State at Northwestern, 11 a.m. on ESPN: Since 1997, Michigan State holds a narrow 6–5 advantage over the Wildcats, and the Spartans are 3–2 at Northwestern.
Northwestern is better than you might have thought, but Michigan State is ranked higher in both categories (23rd to 33rd in each). I pick Michigan State to win its third straight against Northwestern.
Colorado State at #9 Utah, 5 p.m. on The Mtn.: Utah has won four in a row over Colorado State.
As long as Utah's defense (seventh in the nation) can control Colorado State's 83rd–ranked offense, I have every reason to believe the Utes' 27th–ranked offense can get by CSU's 94th–ranked defense.
There's no reason to think this one will be close. Utah should win its fifth straight against Colorado State.
#10 Wisconsin at #13 Iowa, 2:30 p.m. on ABC: This series ebbs and flows, and right now it looks pretty even.
Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com says they are reflections of each other.
That frequently seems to be the case. And often, as George Wallace (the Southern segregationist politician, that is) used to say, there isn't a dime's worth of difference between the two.
Since 1995, Iowa holds a slim 8–7 advantage. Often, one team will win four or five games in a row, then the other will start a comparable streak. Lately, teams have been winning in twos. If that trend continues, that would mean it is Wisconsin's turn.
Defense may hold the key this time; both schools are in the nation's Top 25 on defense (Iowa is 13th, Wisconsin is 23rd).
I don't mean to suggest that the offensive rankings are terrible. They just aren't as gaudy. Wisconsin is 28th in the nation, Iowa is 39th.
I'll go with the home team, Iowa. and its defense against a Wisconsin team that may be a little too prone to be overconfident after beating Ohio State.
Purdue at #11 Ohio State, 11 a.m. on the Big Ten Network: Ohio State has dominated Purdue, 18–5, since 1981. But last year, a struggling Purdue team handed Ohio State its second loss — and its last, until the Buckeyes went to Wisconsin last weekend.
The 2009 Purdue team had lost five in a row prior to its date with Ohio State. This edition is 4–2 and currently unbeaten in Big Ten play.
Ohio State enjoys the advantage on both sides of the ball. The Buckeyes's offense (25th in the nation) might struggle against the Boilermakers' #41 defense, but it seems to me that Purdue's offense (72nd in the nation) is likely to have much more difficulty moving the ball against Ohio State's sixth–ranked defense.
I'll take Ohio State.
Washington State at #12 Stanford, 4 p.m. on FCS: Stanford has a 9–6 advantage over Washington State since 1995.
Offense rules in the Pac–10, and Stanford's offense is ranked 12th in the nation (WSU's is 86th). Defense is often an afterthought in the Pac–10, but Stanford has the edge there, too, holding a #56 ranking while Washington State is 120th.
Stanford is an easy pick.
#14 Nebraska at #17 Oklahoma State, 2:30 p.m. on ABC: Oklahoma State has quietly compiled a 6–0 record while Nebraska was 5–0 before losing to Texas last week.
As non–divisional rivals, these schools haven't faced each other every year since the demise of the Big Eight. In fact, this will be their first meeting since 2007. And now, with Nebraska leaving for the Big Ten after this season, who knows when they will face each other again?
OSU fans might not be too eager to resume the series. Although the Cowboys have had the upper hand in recent years, between 1962 and 2002, the schools met nearly every year and Nebraska won every time (except 1973, when the schools played to a tie). And Nebraska has been returning to national prominence since the last time these schools faced each other.
Both teams are in the Top 25 in total offense — Oklahoma State is second and Nebraska is 24th. But Nebraska has the edge on defense, and it is more decisive (the Cornhuskers are ninth in the nation, the Cowboys are 92nd).
Defense favors Nebraska.
Washington at #15 Arizona, 9:15 p.m. on ESPN: This has been a pretty competitive series. In the last 20 meetings, Washington has won 12 times.
But the numbers really seem to favor Arizona this time, especially if the game turns into a defensive struggle. Arizona is 10th in the nation in defense while Washington is 98th.
Arizona also has the guns to win a shootout, with an offense that is 30th (Washington is 46th).
I pick Arizona.
#19 South Carolina at Vanderbilt, 6 p.m. on FSS: Since 2000, South Carolina is 8–2 against Vanderbilt.
The bad news for South Carolina is that Vandy's wins came in 2007 and 2008.
South Carolina outranks Vanderbilt in both offense and defense. The rankings aren't gaudy in either category, but I'm inclined to think that South Carolina's offense, which is far superior to Vanderbilt's, will make the difference.
I pick South Carolina.
Syracuse at #20 West Virginia, 11 a.m. on ESPN2: West Virginia has beaten Syracuse eight straight times. Syracuse's last win at West Virginia was in 2000.
This game has the makings of a defensive struggle. Both teams are in the Top 20 in defense — West Virginia is fifth in the nation, Syracuse is 18th. The offenses, on the other hand, are atrocious. West Virginia is 64th, Syracuse is 73rd.
I look for a low–scoring struggle, with West Virginia eventually claiming the victory.
Ole Miss at #21 Arkansas, 11:21 a.m. on SEC Network: Former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt will be making his second trip to Fayetteville since leaving to become coach at Ole Miss. He's 2–0 against his old team.
They always seem to have a lot of fun at Nutt's expense in my home state, but in the recent history of this series, Nutt seems to be the difference between winning and losing. During his tenure at Arkansas, he was 7–3 against Ole Miss.
But I think the numbers are against him this time. Arkansas is 10th in the nation on offense, while Ole Miss is 54th.
Defense doesn't appear to be either team's strongest point. Arkansas is 32nd in the nation, and Ole Miss is 52nd.
I think Arkansas will win this time.
Iowa State at #22 Texas, 11 a.m. on FSN: Until they became members of the same conference in the mid–1990s, Texas and Iowa State hadn't faced each other since 1979.
As members of different divisions, they don't play each other every year. But, otherwise, not a whole lot has changed. Texas won that game in '79 — and has won all six meetings with the Cyclones since become a member of the Big 12.
I expect Texas to win again.
Duke at #23 Virginia Tech, 11 a.m. on ACC Network: Virginia Tech is 6–0 against Duke since joining the ACC in 2004.
And I know that Virginia Tech dropped a stunner to James Madison earlier this season.
But, come on, this is Duke. I know Tech has a minimal edge on offense (Tech is 42nd, Duke is 51st). But the Seminoles have a much greater edge on offense (Tech is 51st, Duke is 101st).
And, as nearly as I can tell, Duke hasn't won a football game at Virginia Tech in more than half a century.
Don't hold your breath waiting for Duke to win this Saturday. I pick Virginia Tech.
So is Mississippi State actually a good team? Or is Florida — now skidding along on a three–game losing streak — something that hasn't happened to the Gators since losing to Florida State, Alabama and Michigan State between November 1999 and January 2000 — just a really bad football team?
To give you an idea of how rare something like this is in Gatorland, two of those losses were in the postseason. The last time the Gators lost three in a row during the regular season, Ronald Reagan was still president.
Well, anyway, now Mississippi State has compiled a respectable 5–2 record — and those two losses were against LSU and Auburn, who are headed for a major showdown this weekend. It kinda looks like MSU might be for real.
This will be the fourth time these teams have met since 2004. UAB caught MSU in a down year in 2004 and won the game, but MSU has won the last two contests. I'm inclined to think that Mississippi State, which has won four in a row, will make it five.
North Carolina at #25 Miami (Florida), 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2: Believe it or not, North Carolina is 4–2 against Miami since they became conference rivals in 2004.
And North Carolina has won the last three in a row.
If the game is decided on defense — and I think it might be — I give the edge to Miami, which is 21st in the nation in defense (North Carolina is 33rd). Neither team has been anything special on offense — Miami is 56th, North Carolina is 63rd.
And I have been to a Rangers game that was played in what was probably as close to a World Series atmosphere as anything anyone in these parts could imagine.
In late April 1989, a co–worker and I got tickets and went to Arlington to see the Rangers play the Boston Red Sox. Nolan Ryan had just signed with the Rangers, and we had calculated, based on the pitching rotations, when Ryan and Roger Clemens were likely to face each other, and we got tickets about 10 days ahead of time.
It was a gamble, of course. Either team could have been rained out once or twice, and that could have altered their pitching rotations. But nothing like that happened, and Ryan and Clemens faced off on a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon before what seemed to be a capacity crowd.
The game was a pitchers' duel. As I recall, the Red Sox took a 2–1 lead early in the game, and it remained that way until the bottom of the ninth, when Rafael Palmeiro belted a two–run homer, and the Rangers won, 3–2.
Ryan, who was 42 at the time, pitched into the eighth. I didn't find out until I was in the car on my way home that he had been having back spasms since the second inning. But he kept pitching — and kept shutting out the Red Sox — until the Rangers could scratch out the runs they needed to take the lead.
The 2010 Rangers may need that kind of endurance. They had to go the distance in a best–of–five series with Tampa just to get this far, and, fittingly, the team that has won more World Series than any other, the New York Yankees, stands between the Rangers and their debut in the Fall Classic.
Many of my friends in these parts are adjusting their schedules so they can watch the Rangers in the World Series. A couple of days ago, I heard on a local radio station that folks were already camping out at the Ballpark so they can be assured of getting World Series tickets when they go on sale on Sunday. I hope they can get a refund if the Yankees turn out to be the American League's representatives.
Because one thing is for sure — nothing will be certain about the World Series by this Sunday. Yet there are people who will sleep in pup tents and sleeping bags outside a ballpark for four or five nights just to get tickets for what may be a once–in–a–lifetime event.
That's a tribute to Ryan, who is part–owner and team president now. His journey in baseball has seemed, at times, wildly improbable.
Early in his career, he was a relief pitcher for the Amazin' Mets of 1969. Many observers may have written him off in the 1970s, when he labored for a mostly weak California Angels franchise, but he wound up taking them to the playoffs in his final season with them and putting them on the road to continued baseball success. After that, he returned to his native state and played for the Houston Astros for most of the 1980s, helping them to their first playoff series. He concluded his playing career with five seasons in Texas.
There is great anticipation here — where baseball may belatedly join the other major team sports (football, basketball, hockey) that have played for championships. In a sense, the Rangers already have joined that group (or, at least, they will when the first pitch is thrown in Arlington tonight) in this series that will decide the AL champion.
But I speak of overall championships, and, in baseball, those are only won in the World Series. The Rangers must get past the Yankees before they can play Philadelphia or San Francisco for all the marbles.
In a year when the Cowboys, Stars and Mavericks have all been disappointments locally, the Rangers have been bringing back some of that Texas swagger.
Well, I hope folks enjoy it while they can because I think that expecting to deprive the Yankees of a World Series appearance in the same year that George Steinbrenner died is asking a bit much of the baseball gods.
The Rangers have been playing ball here in north Texas for nearly 40 years. Who knows when they will see fit to send another league championship series this way?
Football dynasties sure ain't what they used to be.
Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com observes that "[t]he shelf life of a dynasty used to be about the same as a good cabernet — somewhere between 10 and 15 years." Now, though, it "may be closer to a presidential term."
And he makes some good points about how everything has accelerated. Clearly, today's faster pace has changed every life — some for the better, some not — and it has brought changes to college football that were unexpected even a few years ago.
Recently, Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated wrote of the SEC's "new reality."
And, indeed, positioned within Mandel's parameters, he seems to raise a good point.
In the aftermath of Alabama's first defeat since January 2009, Mandel says it is entirely possible that a one–loss SEC team might play for the national title — but should it?
As an Arkansas graduate, I find it gratifying that Mandel now calls 'Bama's win against Arkansas a few weeks ago the Crimson Tide's "signature victory" — until I realize that it is largely by default. Alabama's early win over Penn State, Mandel observes, meant a lot at the time but means very little now, since subsequent games have shown that Penn State's offense is the Big Ten's worst.
And, likewise, Alabama's win over Florida only two weeks ago doesn't mean much since the Gators' last–minute loss to LSU last weekend.
But, it seems to me, that is how it always is in the SEC. The conference is so deep that, truly, on any given Saturday, any SEC school can beat any other SEC school, regardless of reputations, rankings or records. Teams that looked weak in their last game may look invincible in their next. It's the toughest conference in college football.
In the larger context, I think Maisel is on to the more significant development — the reduced shelf lives of dynasties in general.
When Mandel talks about the toppling of Alabama as the "new reality," he conveniently overlooks the SEC's competitive history since the end of the Bear Bryant era nearly 30 years ago. Since that time, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Florida and Tennessee have all enjoyed periods in the spotlight; even Ole Miss and SEC newcomer Arkansas have risen to greater prominence.
Now it is South Carolina's turn.
Yet the SEC was competitive even in the Bear's day. For all the national titles the Bear won, there were more seasons when one team would rise up and knock off Goliath. Frequently, it was seen as lightning in a bottle — a case of one extremely gifted player (i.e., Archie Manning) leading his team to an improbable upset of the great Bear Bryant or capturing the public's attention in years when his school had the good fortune not to have to face Alabama (i.e., Herschel Walker).
But it's worth remembering that South Carolina was ranked 19th when it beat Alabama. The Gamecocks did not come from nowhere. This is the SEC being the SEC.
And Alabama, as it so often had to do in the Bear's day, must rebound from a single defeat and accept that its fate is no longer in its hands.
We're only about halfway through college football's regular season. A lot can happen — and, by December, a one–loss SEC team might look pretty darn good to the BCS.
If the caliber of the competition can no longer do it, I guess that will have to motivate the Crimson Tide now.
Two ranked teams are idle this week: #2 Oregon and #14 Stanford. All times are Central.
Today
South Florida at #25 West Virginia, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN: These two schools have been in the same conference since 2005.
And I'll bet you didn't know that South Florida is 3–2 against West Virginia since that time.
South Florida has built its advantage with a 2–1 record at home. But the teams are tied, 1–1, at West Virginia — and the Mountaineers won the last time they hosted the Bulls.
At 3–2, the Bulls aren't bad. One of their losses was a rather sound thrashing at the hands of #22 Florida. But West Virginia's only loss so far was a somewhat narrow to defeat to #9 LSU — and LSU just beat Florida last weekend.
It is seldom useful, actually, to compare scores in that way. But, at this stage of the season, it can provide a helpful context in which to assess this game. And my assesment is that West Virginia will win.
Saturday
#1 Ohio State at #18 Wisconsin, 6 p.m. on ESPN: I don't know when Ohio State was last ranked #1. The Buckeyes won a national title more than seven years ago in an overtime battle with Miami (Florida).
Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports makes a legitimate observation. When the top–ranked team falls, the polls elevate the next in line.
Even when the next in line hasn't been as impressive as, say, #3 or #4 or #5. And Dodd insists that the Buckeyes haven't been that impressive.
"Boise State has beaten more ranked teams," Dodd writes. "Oregon has been more impressive. TCU has posted consecutive shutouts. Utah just laid 68 on Iowa State.
"Free thinking has never been the polls' strong point."
Quite true, but the Buckeyes still have a few hurdles to clear before they can play for another national title. And one of them is this Saturday in Madison, Wisc.
The 5–1 Badgers won't play at home again for a month so they would surely like to leave Wisconsin with a win over the top–ranked team in the land. But that will be much easier said than done.
Ohio State holds a tenuous 5–4 edge over Wisconsin in their sporadic series since 1999. And nearly half of those games were decided by a touchdown or less.
It is, to be sure, a far cry from the days of the legendary Woody Hayes, who tied Wisconsin more frequently than he lost to the Badgers in nearly three decades of roaming the sidelines at Ohio State.
But the Buckeyes have won their last three games with Wisconsin so recent history is on their side. And, in a game in which both teams have Top 25 offenses and defenses, you have to look for whatever edge you can find.
In this case, Ohio State enjoys a statistical edge in both categories, but it seems to me that Wisconsin's schedule has been a little tougher. The Buckeyes' most significant opponent to date is the now–unranked Miami Hurricanes. Wisconsin's only loss came two weeks ago against #13 Michigan State.
It's probably an upset special — a clear case of lightning striking twice in just about the same place in consecutive weeks — but I'm going to predict a Wisconsin victory.
#3 Boise State at San Jose State, 7 p.m. on ESPN3.com: Boise State is 9–0 against San Jose State since the teams became conference rivals in 2001.
Sometimes the scores have been close, sometimes they haven't. The point is, though, that Boise State has San Jose State's number.
I have no problem picking Boise State to win this one.
Brigham Young at #4 TCU, 3 p.m. on Versus: TCU leads this series, 3–2, since the teams became Mountain West rivals in 2005. In those five years, the fans have just about seen it all from these two teams.
Do you like offense? TCU has plenty (11th in the nation), BYU not so much (91st).
Maybe you're a devotee of defense? TCU has the nation's top–ranked defense while BYU's is 90th.
And, if that isn't enough, BYU brings a 2–4 record into the game while 6–0 TCU still entertains thoughts of playing for a national title.
The dream continues. TCU will win.
Texas at #5 Nebraska, 2:30 p.m. on ABC/ESPN: This is a rematch of the riveting Big 12 championship game from a year ago — and, barring totally unexpected developments that might pair the teams in another conference title matchup, it may be the teams' last meeting for awhile.
And John Tamanaha of NBC Sports says it will be one of the most crucial games in resolving the "BCS mess" left by Alabama's loss last week to South Carolina.
"Just when you think the Longhorns are short of what it takes to be a factor in the national picture," he writes, "they could jump up and let everyone know that they're still around."
The teams seem to be headed in opposite directions, and I guess some 'Husker fans have been a little cocky, but Cindy Lange–Kubick of the Lincoln Journal Star has already served notice: " I hope I don't have to hear one more person say anything close to this: Texas isn't such a big game anymore ..."
Perhaps she is right when she says such talk merely invites the gods of sports "to stab you in the back with a Texas–sized victory."
But that O–line has helped Nebraska climb to seventh in the nation in total offense so I'm inclined to agree with Christopherson when he suggests it will be the key to the game. If the Nebraska offense can handle the Texas defense — and I think it will — Nebraska's defense should have little difficulty containing Texas' offense, which is ranked 71st in the nation.
As long as they don't get overconfident, I pick the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Iowa State at #6 Oklahoma, 6 p.m. on FSN: In the days of the old Big Eight conference, these schools met every season in football. Since the members merged with half of the old Southwest Conference, they have belonged to different divisions — and, thus, now meet occasionally.
Otherwise, though, not much has changed, really.
Since the Big 12 opened for business in 1996, Oklahoma is 6–0 against Iowa State. Between 1980 and 1995, when the teams played every year in the Big Eight, OU won every encounter but two — a loss in 1990 and a tie in 1981.
Both of those exceptions, ironically, occurred in Norman.
Well, I don't think this game will be an exception. I expect Oklahoma to win.
#12 Arkansas at #7 Auburn, 2:30 p.m. on CBS: The first time these schools faced each other as conference opponents, in 1992, it ended in a tie, 24–24.
The next 17 games were practically a split decision, with Auburn winning nine and Arkansas winning eight. And the numbers from the current season suggest a close contest — in keeping with tight nature of the series.
Arkansas' only blemish was to defending national champion Alabama last month. But Auburn is undefeated — and that includes a victory over South Carolina, the team that just beat Alabama.
Both teams, in fact, are in the Top 20 in total offense. In spite of Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett (seventh in the nation in passing efficiency), who is often mentioned as a Heisman prospect, Auburn actually is ranked ahead of Arkansas in total offense (led by quarterback Cam Newton).
But the Razorbacks have a sizable edge over the Tigers in total defense — and that may be the Razorbacks' best hope for a victory on the road. The defense, after all, has been facing some productive offenses in its recent outings. It kept the Alabama offense (currently 25th in the nation) under control until the fourth quarter and managed to bottle up Texas A&M's offense (15th in the country) last week.
Arkansas has won the last two meetings and, obviously, would like to make it three straight. Similarly, the Hogs have won the last two times they have visited Auburn. Auburn's last home victory against Arkansas was in 2004.
Based on the improved play of Arkansas' defense, I'll take Arkansas to win the game.
Ole Miss at #8 Alabama, 8 p.m. on ESPN2: Auburn, LSU and Tennessee get more ink as Alabama's rivals, but, in the SEC, nearly every game has the intensity of a rivalry.
Especially when the schools are in bordering states, and the campuses are roughly 140 miles apart.
I'm sure Ole Miss would love to win this game. But I don't think the Rebels will.
Ole Miss has beaten Alabama twice since 2001 — and the Rebels won only three times in the preceding three decades.
Plus — as the Rebels are, no doubt, tired of hearing by now — Ole Miss lost to Jacksonville State last month. I just can't see them winning this game on the road.
I fully expect Alabama to win.
McNeese State at #9 LSU, 6 p.m. on ESPN3.com: What, are you kidding me?
LSU plays SEC teams on a weekly basis. The Tigers have won national titles in recent years.
Not trying to take anything away from McNeese State. But I'll take LSU to win this one.
A McNeese victory just seems too improbable in a season in which Jacksonville State and James Madison have already beaten teams from the power conferences.
#10 South Carolina at Kentucky, 5 p.m. on ESPN2: The Gamecocks' win over Alabama last Saturday was, indeed, an "afternoon to remember," wrote The State.
In fact, it wasn't overstating the case to say that it was the "most significant victory" in South Carolina football history.
But, it seems to me that, unless South Carolina is eager to be a victim of a possibly more significant upset this week, the Gamecocks need to come down from their emotional high. This week's foe is Kentucky — the Wildcats aren't in the Top 25, but they gave seventh–ranked Auburn all it could handle last week. The Gamecocks should take note of that.
The Wildcats might be hungry for a win at home, especially since Kentucky has lost its last 10 games against South Carolina. It's worth pointing out, though, that, in seven of those games, South Carolina's margin of victory was a touchdown or less.
And last year, South Carolina only won by two points.
I expect South Carolina to win, but this one shouldn't be taken lightly.
#11 Utah at Wyoming, 5 p.m. on The Mtn.: Utah has dominated this series since 1991, 13–4.
And there's no real reason to think that will change. I expect Utah to win — and improve its record at Wyoming to 7–3 since 1991.
Illinois at #13 Michigan State, 11 a.m. on Big Ten Network: Michigan State's win over Michigan last week meant more than a year's worth of bragging rights. Michael Rosenberg writes in the Detroit Free Press that MSU beating Michigan has become the new normal.
This week's opponent shouldn't pose much of a challenge to the Spartans. Michigan State has beaten Illinois in 10 of their last 11 meetings.
And, while there are some potential bumps in the road, like a date with Iowa in a couple of weeks and a regular–season finale against currently unranked Penn State (both road games, by the way), Michigan State could well be in the national championship picture when the season comes to its conclusion.
That assumes, I guess, that the Illini won't win this game. And I don't think they will. I'll take Michigan State.
#15 Iowa at Michigan, 2:30 p.m. on ABC: This game could have had a lot of appeal if Michigan had beaten Michigan State last week.
The Wolverines have won 22 of their last 30 games with the Hawkeyes so winning this game still has a lot of meaning for Iowa. And last year's two–point triumph was meaningful, even though Iowa won 11 games last year and Michigan didn't even break .500.
But it ended a three–game Michigan winning streak over Iowa — and Hawkeye fans had had plenty of those over the years.
Still, beating a ranked and unbeaten Michigan team would have had more value for Iowa — and that is precisely what was possible until the Spartans beat the Wolverines. Then Michigan dropped from the rankings.
The marquee matchup in this game will be between the Michigan offense (ranked third in the nation) against Iowa's defense (ranked fourth in the nation), but the two may offset each other, leaving the game to be decided when Iowa has the ball. And therein lies the problem for Michigan — its defense, which is ranked 112th in the nation. How can it keep pace with Iowa's offense, which is a respectable 33rd in the nation? I don't think it can.
Give me Iowa.
Boston College at #16 Florida State, 11 a.m. on ESPN: Did you know that Boston College has won its last two games with Florida State — and is 3–2 against the Seminoles in the last five years?
When the defenses are compared, the numbers are quite similar. Florida State's defense is 28th in the nation, Boston College's is 39th.
But a huge gap exists between the offenses. Florida State's offense, like its defense, is 28th in the nation, but Boston College's offense, at #105, is almost the nation's worst.
That sounds, to me, as if Boston College will have problems scoring — and scoring points in bunches seems the only way to silence a raucous Florida State crowd.
I pick Florida State.
#17 Arizona at Washington State, 6:30 p.m. on Versus: Arizona has won nearly two–thirds of its games with Washington State in the last 20 years.
But recent history has shown that the series swings regularly, every three or four years. And I suppose that means it is time for it to swing in WSU's direction.
Arizona has won the last four meetings, often by wide margins. Before that, Washington State won four straight — usually by closer margins. Arizona won the three games before that.
Based on that alone, it seems that Washington State is due. But the numbers don't support that. Arizona holds decisive edges in both offense (Arizona is 26th in the nation, Washington State is 85th) and defense (Arizona is 13th, Washington State is 120th).
I'll take Arizona.
#19 Nevada at Hawaii, 10:30 p,m. on ESPN3.com: They've been members of the same conference for the last 10 years, and Hawaii has certainly been a thorn in the Wolf Pack's side, winning six of their 10 confrontations.
And 4–2 Hawaii definitely poses a threat to 6–0 Nevada — perhaps the only real test until the Boise State game next month. Hawaii, after all, pretty much dominated Fresno State last weekend, and Fresno State was thought to be maybe the only team in the WAC, other than Boise State, that might be good enough to compete on the national stage.
The numbers so far this season look as close as they can be. Both teams are outstanding on offense — Nevada is ranked second, Hawaii is ranked sixth. Both are mediocre on defense — Nevada is 69th, Hawaii is 72nd.
So I think the game may be decided by the tone it takes early on. If the score is close, the running game may be favored by both teams — and that would help Nevada, which is fifth in the nation in rushing while Hawaii is 85th in the nation defending the run.
Hawaii's running game, on the other hand, is one of the nation's worst (ranked 117th) while Nevada is 45th against the run. And my guess is that Hawaii, which runs the ball about 19 times a game and attempts 46 passes per game, is likely to throw the ball regardless of the score.
And Hawaii, ranked #1 in passing, should be able to pick Nevada apart. The Wolf Pack, who may be battling a case of jet lag, are 82nd in the nation against the pass.
This may be another upset, but I'll pick Hawaii.
#20 Oklahoma State at Texas Tech: As division rivals, these schools have faced each other every year since 1996.
And, for the last eight years, the home team has been the winner. In fact, only twice has the visiting team won — and, in both cases, Tech was the visiting team.
Lubbock has been a safe haven for Tech against OSU. As a member of the Big 12, Tech has gone 6–0 at Lubbock against Oklahoma State; as nonconference foes before that, Tech's last home loss to OSU came in 1966.
But times have changed — and I think Oklahoma State's luck will change. Tech is on the decline. These are not the same Red Raiders who defeated OSU by 36 points in Lubbock two years ago.
#21 Missouri at Texas A&M, 11 a.m. on FSN: The schools have split six games since becoming conference foes in 1996 so series history really isn't much of a guide.
What do the numbers from the current season say? Well, Texas A&M is 15th in the nation in offense whereas Missouri is 43rd. For those of us who grew up in the Southwest Conference, it is remarkable to realize that the Aggies have achieved this with their 11th–ranked passing game — which has been much more productive than the traditional running game.
What's more, A&M boasts a higher–ranked defense (24th) than Missouri (30th). And the Tigers' pass defense (40th in the nation) appears to be vulnerable.
The Aggies got off to a strong start against some relatively weak opponents, but the schedule has been increasingly challenging for this A&M team, and it doesn't look much easier with three currently ranked teams slated to play the Aggies between now and Nov. 20.
The Tigers play in a weaker division, and their schedule isn't quite as demanding, but they still have dates with Nebraska and Oklahoma to worry about in the next few weeks. I'm inclined to think they haven't really been tested yet.
That should change this weekend. And I'm going to give a slight edge — in another upset — to Texas A&M.
Mississippi State at #22 Florida, 6 p.m. on ESPNU: Florida has every reason to be cocky heading into this game.
The Gators are 14–5 in this irregular series since 1980. And they haven't lost to Mississippi State at home since 1965.
I'll take Florida.
#23 Air Force at San Diego State, 7 p.m. on CBSCSN: This series has ebbed and flowed over the years.
Lately, the advantage has been with Air Force, winner of four of the last five. But prior to that, San Diego State won three in a row.
Before that, Air Force won four straight.
I guess that would suggest that it's San Diego State's turn, that the pendulum is now swinging in the Aztecs' direction. And maybe it is. San Diego State played decently in its only game against a currently ranked team (Missouri) and lost by a field goal. But I suppose I am more impressed by Air Force's three–point loss at Oklahoma a few weeks ago.
Give me Air Force.
#24 Oregon State at Washington, 9:15 p.m. on ESPN: Oregon State has won six straight against Washington.
It's been a nice change for Beavers fans, who were flogged by the Huskies on a regular basis in the 1980s and 1990s.
Will either team flog the other this week? I don't know. Both offenses are mediocre — Washington's is 52nd in the nation, Oregon State's is 82nd. But the defenses are worse — Washington is 104th, Oregon State is 113th.
So why is Oregon State in the Top 25? The Beavers lost to TCU and Boise State earlier this season, but they have beaten both of the Arizona schools in the last couple of weeks.
Washington State, meanwhile, has only a one–point win against Montana State so far this year.
The Cougars will have to wait at least another week for win #2. I pick Oregon State.
You may not realize this. It may have snuck in under your personal radar. But this is truly a remarkable week in college football.
For the first time in nearly half a century — since November 1960 — the Associated Press' college football poll does not include Texas, Notre Dame, USC or Penn State.
Those schools were always fixtures in the rankings when I was growing up. And, even though Notre Dame has never been ranked this year, the other three have been — which fed the illusion that perhaps not so much about college football had actually changed.
In some ways, I guess, things aren't so radically different. Alabama is ranked #1 — which was a frequent occurrence when I was growing up. And teams like Ohio State, Nebraska and Oklahoma are in the Top 10.
But there have been changes. Just look at today's rankings — where teams like Boise State, TCU, Utah, Nevada and Air Force occupy spots in the Top 25 (which was the Top 20 when I was growing up). When I was a child, those schools were lucky if they won more games than they lost. Today, some are mentioned as contenders for a national title.
If anything, though, expectations at the big traditional powers are the same as they have always been — and the price to be paid if one fails to meet those expectations can be steep indeed.
I suppose, as Berry Tramel writes in The Oklahoman, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops solved his "Texas Problem" with OU's 28–20 victory over the now–unranked Longhorns.
"Stoops had lost four of five to the Longhorns," Tramel says, "but he won't join the club of Snorter Luster, Bud Wilkinson and Gary Gibbs, OU coaches who went 1–5 in a six–year span of this series and never coached the Sooners again."
They do take football seriously in Oklahoma, even in what Okies consider "off years" — and it is definitely hard to think of a season in which the Sooners are 5–0, ranked sixth in the nation and appear likely to cruise to an unblemished regular–season record as an "off year."
It's probably a good thing, though, for both Stoops and his players, that the schedule gives them a break this week. They'll be back in action a week from Saturday, when Iowa State visits Norman. That gives them time to release a little of the pressure.
Anyway, now that the annual OU–vs.–UT debate has been settled, the focus seems to be shifting to the question of who is #2 to Alabama in the nation? Pete Thamel tries to shed some light on that particular discussion in the New York Times.
In addition to #6 Oklahoma, #15 Iowa also is idle this week. All times are Central.
Today
#7 Nebraska at Kansas State, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN: In all but six of their last 50 meetings, Nebraska has beaten Kansas State. I guess it goes without saying that Nebraska has been dominating the series in the last five decades.
It's an odd kind of rivalry, as the Omaha World–Herald says. And, barring some unexpected developments in the future, it may be the last game in the series, with Nebraska bolting for the Big Ten next year.
There was a time, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Kansas State had the upper hand. In fact, half of KSU's wins over the Cornhuskers in the last half century came between 2002 and 2004. But those were at the end of what passed for Kansas State's golden era in football.
That era is over — but the Cornhuskers, after wandering in the football wilderness for awhile, seem to be enjoying a revival. And I expect Nebraska to get its sixth straight win against Kansas State.
Speculation — now that Texas has dropped two games in a row and seems likely to lose to Nebraska next week — is that Oklahoma and Nebraska may meet in the Big 12 title game in December. Considering the history of that series, OU–NU would make that a memorable event indeed — especially if a national championship date with Alabama (or Ohio State) was riding on the outcome.
Friday
#22 Oklahoma State at Louisiana–Lafayette, 8 p.m. on ESPN2: I don't remember the first time that someone pointed out to me that Louisiana–Lafayette's abbreviation was U–La–La. I just remember thinking it was one of the funniest things I had ever heard (up to that time, anyway).
I guess I should point out that was a long, long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away ... but I digress).
Well, these schools have played each other before — OSU won by 56–3 in 2003, by 24–7 in 1999, by 44–20 in 1998, by 31–7 in 1997, by 36–0 in 1987 and by 21–20 in 1986 — so the current crop of Cowboys shouldn't burst into giggles if someone tells them that (even though none of OSU's current players was on the roster the last time U–La–La came to Stillwater).
Oklahoma State still has some improvements to make, but I think OSU should handle Louisiana–Lafayette with little difficulty.
Saturday
#1 Alabama at #19 South Carolina, 2:30 p.m. on CBS: In the last two weeks, Alabama turned back Arkansas on the road and manhandled Florida at home.
Ray Glier of the New York Times says the Crimson Tide has met every challenge and still looks like a champ. But he admits that the schedule is the "[o]ne thing that may derail Alabama." And this week's opponent, #19 South Carolina, is 'Bama's third straight ranked foe.
Matt Hayes of The Sporting News suggests this game has the makings of a classic ambush. It could be, he speculates, like when Texas encountered that "trap door" against Texas Tech.
Actually, South Carolina may feel it always was a more likely winner than Arkansas or Florida. The Razorbacks are a much–improved team, but they ran out of gas against Alabama, and the Gators just aren't the same without Tim Tebow.
Last year, South Carolina was one of nine SEC teams to lose to Alabama — but only Tennessee came closer to beating the Crimson Tide. And, in four previous encounters since 2000, each team won twice.
So the Gamecocks may well be ready to give the Crimson Tide their best shot. That's becoming a way of life in Alabama. Safety Mark Barron said, "Every game is like that for us." For Alabama, it must be sort of like that scene in "Airplane!" where the other passengers are lining up to punch the hysterical passenger. Next week it's Ole Miss. The week after that, it's Tennessee. Then the Crimson Tide gets the week off before traveling to Baton Rouge to take on LSU.
You get the idea.
At least the Gamecocks have home field in their favor, you might say, but the home field hasn't necessarily been an advantage for either team. They both went 1–1 at home in the four games prior to last year's meeting.
I'm tempted to pick South Carolina, because I feel 'Bama is overdue — and maybe a little overconfident. South Carolina might keep it close for awhile, might even lead for awhile, but I'll pick Alabama to wear 'em down and win this one.
For those who are hoping for 'Bama's comeuppance, that will have to wait for another day.
Indiana at #2 Ohio State, 11 a.m. on ESPN: Ohio State has won 15 straight against Indiana.
In 1990, the teams battled to a 27–27 tie. That is as close as Indiana has come to beating Ohio State in two decades.
Before that, Indiana did manage to beat the Buckeyes twice in the late 1980s, but, even so, between 1971 and 1989, Ohio State was 17–2 against the Hoosiers.
What's more, Ohio State almost always uses the occasion to run up a big margin of victory. Historically, a date with the Indiana football team has been the cure for whatever has been ailing the Buckeyes (although there have been some exceptions). And, as Ken Gordon reports in the Columbus Dispatch, there is considerable concern about the Buckeyes' Heisman hopeful, quarterback Terrelle Pryor, and his injured thigh.
Hoosier buddy? Hoosier pal?
A game with Indiana may be just the medicine Ohio State needs right now.
#3 Oregon at Washington State: Last week, I picked Stanford to defeat Oregon in their Pac–10 showdown. I admitted it was an upset special, but that was my pick, however it was labeled.
Oregon impressed me, though, and, apparently, also impressed the voters in the Associated Press poll, leaping past Boise State in the rankings.
I still think Stanford is a legitimate team (and the Cardinal will get the chance to prove it against USC on Saturday), but Oregon proved something to me in that victory.
There will not, however, be much for the Ducks to prove this week. The opponent is 1–4 Washington State, which has been outscored by a 2–to–1 margin thus far.
Oregon, meanwhile, has been outscoring its foes by a nearly 4–to–1 margin while compiling a 5–0 mark.
The Ducks also have won more than two–thirds of their meetings with the Cougars since 1991. It's no stretch to say that I expect Oregon to win this game.
Toledo at #4 Boise State, 7 p.m. on ESPN3.com: Toledo did beat Purdue a couple of weeks ago, but, honestly, does anyone think this 3–2 team that lost to Wyoming at home last Saturday can possibly win at Boise State?
I didn't think so.
Boise State should cruise.
Wyoming at #5 TCU, 2:30 p.m. on CBSCSN: The history of this brief series favors TCU, with four wins in the last five years.
As nearly as I can tell, they met only once before they became members of the same conference, but Wyoming beat TCU in Fort Worth in 1998 — so it can happen.
Not that it is likely to.
Wyoming snapped a three–game losing streak with its win over Toledo last weekend, but all three of the Cowboys' losses came to teams that were ranked at the time (Texas and Boise State) or were on their way to being ranked (Air Force). I think the Cowboys could keep it close, but I am certain TCU will win.
#8 Auburn at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2: When Kentucky beat Auburn last season, it snapped a 15–game losing streak for the Wildcats.
They hadn't won at Auburn since 1961.
The last time Kentucky beat Auburn at home was 1966. I think it is safe to say that won't change.
Give me Auburn.
Oregon State at #9 Arizona: Oregon State has won nine of the last 11 games against Arizona and hasn't lost at Arizona since 1997.
But I'm inclined to think things will be different this year. Arizona is on the way up, ranked second in the nation in total defense — and doing pretty well in total offense (ranked in the top 40). Oregon State, on the other hand, is 99th in offense and 104th in defense.
Of course, it's hard to draw any conclusions from just four games, but, in addition to the rankings advantage, Arizona also has won its only encounter with a ranked team (Iowa). Oregon State has faced two ranked opponents so far (Boise State and TCU) and lost to both.
I'll take Arizona.
#10 Utah at Iowa State, 6 p.m. on FCS: As nearly as I can tell, these schools haven't faced each other since 1976.
On that occasion — exactly 34 years ago (and on the same field) — Utah avenged its loss to Iowa State the previous year.
Utah is a much better team today, and Iowa State is much worse. I pick Utah.
#11 Arkansas vs. Texas A&M at Arlington, Texas, 2:30 p.m. on ABC: Last year, in the teams' first meeting since they were Southwest Conference rivals, Arkansas won, 47–19.
A&M won their last two SWC meetings (in 1990 and 1991), but the Razorbacks have won some memorable games with the Aggies over the years. They won far more with the Aggies than they lost when I was growing up so A&M was one of those teams that I always assumed Arkansas would beat — even on occasions when nothing much was expected from Arkansas and everything was expected from Texas A&M.
Two such occasions stand out in my memory — Dec. 6, 1975, and Nov. 15, 1986.
In 1975, the teams had agreed to move their game to the first weekend in December to accommodate national television. It would be nearly 20 years before conferences began playing championship games so that weekend was always rather bland. Most of the regular–season games were done, and the only games being played were oddities, like Army–Navy, which never had much of a bearing on anything when I was growing up.
A&M was coming off a huge win over rival Texas and came into Little Rock ranked second in the nation. But the Razorbacks, in what turned out to be the last coaching hurrah for Frank Broyles, whipped the previously unbeaten Aggies, 31–6. As I remember, it was a typically cold, gray December day in central Arkansas, and I recall watching the game on TV, occasionally nibbling on my mother's freshly baked banana bread.
The Razorbacks went on to represent the SWC in the Cotton Bowl.
In 1986, the teams met again in Little Rock. I was working for the Arkansas Gazette sports department in those days, and football season meant a lot of long, unpaid hours on weekends. So, as a form of compensation, each sports staffer was allowed one Saturday off with pay. If a staffer's Saturday coincided with a Razorback game in Little Rock, he could get free tickets to the game through the department. They usually weren't great, around the 5– or 10–yard lines, but they were free.
That year, I took my Saturday off in mid–November, and I got three tickets to the A&M game. I went with a couple of buddies of mine. National TV cameras were on hand. The Aggies were ranked seventh, the Hogs were 17th, and, this time, the Aggies went on to represent the SWC in Dallas.
They weren't undefeated, though. The Razorbacks beat them that cold, gray November afternoon.
Clearly, I associate "cold and gray" with great moments in Razorback history! It won't be cold or gray in Arlington on Saturday, but I still think Arkansas will win the game.
#12 LSU at #14 Florida, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN: Given the success these teams have enjoyed in the last decade, you would think that they would have met in the SEC championship game at some point.
But, although both schools won national titles in the first decade of the 21st century, they haven't met with the SEC crown on the line.
For fans who love offense, that probably isn't bad news. The Gators are currently ranked 84th in the nation in total offense and LSU is ranked 91st. Defense is where both teams excel — LSU is ranked sixth, Florida is ranked 19th. And, remember, Florida's defense has faced Alabama. LSU won't have that pleasure for another month.
I think it will be a tough defensive game, with the final score in the vicinity of 13–10 or 14–13. Unless it goes into overtime. Then all bets are off.
But I'll pick LSU — if for no other reason than the fact that the SEC West is dominating the East this year.
#23 Florida State at #13 Miami (Florida), 7 p.m. on ABC: These teams have met every year since 1969, and the series could hardly be much closer (Miami holds a 22–19 edge).
Over the years, they've treated college football fans to some of the most entertaining games that have been played.
And this contest looks like another drama–filled affair.
The numbers say Florida State should have a substantial edge on offense. The Seminoles are ranked 30th in the nation while the Hurricanes are 70th. Both teams have played well on defense. A slight edge goes to Miami, which is ranked 12th in the nation, but Florida State's defense is 21st.
Both teams suffered their only setback to Top 10 teams on the same day (Sept. 11). Miami lost to Ohio State, Florida State lost to Oklahoma. Both losses came on the road.
I think it will be close. I think it may be low scoring. And I'll give the edge — however slight — to the home team, Miami.
USC at #16 Stanford, 7 p.m. on ABC: Since 1991, this has been a reasonably competitive series, with Stanford winning eight of 19 games, including some improbable upsets at USC.
But Stanford has lost the last four times it has hosted USC. The last time Stanford beat USC at home was in 2000.
USC just dropped out of the Top 25, following its loss to unranked Washington, so this will be an interesting challenge for Stanford.
In true Pac–10 fashion, this may be a high–scoring affair. Both teams are in the top 20 in total offense (USC 13th, Stanford 16th) so it may come down to which team allows fewer points to be scored — and that brings us to what seems to be at the heart of USC's apparent implosion. Stanford is 44th in the nation in total defense. USC is 99th.
I think Stanford will win a slugfest.
#17 Michigan State at #18 Michigan, 2:30 p.m. on ABC: In the battle for Michigan (and, frankly, with the economy the way it is, who wants it?), the Spartans have won the last two meetings. But, prior to 2008, the Wolverines won six in a row — and the Spartans' triumph in Ann Arbor two years ago was their first win in the Big House since 1990.
Many college football fans are wondering if Michigan — a perennial national power when I was growing up but somewhat meek in recent years — really is "back." And it's a legitimate issue to ponder, given that the Wolverines have gone 5–7 and 3–9 in the last two years.
In fact, when you stack the last couple of seasons up against just about any other two–year stretch in the team's history in the last half–century, it is understandable that Michigan fans should be anxious.
But that might not mean much to Michigan fans. They've had Heisman winners before.
Dan Wetzel of rivals.com says all the pressure is on Michigan's coach.
I'm not convinced, though. Michigan State's coach, who is recuperating from a recent heart attack, will be coaching from the press box. Guess the temptation to be on hand in case the Spartans beat the Wolverines for the third straight year for the first time since the mid–to–late 1960s was too great.
Or maybe the pressure from boosters and administrators was too great?
Anyway, the question is, will the Spartans make it three in a row? And I'm going to predict that the answer will be yes. Michigan Statewill win the game.
Minnesota at #20 Wisconsin, 11 a.m. on Big Ten Network: Wisconsin has beaten Minnesota six straight times.
But the Badgers haven't been as dominant as that might suggest. Most of the time, they have had to win close games.
I know Wisconsin lost a real heartbreaker to Michigan State last week, but Minnesota has lost four in a row — a skid that began when South Dakota beat the Gophers at home.
And, yes, all four of Minnesota's losses have been close (with the possible exception of the Gophers' 11–point loss to USC), but mounting losses can take their toll.
I just can't see Minnesota winning this game, although it might be close. Give me Wisconsin.
San Jose State at #21 Nevada, 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU: I really don't think Nevada will be seriously challenged until next month, when it faces Fresno State and Boise State.
I certainly don't think that 1–4 San Jose State, loser of seven of its last eight against this foe, will be much of an obstacle for unbeaten Nevada.
Colorado at #24 Missouri, 6 p.m. on FSN: There was a time when Colorado had a dominant football team.
And, in its glory days, Colorado routinely beat Missouri, occasionally by ridiculous margins.
But those days are gone. I'll take Missouri.
Colorado State at #25 Air Force, 11 a.m. on The Mtn.: Let's see. Air Force has won its last four games against Colorado State.
Air Force also has one of the nation's best rushing attacks. The Falcons are in the Top 25. And they are at home.
A "tomato can" is a fighter who is believed to be past his prime and an "easy" or "guaranteed" win for an up-and-coming fighter who wants to pad his record.
Sometimes, though, the "tomato can" doesn't cooperate. For example, in 1990, undefeated heavyweight champion Mike Tyson lost the title to a 42-to-1 underdog named Buster Douglas.
Another heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali, almost lost his title to lightly regarded Chuck Wepner in 1975. Wepner nearly went the distance against Ali and inspired the original "Rocky" movie.
I got my bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas, and I got my master's degree in journalism from the University of North Texas. Most of my adult life has been dedicated to writing and editing in one form or another. Most recently I have taught writing (news and developmental) as an adjunct journalism professor at Richland College, where I advise the student newspaper staff. Go, Thunderducks!
It was bad enough when, as Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News wrote, the Giants claimed a "psychedelic" 11–7 victory in Game 1.
