As the great Bon Jovi once said "Whooa, we're halfway there." That's right, the release of the BCS standings last week marks the midway point of the 2012 season. It's been an exciting start to the season and with the current rankings, it appears we're in for a wild finish. Let's take a look at some of the season's highlights.
Biggest Surprises
1. Oregon State - This is a team that just came off a 3-9 season, predicted to finish at the bottom of the conference, with a coach on the proverbial hot seat. Now they are #8 in the BCS and look to be a legitimate threat to Oregon in the north with their 5-0 start to the season (3-0 in the conference). The team has been fairly balanced with a vastly improved defense. The team is ranked #4 in the nation against the run. This is stat is made more impressive after realizing this includes games against one of the top returning running backs, Monte Ball, and James Franklin who was held to 45 yards while coming in averaging 180 yards/game. Let's not forget about the offense either. This Beavers squad is ranked eighth nationally in passing behind Sean Mannion. There had always been talk of his skill after he took over for Ryan Katz midway through last season, but he has been phenomenal and poised throughout the year. After an injury against Washington State, junior Cody Vatz got the nod under center and the Beavers went on to blow out a stout BYU defense. Wheaton and Cooks have been big time receivers and no matter who is under center, this Oregon State teams looks talented enough to compete throughout the year. This year's "Civil War" is the most anticipated Pac-12 game after the Oregon/USC game. Been awhile since anyone's uttered those words...
2. Florida - Did anyone think this Gators team would be #2 in the BCS and the team to beat in the SEC East? I don't recall a single pundit predicting this. Everyone knew the Florida defense would be one of the top in the nation, but it didn't appear the offense had figured it out under first year coordinator, Brent Pease. It may have took a disappointing performance against Bowling Green and a slow first half against A&M, but the Gators are now showing they can put up points. The final decision to go with Jeff Driskel instead of Jacoby Brissett is paying off. This run-first minded Gators offense is allowing one of the top backs in the nation, Mike Gillislee, to get more touches, allowing Driskel to utilize his running ability in the read option. This isn't a high octane offense that you see out west, but a traditional ground-and-pound SEC offense that uses a big offensive line and athletic back to move the chains. If they can continue to control the line up front and score on the ground the defense will keep them in every game this season. With only one true road contest remaining (at Florida State), the Gators look like the best bet to win the SEC East. We'll see how they do with South Carolina visiting this weekend.
3. Notre Dame - I've never cared for Notre Dame, but always said that it's good for college football when Notre Dame is relevant and this team is officially relevant. They came into the season ranked in the Top 25, but Brian Kelly has led this team into national title contention. The defense is carrying the load, led by Heisman hopeful Manti Te'o and is ranked in the Top 10 in total defense. Everyone acknowledged the Irish came into the season with the hardest schedule and gone on to a 6-0 start. They still have USC and Oklahoma on the schedule and in order to win out the offense needs to step up. The weekly starting quarterback drama is as fun to watch as a mid-afternoon soap opera. I haven't figured out what Kelly is doing with rotating Golson and Rees, but it's working. They've beat (at the time) #10 Michigan State, #18 Michigan, #17 Stanford, and held an explosive Miami team to a field goal.
4. Sun Belt Conference - Now they may be ranked near the bottom of the Sagarin conference rankings, but the top of the conference has been competitive against their AQ brethren. Louisiana-Monroe grabbed the attention early with their historic upset of Arkansas, and followed that up with an OT loss to Auburn (that they had every opportunity to win), and a close defeat on the road at Baylor. Western Kentucky played Alabama to a respectable 35-0 loss (this guy is a beast), North Texas played a gritty Kansas State team closely in a 35-21 loss, Middle Tennessee spanked Georgia Tech, and Arkansas State showed it can play some offense under Gus Malzahn in their trip to Oregon. There's been a lot of losses, but that's always been the expectation. Their performance against some of the top ranked teams in the nation is turning heads. There's so much talent in these southern states and these high school kids are being overlooked by the SEC and Big 12 are starting to head to the Sun Belt.
Biggest Disappointments
1. Arkansas - A potential national title contender didn't enter the season in the best situation, but there was enough going for the team that the loss of Bobby Petrino was almost considered minor. That hasn't been the case at all. There's no way you can convince that this team, under Petrino, would have lost at home to Louisiana-Monroe, and embarrassing losses against Alabama and Rutgers. Cap that off by a blow out loss to their rival, Texas A&M, and you pretty much have the worst nightmare of every Hog fan in Arkansas. Too bad that AD has morals, right?
2. Matt Barkley - He doesn't come in with bad numbers per se, but they aren't jaw dropping. Unfortunately, after his widely publicized announcement of returning to USC for a national championship (and let's not kid ourselves, Heisman) run there were huge expectations for the prolific QB, and unfortunately, the season hasn't lived up to these expectations. The most disappointing is the performance in an upset loss to Stanford. He look shook, not nearly as poised, and unable to find all the talented receivers at his disposal. Thus far, he isn't even the best QB in the conference, let alone nation, but fortunately, he controls his destiny. USC is currently ranked #10 with a home game against #3 Oregon with a potential rematch in the Pac-12 championship, and a home game against #5 Notre Dame. A national championship isn't out of the question, and against the stout Notre defense and improved Oregon defense with a lockdown corner like Avery Patterson it's very much possible for them to enter the national championship picture.
3. Florida State - I know, I know, we should have all seen the NC State loss coming, but seriously? This is a little more personal for me. I predicted a national championship for Florida State within five years - that was two years ago and I'm quickly running out of time. It's upsetting to think a defense as good as Seminoles have can allow NC State to come back like they did in the second half. They had been dominant all year and looked to have turned a corner against Clemson by shutting them down in the second half. Defense aside, how in the hell did the offense only muster 16 points against NC State! The same offense led by E.J. Manuel that was being considered a Heisman candidate? This just shows you how quick the pundits are to jump on a quarterbacks bandwagon when the team (defense...) as a whole is doing well. But let's not forget when I say "well" their first three games were against Murray State, Savannah State, and Wake Forest. Jimbo Fisher won't win a national championship this year. The loss has jaded every voters opinion and it's virtually impossible to recover this season, so if Jimbo doesn't make a better run next year, I'd bet someone else takes the reigns in 2014.
Best Game
There have been a lot of great games in 2012. Not all as exciting as the WVU vs. Baylor game, but that lacked defense entirely, so to see a game like that make the list is a mockery of the sport. On the flip side how many people will put the Florida vs. LSU game at the top of this list? Not many considering the 14-6 score, so let's look for a happy median. How about a game that showcased both offense and defense, and was impactful of a game to date? I'm talking about Stanford at Notre Dame.
This game was as hard-nosed a game, outside of the SEC, you'll find this season. It was a see-saw battle that went down to the wire and one of the nations best players coming up in the biggest situations for his team thus far. Manti Te'o led a fourth down goal line stand against Stanford in OT that kept the Fighting Irish's hopes alive for a national championship. This game was as hard fought and showed some sparks both offensively and defensively. Stanford entered the contest with one loss, but showed why it was able to upset USC with it's physical offense and defensive lines. Notre Dame showed that the wins to date weren't due to over-hyped opponents, but that for the first time since the Brady Quinn era the Irish are for real. As I said before, when Notre Dame is relevant it's great for college football...
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