Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune reporter
College Football’s 50 Things We Have Learned Part I
College Football’s 50 Things We Have Learned Part II
30. Longhorns love to live on the edge
Whether it was defeating Oklahoma State or Kansas in the closing moments, those are two close victories that just do not look great on paper. Perhaps the victory in Stillwater could look grea down the road if they beat K-State, but the Jayhawks are a terrible team. Texas is not even close to being worthy of a top 20 ranking, and it is clear their brand name is helping them in the BCS Standings. Still, they are winning more games than last season and as bad as the defense has been they are fairly clutch in the fourth quarter.
29. Nebraska smells roses
The Huskers athletic director is legendary coach Tom Osborne, and he will be in final year as the athletic director. Luckily, the program may put him on a winning moment with Pasadena
28. Wisconsin still in position to make it three trips to Pasadena in a row
While the Badgers are not looking all that great at the moment, Wisconsin still has a chance to play in the Big Ten title and ultimately winning it. While the title game is played in Indianapolis, we have seen plenty of upsets before in the final weekend of college football. After losing seven coaches from a year ago, Bret Bielema’s squad is starting to put it together although a recent overtime loss to Michigan State has put them back down to earth. While they do not look like a top 25 team at the moment, the Big 10 is as bad as it has been in years and they still may take advantage of it.
27. Everybody is freaking over the four team playoff, despite it remaining two years away
Alabama, Kansas State, Notre Dame and Oregon are all undefeated and we could be in a war if all four end up running the table. Although I think there is practically zero chance they all remain flawless, it is possible to see three of them go undefeated (although I still think two at most go undefeated).
26. Marcus Lattimore is a warrior and will be missed for at least the rest of this season
The gruesome knee injury he suffered against the Tennessee Volunteers was truly sad, but it was also quite the enjoyment to see both teams come out on the field to wish the best for one of the finest young men in the game. Not only was Marcus Lattimore expected to be the only back selected in the 2013 NFL Draft had he declared, but now his future is a bit in question albeit the back says he will be back at some point in the future.
25. Marqise Lee is the best wide receiver in the country
Mr. Lee is just a sophomore, which means he is not eligible for the NFL Draft in 2013, but he will be a top pick in two more seasons. The Trojans are pumped he will be coming back next year even though Matt Barkley is out of eligibility, but the program would be lost right now without the most explosive skill player in the country.
24. USC is one of the more overrated top-ranked preseason teams, EVER!
Having done an article on the most overrated top-ranked teams in the history of college football, USC would likely become the worst preseason team ever at the top spot. That is if they manage to lose four or five games, but there are plenty of games to be played still. Going up against Oregon twice potentially and Oregon State may be three more losses. Regardless of how you slice it up, this team is a LOT worse than I had imagined although they can still finish strong.
23. Mark Richt’s biggest win ever arguably was against Florida this year
The ‘Dawgs victory over the Gators in Jacksonville will give them another trip to Atlanta if they can take care of Auburn and Ole Miss. Barring a shocking loss they should be just fine heading into the Georgia Dome to face Alabama/LSU. That game eventually could become the biggest in the Richt era, and this is a guy that won an SEC title early on in the BCS era (‘02).
22. The preseason busts jinx continues
Michigan, Arkansas and USC all had high expectations heading into the season and they have all become major busts.
Obviously Arkansas is the biggest disappointment in the country (save Auburn) since they had one of the best QB-RB combo’s in the country, but an average offensive line and a mediocre defense (and a brutal coaching staff) has already given them five losses and they have yet to LSU, South Carolina or Mississippi State.
21. Northwestern has become a fun team to watch
Northwestern is not going to win the Big Ten since they lost to Nebraska (and the tiebreaker) and have both Michigan schools coming up on the road, but they have made major improvements in a season I questioned them.
I will gladly eat crow because Venric Mark and Kain Colter are the best QB-RB in the Big Ten these days. The two combined for 300 yards against Iowa and as a team they are averaging 236.4 on the season (15th). While they may not win double digit games or appear in the Capital One Bowl, they should get one of the following three: Outback, Gator, Buffalo Wild Wings. Hopefully they will also that god awful drought of not winning a bowl game since 1949 Rose Bowl!
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