NCAA Week 9 Recap – Oregon and Iowa in the BCS Championship?

The SEC and Big 12 both took a backseat this Saturday as the Iowa Hawkeyes of the Big Ten and the Oregon Ducks of the Pac 10 proved best in their respective conferences.

Iowa came back from a 14 point deficit in the 4th quarter against Indiana to record its 9th straight victory. The Hawkeyes, usually adept at erasing deficits with special teams and defense, did it with their offense this time as they racked up 28 fourth quarter points against the shocked Indiana Hoosiers to win 42 to 24.

Iowa is now in the driver’s seat to not only the Big Ten Championship but the BCS National Championship as well. Win out and more than likely the Hawkeyes are in as it would be very difficult for any computer on the planet to look past a Big Ten team that has beaten Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan State on the road and, should they win on Nov. 14th, the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus. Texas, Florida and Alabama certainly have something to say about it, but an undefeated Iowa team would be hard to keep out of the championship game.

Iowa’s wins on the road are what are impressive. In the Hawkeyes most important games, against the best foes in the Big Ten, they have gone on the road. Putting up 28 points in a quarter is impressive as well. The Hawkeyes have only three games left to win, Northwestern, Ohio Sate and Minnesota, before marching into the BCS National Championship.

Should Iowa make it into the national championship game, don’t be surprised if the team they face are the Oregon Ducks. After losing a heartbreaker to the Boise State Broncos 19 to 8 to open the season, the Ducks have been nothing but spectacular in 2009. They ended Utah’s winning streak, broke California’s back 42 to 3, and dominated UCLA and Washington on the road. Save for non-covers ATS against Boise State and Purdue in weeks one and two, the Ducks have been perfect against the spread.

This includes beating the spread as 3 point home dogs against what should have been a fired up USC team. Oregon dominated the Trojans in every phase of the game. They outscored USC 47 to 20 including outscoring the Trojans 20 to 3 in the second half. They kicked USC in the mouth repeatedly on offense, defense and special teams and Oregon Coach Chip Kelly, dare I say it, out-strategized USC Coach Pete Carroll. It was a serious butt-whupping, one that will go down in Oregon history.

Is it possible? Think back to Week 1 when Iowa barely beat Northern Iowa 16 to 15 and Oregon was just trying to overcome the LeGarrette Blount incident on Boise State’s blue field. Is it possible that these two much maligned teams earlier in the season could play for all the marbles in January? Very possible.

Texas Keeps Rolling

The Texas Longhorns were 10 point favorites this Saturday to beat Oklahoma State on the road, but what they did to the Cowboys was borderline ridiculous.

Even without Dez Bryant the Cowboys should have done better then getting ram-rodded by Texas at home. The Longhorns had a 41 to 7 lead at the end of the third quarter. That was when Mac Brown called off the dogs and allowed OSU to keep some semblance of themselves by putting up another 7 points.

It was a masterful performance by Texas QB Colt McCoy even though the stats don’t say it. McCoy controlled the game from beginning to end. It was the type of maturity that won’t win you a Heisman Trophy but will help you get on the field on Sundays.

Texas’s defense came to life big time picking off four Zac Robinson passes. If Texas’s defense can keep it up, then Texas might be unbeatable by the time the BCS games roll around.

Boise State Keeps Winning but Nobody Cares

The Broncos keep winning. This time they beat up Coach Dick Tomey’s San Jose State Spartans’ squad 45 to 7, and covered the spread by a single point, but nobody, I mean nobody outside of Idaho gives a rat’s ass.

The Broncos have only played one team of note, Oregon, this season and even though they won that game, Oregon’s victories over Cal, Utah, UCLA and USC have more than made up for it. Look at who is left on Boise State’s schedule and their chances of getting into the BCS Championship become even more dire. Nobody is going to be impressed when the Broncos beat Utah State, New Mexico State and New Mexico.

Too bad because Boise State is a very good team. Oh well, beating up on USC in the Fiesta Bowl might be all that they get to do in the 2009 College Football Betting Season.

Georgia Tech is the Team in the ACC

After Virginia Tech lost to North Carolina this past Thursday, all eyes turned to Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets were 13 point favorites to beat Vanderbilt in Tennessee and although it was tough early on, Tech didn’t disappoint. They pounded the Commodores with 14 4th quarter points to beat Vandy 56 to 31. The victory not only showed that Georgia Tech is for real but that they do a good job of covering spreads in the NCAA sportsbook.

They are now the lone team in the ACC that deserves to play in a BCS game. If Tech doesn’t falter in the ACC Championship game, then they will probably play in the Orange Bowl.