NCAA Football (Week 10 Recap)

Another shaky week in world of College Football! NFL is just as good, but it's coming down to crunch-time and with rivalry weeks coming up, it's gonna get more exciting. Here's my thoughts from some conferences.

SEC
The most-anticipated game of the year was exciting, proving to be a top-notch defensive game from both LSU and Alabama (ranked 1 and 2 respectively). Going into overtime 6-all, Alabama missed a field goal to start OT and LSU answered back with a 25-yard FG kick by Drew Alleman which gave the Tigers a 9-6 victory and remain #1 in the country. Alabama had problems all game on the special teams department. Kickers Jeremy Shelley & Cade Foster had missed the goal-post, including a blocked kick, while Marquis Maze & A.J. McCarron threw interceptions which also were to blame. It was a great game though and there is that chance both teams could meet again in the BCS Championship Game. LSU isn't out of the woods yet as they will have to play Arkansas in 3 weeks. The Razorbacks had a top-10 game against South Carolina, who played without Marcus Lattimore (who will miss rest of season)and were able to beat the Gamecocks 44-28, led by QB Tyler Wilson. Arkansas is 8-1 and needs to beat LSU to have a shot at the SEC Title game. On the bad side, Arkansas lost to Alabama earlier in the year, so if LSU loses and Tide wins out, they will travel to Atlanta in early December.


BIG-12
The other important game last night was under-focused between #3 Oklahoma State and #14 Kansas State. This game had alot of offense, back-and-forth scoring, but in the end, the Cowboys were on top, thanks to Brandon Weeden's 502 passing yards, while Justin Blackmon had 205 receiving yards and 2 TDs. Kansas State looked like a different team than a week ago, being crushed by Oklahoma. Wildcats needed a win to solidify a possible BCS bid, but lost to the 2 toughest teams in the conference. Meanwhile, Oklahoma was able to cruise away for a win over Texas A&M and now set their motions on December 5th for a meeting against OK State in Stillwater, which will determine the Big-12 Conference winner.


BIG TEN
Bad losses by Michigan and Nebraska (to Iowa & Northwestern respectfully) makes this conference tough, especially in the Legends division. Cornhuskers, Wolverines and Michigan State are all 7-2, tied for the lead. Nebraska has beaten Michigan State last week and meets Michigan on the 19th, and they could possibly earn a trip to the Big-Ten title game with a win. However, Michigan State is 4-1 in conference play and if they win out, will go to Indianapolis. On the Leaders side of the conference, Ohio State pulled out a win against 1-8 Indiana, on a ground game, which seems to work after the return of Boom Herron. Buckeyes need to win out against Purdue, Penn State & Michigan if they want a shot in Indy. Problem is, Penn State is 8-1 and still has to play Wisconsin, who defeated the Buckeyes earlier in the year. The Nittany Lions had a bye week, but haven't been impressive in recent games, especially close calls with Temple and Illinois.


BIG EAST
The weakest conference of the top-6 is...weak. #23 Cincinnati is now the favorite to win the conference, after West Virginia lost to Louisville over the weekend. The Mountaineers are 6-2, while Cincy is 7-1 (3-0 in Big East). The Bearcats had a tough game against Pittsburgh but went out on top 26-23. Now they get to play WVU next weekend and that game is HUGE. If Cincy wins, they will more-likely win the conference baring collapse.


ACC
Quiet week in the ACC conference, but there is a huge game between Virginia Tech & Georgia Tech which could crown the Coastal division champion. Clemson had a bye week after a devastating loss to GA Tech last week and will face Wake Forest next week.


PAC-12
Stanford, Oregon both win their matchups this weekend, while Arizona State lost a nail-biter 29-28 against UCLA. On the bright side, ASU controls their own destiny for an appearance in the Pac-12 title game, but they are 4-2 in conference play, just like UCLA. Bruins still have to play USC to end the season, so if they win out, they will be in Los Angeles for title game. As I've said before, USC is ineligible for participating in a bowl game and the Pac-12 title game. In the North division, we have a heavy showdown in Palo Alto next week between Oregon and Stanford...Andrew Luck vs. LaMichael James. Oregon has 1 loss so far (against LSU) while Stanford is undefeated. Winner of this game is a clear favorite for a title game appearance.