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Week 13: Recap The feature match-up of Week 13 had the USC Trojans traveling to take on the Washington Huskies. While the #1 ranked Trojans were heavily favored in this one, the Huskies had other plans and were able to dominate the game. Washington RB Ronald Cherry gained 108 hard fought rushing yards on 35 carries, bringing his season total to 1,702 rushing yards; good enough for 3rd in the Nation. With the win, the Huskies moved into 1st place in the Pac12 North Division, and sets up a potential rematch against the Trojans in the Pac12 title game. In other news, Heisman hopeful Iowa QB Roland Hernandez led the Nation in Week 13 passing yards, tossing for 469 yards and 3 TD's. South Carolina RB Derrick Ward followed up his amazing Week 12 performance with another 200+ rushing day, gaining 221 rushing yards on 33 carries and 3 TD's. On the defensive side of the game, Texas State OLB Joshua Smith recorded 4 sacks on 12 tackles (10 solo), along with 1 forced fumble and 1 pass deflection.

Heisman Trophy Finalists The Heisman Trophy finalist list is out. Miami, Oklahoma State, and Notre Dame each have two (2) players listed. My money is on Miami QB Conner Barth who is having a tremendous season.

Grey Dog Championship Series Rankings Top 9 spots remained unchanged, with the top 4 teams having a far bit of separation from the pack. Boise State (10-1) moved up to #24.

Week 12: Top 25 Media Poll The Week 12 poll is out and there is no change in the top 18 spots. The only team to drop out of the ranking was #22 Duke who fell out of the Top 25. The former #27 Stanford Cardinals (7-3) took their place, moving up to #25. I still cannot figure out why the game will move a team up during a bye-week even when the other team won their game. See #19 Michigan (8-2) leapfrogging #20 Troy (10-1). Next week's big game features #1 USC (10-0) traveling to Seattle to take on #12 Washington (9-1).

Week 12: Recap At first glance, it might appear that Week 12 was a boring week of football. There were no upsets, no record setting performances, and no major shakeup in the rankings. Yet on closer look, several teams had a tough challenge. This was best seen in the match-up between West Virginia and TCU. The #7 ranked Horned Frogs found themselves quickly down 14 to 3 in the 1st quarter, and behind 17 to 3 into the early 2nd quarter. Yes, something finally clicked and TCU proceeded to outscore the Mountaineers by 47 to 7, and would go on to win the game by a score of 50 to 24. Leading the Horned Frogs was WR Richard Ledesma, who had 8 catches for 200 receiving yards, and 4 TD's. Notable Performances: *OLB Shawn King 14 tackles (13 solo), 2 sacks, and 2 stuffs. *RB Joseph Graham 212 rushing yards on 27 carries. *CB Neal Mcfadden 3 INT's for 94 return yards and 2 TD's. *QB Charles Warfield 369 passing yards and 4 TD's.

San Diego State 31 --- San Jose State 3 Wow, total domination by San Diego State (7-5). The Aztecs jumped out to a quick lead and never were threatened in this one. In getting the 31 to 3 win over San Jose State (5-5), the Aztecs held the Spartans to just 214 net yards on the day and a dismal 9 first downs. QB Tony Lima was a pathetic 9 for 41 on passing, and RB Juan Moreno could only eek out 52 rushing yards on 20 carries. What a disappointing effort by the Spartans! #onestepforwardtwostepsback

Week 12: Preview of San Jose State v. San Diego State So let's be honest. San Jose State (5-4) has overachieved this year and really should not have a winning record. Yes, the team is on a winning streak, but that will likely come to an end this week as they travel to SoCal to take on the San Diego State Aztecs (6-5). The pregame match-up analysis favors the Aztecs in all facets of the game, and are an easy 13 point favorite. If the Spartans are going to have any chance at winning, they will need to contain RB Freddie Yazzie (683 yards rushing). On the defensive side of the ball, OLB Edward Jones has been dominate this year and leads the Aztecs with 93 tackles and 10 sacks. I’m just hoping to keep this a close game, though something tells me it isn’t going to be pretty.

Grey Dog Championship Series Rankings The Week 11 rankings are in, and USC is back on top. While most of the other rankings are in line with this past week's games & prior polls, I must point out that Boise State (9-1) is ranked #25 in the GDCS poll! #itsabouttime

Week 11: Top 25 Media Poll Week 11 sees a change at the #1 spot in the Top 25 rankings. With the Penn State (9-1) loss, USC (9-0) moves back into the top spot even though they had a bye-week. Clemson (9-0), Georgia (10-0), Penn State, and Oklahoma (8-1) round out the top 5. Not sure why Ohio State failed to move in the poll despite knocking off the top team in the Nation. #doesntmakesense Texas and Texas A&M fell out of the Top 25 poll, and # 24 Marshall (8-3) and #25 Michigan State (7-3) took their place. There is only 1 game next week featuring Top 25 teams; #2 Clemson v. #22 Duke (9-2).

Week 11: Recap It was a bye-week for the San Jose Spartans, so I will jump straight to how the weekend played out. In the week's big match-up, THE Ohio State University traveled to Happy Valley to take on the #1 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. While both teams had their respective chances, it was the Buckeyes who proved to be the better team and handed Penn State its first loss on the year by a score of 28 to 20. I also spotlighted the match-up between Notre Dame and Tennessee. In what should have been an easy win for the Irish, this one proved a tough challenge against the 1 win Vols. Aside from the 10 points scored in the second quarter, Notre Dame could not move the ball. As for player performances, there were several big games this past week: *QB Charles Warfield passing for 515 yards and 4 TD's. *RB Derrick Ward rushing for 246 yards and 3 TD's. *RB Ramon Flores rushing for 207 yards and 3 TD's. Leads the Nation with 1741 rushing yards. *DE Rex Olsen had 4 sacks, 3 hurries, 1 stuff, and 7 tackles. Tied for 7th in the Nation with 11 sacks on the season.

National Team Total Offense & Defense Leaders The #7 ranked Miami Hurricanes (10-0) are not only undefeated, they have the Nation's most potent offense, stingiest defense, and highest scoring team. They are the powerhouse right now and given the week conference they play in, could run the table this year. While there a number of teams that I could spotlight, I must draw attention to the Boise State Broncos (8-1). They rank #6 in offense yards, #12 in team defense, and #5 in scoring, yet they somehow remain unranked. #rant

Grey Dog Championship Series Rankings Not much to say at this point. Penn State, USC, Clemson, and Georgia really have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. With that said, it only takes one loss to shake things up.

Week 10: Top 25 Media Poll Another week with Penn State and USC occupying the top two spots. Clemson jumped ahead of Georgia, and Oklahoma rounds out the top 5. The biggest mover in this week's poll was the Virginia Tech who moved up 7 spots from #20 to #13, while Duke had the biggest drop among the ranked teams falling 4 spots from #19 to #23. Texas A&M moved into the Top 25, while Michigan State dropped out. The big game next week has #9 Ohio State (7-1) taking on #1 Penn State (9-0).

Week 10: Recap Week 10 had some amazing games and player performances. Miami QB Charlie Barth was unstoppable, passing for 504 yards and 4 TD's in leading the undefeated Hurricanes (10-0) to a 37 to 23 victory over NC State Wolfpack (4-6). Likewise, Auburn (8-1) RB Charles Carter pounded out 189 rushing yards and 3 TD's in a 48 to 0 win over Vandy (2-8). On the defensive side of the ball, Wisconsin DE Gary Hover had 3 sacks on 5 tackles, 1 stuff, and 1 forced fumble. The Game of the Week was a thrilling match-up between the #17 Iowa Hawkeyes traveling to Madison to take on the #18 Wisconsin Badgers. It was a game of momentum, with each team dominating a quarter until the game moved into the 4th quarter. Then it got absolutely crazy. With time running out, Badger K Robin Byrd drilled a 52 yard FG to seal the victory. Fourth Quarter WISC TD 12:41 20-17 Michael Hernandez 42 YD Run (Robin Byrd Kick). IOWA FG 10:56 23-17 Tyson Morrison 36 YD WISC TD 10:01 24-23 Ronald Finley 66 YD Pass from Larry Carter (Robin Byrd Kick). IOWA TD 08:08 29-24 Kristopher Jarvis 36 YD Pass from Roland Hernandez (2 Pts Failed) WISC FG 03:41 29-27 Robin Byrd 40 YD WISC FG 00:00 30-29 Robin Byrd 52 YD

San Jose State 24 --- Hawaii 17 That makes three in a row! While the Warriors (3-7) made the 4th quarter a little interesting, the Spartans (5-4) never trailed in this one. RB Juan Moreno turned out his best game of the season, gaining 157 yards on 37 carries. With 3 games left in the season, Moreno should easily break the thousand yard mark for the season. While QB Tony Lima had another average day (10-18, 193 yards), it was enough to get the job done. The Spartans defense held Hawaii to just 287 net yards on the day. Another solid performance by ILB Anthony Newell (11 tackles) anchored the defense. Lastly, K Buddy Carr had a nice day, making 3 of 4 FG and both XP.

Week 10: Preview of Hawaii v. San Jose State Week 10 has the Hawaii Warriors (3-6) traveling to the Mainland to take on the San Jose State Spartans (4-4). The match-up analysis favors the Spartans on defense, the Warriors on special teams, and a push overall. I like the Spartans chances in this one, though I am not sure which version of the team will show up. Will it be the 45 point offense that could not be stopped, or the 12 point team that slugs it out via field goals. I do like the way that RB Juan Moreno has been playing as of late, and expect another solid game from him. Wish I could say the same thing about QB Tony Lima, a.k.a. Mr. Hot/Cold. The defense remains strong and hopefully will keep us in the game. Anthony Newell has been playing lights out and I look for another big game from him. Finally, we have recruit TE Kevin Gonzalez (ranked as #86 in the Nation at his position) coming to watch the game. #Aloha

Mountain West Conference Standings A quick look at the Mountain West Conference standings: In the Mountain Division, Boise State (8-1, 5-0 in Conf) remains the powerhouse. Not only are they currently riding an 8 game week streak, they are simply dominating the other teams. The team is led by senior QB William Harris (2759 passing yards, 25 TD's, and 6 INT's) and RB James Brown (872 rushing yards, 5.22 YPC, 6 TD's). The Broncos are cruising to the MWC title, and I am still waiting for the voters to wake up and put the team into the Top 25. The West Division is interesting, with San Diego State, Fresno State (top scoring offense), and Nevada (top defense) all still in the hunt. I'm not afraid to admit that I am surprised the Spartans have somehow managed 4 wins on the season, and really looking forward to see out the remaining games turn out. #bowlgameeligible?

Grey Dog Championship Series Rankings For the second week in a row, Penn State (8-0) maintained its spot at #1. USC (8-0), Georgia (8-0), Clemson (7-0), and Oklahoma State (7-0) round out the top 5. While there are still several weeks left in the season, there will have to be several big losses in order for the #6 through #10 teams to leap into the championship picture. I think there is still too much separation between the top grouping and the rest to see anything major happen.

Week 9: Top 25 Media Poll Really having a tough time understanding the Top 25 rankings this week. Now while I don't have a problem with Penn State, USC, and Georgia maintaining the #1 through #3 spots, I cannot figure out why the voters rewarded Clemson (from #6 to #4) and Oklahoma State (#9 to #5), yet penalized Oklahoma (#4 to #7) when all had bye weeks. Something screwy is going on there -- maybe T. Boone is doing a little behind the scenes work... The biggest mover in this week's poll was the University of South Florida Bulls who moved up 7 spots from #30 to #23. The Oregon Ducks had the biggest drop among the ranked teams for the second week in a row, falling 7 spots from #23 to #30. Just a few weeks ago I was lauding them as a potential Top 10 team. #whathappened. Two teams fell from the Top 25 poll (Oregon Ducks and South Carolina). Taking their spots, #23 USF and #24 Troy Trojans. The big game next week is the Red River Shootout, as #21 Texas (5-2) travels to Norman to take on #7 Oklahoma (6-1). My upset pick of the week is #12 ASU Sun Devils traveling to SoCal to take on the #2 USC Trojans. Lastly, how is Boise State not ranked in the Top 25 yet...?

Week 9: Recap What a strange batch of Week 9 games. While the vast majority of the Top 25 teams won their games, most were unnecessarily close when they should have been blowouts. Examples include: * #19 Duke (8-1) needing a late 4th Quarter FG to top Boston College (4-4) by a score of 23-20. * #23 South Florida (8-1) squeaking past Connecticut (3-5) with a 28-27 victory. * #1 Penn State (8-0) topping Maryland (3-6) by a score of 33 to 25, despite being outscored for 3 quarters. * #2 USC (8-0) was able to overcome being shutout for 3 quarters to get the road win over Utah (3-5) with a 20-14 victory. The top match-up of the week was the game between #16 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1) v. #21 ranked Michigan State Spartans (5-3). Down 10 points on the road heading into the 4th Quarter, Notre Dame RB Richard Johnson busted out a 63 yard TD run with just 2:31 left in the game to put the Irish ahead for good. With 201 yards rushing on the day, Johnson moved into 7th place overall in the Nation with 1166 rushing yards. Dare I say it, the Irish might be for real this year...? For individual player performance, honors went to Wake Forest Safety Michael Pruitt who had 12 tackles (9 solo), 4 INT's, 2 pass deflections, and 1 forced fumble. #Beast

San Jose State 42 --- UNLV 7 Watch out, here come the Spartans! What an impressive road win for San Jose State (4-4), as they outscored the UNLV Rebels (3-5) by a score of 42-7. While RB Juan Moreno had a solid day carrying the rock (75 yards on 23 carries and 2 rushing TD's, along with 1 Rec TD) and QB Tony Lima put together his best outing of the year (21 for 36, 305 passing yards, and 4 TD's), it was the Spartan defense that was the real star of the game. On the day, the team had 4 forced fumbles (recovered all), 4 sacks, 2 INT's, and 10 defensive stuffs. They held the Rebels to a lowly 250 net offense yards. DE Donald Smith's 2 sacks put him into a tie with Anthony Newell for the team lead with 8 sacks on the year. The Spartans now rank #52 in the nation in team defense.

Week 9: Preview of San Jose State v. UNLV Week 9 sees the San Jose State Spartans (3-4) traveling to Sin City to take on the University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels (3-4). This match-up finds the Spartans in the unique situation of being the favorite despite being the road team. To be clear, the Rebels have not shown much in the way of offensive production this year. Despite a defense that is ranked 119th in the Nation, it is that same defense that has somehow kept them competitive. The Rebels defense is led by OLB Javier Allen who has 9 sacks, 10 hurries, 7 stuffs, and 5 pass deflections on the season. Like usual, the Spartans are hoping for a big game from RB Juan Moreno. While not an elite level RB, Moreno has been the key to the team's success. I hate to jinx the team, but I really like the Spartans chances this week. #VivaLasVegas

National Player Leaders On Offense Wanted to give a snapshot of the Nation's top offensive players. I sorted the Top 10 players by total passing, rushing, and receiving yards. While there are some impressive numbers on there, the one thing that stood out for me was the fact that the Minnesota Gophers (5-3) have a player listed in each category. Not bad for an unranked, 3 loss team.I also thought it was interesting that several traditional (running) schools have QB's listed in the Top 10 in passing (Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Army). It will be fun to see where the final totals end up at, and which players walk away with the end of season awards.

Grey Dog Championship Series Rankings Not only did Penn State take over the #1 spot in the Top 25 Media Poll, the Nittany Lions are now at the top of the GDCS rankings. The USC Trojans fell to the #2 spot, with Georgia, Clemson, and Auburn making up the Top 5 spots. Heading into Week 9, there are not many more chances for teams move into the playoff spots -- these last few weeks should be fun.

Week 8: Top 25 Media Poll The reign of the USC Trojans finally came to an end. Despite beating the then #16 ranked Oregon Ducks, USC dropped to #2 in the Week 8 Top 25 Media Poll. The Penn State Nittany Lions took over the #1 spot by trouncing the Nebraska Cornhuskers by a score of 59-17. Rounding out the top 5 are the Georgia Bulldogs, Oklahoma Sooners, and Auburn Tigers. The biggest mover in this week's poll was the Michigan Wolverines who moved up 8 spots from #27 to #19. The Oregon Ducks had the biggest drop among the ranked teams, falling 6 spots from #16 to #23. Two teams fell from the Top 25 poll (Northwestern and Stanford), replaced by Virginia Tech and Michigan.