As college football is heading into the home stretch of the season, we continue to see some top teams drop out of national title contention while others attempt to narrow the gap they need to shoot to the top.
BIG GAME BREAKDOWN: The most anticipated game of the weekend took place Saturday afternoon between the third-ranked Auburn Tigers and the fifth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, the top two teams in the SEC. Too bad the game wasn't as close as expected.
The Tigers asserted their dominance early and often. Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, Auburn's premiere running back, rushed for a one-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter, giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead.
Then, with less than six minutes to go in the first half, Williams scored a touchdown in a different, tricky way: Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell handed the ball off to Williams in what looked to be a regular running play. Williams, however, took the ball and sent a pass downfield. It landed in wide-open Anthony Mix's hands, who sprinted 29 yards to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead.
"When the coach called that play, I said 'Mix, touchdown. Let's get ready to celebrate,'" Williams said.
An Auburn field goal late in the first half put the Tigers up 17-0 at halftime. Things continued to get worse for the Bulldogs in the second half. Threatening with a drive of its own in the third quarter, Georgia's quarterback David Greene hit wide receiver Reggie Brown with a pass across the middle of the field, bringing his team inside the Auburn 20-yard line. But Auburn safety Junior Rosegreen nailed Brown with a devastating helmet-to-helmet hit. The hit forced the ball out and Auburn picked up the fumble.
After the hit, Brown looked to be badly hurt; it was painful to watch. Within a few minutes, however, he had himself gathered and walked off the field on his own power, with thousands of fans on both sides of the stadium chanting his name.
It was a heartwarming sight for everyone involved or watching the game. Luckily (because the hit he had taken was downright scary), Brown was diagnosed as having had a concussion. His neck was placed in a brace and he was taken to a local hospital; everything seemed to be under control.
Auburn didn't score again after the helmet-to-helmet incident but they managed to hold Georgia scoreless until less than three minutes remained in the game. The final score: Auburn 24, Georgia 6.
With this huge win, Auburn looks to turn some heads and hopefully move past second-ranked Oklahoma in the BCS standings. This would ultimately give the Tigers a shot at the national championship. "One thing I'd say: I'd hate to play us," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said.
Elsewhere across the country, the 21st-ranked Boston College Eagles walloped No. 10 West Virginia 36-17, giving BC hope of a Big East title and a spot in one of the BCS games. No. 4 and previously unbeaten Wisconsin succumbed to unranked Michigan State by a count of 49-14, ending the Badgers hopes of a run at a national title. Finally, after having lost two consecutive games, the No. 17 Miami Hurricanes bounced back and defeated the No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers, 31-21.
BCS BLUNDER: Ever since the inception of the BCS ranking system before the beginning of the 1998 season, there have been numerous criticisms. The main question is: What happens if many teams are undefeated by the end of the season? Luckily, this question has not warranted an answer to this point. But watch out: With only three weeks remaining in the regular season, there are still five undefeated teams. They are USC, Oklahoma, Auburn, Utah, and Boise State. Keep an eye on these teams and look for controversy beginning to brew if three or four of them remain undefeated.
PLATINUM PLAYAS OF THE WEEK: This week, the offensive platinum ball goes to the Michigan State running game. With four guys in the backfield each gaining at least 72 yards and combining for three TDs, the Spartans rolled to 430 yards on the ground in their romp of No. 4 Wisconsin.
The other platinum ball goes to the Boston College special teams. With just 243 yards of total offense compared to West Viriginia's 462, one wonders how BC knocked off the Mountaineers 36-17. BC scored two TDs on punt returns: One was by Dejuan Tribble for 41 yards and the other was by Will Blackmon for 71 yards.
