Oct 30th, 2009
We have inquiring minds, so we have questions that need to be answered right now regarding this week’s West Coast football action. These are tough questions, so we ask the football gods, who don’t always seem to be listening.
- Why is Boise State QB Kellen Moore not leading these so-called Heisman Trophy polls? He leads the nation by a wide margin in passing efficiency. His 21 touchdown passes lead the nation. He has thrown just two interceptions, giving him a touchdown-to-interception margin of plus-19, again the best in the country. And he plays for a team ranked No. 6 If he has a big game on Saturday against San Jose State – and he should – will folks start to catch on? Probably not. Most don’t even know how to pronounce Boise (It’s Boi-see, not Boi-zee).
- Can Cal stand the heat in Tempe, Ariz.? Temperatures are expected to be in 80s (but it’s a dry heat, Marge) for Saturday’s game, which starts at 12:30 p.m., the only Arizona State home game scheduled to start earlier than 4 p.m. Cal played its best road game of the season when it was even hotter two weeks ago at UCLA, but the Bruins weren’t used to that heat either. The Sun Devils are.
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Autzen crowd and the rain could be factors Saturday -- Associated Press photo
3. Will Oregon’s Autzen Stadium crowd, considered the loudest per-capita gathering in college football, bother USC freshman QB Matt Barkley? Actually, the crowd is the least of his concerns.
- Will Pac-10 referees get through a weekend without controversy? This is sort of a rhetorical question, like, will the Earth crash into the Sun next week?
- If unbeaten Texas Christian clobbers UNLV Saturday as it should, will people start respecting QB Andy Dalton (8th nationally in passing efficiency) and the Horned Frogs’ defense (fifth nationally)? Probably not, even though TCU allowed just 10 points to Clemson (which beat Miami-Fla., 40-37 in overtime) and just three points to BYU (which is 14th nationally in scoring and owns a win over Oklahoma).
- Is there any way Washington State can lose to Notre Dame in San Antonio this week? We have an answer for this one and it’s an emphatic “No.” Oh, the Cougars may lose on the scoreboard, but they will take home $950,000 to play Notre Dame and will get an additional $595,000 as its share of Notre Dame TV deal with NBC. That’s more than $1.5 million to play a neutral-site game. Somebody in the WSU athletic department should be advising the President on the American economy.
- Is there any way to explain the mind of Texas Tech coach Mike Leach after his “fat little girlfriends” speech? It was so politically incorrect, we don’t know where to begin, but, boy, was it funny.
- Is Oregon State about to put on the late-season surge that has become its trademark in recent years? The Beavers gave USC a tough time on the Trojans’ home field last week, even though Oregon State’s best player, Jacquizz Rodgers, was limited by an ankle injury. The next two games, at home against UCLA the on the road next week at Cal, will indicate whether the Beavers
The 1905 Vandals went 5-0, Idaho's last unbeaten season -- Photo from Gem of the Mountains yearbook
can make another late run. Don’t bet against it, because Mike Riley, who happens to be the nicest guy in the world, may also be the best coach in the Pac-10.
- Is Idaho, which gave up 70 points to Nevada last week, really any good or are the Vandals just a nice story because they’ve been so bad? Well, Idaho is one of only 22 teams that is bowl eligible (Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Georgia, Stanford and Cal are not yet bowl eligible), but the toughest part of the Vandals’ schedule is yet to come. This week’s home game against Louisiana Tech is one the Vandals have a chance to win, and that would be their seventh victory.
- Will San Jose State beat an FBS (Division I-A) team this year? Maybe, but it won’t come in the next two games against Boise State and Nevada.
In the Lord, put your trust. – Psalms 11:1