Two weeks in a row I thought the #1 team could lose on the road. Two weeks in a row I was too scared to pick the upset so I picked #1. Two weeks in a row I was wrong. If you look at the statistics, #18 Wisconsin barely outplayed #1 Ohio State. They only had 25 more yards, a few more penalty yards, the same number of turnovers, and almost the same 3rd down percentage. But Wisconsin returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and scored on their first two drives to take a 21-0 lead and Ohio State never recovered. Ohio State also missed a field goal and made another field goal after getting all the way to the 4 yard line. With 11 1/2 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Ohio State scored to make it 21-18. Wisconsin followed that with a 10 plays, 73 yard drive in 4:41. Ohio State was then held to a three-and-out and Wisconsin answered with a field goal. Ohio State got into Wisconsin territory and the drive ended with an interception. Wisconsin made better use of their opportunities and they got the big win. At least now there is no chance of having two undefeated Big Ten teams.
Cam Newton has to be one of the front-runners for the Heisman race now. #7 Auburn's defense is still struggling, as they let up 43 points to #12 Arkansas. But once again, they forced turnovers in the fourth quarter to get the win. The 65-43 win set an SEC record for most combined points in a game that didn't go into overtime. A lot of the Auburn doesn't look very good (specifically the defense) but they keep doing enough to win and are playing great football in the fourth quarter. Newton had 4 total touchdowns and didn't turn the ball over. Auburn averaged 8.4 yards every time he ran and threw the ball. There were no turnovers for either team in the first three quarters, and Auburn forced three in the fourth quarter. If Auburn can clean up defensively, they definitely have a shot at winning the national championship. They have a home game against LSU next week and they still have to play at Alabama in the final game of the regular season. If they can win those two games, they should be playing for the title.
I was very surprised that Texas was able to contain #5 Nebraska like they did. I knew the Texas defense was good, but they completely shut down Taylor Martinez. He was just 4/12 passing and 13 times for 21 yards before being taken out of the game. Texas avoided their first three game losing streak in over a decade and now the Big 12 North race is actually something to watch. #11 Missouri still hasn't lost a conference game, but they play Oklahoma and Nebraska in the next two weeks. If Nebraska can beat #14 Oklahoma State and Missouri they should win the division. The Big 12 is turning out to be deeper than I have been giving it credit for.
Another team that is better than I have been giving them credit for is USC. They had lost two games by a total of three points and both games were lost on a field goal as time expired. Cal's defense has looked tough this year except against Nevada. They had held every other team to 10 or less points. USC scored 42 in the first half. They ended up with 602 yards which is just incredible. Matt Barkley threw for 5 touchdowns. USC could make a run at the conference title if they can get help from teams playing Stanford and Oregon.
I guess I can stop talking about Nevada for a while. On the road against Hawaii they were down 17-0 at halftime and never recovered. They never really got the running game going and Kaepernick struggled throwing the ball. Four turnovers didn't help either. Hawaii looks like they may contend for one of the top spots in the WAC. If they had Boise State at home they could potentially spoil the Broncos' season.
The teams I have been the most surprised with are USC and the entire Big 12. I didn't think Oklahoma would be very good this year and they are still undefeated. The rest of the conference is looking pretty good as well except for Kansas and Colorado. Even Baylor is pulling their weight in the conference. They are just one win away from being bowl eligible for the first time since the mid-90s. I can't get too ahead of myself with Baylor though because their last 5 games are against #22 Kansas State, #19 Texas, #14 Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and #1 Oklahoma. Pretty tough finish, but I think they can win two of those games to get to 7-5 and go to a bowl game.
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