The Color & Pageantry Top 25

College Football

Top 25

1.      Alabama, 7-0, 1
2.      Florida State, 6-0, 5
3.      Oregon, 7-0, 2
4.      Ohio State, 7-0, 4
5.      Missouri, 7-0, 14
6.      Miami, 7-0, 9
7.      Stanford, 6-1, 11
8.      Baylor, 7-0, 13
9.      Clemson, 6-1, 3
10.    UCLA, 5-1, 7
11.    Texas Tech, 7-0, 19
12.    Virginia Tech, 6-1, 21
13.    Auburn, 5-1, 25
14.    Nebraska, 5-1, 18
15.    LSU, 6-2, 8
16.    Texas A&M, 5-2, 6
17.    South Carolina, 5-2, 13
18.    Central Florida, 5-1, NR
19.    Arizona State, 5-2, NR
20.    Wisconsin, 5-2, 23
21.    Fresno State, 6-0, 20
22.    Northern Illinois, 7-0, 22
23.    Oklahoma, 6-1, 24
24.    Notre Dame, 5-2, NR
25.    Louisville, 6-1, 10

OUT:  Georgia (15), Washington (20), Florida (21)

VOTES:  Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Georgia, Michigan State, Michigan, Washington, Texas, Oregon State, Florida and Ole Miss.

It was GREAT to see one of our favorites, legendary announcer Keith Jackson, Mr. College Football, on FOX Sports college football preview show. Jackson explains how Whoa Nellie came about.



ESPN Gameday reporter Tom Renaldi took a lost back at what the late Beano Cook  labeled the greatest play since "My Fair Lady", the "Puntrooskie" trick play Florida State ran to set up a winning field goal with time expiring at Clemson 25 years ago.  I saw it live, and as steep as the upper deck there is at Clemson, it seemed like we about fell over onto the field celebrating. The Butler did it!



NATIONAL ANALYSIS:

I think this may be the most difficult Top 25 I have compiled, perhaps due to the carnage of would be contenders this past Saturday.....We can start with the Georgia Bulldogs, decimated by injury who could not survive a trip to a decent Vanderbilt team trying to climb out an early season filled with turmoil.  The Bulldogs were among the nations best when healthy, but they are not right now and every week is a dawgfight.... Same for the Florida Gators, also crushed by injuries, but although still hanging on defensively, have no chance against anybody decent due to eye popping offensive woes... Florida-Georgia should sell advertising as perhaps the National Sunshine Rehabilitation Bowl; Have a cocktail or five and cure your woes......UCLA got clamped down at Stanford, which was not expected.....Oregon was challenged early by Wazzu, but ended up killing them....Michigan set offensive records galore against upstart Indiana, who left their defense on the bus.....Storm Johnson helped UCF storm back from a 28-7 deficit to shock Louisville for the biggest win in Knight history, positioning them for a BCS bowl....Miami almost joined the list of losers this weekend, winning at North Carolina with a minute to play.....Outside of Alabama, who rolled Arkansas, seemingly all favorites in the SEC lost, Florida at Mizzou, Georgia at Vandy, LSU at Ole Miss, Texas A&M at home against Auburn and South Carolina at Tennessee, turning the Top 25 upside down......Baylor blasted Iowa State and not a team anybody wants to see upcoming on their schedule...Arizona State pounded a wounded Washington team in Tempe....Tennessee is getting better, having almost beat Georgia and now beating So. Carolina.....Ohio State pulled away at the Horseshoe to beat Iowa....GT blasted Syracuse while Maryland, still staggered from losing at FSU, got punked by Wake Forest, who is playing better of late.....Michigan State used their defense to get them another win hosting Purdue and Minnesota, a team thought coming into the season as improved but not playing well, won at Northwestern, another good team still allowing the Ohio State loss linger on.

FLORIDA STATE ANALYSIS



FSU TE Nick OLeary
PhotoAP/Mike Stewart

Put a smile on your warpainted face. In an epic beatdown, Florida State blasted #3 Clemson at Death Valley 51-14, a game not as close as the score would indicate.  Although the Seminoles looked better on paper, logic would dicate that it would be Clemson, with their monumental home field advantage and a fifth year senior honors candidate at quarterback, that would seize the day and venture on toward a possible national championship.  The Tigers should have stayed on the bus.  Florida State redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston, who treated the hostile environment like cold pizza, shined in dissecting the Tiger defense leading a balanced attack hitting paydirt.  And balanced it was, with Devonta Freeman running, Rashad Greene. Kelvin Benjamin and Orlando Dr. Phillips star Kenny Shaw catching Winston aerials inside and outside the hash marks and tight end Nick OLeary having a record setting night.  The Seminole kicking game excelled as well.  Clemson was shackled on offense, with the Seminoles disrupting Tiger QB Tajh Boyd while closing the corner and shutting down running lanes.  Timmy Jernigan and Mario Edwards played well up front.  LB Telvin Smith, a BAHL Revere preseason All America pick, introduced himself to the nation, wreaking havoc all over the field.  Christian Jones, of Winter Park Lake Howell, has a great day as well.  But the secondary was also up to the task, and the player of the game was without doubt LaMarcus Joyner. who had an interception, caused a game changing fumble of a sack, caused another fumble and was simply a terror in Tiger town.  Without question, this was the best game the Seminoles have played against a legit top five team in over a decade.  Clemson beat Georgia when the Dawgs were healthy, so they are no fluke.  Winston escorted all doubters out of the stadium on this night, and it is Florida State that can now begin dreaming big.  For Coach Jimbo Fisher, it is all about the process, so there remains work to be done, and the annual let down against an inferior opponent is part of the process and is scheduled for successful elimination.  It will hard to exclude this team from the title game if undefeated, and although there is a lot of football yet to be played, Seminole nation has to be just delighted at where we find ourselves, and what lies ahead in what appears to be a future of winning quite a few football games, and just maybe, a few championships.  The 51 points scored by FSU are the most ever by an poopnent in Death Valley. No Puntrooskie was needed in the eye opening dismantling that took place at Death Valley on this night. Wow!

College Football Losing Our Tradition

It has been a very period of time of late for those associated with the Oklahoma Sooners, and sadly, it continued today with the loss of former head football coach Chuck Fairbanks. Fairbanks was head coach from 1967-72, before Barry Switzer took over.

 

It was Chuck Fairbanks coaching the Sooners in The Game of the Century at Norman in 1971, as Nebraska defeated OU 35-31 en route to winning the national title routing Paul "Bear" Bryant and Alabama in the Orange Bowl.

Nebraska's Bob Devaney with OU's Chuck Fairbanks

Jack Mildren, who quarterbacked the game for OU in '71, died of stomach cancer much too young in 2008. Ricky Bryan, and All America defensive tackle for OU in the early eighties, died of a heart attack in 2009 at only 47.

The death of Fairbanks comes just weeks after former Oklahoma quarterback Steve Davis, Switzer's first signal caller, died in a plane crash in Indiana.  Davis was magical running the wishbone Fairbanks implemented at OU.

Sadly, college football is losing many people who played significant roles in the history of the game.

Just yesterday, the game of football lost Jack Pardee, one of Bear Bryants "Junction Boys" at Texas A&M and College Football Hall of Fame member.  I remember Jack Pardee when he coached our hometown Florida Blazers in 1974.  

Nebraska All America tailback Ken Clark died just a few weeks back, and Alabama lost Mal Moore this week.

Last fall, the game lost legendary Texas Longhorn coach Darrell Royal and Beano Cook, who in particular helped keep the history of the game, inclusive of the military academies, fresh in our mind.

Emory Bellard, who many credit with creating the wishbone while at Texas under Darrell Royal, passed away just over a year ago. Bellard was head coach at Texas A&M and Mississippi State.

Many of these men were instrumental in forming the fabric of The Color and Pageantry of College Football, America's game.  While we have lost many, we still have time to embrace and honor those who remain with us.  Some are among our heroes; excellent athletes, coaches, father figures, teachers and men of faith.

These men will be missed.  Let us not change our traditions; let us remember those who made them.

Top 25

College Football

Top 25

1.      Alabama, 6-0, 1
2.      Oregon, 6-0, 2
3.      Florida, 6-0, 4
4.      Kansas State, 6-0, 4
5.      Notre Dame, 6-0, 6
6.      LSU, 6-1, 9
7.      South Carolina, 6-1, 3
8.      Ohio State, 7-0, 8
9.      Oregon State, 5-0, 10
10.    Oklahoma, 16, 16
11.    Southern Cal, 5-1, 13
12.    Florida State, 6-1, 14
13.    Georgia, 5-1, 15
14.    Stanford, 4-2, 12
15.    West Virginia, 6-1, 7
16.    Clemson, 5-1, 17
17.    Louisville, 6-0, 18
18.    Mississippi State, 6-0, 19
19.    Texas Tech, 5-1, NR
20.    Michigan, 4-2, 25
21.    Rutgers, 6-0, 20
22.    Cincinnati, 5-0, 21
23.    Texas, 4-2, 11,
24.    Texas A&M, 5-1, 22
25.    Texas Christian, 5-1, NR

OUT:  Baylor (19) and Michigan State (25)

VOTES:  Louisiana Tech, Nebraska, Northwestern, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio, Wisconsin, Arizona, Boise State, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, UCLA, Penn State, Washington, Iowa State and Baylor.

Florida State hosted a struggling Boston College team in Tallahassee for Parents Weekend and opened up an aerial assault, trouncing the Eagles 51-7.  On the surface, it look quite good as a rebound for the devastating last second defeat at North Carolina State last week.  Although several Seminoles played well, there were glitches that formidable teams would have taken advantage of.  EJ Manuel looked wonderful much of the night, but also had some very poor throws over the middle, an area he continues to show weakness in.  The running game performed well, but left you seeking more.  On a good note, more players got time, and many made the most of their opportunities.  James Wilder, Jr. has top level potential, and Mario Edwards, Jr. got in the mix.  When the younger players got in, I kept seeing Reggie Northrup making plays, and I was glad to see Clint Trickett get some series.  This was a sound win over a weak team, and now comes the test of a hated rivalry as FSU travels to south Florida for a Saturday night tilt with the Miami Hurricanes.  FSU has been handling Miami over the last few years, and should do so again.  But in rivalry games, particularly this one, should have is often a phrase for the following Sunday.  If FSU has any hope of being relevant nationally in the BCS title discussions, they must throttle Miami.  Notre Dame and Kansas State, both ranked above FSU, did so, 52-13 and 41-3 respectively.  Whatever Miami has to offer will be seen Saturday night. For FSU, it is time to step up.  It is our time.

Thankfully, after the ass kicking Nebraska took a week ago at Ohio State, they had the weekend off.  Hopefully, the coaches made effective use of the time, for a loss at Northwestern next Saturday could cost many, if not all of them, their jobs.  GBR!

There were winds swirling at some 40MPH down in Lubbock Saturday afternoon, and the high flying aerial attack of West Virginia had no answers as they got hammered 49-14 by Texas Tech, who had guns up!.....In the Red River Rivalry at the Texas State Fair OU slobber knockered Texas in the Cotton Bowl.  Whoa nellie was this decisive.  Defensively, Texas was pushed around and had every offensive weakness exposed.  In front of a national television audience on ABC, this was an embarrassment for those in burnt orange......Florida made the plays it had to, disposing of Vanderbilt on the road.  With South Carolina coming to The Swamp, a huge opportunity exists for the Gators.  Carolina will be angry, having been disposed of in Death Valley down in Baton Rouge by a rough LSU team who surprisingly controlled the line of scrimmage....With lightning bolts firing, God tried to call of the mugging of Mizzou by Alabama in Columbia.  No such luck; 42-10 BAMA.....UNC won at Miami and has a top notch player in RB Giovanni Bernard, who is from south Florida.... USC is still not USC, but they won at Washington....Stanford almost tied in overtime, with a controversial call negating a tying overtime touchdown.  What can you say; it was the luck of the Irish...Duke got out 20-0 over Va. Tech, but lost 41-20....Iowa upended Michigan State, and hopes for a strong season in East Landing have collapsed.... Wisconsin seems to have settled on a quarterback, and behind Monte Ball, whipped Purdue.....Michigan and Denard Robinson showed that on occasions, the Wolverines can be stout.....Ohio State, off their big win versus Nebraska, survived against pedestrian Indiana.....TCU played well in defeating a sound Baylor squad....Oregon State keeps on rolling....A&M, behind brilliant young signal caller Johnny Manziel, held off an offensive La. Tech squad 59-57.  If only Manziel could play on defense for the Aggies...Auburn is 1-5, just two years removed from a national title, while it is amazing to see how far Colorado has fallen just 20 years from a national title.....Arkansas pummeled a very poor Kentucky team in game shortened by weather....Virginia, with new God awful looking orange helmets, is performing very poorly....K-State survived in Ames against an Iowa State team much better than you may think...Does Illinois wish they had Ron Zook back?...

Beano Cook (photo LJS)

Legendary ESPN College Football analyst Beano Cook passed away this week.   Beano, who brought his blue collar style to analyzing the games of the day, often reflected to a blustery afternoon in 1953 where Notre Dame and his beloved Pitt  Panthers tangled.  Cook helped bring younger viewers in touch with the lore of the past, keeping the history of the color and pageantry of college football relevant in a new age on the gridiron. Half of the time you would just chuckle when the obligatory reference of  Minnesota winning at Michigan 1956 was presented by Cook.  Beano was the guy who would tell you that the school with the most NFL passing yards was Purdue, about those great Pitt teams in the 1930's and who played for the old oaken bucket.  Perhaps the most famous quip of the witty Cook was noting that being the head football coach at Notre Dame was "the third toughest job in America after mayor of New York and President of the United States," ESPN analyst Lee Corso, as reported by CBS Sports, said "Beano was a unique human being and he was college football at ESPN. I am indebted to him. Beano was a tremendous help at the start of my television career and I would not be where I am today without him," Beano Cook was a fantastic ambassador of the sport of college football, and his unique analysis, particularly from a historical perspective, was invaluable.  God Bless you Beano, RIP