Protect 'R' Turf

Week 9 Blog Poll Top 25

protectrturf — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:01:53 +0000

Man it was nice to catch a full day of college football after traveling almost every weekend thus far this season, and only catching certain games each week. I got to watch a ton of games this week, and here’s my top 25. Notes at the bottom.

1. Texas 8-0
2. Penn State 9-0
3. Alabama 8-0
4. Texas Tech 8-0
5. Oklahoma 7-1
6. Oklahoma State 7-1
7. Florida 6-1
8. Georgia 7-1
9. USC 6-1
10. Utah 8-0
11. Boise State 7-0
12. Ball State 8-0
13. TCU 8-1
14. Ohio State 7-2
15. Missouri 6-2
16. Florida State 6-1
17. Minnesota 7-1
18. Tulsa 7-0
19. BYU 7-1
20. LSU 5-2
21. Michigan State 7-2
22. North Carolina 6-2
23. South Florida 6-2
24. Oregon 6-2
25. UConn 6-2

Notes:

- Texas beat a top 10 team. They are undoubtedly the best team in the land until proven differently. With a game against my #4 ranked Red Raiders on Saturday, they might be proven differently very soon.

- Penn State is ahead of Alabama, for now. Bama plays the harder schedule and if they win out (12 games + an SEC championship game), they’ll deserve the top spot. Penn State has dominated opponents and has won their toughest game of the season. Bama has been inconsistent in their wins and I feel that they’ll lose one or maybe even two before its all said and done.

- Obviously there are 2 monster games this week. Texas-Texas Tech and Florida-Georgia. The winner of the Texas-Texas Tech game will control their own destiny for the national title game. The winner of Florida-Georgia will be the best 1-loss team in the country, ready to pounce if 2 of the top 3 teams lose (which could definitely happen).

- Independents make a rise in my poll this week. If you’re in the FBS and are undefeated at this point in the season, you deserve a top 20 ranking. It’s week 9. You’ve had plenty of chances to lose and you haven’t. TCU just looks like a solid squad.

- FSU beat a solid VT squad and makes a substantial rise. At 6-1, they could be the class of the ACC. Lot of football left though. The Hokies better regroup, and fast, especially after losing both of their quarterbacks to injury in the last game.

- Pitt exists stage right after Rutgers dismantled them on their home turf by 20. Rutgers, after starting 1-5, is now 3-5 with some very winnable games coming up. A 7-5 season is not out of the question, but at 6-6 would the Knights go bowling?

Another amazing weekend of college football. Man I wish the season would never end.

Rutgers Turnaround – Recap of win vs Pitt

protectrturf — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:47:53 +0000

54-34 Rutgers! 54 points? There is hope! Coming off a sad 13-10 loss to Cincy, I was worried this team would go into a tailspin. I give the players and the coaching staff a lot of props for turning the ship around. They have not lowered the heads, but in fact have come back and won the last two games against uconn and at top 25 ranked pittsburgh. Rutgers has now won four straight meetings against Pitt, they own them!The story of the day was Mike Teel. Teel, who has 3 TD passes all year and has heard chorus of boos at every home game, came out firing and finished with a favre like six touchdowns. And this was coming against what was supposed to be the conferences’ top pass defense. Not so much anymore, I wouldn’t think. Kenny Britt, Timmy Brown, and Tiquan Underwood tore apart the Panthers defense and left them in a daze. The tone was set early, as Teel hit Timmy Brown with a 60 yrd reception on their first possession.

The defense, well what defense for either team. I guess you can say that the Rutgers defense performed a bit better than the Panthers. They were able to hold McCoy somewhat in check, at least he didn’t run for 200, which is scary how good he really is. Kevin Malast also had a great interception and returning it 74 yards to the Panthers 8. The Scarlet Knights were able to take advantage of that turnover by capping it with a touchdown.

Some items of note – for each game it seems there is a lot of reshuffling of the offensive line as Schiano is trying to find the right mix. For Pitt, Caleb Ruch was back at left guard and true freshman Art Forst remained at right guard. Steady tackles Anthony Davis and Kevin Haslam stayed at the tackles position. Also, the last road win against a ranked team for Rutgers was at Penn State in 1988.

Teel finished the day 14-21 for a whopping 361 yards and six touchdowns…wish I had him on my fantasy! Britt also had a nice day, which is almost expected from him as he is a beast and I hope he comes back for another – with 5 receptions for 143 yards and 3 tds. Back from the dead, speedy Timmy Brown had his best day of the year with four catches for 132 years and two touchdowns.

The running game was led by Kordell Young, with 83 yards on 20 carries, Rutgers fans are definitely happy to have him back the last few weeks and healthy. I just hope that going forward, the offensive coaching staff can incorporate more than 1 carry for Jourdan Brooks who would be a nice compliment to the elusive Young. Not to mention, that right now, KY has not proven himself to be the durable 25 carries a game runner and for his health and for his future, can we please give him about 18 carries a game and give Brooks another 7? Is that so much to ask? I feel like I’m saying this every week!

On the Pitt side, they had another good game by All American Candidate, LeSean McCoy. Not only did he have 146 yards and 4 touchdowns, but he also had three catches for 34 yards. The leading catcher for the Panthers was true Freshman Jonathan Baldwin, who came to campus with big hopes and has even exceeded expectations.

This is the perfect time for Rutgers to finally hit their stride. With a bye week coming up, Rutgers fans can finally feel pretty good about their turnaround and have some hope for this year and next. Also, hopefully this will keep the recruits at bay and with four games left and two easy ones (Army and Syracuse), it is not inconceivable that Rutgers can go 3-1 to finish out with a 6-6 record. Not what we had predicted at the beginning of the season, but I’ll take it now!

Pitt-Rutgers 2008 Preview (October 25th, 2008)

protectrturf — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:27:28 +0000

Thank god. Rutgers finally, FINALLY secured its second win of the season with a sloppy win over Connecticut at home last weekend. At 2-5, Rutgers has little chance to make a bowl game, with 5 games left on the slate. Up next, the Pitt Panthers.

Sitting pretty at number 17 in the country and leading the way in the Big East, Pitt has put their opening day loss to Bowling Green behind them and put their best foot forward, winning their last 5 games. A win against Rutgers would extend their streak to 6, which would be their longest winning streak in 25 years.

Last week, Pitt rolled on Navy 42-21, the same Navy team that beat Pitt in a thriller in Annapolis back on September 20th. For Rutgers to have a chance, they’re going to have to do the obvious and slow down the real slim shady, LeSean McCoy, the vaunted RB of Pitt.

Last week, LeSean had 18 carries for 156 yards and 3 TD’s. Stats like that against Rutgers will spell doom for the Scarlet Knights, who need to hold him to under 100 yards and, hopefully less than 3 TD’s. “We just wanted to come out and just pound the ball, inside, outside,” said McCoy. Rutgers needs to be innovative on defense, since Panthers QB Bill Stull (15 of 23 for 255 yards and a TD) is no slouch either.

Rutgers has stepped up its defense in recent weeks, holding a solid Connecticut offense to 10 points. If they are up to the task against Pitt and can hold them to say, 20 points on the day, Rutgers will have a fighting chance. More importantly, can they score 21+? The Panther D is ranked 20th in the FBS in yards allowed per game, giving up 287 ypg. That stat is a bit deceiving as Pitt hasn’t played anyone with an amazing offense to date. They won’t this Saturday, either. However, they will play a Rutgers team that is due to break out. If the O-line can protect Teel and the receivers can return to their 2007 form ever so slightly (as they’ve shown signs of doing as of late), Rutgers can have a break out game.

Prediction
I think that Rutgers has what it takes to win this game, they have the talent and coaching to win the game. What they don’t have is LeSean McCoy, who I think will be the difference in this game. Rutgers has shown signs of life on offense but just can’t seem to turn the corner. Pitt looks like their gaining steam and Rutgers looks like they’re losing it. I hope they prove me wrong, but I’ve got to go with Pitt, 24-10 in this one. Prove me wrong Knights!

Week 8 Blog Poll

protectrturf — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:19:04 +0000

Didn’t get to watch many of the games this past weekend, but here’s my top 25:

1. Texas 7-0
2. Penn State 8-0
3. Alabama 7-0
4. Oklahoma State 7-0
5. Texas Tech 7-0
6. Oklahoma 6-1
7. Florida 5-1
8. USC 5-1
9. Georgia 6-1
10. Ohio State 7-1
11. LSU 5-1
12. Utah 8-0
13. Boise State 6-0
14. TCU 7-1
15. South Florida 6-1
16. Missouri 5-2
17. Tulsa 7-0
18. Ball State 7-0
19. Pitt 5-1
20. Georgia Tech 6-1
21. BYU 6-1
22. Kansas 5-2
23. Northwestern 6-1
24. Minnesota 6-1
25. Florida State 5-1

Some notes:

- Most people have their top 3 as Texas, Alabama and Penn State. What a trio – are we in the 70′s? After seeing Alabama win sloppily the past few weeks, they are due for a slip up. They’re a team that plays an amazing first half, falters in the second half and holds on to win. If a team can keep them at bay for the first half, they’ll beat Bama. Penn State has dominated from start to finish in every game except this past week against Michigan, and still won by 29 points. They are the most balanced team in College Football and get my #2 ranking.

- Oklahoma State and Texas Tech will get their cracks at big boy Texas in the next 2 weeks. If they’re able to knock out Colt McCoy and the Horns, they’ll get their due in the real polls and be in the top 3. I have no idea why not 1, but 2 undefeated, 7-0 BCS teams are ranked below THREE one-loss teams. Good old media bias and yet another reason why the preseason polls need to be purely for fun and not count for anything.

- Ohio State is still lingering around, much to the chagrin of the nation. A win versus #3 Penn State at home this Saturday should “vault” them at least a few spots; they’re currently #9 in the BCS and could scoot up into the top 5. The best thing that can happen for the Big Ten is Penn State winning this game, Ohio State winning out, and getting both Penn State (BCS National Title Game) and Ohio State (Rose Bowl) into the BCS, with both of them winning their games. They need that to regain some national respect.

- The non-BCS conferences are beginning to make a significant mark in College Football on a yearly basis. Even with BYU losing, there are 6 non-BCS teams in the top 25. SOMEONE is going to crash the BCS party yet again, with the Utes looking like the best candidate.

- Pitt is looking like a relevant team again, shooting into the top 25. Rutgers is coming off a win versus Connecticut, so if they are resurgent, it could be a tough test for the Panthers. Regardless, they are looking like the Big Easts only viable team and the only team that could actually win in a BCS game. Shady is picking it up, but the Panthers have a decently tough road ahead. Rutgers, @ ND (never easy), Louisville, at Cincy, West Virginia and at Connecticut. Basically, they’ve only played two tough games so far and have lost one of the two. We’ll see what they’re made of the second half of the year.

- The ACC is definitely the most down conference this year, with only Georgia Tech in the BCS rankings this week (at Number 18, behind 3 non-BCS teams). Virginia Tech, the reigning ACC champion, just lost to BC for a second straight year in heartbreaking fashion, and now sits outside of the top 25.

We’ve got an interesting slate yet again this week. Texas-Oklahoma State, PSU-OSU (where College Gameday will be), Texas Tech-Kansas, Georgia-LSU, and Bama-Tennessee. Enjoy!

Who Else but Teel? QB Alternatives

protectrturf — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:42:59 +0000

Who Else but Teel? QB Alternatives:Take Teel out, put someone else in! Teels’ decision making is horrible, there has to be someone else, who is the backup? Thats the clamor I’ve been hearing from Rutgers fans all across the Metropolitan area. So it made me think, who is the backup and if we don’t even know who the backup is now, who is going to start next year when Teel leaves? Which then leads to another question (yes, i was thinking a lot today), why haven’t they done a better job of grooming backups and what can coaches do, to better account for this and be a bit more prepared. What if Teel suffers an injury, is the season lost? Is that something that Rutgers fans should accept?

Here are my thoughts…..Coach Schiano as well as many other coaches across the country need to do a much, much better job of thinking in the terms of “reloading”. What I mean is that with college football, you have to constantly think of the future and how it may pertain to next year. If that means that it may take away slightly from this year, oh well. This also means, that you have to schedule cupcakes, and a couple of them. I know we were all excited when Rutgers scheduled Fresno State last minute this year, but we aren’t at that level (as shown by our devastating losses) to schedule Fresno State, North Carolina, and then face a much deeper Big East Conference than it was just a few years ago. Wouldn’t have it been better if we played a terrible team first?

It is also more critical than ever for Rutgers to make a bowl game – whether its the Texas Bowl or the RUjerseys.com bowl, that extra month of practice is vital. Do we even know the qb for next year? That month of practice is when the staff will have a better idea. Even last year, the backup was Jabu, but did we even have any confidence in him, other than running the ball? I’m a big Jabu fan, but he wasn’t given the proper qb experience last year, which he needed. Rutgers needs to go back to scheduling New Hampshire and Villanova and other cream puffs, and within those games, they need to put their backup players in early – gives them invaluable experience. This is how teams reload…well, unless you’re USC or Texas and get five star recruits with ease.

So who do we have? The quarterbacks in waiting are Chris Paul-Etienne, Dominick Natale, and DC Jefferson in particular. Natale came in with a lot of hype, but unfortunately with some injuries, has never panned out. DC is redshirting this year and he should stay that way. Unless Teel gets hurt or we lose the next few games and throw in the towel, their is no reason to play Jefferson. Next year, the massive quarterback should be able to fight for the fighting spot. But, in the meantime, please play Natale and CPE as much as possible – we have to see what we have, or don’t have, for next year. At least we know with prized recruit Tom Savage coming in, that Rutgers is loaded with talent. But talent doesn’t mean that much when they aren’t able to gain some experience, while backing up Teel. It looks like Natale may have overcome his injuries this year as he has taken over the backup role from CPE. This was quite suprising, but I am rooting for the kid. He came in for one series (front to back) against uconn and seems to have potential. Lets hope we can get him some playing time vs pitt. For next year, lets make sure that we get all of our quarterbacks some playing time, and hope that someone steps up.

For this year however, I’m not ready to throw in the towel and hope that Teel can come through and make some plays. If not, hopefully Schiano doesn’t wait too long and puts CPE or Natale, it can’t get much worse than what we have now. But, the season is far from over!

Week 7 Blog Poll

protectrturf — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:59:40 +0000

Correction from last week, NOW we’re halfway through the season. Most teams have played 6 games, some 7, some 5, and now things are starting to take shape in the BCS and National Title race. Notes at the bottom…

1. Texas
2. Penn State
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma State
5. Texas Tech
6. Florida
7. USC
8. Oklahoma
9. Georgia
10. Missouri
11. Brigham Young
12. Ohio State
13. LSU
14. Utah
15. Boise State
16. Kansas
17. Virginia Tech
18. North Carolina
19. South Florida
20. Michigan State
21. Wake Forest
22. Vanderbilt
23. Pittsburgh
24. Ball State
25. California

Some notes:

- Texas definitely deserves the top spot. Some people may say “why knock down Bama on a bye week.” Well, i’m not knocking them down for being on a bye week, moreso their close home loss to Kentucky in a game that they could’ve lost. Texas, on the other hand, just beat the top team in the nation by 10 points in a game many predicted them to lose. Penn State went on the road and manhandled a Wisconsin team that had won 27 of their last 29 in their home stadium, Camp Randall. Those are my top 2. Texas has an extremely tough road ahead, facing Mizzou this week, Texas Tech, Kansas, A&M and others in weeks ahead. They’ll earn their number 1 ranking if they can go through the season unscathed.

- Since we’re at week 7, teams have played some tough (at least 1 or 2) games including a few conference games by now. If you’re undefeated in a BCS conference, move to the head of the class. That means you, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. You’ll have your chances to prove your worth in the 2nd half of the season, no doubt about it.

- Is there any question that the Big 12 is the dominant conference right now? There shouldn’t be. SEC loyalists need to become realists. A lot of your teams are mediocre, especially on offense. The great defenses are still there, but Auburn? Tennessee? Arkansas? LSU? On the flip side, look at the teams in the Big 12, which dominates the AP Top 25. Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Kansas, Mizzou. Case closed.

- With Tommy Bowdens “resignation” at Clemson, the ACC lacks any marquee teams besides Va Tech — again! It seems like every year we say this team will be good and that team will be good, and every year Va Tech looks like the class of one of the consistently worst conferences in College Football. Let’s hope UNC’s rise continues and they can get to a good bowl game, and Clemson can turn it around.

- Big Least, for sure. South Florida and Pitt are the only 2 teams in the top 25 – barely. Honestly, they really need to forego the Big Easts automatic BCS bid this year and give it to a more deserving team. Who knows, maybe Pitt or USF goes 11-1 this year and deserves it. We’ll have to see.

What it means for Rutgers:
Jesus, can we beat SOMEONE. This is getting absurd. Before the season I think many realized that we wouldn’t be as good as last year, but wow. If there ever was a time for us to make moves, that time is now. Schiano’s mettle will be tested more than ever over the second half of the season. Things have been dismal, and for a team with enough talent to be able to be competitive, Schiano has done a poor job thus far. Hopefully the Knights can turn it around starting with Connecticut this Saturday.

Week 6 Blog Poll

protectrturf — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:18:33 +0000

Week 6

We’re already half way through the season for a lot of teams, with Bama and PSU being the most highly ranked 6-0 teams. Not too many upsets last week so not too much has changed. See below…

1. Oklahoma
2. Missouri
3. Alabama
4. LSU
5. Texas
6. Penn State
7. Texas Tech
8. Brigham Young
9. Georgia
10. USC
11. Florida
12. Ohio State
13. Vanderbilt
14. Utah
15. Boise State
16. Virginia Tech
17. Oklahoma State
18. Kansas
19. South Florida
20. Wake Forest
21. North Carolina
22. Michigan State
23. Pittsburgh
24. Northwestern
25. Illinois

Notes:

- Mizzou is on fire. Snapping a 30-year road losing streak to Nebraska in emphatic fashion, they leap to number 2 over a sluggish Bama squad. At this point in the season, style points still count, and Mizzou is leading the country in style points.

- I still can’t put USC near the top 5, even after dominating Oregon. Losing to an unranked Oregon State who, in turn, got spanked by #6 PSU puts USC a few spots behind PSU until they lose a game.

- BYU is destined to be in the #6-10 area, even with an undefeated season. Fact is, teams ahead of them may lose. But, teams behind them will win some big games and leap frog them due to difficulty of schedule. As long as BYU keeps winning though, they should go to a great BCS bowl game.

- Not too much else in terms of shake up. UNC, MSU, Pitt, Northwestern and Illinois round out the top 25, and all 5 of those teams move in after other teams lost.

What it means for Rutgers:
Well, things just keep getting worse for the Scarlet Knights. They had a chance to pull out the upset in Morgantown, but failed. Now, they’d have to win about 6 in a row to even sniff the top 25. With that not likely to happen, Rutgers can simply do their best to pull to 6-6 or 7-5 by the end of this year so that they can go to a bowl game. At 1-4, the Knights are unfortunately closer to the top of the bottom 25, rather than the top 25.

Bar watching reminder!

protectrturf — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:23:35 +0000

Watch the WVU game at Butterfield 8 in the NYC! There will be specials and giveaways, so check it out if you’re in the city and looking for fellow Rutgers fans to enjoy the game with!

http://www.butterfield8nyc.com/

Take Me Home, Country Roads – WVU Preview

protectrturf — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:17:36 +0000

Two teams that battled in a thrilling game just 2 short years ago to determine the Big East championship and BCS birth face off this year in Morgantown to determine, well, who gets out of the Big East cellar and into mediocrity. It’s been a sad start for both of these programs, and Rutgers (1-3) is in need of a season changing win at West Virginia (2-2), while the Mountaineers needs to get Pat White’s thumb healed and ready for the Big East slate.

Rutgers has come to know the Mountaineers well, but they haven’t beaten them since 1994. To top that, they are a combined 0-15 in Morgantown in their history. None of that matters now. It’s the start of Big East play, and most of the players on the current squad haven’t dealt with 15 losses to WVU in Morgantown. Most have dealt with 1 or 0.

Rutgers gained some confidence last week, Jourdan Brooks looks to be emerging as a bonafide running back, and if Teel can limit his turnovers and play within himself, Rutgers can compete with West Virginia. That’s a start. So far, Rutgers has been unable to compete with legit competition this year. The wide receivers, Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood, have been a shell of themselves, dropping passes and missing on the big play time and time again.

On the flip side, the defense, as obvious as it is, has to contain Pat White. They should follow the ECU blueprint against him and do everything they can to contain him. Keep a spy on him if need be. His thumb is injured and you’ve got to force Pat White to beat you with his arm. Stop the run and you stop West Virginia, and that’s the mentality that the Knights have to take into this game. Tough D that doesn’t miss tackles and contains Pat White will keep Rutgers in the game.

Thumbs up? Pat White's injured thumb could determine Rutgers fate on Saturday.

The longer Rutgers stays in the game, the more confidence they’ll have in the 3rd and 4th quarter with a close score, the better the chance there is to pull off the upset. Let’s see if they can do it.

Prediction: I just think that West Virginia, despite their losses, is the much better team. That being said, I think Rutgers is going to come into this game fired up. I think that they’re going to take it to a stunned West Virginia squad and win with heart. WVU is down and ripe for the taking and Rutgers can’t afford to start off 1-4. Rutgers 28, WVU 23.

Weekly top 25 – Week 5

protectrturf — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:52:26 +0000

Welcome back, wild and wacky 2007. To this point in the season its been pretty predictable. We’ve had our upsets here and there but overall not too make to shake things up. That was until this past week, Week 5, which coincidentally coincided with the beginning of conference play. Say that 5 times fast. What a week it was. Here’s my new found, completely shaken up top 25 poll for the week, along with notes and what it means for Rutgers at the end.

1. Oklahoma
2. Alabama
3. LSU
4. Missouri
5. Penn State
6. Texas
7. Texas Tech
8. Brigham Young
9. South Florida
10. Auburn
11. Georgia
12. USC
13. Florida
14. Ohio State
15. Utah
16. Kansas
17. Virginia Tech
18. Boise State
19. Vanderbilt
20. Oklahoma State
21. Fresno State
22. Wisconsin
23. Maryland
24. Michigan State
25. Connecticut

Notes:

- USC should NOT be 9th in the polls. They lost to a team that they had absolutely no business losing to for the 3rd, maybe even 4th straight year. Pete Carroll is a fine coach but some are starting to believe he’s simply a fine recruiter and an average coach. That sounds about right, with losses to Ore State twice in the last 3 years with a loss to Stanford sandwiched in between.

USC deflected the national spotlight to other teams yet again in 2008.

- The top 7 teams pretty much control their own destiny at this point, since most of the teams in the top 7 play one another. The one team that doesn’t is Penn State, and if they win out they should play for the national title.

- Alabama is sitting pretty, that is of course until they meet with LSU, at LSU, on November 8th. Barring any letdowns, Bama will head to LSU with a sparkling 9-0 record. By that point LSU could have 1, maybe 2 losses. It looks like another season of “SEC dominance, speed, world-domination” coming back to potentially bite them in the ass and cost them a shot at the national title, since they’ll all knock each other off at some point.

- Wisconsin was ranked #9 heading into the weekend, and then, they went to Ann Arbor, and were up 19-0 at halftime. Against a 1-2 team that lost to Notre Dame. Then, they blew it. Really pathetic. This is a team that was supposed to challenge for the Big Ten crown and they lost to a team that gave them 6 turnovers in the first half. Six. In one half. All the Wisky offense could muster was some field goals to “capitalize.” They’ve got games against OSU and PSU to make a comeback though, in the next 2 weeks. Both home games, both at night. Should be a rowdy atmosphere at Camp Randall.

- Now to the ACC, where Clemson needs to do something to get themselves out of their yearly “we’re so good oh wait we suck” syndrome. Maybe T. Bowden needs to be ousted. Maybe these players need to stop thinking they’re gods gift to earth. Whatever it is, year in and year out they disappoint the nation with promises of greatness followed by bouts of horrible horrible football. They just lost to my #23 ranked team, Maryland, and are pretty much out of the ACC race with the way they’re playing. Who knows, now that the pressure is off maybe they’ll start playing well. Seems to be their yearly routine.

- In the Big East, South Florida is the conferences lone hope. OK, maybe Connecticut too. WVU looks sloppy at best, Rutgers has disappointed big time, and so has Pitt. South Florida is sitting pretty at 5-0 with a chance to claim the Big East crown, a first time BCS bid along with the potential for a National Title game appearance if the ball bounces their way. It would really have to bounce their way though.

What it means for Rutgers:

After a thrilling (read: boring but much needed) win over Morgan State, Rutgers travels to Morgantown this week for a showdown against a reeling Mountaineers squad that is ripe for the taking. If the Knights play up to their potential, they have a shot. It means nothing for the rankings right now if they win, but if they do win, it gives us a shot to get back in later in the season. At the end of the year teams with 4 losses are border line top 25 teams at best. We’ve already got 3, and so we need to win out or win a majority of the games we play from here on out to get in the top 25 at seasons end.

At this point, though, a win is a win is a win, and I’ll take it any way I can. We can get back on track and really go a long way towards having a decent season with a win at WVU, and i’m calling this our swing game for this year. Win, and we’ve got a shot at 9-3 or 8-4 and a solid bowl game. Lose, and we’re on our way to 7-5 at best, most likely 6-6 or, sigh, worse.