BCS Title Picture Comes Into Focus in Week of Upsets

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

In a year of almost unprecedented stability in the major college football polls, some observers pointed to this weekend as one in which the national championship picture would begin to come into sharper focus. They were right.


Southern California and Oklahoma have held the top two positions in both major polls without incident since the preseason, with an unusually large pack of undefeated teams hoping to move up and grab one of the coveted berths in the Orange Bowl. But if any Saturday could shake up the rankings, it was this one: Eight of the top 10 teams in the Bowl Championship Series standings were playing on the road.


Sure enough, it was a day of upsets, firsts, and rarities. One unbeaten team (Miami) lost, as did the highest-ranked one loss team (Florida State). Oklahoma barely survived a scare from Oklahoma State, as did one-loss Georgia, which edged Florida in the annual “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” game in Jacksonville. Perhaps the best game of the day saw one-loss Michigan rally from a 17-point deficit in the final seven minutes before triumphing in three overtimes against Michigan State. Another one-loss team, Texas A&M, fell to lightly-regarded Baylor in overtime.


All-told, Saturday’s action also showed what could be lost if Division I-A were to adopt a playoff system. As it stands, every game of the regular season is a de facto playoff match for the top contenders. With seven undefeated teams entering Saturday’s play, a loss all but knocked teams out of the championship picture, thus adding to the drama of games.


While a playoff might solve the issue of deciding a definitive champion, it would rob regular season games of their importance and drama. With a playoff in place, the upsets and near-upsets of this compelling weekend simply wouldn’t mean as much.


***


The biggest shocker of the day was North Carolina’s upset of BCS no. 3 Miami, 31-28, on a final-play field goal. North Carolina, 3-4 entering the game, earned the first win over a top-five opponent in program history by running roughshod over Miami’s defense. The Tar Heels amassed 551 yards of offense, the last 65 coming on the winning drive.


North Carolina coach John Bunting – who may have saved his job with this win – deserves accolades for remaining aggressive on the final possession. He eschewed playing for overtime, as many coaches would have, after being pinned at his own 10-yard line by a penalty. Maybe hearing rumors of his imminent dismissal gave Bunting the courage to play to win, or maybe he was convinced by the performance of his senior QB, Darian Durant, during the previous 58 minutes. Regardless, Durant proved him correct by calmly moving the Tar Heels into position for the winning kick.


Miami was lucky to win its two previous games, when its normally stout defense was manhandled by Louisville and North Carolina State. This loss, coming at such a late date, almost assuredly knocked the Hurricanes out of the national championship picture. Miami fell to 10th in the coaches’ poll and 11th in the AP rankings, and simply don’t have enough games left to climb back into the title chase.


Miami’s defense has been its calling card since the program first rose to national prominence in the 1980s, with names like Jerome Brown, Cortez Kennedy, and Ray Lewis parlaying careers in Coral Gables into professional stardom. The 2004 NFL draft saw four Miami defenders claimed in the first round, and their young replacements have struggled the maintain the Hurricanes’ typical level of excellence.


Combined with Maryland’s upset of Florida State and Florida’s loss to Georgia, the Sunshine State’s three premier programs all fell on the same day for the first time since October 14, 1978. Florida election officials can only hope Tuesday goes better.


***


Another coach on top of his decision-making Saturday was Michigan’s Lloyd Carr during the Wolverines’ wild 45-37 triple-overtime win over Michigan State.


Too often, coaches facing a large deficit fall into the trap of believing that touchdowns are the only way to come back. Trailing 27-10 and facing a fourth down on the Michigan State seven-yard line with 6:27 remaining, Carr correctly called for a field goal, and didn’t waste a timeout in the process. Coaches frequently waste critical timeouts in making a decision about a key play. By acting decisively and preserving his timeouts, Carr left his team with greater flexibility as it attempted to rally.


Because Michigan still had three timeouts after the field goal, the Wolverines maintained the option of a deep kickoff, a fact that improved their odds of recovering the onside kick Carr called for. Carr disguised his intentions by putting two kickers on the field – his normal kickoff man, Troy Nienberg, as well as his placement specialist, Garrett Rivas. That forced MSU to respect the possibility of a deep kick. When Rivas’s line-drive onside attempt bounced off a Spartan player, the Wolverines recovered and suddenly had new life.


Michigan’s late-game heroics, including three touchdown passes from Chad Henne to Braylon Edwards to tie the score and win it in overtime, overshadowed an incredibly rare performance by the two featured running backs, Michigan’s Mike Hart and Michigan State’s DeAndra Cobb. Each gained more than 200 yards on the day, which had happened just six times before.


***


Another 200-yard rushing performance – by Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson – helped the Sooners avoid an upset bid by Oklahoma State. The Sooners’ narrow win in a bizarre game showed that they are a more versatile team than last year’s squad that dominated the polls before stumbling in its final two games.


The Sooners’ offense, in particular, is more balanced than it was last year. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jason White now has the luxury of a superior rushing attack powered by Peterson, whose arrival has transformed Oklahoma’s rushing attack from a middle-of-the-pack unit to one of the nation’s elite.


Last season, the Sooners ranked 65th nationally with 146.7 yards per game and a 3.8-yards per carry average. This season the numbers are 225.5 and 5.0, good for 16th in the nation. Even though White’s numbers have declined slightly, the team’s overall offensive production has risen by about 20 yards per contest. It’s a far more dangerous attack because it is able to produce big plays with both runs and passes. Peterson has produced enough highlight-reel plays on the ground that he may become the first freshman in history to win the Heisman.



Mr. Levine writes for FootballOutsiders.com


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use