Mid-Major Cinderellas Leave It to the Big Boys
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 fourth weekend of the college football season is usually a good time to re-evaluate the preseason polls and look ahead to conference and BCS races that are beginning to take form. With a month behind us, the main contenders have revealed themselves, and the season has found its dominant storyline.
In recent years, that storyline has often involved a “will they or won’t they” question about the ability of the so-called “midmajor” teams – those outside the six leagues with automatic BCS berths – to qualify for one of the big-money bowls. That is not the case this season, as only three mid-majors (UTEP, Toledo, and New Mexico) remain undefeated, a de facto prerequisite for grabbing a BCS bid as Utah did last season.
Instead, all the talk has been about traditional powers. The group of schools at the top of the polls – USC, Texas, LSU, Florida, et al – is a veritable murderers’ row of the nation’s storied programs. Blowouts by top-ranked teams in the early, non-conference season are hardly breaking news. But when no. 1 USC hung 70 points on Arkansas last week – not Arkansas State, but the Razorbacks of the SEC – and did it in such an effortless fashion that they appeared to be playing video-game football, it served as a reminder to the college football world that the Trojans are every bit the force of nature they have been in recent years.
So dominant was USC last week that the Trojans are three touchdown favorites Saturday at Oregon, thought to be a danger spot for USC entering the season. Still, Oregon can put points on the board and USC’s defense is nowhere near the level it was late last season, which gives the Ducks a puncher’s chance in front of their rowdy home crowd.
No. 2 Texas has received more attention thus far thanks to its win in a much-hyped matchup with Ohio State two weeks ago, but will cede the spotlight to USC with a bye this week.
If there’s a mystery team at this point in the season, it’s no. 3 LSU, and it has nothing to do with the Tigers’ play on the field, but rather that they haven’t been on the field. Hurricane Katrina forced the postponement of LSU’s opener, and the second game against Arizona State was moved to Tempe from Baton Rouge. After a bye week, the Tigers were to open at home Saturday night against no. 10 Tennessee, but the threat of Hurricane Rita forced LSU officials to delay the game until Monday (7:30 p.m., ESPN2).
The Vols, coming off a difficult loss at Florida, embark on the second half of what has to be one of the toughest two game road trips in college football history as they visit Baton Rouge in the first major sporting event to take place in Louisiana since Katrina.
Tennessee is struggling with inconsistent quarterback play – the offense has scored a total of 24 points this season – and has switched starters for the third straight game, going back to sophomore Erik Ainge after senior Rick Clausen was pulled after five passes against Florida last week. This is a familiar problem for LSU, but one it seems to have conquered. JaMarcus Russell split time with the now departed Marcus Randle at quarterback last year, but the sophomore has taken a firm grasp of the position this season. His late, fourth-down scoring strike to Early Doucet won the Arizona State game and was one of the top plays of the early season. Against Tennessee’s stout run defense, Russell will be asked to shoulder the load if LSU tailbacks, led by senior Joseph Addai, can’t move the chains.
With a loss already staining its record, Tennessee must win this game if it wants to reach the SEC title game and a BCS bowl. So expect the Vols’ best effort in what is sure to be an emotional, and hostile, environment in Baton Rouge.
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The SEC isn’t the only conference with key games this weekend. By Saturday night, the title races in both the Big Ten and ACC will be much clearer.
Six of the top teams in the Big Ten face off as no. 8 Ohio State hosts no. 21 Iowa (12 p.m. ABC), no. 11 Purdue visits Minnesota (12 p.m., ESPN), and no. 14 Michigan travels to Wisconsin (6 p.m., ESPN2). And that group doesn’t include no. 17 Michigan State, which is coming off a road upset of Notre Dame.
The Spartans have a disturbing history of following big wins with disappointing losses against lesser teams, so their road date with plucky Illinois (12 p.m., ESPNU) should be of some concern. The Illini took a 10-point lead into halftime before falling to no. 13 Cal last week, and should present challenges on both sides of the ball for Michigan State. With Michigan coming to town next week, a win over Illinois would set the Spartans up nicely for a Big Ten title run.
Meanwhile, the Irish will try to get back to their winning ways when they travel to Seattle to take on Washington and former coach Ty Willingham (3:30 p.m.,ABC).The coaching angle makes for a nice storyline, but the heavily favored Irish should roll over the Huskies, who are beginning a potentially devastating series of five straight games against ranked opponents.
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In the ACC, defending conference champ and fourth ranked Virginia Tech gets its first real test of the season against no. 15 Georgia Tech. The Hokies and quarterback Marcus Vick have yet to prove they can be effective against a top-flight defense, which is what they’ll see from the Yellow Jackets. On offense, Georgia Tech could be without quarterback Reggie Ball, who sat out last week’s win over Connecticut with viral meningitis.
Elsewhere in the ACC, two teams trying to rebound face each other, as Boston College visits Clemson. B.C. is coming off a loss to Florida State in which the Eagles outplayed the Seminoles for large stretches of the game; Clemson fell at home to Miami last week in triple overtime. The winner has a chance to keep pace with Florida State in the ACC’s Atlantic Division.
Miami, viewed as the top contender in the Coastal division despite its loss to Florida State in the season opener, plays host to Colorado in perhaps the best non-conference game of the weekend.
Mr. Levine is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com.