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| Monday, October 26 The Fans Speak -- Week 9 ESPN.com |
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With the first release of the Bowl Championship Series at hand, the resignation of Auburn coach Terrry Bowden, as well as the narrowing of several races, whether they be postseason awards or conference titles, the ninth week of the season was every bit as dramatic and entertaining as the first eight. Here's a look at some of the responses from ESPN.com users:
This weekend just proved that anyone can be beaten on any given day.
Troy Olson
Thank you God for college football, and especially for another win over Bama.
Michael G. Huskey
The only way Ricky Williams will not win the Heisman is if he gets injured. He is simply awesome.
Mike Checkley
After Saturday's performance, is there any doubt who should win the Heisman? Ricky Williams is destroying the record books with every game. In addition to being the best player in the country, he is a fine young man, and a credit to the University of Texas.
Will McInturf
Ricky Williams is far and away the best running back and athlete in college football. But before I give him the Heisman, I want to see what he can do against the Texas A&M Wrecking Crew defense.
Patrick Schulte
Why is UCLA rated No. 2 in the USA Today/ESPN Poll? They haven't beaten anybody and they don't have a defense. In any sport, the championship team has a superior defense. And what is so good about Cade McNown? He is this year's Charles Woodson: Poster Boy.
Josh Hoskinson
Joe Germaine should be receiving more attention from the media in regard to the Heisman and O'Brien awards. You can have Couch, McNown or McNabb, I'd take the quietly effective leadership of Joe Germaine any day.
Rich Reese
Ohio State doesn't deserve the No. 1 ranking. Their schedule is too soft. I agree with the bowl structure which could match up FSU and UCLA in the Fiesta Bowl.
Ken Cristobal
If Ohio State gets knocked out of the BCS then I am done with this flawed sport.
Justin Sparks
If the BCS leaves an undefeated Ohio State out of the Fiesta Bowl, then it shows how college football has degenerated into a farce.
John Wheeler
Ohio State played a bad game and won by 26! There is no other team in the nation with the combination of offense and defense that OSU brings to the table. If the BCS poll somehow knocks them out of the Fiesta Bowl then the Bucks will go down as the best team to ever be shunned by the polls.
Jason Lee Jackson
I think the current bowl situation is reason enough to renew talks about a playoff system in college football. I would hate to think that two powerhouse teams like Tennessee and Kansas St. might get shut out of the national title picture because their divisions (schedules) are not viewed as "tough-enough". Sagarin himself has suggested a 16-team playoff system. Can you imagine college basketball being determined by the polls? How often would the tourny champ have been the polls predicted No. 1 team? Why should football be subjected to the "faulty" BCS system? It's almost un-American.
Delano Collins
Watching college football on Saturdays is a tradition that is unparalleled in the world. So is complaining about the polls and so-called alliances. That is what adds more luster and intrigue to the game, it is not only if Ohio State or Kansas St. wins a game but by how many. That makes every game played by the top five so competitive. There is no doubt in my mind that their will a playoff soon, but until them I am enjoying how everyone complains so much over a darn poll.
Richard Pullen
K-State is reaping the benefits of yet another season when the Big 12 is thoroughly overestimated. Rather than having several very good teams, the Big 12 has a lineup of mediocre ballclubs and Nebraska. Just like last year, the year before, and the year before that. I don't know why the media is so insistent on overrating the Big 12, but once K-State loses to an unusually weak Nebraska team, I hope everyone will jump back off the bandwagon, realize that the Big 10 and SEC are the true power conferences, and stop trying to make a national champion out of an untested midwestern team with a creampuff schedule.
Sean Moore
Welcome to the Year of the Big 12. With five of the top 25 teams and three in the top 10, the Big 12 is now finally what it was meant to be two years ago. With a Big 12 Championship matchup of Texas A&M against the Nebraska/K-State winner, the BCS Power Ratings are definitely in the Big 12's (namely K-State's) favor. Look out SEC and Big Ten, your neighbors to the west have realized their potential and they are acting upon it.
Eric Mears
The K-state Wildcats blow through yet another conference opponent on their way to a bid for the national championship. The talk of a cupcake schedule may hold some water regarding non-conference games, but KSU dismantled these teams an a national powerhouse should. As for the rest of the schedule I think that it is easy to see in the past few weeks that the Big 12 is the toughest and most balanced conference in the nation.
John Farr
I think the treatment of Terry Bowden by Auburn fans and faculty has been horrendous. Those people who refused to stand by their team and coach during an off season don't really know what being a fan is all about. It worries me to see the spirit of college sports subverted by the sole desire to win.
Karl Nack
Terry Bowden's leaving of Auburn is rather upsetting. I know it's a what have you done for me lately society, but come on. The guy just went to the SEC Championship and he's one of the few coaches to beat Florida in the Swamp.
Gary Brendle
I'm embarrassed to be an Auburn alumni today. Terry Bowden is our most successful coach in his first 5 seasons at Auburn and we were going to force him out because of one bad season? Its true that if you don't have an Auburn diploma, speak with a southern drawl, and generally act like Pat Dye you'll never be accepted at Auburn.
Chris Sharp
I'm an Aggie fan, but I must point out this injustice. Why is Arkansas getting hosed in the polls? They're only 6-0 in what has been deemed the strongest conference by every authority I've seen. The Vols have pulled that off and are in the top 5. Mr. Nutt, you are the man.
Craig Lewis
I feel like screaming Marshall! Marshall! Marshall! This football team is getting no respect or Top 25 attention. What does it take for an undefeated team to crack the rankings? It's possible other teams with three and four losses at the end of the season will keep Marshall snuffed in the end, again.
Joseph Smith
After trashing a top 25 team 41-6, LSU did not get back into the top 25. Where is the respect ya'll?
Ben Davis
I want everyone in the rest of the world to know that the MSU Bulldogs are not going to curl up and play dead for the rest of the year. We can accept defeat by LSU -- they are always a great football team -- but that doesn't mean we have to like it. Look for us to come storming back in Lexington against Kentucky and to demolish Arkansas and Alabama when we get back to Starkville.
Boyd Barnett
Lehigh is now 7-0. I recognize that they are a small team and haven't won anything since 1979, but can't they at least be considered for a 1-AA ranking?
Mark Passwaters
What is up with Notre Dame? How do the pollsters justify moving a team like this up four slots in the rankings after narrowly losing to Army? The only ranked team they've beaten is Michigan. Are we really expected to believe that just because they they are the Irish they deserve to be ranked?
Jeremy Lessmann
How in the name of cheese puffs can Notre Dame keep moving up the polls?! I can't believe they're even being considered for a BCS bowl game -- they don't deserve it! If a 13-1 BYU team can't be considered a deserving Alliance Bowl participant in 1996, then a 10-2 Notre Dame team sure as heck shouldn't be either. That pathetic win against Army, a team that lost to Rutgers, is more telling of how good Notre Dame really is. They don't deserve it, they just don't!
Patrick Clarke
All hell is going to break loose if Tulane goes undefeated and does not get a berth in the Sugar Bowl.
Casey Coyle
The state of South Carolina will be a nice place for two new coaches to reside next season. It is impossible to lose at Clemson and Soutn Carolina. You have every advantage (recruiting, history, atmosphere, facilities, etc.) I think Al Gore could go 6-5 at Clemson by doing what he always does -- just stand still and watch.
Jerry Guanciale
I would like to congradulate the Hurricanes on defeating the first ranked opponent in what seems an eternity. It makes you feel good when you see your team face adversity and bounce back and defeat a rival.
Scott Shemtov
BYU is on its way to the WAC Championship and the whole nation can watch on ESPN2 this Thursday as the Cougars knock off SDSU!
Brian McNamara
As a student at the University of Kansas, and as a member of the Marching Jayhawks, it came as no surprise to me that the Jayhawks finally were able to play all four quarters and down the Colorado Buffaloes. After losing close games by bad calls and bad breaks, it was truly time for the Jayhawks to win a game.
Nathan Herron
I think the Big East is the worst major conference in college football. They don't deserve one automatic bowl bid let alone three. And look for it to get even worse with the addition of UConn. Lets give Villanova credit for being smart enough to turn them down.
Jason Tate
What a thrilling game between Oregon State and Washington. Since Washington has fallen out of the Top 25, it didn't get any national press, but Oregon State is making great strides! Watch out Pac-10 -- the Beavs are coming back!
Brock Brennan
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