HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Texas A&M and Bonfire

Back in the days of Jackie Sherrill, this was a rivalry game that Texas A&M usually won...but times have changed...the Aggies no longer build the annual bonfire, on campus, after the tragedy that took place about ten years ago...this year, this is a game the Longhorns must win - and win impressively...

Texas A&M @ Texas
Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman writes about the demise of the Texas A&M football program... "Is Texas A&M the new Baylor? Was hiring Mike Sherman a mistake? How long will it take the Aggies to make up ground?" ...

Kirk Bohls

Suzanne Haliburton of the Austin American-Statesman writes about Texas DE Brian Orakpo and his last game at Texas... "There's an argument to be made that Orakpo — the fifth-year senior playing in his final game at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Thursday — is representative of the surging Longhorns, who are making an unexpected national title run." ...

Suzanne Haliburton

Here is how the annual Bonfire is done without the university's support...
Despite the university's refusal to allow Bonfire to take place on campus, a non-university sanctioned bonfire took its place. The first unofficial Bonfire since the 1930s was held in 2002 and was known as the "Unity Project." This fire consisted of three piles of wood, with the center stack being 35 feet (11 m) high.

In 2003, the event became known as Student Bonfire. In a design approved by a professional engineer, Student Bonfire uses a wedding cake design, but, in a departure from tradition, every log in the stack touches the ground. For added support, four 24 feet (7.3 m) poles are spaced evenly around the stack and then bolted to the 45 feet (14 m) center pole with a steel pipe. These poles are known as Windle-sticks, after Levi Windle, a staunch supporter of Student Bonfire who died in an unrelated accident in 2003. Since the group does not receive funding, Student Bonfire charges a fee to each attendee to cover expenses. Attendance for Student Bonfire ranges from 8,000–15,000 people and the event is held in Brazos County or one of the surrounding counties.

Michigan has become an average football program

Disgust...that is what I feel after Michigan's embarrassing performance on Saturday in Columbus against Ohio State...I was in attendance for the first game of the season when the Wolverines took on Utah...and I was there Saturday for Michigan's annual beating administered by the Buckeyes...over those 13 weeks, I saw no improvement with Michigan...

Zero...zilch...nada...

Michigan lacked the basic fundamentals of football, such as catching a punt and kick...Rich Rodriguez would state in his weekly press conference how the team is making progress in practice...but somehow that progress did not transfer to the field on Saturdays...

To think Michigan would ever finish with a 3-9 season would be unfathomable...but it is now part of our history...the 2009 football season will be the most crucial in the history of Michigan football...another poor season and a loss to Ohio State could set back the football program for years...Rodriguez MUST go at least 8-4 and beat Ohio State next season...if he cannot accomplish those two attainable goals, then the Michigan administration must swallow its pride, admit it made a mistake with Rodriguez, and move quickly to replace him as head coach...Michigan cannot sit back idly and wait as Nebraska did with former head coach Bill Callahan...

Over the last two years it is not acceptable to be losing at home to Appalachian State, Toledo, and Northwestern...it is not acceptable to lose seven of the last eight years to Ohio State...this current losing era to Ohio State is worse than when John Cooper was losing to Michigan...Cooper never lost five games in a row to Michigan...

All the blame should not be place on Rodriguez...former head coach Lloyd Carr is just as responsible for this downward spiral of Michigan football...his lack of preparation caused Michigan to lose to Appalachian State...and his lackadaisical approach to Ohio State allowed Jim Tressel to beat Carr in their match-ups...if Carr would have approached the OSU game with more emphasis, Michigan could have won at least two of their games against Tressel...over the last eight years, Tressel's aggressive approach to outrecruiting and outhustling Michigan has showed when the two teams meet...

Michigan is resting on his proud history...sure it is the winningest football program, but many of those records were set prior to World War I and II...in the BCS era, Michigan has been nothing but an above average football program who cannot win the big games...

Here are the following teams who have competed in the BCS title game since its inception during the 1998 season:
Three times
Ohio State, Florida State, Oklahoma
Two times
LSU, USC, Miami (Fla)
One time
Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, Texas, Florida

Most of the traditional big-time football programs have competed in the title game except for Alabama, Notre Dame, Penn State, and MICHIGAN...Michigan needs to stop resting on its history from a century ago and start making a difference in today's era of ollege football...

Denver Nuggets dancer shows cleavage

I found this video on The Big Picture...

Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Spielman question Michigan

This is why I HATE Ohio State...this appeared on the internet

Former Ohio State players and ESPN personalities Chris Spielman and Kirk Herbstreit had some pretty scathing analysis of Michigan as they prepare to finish their season against the Buckeyes.

On their afternoon radio show on WBNS-AM (1460) in Columbus on Monday, Spielman, a former Detroit Lions linebacker, was especially critical of the Wolverines' performance this season.

"They're a team that plays hard, they just have nothing going," said Spielman.

"They stink, they're not very good. They don't play offense... they can't run it consistently, they can't throw it consistently, they can't stop the run, they're not very good defending the pass, they're not very good covering kicks, they're not very good returning kicks," Spielman said.

Herbstreit said he thinks U-M, missing out on a bowl game for the first time in 33 years, has the mindset of playing out the string.

"I think they're just looking forward to getting the season over and hitting the recruiting," Herbstreit said.

Herbstreit said wishes the Wolverines weren't having such a bad season so that there would be some more preceived drama in this rivalry game.

"I know, it's still Ohio State-Michigan, and when the teams run out on the field, it's still special. But, it's, like, anticlimatic," he said. "Who are you booing? They're 3-8. If they didn't have to be there, they wouldn't be there.... But if they were 9-2, or there was a championship on the line, that's what this game's all about."

Spielman isn't as sympathetic towards the Wolverines.

"I love seeing them beaten down, man. It's great," Spielman said.

First off, who the fuck is Kirk Herbstreit?...he should know about losing in this game because Michigan kicked his ass (see video below) when he was the starting quarterback of the Buckeyes...the comment that burns my ass the most is when pretty boy stated, "But, it's, like, anticlimatic, Who are you booing? They're 3-8. If they didn't have to be there, they wouldn't be there."...

Michigan NEVER backs down from a battle...FUCK YOU KIRK HERBSTREIT!!!

As far as Spielman goes, he is a freakin asshole...ESPN should never have him work another Michigan game because he is biased...

Bengals need to cut ties with Chad Johnson

- I can't wait for the day when Chad Johnson retires...I am so sick of this Ocho Nutto shit...this guy is the biggest douche bag in the NFL...the screw-up broke a team violation on Wednesday and gets deactivated for Thursday's game...when will the Cincinnati Bengals management realize Johnson is a cancer on this team and needs to go...it's not like the Bengals are winning Super Bowls with him...

- Dustin Pedroia was the American League MVP?...20 years from now people will look back on this and scratch their head...

- I hate the Minnesota Vikings uniforms...I wish they would go back to the old-school purple jerseys...

- By the way, whatever happened to Bud Grant?...

Below is ABC's intro to the Michigan-0hio State game from 2006...

Donovan McNabb's overtime comments raise issue of a double standard

This past weekend the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals played to a 13-13 tie...after the game, Eagles QB Donovan McNabb expressed surprise that a NFL regular season game could end in a tie...he thought the two teams would play until there is a winner...here is his quote:

"I've never been a part of a tie. I never even knew that was in the rule book ... It's part of the rules, and we have to go with it. I was looking forward to getting the opportunity to get out there and try to drive to win the game. But unfortunately, with the rules, we settled with a tie."

"I guess we're aware of it now ... In college, there are multiple overtimes, and in high school and Pop Warner. I never knew in the pro ranks it would end that way. I hate to see what would happen in the Super Bowl and in the playoffs."

Remember, McNabb is a 10-year veteran of the NFL and was active when the last tie occurred six years ago...football people were amazed that an NFL starting quarterback, like McNabb, would not know that a regular season game could end in a tie...

During the Monday Night pre-game on ESPN, this topic was discussed...football analyst Tom Jackson was stunned about McNabb's ignorance of this common rule...however, Jackson began by stating that people have called McNabb names such as "cement head"...Jackson alluded to the fact that these people are making racist comments about McNabb's intelligence...Jackson was correct in nailing McNabb about not knowing the rules, but Jackson was wrong about the "cement head" comment...

Let's face the facts, McNabb was a cement head, bonehead, lunk head, or whatever you want to call it, for not knowing this common football rule...this has nothing to do with his race and everything to do with being a so-called "elite" NFL quarterback...any starting quarterback in the NFL who does not know the basic rules involving overtime is a lunkhead whether he is white, African-American, Hispanic, etc...that quarterback deserves to be criticized...

Imagine if a white quarterback, say Tony Romo, made the same comment about not knowing the overtime rules...every media person would be ripping Romo for being dumb and ignorant - and rightfully so...back in his playing days former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw was viewed as this country boy who did not have a lot of smarts...if he made this comment, he would have been called "dumb" and probably something even worse...prior to a Super Bowl, former Dallas linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson said that Bradshaw was so dumb that he could not spell the word "cat" even if you spotted him the "C" and "A"...

So why is there a double standard?...I guess it is okay to call a white NFL quarterback dumb or ignorant, but the same cannot be said about an African-American NFL quarterback -- even when he clearly shows his ignorance of a common NFL rule...

Erin Andrews vs. Meghan Vasconcellos - An epic battle

Zach at The Big Picture is famous throughout the sports blogosphere with his "Who Would You Do" Tournaments...after holding four 16-women tourneys, he has the "Ultimate Who Would You Do" Tourney in which the final four from each previous tourney face-off...

In one semi-final is #1 Erin Andrews vs. #4 Meghan Vasconcellos...the voting continues today and as of this morning, only 2 votes are the difference...so please, be an American and VOTE - every vote does make a difference in this epic battle...

To vote - Andrews vs. Vasconcellos

Andrews


Vasconcellos

Rich Rodriguez comment upsets Michigan Man

I have supported Rich Rodriguez from day one...I still support Rodriguez, however, I am a little disappointed about his recent comments...it is clear frustration has set in...reported by the Associated Press, Rodriguez said:
"It's amazing some of the things that people would say [on a message board] or yell at you of a personal nature," Rodriguez said Monday. "You almost want to tell them, 'Get a life.'

"There's a whole lot bigger problems. Look at the economy."...

Look at the economy???...WHAT!?!?!?!?!...this is my message to Rodriguez...

First off, it is wrong to berate you in front of your family...your family has nothing to do with how Michigan is playing...these jerks who call themselves Michigan fans are wrong...

Yes Rich, we all know there are bigger problems in the world...but cheering for your favorite sports team is one way to forget about these everyday problems...watching Michigan football this season has not been fun...and let me tell you, being a Michigan fan who lives in Ohio has been hell the past 7 years...

I know you are putting in a new system and understand that it will take time...I was not expecting a 9-3 year...but 3-8????...losing to stinking Toledo?!?!?!?!...let's be honest, the team did not get better as the season progressed...after last week's debacle against Northwestern it looks like the same team who played against Utah in Week 1...

Plain and simple - this season has been garbage!!!...

I will be in Ohio Stadium on Saturday wearing my Maize and Blue and getting abused by every Ohio State fan...in fact, you will be safer than me because I will have to put up with every drunken Buckeye goon as I walk to and from my car...and if you cannot pull the upset, I will have to go another 365 days in hearing about how great Ohio State is compared to Michigan...

I am a Michigan Man through and through therefore I will be cheering you on until the bitter end on Saturday...I have had friends tell me that I shouldn't go to the game let alone wear my Michigan jacket and hat...I am proud to be a Michigan fan and willing to put up with the crap from our arch-rival...so I feel I deserve a better response than "Look at the economy"....

That type of comment may fly in Morgantown, but you are now in Ann Arbor...

Michigan-Ohio State - The Gentleman Jim Tressel Era

Interesting Fact - Conventional wisdom states whoever wins the turnover battle usually wins the game...that has not been the case the last two years...Michigan has not committed a turnover in the last two games against Ohio State while the Buckeyes have committed 4 turnovers...

This will be Jim Tressel's eighth game against Michigan as head coach of Ohio State...as is widely known, Gentleman Jim is 6-1 against the Wolverines...believe me, I know a win is a win, and the point of this post is not to slam any of his 6 wins...the point of this post is to show how close Michigan came in those games...a turnover here and a play there and Jimmy Boy could be 4-3...let's take a look at these games (the ranking and record is what each team was coming into the game)...

2001 - Ohio State 26-20 - Ann Arbor
#11 Michigan (8-2) vs. NR Ohio State (6-4) - Michigan took Tressel lightly...this was Lloyd Carr's fault...I later read in The Wolverine that some of the Michigan players thought they would easily handle this former I-AA coach...Ohio State jumped out to a 23-0 lead at halftime...after getting knocked on their asses, the Wolverines played better in the second half but fell just short of making a complete comeback...I could still see the play when Marquise Walker dropped a sure touchdown....

2002 - Ohio State 14-9- Columbus
#2 Ohio State (11-0) vs. #11 Michigan (9-2) - Ohio State was perfect and one win from the Fiesta Bowl against The U...Ohio State had freshman sensation Maurice Clarett at running back...this was Michigan's game...three times they drove deep into Ohio State territory but ended up settling for field goals...the Michigan defense shutdown Clarett and the Buckeyes until the last drive...even with about a minute left on the clock, QB John Navarre drove Michigan to the Ohio State 19-yard-line with one second left...Michigan still had a chance to win, but Navarre's pass to Braylon Edwards in the endzone was intercepted...once again, Gentleman Jim escapes...

2003 - Michigan 35-21 - Ann Arbor
#4 Michigan (9-2) vs. #6 Ohio State (10-1) - This was the 100th meeting and Michigan dominated from the beginning...Ohio State made a push late in the third quarter, but Michigan maintained their poise as RB Chris Perry scorched the Ohio State defense for 154 yards and Braylon Edwards caught 2 TD passes...

2004 - Ohio State 37-21 - Columbus
#7 Michigan (8-2) vs. NR Ohio State (6-4) - This was Tressel's only dismal year at Ohio State...just one week earlier the Buckeyes lost at Purdue and were staring at a sure loss to the Wolverines...Michigan's young team led by freshman QB Chad Henne and RB Mike Hart already sewed up a trip to the Rose Bowl prior to the game...their freshman inexperience showed...Michigan held a 14-7 lead after the first quarter...it was all downhill thereafter as Troy Smith shredded Michigan...Ohio State dominated as they made the Wolverines look slow and out-of-shape...

2005 - Ohio State 25-21 - Ann Arbor
#9 Ohio State (8-2) vs. #17 Michigan (7-3) - This may have been the most bitter loss...Michigan led 21-12 with 7:45 to go...a loss would have sent Ohio State to the Capital One Bowl...victory seemed so close for Michigan...once again Jim Hermann's defense could not finish as Troy Smith made every crucial big play over those last 8 minutes...Antonio Pittman scored the winning touchdown with 23 seconds left...the Buckeyes headed to the Fiesta Bowl to take on Notre Dame...

2006 - Ohio State 42-39 - Columbus
#1 Ohio State (11-0) vs. #2 Michigan (11-0) - Bo Schembechler died the day before...it was a perfect storm...but once again the Michigan defense could not stop Ohio State...Michigan's offense poured through the Buckeye defense as Mike Hart was a beast in running the ball...but the Michigan defense could not make a third down stop throughout the game...in the end, Ohio State always stayed one step ahead of Michigan...

2007 - Ohio State 14-3 - Ann Arbor
#7 Ohio State (10-1) vs. #21 Michigan (8-3) - Henne and Hart stayed for their senior year just for this game...they were 0-3 against Ohio State...coming into the game, Henne was nursing a separated shoulder and Hart was still not 100% from a high ankle sprain...Chris Wells scored the second of his 2 touchdowns on the second play of the 3rd quarter to put Ohio State up 14-3 in the steady November drizzle...Mario Manningham did not help as he dropped two crucial passes when Michigan started to get a bit of momentum...knowing that Hart and Henne were not 100%, Tressel went conservative and ran the ball the rest of the game to kill the clock...

The following is a 5 minute clip of the 2001 game...

Michigan - Ohio State week kicks-off

Michigan Camp
Chris Lau of the Detroit Free Press writes how this week's game is Michigan's bowl... "The players already knew they won't play in a bowl game for the first time in 34 seasons. And they had just lost their eighth game of 2008, most in a season in program history. But they have one more game this year, against archrival Ohio State, which has beaten U-M (3-8, 2-5 Big Ten) six of the past seven meetings." ...

Chris Lau

John Heuser of the Ann Arbor News writes how Michigan still does not have a #1 QB heading into the Ohio State game... "In his second straight start, Nick Sheridan bore no resemblance to the poised passer who led Michigan to victory last week at Minnesota. He completed 8 of 29 passes for 61 yards and was pulled in favor of Steven Threet." ...

John Heuser

Ohio State Camp
Ken Gordon of the Columbus Dispatch writes how one big win against your rival can make a bad team a bit better... "OSU coach Jim Tressel is 6-1 against his arch rivals, and the Buckeyes have won four straight. Ohio State (9-2, 6-1 Big Ten) has never won five in a row in the series. With all the motivation on the Buckeyes' side, that would seem to make the outcome a no-brainer." ...

Ken Gordon

Doug Lesmerises of the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer writes how this year's Rose Bowl will feature the Big 10 and PAC 10 champs... "If Penn State loses to Michigan State and Oregon State loses to someone, the Buckeyes and Trojans would wind up meeting three times in a year. They would sandwich a Rose Bowl between their home-and-home series, with USC coming to Columbus on Sept. 12, 2009." ...

Doug Lesmerises

Below is a 1:19 clip of Bo Schembechler talking about THE TEAM - THE TEAM - THE TEAM...

Chris Fowler and Dr. Lou give their thoughts

ESPN's Chris Fowler gives his thoughts about the red-hot Florida Gators... "Meyer can see the prize (or prizes) ahead. He knows his Gators are peaking. They have achieved a rare chemistry that he said "borders on phenomenal." ...

Chris Fowler

Dr. Lou dispenses his weekly advice about college football...

The Rubber Bowl - The Final Game

Will Jim Zorn go 2-0 against the Cowboys?

Dallas @ Washington
Sunday, November 16, 2008 - 8:15 EST
Landover, Maryland
Dallas -2

Quick Numbers
Offensive Numbers
Cowboys - Rushing per game - 115 yards
Redskins - Rushing per game - 144 yards

Cowboys - Passing per game - 229 yards
Redskins - Passing per game - 203 yards

Defensive Numbers
Cowboys - Rushing allowed - 105 yards
Redskins - Rushing allowed - 80 yards

Cowboys - Passing allowed - 195 yards
Redskins - Passing allowed - 192 yards

- Over the last 3 years, in games in weeks 10-13, Dallas is 6-1 against the spread and 8-0 straight up
- Over the last 3 years, in games in weeks 10-13, Washington is 2-5 against the spread and 1-7 straight up

What the experts say
The Gold Sheet - Dallas 26-23
Pointwise - Dallas 26-23

Dallas Cowboys (5-4) - Head Coach Wade Phillips
Tim MacMahon of the Dallas Morning News writes about Marion Barber's woes against the Skins... "Marion Barber has averaged 3.3 yards per carry against the Redskins during his career. He has 63 yards on 29 carries (2.2 ypc) against Washington with Garrett calling the plays." ...

Tim MacMahon

Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News writes about the Cowboys underachieving season... "This team has dramatically underachieved, however, even with the injuries. At some point it has to be held accountable. But by whom? Phillips?" ...

Kevin Sherrington

Washington Redskins (6-3) - Head Coach Jim Zorn
Dan Steinberg of the DC Sports Bog writes how Fred Smoot is encouragining kids to hate the Cowboys... ""This week we come back and play the Cowboys, so you know what time it is," Smoot told the elementary schoolers. "I'm gonna teach y'all at a young age to hate the Cowboys." ...

DC Sports Bog

Matt Mosley of ESPN Blog Network writes how former Skins coach Joe Gibbs is cheering them on... "Gibbs said he's thoroughly enjoyed seeing his former players have success under Jim Zorn, but he thought it was important to distance himself from the organization for a while." ...

Matt Mosley

Below is a 1:56 clip of the Washington Redskins Marching Band playing Hail to the Redskins...also below are the words so you can sing along...

Hail to the Redskins!
Hail Victory!
Braves on the Warpath!
Fight for old D.C.!

Run or pass and score -- we want a lot more!
Beat 'em, Swamp 'em,
Touchdown! -- Let the points soar!

Fight on, fight on 'Til you have won
Sons of Wash-ing-ton. Rah!, Rah!, Rah!

Hail to the Redskins!
Hail Victory!
Braves on the Warpath!
Fight for old D.C.!

Randy Travis looks like Beavis

I came across this photo of country singer Randy Travis and his wife at yesterday's CMA red carpet gala....what in the world happened to his head???...he looks like freakin Beavis!!!!...he is all forehead!!!...

Good-bye Akron Rubber Bowl

The Akron Rubber Bowl is closing down after tonight's game between Akron and Buffalo...the time has come for the old dingy stadium to be closed down...but there were some great memorable games played there - especially high school playoff games...

Everyone in the Youngstown-Warren area will never forget the 1973 football championship between Youngstown Cardinal Mooney and Warren Western Reserve...Mooney was coached by Don Bucci and their lone defeate came earlier in the year to the Raiders...the Raiders were coached by Joe Novak...I-76 from Youngstown to Akron was lined with cars heading to the rematch...in which Mooney won 14-3...

The very next year, I got my first taste of The Rubber Bowl...not even five-years-old yet, my dad came home after work and took my mother and me to see the championship game between Warren Harding and Upper Arlington...it was a driving snowstorm that day and the field was entirely covered in white...I can still remember my mom going to the concession stand for hot chocolate...Harding won the game 41-8...

Another game I remember going to with my dad was in 1994 when Massillon Washington took on Canton McKinley...the two teams played the week before in which was their 100th meeting...a total of 34,208 people packed the place for the rematch as Canton beat Massillon 27-20...

Check out the following articles that appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal...

Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal writes about the memories of The Rubber Bowl... "Frye has fond moments tucked away, too, like seeing his family sitting in the same spot by the tunnel. Or a rainy Saturday afternoon against Buffalo when the crowd was barely 1,000 and he could hear his mother, Sally, yelling when he was sacked and another man saying, ''Throw it away.'' ...

Marla Ridenour

Patrick McManamon of the Akron Beacon Journal writes about how former Akron head coach Jim Dennison remembers the Rubber Bowl ...

Patrick McManamon

Rubber Bowl Fact
The stadium once held two "home" games in 1952 for the NFL's franchise, the Dallas Texans. In the second game they hosted the Chicago Bears and won, 27-23, for the franchise's only win in history.

Can Jim Harbaugh pull another upset over Pete Carroll's Trojans?

#6 USC @ Stanford
Saturday, November 15, 2008 - 7:00 EST
Stanford Stadium - Palo Alto, California
USC -23

Summary
These two teams first met in 1905 in which USC leads the all-time series 58-25-3...but last year's contest may have been the biggest upset of all the games as Stanford beat USC 24-23...the Cardinal were a 39 point underdog...five USC turnovers doomed the Trojans...USC passed for 364 yards while Stanford had a measly 149 yards...

This will mark Pete Carroll's 100th game as head coach of the Trojans...unbelievably he is 25-0 in November games as head coach of USC...QB Mark Sanchez has tossed 24 TDs and 7 INTs this year...their rushing attack is a 3-headed monster of C.J. Gable, Stafon Johnson, and Joe McKnight...incredibly, McKnight does not have a rushing TD all year...

When accepting the job at Stanford, head coach Jim Harbaugh all but guaranteed a win over USC...Stanford has shown marked improvement this year...they have lost by 7 points or less in their last three losses (Notre Dame by 7), (UCLA by 3), (Oregon State by 7)...

Tavita Pritchard is the QB...he is consistent as he has thrown 9 TDs to go with 9 INTs...Toby Gerhart leads the rushing attack with 932 yards and 13 TDs...his stablemate Anthony Kimble has 650 yards and 5 TDs...

When looking at scoring by the quarter, Stanford has scored 107 points in the second quarter - the most of any quarter for them...however, the defense also allows the most points in any quarter with 92...

Quick Numbers
Offensive Numbers
USC - Rushing per game - 201 yards
Stan - Rushing per game - 207 yards

USC - Passing per game - 253 yards
Stan - Passing per game - 135 yards

Defensive Numbers
USC - Rushing allowed - 77 yards
Stan - Rushing allowed - 126 yards

USC - Passing allowed - 128 yards
Stan - Passing allowed - 248 yards

- Over the last 3 years, USC is 3-2 against the spread when favored by 21.5 to 31 points
- Over the last 3 years, USC is 1-2 straight up when favored by 21.5 to 31 points
- When playing at home, Stanford is 4-4 against the spread vs. USC since 1992

What the experts say
The Gold Sheet - USC 27-15
Pointwise - USC 40-10

USC Trojans (8-1) - Head Coach Pete Carroll
Here are the USC game notes for the Stanford game...

USC Game Notes

Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times writes how USC QB Mark Sanchez is focused on throwing INTs... "Sarkisian, however, would like Sanchez's completion percentage to be near 70% by the time the Trojans finish the regular season. USC plays Stanford on Saturday and then has a bye before playing Notre Dame and UCLA." ...

Gary Klein

Klein writes how RB Joe McKnight has had a series of setbacks throughout the year... "McKnight's season has been stunted from the beginning. During training camp in August, he was one of many Trojans stricken with what players and coaches described as "jock itch." He also suffered a broken finger when a teammate accidentally slammed a door on his hand, and a hyper-extended elbow during a scrimmage." ...

Gary Klein

Michael Lev of the Orange County Register writes about USC's newest horse in the backfield... "D.J. Shoemate doesn't care what position he plays; he just wants to contribute to the USC football program in any way he can." ...

Michael Lev

Stanford Cardinal (5-5) - Head Coach Jim Harbaugh
Here is the Stanford game notes for the USC game...

Stanford Game Notes

Michelle Smith of the San Francisco Chronicle writes how both teams are downplaying last year's huge upset... "Interested in talking about Stanford's 24-23 upset of USC in Los Angeles last season and the Trojans' desire to get some payback for the historic defeat? Go ahead. Just don't ask the teams involved to contribute to the discussion." ...

Michelle Smith

Smith writes how Stanford QB Tavita Pritchard has not progressed after last year's upset of USC... "Pritchard has found living up to his first college start an impossible task. He was a sophomore in October 2007, an emergency fill-in for injured T.C. Ostrander, when he led Stanford to an improbable and historic 24-23 upset of USC." ...

Michelle Smith

Here is a 49 second clip of Stanford's game winning touchdown last year...

The NFL Today on CBS

Something I found on Youtube - the NFL Today on CBS introduction to a 1975 NFL game at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota...

The top 8

The latest Stiles Points Top 16+1 has changed to the Stiles Points Top 8 (games through 11/9/08)...I have seen enough football this season and are ranking the teams to who I feel are the best despite their record...these are the 8 teams that I would have in a playoff if the season ended right now...

1. Florida (8-1) - this team is buzzing everyone since their loss at home to Ole Miss...this is the team to beat...
2. Texas (9-1) - yes, I know they lost to T2 on the last play...but when the season is over, Texas will be the better team and have the better record...
3. Oklahoma (9-1) - like Florida, the Sooners are one pissed off bunch since losing to Texas...
4. Southern Cal (8-1) - the best defense in the country...I don't care what happened at Oregon State...
5. Texas Tech (10-0) - the Red Raiders are a solid football team, but both key wins came at home with the support of the home crow...this team has to win in Norman, Oklahoma before they get my vote...
6. Alabama (10-0) - great defense, solid running game...a win against Florida in the SEC title game catapults them to the top...
7. Penn State (9-1) - that was an ugly loss to Iowa....Iowa!?!?!?!!?...
8. Utah (10-0) - this is where the drop off begins...the Utes do not impress me...

Games of the Week
Stiles Points will be previewing the following two games this week:
USC @ Stanford - the Trojans have been waiting for redemption after last year's disasterour loss...
NFL Special - NFC East - Dallas @ Washington - Sunday Night...it doesn't get any better than this...

God Bless Our Veterans