Penn State Clamps Down Against OSU

I know that everyone is penciling in Penn State for a spot in the BCS Championship Game now that the team has disposed of incumbent Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State, but I would caution against this as anything can happen in the Big Ten in November. While I think that the Nittany Lions have a great chance to run the table and finish as undefeated league champions, Kinnick Stadium is a very dangerous place to play anytime, albeit in November. Kirk Ferentz has his Iowa Hawkeyes playing some pretty good football, and there's no question that the black-and-gold clad fans will be at a fever pitch if an undefeated team is coming into town. Just don't take the Hawkeyes too lightly...

But it was great to see Joe Paterno finally able to take a Penn State team into Columbus and get a win. Since joining the conference in 1993, the Nittany Lions were 0-7 at the Horseshoe in Big Ten play.

Al Groh has done a masterful job of salvaging--and awakening--the season for his Virginia Cavaliers. The Cavs, who were slaughtered by USC, Duke and Connecticut this season, went into Atlanta and stole a huge game from Georgia Tech to move to 3-1 in the ACC and 5-3 overall. Could the Virginia Tech-UVA game at the end of the year be for a spot in the ACC Championship game? This is the same group of players that lost to 'SC 52-7, UConn 45-10 and Duke 31-3! Groh certainly has quieted his critics with this impressive four-game run led by returning tailback Cedric Peerman and suddenly pretty good quarterback Marc Verica.

After thoroughly dismantling the Kansas Jayhawks, Texas Tech will now host top-ranked and hated rival Texas on Saturday night, as Mike Leach's squad finally gets the chance to prove the doubters wrong and show that the Red Raiders deserve to be on the national stage. Graham Harrell had his usual big day with 386 yards passing and five touchdowns, but it was the dominant defense that made Todd Reesing look brutal that was the story on Saturday. The Red Raiders scored 49 straight points to dismantle the Jayhawks 63-21 in Lawrence. Texas Tech's Darcel McBath picked off three of Reesing's first four passes of the second half, single-handedly preventing any comeback hopes for a disappointing Kansas team coming off an Orange Bowl appearance.

Did anyone see that Navy did not attempt a pass in its 34-7 victory against SMU on Saturday? The academy became the first major college team in 11 years to not throw a single ball. Then again, can you blame 'em? Coming into the game, the team was fourth in the nation in rushing, averaging 296 yards per game. Against SMU, the Midshipmen ran 77 times for 404 yards. The last team to withold from throwing a pass was Ohio U. against Akron on October 25, 1997. Great stuff.

And not to forget about the World Series (but you see that football holds the key to my heart in October)...the Philadelphia Phillies are one win away from becoming World Series champions after Joe Blanton allowed just two runs in six innings in a 10-2 victory last night. Ryan Howard clubbed two home runs and drove in five and even Blanton himself went yard to put the Phils up 3-1 in the series with a potential series-clinching game tonight.