Your Home of the Oregon ILLINI. Oskee Wa Wa!

There is NO better game in the land. Don't forget to thaw those turkeys this weekend. Only 5 more days until Thanksgiving. Well, we learned a little bit more about the title picture today. Rutgers won't be making a Cinderella appearance. This just in, both Michigan and Ohio State are pretty good. And what's that crap about USC being marginal? Bite me. See my TOP - 10 later in this edition. As I see the national landscape tonight, it's a good thing all of the TOP-10 teams will pay each other over the next few weeks including today. We're learning a lot about the caliber of play across the country. Say what you want about the BCS, but every week in CFB matters - unlike just about any other sport, especially pro - football. That being said, the entire season is a play-off until we get deep into November when the picture becomes clear who should play whom for this country's title as national champ.

So what do you do with Michigan? What a great game today (instant classic, in my opinion). Sorry Mr. Triton, you gotta give some love to the BIG-10 today. Clearly, Ohio State is going to GLENDALE after beating the Wolverines tonight in Columbus. Going 12-0 in the BIG-10 dictates that. But, you gotta wonder if Michigan can take down BUCKY on a neutral site. Both teams played great today. Honestly, there was a little more offense tonight than I expected give the two strong defenses. It just seemed that no matter what Michigan did today, Ohio State had an answer or two. Troy Smith basically won the Heisman tonight by leading his team to victory.

But Chad Henne and Michael Hart both had great games as well. Let's face it, it was a close game that didn't really settle too much on the field. So, the question remains - does Michigan deserve another shot at Ohio State in Glendale? Ask me in two more weeks. Looks like most of the country believe in a re-match between Ohio State and Michigan. It's hard to argue against that. But, USC still has an outside chance if they win their next two games against ND and UCLA. Then again, if ND beats USC you can just about guarantee a TITLE game between the two BIG-10 GIANTS.

And, just how good is USC after being CAL convincingly tonight? What about LSU who struggled at home in Baton Rouge against Ole Miss? Wow - you just never know. But I do know one thing, USC has a strong defense and is worthy of a title - shot at Ohio State should they win their last two games in LA. Other results of note:

• Kudos to BYU after their win at home today over New Mexico. The Cougars are 9-2 under Bronco M. Wow, next week they get Utah for the title of the MWC.
• BC looked stout today at home against a pretty good Maryland squad. Some hard hits in that game. The end result was a blow-out.
• Oklahoma continues to roll despite no AP. Today they beat Baylor 36-10.
• Tennessee just isn't the same team w/o Ainge. With him, they win big or win big games.
• Watchout for the IRISH. They are playing some good football against some bad teams. We'll see how good they are next week when they get USC in LA.
• SMU is now bowl eligible after beating TULSA today. Hail to the Mustangs.
• Kudos to the BEAVS. What happened to the DUCKS? They just haven't been the same team since that trip to Strawberry Canyon to play CAL in October. The Civil War might be lopsided this year in favor of the BLACK and ORANGE.
• Cincy beat Rugers tonight. It's hard to play well after a big win unless you are Ohio State. Just ask Louisville, Wake Forest, and a host of others.
  

I'll keep the ILLINI update short this week because it needs to be. We finished with a tie for last in the BIG-10 this year with SPARTY. Ugh! But, there is hope for the future as we landed the nation's top wide receiver out of Maryland, A. Benn. My team should be a lot better come next year under the leadership of Ron Zook. I know I've said it before, but this time I mean it. We're going bowling in 2k7/8. Today was a miserable day of football by my team. Drops, penalties, and mistakes which were comical at times. We even had players running into each other on special teams leading to a turnover. Ugh! My B-ball team is 3-0 baby. Bring on March already. Thank God Bowl Season is right around the corner.

PICK EM UPDATE - Well, I lost my #1, #2, #3, and #6 games today. Looks like WSU Coug'd another one. They've really fallen apart in the last few weeks with some bad losses both at home and on the road. Would have been great if Bama came back against Auburn in Tuscaloosa. Just wasn't in the cards as Shula's squad lost its fifth in a row to the TIGERS from the PLAINS. Lots of speculation will follow Coach Mike in the off season down there. Nobody beat Golic tonight and his 49 points. Looks like the Photonic Cowboy is at it again (51 points), but probably too little too late. What happened to Mr. TWIST this week? I guess the 1-10 strategy didn't work out so well. 19 points separate the TOP-10. But, it really looks like Mr. Redbird has it locked-up barring a collapse of KIWI proportions. Only one more week to go. Mr. KIWI is hanging strong down the stretch despite putting 10 on AUBURN. Don't forget about BOWL PICKEM which starts later in December. Just pick the 32 bowl games this year and go for glory. Good Luck. If you've played every week you're in the TOP 82% in the land.

MY TOP - 10: 1) Ohio State, 2) USC, 3) Michigan, 4) Florida, 5) Arkansas, 6) Notre Dame, 7) West Virginia, 8) Wisconsin, 9) Louisville, 10) Texas. Yes, three BIG-10 squads in the top 10 and rightly so.