| Will Week 7 of CFB be a "lucky-seven" for CFB's | | | | equalizer, as the Owls are a much more respectable |
| 2nd-ranked team in the AP? So far, being ranked No. | | | | 7-10-1 ATS during their 18-game losing streak. Temple |
| 2 in the writers' poll has been has not a good position. | | | | is a 45-point dog on Thursday night and since this |
| In Week 1, No.2 Notre Dame barely escaped in Atlanta | | | | game is being played at a neutral site (home of the |
| against Ga Tech, 14-10. The poor showing saw the | | | | Carolina Panthers), the Owls won't be able to extend |
| Irish fall to No. 4 in the next week's poll. The nation's | | | | their 18-game road losing streak (also the longest |
| new No. 2 was Texas, which promptly lost at home to | | | | active among Division I-A schools), only their 18-game |
| No. 1 Ohio State, ending the defending champs' | | | | overall losing streak. |
| 21-game winning streak. | | | | Behind Temple in the losing department is Colorado |
| Note Dame was back at No.2 the following week and | | | | with 10 straight losses (2-7 ATS) and Stanford (eight |
| of course got crushed by Michigan in South Bend, | | | | straight losses with an ATS mark of 2-6). Colorado is |
| 47-21. Auburn took over the No. 2 spot in Week 4 and | | | | home to Texas Tech on Saturday (Red Raiders are |
| beat Buffalo (38-7) and South Carolina (just 24-17) in | | | | favored by seven points) and Stanford is home to |
| successive weeks but last Saturday became the first | | | | Arizona (Wildcats are favored by 3 1/2-points). Trailing |
| top-10 team to lose to an unranked opponent in 2006, | | | | Temple for the most road losses are San Jose State |
| when the Tigers lost to Arkansas, 27-10. Florida is the | | | | (14), Duke (14) and UNLV (12). However, all three of the |
| AP's latest No. 2 and as luck would have it in this | | | | schools play at home this weekend. |
| "never get a breather" conference, the Gators must | | | | No. 1 Ohio State owns the nation's longest active |
| travel to Auburn Saturday night to face the Tigers | | | | winning streak at 13 wins in a row (12-1 ATS, as last |
| (now ranked just 11). | | | | week's non-cover ended that streak!) and West Va is |
| The Florida/Auburn game (Gators are currently | | | | right behind the Buckeyes with 12 consecutive wins |
| favored by two pointa) happens to be the lone game | | | | (10-1 ATS). Ohio State is at Michigan State (Buckeyes |
| among AP top-25 opponents on this weekend's | | | | are favored by 14 points) and West Va hosts |
| schedule. The big news that's coming this weekend will | | | | Syracuse (Mountaineers are favored by 25 points). |
| be of course, the release of the season's first BCS | | | | USC has looked shaky the last two weeks, edging |
| standings (Sunday). The AP is no longer a component | | | | Washington State in Pullman (28-22) on 9/30 and |
| of those standings, so the Gators may not find | | | | beating Washington in the Coliseum last Saturday, |
| themselves No. 2 (behind Ohio State) come Sunday, | | | | 26-20 |
| even if they win at Auburn. Then again? | | | | However, those two unimpressive wins continued two |
| The Pac-10 is actually the No. 1 conference in three of | | | | very impressive winning streaks for the Trojans. The |
| the six computer rankings (go figure that out!), meaning | | | | win on September 30 at Pullman gave USC its 18th |
| that USC (No. 2 in both the coaches' and Harris polls), | | | | straight road win (just 10-8 ATS) and last Saturday's |
| could very well be No.2 if the Trojans beat Arizona | | | | win gave them a 29-game home winning streak (20-9 |
| State (if they don't, they should be barred from ANY | | | | ATS). Both streaks are the longest active among |
| bowl appearance this year!). It should be noted that last | | | | Division I-A teams. As mentioned earlier, USC hosts |
| year was the first time since the beginning of the BCS | | | | Arizona State on Saturday and is favored by 19 points. |
| (1998) that the two schools ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in | | | | FYI...ASU (under Dirk Koetter) is 0-11 against Pac-10 |
| the initial BCS standings (in LY's case it was USC and | | | | teams in games played in California. |
| Texas), actually wound up playing in the national title | | | | Louisville has won 14 straight at home (13-1 ATS) to |
| game, so maybe it's not a big deal which school is No. | | | | rank second to USC and will host Cincinnati on |
| 2 come Sunday. | | | | Saturday (Cards are favored by 25 points ). Florida |
| The school that can't wait for the first BCS standings | | | | has the third-longest home winning streak (13) but are |
| to come out is Boise State (you think Dan Hawkins | | | | playing at Auburn but Penn State will put its 11-game |
| misses that blue turf?). The Broncos are No. 19 in the | | | | home winning streak (8-2 ATS) on the line when it |
| coaches' poll and No. 21 in the Harris poll but are | | | | hosts No. 4 Michigan Saturday night. The Wolverines |
| averaging a No. 10 ranking in the computers. Under | | | | (minus Mario Manningham) are favored by 5 1/2-points. |
| new rules this year, a school from a non-BCS | | | | With Ohio State's non-cover last week, none of the |
| conference need only finish among the top-12 | | | | nation's remaining nine unbeatens are without at least |
| (previously it was the top-six) to qualify for a BCS | | | | one pointspread loss. However, four schools are still |
| bowl bid. The Broncos just may be a top-10 team | | | | unbeaten ATS. Central Michigan at 3-3 SU, is either |
| come Sunday. West Virginia is a team that may be | | | | 6-0 or 5-0-1 ATS, East Carolina at 2-3 SU is 5-0 ATS, |
| dreading Sunday's first rankings. The Mountaineers are | | | | Wisconsin at 5-1 SU is (4-0-1 ATS) and San Jose |
| No. 5 in both human polls (I love that term) but have a | | | | State at 3-1 is 3-0 ATS. |
| pathetic computer average of just 17. | | | | Conversely, San Diego State (at both 0-5 SU and |
| There were 13 unbeaten Division I-A schools entering | | | | ATS), is the lone winless team (of eight) to also be |
| last weekend's action (all but Rutgers were in action) | | | | winless ATS. Joining San Diego State as schools still |
| and Auburn was not the only unbeaten team to lose. | | | | seeking their first pointspread wins of the 2006 season |
| Also losing for the first time in 2006 were Georgia, | | | | are Fresno State (1-4 SU and 0-5 ATS), La Tech (1-4 |
| Oregon and Wake Forest. That leaves nine Division | | | | SU and 0-4 ATS), Marshall (1-4 SU and 0-4 ATS) and |
| I-A unbeatens and all nine will play this weekend. The | | | | North Carolina (1-4 and 0-4 ATS). La Tech, Marshall |
| teams have a combined 30-14-2 ATS mark (68.2 | | | | and North Carolina's SU wins this year have come in |
| percent), so the pointspread has not been too much of | | | | non-lined games against Division I-AA opponents. |
| an equalizer. | | | | Closing thought |
| Nine schools were winless entering last weekend's | | | | There can be little argument that zero is a "defining" |
| play (only Eastern Michigan didn't play) but only Utah | | | | number! Heading into this weekend's action, these |
| State got off the schneid, beating Fresno State 13-12. | | | | schools own some defining zeroes! Colorado State |
| All of the eight remaining winless teams, which own a | | | | and Iowa have yet to recover a single fumble in 2006, |
| combined 12-29-2 ATS mark or 29.3 percent, will play | | | | the only two schools among 119 in Division I-A that can |
| this weekend. Temple, owners of the nation's longest | | | | make that claim. Just three schools have yet to |
| active losing streak (18 straight losses), gets things | | | | intercept a pass in 2006. La-Lafayette has zero |
| started with a Thursday night game against Clemson | | | | interceptions while facing 148 attempts, Arkansas has |
| at Charlotte. | | | | yet to intercept a pass in 141 attempts and Fresno |
| In Temple's case, the pointspread has been an | | | | State has yet to come up with a 'pick' in 138 attempts. |