NCAA Division I-A Football Analysis-Week 10

Since I'm a fan of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, I'll start with that game. The line on that game, according to Yahoo, was 'Bama by 16, and since they beat Mississippi State 17-0, they at least beat the spread. One thing I find disconcerting, however, is the fact that 'Bama has only scored one offensive touchdown in the last three conference games, and none of those were tonight. They scored their touchdowns on defense and special teams, and that's very troubling considering the fact that the next two weeks bring LSU and Auburn, both major conference rivals.

I had hoped that the Utah State game would at least show them how they can get the job done, but apparently, I was wrong. Considering the kind of shitstorm Coach Shula inherited when he came here three years ago and the lingering troubles he has had since, this season is nothing short of a miracle. 9-0, knocking off serious competition along the way, a guaranteed berth to at least a mid-level bowl, not bad considering what he has to work with. Though Alabama doesn't have the highest total points per game in the SEC, they've still had enough to keep their loss column empty, and that's ultimately the most important thing. But with so little offensive depth, frankly, it's a miracle it hasn't caught up with them yet.

Their saving grace thusfar has been their incredible defense. They have the stingiest defense in the SEC and the second-stingiest in Division I-A NCAA football, allowing only 9 points per game. However, if they can't score, they're in deep trouble against a strong LSU team and an Auburn team that looks to spoil.

In other news, UCLA had their asses handed to them by Arizona, 52-14. That isn't a football game. That's an NCAA-sanctioned mugging. UCLA falls to 8-1. Also, Virginia Tech fell 27-7 to a very game Miami team, also falling to 8-1. The only remaining undefeated teams in Division I-A football are USC, Texas, and Alabama, each of whom handily beat their respective opponents, though the last in a far less convincing manner than I would've liked. Notre Dame hammered Tennessee 41-21, handing Tennessee their fourth consecutive loss and seriously endangering Tennessee's hopes for a bowl bid. The only chance Tennessee has to appear in a minor bowl is to win their last three games, and at least one of those, Vanderbilt, will be tricky at best if their near-upset of Florida is any indication. Florida State was shocked by NC State, 20-15, though Boston College's loss to North Carolina guarantees Florida State a spot in the ACC championship game on December 3. The remainder of the top 25 went pretty much as expected.