Michigan takes a huge step backward. Think at least a few Wolverines fans who used to bash Lloyd Carr are missing him now?
If you think Southern California, coming off a humbling loss at the hands of Oregon, is a lock to miss the BCS for the first time in eight seasons, think again.
As the college football season heads into its final month, the Trojans could end up being part of an intriguing race for at-large BCS bids.The Big Story
As bad as last season's 3-9 fiasco was for coach Rich Rodriguez and Michigan, rock bottom for the Wolverines came Saturday in Champaign, Ill.: a 38-13 loss to an Illinois team that had not beaten a major college football opponent this season.
After a 4-0 start injected hope into the Michigan fan base and renewed confidence in Rodriguez, the loss to Illinois - the Wolverines' fourth straight Big Ten defeat - has brought the black clouds of despair back to the Big House.
The popular Michigan blog maizandbluenation.com summed it up this way: ``At this point, where we are now and all that's happened over the last 2 years ... I've never been so depressed as a Michigan fan.
``I don't even know where we go from here.''
Even when Michigan was ranked for a few weeks and freshman quarterback Tate Forcier looked dynamic running Rodriguez's spread offense, it was clear Michigan was not yet back to being the program that has piled up more conference titles and Rose Bowl appearances than any other in the Big Ten.
But the Wolverines looked like a lock to get back to a bowl game this season, and that's what made Saturday so bleak. They appear to have regressed.
They couldn't gain a yard on four plays to grab control against Illinois. Instead, the moribund Illini roared to life and Michigan crumbled.
The Wolverines handle the ball as if it were a live grenade, having committed 21 turnovers. The defense has gone from sketchy to tackling-optional.
It seems almost weekly that television cameras catch a glimpse of coaches yelling at each other on the sideline. That might not mean a thing, but it does make a bad situation look worse.
``We just got a lot of things to fix and get right,'' Rodriguez said after the game. ``Every person in the program has got to take it upon themselves to do all they can to get things playing at a high level.''
At 4-0, all the grumbling by Michigan supporters about Rodriguez not doing things the way they have always been done at Michigan, went away. Even the NCAA investigation about the coaching staff overworking players didn't look so bad.
At 5-4, with win No. 5 coming against Delaware State, all the frustration is back.
Michigan plays Purdue next week at home. With a victory, the Wolverines will become bowl eligible and double last season's victory total. Wisconsin and Ohio State come after that.
The man who hired Rodriguez, athletic director Bill Martin, and gave him a six-year contract worth at least $2.5 million per year, will retire in September.
Unless the NCAA stuff gets particularly messy, Michigan is not likely to make another coaching change soon.
But for the first time since Rodriguez was hired, those who were pessimistic about his ability to lead the program to a championship level are completely justified.USC and the BCS
Barring a collapse by Oregon, USC's record string of Pac-10 titles will end this season at seven.
The Trojans' streak of seven consecutive Bowl Championship Series appearance is far from dead, though.
If USC can win out and finish 10-2, Pete Carroll's team would be a strong candidate for an at-large bid. Especially for the Fiesta Bowl if it losses the Big 12 champion (Texas) to the national title game.
The Trojans have been to the Rose Bowl the last four seasons. If their fans aren't too bummed about not being in the national title game, they might be happy to make a bowl road trip for the first time since the 2005 Orange Bowl. And what bowl organizer wouldn't want to tap into the Los Angeles television market?
With Boise State or TCU destined to grab an automatic BCS-buster bid, and the Southeastern Conference a lock to take one at-large bid, that would leave two spots up for grabs.
The Trojans could be competing with Notre Dame, Penn State or Ohio State for the spot.In case you missed it
Unless you're a big Sun Belt Conference fan - is there such a thing? - you most certainly did not notice that North Texas (2-6) scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to beat winless Western Kentucky 68-49. Riley Dodge, coach Todd Dodge's son, accounted for seven touchdowns (four TD passes, three touchdown runs).
Two seasons ago, North Texas lost to Navy 74-62 in the highest scoring major college game in NCAA history.The hurry-up
- Duke (5-3, 3-1), in David Cutcliffe's second season as coach, is a victory away from being bowl eligible and could win the ACC Coastal Division by winning out. The Blue Devils have not been to a bowl since 1995.
- No freshman has made a greater impact than Bernard Pierce of Temple, who is third in the nation in rushing (129 yards per game) for the bowl-eligible Owls (6-2).
- Good coaching job going relatively unnoticed: June Jones has SMU 4-4.Looking ahead
The latest installment of the Saban Bowl takes place in Tuscaloosa, when No. 3 Alabama faces No. 9 LSU. With all the talk about a Crimson Tide-Florida SEC championship game, the Tigers would be in control of the SEC West with a victory.
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Ralph D. Russo covers college football for The Associated Press. Write to him at rrusso(at)ap.org.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
