The College Football Blog: Week 14 and Week 15 Reviews

Week 14 Recap: Week 14 of the college football season was the second half of the two week long Rivalry Week. Some of the rivalry games were extra special because of added national importance. For the most part, the big games in week 14 were decided early on but there were a few great games. And there were a number of surprises that made week 14 very entertaining.

Four Games between Ranked Opponents

There were 4 games between ranked opponents in week 14 and all 4 were instate rivalry games, including the most anticipated matchup of the week, this year’s edition of the “Bedlam” rivalry between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. This year’s game was reserved for primetime, as #3 Oklahoma played in Stillwater against their rivals #12 Oklahoma State. If the Sooners won it was thought that they would most likely move ahead of Texas in the BCS standings, and therefore represent the Big XII South in the conference championship game. If they won the Big XII Championship Game they would almost certainly play in the BCS National Championship Game. Oklahoma was expected to win and they came into the game favored by 10, but crazy things had happened in this series before, and the Sooners needed not only to win, but to win convincingly. And they would, as this game would get of hand late, just as many had anticipated. The Cowboys played hard and with the help of some breaks they were able to keep the outcome of the game in doubt for a long while. But eventually the Sooners pulled away, as they simply could not be stopped, and by the end they had scored 60 points for a 4th straight game and won by 20.

Okie State did a nice job weathering the storm after Oklahoma went ahead 7-0. The Cowboys got the score to 7-3 by the end of the 1st quarter, and then after avoiding a fumble in their own territory thanks to a bad call by the officials, Ok State went ahead 10-7 on a 23 yard TD completion from Zac Robinson to Kendall Hunter. The Sooners responded with a long TD drive and the Cowboys came back with a field goal to make it 14-13 Oklahoma with less than 3 minutes to go in the half. But Okie State couldn’t keep Oklahoma down for the remainder of the half, as the Sooners went on another long TD drive to take a 21-13 lead to halftime. In reality, the Cowboys had done a good job just to be down only 8 points at the half, and they would get the ball first in the 3rd quarter. Oklahoma State scored on their opening drive of the second half, with Dez Bryant catching a TD pass on 3rd and 5 from the 6 to make it a 21-19 game. The Cowboys went for 2 to try and tie it up but the maneuver back fired, as Bryant fumbled and the Sooners returned it all the way in the other direction for a safety to make it 23-19. Moments later, Jermaine Gresham caught a pass from Sam Bradford on 3rd and 8 from the Oklahoma 25 and took it all the way to the end zone for a 75 yard score that made it 30-19. From that point on Oklahoma was in control. The Cowboys fought valiantly to stay in the game but they couldn’t stop Oklahoma. After a nice TD drive by Ok State made it 30-26, the Sooners went on another impressive drive for a TD to make it 37-26 heading to the 4th. Okie State got a 17 yard TD strike to Bryant and then Bryant caught a pass from Robinson for the 2-pt conversion to make it a 3 point game early in the 4th. But Oklahoma got a long kick return from DeMarco Murray and then scored again to make it 44-34. It was now clear that Oklahoma State couldn’t stop the Sooners but they stayed in the game when Perrish Cox took the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a TD to make it a 3 point game again with 10 and a half minutes left on the clock. However, Oklahoma State simply couldn’t stop Oklahoma. The Sooners went on another long TD march to make it a 10 point game again and then forced a punt on Ok State’s next possession. A 27 yard field goal by Jimmy Stevens made it a 13 point Sooner lead and then Jeremy Beal put the game away with a sack of Robinson and a forced fumble that was recovered by Adrian Taylor with just 2:20 to play. The Sooners scored 1 more TD and went on to win by 20 points, 61-41, to put themselves in great position to play for the Big XII title.

Earlier in the day the #4 Florida Gators and the #20 Florida State Seminoles played their annual rivalry in a torrential downpour in Tallahassee. For Florida the game had added importance, as they looked to stay in the chase for the BCS Championship. The Gators were expected to win easily and came into the game favored by 16.5. Florida lost star receiver Percy Harvin early, but Tim Tebow rallied his team to another impressive blowout win. The Gators led 14-3 after the 1st quarter, led 28-9 at halftime, took a 38-9 lead into the 4th quarter, and wound up winning by 30 points, 45-15, for their 8th straight win heading into next week’s SEC Championship Game. Tebow led the Gators with 3 passing TD’s and a rushing TD, as Florida outgained the Noles by 260 yards, 502-242, and won the turnover battle 4-1.

The annual Civil War game between the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers had added significance this season, as the #17 Beavers were in line for a share of the Pac-10 title and a shocking trip to the Rose Bowl. But the Beavers were without some of their best players, and the visiting #23 Ducks were determined to spoil the party for their rivals. In the highest scoring Civil War ever, the Ducks sent the Beaves free falling back down to Earth with a 65-38 win. The Ducks quieted the rowdy crowd in Corvallis by scoring the first 10 points of the game and Oregon led 17-7 after 1. Things continued to go Oregon’s way in the 2nd quarter as the Ducks built a stunning 27 point advantage. The Beavers managed to get the score to 37-17 with a late TD and they were within 13 at the start of the 4th quarter with the score now 44-31. But the Ducks put the game away with a 21 point 4th quarter and went on to win 65-38 to spoil their rivals’ dreams of the Rose Bowl. The Ducks finished the game with 694 yards of offense, outgaining the Beavers by 231 yards, 694-436.

The other game between ranked opponents in week 14 was this year’s version of the Clean Old Fashioned Hate rivalry between Georgia Tech and Georgia. These two teams came into the game from opposite ends of the spectrum. The #22 Jackets were thrilled about their 8-3 record; the #11 Bulldawgs were disappointed with their 9-2 record. Georgia was a 7.5 point favorite and they had won 7 straight over the Jackets and they had the homefield advantage in this one. Early on it looked like Georgia would take care of GT as usual, as the Dawgs took a 28-12 lead to halftime. But the Jackets scored 26 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter to take a 38-28 lead into the 4th quarter. Georgia cut the lead to 3 twice but the Jackets hung on to win, 45-42, stunning the Dawgs and sending their fan base into ecstasy. UGA had 7 more 1st downs than Tech (22-15) and outgained the Jackets by 60 yards (488-428) but they turned the ball over twice and allowed 409 yards on the ground.

Only One Team Falls to an Unranked Opponent

There was only one victory by an unranked opponent over a ranked team in week 14 and it came out of the Border War rivalry between Kansas and Missouri played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The 16 point underdog Jayhawks came up and stunned the #13 Tigers, 40-37, to finish a disappointing season on the highest of highs. The Jayhawks were in control for most of the game, shutting out the Tigers 3-0 in the 1st quarter, and building a 19-7 lead late in the first half. The Tigers got a field goal to cut the score to 19-10 just before halftime but the Jayhawks scored first in the 2nd half to go up 26-10. Missouri came roaring back in the final 8 minutes of the 3rd quarter, scoring twice to bring the score to 26-23 going to the 4th. A 6 yard TD pass from Chase Daniel to Chase Coffman with 6:52 left in the game gave Mizzu their first lead of the day, 30-26. Missouri had scored the game’s last 20 points and Kansas looked to have lost their chance at the upset, but Todd Reesing led the Jayhawks on a TD drive, scoring in just 2 and a half minutes to go back on top, 33-30, with under 4 and a half to play. Now it was Daniel’s turn to lead a his team on a clutch drive, as he led the Tigers on a 7 play, 73 yard march for a TD in just 2 minutes and 36 seconds to give Missouri a 4 point lead, 37-33, with just 1:50 left on the clock. Reesing led his team back down the field again, as the Jayhawks quickly advanced to the Missouri 29 where they had a 1st and 10. A few plays later, however, the Jayhawks were still at the 26 and were facing a 4th and 7 after taking their final timeout with 33 seconds left on the clock. On 4th down, Reesing pulled one final miracle out of his hat, finding Kerry Meier for a 26 yard TD to put the Jayhawks on top 40-37 with just 27 seconds left in the game. Missouri had just one timeout remaining but they only needed a field goal to send the game into OT. Jeremy Maclin kept hope alive with a 36 yard kick return out to the 39. Then Daniel hit Jared Perry for a 25 yard gain down to the Kansas 36. Jeff Wolfert came out to attempt a 54 yard field goal to send the game into overtime, but he had to kick the ball without much loft because of the long distance, and the Jayhawks were able to get a hand on it and partially block it. That put an end to one of the best Border War games in recent memory and gave the Jayhawks a huge upset win over their rivals, the #13 Missouri Tigers, 40-37.

Six Relatively Significant Upsets

In terms of the point spread there were 6 teams favored by at least 7 points that got upset in week 14. Georgia Tech was a 7.5 point underdog on the road against Georgia in week 14 but they won 45-42. The biggest upset of week 14 by far was Kansas’ 40-37 win over Missouri in Kansas City, as the Jayhawks were 16 point underdogs in that game. 3 of the other upsets occurred on Friday. Arkansas was a 7 point underdog against fading LSU in their annual grudge match played in Little Rock. The Hogs stunned the Tigers, 31-30, winning on a last second touchdown for one of the more dramatic finishes of the season. Early on LSU looked unfocused and unprepared as they had throughout the last month, and Arkansas led 14-3 after the 1st quarter. But the Tigers owned the 2nd quarter, outscoring the Hogs 20-0 to take a 23-14 lead to the half. When LSU scored early in the 3rd quarter to make it 30-14 it looked like Arkansas’ early success would go down as merely a foot note. But the Hogs got back into the game with a 17 play, 90 yard drive for a TD that took over 8 and a half minutes off the clock and was aided by a pair of personal foul penalties against the Tigers. Arkansas got a field goal to make it a 6 point game early in the 4th quarter but they were still down 30-24 when they took over at their own 31 with just 2:14 on the clock. The Hogs completed a pass for a 21 yard gain on 4th and 6 to keep the drive going but they were facing a 4th and 1 from the LSU 24 moments later. With the clock ticking under 30 seconds, Casey Dick took the snap and dropped back and fired a pass into the right corner of the end zone and London Crawford came down with it for a TD to tie it up at 30-30 with 22 seconds remaining. Alex Tejada’s extra point gave Arkansas the lead. Amazingly, LSU nearly saved themselves. The Tigers returned a squib kick to the Arkansas 46 and nearly got the ball closer with a pass but the referee got in the way and LSU had to try a 63 yard field goal. Colt David’s kick came up short and the Razorbacks had the upset, 31-30.

The other two Friday upsets came out of the MAC. Kent State was a 9 point underdog on the road against Buffalo. The Bulls had already clinched the East Division and they may have been looking ahead towards the conference championship game because Golden Flashes came up and bit them, 24-21. The Bulls got on the board first with a 1 yard TD run by Drew Willy early in the 1st quarter, but Kent State tied it up less than a minute later on a 50 yard run by Eugene Jarvis, and the Golden Flashes got a field goal as time expired in the 2nd quarter to take a 10-7 lead into halftime. The Bulls regained the lead, 14-10, and took that late to the 4th quarter, but Jarvis’ second TD of the game put Kent State back on top, 17-14 with 11:18 to play. The Bulls answered moments later on a 23 yard TD pass by Willy to go back up 21-17. But the Golden Flashes would have the final answer, as Julian Edelman threw a 25 yard TD pass to Jonathan Simpson with 5:57 on the clock to put Kent State up 24-21. It looked like the Bulls had another answer in them as they drove deep into Kent State territory. Willy hit Brett Hamlin with a pass down to the 1 but Derek Burrell hit Hamlin and knocked the ball loose for a fumble and BG Walters recovered for the Flashes with 1:46 to go. Kent State held on to win, 24-21.

The other MAC upset on Friday was turned in by Eastern Michigan, who was an 11 point underdog at home against their rival Central Michigan. The game was a shootout that the Eagles somehow came out on top of, 56-52, over the Chippewas. EM’s Andy Schmidt threw the ball 80 times, completing 50 of those passes for 516 yards, as the Eagles racked up 616 yards of offense and 38 first downs. An 8 yard run for a TD by Schmidt and his first of 5 TD passes put the Eagles ahead 14-0 early on as they jumped out to an early lead. But the Chippewas stormed back behind their star QB Dan LeFevour, who ran for a TD and threw a TD to tie the game up before the end of the quarter. In the 2nd quarter, the two teams combined for 7 TD’s and 49 points. Schmidt fired a pair of TD passes to put the Eagles back up by 2 scores early in the quarter. LeFevour threw a TD pass to make it 28-21 but Schmidt threw another to make it 35-21. The two then traded TD passes again to leave the score 42-28 with 59 seconds left in the half. That was enough time for the Chippewas, as LeFevour completed his 4th TD pass of the day with just 1 second on the clock to cut the score to 42-35 going to halftime. When CM scored the first 10 points of the 3rd quarter to take their first lead of the game, 45-42, it looked like the Chippewas had things under control, but a pair of 1 yard TD runs by Terrence Blevins in the final 7 minutes of the quarter gave the Eagles a stunning 56-45 lead going to the 4th quarter. Central Michigan scored early in the 4th but they didn’t go for 2 and remained 4 points behind. That would end up being a mistake, as CM’s last two drives ended at the 16 and the 29 of EM. The Eagles held on both of those drives to finish off the upset, winning 56-52 over their heavily favored rivals.

The final significant upset of the week came out of Conference USA play on Saturday. UAB was a 10 point underdog on the road against Central Florida, but the Blazers came to town and shutout the Knights, 15-0, for the upset. UAB had 7 more 1st downs than UCF (20-13), outgained them by 175 yards (384-209), and hogged the ball for 41 minutes and 36 seconds of clock. Swayze Waters went 5 for 5 on field goal tries for the Blazers, giving UAB a 3-0 lead after 1, a 9-0 lead at halftime, and a 12-0 lead going to the 4th quarter. UAB won it 15-0.

Number of Unbeaten Teams Remains at Four

Going into week 14 there were 4 FBS teams without a loss on the year and at week’s end there would still be 4 undefeated teams. Utah was idle in week 14, having already wrapped up a perfect regular season the week before, finishing the year 12-0. The other 3 teams were all in action in week 14. The first of those 3 teams to play in week 14 was Ball State, who hosted Western Michigan on Tuesday night in their regular season finale. The Cardinals came into the game 11-0 but they still needed a win over the Broncos to clinch the MAC West title and a birth in the MAC Championship Game. BSU scored a pair of touchdowns early on to take a 14-0 lead and it looked like a possible runaway, but the Broncos came back with a pair of TD’s to tie it up at 14-14 early in the 2nd. Ball State recovered to score the final 10 points of the half and the Cardinals shutout the Broncos 14-0 in the 3rd to take a commanding 38-14 lead into the 4th quarter. They went on to win, 45-28, to finish the regular season 12-0.

The next undefeated team to play their regular season finale was Boise State, who hosted Fresno State on Friday night, looking to get to 12-0 on the year. Things didn’t start well for the Broncos, as Fresno State intercepted a pass and returned it 68 yards for a TD to take a 7-0 lead early in the game. Boise State tied it at 7-7 later in the 1st and then took the lead on a field goal early in the 2nd but the Bulldogs got a field goal to tie it at 10-10 with just over 2 minutes left in the half. From that point on, however, Boise State would outscore the Bulldogs 51-0. The Broncos came down and kicked a field goal to take a 13-10 lead into halftime, and then they outscored Fresno 28-0 in the 3rd quarter to blow it wide open. Boise State went on to win 61-10 to finish the regular season 12-0.

The only remaining undefeated team from a BCS conference was Alabama and the Tide still had to play the Iron Bowl against their arch rivals from Auburn on Saturday night to get through the regular season unscathed. The visiting Tigers had won 6 straight in the series and they were looking to knock Bama out of the National Title picture with an upset. The Tide would have none of it, dominating the Tigers from start to finish for a 36-0 shutout that was a perfect exclamation point to the season. Bama led just 3-0 after the 1st quarter and 10-0 at halftime, but they put the game out of reach with 19 points in the 3rd quarter, taking a 29-0 lead into the 4th. The Crimson Tide had 13 more 1st downs than Auburn (21-8) and outgained them by 242 yards (412-170). Bama won it 39-0 to finish the regular season 12-0.

Still One Team without a Win

Going into week 14 there was only 1 team in the FBS still without a win in 2008. The Washington Huskies were the only remaining winless team with a record of 0-11. Washington was idle in week 14 and thus they remained the only winless team in the FBS.

Still Three Teams without a Win vs. FBS

Going into week 14, there were still 3 teams including Washington that did not have a win vs. an FBS team in 2008. At week’s end there were still 3 such teams without a win vs. FBS competition. Western Kentucky was idle in week 14 and thus remained 2-9 on the year, 0-9 vs. FBS competition. The other team without a win vs. FBS competition was SMU. The Mustangs played their regular season finale on Saturday in week 14, hosting Southern Mississippi. The Mustangs got outgained by 100 yards and amassed just 4 yards rushing in a 28-12 defeat to the Golden Eagles. Southern Miss led 7-0 after the 1st quarter but the Mustangs managed to kick a couple of field goals to make it a 1 point game at intermission. However, Southern Miss outscored SMU 14-0 in the 3rd quarter to take a 21-6 advantage into the 4th quarter and another TD early in the 4th made it 28-6 and put the game away. The Mustangs lost, 28-12, to finish the year 1-11, 0-11 vs. FBS competition.

One Game Goes Into Overtime

Only one game required overtime in week 14. Florida International played on the road against their rivals Florida Atlantic in week 14 and nearly came away with an upset win before falling in overtime. The game was a wild shootout which FAU won 57-50 in OT. The two teams combined for 1,037 yards of offense, 53 first downs, and 107 points. The Owls scored first in the game and led 14-7 after 1, but the Panthers outscored FAU 9-0 in the 2nd to take a 16-14 lead to intermission. FIU scored again early in the 3rd to go up 22-14 but they went for 2 and missed and FAU scored a TD and got the 2-pt conversion late in the quarter to tie it up at 22 heading to the 4th. Paul McCall fired a pair of TD passes early in the 4th to give the Panthers a 36-22 lead and it looked like FIU had the upset in hand. But FAU scored twice in less than a minute on a TD pass and a pick 6 to tie it up at 36-36 with 5:53 to play. The Panthers again built a 2 TD lead, this time with only 3:09 left in the game, but the Owls wouldn’t die. A TD pass by Rusty Smith made the score 50-43 with 2:08 on the clock. Then with just 8 seconds remaining, Smith fired a TD pass to tie the game at 50-50 and send it into OT. FAU was on offense first in overtime and Smith fired his 5th TD pass of the game to put the Owls ahead. FIU could not answer, as McCall fired 3 incompletions and then took a sack. Florida Atlantic survived with a dramatic, 57-50 win in OT that would ultimately send them to their second straight bowl game.

Notable Scores from Week 14

BSU 45, WM 22 (Ball State finishes 12-0, wins MAC West.)
Tex 49, A&M 9 (Texas routes rival to finish 11-1, first win over Aggies since 2005).
Pitt 19, WV 15 (Pitt wins Backyard Brawl for 2nd year in a row.)
EM 56, CM 52 (EM wins shootout over rivals for 2nd year in a row.)
Miss 45, Miss St. 0 (Rebels dominate the Egg Bowl to finish 8-4.)
Ohio 41, Mia (OH) 26 (Bobcats win 3rd straight over instate rivals.)
Kent St. 24, Buff 21 (Kent St. pulls off big upset on the road.)
Ark 31, LSU 30 (Ark shocks LSU for 2nd year in a row; Tigers finish 7-5).
Neb 40, Col 31 (Neb miraculous rally to avoid upset, finish 8-4.)
BG 38, Tol 10 (BG wins 2nd straight over rivals to finish 6-6.)
Boise St. 61, Fresno St. 10 (Broncos crush Fresno to finish 12-0).
GT 45, UGA 42 (Jackets snap 7 game skid against Dawgs.)
NC St. 38, Mia 28 (Wolfpack wins to get bowl eligible at 6-6.)
Clem 31, SC 14 (Tigers win over Gamecocks for 10th time in last 12 years.)
VT 17, UVA 14 (VT wins 5th straight over UVA to win Coastal Division, eliminate UVA from bowl contention.)
Cin 30, Cuse 10 (Big East champion Bearcats win 10th game of the season.)
Kan 40, Missouri 37 (Jayhawks shock Tigers for first win over Mizzu since 2005.)
UAB 15, CF 0 (UAB pulls off big upset over Central Florida.)
S Miss 28, SMU 12 (SMU finishes the regular season 0-11 vs. FBS teams.)
Fla 45, FSU 15 (Gators win 5th straight over Noles to finish regular season 11-1.)
BC 28, Mary 21 (BC wins Atlantic Division title.)
UNC 28, Duke 20 (Heels win 5th straight over Dukies.)
Rice 56, Hou 42 (Owls beat Houston for first time since 2004, finish 9-3).
Tulsa 38, Marsh 35 (Tulsa wins C-USA West, finishes regular season 10-2.)
Bama 36, Aub 0 (Bama snaps 6 game skid to Auburn, finishes regular season undefeated at 12-0.)
Tex Tech 35, Bay 28 (Red Raiders rally to win 13th straight over Baylor, finish 11-1.)
FAU 57, FIU 50 (OT) (Owls come from behind twice, win it OT for 3rd straight over to FIU to get bowl eligible at 6-6.)
Tenn 28, Kentucky 10 (Vols win 24th straight over Wildcats.)
WF 23, Van 10 (Wake beats Vandy for 2nd year in a row.)
Ore 65, Ore St. 38 (Ducks win Civil War for first time since 2005; crush Beavers’ Rose Bowl dreams.)
USC 38, ND 3 (Troy moves to 10-1 with 7th straight win over ND; Irish finish 6-6.)
Okla 61, Okla St 41 (Sooners win 6th straight over Okie State, finish 11-1.)



Week 15 Recap: Week 15 was the final week of the 2008 college football regular season. This week carries the title “Championship Week” but along with including the various conference title games week 15 is also a third segment of “Rivalry Week.” And then there are just a few extra games that don’t fit into either category but that are still better than any regular season college basketball game. Most of the big games in week 15 were one-sided but there was one classic and a lot of excitement and entertainment. It was good from start to finish just like the rest of the season.

Three Games Between Ranked Opponents

There were 3 matchups of ranked opponents in week 15. Not surprisingly, those 3 games were the 3 BCS conference championship games. Of the 3, the game of least importance was the ACC Championship Game from Tampa, Florida. For the second year in a row the game pitted Virginia Tech against Boston College. In 2007, VT had won 30-16 after losing to the Eagles in the regular season. This year #25 Virginia Tech won in similar fashion over #17 Boston College, 30-12, to win their 2nd straight ACC Title, despite once again having lost to BC earlier in the regular season. This was not a pretty sight. VT gained only 234 yards of total offense and 15 first downs, while the Eagles managed just 308 yards of offense and 13 first downs. BC turned the ball over 4 times and VT gave it away 3 times. The biggest factory in VT being able to control the game was BC’s inability to convert 3rd downs with an experienced QB, as they were just 3 for 15 on 3rd down conversions and 0 for 2 on 4th down. Tyrod Taylor scored on a 5 yard run to put VT ahead 7-0 on the only scoring play of the 1st quarter. A 4 yard TD run by Taylor midway through the 2nd made it 14-0 VT. The Eagles got on the board with just 1:29 left in the half on an 18 yard TD pass by Dominique Davis to get back in the game right before halftime. But the Hokies shutout the Eagles 10-0 in the 3rd and had the game well in control heading to the 4th quarter, up 24-7 over a listless offense. A fumble return for a TD by Orion Martin in the 4th quarter put the final nail in BC’s coffin and Virginia Tech went on to win 30-12 for their 2nd consecutive ACC Championship.

The two biggest games of week 15 were easily the SEC Championship and the Big XII Championship. The winners of both games were almost assured of a spot in the BCS National Title Game. On Saturday afternoon, #1 Alabama went up against #4 Florida in the SEC Championship Game played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. This was an old school SEC Title matchup pitting the two teams that had been dominant during the early years of the conference title game. Alabama came into the game undefeated and ranked #1 but they were the underdogs. In contrast to many of the other big games this season, this one lived up to the hype, and it ended up being one of the best games of the year. The Gators stopped the Tide for a 3 and out on Bama’s first possession and then drove right down the field and scored a TD to go up 7-0 early in the game. That seemed to send a message that things would be no different today for Florida’s offense even against the stout Bama defense and with Percy Harvin on the sidelines with an injury. But Alabama responded with an impressive answer. John Parker Wilson connected with Julio Jones on the first play of Bama’s second possession for a 64 yard completion that took the ball from the Tide 18 to the Florida 18. On the next play, Glen Coffee raced 18 yards for a TD to tie the game up at 7-7. So, we had ourselves a ball game. Florida went 3 and out on their 2nd possession and Bama returned the punt to the Gator 25. Two plays later Bama had a 1st down at the 13, but the Gator defense held and forced a field goal try. Leigh Tiffin hit a 25 yarder to put Bama up 10-7. After another 3 and out by the Gator offense, the 2nd quarter began with Bama on top by 3 and driving inside Florida territory once again. At this point they had control of the game. However, after getting a 1st down at the Gator 33, the drive stalled and Bama was faced with a 4th and 9 from the 32. On the previous Bama kickoff, Brandon James had returned it all the way to the Bama 30 but a holding penalty had brought the ball back to the Florida 17. However, Bama kicker Leigh Tiffin had been forced to make the tackle on James and had wound up injury his eye on the play. So now with Bama facing a 4th and 9 from no man’s land, they decided not to send the blurry eyed kicker out for a 49 yard field goal try. Instead, Nick Saban sent out punter PJ Fitzgerald, but he lined up as if he would attempt a field goal not a punt. This immediately tipped off the defense and when Fitzgerald took the long snap and tried to run for the first down he was stopped easily after a gain of only 1 yard at the 32. This was a huge play. The Gators marched right down the field and inside the Bama 10. Alabama managed to force Florida to settle for a 19 yard chip shot field goal by Jonathan Phillips that made it a 10-10 game, but the momentum had evened out. On the ensuing kickoff, Caleb Sturgis sent a kick sailing towards the left sidelines. Javier Arenas got caught in an awkward position. It was a live ball but it was probably going to go out of bounds. At the last minute he decided to field it and return it but right as he fielded the ball he stepped on the out of bounds line at the 4 yard line. That’s where Bama would start. Had Arenas been standing out of bounds when he fielded the ball the Tide would have had the ball at the 40, but because he fielded the ball and then stepped down out of bounds they had the ball at the 4. This would be huge. Bama went 3 and out and had to punt from their own end zone. A short punt and a personal foul penalty on Bama gave Florida the ball at the Tide 38. Florida quickly got in the end zone for a TD to go back on top 17-10 with 2:59 left before halftime. Bama was conservative with the ball on their next possession and basically ran out the clock to head into halftime down 7. It was the first time Bama had trailed at halftime all season but 7 points wasn’t bad considering they were up against Florida.

The Gators got the ball first in the 2nd half and it was imperative that Bama keep them off the board. They were able to do it by sacking Tebow and stopping Florida for a 3 and out, but Chas Henry got off a stellar punt and the Tide was forced to start their first drive of the 3rd quarter from their own 9. That’s when Bama put together an epic drive that epitomized what Alabama football had been all about this year. Bama went on a 15 play, 91 yard drive over 6:53 to score a TD that tied the game up at 17-17. On Florida’s second possession of the 3rd quarter they flew down into Bama territory, getting a 1st and 10 at the Tide 25. But then the drive stalled and Phillips was forced to try a 42 yard field goal. He missed and in a way that cancelled out the botched fake field goal by Bama in the first half. Now Bama went back to work offensively, moving deep into Florida territory again. It appeared that Bama was controlling the game at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Tide got a 1st down at the Florida 12 but the Gator defense held and forced Bama to settle for a 27 yard field goal by Tiffin that put the Tide up 20-17 going to the 4th quarter. In his career, Tim Tebow had never before engineered a 4th quarter comeback but he would have to do so now if the Gators were to win the SEC Championship. The Gators drove into Bama territory, but it appeared the Tide defense had come up with a stop when Jeffery Demps was stopped for no gain on 3rd and 4 from the Bama 46. But Alabama was called for a face mask penalty, giving Florida a 1st and 10 at the 27. Moments later, Demps went in from 1 yard out to put the Gators on top, 24-20 with 9:21 to play. An excellent return by Arenas gave Bama good field position on their ensuing drive, but on 3rd and 8 from the Tide 43, Jermaine Cunningham sacked Wilson for an 11 yard loss and Bama had to punt. The Gators would then go 65 yards in 8 plays over 4:37 for a TD to put the game away, up 31-20 with just 2:50 remaining. The Gators intercepted Wilson on Bama’s final possession and Florida ran out the clock to secure the win, 31-20. With the victory the Gators won the SEC title and most likely a spot in the BCS Championship Game. For the #1 ranked Tide it was a bitter first defeat of the season.

The Big XII Championship Game from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City was saved for primetime. #2 Oklahoma was a heavy favorite over #20 Missouri, and with a win the Sooners would almost certainly play for the national title. If Missouri pulled off the upset it would open the door for all of the other 1 loss teams in the country. Crazy things had been known to happen in the Big XII Title Game, but anyone who had seen these two teams play over the last couple of months knew that a Missouri upset was extremely unlikely, almost to the point of impossibility. Even if Oklahoma had spotted Missouri a 24-0 lead, they still wouldn’t have been able to win, or even keep it close into the 4th quarter for that matter. However, a few things happened early in the game that could have allowed Missouri to keep it relatively close at least through the first half. On the opening kickoff, Missouri got a break when stud Sooner running back DeMarco Murray injured his knee. Murray had finally gotten all the way back from a prior knee injury in the last few weeks and was starting to be a dynamic offense force again. He would be done for the game. Not that Oklahoma didn’t have plenty of other running backs, but they now had one less weapon at their disposal. Then after Oklahoma got a 1st and goal at the 8, Missouri forced a 4th down from the 2 and the Sooners settled for a chip shot field goal to go up 3-0. This constituted a major victory for the Missouri defense. The Big Ten equivalent would have been a pick 6. Missouri then got good field position to start their first drive and they moved into Oklahoma territory. It looked like Missouri might be about to go in for a TD to take the lead, but on 3rd and 2 from the 26, Chase Daniel tried to run for the 1st down and got stopped for a 4 yard loss. Missouri decided to try a 48 yard field goal. That wasn’t as good as a TD but it would tie the game at 3-3. However, Jeff Wolfert’s kick was no good and the Tigers got nothing out of the drive. You expected Oklahoma to respond with a quick TD to make it 10-0 and signal the official beginning of the route. But to everyone’s surprise, Oklahoma went 3 and out. A personal foul penalty backed the Sooners up to their own 15 and then Mike Knall’s punt was shanked out of bounds to give Missouri the ball at the Sooner 41. Missouri had to take advantage of this opportunity. They couldn’t settle for a field goal; they had to get 6. But Mizzu gained only 2 yards over 3 plays and on 4th and 8 from the 39 they decided to punt. They were able to pin Oklahoma at the 10 and they were still down just 3-0 but it didn’t matter; they had missed their chance to make it a competitive game. Field position is essentially a non issue for Oklahoma’s offense against all but the most elite defenses. They promptly drove 90 yards in 8 plays over just 2:25 to score the first TD of the game and make it 10-0 with 2:12 remaining in the opening quarter. The 2nd quarter began with Missouri on the move in Oklahoma territory again, and this time they were able to finish the drive, with Chase Daniel hitting Jeremy Maclin for a 27 yard TD on 3rd and 7 to get Missouri on the board. With the score now 10-7, Missouri was back in the game, at least in theory. While bad field position is not a strong deterrent for Oklahoma’s offense, it definitely doesn’t help to give them good field position. But that’s exactly what Missouri did when a personal foul penalty after the touchdown backed them up on the kickoff, allowing the Sooners to return the ball out to the 47. The Sooners needed just over 2 minutes to drive 53 yards for the score to go back up by 10. Now it was the Sooners that helped Missouri out on the kickoff with a personal foul penalty and Maclin returned the ball into Oklahoma territory. It was starting to look like maybe the Tigers would keep things somewhat competitive into halftime. But on the first play of the drive, Daniel took off running and got hit and fumbled. The Sooners recovered at the Missouri 49. It took the Sooners less than 2 minutes to turn the turnover into 6 points, as Sam Bradford hit Juaquin Iglesias in the end zone for the 2nd time in the last 5 minutes to make it 24-7. That ended the competitive portion of the game. Missouri’s next drive stalled at their 38 and they punted to pin Oklahoma at their own 11. The Sooners then went on an impressive drive that demoralized the Tiger defense and killed whatever hopes remained on the Missouri sidelines. Oklahoma marched 89 yards in 15 plays, converting on a pair of 3rd and 5’s, and also converting a 4th down and 5 from the Missouri 38. Mossis Madu’s 12 yard scamper into the end zone made it 31-7 with just 2:33 to go in the half. The Tigers advanced the ball close to midfield on their ensuing possession, attempting to go in for a late score that could give them something to build on heading into intermission. Instead, the game began to take on the feel of an all out route, as Daniel was intercepted and the Sooners returned the ball to the Missouri 28. Two plays later the Sooners were in the end zone again. It was 38-7 at halftime and you had to feel a little bit sorry for Missouri, who would have to endure 30 more minutes of embarrassment just because the Sooners had to ensure that their score was impressive enough to convince the voters. Mizzu actually did a good job of limiting the damage in the 3rd quarter, holding the Sooners to a field goal and adding a TD of their own. But Oklahoma scored early in the 4th to make it 48-14 and you knew that they wanted 60. After a Missouri TD made it a 27 point game again, the Sooners went on an 80 yard drive for another score to make it 55-21. Daniel was intercepted on the ensuing Missouri drive, and then Madu broke loose down the left sideline for a 38 yard TD scamper to put Oklahoma over the 60 point barrier for an unprecedented 5th straight game. The Sooners went on to win it 62-21 to claim their 3rd consecutive Big XII Championship and virtually assure themselves a spot in the BCS Title Game.

One Ranked Team Falls to Unranked Opponent

There was only 1 ranked team that lost to an unranked team in week 15, and surprisingly it came in the MAC Championship Game. As usual, this one took place in Detroit at Ford Field, and it was held on Friday night. It seemed like another opportunity for #12 Ball State to get some well deserved national attention, as they came in undefeated at 12-0. The Cardinals had risen all the way to 12th in the BCS, and though their schedule had been weak compared with teams from stronger conferences, BSU had at least won their games convincingly. There was nothing fluky about Ball State. The Buffalo Bulls, on the other hand, had needed a lot of luck to get to the MAC Championship Game. Ball State came into the game with a 12-0 record, having outscored opponents by 252 points, 452-200, winning by an average score of 37.7-16.7, for an average margin of +21.0. They had won every game by at least 7 points and they had won 11 of 12 games by at least 12 points. Buffalo came into the game 7-5, having outscored opponents by just 29 points, 362-333, with an average score of 30.2-27.8 for a +2.4 average margin. 4 of Buffalo’s 7 wins had been by 6 points or less, including 3 overtime victories and 1 victory by 2 points that came in regulation on a last second Hail Mary. Just the week before, while BSU was blowing out a 9-3 Western Michigan team, 45-22, Buffalo had lost at home to a 4-8 Kent State team. Naturally, Ball State came into this game as a huge favorite. They only needed to win one more game over a seemingly lesser opponent to claim the conference title and finish a dream season undefeated. Whoever they wound up playing in the bowl game wouldn’t matter, as they would represent the MAC with pride. And if they won that bowl game they had a chance to finish the year in the top 10. But all of those dreams that seemed well within reach flew out the window and dissolved into nothingness during a nightmarish Friday night in Detroit, when the worst possible thing that could happen seemed to happen over and over again for the Cards. Just as they had all year long, the Cardinals dominated their opponent on both sides of the ball. But the Cardinals did something they hadn’t done often this season: turn the ball over. And just as they had done all year long, the Bulls took full advantage of the breaks they were afforded. Buffalo did a good job of staying with Ball State early on and turning it into a field position game in the 1st quarter. With the game still scoreless late in the opening quarter, BSU’s star QB Nate Davis took the snap on 2nd and 10 from his own 31 and while trying to run he fumbled the ball and Buffalo recovered at the 25. Two plays later the Bulls had a 1st and goal at the 2, and then Buffalo QB Drew Willy threw to Naaman Roosevelt for a touchdown to put the Bulls ahead 7-0 with 2 minutes to go in the 1st. The Cardinals weren’t used to trailing at all. They had only trailed for 23 minutes during the entire season, but they were down 7-0 now, and on the final play of the quarter, stud running back MiQuale Lewis was stopped for a loss of 1 on 3rd and 1 from the Buffalo 46. The 2nd quarter began with the Cards punting on 4th and 2 from the Bulls 47. They were able to pin the Bulls at their 11 but Buffalo got out from their end of the field and reversed field position with a punt. Finally, however, Ball State’s offensive attack got untracked, as the Cards went 79 yards for a score, with Lewis going in from 4 yards out to tie it up at 7-7 with 7:49 left in the half. The Bulls continued to do a good job of playing field position and not making mistakes. They had the ball near midfield late in the half and they were trying to get into position for a late score to take the lead when they made their first mistake. On 2nd and 1 from their own 48, Buffalo’s James Starks fumbled and the Cardinals recovered at the 47 with 1 minute on the clock. BSU got in position for a 47 yard field goal, and Ian McGarvey booted it through as time expired to give the Cards a 10-7 lead at the half.

Ball State looked to have things under control after a shaky first half but they were not in control of the game they way they had been week in and week out during the year. Buffalo wasn’t going to just lie down and let Ball State have the title. The Bulls got the ball first in the 2nd half and right away they moved into BSU territory. The Cardinals stuffed Starks on 3rd and 1 from the BSU 44 to bring up a 4th down. The Bulls lined up as if to go for it but they didn’t have to run a play because Ball State jumped offsides. Had they not jumped offsides, it’s likely that the drive would have ended. Instead the drive continued, and on the very next play Willy hit Roosevelt for a 39 yard TD completion to put Buffalo back on top, 14-10. The Cards again found themselves in the unfamiliar position of being behind, but they responded well, with their two studs Davis and Lewis leading the team on a crisp 65 yard TD drive to retake the lead, 17-14, with 8 minutes left in the 3rd. On Buffalo’s next possession they looked to answer with a TD or at least a field goal and they moved the ball close to midfield. But on 1st down from the Buffalo 42, Starks was hit in the backfield and he fumbled again and the Cardinals recovered at the 38. 3 plays later the Cards had a 1st and goal at the 9. On 1st down, Lewis took the hand off and cut back across the field to the left and headed for the end zone. He stretched the ball out over the goal line before being knocked out of bounds right by the pylon. He was ruled out of bounds at the 1. The play was reviewed, and although there is no question that Lewis stretched the ball over the goal line well before being knocked out of bounds, the call on the field was upheld. It hardly seemed to matter, however, as it was now just 2nd and goal from inside the 1. It was obvious what was about to happen. All year long the Cardinals had played from the lead and they had played with a double digit lead. They were finally going to go ahead by more than 1 score for the first time tonight and they would be in control from here on out. This was all following the same script BSU had used all year long. They would be up 10 with less than 20 minutes to play, and Buffalo wouldn’t be able to score quickly and consistently while also holding BSU’s offense down enough to be able to come back and win. All Ball State had to do was run a sneak and move the ball forward less than a yard to get the TD. But on 2nd down, they gave the ball to Lewis and he was hit in the backfield and dropped for a loss of 2 yards. Suddenly it was 3rd down from the 3. Still, you thought BSU would be able to get in the end zone from 3 yards out, but then they did the worst possible thing, getting a false start penalty that backed them up to the 8. Now that missed call by the officials was looming large, as it was 3rd and goal from the 8, and a field goal would keep it a 1 score game. On 3rd down, Davis took the snap in shotgun and tried to run for the TD. As he got to the 3 yard line, by the same corner of the field that Lewis had gone out of bounds at, the Bulls defenders had him shutout. There was no way he could get through all of the defenders but this was their last shot so he decided to leap into the air and try and fling himself over the plane. This might have been worth it if he had been a yard closer, but as it was he got hit in midair at the 1, and the ball was jarred loose and knocked backwards away from the end zone. Mike Newton scooped the ball up at around the 10 and as soon as he picked it up cleanly he was gone by a mile. It went down as a 92 yard fumble recovery for a TD to put Buffalo back on top 21-17 with 3:52 left in the 3rd quarter. It was a dramatic shift in momentum but the shift on the scoreboard was even more critical. Instead of Ball State going ahead by 10, they were now down by 4. It was a 14 point swing. Obviously Ball State was still in good position to win this game, but in an instant they had gone from essentially putting the game away to being behind. This wasn’t going to be as easy as most of BSU’s victories this year. They weren’t going to be able to play from ahead. However, the Cardinals responded well, moving right back down the field. They had a 2nd and 3 from the Buffalo 15 and they looked to be on the verge of retaking the lead, but on 2nd down Lewis was stopped for no gain. That brought up 3rd and 3 from the 15. Davis lined up in the shotgun snap, but as he surveyed the defense, the center snapped the ball at his feet. It was a double whammy, as Davis was not only caught off guard by the snap, it also came in low. The ball bounced off of him back towards the line, and as he moved forward and bent down to try and pick it up, the ball got kicked back behind him. Once again there was a Buffalo defender right there in position to scoop it up, and when Sherrod Lott picked it up cleanly he was gone by a mile. This one went down as a 74 yard fumble recovery for a TD to make it a 28-17 Buffalo lead with just 19 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter. With two stunning defensive touchdowns the Bulls had turned the game completely around. The Cardinals now found themselves trailing by more than a touchdown for the first time all season. All of the sudden there was a realization by all watching this game that the Cardinals were in serious jeopardy of having their dream season come to a crushing end. They would now have to come from 2 scores down in the final 15 minutes in order to win.

As the 4th quarter began, the Cards had the ball inside their own territory down 11. They moved across midfield yet again but on 3rd and 7 from the 38 Davis’ pass for Darius Hill fell incomplete to bring up 4th down. The Cards had no choice but to go for it on 4th and 7 and the Bulls went after Davis and sacked him back at the 48 to take over on downs still up by 11 with 12:29 left in the game. The Cardinal defense forced a mandatory 3 and out to get the ball back but the Cardinal offense quickly faced a 4th and 2 from their own 28. With less than 10 minutes on the clock, the Cards had to go for it, and Davis wound up trying to run for the first and he got hit short of the first down marker and then fumbled and Buffalo recovered at the 29 with 8:54 to play. Moments later, Willy connected with Roosevelt in the end zone for the 3rd time in the game to make it 35-17 and put this one on ice. The stunned Cardinals managed to go down the field and score fairly quickly to make it 35-24 with 4:17 left but the Bulls recovered the onsides kick to put end all hopes of a miracle comeback. The Bulls scored once more for good measure and when the final gun sounded they had won the MAC Championship by the improbable score of 42-24. Despite losing by 18 points, the Cards dominated the action on the field just as they throughout the season. BSU had 12 more 1st downs than Buffalo (30-12), outgained them by 202 yards (503-301), controlled the ball for over 8 and a half more minutes, and held the Bulls to just 3 for 9 on 3rd down conversions. But the Cards turned the ball over 5 times and the Bulls turned those turnovers into 28 points. Nate Davis was responsible for all 5 turnovers, losing 4 fumbles and throwing 1 pick. The Cardinals had entered the game with dreams of a perfect season and a 10 ten finish well within reach, yet incredibly, they wouldn’t even end up winning the MAC.

Two Significant Upsets

There were two fairly large upsets in week 15 and both occurred in non-BCS conference championship games. The biggest upset of the week was Buffalo’s stunning 42-24 win over previously undefeated and 12th ranked Ball State in Detroit in the MAC Championship Game. The Bulls were 15 point underdogs in that game but they ended up winning by 18 points. The other major upset in week 15 came in the Conference USA Championship Game and there were a number of things about this one that were very similar to the MAC Championship Game. For starters there was the matchup between Tulsa and East Carolina. Both of these teams had looked like possible BCS busters at one point in the season before being exposed as pretenders. The entire C-USA had really lacked credibility over the last month or so. But definitely if there was a team from Conference USA that seemed to dominant their own league this year it was Tulsa, who started the year 8-0 and ended up going 10-2. They had gone 7-1 in conference play, outscoring conference opponents by 148 points, 395-247, for an average score of 49.4-30.9 and an average margin of +18.5. They had won only 2 games by 6 points or less all year. There didn’t seem to be anything fluky about Tulsa’s success. East Carolina, on the other hand, was similar to Buffalo as they had used good play and good fortune to get to the title game. EC had opened the year 3-0 but finished just 8-4. They went 6-2 in conference play, but they outscored conference opponents by just 31 points, 187-156, for an average score of 23.4-19.5 and an average margin of +3.9. They won 5 games by 5 points or less, including 2 overtime games. Tulsa was nearly as big of a favorite to win this game as Ball State had been to win their game, partially due to the fact that Tulsa was thought to have almost as big of an edge over EC as BSU was thought to have over Buffalo. But another major factor in Tulsa being such a heavy favorite was the location. Unlike the MAC Title Game—which is held at a neutral site just like the ACC, SEC, and Big XII Championship Games—the Conference USA Championship Game is held at the home site of whichever division champion has a better record. Therefore, this game would be played at Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, where the Golden Hurricane had won 18 of their last 20 games dating back to the middle of 2005. Over that time their only home losses had been to Rice in double OT and to Oklahoma. Tulsa had won 10 in a row at home, they were 6-0 at home this season, and ECU was just 3-3 on the road this year. For all of these reasons, the Pirates were 12.5 point underdogs going into this one.

The similarities between the two championship games did not end with the matchup. The game played out in much the same way as the MAC Championship. Tulsa dominated the action on the field just as they had for the entire season in conference play. The Golden Hurricane doubled East Carolina in first downs (28-14), outgained them by 121 yards (399-278), and controlled the ball for 5 more minutes. Tulsa committed just 3 penalties for 15 yards while the Pirates were hit up 8 times for 72 yards in penalties. Tulsa held the Pirates to just 2 for 13 on 3rd down conversions while themselves going 9 for 19 on 3rd down. But just like the Ball State Cardinals, the Hurricane was done in by turnovers—7 of them to be exact. For the 7 Tulsa gave out, they got only 1 back. And just like in the MAC game, the main culprit in this one was the favored team’s QB, as David Johnson, the nation’s top rated passer, turned the ball over 6 times, firing 5 picks and losing a fumble. EC scored 24 points off of Johnson turnovers, including 1 pick 6. Johnson was off from start to finish. On the opening play of the game after EC kicked off out of bounds, Johnson threw deep and was intercepted at the Pirate 17. The Pirates then went 83 yards in 9 plays for a TD to go on top 7-0. On their 2nd possession, Tulsa moved into EC territory and had a 2nd and 6 at the 37. But on 2nd down, Johnson fumbled and Tulsa recovered but the play lost 4 yards. On 3rd and 10, Johnson was picked off by Travis Simmons at the 28 and he returned it 72 yards for a TD to put the Pirates up 14-0. The Hurricane scored a TD on their next possession to cut the deficit in half, and then after the Pirates fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Tulsa added a field goal to bring the score to 14-10 going to the 2nd quarter. Tulsa got the ball back and scored a TD to make it a 17-0 run and take their first lead of the game early in the 2nd quarter. Moments later Tulsa had the ball inside EC territory again and they were on the verge of going up by 2 scores when they were hit with another costly turnover. This one wasn’t Johnson’s fault, as he receiver Jesse Meyer caught a ball at the EC 44 and then fumbled and it was returned all the way to the Tulsa 16. The Pirates kicked a field goal to tie the game at 17 and the score remained that way for the rest of the half.

Early in the 3rd quarter the Hurricane had the ball inside EC territory again, facing a 3rd and 5 from the 33. Johnson dropped back to pass and then tried to escape pressure and this time he fumbled and EC recovered at the 36. On the very next play following a false start, Norman Whitely raced 69 yards for a TD to put the Pirates ahead 24-17. Later in the 3rd quarter Tulsa had a 2nd and 10 from their own 40 when Johnson was picked off at the ECU 44 and it was returned to midfield. The Pirates missed a field goal and it remained a 1 score game going to the 4th quarter. Early in the 4th quarter Tulsa drove into EC territory again but the drive stalled and the Hurricane elected to go for it on 4th and 9 from the 30. Johnson fired deep and was picked off at the 5. However, they got the ball back and went on a 12 play, 80 yard drive for a TD, with Johnson firing an 8 yard TD pass on 3rd down to tie it up at 24-24 with 8:56 to play. What happened next can not be blamed on Johnson. EC went on a 12 play, 53 yard drive, taking over 7 minutes off the clock, and Ben Hartman booted a 39 yard field goal to put the Pirates on top, 27-24, with just 1:43 to go. Tulsa did not have a timeout but on their final drive they were able to go from their own 20 to their 46 in just 3 plays. But on 1st down from the 46, Johnson was picked off at the EC 44 for the 5th time in the game and this one was the nail in the coffin, as the Hurricane had no more timeouts and there was just 1:03 left on the clock. With a stunning 27-24 win, the 12.5 point underdog East Carolina Pirates won the Conference USA Championship. Tulsa’s fate was similar to Ball State’s, as they had started 8-0 and gone 10-2 and yet they would end up not even winning the Conference USA Championship.

Number of Unbeaten Teams Shrinks From Four to Two

At the start of week 15 there were 4 teams still unbeaten in the FBS. It was a given that there would be at least 2 teams still unbeaten at week’s end, as 2 of the undefeated teams were not in action in week 15. Boise State and Utah had both already finished the regular season undefeated at 12-0 and were obviously idle in week 15. However, both of the undefeated teams that did play in week 15 ended up losing. Alabama came into week 15 undefeated at 12-0 but they lost to Florida in the SEC Championship Game, 31-20, to suffer their first loss of the season and end up 12-1. Ball State entered week 15 undefeated at 12-0 but they lost to Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game, 42-24, to suffer their first loss of the season and end up 12-1.

Still One Lonely Winless Team

Going into week 15 there was only 1 team in the FBS that was still without a win of any kind in 2008. That same team would still be without a win at the end of week 15. The Washington Huskies entered week 15 as the only winless team in the FBS with a record of 0-11. They had one final chance to get off the schnide, as they played on the road at Cal. But the Huskies didn’t even come close, losing 48-7, while being outgained by 349 yards, 549-200. The Huskies allowed Cal to rush for 431 yards on 44 carries, an average of 9.8 yards a carry. Cal running back Jahvid Best carried the ball just 19 times but racked up 311 yards and 4 TD’s, averaging 16.4 yards a pop. Amazingly, it could have been way worse. Best scored on a 60 yard run to put Cal up 7-0 on the Bears’ 2nd offensive play of the game. Cal actually missed a field goal on their next drive and then had to settle for a field goal after recovering a Washington fumble at the Huskies’ 12 yard line. Then after the Bears recovered a fumble at the Washington 49 on the first play of the 2nd quarter they had to punt. Finally after a 44 yard punt return gave the Bears a first and goal at the 8 a few minutes later, Best scored his second TD of the game to make it 17-0. Ronnie Fouch was intercepted on Washington’s next possession and Best scored on a 20 yard TD to make it 24-0. Washington put Taylor Bean in at QB on their next possession and he led them on a drive into Cal territory before being picked off at the 10 yard line. Best broke free on a 53 yard run to set up a Cal touchdown just before halftime to make it 31-0 at intermission. On the 1st play of the 2nd half Best carried the ball and lost a yard. On the next play he went 84 yards for a TD to make it 38-0. On Cal’s next possession Best broke off a 34 yard run to set up another Bear TD that made it 45-0. Washington finally scored with 2:50 left in the 3rd quarter. Best sat out the entire 4th quarter as the Bears took it easy on Washington. The Huskies ended up losing it 48-7 to finish the year 0-12 as the only winless team in the FBS.

Still Three Teams Without a Win vs. FBS

Going into week 15, there were still 3 teams including Washington that did not have a win vs. an FBS team in 2008. There would still be 3 teams without a win vs. the FBS when the week was over. Washington of course lost 48-7 to Cal on the road in week 15 to finish the year 0-12. SMU had already wrapped up their regular season and were idle in week 15. They ended up 1-11 on the season overall and 0-11 vs. FBS competition. The other team without a win against an FBS team was Western Kentucky, and they were in action in week 15. They entered the week 2-9 overall and 0-9 against FBS teams. They had one last shot to get off the schnide, as they played on the road against FIU in their season finale. But the Hilltoppers couldn’t get it done, as they were dominated by the Panthers, losing 27-3, while being outgained by 255 yards, 435-180. The Panthers achieved 12 more first downs than WK (23-11) and the Hilltoppers went just 2 for 16 on 3rd down conversions. WK had the ball for 11 fewer minutes, made the game’s only 2 turnovers, and committed 8 penalties for 90 yards. Western Kentucky actually took a 3-0 lead in the game on a FG with 1:44 remaining in the 1st quarter and they remained ahead 3-0 until the Panthers took the lead on a TD with just 2:17 remaining in the half. WK trailed 13-3 going to the 4th quarter and the Panthers put the game away with a TD early in the 4th and then took an INT 78 yards to the house for the game’s final score. WK lost 27-3 to finish the season 2-10 overall and 0-10 against FBS competition.

Notable Scores From Week 15

ULL 42, MTS 28 (Lou-Laf gets bowl eligible at 6-6.)
Rut 63, Louisville 14 (Rut ends up 7-5; Louisville finishes just 5-7.)
Buf 42, BSU 24 (Buf pulls off upset to win MAC; BSU suffers first loss of the season, finishes 12-1.)
Pitt 34, Conn 10 (Pitt finishes 9-3.)
EC 27, Tulsa 24 (EC pulls off upset to win C-USA; Tulsa finishes 10-3.)
Navy 34, Army 0 (Navy wins 7th straight over rivals, finishes 8-4.)
VT 30, BC 12 (VT wins 2nd straight ACC title over BC.)
Cal 48, Wash 7 (Wash finishes 0-12 as FBS’ only winless team.)
Fla 31, Bama 20 (Fla wins SEC, finishes 12-1 to secure spot in BCS Title Game; Bama suffers first loss of the season, finishes 12-1.)
USC 28, UCLA 7 (USC finishes 11-1, wins Pac-10 for 7th straight year.)
FIU 27, WK 3 (WK finishes 0-10 vs. FBS.)
Troy 35, Ark St. 9 (Troy wins first outright SBC title.)
Ariz 31, ASU 10 (Cats snap 3 game skid vs. ASU, secure first winning season since ’98, send ASU to 5-7 and out of bowl consideration.)
Okla 62, Missouri 21 (Okla wins 3rd straight Big XII title, finishes 12-1 to secure spot in BCS Title Game.)
WV 13, SF 7 (SF finishes 2-5 in Big East play.)
Cin 29, Haw 24 (Big East champion Bearcats get miracle 4th quarter comeback to survive on the Big Island, finish the season 11-2.)