Conference call: Show UConn and Iowa some love

Posted 11 1 2007 3:22AM

ACC

Rising: Wake Forest. What's that smell in the air? It's fear. Fear! Fear of the Demon Deacons, who have won six games in a row. Yeah, the other ACC teams better be frightened. Up next: games at Virginia and Clemson.

Falling: Maryland. That's two losses in a row -- at home, no less -- for the Terps. You thinking what I'm thinking? You know, that Maryland is finished? Just getting bowl eligible will be a chore. Remember when the Terps were all the rage earlier this decade?

Game of the week: Florida State at Boston College. Who's gonna stop the Eagles? Maybe the Seminoles. Maybe not. But BC can count on facing a rugged FSU defense -- for what that's worth. Still, the Eagles may need just 10 points to beat an oh-so-bad Seminoles offense. Never thought I'd see the day when FSU looked up to BC.

BIG EAST

Rising: Louisville. Hold that shovel full of dirt. The Cardinals are still moving after that miraculous win last Saturday. Sure, it was just Pitt. But a win is a win at this point for a program that's stuck in a win-loss-win-loss-win pattern since September 29. The good news: Louisville is off this week. The bad news: games remain at West Virginia, at USF and vs. Rutgers.

Falling: USF. That's two losses in a row. What happened? Did someone swap Jim Leavitt's Sumatra for Sanka? You officially can slap a "phony" sticker between the Bulls' horns if they lose Saturday at home in the "We Aren't Phony" Bowl vs. Cincinnati.

Game of the week: Rutgers at UConn. It still is difficult to type: "UConn football rocks!" But, I'm getting used to it. And you should, too. The Huskies have an efficient offense and a rugged defense. And, they aren't going anywhere. Is Jim Calhoun getting jealous?

BIG TEN

Rising: Iowa. Let's hear it for Herky! The rally from a 17-3 hole to beat Michigan State was huge. That means 4-5 Iowa needs to win two of its last three games to become bowl eligible. And that's very doable: at Northwestern, vs. Minnesota and vs. Western Michigan. Of course, the Hawkeyes don't deserve to go to a bowl. But, why quibble with facts!

Falling: Penn State. Talk about being put in your place! Make NO mistake about it: This IS a second-tier Big Ten program. Have no fear, Nittany Lions fans. A fast finish is coming up in a jiff. Go paint your body and flex in the mirror. I'll be watching the national title race.

Game of the week: Wisconsin at Ohio State. Honestly, there only is ONE intriguing Big Ten matchup left. And we all know what that is. But, the Badgers visit to Columbus will have to do this week. Consider this: Wisky has won three straight at the Horseshoe -- for what that's worth. Which is diddly.

BIG 12

Rising: Missouri. Glory be to the Tigers! Someone get me my MU visor. I have to practice my Gary Pinkel squints in the mirror. Missouri is ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 1981. Why? Well, I'm not sure. Regardless, this woebegone program deserves some affection. But, golly, don't you think some black cloud is lurking. This IS Missouri, remember? The "Fifth Down" ... the "Fleakicker" ... "Woody Widenhofer."

Falling: Texas Tech. Look, a man only can pick on Nebraska and Texas A&M so much. After a while, you run out of wisecracks and venom. The Red Raiders? Oh, they are fresh meat. They deserve to be piled on after their pop-gun offense was muted the last two weeks. Someone take away Mike Leach's mortarboard and find him a paper bag. Brown will do.

Game of the week: Texas at Oklahoma State. Rolling. The Longhorns have won three in a row, while the Pokes have captured four of their last five. Okie State will have had two weeks to prep. And they still have a shot to win the South. This could be the signature win the team is looking for. Fascinating.

PAC-10

Rising: Arizona State. The Sun Devils continue to confound the experts. Maybe ASU will come apart over its next four games: at Oregon; at UCLA; vs. Southern Cal; vs. Arizona. Maybe not. The offense has been good. But it's the defense that is even more impressive -- it's the top-scoring defense in the Pac-10.

Falling: USC. The season can go one of two ways: bad, or really bad. But there's nothing like a heaping helping of adversity to see what a coaching staff and its players are all about. Injuries and a lack of chemistry have ruined the offense. If you want to send Pete Carroll a sympathy card, his address is -- ah, forget it. Who am I kidding?

Game of the week: Arizona State at Oregon. A sage coach once told me: "Tom, you play the games to remember in November." Well, this is one of those. Let's call it a "national title elimination" bout. The Sun Devils are an unbeaten darling, while the one-loss Ducks may be even hotter. Oh, and Dennis Erickson and Mike Bellotti have a healthy hatred for each other that dates to Erickson's days at Oregon State. The genius duo split four Civil War meetings from 1999-2002. This is gonna be fun.

SEC

Rising: Mississippi State. I have a secret for you: The Bulldogs need just one more win to be bowl eligible. Now go outside and shout it out loud, because Mississippi State hasn't been to a bowl since 2000. And, how sweet would it be for Sly Croom to get win No. 6 vs. his alma mater (Alabama) in the Bulldogs next game on November 10? Someone get me my cowbell!

Falling: Florida. The Gators have lost three of their past four. ... There is no running back. ... The secondary is awful. ... Tim Tebow is banged up. Yeah, for the first time in the history of man, it stinks to be Urban Meyer.

Game of the week: LSU at Alabama. I have only one word to say: Delicious. I'm guessing Nick Saban will have a trick or two for his old employer. Les Miles? If he loses to the guy he's measured against, well, that'll undo all of the goodwill he built in stunning wins over Florida and Auburn. Sorry, but it's true.

Tom Dienhart is a staff writer for Sporting News. You can e-mail him at tdienhart@sportingnews.com.