College Confidential

Las Vegas oddsmaker ranks TCU, Texas among top 15 favorites to win BCS national title

Three weeks into the college football season, four schools with local or Big 12 connections _ TCU, Texas, Oklahoma and West Virginia _ rank among the 15 most likely candidates to win the BCS national championship, based on odds released today by Bovada Sportsbook.

Among that group, Oklahoma (15/1) received the most favorable odds, followed by West Virginia (20/1), Texas (30/1) and TCU (60/1). All four teams remain undefeated heading into this week’s games.

The Las Vegas odds-maker has shifted Alabama into the favorite’s role as the BCS national championship favorite, replacing pre-season choice USC in the wake of the Trojans’ 21-14 loss to Stanford last week. Alabama, the defending national champ, received 19/10 odds, placing the Crimson Tide ahead of LSU (7/2), Florida State (8/1) and Oregon (9/1) on the list of heaviest favorites.

In the Heisman Trophy race, West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith has edged ahead of USC quarterback Matt Barkley in a crowed field. Smith received 5/2 odds, with Barkley at 5/1.

Below is a breakdown:

 

Odds to win the 2012-2013 BCS National Championship         

Alabama                       19/10

LSU                              7/2

Florida State                  8/1

Oregon                          9/1

Georgia                         11/1

USC                             12/1

Oklahoma                     15/1

West Virginia                 20/1

Notre Dame                   25/1

Stanford                        25/1

South Carolina               28/1

Texas                           30/1

Florida                          30/1

Clemson                       40/1

TCU                              60/1

Cincinnati                      75/1

Mississippi State           75/1

Michigan                       80/1

Kansas State                100/1

Michigan State              100/1

Nebraska                      100/1

Oklahoma State             100/1

Oregon State                 100/1

Louisville                       100/1

Arizona                         100/1

Wisconsin                     125/1

Virginia Tech                 150/1

BYU                             150/1

UCLA                            200/1

Missouri                        300/1

Tennessee                    300/1

Arkansas                      500/1

Boise State                   500/1

Georgia Tech                 500/1

Miami (Florida)               500/1

Texas A&M                   500/1

 

Odds to win 2012 Heisman Trophy

Geno Smith - West Virginia - QB             5/2

Matt Barkley - USC - QB                        5/1

De'Anthony Thomas - Oregon – RB         15/2

Landry Jones - Oklahoma - QB               15/1

Collin Klein - Kansas State - QB             15/1

Braxton Miller - Ohio State - QB              15/1

Le'Veon Bell - Michigan State – RB         15/1

EJ Manuel - Florida State - QB                18/1

Denard Robinson - Michigan – QB           20/1

Aaron Murray - Georgia - QB                   20/1

Marcus Lattimore - South Carolina - RB   20/1

Tajh Boyd - Clemson - QB                      20/1

AJ McCarron - Alabama - QB                  28/1 

Montee Ball - Wisconsin - RB                 30/1

Taylor Martinez - Nebraska - QB             30/1

 

Where will Notre Dame finish the Season in the AP Polls?

Over/Under                    15.5

 

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Longhorns place emphasis on defense during bye week

The Texas Longhorns have two weeks to prepare for their Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State on Sept. 29 and will use the extra practice time to shore up a defense that allowed 31 points on Saturday.

UT scored 66 points and had 676 total yards against Mississippi, but the Rebels burned the Longhorns on several long-yardage plays. Texas allowed a 75-yard touchdown pass, a 48-yard touchdown run, a 36-yard completion and a 30-yard rush.
 
"We are giving up too many big plays," UT head coach Mack Brown said. "It happened some to us early in the season last year."

In each of their three games this season, the Longhorns (3-0) have missed tackles that resulted in big plays for the opponent.

"We still have some tackling concerns. I think the front is playing really well but we've missed tackles at linebacker and in the secondary," Brown said. "There were nine missed tackles [against Ole Miss], two of which accounted for 97 yards. You take that out, you take scores out. We can't continue to do
that with this league, the way that people score [in the Big 12]. We just have to keep working on it."

This week's bye will give the Longhorns plenty of time to work on tackling.

"We're taking each play out and showing the guys the nine plays we missed tackles," Brown said.
"We're showing them exactly what happened and what we need to fix so we can improve it. We'll just go back to work on those issues."

Linebacker Jordan Hicks will be limited in practice this week. The junior left Saturday's game in the second quarter with a hip injury.

Running back Joe Bergeron and kicker Anthony Fera will also be limited in practice. Bergeron
suffered an apparent shoulder injury in the second half on Saturday. Fera pulled his hamstring in fall practice after transferring from Penn State. He has not played this year. 

"You can let them get some stuff done but you hold them out of the some of the hitting this week,"
Brown said. "Let them get rested. The open date is used for a couple things, and that's one of them. We will know more [about their health] on Sunday."

By Austin Laymance/Special to the Star-Telegram

 

West Virginia QB Smith grabs large lead in first installment of Scripps Heisman poll

West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith took a huge lead in today’s first installment of the Scripps Heisman Poll, receiving eight first-place ballots from the 10-member voting committee. Smith has completed 88 percent of his passes for 734 yards, with nine touchdowns and no interceptions, for the eighth-ranked Mountaineers (2-0). He also has rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries (8.3 per carry).

 Smith carved out a large lead in the initial poll over Oregon running back/receiver De’Anthony Thomas and UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin.

The Scripps poll is the longest-running Heisman Trophy poll in the nation. Since its inception in 1987, it has correctly forecast the Heisman winner in its final weekly installment in 21 of 25 years, including last season.

In last year’s initial poll, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck had a sizable lead over all other candidates. But Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III of Baylor overtook Luck in the final week of balloting and won the 2011 Heisman.

Below is a look at today’s poll and a list of voters:

 

            Player, School, Season Stats, Poll Points, (First-Place Votes).

                1.QB Geno Smith, West Virginia, 66-of-75, 734 yards passing, 9 TDs, 44 (8).

                2. RB/WR De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon, 228 yards rushing, 17.5 yards per carry, 4 TDs, 154 yards receiving, 3 TDs, 22.

                3. RB Johnathan Franklin, UCLA, 541 yards rushing, 8.2 yards per carry, 3 TDs, 20 (1).

                4. QB Matt Barkley, USC, 66-of-109, 813 yards passing, 10 TDs, 9

                5. (tie) RB Stepfan Taylor, Stanford, 338 yards rushing, 5.0 yards per carry, 3 TDs, 8.

                5. LB Manti Te'o, Notre Dame, 30 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 interception, 8.

               

                Others receiving votes: Georgia LB Jarvis Jones 6, Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater 4, Georgia QB Aaron Murray, 4, Kansas State QB Collin Klein 3, Ohio State QB Braxton Miller 3, Texas Tech QB Seth Doege 2, Michigan QB Denard Robinson 2, Florida State RB Chris Thompson 1.

               

                Voters: Kirk Bohls, Austin American-Statesman; Randy Beard, Evansville Courier and Press; Jimmy Burch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram; Bob Condotta, Seattle Times; Dennis Dodd, CBSSports.com; Vahe Gregorian, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; John Helsley, The Oklahoman; Mike Griffith, Knoxville News-Sentinel, and Todd Jones, Columbus Dispatch.

 

_ Jimmy Burch

Baylor takes a national stage

Baylor hasn’t been in the national spotlight much this season, but in the next two weeks, the Bears will certainly have their chance to draw their fair share of attention.

The Big 12 Conference announced yesterday that the Bears’ conference opener at West Virginia on Sept. 29 will be televised live at 11:05 a.m. CT on FX. This will also be West Virginia’s first Big 12 game in their premiere season in the conference.

This will be Baylor’s second nationally televised game in two weeks. The first of those two games will be broadcast on Friday at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN when the Bears take on University of Louisiana at Monroe in Monroe, LA.

-- Savannah Pullin

Is Baylor having an identity crisis?

After his team’s second half comeback win against Sam Houston State on Saturday, head coach Art Briles was asked if he was more impressed with Sam Houston State in the first half or less impressed with his own players.

“I don’t think we know our team yet,” was Briles’ reply. “I think we’re still searching for our identity.”

Twice during the post-game interviews Briles mentioned the identity crisis his team seemed to be facing.

However, when quarterback Nick Florence took to the microphone, he seemed to have a different outlook on the situation.

“When you have a team around you, and it’s not all about you, you can do a lot of things,” said Florence.

Throughout his entire interview, Florence didn’t seem to have the same questions about the team’s identity as Briles. He seemed pretty confident in the fact that the identity of his team was now embedded in just that – the team.

Everyone knows how offensively dominant the Bears were last season. They averaged 45.3 points per game, with 4,569 passing yards and 3,063 rushing yards for a total of 7,632 offensive yards for the year.

And of course we can’t forget the three most anticipated NFL draft picks to come from Baylor. Robert Griffin III, Kendall Wright, and Terrance Ganaway – all offensive powerhouses.

But Florence is the leader of the Bears this year, and his vision for the team is different.

“We have a team this year and I think it’s one of the best teams we’ve ever had as far as playing as a family, and playing for each other,” said Florence.

Florence admitted the offense was awful during the first half of the game, and largely relied on the defense in the second half to pull them out of the rut.

Now don’t take this the wrong way. This isn’t me saying Briles doesn’t think his team works well together. He also gave them credit for how well they played as a unit.

“I know we have a bunch of guys who will fight hard and believe in each other in that locker room that have a lot of character,” said Briles. “Honestly, what they did tonight under that circumstance was impressive.”

Unfortunately, this came right after he said his team didn’t have an identity, for the second time.

I’m not sure what kind of “identity” Briles is looking to fulfill. I don’t know if he wants to be the next LSU defense or USC offense. You have to build those legacies before they just appear. Or maybe he just got so comfortable with RG3 being the face of his team, he’s not sure how to move past that.

Whatever it is, I think his players have figured it out before he has. They understand the importance of teamwork. They understand the defense needs to go out and force turnovers, then the offense needs to capitalize on those opportunities.

And at the end of the season, isn’t that what it’s all about? A team, stepping out on a field together and winning?

-- Savannah Pullin

Longhorns' Ash named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week

Longhorns quarterback David Ash had his best game as a starter on Saturday night against Mississippi, going 19 of 23 for 331 yards and four touchdowns. On Monday, the sophomore was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and the Davey O'Brien Quarterback of the Week.  

Ash completed 15 straight attempts in the 66-31 win over Ole Miss that saw the Longhorns rack up 661 yards of total offense, the second highest output in school history. His career-high pass efficiency rating of 259.06 is the third-best by any FBS quarterback this season and the top mark against a BCS team.
 
After struggling to get explosive plays in the passing game in the first two games of the season, Ash had touchdown passes of 46 and 55 yards against the Rebels.
 
"We feel like our passing game is coming along fast," Texas head coach Mack Brown said on Monday. "We thought David Ash had by far his best game."
 
Ash is 55 of 72 (76.4 percent) for 703 yards and seven touchdowns in three games this season with no interceptions. He's rushed for a net of 58 yards on 11 carries, including a 49-yard touchdown run on fourth down against New Mexico.
 
So far, Ash looks more comfortable managing the offense than he did as a freshman in 2011, when he was 3-3 as a starter. More importantly for Texas, Ash is not turning over the ball. He has 96
attempts without an interception dating back to last Nov. 19 at Kansas State.
 
"He just started doing things right," Brown said. "I thought his 49-yard touchdown run against New
Mexico gave him confidence that he can run and the other night he made some great plays with his feet. But I think you are just seeing it click for him right now. I thought that was a game [against Ole Miss] where we would know more and he answered the bell."

By Austin Laymance/Special to the Star-Telegram

After slow start, Baylor defense has impressive second half comeback

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the great impression Baylor’s new defense had made on me. I was worried I spoke too soon.

The game started with momentum as Baylor opened with a two-minute, 60-yard drive resulting in a 33-yard field goal from Aaron Jones. The field goal allowed Jones to surpass Alfred Anderson’s program-leading career total of 220 points scored and end the game with 230 total career points.

In addition to Jones, running back Jarred Salubi, receiver Tevin Reese, and receiver Terrance Williams all crossed their anticipated milestones during the night.

The rest of the first half felt like it was dominated by Sam Houston. The Bearkats had two touchdowns and two field goals, with Baylor only scoring two field goals, putting the Bears down 20-10 at the half.

Much of the problems in the first half could be put on the shoulders of the defense. Baylor defense allowed the Bearkats to reach the red zone four times in the first half. Baylor defense also allowed the Bearkats to score every time they reach the red zone.

When asked about the difficulties the defense had in the first half, nickelback Ahmad Dixon admitted his side of the team took a lot of responsibility during the halftime adjustment.

“We played down to their level,” said Dixon. “He (defensive coordinator Phil Bennett) let us know it was up on us.”

Whatever soul searching the Bears’ defense did during the game, it worked. And saved me from looking like an idiot after raving about the defense against SMU.

Forty-five seconds into the third quarter, Sam Houston quarterback Brian Bell fumbled on his own 17-yard line. The fumble was recovered by Baylor’s defensive tackle, Trevor Clemons-Valdez and brought back to the Bearkats 9-yard line, resulting in a touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Najvar and a reduction of the Sam Houston lead to only three points.

The defense continued to make a presence in the third quarter when defensive end Gary Mason, Jr. had a sack for a loss of two yards.

Baylor wrapped up the game with strength after a nerve-racking drive from Sam Houston that resulted in them having the ball on the Baylor 1-yard line, where the Bears were able to stop them.

After a 60-yard run by quarterback Nick Florence, resulting in a touchdown, an interception by cornerback KJ Morton resulting in a field goal, a last minute touchdown by running back Lache Seastrunk (his first of the season), and an interception returned for a touchdown by cornerback Darius Jones, Baylor ran away with the 23-48 win over the Bearkats.

“I think those guys are really getting confident,” said head coach Art Briles about his defense after the game.

Dixon amounted it to team dynamic. “The team chemistry and the team bond filled in at the right time,” said Dixon.

When reflecting on the night, Florence said it was all about doing what people don’t expect you to be able to do.

Briles gave Sam Houston credit for how well they played, calling them one of the best teams at that level, adding, “If you got more points than they got at the end of the game, regardless of who you’re playing, you better be happy.”

He’s right. At the end of the night, a win’s a win. Baylor is 2-0 and has added one more game to their winning streak before they head to Louisiana to face University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Baylor v. SHSU: Why it's important to both teams

Even after a week off, the energy on campus surrounding Baylor football is still full of momentum as the Sam Houston State Bearkats come in to town.

“It is becoming a tough ticket. The great thing about college is you can really have a home field advantage. It helps us when opponents come in here, and they know they are walking into a tough stadium to play in. It’s going to be loud, and the student body is going to be involved,” said head coach Art Briles.

Tonight’s meeting of these two teams will be their fourth in history, with Baylor holding the 3-0 record over SHSU, with all meetings at Floyd Casey Stadium.

In recent years, Baylor fans have viewed this game as a warm-up before conference play begins. However, this year both teams have something at stake.

The 2011 Bearkats made an appearance in the NCAA Division 1 FCS Championship Game. After defeating Incarnate Word 54-7 last week, SHSU looks to maintain the respect earned last year with a win over Baylor.

On the other side of the field, the Bears have a winning streak to hold on to and individual player milestones to pass.

After last week’s 59-24 win over SMU, Baylor’s current seven-game win streak is the nation’s second longest active streak in the FBS, following new Big 12 rival TCU’s nine-game win streak. Baylor’s last loss was to then-No.3 Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Oct. 29, 2011.

In addition, Baylor has four players looking to cross milestones tonight.

Kicker Aaron Jones sits just two points behind Alfred Anderson for the all-time Baylor scoring record. Wide receiver Terrance Williams is just seven yards shy of 3,000 career all-purpose yards. Running back Jarred Salubi is 65 yards short of passing the 1,000-yard career rushing mark. And inside receiver Tevin Reese is two catches away from 100 career receptions.

Baylor is definitely the favorite this week, predicted to win by 25-30 points depending on the source, but the Bears will have to tighten up some loose ends in the offense and continue defensive pressure if they want the win to come as gracefully as expected.

Live blog: TCU 20, Kansas 6 (F)

Longhorns want to get Brown more touches

Malcolm Brown
led the Texas Longhorns in rushing last year and opened his sophomore season with 104
yards against Wyoming. Last week against New Mexico, he touched the a ball a career-low two
times.

When asked about
Brown's lack of touches, Texas offensive coordinator and play-caller Bryan
Harsin said it was because quarterback David Ash changed several plays at the
line of scrimmage from run to pass.

"There were
seven or eight plays that [Brown] was in on that were run-pass options or
possibilities to check out of [a run], so it was one of those things in his
rotation those plays started to be called and we were trying to get the ball to
him and David made the right checks," Harsin said. "It’s kind of the
nature of what we're doing offensively with the run-pass option so it just happened
to work out that way that he was in those situations."

Running backs
coach Major Applewhite said Brown played 22 snaps against New Mexico. It was
the first time in 12 career games the Brown had less than 11 carries.

So far, Harsin
has been unable to balance carries between Brown, Joe Bergeron and former Aledo
High School star Johnathan Gray. Bergeron has gotten the bulk of the work and
leads Texas with 159 yards on 26 carries.

"It’s about being a selfless
football player, and we talk about that every week on how to get the ball in
different guy’s hands more," Applewhite said. "We talk about it
as coaches and say we need to get this guy more touches or this guy less
touches."Harsin said he
wants to get Brown more touches on Saturday against Ole Miss.

"You want
to have the ball in his hands and you want him to be able to carry the football,"
said Harsin, in his second year at Texas. "We'll have those same type of
packages but, at the same time, make sure that we're getting some runs in there
and let him get downhill and run the football."

Brown rushed for 742 yards last year as a freshman with five touchdowns. 
By Austin Laymance/Special to the Star-Telegram