By 
I have always believed that the number zero is extremely defining! In the world of sports, as in real estate, it’s all about “location, location, location.” A zero in the right column of the win-loss ranking is a very good thing, while one in the left column is not so good!
As college football enters its home stretch, anyone remotely associated with the game knows full well that USC, Texas, and Alabama (listed in BCS team ranking order), remain the nation’s only undefeated teams. However, there are a few other teams with a zero in the right hand column, when it comes to conference standings.
West Virginia of the Big East easily took care of Cincinnati on Wednesday night, moving to 5-0 in the league. The Mountaineers still have games left on November 24 against Pittsburgh (in Morgantown) and December 3 in South Florida. The Mountaineers had the Big East title on their hands last year, but lost at home to Boston College 36-17 and at Pittsburgh (16-13) to end the year. This year’s team shows no signs of imploding, but you never know
TCU has already won the MWC title, in its first year in the league. The Horned Frogs easily dispatched Colorado State last Saturday (33-6), clinching the school’s first outright conference title since winning the SWC crown in 1958. At 7-0 at MWC, the Horned Frogs (29-point favorites!) need only to beat UNLV in Fort Worth on Saturday to go 10-1 overall and 8-0 in the league. Ironically, the team’s only loss in 2005 came against old SWC rival SMU. Just a week after opening the season by winning 17-10 in Norman against the Sooners (as underdogs with nearly four TDs), TCU lost 21-10 at SMU, a team that is just 3-6 on the year.
At least one of the remaining undefeated seven in the college football conference HAS to lose this weekend. Boise State and Fresno State of the WAC (both 5-0), meet Thursday night on ESPN. Boise State entered the WAC in 2001 and in that first year, ended Fresno’s 17-game home winning streak with a 35-30 victory as a 16-point underdog. After losing at La Tech later that year, Boise began a conference winning streak that reached 31 games! During that streak, the Broncos are an impressive 21-10 ATS.
Despite the fact that Boise possesses that long conference winning streak and has beaten Fresno in all four meetings since joining the conference (winning by an average score of 41-21 and going 4-0 ATS), the Bulldogs are solid favorites (more than one TD) in Thursday’s game. Fresno State is surely no slouch as the Bulldogs are 38-5 SU at home since 1998 and go into their matchup with the Broncos at 7-1 (the only loss in 8-1 Oregon, 37-34) and held ranked 20th on the AP (current BCS ranking is 22).
The winner of Thursday’s matchup will likely win the rest of the way in conference play, but it’s not a ‘lock’. Boise has an easy game at home against Idaho, but must play at La Tech (7-1 SU at home since 2004). As for Fresno, after traveling to USC on December 19 for a non-conference game, the Bulldogs must head to Reno, where Nevada has gone 9-2 SU and ATS in its last 11 home games. Fresno ends the season with a game against La Tech at home.
Returning to the top three teams in the nation, USC faces the one school that has given them the most trouble in recent years. USC brings a 31-game winning streak to its game at Cal this Saturday, as well as a 14-game road winning streak and a 21-game Pac-10 winning streak. Cal was the last team to beat USC, 34-31 in triple overtime in 2003. Cal nearly beat the Trojans last year in Los Angeles losing 23-17 and in 2003, losing 30-28. Adding a little more drama to the mix, a USC victory will tie Cal’s record Pac-10 winning streak of 22 consecutive, established from 1947-1950. at home against Fresno State and UCLA (the Trojans have won 25 straight at the Coliseum).
Texas, the No. 2 team in the nation, looks for its 17th straight win this Saturday in Austin against Kansas. While Texas and USC have won games by similar margins, Texas outscoring their opponents 48.3-14.3 with USC outscoring their opponents by an average of 49.9-20.6, the Longhorns are 8-1 ATS while the Trojans are just 4-5 . Texas is a 33-point favorite over Kansas and ends its regular season with a visit to College Station, where the Longhorns take on the disappointing Aggies. Texas’ likely opponent in the Big-12 title games is Colorado, a team the Longhorns beat in Austin 42-17 on Oct. 15.
While few think USC or Texas will stumble down the stretch, the nation’s No. 3 team Alabama (but just 3-6 ATS) finds itself like a local ‘dog’ (plus-3) this Saturday at No. .5 LSU. Since losing WR Tyrone Protho, the Tide have scored just ONE TD in their last three SEC games. However, Alabama possesses the No. 1 scoring defense in the country (8.2 PPG) and shouldn’t be ruled out of any game. If Alabama escapes against LSU, the Tide plays Auburn in the “Iron Bowl” on December 19 in Auburn. Alabama’s likely opponent in the SEC title game (if the team goes that far) is either Georgia or Florida.
The SEC saw Auburn go 12-0 last year but sit out of the BCS title game and it seems likely that Alabama will go 12-0 in 2005 and sit out as well. USC increased their lead over Texas in the latest BCS Rankings and Texas’ lead over Alabama is SUBSTANTIAL! BCS history says that the two teams ranked first and second in the opening BCS poll of the season (this year it was USC and Texas), have NEVER met in that year’s BCS title game. However, USC and Texas already made BCS history in 2005, as the same two teams had never before been one or two in each of the first four BCS positions of a season. Perhaps USC and Texas are destined to meet in Pasadena?
GENTLE LOSERS
I can’t close without listing the winless teams, the ones with the zero in the wrong place! Temple is 0-10 (4-6 ATS) in 2005 but has the week off before closing out his season Dec. 19 at Navy. New Mexico State is 0-9 (2-7 ATS) and is home to Nevada, where the Aggies are underdogs by 9 1/2 points. Buffalo, also 0-9 (5-4 ATS!) is at Kent State and the Bulls may have a chance. The not-so-Golden Flashes are just 1-8 in 2005, but they are favored by about one TD. Note: Buffalo also owns the longest road losing streak in the country at 22 straight losses.
Rice (0-8 SU and 1-7 ATS) in 2005 and owners of the nation’s longest current losing streak at 14, plays its Homecoming game this week against 2-6 Tulane. Owls are actually a ONE-POINT favorite! Could be? By the way, including Buffalo, New Mexico State and Rice (Temple will play as an Independent this year), there are still 13 schools that have yet to win in the conference and will be getting in on the action this weekend.