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The Short List To The Superdome: Week 14

Championship week arrives as the regular season concluded in 2011 and the Shortlist is down to a six pack of contenders who read by order of crystal football worthiness as follows:

LSU, Houston, Alabama, Stanford, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State.

The only team I called for to be eliminated last week not only survived, but thrived as they clinched their division in dominating fashion:

Virginia Tech uses a fourth and one from the one goal-line stand to ignite the 38-0 route in Charlottesville over Virginia to take home the Governors Cup and set up a rematch date in attempt to avenge their season's only loss. How a win there would keep them behind Alabama in line to face LSU escapes me, until you look at the non-conference schedules of the two teams and realize a win over even an uninspiring Penn State squad before they plunged into the current embroiling worst scandal in college athletics history trumps a schedule that highlights Marshall out of conference.

In conjunction with that predictive misfire, one team falls from the Shortlist to the Superdome without me calling for them to as well:

Arkansas jumps out to an early lead only to learn the lesson that the number one team in the country isn't just going to roll over and play dead as they fall to LSU in Baton Rouge 41-17. The Razorbacks are left wondering what might have been if Knile Davis hadn't been taken out for the year before the season as a returning first team SEC running back is just the kind of weapon one could rely on to keep an early two touchdown lead on the road to upset a top ranked team to close out November.

I expect only one team to find themselves eliminated from the running at the finish line:

Virginia Tech.

The old adage of it being difficult to beat a team twice in a season hasn't held up recently in conference championship games and it's easier to win at a neutral site than on the road. Add in the fact that Clemson has played a tougher schedule this year and the fourth time might finally end up being the charm for my prediction of the Hokie's elimination from the Shortlist.

As 2011 comes to a close and bowl bids are sent out, half of the teams remaining on the Shortlist have the advantage of not having to play for a championship in an extra game. How that helps them prove their worthiness to play for a national championship only if they are from the SEC West is a question not easily answered once you take into account that Houston faces their second most difficult test back to back after dispatching their most difficult one in relatively easy fashion this week.

Why a special teams battle being lost speaks highly for Alabama more than Houston's continued offensive fireworks keeping them unbeaten can only be accounted for due to entrenched biases and affiliation for a certain strain of the color red rather than honest evaluation of merit.

Maybe if the hottest team in the country claims an SEC title for the eastern division we'll be rewarded with something other than a snooze inducing rematch for division bragging rights?

Help us Mark Richt, you're our only hope.

Copyright 2011 by Christopher Whelpton for Canespace.com

The Golden Era: Year One

Wrap it up in orange paper, put a pretty green bow on it and ship it on out.

Year one of the Al Golden era at the University of Miami is in the books.

Today UM head coach Al Golden held his final press conference of the 2011 season. The local media was on hand to hear him summarize the 2011 season and offer insight into what Hurricane fans can expect next year and beyond.

The best quote of the day came in response to a question from WFOR sports reporter Jim Berry. Berry asked Golden about getting a contract extension after the Hurricanes produced a 6-6 record in his first year at UM.

Golden replied: "So 6-6 not good enough for you? Trust me I'm here 18 hours a day and it is not good enough for me either. We will get this fixed."

According to your own perspective or who you ask the UM 2011 football season breaks down into two general theories something like this:

Golden did as good as could be expected given the current talent on the roster, the disruption and chaos caused by the ShapiroGate scandal that broke just before the season began and the resulting suspensions and injuries that occurred during the season. The future is bright, recruiting is going very well and it is only a matter of time before Al Golden shows that he is more than just a slogan man and that "The Process" will eventually produce a championship calibre team.

Golden was average in his first year and the team's .500 record indicates that. The defense still was made of Swiss cheese, the offense improved but was inconsistent and the coaching was at times suspect in terms of decision making, scheme, play calling and game management. The future is still questionable and the jury is still out on whether "The Process" turns out to be fact or fiction.

Here is Al Golden in his own words at today's press conference (Part I):

Here is more of Golden being himself at today's press conference (Part II):

One thing is for certain: Golden is who he is and he is going to be at Miami for a long, long time.

Not only did he just sign a four year contract extension at UM but he also stated during his presser that he intends to be at Miami longer than any coach since Howard Schnellenberger won the first National Championship in 1983.

Golden has repeatedly called the University of Miami a "destination job" and he apparently means it.

He certainly does not shy away from responsibility and he is not afraid to tell anybody that it is his job to bring about the necessary changes and to win championships at Miami.

He is absolutely 100% committed to his plan and convinced that "The Process" will work given the necessary time to change the talent on this team and the culture at UM.

And I for one believe in Al Golden.

Hurricanes Simply Not Ready To "Deserve Victory"

In what has unfortunately become their typical fitting fashion your Miami Hurricanes lost their self-proclaimed "bowl game" to the Boston College Eagles on Friday 24-17.

After declaring themselves ineligible for a bowl game this season the UM coaches and players had only one game to look forward to against BC but even that proved to be too much for them to manage on a breezy November day that had the flags flying and also signaled the end of Miami's season.

The loss dropped Miami to 6-6 on what now can only be described as a mostly forgettable 2011 college football season for Hurricane fans. The loss also marked Miami's fourth consecutive "bowl" game loss since beating Nevada back in 2006 when some guy named Coker was still coaching the Hurricanes.

The smallish yet of very loyal and vocal group of orange and green clad UM fans (like Canespacer Hassan above) that did gather for the season finale at Sun life Stadium had little to be thankful for about their team the day after stuffing themselves full of Turkey and stuffing on Thanksgiving.

On Senior day in his final home game Miami QB Jacory Harris decided to go all retro and regressed into the inconsistent, turnover prone player that we all know and love (or hate). The first clue for Hurricane fans was when J12 got off the bus at the Hurricane Walk sporting a Mohawk (true) and a never used Heisman Trophy pink pimp suit (not true).

The Miami offense was absent for most of the day with the exception of the occasional burst of speed from Lamar Miller who broke off a few large gains and scored on a 79 yard run.

Other than Miller's dash it was mostly the aforementioned Harris throwing to the team in the wrong colored jerseys but looking really stylish (it was the mohawk) while doing so.

One would have thought that running through the smoke one last time this season might have spurred the UM players, especially the large group of graduating Seniors, into a solid last performance in front of the home faithful.

Yet as the team came out of the smoke and ran to the far end zone to take a knee and perform their customary pre-game prayer, fans had to be wondering if the players were praying for a victory or just for the season to mercifully be over?

The UM defense played well enough to win but not when the offense was giving up pick sixes and field position all game long. Again it was Freshman Denzel Perryman who continued his impressive play at linebacker for the Hurricanes as he clearly was once again the second best defender on the field next to Senior LB Sean Spence.

Without the real bowl game this year it will be an even longer off-season for the returning players to work on their strength and conditioning as the coaches focus on retaining recruits already verbally committed to Miami while also looking to fill the few (5) remaining slots during the recruiting process.

Now all that is left is to see which UM players aside from Lamar Miller will be selected as Canespace Legends of the Fall for 2011 and to see who will be the first blogger to predict that Miami will go undefeated and/or win the ACC next season. 

My money is on the original 12%er himself RayChanCanesFan (RCCF) to break the ice for 2012.

However, it is going to take more than a few cute slogans from the head coach to get to 12-0 or to even glimpse at an ACC title next year for the team with The U on their helmets.

That is when we see IF your Miami Hurricanes "Deserve Victory".

Things To Be Thankful For

Your Miami Hurricanes will play their final game of the 2011 college football season on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, marking the conclusion of their first year under new head coach Al Golden.

So as we come to the close of another season we thought it would be appropriate to list a few things that we are thankful for this Thanksgiving.

So here is the short list of what we feel deserves thanks and praise this Holiday weekend:

• More U.S. soldiers coming home to their families for the Holidays from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Head coach Al Golden for coming to Miami this year and hopefully being here next year and many more years to come.
• For former UM players Ryan Braun winning the National League MVP award with the Milwaukee Brewers and for Jon Jay winning the World Series as part of the St. louis Cardinals.
• Offensive Coordinator Jedd Fisch who directed the Hurricane offense and made a productive QB out of Jacory Harris during his Senior season at UM.
• Chris Freet and the entire crew at hurricanesports.com for the fantastic job they do in providing Hurricane fans the news we can use.
• The Hampton Inn hotel in Plantation for supporting Canespace and hosting UM fans from all over the Country both near and far.
• All of the former bloggers here at Canespace who contributed so much over the years including the recently departed Solarcane and Canechic and so many others who have added to the blog content and conversation over the last five plus years.
• All of the players in the Senior class who graduated from UM this season. While the ultimate goal may not have been accomplished we appreciate your efforts and contributions.
• Sean Spence for being the best and most productive defensive player at Miami over the last four years. #31 knew what it meant to wear "The U" on his helmet.
• The newly implemented "Hurricane Walk" at Sun Life Stadium. A great chance to see and cheer on the coaches and players close up on their way into the stadium before games.
• JoJo Nicholas for being a real team player and also the most consistent defensive back for the Hurricanes during the 2011 season.
• Tailgate parties at East 23 with real Canes fans like OGV, Canezilla, RaizeCane, Kenny and Monica and so many others. East-siders rule!
• Jacory Harris for being a true Miami Hurricane and remaining strong and committed the The U in spite of the adversity and criticism he had to endure during his career.
• Military plane fly-overs just before kickoff. They always inspire and never get old.
• For Art Kehoe coming home to coach his beloved Miami Hurricanes offensive line once again.
• Twitter actually becoming a useful tool to gather information instead of just random chatter.
• All of the great Hurricane fans and bloggers here at Canespace who make everything we do here on the blog fun and worthwhile.

It has been another interesting year of ups and downs, wins and losses and successes and failures.

I hope you enjoyed "The Process" as much as I did and followed along as we have narrowed down "The Short List To The Superdome" courtesy of our good friend Christopher Whelpton.

Beginning next week we will shift our focus to college basketball and then turn our attention to college football recruiting in January and February before following UM baseball in 2012.

Thank U once again for being on Canespace and Go Canes!!!

The Short List To The Superdome: Week 13

November comes to a memorable close on the Shortlist to the Superdome as everything is turned upside down while the new list of championship game invitation contenders dwindles down to a lucky number of seven and now reads as such by order of worthiness:

LSU, Houston, Alabama, Arkansas, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State.

While I didn't predict any teams to lose last week, three teams actually did to find themselves taken off the Shortlist and the fallen trio were:

1) Oklahoma finds their chambers depleted by injury when they need them most and loses a shootout to Baylor 45-38 on the road. Bob Stoops goes from preseason number one to just another year in Norman in what has become an all too familiar refrain to the Sooner fans as Baylor finally notches their first win over OU in 21 tries. Art Briles now prepares to see just how far into the stratosphere he can ascend his program with a pair of games against the Bears' big brothers in the separatist part of the country to finish the year but no matter what the outcome is the rest of the way, they'll always remember this win in Waco.

2) Clemson decides not to answer the bell in a game with no bearing on their conference finish as they fall to NC State for the Wolfpack's homecoming 37-13. If they don't kill the fans enthusiasm early, they find a way to disperse it late instead as usual. I can't decide which is worse for Tiger supporters.

3) Oregon goes from overhyped to overcome with agony as they miss a field goal on the last play of the game to lose to Southern Cal 38-35 at home. Only the running gag that is Lane Kiffen could turn a narrow escape in a game he never trailed over a gimmick-man like Chip Kelly leading a traditional conference doormat into a signature win and have some rubes buy it as a sign he's not in over his head. PT Barnum really did say it best all those years ago.

I expect just a single team to lose this week, one that's been sneaking by on borrowed time almost all year long: Virginia Tech.

I figure the third time will be the charm in my elimination prediction for the Hokies as the Governors' Cup game will decide the division title and Mike London is the fastest rising star in the ACC coaching ranks.

While pollsters simply can't help to bring themselves from guaranteeing an SEC West rematch for a title this year, the Shortlist to the Superdome finds itself in familiar territory, championing a team from outside a BCS auto qualifying league as the second best choice to compete for a title yet again this late in the year.

The Cougars of Houston and their record owning quarterback continue to beat every team they play to less and less respect, even their sacrifice to an SEC team would be more entertaining than a rehashed regular season match-up for it all.

If only someone would have the gumption to take a stand against Roy Kramer's charges from making all the rules, perhaps this season would finally be the one where we could look back and say for the first time since 1984, the Big Brothers of the game were overthrown by the unlikeliest of insurgents over their ivory walls.

Enjoy the games this week and join me back here next week for what could turn into one of the most shocking finishes to a football season in many years here on the Shortlist to the Superdome!

Copyright 2011 by Christopher Whelpton for Canespace.com

All I Want For Christmas Is: Institutional Control

No matter where or how hard you look in college athletics, IT is hard to find.

Just a few years ago former University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer had by all accounts and at last report over 35 players arrested over a three year span while he was pontificating and strolling around the Swamp. Yet surprisingly, the NCAA never charged The Pope of Gainesville of not having enough of IT. Maybe that was because apparently Jesus himself was playing quarterback for the Gators who were busy chomping up their opponents on a consistent basis and winning a couple of National Championships at the time?

Just last year the Auburn Tigers got into some trouble for not implementing IT in the curious case of All-Star quarterback Cam Netwon, whose father allegedly accepted bags full of cash on his behalf as Netwon The Younger drove all kinds of fancy sports cars all around campus that he did not own or could even think about affording. Newton's case would be cleared in record time by the NCAA at the end of the 2010 season and just before their bowl game. Maybe it's because during that season the star QB and his Tigers were in line to play for the National Championship?

Let us not forget Jim "Tattoo U" Tressel at Ohio State who proved that he could not even understand the concept. It was eventually revealed that Tressel not only knew about several players receiving "extra benefits" but that he refused to report it. Then he made things even worse by trying to cover it up in spite of the fact the people inside and outside the program knew about it at the time. Maybe that was because one of the players, some guy named Terrell Pryor, was his star QB and the Buckeyes were playing for a National Championship berth that season. The Sweater Vest was unceremoniously fired for his apparent lies and misdeeds that showed he clearly violated the most basic tenets of the whole idea and intent of IT.

More recently in a stunning, shocking and scandalous case of alleged sexual abuse by a former assistant coach, Joe Paterno and several administrators at Penn State, in spite of their previously untarnished reputations at a highly esteemed institution of higher education, demonstrated that not only did they not have any of IT but took it a step further and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they couldn't even spell IT. As a result, the legendary JoPa was sent packing just a week after the scandal broke and just a short time removed from winning a NCAA record 409th game as head coach of the Nittany Lions.

What we are talking about here sports fans is a relatively simple concept to understand and one that is one would assume is extremely important to the NCAA: Institutional Control.

Yet, with just a few of the many examples listed above one has to wonder: How important is Institutional Control to the sanctioning body of inter-collegiate athletics?

Given the current NCAA investigation at the University of Miami involving illegal benefits to several UM football players and at least one basketball player the university as an institution is taking no chances of being accused of lacking Institutional Control.

That is why UM President Donna Shalala and Miami Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst made the decision on their own without consulting UM head coach Al Golden that Miami would NOT compete in a bowl game this season.

The announcement came with stunning swiftness on Sunday and almost immediately after Miami beat USF to become bowl eligible by winning their sixth game on the 2011 season this past Saturday.

The move to not go bowling was a bold, decisive move by UM administrators that serves as an example to others as what to do when your institution has been accused of NCAA violations.

The decision was not expected to be universally accepted by all Hurricane fans, coaches or players. However, you can be certain that the move was not done to please them but a much "higher power".

It should be clear to even the most casual observer that the decision to self-impose a bowl ban for the 2011 season was done to ensure the NCAA that at the University of Miami, if absolutely nowhere else in college football, that Institutional Control is alive and well.

And that is a concept that the NCAA and all Miami Hurricane fans can certainly understand, appreciate and support.

Hey, What's That Smell?

WARNING: This blog is not for those easily offended, the faint of heart or complete Miami Hurricane "homers" who are desperately looking for some way to turn yesterday's game into a positive simply because Miami won.  In fact, this blog is not going to make anybody happy so that is why I am issuing a warning and an apology to everyone here at Canespace right up front. 

That nasty, foul, wretched stench you smell today is the lingering smell of bull dung that your Miami Hurricanes stepped in, no make that fell face first into, yesterday against the USF Bulls in Tampa.

The Hurricanes equipment staff may as well burn the uniforms from yesterday's stinker of a game because I've taken three showers and washed my clothes several times and I still can't get that awful smell off of my skin or out of any of the orange and green clothing I had on at the game. 

The performance by Miami at Raymond James Stadium was that bad. 

The game was possibly even worse than that if you happened to be among the 57,000 fans who actually attended the game like Chris Whelpton and his lovely girlfriend (seen below). 

Chris, or Orange and Green in the Vein as he is known here at Canespace, is a self professed critic of Al Golden and has (along with one or two others) tried diligently to recruit others to "The Darkside" without much success so far this season.

But that may have changed after yesterday's excuse for a football game in Tampa. The game was so completely devoid of action, excitement or big plays that several fans actually feel asleep during the game.

No seriously, my wife was among those fans who literally fell asleep during the second quarter. 

When she and a few other fans woke up all I could do was assure them that they didn't miss much at all except for maybe a few tackles and a couple of punts by both teams.  In fact, while kickoffs were rare (4 total) the two teams managed to punt the ball 17 times during the defensive struggle.

Sure, sure, sure...the positive spin on the game is that Miami beat USF to go to 6-5 on the season and become bowl eligible.  And yes, the UM defense played surprisingly well as the Hurricanes out kicked the Bulls by the score of 6-3 in what looked more like a soccer match than a football game as the game was decided by the kickers for both teams.

Both teams seemed to treat the end zone as some toxic nuclear waste storage area as neither team ever approached, got close to or much less tried to cross the goal line during the entire 60 minute contest. There is more action in a single rugby scrum than there was in this entire football game.

The UM offense, which had consistently been receiving such high praise from most Hurricanes fans near and far, completely stagnated in their second to last game of the season on the third Saturday in November.

The Hurricanes rushing attack was anything but effective as they rushed for a measly 57 yards on 40 attempts for a paltry 1.4 yards per carry.  That is simply not going to get it done.

The six points UM scored against USF was the lowest total allowed by the Bulls this season.  Even NCAA powerhouse Ball State scored a touchdown and seven points in a losing effort to the Bulls earlier this season.

Even the mighty Rattlers of FAMU managed to score 17 points against the Bulls back in October.

USF (5-5) had lost previous games to Rutgers, Cincinnati, UConn and Big East power Pittsburgh by 27 points earlier this season.  Yet Miami could only muster up two field goals against the Bulls.

UM Offensive Coordinator Jedd Fisch, who some had crowned as an "offensive genius" in recent weeks for his success and the complete transformation of UM QB Jacory Harris this season, did his best imitation of Patrick "I ain't the Fix" Nix as the Hurricane offense choked, sputtered and at times completely stalled out under his uncoordinated direction.

The aforementioned Harris looked hurried, lost and confused as he faced a fierce USF pass rush all afternoon.  Harris had his worst game this year by far and held the ball way too long on way too many occasions as he was either pressured or sacked on seemingly every passing down.

Al Golden also deserves his fair share of criticism for the Hurricane's lackluster effort and poor performance in his first bus trip across the State to the city by the bay.  After losing to the Seminoles in the 850 last week, losing to the Bulls in the 813 yesterday would have been unforgivable even by the most dedicated and die-hard Hurricane fans.

Especially those fans that are easily tempted by opposing team's cheerleaders and The Darkisde.

Yet it took a 36 yard field goal by Jake Wieclaw with 2 seconds left in the game to seal the deal for Miami against lowly USF.  That is simply unacceptable by any standards, much less Miami fans' expectations, at this late point of the season.

The bottom line is that this team, with these players and coaches, should be performing at much higher level after eleven games.  That fact, and the stench from yesterday's smelly  and highly objectionable performance by the Hurricanes, lands squarely and firmly in the center of Al Golden's desk at the Hecht Athletic Center in Coral Gables.

Al Golden barely managed to fend off OGV's efforts to recruit other Miami fans to The Darkside for another week.

But let me be clear: Against Boston College there will be no time for any more of this nonsense.

The Darkside is always nearby and always calling for more members.

Game Day: Miami vs USF

Today in Tampa your University of Miami Hurricanes face the University of South Florida Bulls in an intra-State showdown between an established power (UM) and an up and coming rival (USF).

The Bulls (5-4, 1-4 Big East) are headed into a three-game homestand to end their season as they host the Hurricanes (5-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) in this late-season, non-conference game at Raymond James Stadium.

Last Thursday, the Bulls ended their four-game losing streak by beating Syracuse 37-17. USF running back Demetris Murray scored two touchdowns and quarterback B.J. Daniels led the Bulls with 21 rushes for 117 yards while adding a touchdown of his own.

Miami is coming off a tough 23-19 loss to Florida State in Tallahassee. The Hurricanes ran 18 more plays than the Noles and held a 383-259 edge in net yards, but Miami could not overcome three turnovers and a few costly penalties in a losing effort on the road in the ACC.

USF is 1-2 all-time against Miami, but won the most recent meeting between the teams at Sun Life Stadium by the score of 23-20 (OT).

UM head coach Al Golden has argued all week long that the Bulls have a multi-faceted offense that could give the Hurricanes defense trouble.

The fact of the matter is that Golden does not trust his defense as he knows there are not enough play makers on that side of the ball to control most offenses with multiple weapons.

Here is Canespacer Christopher Whelpton's analysis of this week's team match-ups:

If Miami wins the game the Hurricanes will become bowl eligible with only one remaining game against Boston College at home on the 2011 schedule.

But the question that remains is will it be an invitation that they will accept or decline?

We think they will.

Canespace Prediction: Miami wins easily by the score of 34-20.

When Raising Canes Just Remember: Be Like Mike

The latest episode in the highly acclaimed "Raising Canes" series produced by the University of Miami Athletic Department focuses the camera squarely on the broad shoulders of Hurricane running back Mike James.

As revealed in the Raising Canes feature below, James' personal story of turning tragedy into triumph is as heartwarming as it is motivational. 

As most UM fans know Mike lost his mother suddenly last year in a tragic car accident in Central Florida.  But rather than allow that incident to drag him down into despair James instead used that event to continue to fuel his already solid determination to succeed.

Most of James' teammates refer to him simply as " Smiley" for his ever present and always cheerful smile. Smiley, who was able to maintain his positive attitude and outlook on life in the face of adversity, shares his strong and enduring love for his mother during the Raising Canes video segment. 

In a sport built around tough guys it is refreshing to see that Mike is comfortable openly talking about his feelings for his mother and go so far as to proudly define himself as a "mama's boy."  He even has the tattoo on his forearm to prove it!

Simply put, Mike James is simply the type of son that every mother wishes she had.

Head Coach Al Golden refers to Mike as a role model for other players on the team and the prototype for the type of player he wants at Miami. 

Golden cited James' dedication in the weight room, his toughness on the field and his leadership and commitment to education off the field as some of the key characteristics that he is looking for in all current and future UM players.

Here at Canespace we also like to recognize the Hurricane fans out there who are also managing the difficult but rewarding task of raising Canes. 

It starts when they are very young an attend UM events like UMike's son seen below before the Spring Game in 2009 with former UM RB Graig Cooper.

As Al Golden likes to say raising Canes is a "process."  A process that takes dedication to core values, commitment to hard work and a respect for the legacy of those who preceded you.

It takes dedicated parents who understand that legacy of the championship rich history of Miami Hurricane football, the meaning of orange on one side and green on the other side and who have an unending affection for the small private school in Coral Gables known to its fans simply as "The U".

If you do it right, and follow the process, your children may actually grow up to be Hurricanes like TexasCane's son Adam seen below during his playing days at Miami with former head coach Larry Coker.

So when Raising Canes, keep it simple, follow the process and try to remember this one very important fact:

Be Like Mike.

The Short List To The Superdome: Week 12

A tumultuous weekend of action at the top of the BCS standings leaves the Shortlist to the Superdome reconfigured of only the ten following teams listed in order of championship consideration worthiness as follows:

LSU, Oklahoma State, Houston, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Clemson, Oregon, Stanford and Virginia Tech.

Neither team I called or to be eliminated fell this week, the two defiant hangers on were:

1) Oregon extends its margin of victory over Stanford by a point each direction from last year as they come back from their road trip 53-30 victors. The newly diluted Pac-12 still is paced by a pair of traditional patsies in what is now the same division of the league and the Ducks' ability to move up late in the season and back into Louisiana airspace for New Year's will be prohibitively constricted thanks to the sound beating delivered by the team on top of the Shortlist to start the year but for now they remain the measuring stick on the field if not on the fashion runway out west.

2) Virginia Tech creeps to the edge of booking an ACC title game rematch with Clemson as they leave Atlanta in possession of a 37-26 victory over Georgia Tech. Now a win and a Virginia loss away from a division title the Hokies only hope is a resounding rematch victory for a BCS berth if they have any slight hope to play for a national championship. Maybe not losing yet another game while shaking the keys to your shacks over your head at home would have done the trick after cupcake decorating the schedule too? Make sure you dust that fascinating empty trophy case on campus this year by the way.

Compounding my zero percent correct elimination prediction rate for last week with both teams winning by double digits was three teams falling in varying degrees of upsets all in close fashion. The lack of intuition on my part extended through three time zones:

1) Boise State gets denied use of their blue uniforms, gives up a two point conversion with a minute to go, then watches the game winning field goal attempt sail wide on the last play of the game as they fall at home to TCU 36-35. The best non-BCS auto qualifier rivalry in recent history makes its
abortive conference series inaugural engagement a memorable one as Gary Patterson's Horned Frogs recover from a pair of old SWC conference rivalry losses to collect their sixth victory over a Top 10 team in 11 years and ending the last serious dark-horse national title bid in play. The real losers in this other than Bronco fans? The SEC East, which finds its likely champion counting its blessing it doesn't play in the Mountain West where they'd be lucky to finish third apparently.

2) Cincinnati comes up tantalizingly short against West Virginia in Cleveland 24-21. The Bearcats are off the Shortlist in 2011 just shy of the finish line but still control their own BCS destiny as they have a game in hand on the loss column over the other contenders in the Big East but will need to win at
Rutgers on the road this week and at home to finish the season against UConn with a victory to force a bowl sponsor curse on selection day when their bid is announced. With a Big East amoeba-like absorption of a third of the country on tap, this may be Cincinnati's best, last shot at the big time for a while so letting the opportunity slip away would be devastating for the program.

3) Penn State begins playing the next 548 games in the programs history by letting the visiting Cornhuskers commit what I can only describe as a Shortlist to the Superdome mercy killing by a 17-14 final. The team that denied the last undefeated Penn State squad a national title ensures that outcome yet again after joining a Big conference with counting issues, simultaneously welcoming
them into the realm of the tainted and the tarnished unwashed NCAA football masses after asking Nebraska's own fans to dress incognito to avoid a backlash from the State College faithful. I'd say that's an ironic coda to the long overdue corrective of an interminable era that will forever be remembered for its blatant hypocrisy that was spewed forth every time the football coach opened
his mouth, I'm sure we'll still be reminded at every opportunity of who they are even if we'd all really just like to forget for the foreseeable future.

I expect the Shortlist to remain intact at 10 teams this week as looking ahead becomes less and less likely as the distance to the end of the season draws closer and closer.

Enjoy the games this week and join me back here next week as the final positioning for the national title becomes ruthless down to the wire here on the Shortlist to the Superdome.

Copyright 2011 by Christopher Whelpton for Canespace.com