Northern Illinois fans to ESPN: Suck our oranges!
It is safe to say ESPN did not handle the fact Northern Illinois clinched an automatic spot in the BCS with what you and I would call class. I would highly advise you to check out Matt Yoder’s rant and reaction on Awful Announcing, because quite honestly that sums up my reaction as well as anybody’s to the initial response form some of ESPN’s college football analysts.
Is Oklahoma or Clemson a better team than Northern Illinois? Sure, they probably are. To me though, Northern Illinois played by the rules and met the requirements needed to earn an automatic spot in the BCS. I thought the Huskies had too far up to move in the BCS standings in the final weekend of the season so I was stunned to see they were able to sneak in following their MAC championship win over Kent State. Nebraska’s tire fire performance in the Big Ten championship game certainly was not expected and helped the Huskies, as well as UCLA and Texas losing.
Rather than embrace the Cinderella story for Northern Illinois, many seem to be using it as an excuse to continue kicking the current BCS model on its way out the door (following next season). You will not get any of that from me. I was firmly on the Kent State band wagon specifically to see a MAC team in the BCS. Remember, I thought Northern Illinois had too much ground to make up to get in. I am happy to be wrong on this one. The fans and supporters of Northern Illinois are issuing their own responses to ESPN’s reaction, as you might expect.
Jordan Lynch apparently threw an orange at a TV. This gas station delievers another message to ESPN…
Via Reddit
OK, I can hear you now calling me a homer, and perhaps that is partly true. As you know, I cover Penn State football and I manage 
This may not be what it once was but the fact that Notre Dame and Florida State are playing it means we can look back on some great college football games form the past. #1 vs. #2 certainly comes to mind quickly, as it was one of the first games I distinctly remember watching on television. Here we are now and Florida State and Notre Dame look like they are on the right track back to national prominence. Will this game catapult either to taking that next step in 2012? We thought Notre Dame did that last year by beating Miami, and we thought Florida State was going to be an ACC favorite this season. What will we think next summer?
Not only will this game be heavy on the running game, it also means that it has the most potential to be done quickly. Not that we ever want a game to end early, but the game is played the same day as the Holiday Bowl and that is always a fun game to watch it seems (although it remains absent on this particular list). This game will feature the nation’s second-ranked and 14th-ranked rushing offenses, so get ready for some good, old-fashioned running plays, with a triple-option thrown in the mix as well.
Heisman finalist Robert Griffin III will get a good stage to perform on in the Alamo Bowl. Could the game feature their first Heisman Trophy winner? Perhaps. He sure looks like the favorite (and 
Texas A&M failed to live up to some of the preseason hype, and Mark Sherman is looking for a new job, so I expect Texas A&M to play with a little extra fire as they prove to their new SEC rivals that they should be taken seriously in 2012. Can they set the tone in this bowl game, and avoid a second half collapse as has been a recurring theme for the Aggies this season? They’ll be in for a good battle against a Northwestern team that defeated Nebraska this season and is always likely to play hard, above their natural abilities, for 60 minutes. I’d expect nothing less of a Pat Fitzgerald-coached team.
MAC champions vs. Sun Belt champions. It may not have the national appeal as a Big Ten champ vs. an SEC champ but for those of us who committed ourselves to watching as much college football this season, including Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night college football games this is our reward for a season of MACtion and Battle of the Belts nights and conversations on Twitter. This is like our Super Bowl, or BCS Championship, in a sense as it is the next-to-last game of the bowl season. Some of us would have it no other way.
Hopefully the rest of the nation gets to take advantage of this opportunity to watch Temple running back Bernard Pierce. When he is healthy he is a tough player for opposing defenses to slow down, and with Wyoming not exactly excelling in the run defense department, this could be a nice showcase game for Pierce. Steve Addazio will look to cap his first season with the Owls with an elusive bowl victory for the program. This is also the first bowl game of the season, so naturally it should be one on every college football fan’s viewing schedule.
So you didn’t get selected to play in a BCS bowl game, and your star quarterback, Mr. Consistency, did not get invited to New York. There is only one way to go out and respond Boise State. Unleash the inner-Bronco in you against Arizona State, a team led by the fearsome Vontaze Burfict and a Sun Devils team that will look to play with some pride after seeing Dennis Erickson be forced out the door. Will Burfict intimidate Kellen Moore? Oh man, and the uniforms… This game cannot start soon enough.
The Urban Bowl. The underlying Urban Meyer storyline will be the best thing about this game, and likely the only thing the broadcast crew will bother to talk about. Florida’s former head coach will be Ohio State’s new head coach in 2012 after the Buckeyes hired Meyer to be their ultimate successor to Jim Tressel. But this game has a chance to be somewhat entertaining on the field too, with a young Braxton Miller giving Buckeye fans a reason to be optimistic and Florida playing close to home, where they just about always find a way to win.
I was not necessarily surprised that TCU upset Boise State this weekend, but I had no idea TCU quarterback Casey Pachall would go off the way he did against the Broncos. Pachall’s five touchdown performance and 473 yards were both season-highs for the heir to the Andy Dalton throne under center. Consider that Pachall had thrown for over 251 yards just once this season (304 yards vs. SMU), everybody should have been stunned looking at the box-score this weekend.
We may just have to reserve a spot for Northern Illinois quarterback Chandler Harnish here every week. Maybe I was slow to really take notice of him but once again Harnish led his Huskies to victory by using the air and ground game to his advantage. Harnish completed 16 of 26 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball 17 times for 151 yards and one more touchdown in Northern Illinois’ 45-14 victory against Bowling Green.
Colorado State had the unenviable task of formally welcoming Boise State to the Mountain West Conference this past weekend. Let’s just say the Broncos were more than gracious. Kellen Moore completed 26 of his 30 pass attempts for 338 yards and four touchdowns as Boise State routed the Rams 63-13.
One of the major players in the Detmer Award, San Diego State running back Ronnie Hillman, had a big night Thursday night against Air Force, by running for 172 yards and two touchdowns in an Aztecs 41-27 win. His two scoring plays came on runs of 22 and 57 yards and they each came in the fourth quarter with San Diego State clinging to a seven-point lead before the Hillman touchdowns. It was also his 11th career 100-yard game in 18 collegiate games.
