November 28, 2009

Tom Dienhart
Rivals.com College Football Senior Writer

Nothing makes a season gone bad feel better than a victory over a rival. Just ask Oklahoma.

The Sooners' 27-0 win over No. 11 Oklahoma State in Norman on Saturday denied the Cowboys a potential trip to a BCS bowl and provided a needed boost to an OU program that saw numerous injuries ruin the season.

"That's the way you finish a season," defensive tackle Gerald McCoy told reporters afterwards. "We've still got a bowl game to play, but that's the way you come back and finish out."

Oklahoma State had not been shut out since 2005. Cowboys quarterback Zac Robinson was abysmal, completing just going 9 of 21 passes for 44 yards, and Oklahoma State mustered only 109 yards of offense against an Oklahoma defense that yielded 549 in last week's 41-13 loss to Texas Tech.

"We certainly would have liked to have had the opportunity to be in that BCS picture, but we can't do anything about that now," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy told the assembled media. "As I said earlier, at the end of the year, the bowl representatives in this league are going to pick teams that have competed for 12 games. You've got to play 12 games."

Even with the victory, the Sooners' 7-5 mark is the program's worst since coach Bob Stoops' first season in Norman in 1999. A bowl will allow OU to try to continue to wash away the bad feelings of a 2009 season that began with BCS title dreams.

South Carolina and Mississippi State can relate to Oklahoma's season-ending glee. Like the Sooners, each scored wins over rivals who were ranked.

Clemson had won two in a row, six of seven and 10 of 12 against the Gamecocks - until Saturday's resounding 34-17 victory by South Carolina. As with Oklahoma, South Carolina (7-5) used defense to spark its victory.

"It feels good," Gamecocks linebacker Eric Norwood told reporters. "It feels like we're 10-0."

The Gamecocks limited Clemson to 260 total yards. Clemson running back/Heisman hopeful C.J. Spiller returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown but finished with just 18 yards rushing and 19 yards receiving. The Tigers still will play Georgia Tech in the ACC title game next Saturday, but for this season, South Carolina is the state champ.

"It was a wonderful win," Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said.

Mississippi State first-year coach Dan Mullen knows the feeling. In his first Egg Bowl, he scored a 41-27 upset of Ole Miss.

"This program is on the rise," Mullen said, "maybe to the contrary of what some others are saying around the state."

The Bulldogs finished 5-7 and won five games for just the second time since 2000. Mississippi State also scored its most points in the rivalry since 1917.

Like Oklahoma and South Carolina, Mississippi State was backstopped by a strong defense. The Bulldogs limited the Rebels to 86 rushing yards and forced four turnovers.

"It is a sick feeling," Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said. "It is not what we planned."

Going 12-0 may have been the easy part for TCU. Now, comes the waiting and hoping.

The Horned Frogs did nothing to sully their reputation as one of the nation's elite programs in dismantling New Mexico 51-10 to punctuate a perfect regular season. Now they must wait to see how high they'll finish in the BCS standings - and what BCS bowl they will play in.

"We can play with anybody," coach Gary Patterson told reporters. "We're going to look forward to the challenge. We'll find out what that's going to be and we're going to get ready for it. ... This team can play with a lot of people, and not just this year."

TCU used a dominating combination of offense and defense to suffocate the hapless Lobos (1-11). Quarterback Andy Dalton threw for 228 yards and four touchdowns, the team ran for 202 and the defense held New Mexico to 172 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Representatives from the Fiesta, Sugar and Orange bowls watched TCU. But the Frogs are thinking bigger; they're thinking BCS title game. Ranked No. 4 in the most recent standings, TCU could get to the title game if Texas loses to Nebraska next week in the Big 12 title game.

"Of course we're going to root for the upset and all of that," Dalton told the media. "Now that we've done everything that we can do, there's that relief. "

Notre Dame let Toby Gerhart score with 59 seconds left in a tie game, just let him waltz right into the end zone for a TD that gave Stanford a seven-point edge.

Embattled coach Charlie Weis just wanted to let the Cardinal score so the Irish could get the ball back and try to tie the game. Why not? Notre Dame has one of the most prolific offenses in the nation and quarterback Jimmy Clausen was picking apart the Stanford secondary.

For Stanford, it was a joyous occasion, another brick in the wall of a terrific rebuilding job by Jim Harbaugh. The Cardinal are 8-4, with wins over USC and Oregon, and they are bowl eligible for the first time since 2001.

Gerhart ran for 205 yards, the third time this season he has eclipsed the 200-yard barrier. He also threw a TD pass. As a bonus, Gerhart's prime-time effort may have been enough to earn him a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

That's where Clausen was supposed to be. But he won't be there after his team finished 6-6. And now the wait begins: When will Notre Dame fire Weis? Speculation as to who will be the next coach is speeding ahead.

Most believe the next coach should possess two key qualities:

1. Be an established college head coach.
2. Have a defensive background.

The coaches who best fit that profile are Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and TCU's Gary Patterson. Cincinnati's Brian Kelly also figures to get a look despite not being a defense-oriented coach.

While Weis as good as gone, Clausen and wide receiver Golden Tate seem likely to turn pro. Their departures will make the new coach's job that much more difficult.

It's time for Florida to be afraid. Georgia, too. Tennessee looks like a looming power under first-year coach Lane Kiffin.

Tennessee finished the season with a flurry. The Vols' 30-24 overtime win at Kentucky was Tennessee's fourth in its past five games and fifth in seven games following a 2-3 start.

"Yeah, we are a completely different team," Kiffin told reporters. "If that same team [Kentucky] is as good as they were tonight at the beginning of the year, than I don't think that we win that game.

"Our quarterback [Jonathan Crompton] has come so far and [wide receivers] Gerald [Jones] and Denarius [Moore] are making so many plays that they didn't use to make. We are definitely a completely different team, and we don't make as many mistakes."

The coaching staff deserves credit for how well it developed Crompton, who came on strong in the second half of the season.

Boston College: The Eagles are primed to go to a bowl for the 11th consecutive season following a 19-17 win over Maryland. Hat's off to first-year coach Frank Spaziani, who dealt with a nightmare offseason.

BYU: Despite mustering just 265 yards, the Cougars won the Holy War, edging archrival Utah 26-23 in overtime. It was the 11th time in the past 13 meetings that the game was decided by seven or fewer points.

Connecticut: The Huskies became bowl eligible with a 56-31 thumping of Syracuse.

East Carolina: A 25-20 win over Southern Miss gives the Pirates the C-USA East title and a trip to the league title game for the second season in a row. How long can school officials keep Skip Holtz in Greenville, N.C.?

Florida: The Gators' 37-10 win over Florida State turned into a Tim Tebow tribute. It was his last home game, and he starred in throwing for three touchdowns and running for two more. Florida won its sixth in a row in the series and its nation's-best 22nd game in a row as it heads toward next Saturday's showdown with Alabama in the SEC title game

Houston: The Cougars' 73-14 destruction of Rice - they led 59-0 at halftime - clinched the C-USA West title and sends Houston to the league title game to play East Carolina.

LSU: Following last week's time-management gaffe in a loss to Ole Miss, Les Miles needed to beat Arkansas. He did. LSU won 33-30 in overtime and almost certainly secured a New Year's Day bowl bid.

Miami: A 31-10 victory at USF gives the Hurricanes their first nine-win season since 2005. If Miami can win its bowl, it will have a 10-win season for the first time since 2003. This is a young team that's getting better.

Mississippi State: First-year coach Dan Mullen is 1-0 in the Egg Bowl after a 41-27 whipping of Ole Miss. Credit reserve quarterback Chris Relf and running back Anthony Dixon. Dixon finished with a school single-season rushing mark of 1,390 yards.

N.C. State: There were no bowl hopes on the line for the Wolfpack, who had lost six of seven entering this game. But beating North Carolina 28-27 was a salve of sorts. Coach Tom O'Brien has won all three meetings against Butch Davis and North Carolina.

Oklahoma: What has been a miserable season ended on an up note with a 27-0 whipping of Oklahoma State, which managed just 109 yards. It's hard to believe this was the same Sooners defense that was shredded for 549 yards (388 passing) and 41 points last week at Texas Tech.

South Carolina: It was all about the defense for the Gamecocks, who allowed just 260 yards against ACC Atlantic Division champ Clemson. The Tigers had won 10 of the past 12 meetings.

TCU: The Horned Frogs are the first of the nation's unbeatens to finish the season, as they crushed New Mexico 51-10 to move to 12-0 for the second time in school history. The last time? It was 1935 - when the Frogs won the national title.

Tennessee: A 30-24 overtime win over Kentucky earned Tennessee second place in the SEC East and likely secured a New Year's Day bowl bid for the Vols.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders beat Baylor 20-13 to move to 8-4. It was the fewest points Tech has scored in a win since it beat Texas A&M 12-0 in 2001.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies beat Virginia 42-13 for their sixth victory in a row in the series. Ryan Williams ran for 182 yards and four TDs. Guess Tech hasn't missed Darren Evans.

Washington: The Huskies recorded their first shutout of Washington State in 45 years during a 30-0 romp in the Apple Cup.

ACC: Any national excitement for next week's title game was killed when participants Clemson (South Carolina) and Georgia Tech (Georgia) lost Saturday.

Arizona State: The misery continues for the Sun Devils, who lost at home to Arizona, 20-17, after a late-game muffed punt set up a game-wining field goal for Arizona. ASU finished the season with six losses in a row.

Clemson: There will be no Heisman for C. J. Spiller, who did have an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown (an NCAA-record seventh of his career). But Spiller was held to just 18 yards rushing and 19 yards receiving in a 34-17 loss at South Carolina.

Florida State: After a 37-10 beatdown at Florida that wasn't even that close, who still thinks Bobby Bowden should return as coach?

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets got a dose of their own medicine when Georgia ran for 339 yards in a 30-24 upset. The Bulldogs had two players (Washaun Ealey with 183 and Caleb King with 166) rush for 100 yards in a game for the first time since 2004.

Kansas: Todd Reesing threw for 498 yards, a school single-game record, but the Jayhawks faded late in a 41-39 loss to Missouri. Kansas finished the season on a seven-game losing streak, and it likely was the final game of Mark Mangino's tenure.

Maryland: A 19-17 loss to Boston College sealed the first 10-loss season in Terps history. It also may have sealed the fate of Terps coach Ralph Friedgen, whose team closed the season with seven consecutive losses. He has two years left on a contract that pays him $2 million per season.

North Carolina: That's three losses in a row to N.C. State. At least the Tar Heels still will go bowling.

Ole Miss: The 41-27 loss to Mississippi State cost the Rebels bowl slotting and a whole lot of pride. So much for any momentum from last week's win over LSU.

Virginia: It what may have been Al Groh's last game as Cavs coach, UVa lost for the eighth time in nine games to Virginia Tech, 42-13. At 3-9, Virginia posted its worst season since a 2-9 mark in 1982.

Washington State: A brutal season mercifully ended with a 30-0 loss to Washington in the Apple Cup. The loss ended Wazzu's two-game winning streak in the series.

BCS matchup will take shape: All eyes will be on Atlanta, as Florida will battle Alabama for not just the SEC championship but also for a spot in the BCS title game. The focus also will be on Arlington, Texas, where Texas is poised to be the other team in the BCS title game if it beats Nebraska in the Big 12 title game.

De facto Big East title game: Yes, the game lost some luster with Pitt losing at West Virginia on Friday night, but Cincinnati is 11-0 and has faint national title hopes as it prepares to visit Pitt in a game that will determine the Big East title.

De facto Pac-10 title game: As with the Big East, there will be a winner-takes-all matchup in the Pac-10 with Oregon State visiting Oregon on Thursday. The Beavers were in this same spot last season and got drubbed 65-38 by the Ducks, who rolled up 694 yards of offense.

Heisman finale: Who is going to win? It will likely be decided on Saturday, with Alabama's Mark Ingram facing off against Florida's Tim Tebow and Texas' Colt McCoy battling a rugged Nebraska defense in the Big 12 title game. Everybody else seems like a long shot.

Tom Dienhart is the national senior writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at dienhart@yahoo-inc.com.