N.C. State Sports | Wolfpack Basketball, Football and More

WE F**KING OWNZ THE WATERZ BEETCHES!

2009-11-10T09:52:00.005-05:00

Another tournament, another title for the N.C. State Bass Fishing Team.

The North Carolina State University team of Kevin Beverley and Ben Dziwulski captured the FLW Collegiate Fishing Northern Regional Championship on Lake Norman Sunday. The pair caught their limit of six bass, which weighed in at a total 9 pounds, 6 ounces.

The tourney was hosted by the Town of Davidson and Davidson College, and weigh-in was on the Davidson Village Green Sunday afternoon.

Winning the Northern Regional Championship earned the Wolfpack team a $25,000 check for their school, a Ranger bass fishing boat, and a trip to the national championships in April in Knoxville.

I think to be fair they should just allow the other teams to fish with dynamite.

Because really, when the Bass Pack take to the water, everyone else is just fishing for second place.

N.C. State Preview From ACC Sports Journal

2009-11-10T09:14:00.003-05:00

Jim Young, Editor of the ACC Sports Journal, shot me an email to let me know their N.C. State basketball preview was up. It's good stuff and you should check it out here.

An interesting note in the email he sent: "Man, Julius Mays didn't pull any punches, did he?"

Referring to this quote:

“I won’t mention names, but we’ve had players who have been more about themselves, would rather score 30 points than N.C. State win the game,” Mays said. “We also had players trying to get other players to turn against the coach and get them on their page instead of Coach’s page. When you’ve got individuals like that, you can’t win.

“Now, with the young guys and the veterans that we have, we’re all on the same page with each other, and I feel like we can be a lot different.”

LOL, no, no he didn't.

But his quote gives credence to what we heard intimations of and saw glimpses of on the court last season: The players left over from the previous regime had a major beef with the new coaching staff and Sidney Lowe in particular, and went so far as to actively lobby the other players on the team to rebel against the leadership structure.

That's about as caustic a coaching/playing environment as one can imagine. It's no wonder this team seemed to have no direction or multiple personalities at times...there was a war being waged behind the scenes. And a team divided against itself cannot win, to borrow from some historical oratory.

Mays' comments give me optimism for this season, however, as I think we'll finally see a team all pulling in the same direction for once. We may not have the horses now to make a push for the conference title or even land in the top half of the conference, but I do think a .500 conference record is possible. If State can break even in the league and perhaps steal a nice out-of-conference win somewhere (and get some breaks along the way), an at-large NCAA berth is not out of the question in my mind.

State Gets It Done On Homecoming, 38-31

2009-11-09T00:22:00.005-05:00

In a game equal parts excellent and maddening, State gets its first conference win of the season on homecoming against a struggling Maryland team, 38-31.

Willie Young intercepted a pass from Chris Turner on the game's first play and Michael Lemon's sack of backup Maryland quarterback Jamarr Robinson on the final play sealed the deal.

In betwixt those two outstanding plays from State's defensive ends were three Russell Wilson interceptions, a fumbled punt, questionable coaching decisions and boatloads of missed/poor tackling. But there was enough good to outweigh the bad -- three passing TDs and a rushing score from Russell Wilson, some solid pass protection and the defense holding a team under 300 total yards in what feels the first time in forever.

The record book don't ask how pretty it was -- just tell it either "W" or "L." State got to utter "W" for the first time since the Pitt game, and the team will take it.

State 84, St. Pauls 42

2009-11-05T21:42:00.005-05:00

GoPack.com link

So State kicked the pine tar out of a Division II opponent in a game that won't tell us too terribly much about the team. However, there were some notable performances:

Tracy Smith was his typical badass self. He went 9-for-11 and a perfect 3-for-3 at the free throw line for 21 points. The Macrowave does what The Macrowave wants, especially against teams without a player over 6'-6".
Scott Wood made his presence known in his first semi-real action...4-4 from three-point range before leaving the game in the second half with back spasms. The Eternal Pessimist in me fears that he'll be this generation's Ishua Benjamin -- peaking in his first game. (Just kidding--he'll be fine. I think.)
Dennis Horner certainly hoped for a stronger outing. He shot 2-for-10 and missed all six of his three-point attempts.
As a team, they still have some lingering bugaboos to work out, namely the 19 turnovers and the 14 offensive rebounds they surrendered to an undersized team.

Here's the box score:

Official Basketball Box Score
St. Paul's College vs NC State
11/05/09 7 pm at Raleigh, N.C. (Reynolds Coliseum)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: St. Paul's College 0-0
                       TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
00 Lassiter, Roger..... *  1-6    0-1    0-0    4  1  5   0   2  1  0  0  0  27
01 Leseur, George...... *  2-12   1-8    0-0    0  2  2   3   5  2  4  0  2  34
03 Williams, Kedrick... *  5-20   3-8    1-4    0  4  4   2  14  1  2  0  2  30
05 Rasoull, Ibn-Saeed.. *  3-14   0-2    4-6    1  4  5   4  10  0  5  0  0  34
15 McBeth, Quinton..... *  2-5    0-0    1-2    5  0  5   2   5  1  0  0  2  22
10 Johnson, Kwame......    2-4    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   0   4  1  0  0  3  22
11 Church, Andrew......    0-3    0-1    2-2    1  0  1   2   2  1  1  0  0   9
12 Davis, Jason........    0-2    0-0    0-1    2  2  4   2   0  0  1  0  1  10
20 Reed, Johnny........    0-2    0-1    0-0    0  2  2   1   0  0  1  0  0  11
42 Totten, Kendrell....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
TEAM................                         5     5
Totals..............   15-68   4-21   8-15  19 15 34  16  42  7 14  0 10 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  9-34 26.5%   2nd Half:  6-34 17.6%   Game: 22.1%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  1-8  12.5%   2nd Half:  3-13 23.1%   Game: 19.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-4  75.0%   2nd Half:  5-11 45.5%   Game: 53.3%    2


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
10 Gonzalez, Javier.... *  2-3    1-2    0-1    0  5  5   2   5  6  3  0  4  17
15 Wood, Scott......... *  4-4    4-4    0-0    1  1  2   0  12  0  0  0  1  22
21 Williams, C.J....... *  2-4    0-1    0-0    0  1  1   0   4  5  1  0  0  15
23 Smith, Tracy........ *  9-11   0-0    3-3    2  2  4   2  21  0  0  3  1  21
31 Horner, Dennis...... *  2-10   0-6    3-4    1  3  4   1   7  2  1  1  0  23
04 Kufuor, Enrico......    0-1    0-1    2-2    0  5  5   0   2  0  3  0  1   8
05 Painter, DeShawn....    4-6    0-1    0-1    1  5  6   2   8  1  1  0  1  20
12 Degand, Farnold.....    2-3    0-1    2-2    1  5  6   3   6  4  1  0  0  17
14 Vandenberg, Jordan..    3-5    0-0    0-0    1  4  5   1   6  3  5  1  0  13
22 Davis, Josh.........    1-3    0-0    1-2    2  1  3   0   3  1  1  0  0   9
24 Mays, Julius........    1-2    1-2    0-0    0  1  1   1   3  1  0  0  1  23
30 Thomas, Johnny......    2-3    0-1    0-0    1  0  1   0   4  1  3  0  0   9
40 Obi-Gwacham, Kaycee.    1-1    1-1    0-0    0  3  3   1   3  0  0  1  0   3
TEAM................                         1  3  4
Totals..............   33-56   7-20  11-15  11 39 50  13  84 24 19  6  9 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 15-27 55.6%   2nd Half: 18-29 62.1%   Game: 58.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  6-12 50.0%   2nd Half:  1-8  12.5%   Game: 35.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  8-10 80.0%   2nd Half:  3-5  60.0%   Game: 73.3%    1

If You Aren't A Student Or Season Ticket Holder, Don't Bother Heading To Reynolds Tonight

2009-11-05T14:56:00.003-05:00

...because you won't be admitted.

For State's only exhibition game of the season, held tonight at Reynolds Colisuem, only season ticket holders with vouchers and students with valid IDs will be admitted.

While not technically the first "real" game of the season, this is the first time folks will be able to see the new-look State take the court. That folks without season tickets will be turned away at the door is equal parts confusing, saddening and frustrating.

A good friend of mine debated me on the matter last night. His argument (a sound one) is that if a sizable percentage of season ticket holders and a sizable number of students show up for the game and you sell general admission tickets on top of that, you could run the risk of exceeding Reynolds' reduced capacity of ~9,500 and open the school up to all sorts of fire code and liability issues.

I get that. But couldn't that STILL occur if nearly all season ticket holders and a very large contingent of students decided to attend? It's not likely, but eliminating GA ticket sales DOESN'T do away with the potential for fire code and liability issues...it merely diminishes the likelihood.

So if the Wolfpack Club is banking on a less-than-capacity crowd comprised of season ticket holders and students, could they not come up with an effective way to allow entrance to those locals without season tickets that'd like to go? Surely the numbers of folks looking for GA tickets won't be that large...not so large as to prevent all three groups from attending. Why not charge $10 for GA tickets for the first 1,000 non-season ticket holders? I doubt more than 1,000 would be necessary, and that total would only consume a little over a 1/10th of the available space.

Personally, I can't afford season ticket but always I've enjoyed exhibition games in the past because the GA tickets allow someone like myself to take my son to a game fairly cheaply in better-than-I'll-ever-have seats. Tonight's ticketing scenario eliminates that possibility for folks like me.

And what message does it send that this exhibition is ONLY available to those of you willing to pony up cash for a year's worth of tickets? The ticket office may spin it as an "added benefit" to those season ticket holders, but for some folks out there, the execution feels more like neglecting the everyday fan to pander to the folks that can afford the special treatment.

In my opinion, NO game -- sans those games scheduled as closed scrimmages -- should be off-limits to ANY State fan for ANY reason. Wolfpack Nation -- by virtue of decades of mediocrity -- needs to value EVERY fan within its fanbase, not just the season ticket holders. If you want to give the season ticket holders a perk for ponying up a large sum of cash, great, give them a free cooler or t-shirt or ticket for a free pint of N.C. State ice cream. But DON'T let one man's perk become another man's punishment when he (or she) may want nothing more than to drop by Reynolds tonight after work and spend a few bucks to sit in Reynolds and remember the good times or just see his or her favorite team play on the cheap.

Building a "fence" to keep the non-season ticket holders "out" is just a bad idea...another in a long, long line.

Coach K: Fan Of The Jerk Out?

2009-11-05T08:51:00.006-05:00

H/T to SFN for posting this video this morning, in which Coach K reveals that he's got a little Morris Day and The Time on his iPod:

Hmmm... Reckon K has a dude run up to him with a big mirror before each practice?

Can't blame the man for getting down with Morris Day. They brought it back in the day, and would be better than 99% of the sh*t that gets released today. Morris Day + Arsenio Hall Show = Early 90s YouTube goodness:

Nerding Out At The Free Throw Line

2009-11-04T16:17:00.002-05:00

What happens when you have one of the world's best engineering schools in the heart of Tobacco Road? You get studies like this: The Physics Of Free Throw Shooting.

Drs. Chau Tran and Larry Silverberg, mechanical and aerospace engineers at State, put together a study involving hundreds of thousands of three-dimensional computer simulations to determine the following:

1. "...you should aim for the back of the rim, leaving close to 5 centimeters – about 2 inches – between the ball and the back of the rim. According to the simulations, aiming for the center of the basket decreases the probabilities of a successful shot by almost 3 percent."

2. "...shooters should launch the shot with about three hertz of back spin. That translates to the ball making three complete backspinning revolutions before reaching the hoop."

3. "...the ball should be launched at 52 degrees to the horizontal. ...the shot should, at the highest point in its arc to the basket, be less than 2 inches below the top of the backboard."

Good stuff.

The interesting thing to me is that I seem to recall (perhaps it was an urban legend) that Everett Case once published a paper on free throw shooting that suggested the two-handed underhand technique employed by Rick Barry was the most effective method for shooting consistent free throws. If that's the case (and I couldn't find anything online to support it), it's interesting to see that all these many years later, folks at State are still trying to find the most effective way to score points at the charity stripe.

ACC Roundtable: Week 10

2009-11-04T08:58:00.006-05:00

Winfield Tufts (what, no Esquire?) of "From The Rumble Seat," Georgia Tech's representative of the SB Nation, is hosting this week's ACC Roundtable. Master Tufts unloaded on us with seven questions this week so he's going to make us work for the pageviews.

His questions and my answers follow.

1. Alright fellas, this is your turn to apologize to the Boston College Eagles who went to Hell and back and have now arrived as the 3rd team for the ACC (and only team in the Atlantic) to be bowl eligible. You know you were snickering in the preseason. Also, give a high five to Mark Herzlich for finishing his last treatment of chemo.

I will most definitely give Frank Spaziani and the folks at BC their due for keeping the ship afloat with nothing more than bubble gum, duct tape and spit. Like Dean Smith, I keep waiting for them to die but they just...won't...DIE. Kudos to them. And yes, Mark Herzlich deserves a big high five, some hugs and a gift basket of fruit for completing his cancer treatment. With any luck he'll be back on the field next season terrorizing the rest of the Atlantic and proving me wrong for a fourth year in a row.

2. An Orange Bowl victory over a Boise/TCU or an Orange Bowl victory over a Penn State/Cincy team - which means more for the conference? Is there even a difference?

I guess I'll rank the potential victories in order of most important to least:

1. Boise St.
2. TCU
3. Penn St.
4. Cincy

Boise St. and TCU were a toss up for the top spot. Both are highly ranked and media darlings. I went with Boise St. over TCU just because they have built more of a name over the last few years (beating OK on the last play of the game was a huge boost for their program) than has TCU, but to play spoiler to either of these teams would be huge.

I put Penn St. third because they're a traditional power and pretty highly ranked, but playing an ACC team in the Orange Bowl is a downgrade for them based on where they were projected to start the season. Penn St. making the Orange Bowl would almost be like a consolation BCS berth.

I put Cincy fourth because they don't have either the name or the track record to qualify as a "bump" for the league. Until Cincy wins a BCS bowl they're still a lesser commodity without tradition. Further, they lost to the ACC last season in the Orange Bowl. I don't see the ACC getting any brownie points for beating the same team in the same bowl in back-to-back years.

But let's hold our horses on Cincy even MAKING the Orange Bowl...they've still got Pitt sitting there at 4-0 in the league. If both teams make it through the rest of the conference slate undefeated, Pitt hosts Cincy on Dec. 5th for all the Big East marbles. And with Cincy quarterback Tony Pike nursing a bum arm, we could be asking if the ACC would get a boost defeating the Big East champion whose one loss came at the hands of one of the worst ACC teams (yeah, that would be N.C. State).

3. Enough with the CJ Spillers, the Christian Ponders, and the Jacory Harrises. We wanna talk defense. Who is the defensive POTY thus far in the ACC?

I think Vince Oghobaase from Duke deserves some serious consideration here. I know the higher profile teams like Virginia Techs and Miamis have rosters loaded with speed and nastiness, but Duke's won three games in a row in conference due in large part to the play of their defense. Yeah, Duke can score some points and Thad Lewis is a great quarterback and David Cutcliffe coached the Manning brothers (if only I had a nickel for everytime that's been said locally), but ever since the second half of the State game where Duke's defense shut down an offense that just posted 500+ yards and 42 points in Tallahassee, Duke has played very solid defensively. Oghobaase is 15th in the league in tackles for loss (Jason Worilds at VT is 21st), which is pretty solid for a defensive tackle. I'm a believer in winning the battles up front, and Vince has been getting it done of late. If we want to crown Duke as the surprise team thus far this season, he -- and the rest of the defense behind him -- deserves a great deal of credit. You can't win with just offense...lord knows State's tried.

4. Recently, Bird compared the Atlantic to the Big 12 North. Is this a fair comparison? The Coastal is currently 8-2 against the Atlantic. There are still 8 interdivision games left. Can the Atlantic redeem itself this season?

I can live with that comparison (kudos to Bill Snyder, by the way, returning to KSU and getting them to the top of the Big 12 North scrap heap for the time being in just one season). To answer the second question, a flat "No" should suffice.

5. Tailgating is essential to all things football. In Atlanta, the tailgating game of choice is cornhole. What is your game of choice to pass the time?

As the N.C. State representative, I feel obligated to speak out on the issue of tailgating restrictions, specifically those placed on our fanbase by the school's administration. For those unaware, a tragic shooting occurred in one of the parking lots adjacent to the stadium involving two persons who never had tickets nor planned on attending the game. In response, our administration instituted a four-hour tailgating restriction, a knee-jerk reaction if there ever was one given that it didn't address the core issue -- folks without tickets with no intention of going to the game showing up just to party. The way it should've been addressed is increased security patrolling the lots. But no, the administration took the easy, cheaper way out by punishing ALL game-goers by limiting the tailgating time. This response, of course, does NOTHING to limit binge drinking BEFORE folks hit the parking lots, nor does it improve the security presence in the parking lots.

The limiting of tailgating time as a response to incidents of drunken rowdiness seems to be a growing trend at schools and pro sports alike, given it was recently addressed in this column by Rick Reilly. Like most decisions made by administrators these days -- particularly here at dysfunctional N.C. State -- the easy way out is preferred to actually WORKING the problem to find a solution that benefits the greater good. (*middle finger to State's administration*)

But yeah, cornhole rocks (when we have time to play it).

6. Let's cut to the chase. There are two kinds of people: sheep and sharks. Sharks are winners and they don't look back 'cause they don't have necks. Necks are for sheep. Is your team full of sharks or is your team full of sheep?

What about swimming sheep with kickass fangs and their necks in traction? Nevermind. We're sheep, particularly on the defensive side. I direct you to this post by fellow State blogger Steven who hosted a clip of a State defender PULLING UP on a ballcarrier to AVOID making a tackle. That's as sheepish as it gets.

7. Create a cocktail in the spirit of your school and explain it to us. Non-edible ingredients are allowed and encouraged.

I gotta go with the Bloody Mary. They're red and nine times out of 10, they look like shit, taste like shit and smell like shit...but that 10th time, boy, everything comes together perfectly and it's the best tasting shit you've ever had. (41-10!)

More Fayetteville Observer Goodness: CJ WIlliams Feature

2009-11-03T10:01:00.005-05:00

FayObserver.com link

Two things are for certain as Williams enters his sophomore season in Raleigh driven to spark a Wolfpack resurgence.

First and foremost, he'll be thrust into a leading role as the team's starting shooting guard, assured of more consistent playing time after a freshman season in which his minutes fluctuated wildly. (Williams logged more than 15 minutes in 16 games yet did not play in five others.)

Secondly, the former Jack Britt High School standout is attacking Year 2 with newfound aplomb, confident he has expanded his game and feeling more comfortable as a vocal leader for the Pack.

Aside: We tend to focus most of our attention scanning the local, larger papers when looking for news about State and the ACC -- The N&O, The Durham Herald, Greensboro News And Record and Charlotte Observer -- but the folks down in Fayetteville quietly do a fantastic job of covering ACC sports, as well.

Their coverage of State has increased with the addition of Fayetteville high school product CJ Williams to the Wolfpack team in 2009.

I grew up in the Fayetteville area and read the (then) Observer-Times regularly. Back then just as it is now, they place a great deal of focus on prep sports in the Cumberland County area. They especially love following a local product when he continues his career to the next level. I can remember plenty of pieces in the mid 90s on Jeff Capel from South View when he made a name for himself at Duke.

But moreso than simply being from Fayetteville, it helps that Williams is such a mature and grounded young man. He entered the State program that way, earned high praise from the coaching staff for it, and continues to prove his maturity beyond his years. A dirty little secret (that's really not much of a secret at all) is that nice guys with great personalities get more and better press than jerks and limp rags. It's not necessarily intentional, but it happens because -- just like in real life -- people like to seek out and surround themselves with folks that are fun to be around. In the sports reporting world, people like that make your job enjoyable and easier.

Jim Valvano was a perfect example. Sure, he made a name for himself winning a title, but his personality had reporters from all across the country beating down his door in Case to do story after story after feature after feature.

In a similar fashion, CJ's outgoing demeanor I'm sure makes him a "fun" interview, which is only a good thing for State fans looking for more coverage of Wolfpack hoops and Williams, in particular.

State Basketball Preview From The Fayetteville Observer

2009-11-03T09:41:00.005-05:00

FayObserver.com link

A pretty decent writeup. Some action items to work on this year highlighted in the article:

Last season, State had only one player ranked in the top 10 of the ACC in the five major statistical categories (scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks and steals). Ben McCauley was the league's eighth leading rebounder (7.8 rpg).

State is one of five ACC programs without a McDonald's All-American on the roster. The others: Boston College, Maryland, Miami and Virginia Tech.

The Wolfpack finished last in the ACC and 313th in the country last season in turnover margin (minus-3.3).

Protect. The. Ball.

Keep The Bags To Yourselves

2009-11-02T15:16:00.005-05:00

Stumbled across this thread on the Monkey Boards that caught my attention. Here's the link and the opening post:

Spoke with a few students today heading out to watch the game and they had mentioned that some students are thinking about wearing brown bags next week. Not a bad idea and well deserved by our coaching staff.

I can't begin to understand what would possess some of our fans and students from doing so monumentally stupid...but here goes.

Look, I get it. You're pissed. I am, too. I imagine the tone of the previous post here conveyed that. I've been very disappointed in the defensive coaching and in coach Tom O'Brien's stubborn insistence to shift the blame away from his coaching staff toward the players.

However, the LAST thing you need to consider doing as a fan or student is donning a paper bag, or any other highly-visible sign of discontent, to this week's football game.

I say this primarily for this reason: Wearing a bag over your head provides any photographer or cameraman a perfect photo opportunity to land you in the paper or on TV. You may say to yourself, "Good. That's the point." But think of this: Any photo snapped wearing a bag cannot be "un-taken." It will be circulated, filed away and reused at any time deemed necessary by a party outside of the university, most likely in a damaging fashion.

It could be used against O'Brien or any future coaches on the recruiting trail as an example of how State's fanbase reacts to losing...vindictively toward their team, coaches and players. Given how folks like Gary Parrish at CBS love to continue beating the "STATE FANS ARE SO HORRIBLE" drum three years after Herb Sendek's departure, giving them an image to tie to that inaccurate persona would be all the more damning.

If you want to voice your displeasure with the program, there are ways of doing so. You can not show up to the game, for one. Empty seats speak loudly of fan discontent without taking it too far, I think. You can also contact the Wolfpack Club, the chancellor, Lee Fowler (if you can reach him at the lake house), the Sports Information Department, etc., through a phone call or email. These are ways of keeping your individual complaint behind closed doors without drawing negative attention to you and the fanbase.

I suspect, however, that in today's "LOOK AT ME, I'M AN ATTENTION WHORE" society that we live in, these students and fans considering donning a bag on their heads are doing so more to draw attention to themselves rather than make a statement of discontent. They'll get "ooh"s and "oh man"s and "hey, I hear you brother"s as they walk in the stadium, along with some State fans asking them to support the team instead and take the bags off.

That attention is what these folks are after. Whether or not they think donning a bag with effect change (what, like Lee Fowler's gonna pack it in after all these years when the bag heads show up?) is inconsequential to them. They know it won't. They just want to hop online afterwards and get a tally on how many folks saw them or if they made it onto TV.

That kind of selfishness could damage the program beyond the three hours spent at homecoming with a bag on your head. Think about that before you do so.

I'm Out Of Theories, Answers And Ideas

2009-10-31T22:24:00.005-04:00

(Photo courtesy The N&O)

I don't really know what else to say. Watching today's game was like having your leg pinned in the train tracks with a slow-moving train bearing down. The feeling of impending doom, with no recourse or means to avert it.

That, in a nutshell, is Wolfpack Football.

In what universe should a team lose a game in which they post 538 yards of offense? In which the starting QB throws for 349 yards and FIVE touchdowns? Where your team averages 7.8 yards per play?

All things are possible on Planet Archer...where Defense goes to die. Where the 10-yard cushion is the norm and player confidence drops to all-time lows.

When you watch your team rally to score a go-ahead touchdown with 3:50 and yet are convinced that the game is lost, that's the essence of N.C. State fandom these days. It's a sense of dread and despair, and it looks just as palpable on the players' faces on the field as it is on the faces of fans off it. You know it. I know it. THEY know it.

This game -- perhaps more than any we've played this season -- encapsulates the most frustrating aspect of Wolfpack Football. We have a ACC title-caliber offense that can score points in bunches...and we have a last-place-in-the-Mountain-West caliber defense that can't stop anyone.

It's the same old story for Wolfpack Football since the turn of the century: only one phase -- offense or defense -- can play at a high level, but not both. Philip Rivers never had a great defense to compliment him. Following his graduation, State led the country in defense the following year. State stocked the NFL with defensive talent in the final years of Amato's time on the sidelines, and when that talent pool dried just as Chuck the Chest was shown the door, one of the league's best QBs arrived -- only to get mated up with this pitiful excuse of a defense you see trot out before you every week.

Yeah, State's defensive backfield is thin. The whole team is. Nearly 12 percent of the team is lost for the year to injury. But that's no excuse for the poor defensive effort we see every week. Enough with telling us how the players didn't execute the scheme, coach O'Brien...it would take perfect execution on every single play JUST to generate a few three-and-outs. The players are executing the 10-cushion on the corners just fine as far as I can see. The players are doing what the coaches are asking them to do. I think they're as baffled as we are as to why they constantly are put into position to fail. Setting up off the ball on 3rd and short, gift wrapping the 5-yard slant EACH and EVERY time. When Thad Lewis of Duke can't wait to run back to the press to tell them how State fell right into their hands, showed everything in the game that State did on film and made it child's play to march up and down the field, THAT'S coaching. NOT execution.

Assuming the same results are in store the rest of the year, there are some tough decisions looming for O'Brien ahead. He's made his bed with Archer, calling out his players and shifting the blame away from his defensive coordinator. The excuses are wearing thin and there's only so much time before the fans shift their ire from Archer to him. The more O'Brien hunkers down in this matter and refuses to acknowledge the defensive coaching as a problem, the more he will alienate himself from the fanbase.

Q&A With Chantrant.com

2009-10-29T23:16:00.004-04:00

Heading into this weekend's matchup with Florida State, Rich from www.chantrant.com got in touch with me about doing a Q&A. Sounded good to me, so here are my questions for him and his answers.

Enjoy!

1. This week's game is another strength vs. weakness matchup for State (Duke being the first) this season. Christian Ponder's one of the best QBs in the league and playing really well. It's also a bit of a strength vs. weakness matchup for Florida State, as well (Russell Wilson versus FSU's defense). Do you think the over/under should've been in the triple-digit range?
Not a gambling man, but I think it's going to be a great show, if you like your football with non-stop offensive fireworks. FSU has had at least three such games this season -- two were at home, both of which they lost by a TD or less. Unless rain has a big affect on the game -- there's a 50% chance of thunderstorms -- this will be another barn burner. Everybody knows that Wilson is an exciting QB, who can make things happen with both his arm and his foot. Ponder has a similar style. And both teams should have some fresh incentive: The Wolfpack with a week off to heal and prepare, and the Noles encouraged by the comeback win over UNC. So I expect a fun game for fans, and the winner just may be the team that touches the ball last.

2. Florida State's defensive back seven reminds me a lot of State's in their hesitancy to attack and their sloppy play. Why do you think that is? Are they thinking too much on the field?
Most FSU fans would say the back seven isn't thinking enough. Of course, injuries have been a problem at times, and not just in the secondary. With most of the D-linemen hurting or out at various times, there's been a major lack of a strong pass rush. That's given opposing QBs plenty of time to find receivers. But blame must also fall on coaches. First, for failing to teach and develop players as FSU has in the past. Second, for not recruiting enough quality and quantity of defensive talent over the last four or five years.

3. What's your take on the Bobby Bowden situation? Should the old man be allowed to call his own shot, or should be be shown the door as gracefully as is possible with a coaching icon?
As much as I revere Coach Bowden for all he's done, I don't believe it should be totally his call. The plan in place is that Head-Coach-in-Waiting Jimbo Fisher replaces Bowden by January of 2011 or he receives a $5 million payoff. If Bowden wants to remain head coach after that, the spam hits the fan. I don't believe the boosters or the school, no matter how much they love Bobby, will dig deep into their pockets so that Bowden can stay. I'd be surprised if he steps down at the end of this season. But I'd be shocked if Bowden is still the head coach in 2011.

4. Does Florida State have a run in them to close out the season? Other than probably the Florida game, every game on the schedule is winnable. How do you see FSU's final record shaking out?
My best-case scenario is a 7 - 6 record and a bowl invitation. But I wouldn't bet the farm on better than 6 - 6 (which should still be good enough for the Weedeater or Meinke Bowl). If the Noles win less than six, though, it'll be the first time they don't go bowling since Ronald Reagan's first year as President. A final record of 6 - 6 would include wins over Wake, Maryland, and, of course, this Saturday against the Pack. But it would take a 180 degree turnaround by the defense for FSU to earn W's on the road at Clemson and Florida.

5. When (if?) Jimbo Fisher finally takes the reigns of the FSU program, can you see it returning to the level it was at in the 90s?
Realistically? Probably not. It's a good bet that Bowden's record of 14 consecutive Top 5 finishes will never be duplicated. Not at FSU or anywhere else in college football. But Jimbo Fisher will be a solid, if not flashy, head coach who will install a new defensive staff, recruit well, and guide a balanced offense. Under Jimbo, I see FSU becoming to the ACC what LSU is to the SEC. That is, a team consistently in the hunt for a conference title, with big seasons now and then that put the Noles in the national championship race.

ACC Roundtable: Halloween Edition

2009-10-28T23:42:00.007-04:00

It's ACC Roundtable time again. This week, Joe Ovies of the soon-to-be 620 The Buzz (formerly of the soon-to-be-dead 850 The Buzz) is hosting. Following are his questions and my answers.

Enjoy:

1. Now that we're in the home-stretch of college football, we have enough material to begin campaigns for ACC coach of the year and player of the year. Who ya got and why?
I've gotta go with Frank Spaziani for coach of the year at this point. Damn if I didn't just assume along with everyone else that -- in the wake of the Jagodzinski nonsense and lacking a quarterback of any real note -- Boston College surely would've fallen flat on their face and stunk it up. But man, like the original Terminator (early 80s Arnold 1.0), BC just keeps on coming, no matter how many times you try and smash it in a hydraulic press. They currently lead the Atlantic Division, and while they've got a tough stretch ahead, they continue to find ways to win. I think you have to credit Spaziani with keeping the momentum going in Boston.

As to player of the year? It changes every week, depending upon whom State played.

2. Would your 2009 ACC coach of the year stand a chance in the SEC battlefields of recruiting and gameday management against the likes of Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, and Lane Kiffin?
Um, no. But there I go again…doubting BC. The mere fact that I don’t think Spaz could do it probably means he would excel at it and laugh in my face, taunting me with his mustache.

3. Getting away from the breathless week-to-week win/loss reactions such as "OMGZ!1!JUAN! WE WON, BCS NEXT!" or "WTF, WE'RE DA SUX. FIRE COACH!", where is your head coach in 5 years. If no longer with your school, how does the exit go down?
Tom O’Brien will be here in five years, barring a total collapse. He’ll retire at some point after the five year mark, but whether that’s on good terms with the fans or not is up for debate at the moment. I think he very much can right this ship, but I think hiring an old friend in Mike Archer who plays a defense that just does not get the job done could be his downfall if he’s unwilling to make a change at some point, if needed.

4. Coffee is for closers only. Which means plenty of ACC teams are walking around with empty cups after failing to finish off opponents or lock up divisions. As the worst offender, who gets the steak knives?
I thought third place was “you’re fired.” A set of steak knives looks pretty good by comparison. I think the two programs without a conference win at the halfway point – State and Carolina – are the two most egregious underperformers at this point. Both were darkhorse candidates to win their divisions, but after State’s waxing at the hands of Duke and BC and Carolina’s epic collapse against FSU, both teams look about a 1,000 miles from where they could’ve been this season.

Florida State was in the mix, but they "closed" against BYU and Carolina, so they avoid this dubious distinction.

5. Bob Griese wants to take you and Juan Pablo Montoya out for tacos. Where's the best joint in town?
I’m so unplugged from my college days at this point…is Baja Burrito still open at Mission Valley? I have fond memories of those big, sloppy tacos and burritos, long before Moe’s and Chipotle Grill moved in and "big-boxed" the Tex-Mex experience.

Motivation, Thine Enemy Is Wolfpack Sports

2009-10-28T09:59:00.004-04:00

Ugh. Can someone reboot me or something? I just...cannot...think...of...anything blog worthy.

We suck on defense. Boom. Blog.

We have abandoned the running game. Boom. Blog.

Coach O'Brien is sticking by Coach Archer, his scheme and his insistence that everything is fine on the coaching side of the equation. Boom. Blog.

I mean, this sounds like a total cop out, and it is, so I cop to the cop out, but there has been nothing of late that has occurred within the confines of campus that strikes me as worth writing about. It's all been hashed, rehashed, browned, smothered, covered, chopped and diced a 1,000 times by a 100 different outlets already.

Hell, the most excited I've been about N.C. State this week was when Adrian Wilson gave a shout out to Philip Rivers during an interview on the Jim Rome show.

Sadly, though, his shout out only reminded me that we never truly capitalized on their talents when they were here in the red and white, and frankly Rivers -- if not Wilson, too -- probably doesn't give more than two craps about the state of State football these days. They left for greener pastures and haven't looked back.

I could be projecting with respect to Adrian Wilson, but of our four "superstar" alums in the NFL (Wilson, Rivers, Mario Williams and Torry Holt), only Holt has been truly open in his love for his alma mater. Ironically, Holt's admission of still pulling for the Tar Heels in basketball -- the team he grew up rooting for -- caused some State fans to turn their backs ON HIM. He being the one that has worn State gear in rap video and in press conferences and hosts a charity bowling and golf tournament here in Raleigh to benefit his mother's foundation. Ridiculous.

So I guess I'm stuck in this recursive spiral of loathing and self-loathing with respect to State sports. It's sapping my will to write. I need a win this weekend -- a GOOD win, a win against a GOOD team in a convincing fashion -- to pull me out of it. That's all I ask, Tom.

Otherwise...damn.

BlogPoll: Week 9

2009-10-27T09:39:00.003-04:00

Discuss. One team of note: Check out #15 on the ol' poll, the Pittsburgh Panthers, sitting there with just one loss at 7-1 thus far. You think the folks in Pittsburgh don't look back at that game against State, then at the total disarray State's in, and think to themselves "GRrrrrrrrrrrgrumblegrumblearrgl DAMMIT!" (or something to that effect)?

Rank	Team

1	Florida
2	Alabama
3	Texas
4	Southern Cal
5	Iowa
6	Cincinnati
7	TCU
8	Boise State
9	LSU
10	Georgia Tech
11	Oregon
12	Penn State
13	Virginia Tech
14	Oklahoma State
15	Pittsburgh
16	Houston
17	Ohio State
18	Utah
19	West Virginia
20	Miami (Florida)
21	South Carolina
22	Oklahoma
23	Arizona
24	Mississippi
25	California

Getting Back Into The Flow Of Things...

2009-10-26T23:14:00.002-04:00

I feel like a kid in elementary school trying to go back after missing a month with mono...I almost don't know where to begin.

So I'll start with this: Football begins play again this week, and as you've no doubt already heard, freshman tailback James Washington was put on the shelf for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Washington becomes the 10th player for the Pack to be lost for the season. Per this list compiled prior to the BC game, TE Mario Carter (knee), LB Ryan Cheek (hip), OL Denzelle Good (shoulder), LB Nate Irving (leg), FB Colby Jackson (knee), QB Everett Proctor (shoulder) and S Javon Walker (knee) and now Washington are all lost for the season.

This is now the third year in a row of the O'Brien tenure. It's also the third year in a row where State's ranks have been thinned abnormally so due to injury. It's past time, I think, to start viewing this no longer as an aberration but a trend. Something is causing these season-ending injuries to occur at a faster-than-normal rate, year after year. It looks like something we can expect to continue from here on out under O'Brien.

I hate to speculate, but the only real theory I have centers around the strength and conditioning program. It seems like the only variable directly tired to the health of the team, and if you recall, O'Brien brought S&C coach Todd Rice with him from Boston College. But even if that theory is correct, the question that follows is: Ok, now what? What can you do?

You can bring in a new S&C department, I guess. Hire a new coach with a more traditional focus on strength over flexibility. Would that solve the issue? There's no guarantee. If you hire a new guy, let him go to work and the injuries continue, well, then what?

So we're left with nothing logical left to do to address the issue except hope and pray that this trend--no longer and aberration--ceases at some point sooner rather than later. In the meantime, get well James, Rashad, Jeff, Mario, Ryan, Denzelle, Nate, Colby, Everett and Javon.

My Apologies

2009-10-21T18:11:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the sparse week this week, folks. The wife contracted what most likely was the H1N1 and then spread it amongst the family, so this week has been spent resting, hydrating, and spending far too much money on Tamiflu.

Couple that with State's embarrassing performance on Saturday and it hasn't exactly inspired me to pop off the couch to opine on Pack football.

Once things return to some sense of normalcy, the blog should follow suit.

[no title]

2009-10-18T16:19:00.003-04:00

Holy Hell...Is It Basketball Season Already?

2009-10-15T22:26:00.003-04:00

I guess so. Damn, I'm getting old.

I bet when you're 80, a month feels like a freaking week. No wonder old people eat dinner so early...the speed of life must seem like a 1,000 miles an hour. The quicker you eat, the quicker you can get to bed and stop the madness.

Anyways...

Here's a great read from Andy Katz on State's two title-winning alums trying to get the team back to glory.

ACC Roundtable: Midseason

2009-10-14T11:03:00.003-04:00

Jim Young of ACCSports.com is hosting this week's edition of The Roundtable. Jim's offered up six questions to all of the participating bloggers, and following are my answers:

Most of the ACC has now reached the halfway point of its season. On a scale of 1 (I’m rounding up pitchforks, torches and a mob to storm the football office) to 10 (I’m selling of organs to raise money for a statue of the coach) how do you feel about your team’s performance thus far?

I'm at about a 5. I suppose that's appropriate for an even-keeled guy like O'Brien. I think a lot of State fans felt like this would be the year we turned the corner and got 8-10 wins, and since the rest of the Atlantic Division is down this would've been the perfect season to take that big step forward. But losing Nate Irving at the beginning of the year was huge and the defensive play has sucked accordingly. The offense has been good enough to win, but the defense can't keep the opposing teams off the field. So give the offense an 8, the defense a 2, and average them out for a very O'Brien-like 5.

Give me the best case scenario for your team the rest of the way. Then give me the worst case.

Best case: State wins out. Somehow, with his feet in the fryer, Mike Archer lights a fire under this defense and they play lights out the rest of the way. They shutdown BC, gain confidence and play with the aggression and ball-hawking skills we saw when Nate Irving was captaining the ship. After four key Atlantic Division wins, State stuns VT in Blacksburg much like they did in 2004 on a late missed field goal by the Hokies and the Pack finishes the season 9-3 with a crushing of the Heels in C-F.

Now, with that daydream behind me, the nightmare scenario: State's defense actually regresses the rest of the way as Archer and O'Brien keep tinkering with the lineup, rotations and scheme to try to find something that works. Teams continue to use the Duke blueprint (five-yard outs) to rack up huge passing yards. Russell Wilson goes down to injury, Mike Glennon comes in and looks like his brother Sean and the saving grace of the team -- the offense -- grinds to a screeching halt. State loses all its remaining games to finish a very Mike O'Cain-ish 3-8. Fans burn their Lifetime Rights contracts and then toss themselves from the top of Vaughn Towers, Lee Fowler is installed as the new chancellor of N.C. State and pushes the Board of Governors to rename the school "The University of North Carolina -- Raleigh." State's remaining fans are sold into indentured servanthood to Dick Baddour and are sent to work hand-cleaning every square inch of Kenan and The Dean Dome while Fowler lords over his dream school: One without fans.

That would be about as bad as it gets.

Because it’s my turn to host the roundtable and I like fantasy football, I’m going to ask a few questions with that theme. First, you’re in an ACC keeper league. Which three players on your team do you designate as keepers for next season? (Obviously this rules out seniors, except for Riley Skinner, who I assume has six more years of eligibility remaining)

1. Mike Glennon
2. George Bryan
3. Nate Irving

I think this is Russell's final year with football. He'll graduate this Spring, be a featured member of the State baseball team and realize that all the abuse and pounding he took on the football field isn't worth it when there are potentially big, guaranteed dollars out there for a player with his skillset. Certainly it all depends on where he's drafted by the MLB and what kind of potential cash is there, but assuming he does well this year, stays healthy and is drafted in a high round, I don't think football will make enough sense for him to return for his junior season.

Let’s do the reverse of this, with coaches. You’re forced to drop one member of your team’s coaching staff. Who gets the axe? (Head coaches or assistant coaches are eligible here)

Tom O'Brien -- "Everyone who wants to remain a part of the N.C. State football coaching staff for 2010 step forward. Not so fast, Mike Archer."

Let’s say the rest of the ACC is available via free agency. Who’s the one player from the other 11 teams that you’d most like to add to your squad?

Since State is in desperate need of help defensively in the back seven, I'll take Sean Spence from Miami. I think he's enough of an athlete to elevate the play of those around him in the same way Nate Irving did for State last season.

Finally, we’ll stage a mock draft of ACC quarterbacks. Who are you taking with the first pick, and why? And who would you get stuck with if you had to pick No. 12?

I think we're good. Russell is still the most versatile QB in the league, in my opinion, and does more damage in both phases of the game (passing and rushing) than does a Jacory Harris or a Tyrod Taylor. As for the 12th pick, I'd probably take whichever option BC decides to run out there in a given week. Dave Shinskie looked like he was getting it after a couple of games, then ran into the VT defensive juggernaut.

Q&A With Eagle In Atlanta

2009-10-14T10:08:00.002-04:00

One of Boston College's more well known bloggers, Eagle in Atlanta, got in touch with me this week about doing a Q&A leading up to the Boston College game.

You can find my answers to his questions here and his answers to my questions below:

Dave Shinskie looked like he'd wrapped up the quarterback position heading into the Virginia Tech matchup but struggled mightily in that game. Mike Marscovetra came on in relief and went 10-for-16 with two touchdown passes. Is the quarterback position still up for grabs this late into the season? If so, who's your preferred choice?

The QB situation is definitely up for grabs. The coaching staff really likes Marscovetra, but being an 18-year-old true freshman is different from being a 25-year-old baseball refugee. I think they went with Shinskie because of his maturity and arm strength. Those qualities should have helped him in an environment like Lane Stadium. However, he has not played well on the road so far in his career.

I expect Shinskie to start this weekend and he deserves the chance. He looked very good in the Wake and FSU games. He moves well for a pocket passer and has a good release and good touch. I think Shinskie's biggest challenge is football smarts at this point. He hasn't played in a while and certainly not at this level. He admitted that VT's schemes confused him. Now that he is back at BC and facing a less intimidating D, we will see if last week was just a rough day or a sign of things to come.

I expect Marscovetra to play too, but in a more limited capacity.

Since we're comparing coaches, what's your take on The 'Stache (Frank Spaziani) and the job he's done so far? Is there any bitterness still about the way things went down with Jeff Jagodzinski and GDF? How have those wounds healed thus far?

I am trying to give Spaz the benefit of the doubt. I didn't like the hire at the time and his game management has been spotty so far (in my opinion). We had pathetic offensive performances against Clemson and Virginia Tech and nearly blew home games to Wake and FSU after establishing early leads. But he is 4-2 and has the team in contention. If he keeps winning there will be less to complain about.

Most BC fans have already forgotten Jags. The ones who follow these sorts of things closely remained divided. The people with bitterness towards our AD for firing Jags are a vocal minority. Those Gene critics will probably not go away unless Spaz -- Gene's handpicked guy -- wins big.

ESPN's Gameday was on-site in Boston two weeks ago. Were you able to be in attendance? If not, what was your reaction when Mark Herzlich announced that the cancer was all but gone?

I was not in Boston for GameDay. As you can guess from the name of the blog, I don't get to that many BC home games. I did go to the Clemson game and will be going to the Maryland game later this season.

Obviously the whole BC community was thrilled with Mark's prognosis. Word had leaked through a few different sources that his scans were good so the announcement on GameDay was not a total surprise. Yet BC fans couldn't have asked for a better day or a better representative of the school.

Give me your prediction for Saturday's match up.

I am really torn. I know TOB. And while he has many faults and choked when he had the chance to take BC to the next level, there are two types of games that he always seems to respond to. One is the rivalry game. He knows that he appeases the masses with those wins (so you can expect to beat UNC as long as he is there). The other game he always managed to win was the stop the bleeding game. This type of game is a little harder to describe but the jist is that any time his butt was on the line or things were falling apart, he'd get a much needed win. All that is subjective, but consistent with TOB's performance.

On the other side of the field you have Spaz. He needs this win too and supposedly has been prepping for this game since the minute that schedules were announced. Because Spaz has put so much emphasis on this game, I think he better win. Losing would cause him a lot of pain in the AD's office and among the fanbase.

I think we are in for another high scoring affair with BC pulling away in the 4th quarter 38-28.

Both he and I are expecting a lot of offense in this weekend's game. I predicted a score of 34-31, State. That means, of course, that the game will surely end in a 6-9 slugfest.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

2009-10-13T08:36:00.006-04:00

Somewhat lost in all the justified gnashing of teeth following the Duke loss was this little factoid: State committed ZERO penalties. This was, of course, in stark contrast to the prior games against Wake Forest and Pittsburgh in which the Pack committed eight and 12, penalties respectively. The closest State had come to playing penalty-free football prior was the four penalty performance in the opening game against South Carolina.

It doesn't change the "L" to a "W," of course, but there's no one complaining about it. You have to think that playing mistake-free football was a point of emphasis during practice the week leading up to the game. To the team's credit, they took heed.

But if State is to become a better football team -- one that plays up to and above its talent level -- the course of the season can't be spent addressing a new glaring issue each week.

After the first week loss to SC, the issue was offensive line play. South Carolina shredded our line and sacked Russell Wilson six times. During the next three weeks as the Pack destroyed its FCS competition, you could tell offensive line play was a point of emphasis. Sure enough, the offensive line looked like a new unit against Pitt's athletic defensive front, limiting the Panthers to just one sack while State racked up 530 yards of offense.

But with the offensive line issue seemingly fixed, the penalty bugaboo made its presence known against Pitt with the aforementioned 12 penalties. The penalties decreased the following week against Wake but were more damaging -- the brain-dead, drive killing/extending kind.

State puts a goose egg in the penalty column against Duke but now faces its third glaring issue of the year (one that's been there since the Pitt game, truthfully): defensive woes. Specifically, poor tackling and lack of aggression.

The scheme is to blame for a good bit of it, particularly the ease with which Duke completed five-yard outs, but the scheme doesn't prevent a player from making tackles or pressuring the opposition when they squat down in the zone. Too many times the State players would drop into coverage on their heels, waiting for the pass to be thrown before making a move toward Thad Lewis' intended target. Rarely, if ever, did State's defenders anticipate the throw.

Even more alarming is that State switched to a man defense in the second half to adjust. Couldn't tell? Don't worry...not many folks noticed, either. The film of State's "man" defense in the second half could very well be submitted to coaching clinics on how not to play man defense. Entitle it: "How To Play Man So Soft They'll Think You're Playing Zone!"

So here we are at the midway point with yet another large, glaring issue waiting to be solved. So far, the coaching staff has seemingly fixed the offensive line issue, and subsequently the penalty issue. Can they fix this one in time to salvage a bowl bid? Moreover, can they fix it without creating more problems along the way? Or will a fourth glaring issue of the season arise against Boston College that requires another week or two of practice to correct, just in time for the conclusion of the season?

Hey, Wanna Make Your Blood Boil?

2009-10-12T21:26:00.002-04:00

Then head on over to Backing The Pack, where Steven's done an excellent job of breaking down film on State's defensive non-performance from Saturday.

He even included a clip of quite possibly the most maddening defensive play you'll see all year -- the five-yard-out in the third quarter that turned into a 21-yard pass play following the blown tackle by Rashad Smith. This was the play that unleashed a volley of pent-up boos the folks in Carter-Finley had been itching to fire off all day long.

BlogPoll: Week 7

2009-10-12T11:06:00.000-04:00

Thoughts? Omissions? Errors?

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Alabama
2	Florida	1
3	Texas	1
4	Virginia Tech	1
5	Boise State	1
6	Southern Cal
7	Ohio State
8	Cincinnati	1
9	Iowa	1
10	Oregon
11	Miami (Florida)	3
12	TCU
13	Penn State
14	LSU	3
15	Oklahoma State
16	Kansas	4
17	Brigham Young
18	Georgia Tech	4
19	Nebraska	2
20	South Florida
21	Oklahoma	3
22	South Carolina	1
23	Utah
24	Notre Dame
25	Houston
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Mississippi (#16), California (#18), Auburn (#19), Georgia (#25).