College Football Week 11 Review

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
LaMichael James and the Oregon Ducks upset Stanford on Saturday, improving
their record to 9-1. James rushed for 146 and three touchdowns in the win.

This past week, six teams in the Top 25 lost, four of which were upsets. (4) Stanford lost to (7) Oregon, (5) Boise State lost to TCU, (12) Penn State lost to (19) Nebraska, (16) Texas lost to Missouri (20) Auburn lost to (15) Georgia, and (21) Georgia Tech lost to (10) Virginia Tech.

New BCS Top 10:
1. LSU Tigers
2. Oklahoma State Cowboys
3. Alabama Crimson Tide
4. Oregon Ducks
5. Oklahoma Sooners
6. Arkansas Razorbacks
7. Clemson Tigers
8. Virginia Tech Hokies
9. Stanford Cardinal
10. Boise State Broncos


Top Three Performances by Team or Player:
1. Oregon Ducks- The Ducks upset Stanford last week, making it nine straight weeks since their Week One loss to LSU. The Ducks have taken control of the Pac-12 and could possibly rematch LSU in the National Championship Game if things play out their way. The Ducks overcame injuries from LaMichael James and Darron Thomas earlier and the season, and now with both of them back, are averaging close to 47 points per game, which is third best in the country.
2. TCU QB Casey Pachall- The sophomore slinger led his Horned Frogs on the road to an upset victory against Boise State. Pachall threw for 423 and five touchdowns, including the game winner (and the two-point conversion) with just a minute left. TCU is now 8-2 and leading the MWC after a slow start to the season.
3. Oklahoma State Cowboys- The Cowboys are surprisingly one of three undefeated teams left in the Top 25, and are ranked second in the nation. If Oklahoma State can beat their rivals, Oklahoma, in the last game of the season, they are National Championship bound. The Cowboys won last week 66-6, and are averaging over 51 points per game, which is second best in the country.

Top Three Disappointments by Player or Team:
1. Penn State Nittany Lions- This one should need no explanation. The focus this week wasn't on their loss at home to Nebraska, but was on the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Penn State also fired their head coach of 46 years, Joe Paterno, after he didn't inform the University about Sandusky years ago.
2. Boise State Broncos- The Broncos lost on another tragic missed field goal, ruining their National Championship hopes again. This time around it was freshman Dan Goodale who missed the game winning field goal as time expired.
3. Houston Cougars- The Cougars have been fantastic this season, this is more of a disappoint that the BCS has them ranked 11. Houston has the best offense in the nation, led by Case Keenum, who holds almost every NCAA record for quarterbacks. Houston needs to get some recognition now.

Game of the Week: Oregon vs. Stanford

This past week, two Pac-12 powerhouses faced off in Palo Alto to find out who was this real leader of the Pac-12. Oregon scored the only touchdown of the first quarter, and then successfully converted the 2-point conversion to take a 8-0 lead. Stanford struck back early in the second but failed to convert for two. Just minutes after the Stanford touchdown, LaMichael James broke out for a 58 yard touchdown run  that gave the Ducks a 15-6 lead. Stanford would go on to kick a field goal, only to allow Oregon to score another touchdown. Stanford scored with just 24 seconds left in the first half on an Andrew Luck 13 yard pass to Griff Whalen. The second half was all Ducks. Oregon started off the half with back to back touchdowns, giving Oregon a 20 point lead. The Ducks outran Stanford defenders all game, and ended up scoring 53 points. Andrew Luck had the worst game of his season, throwing for three touchdowns and 256, but also two interceptions, one which was returned for a touchdown. LaMichael James had a phenomenal game, rushing for 146 yards and three touchdowns. The Ducks are now back in the top five, and could rematch LSU in the National Championship game if everything plays out their way.

Next Week's Five Intriguing Matchups:
1. (4) Oregon vs. USC- USC won't be playing any bowl games, so this might as well be their biggest game of the season. The Trojans can still finish with a 10-2 record with an upset in Eugene.
2. (5) Oklahoma vs. (22) Baylor- Can RG3 and the Bears pull of one more upset, and bounce back in the rankings?
3. (16) Nebraska vs. (18) Michigan- Who will win the quarterback showdown between Denard Robinson and Taylor Martinez?
4. (13) Kansas State vs. (22) Texas- Will Kansas State prove that Texas is overrated, or will the Longhorns bounce back from an ugly loss to Missouri?
5. (9) Stanford vs. California- This game has been a classic ever since The Band ran onto the field over 20 years ago. Will Stanford come back and regain form?