Mike

STOCK DOWN: WordPress. This would have been posted yesterday, but when I hit “Publish” I got an error message and everything was erased. Not that you’re missing much.

STOCK UP: IT’S GANSZ TROPHY WEEK ERRBODY GET CRAZY WOOOOOOOOOO. Such a storied rivalry. I remember my first Gansz Trophy game like it was just two years ago. What memories.

STOCK UP: Aaron Santiago’s return. I was sure that we had seen the last of Aaron Santiago after he broke his arm at Western Kentucky. I mean, there are broken arms, and there are broken AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Aaron’s injury was most definitely the latter, which you might have noticed since CBS decided to show a replay of it for reasons known only to God. The hope at the time of the injury was that Aaron might be able to dress for Army-Navy. It’s a small miracle that not only was he back in time for Senior Day, but he ran for 80 yards in one half of play. With the Mids needing to win out to go to their ninth consecutive bowl game, any help they can get is good news.

STOCK DOWN: Big East defectors. It wasn’t a good week for those moving on to greener pastures, as all three teams leaving the Big East lost to teams staying put. Louisville beat West Virginia, UConn topped Syracuse, and Pitt fell to Cincinnati. Is this where I let out a cheer for conference solidarity? Someone needs to fill me in on how this whole conference thing works. Speaking of which…

STOCK UP: Missouri. I don’t care what conference they’re in. I’m just glad that there is actual news in the conference realignment shuffle as opposed to more rumors from questionable sources. Maybe this will finally get the dominoes falling so we can get all of this over with, whatever is going to happen.

STOCK UP: A bird’s eye view. Buddy Green called the game from upstairs on Saturday. Do I think that’s the reason why the defense looked better? Meh, not really. Am I superstitious enough that I want him in the box anyway from here on out? ABSOLUTELY.

THIS WEEK IN SEASON TURNAROUND GOOD VIBES: Last week we talked about WKU, who kept the ball rolling on Saturday by beating FIU to pull over .500 on the season. This week’s good vibes story is UCLA. As we watched the Bruins get dismantled by a pretty bad Arizona team, did anyone think that they would be in control of their own destiny in the Pac-12 South at this point in the season? Hell no. But after beating Arizona State on Saturday, that’s exactly where they are with three games to play. Two of those three (Utah and Colorado) are very winnable, making the season finale with USC even bigger than usual. Happy thoughts, Navy.

ENRON: Penn State. I questioned whether or not to even mention this mess, given the usual lighthearted nature of this post. You can’t really get around it, though. I haven’t been able to finish a single article I’ve read on the whole affair because I get too disgusted. The best coverage of the story is at pennlive.com, or you can read the grand jury findings of fact for yourself here. I doubt you’ll be able to finish it either.

Adam

STOCK UP: Mike London. I live and work in Cavs country, and let me tell you, this guy actually has people in central Virginia excited for football on Saturdays. It’s not just that the former Richmond Head Coach has gotten Virginia bowl eligible for the first time since 2007, it’s that he is doing it the right way and engaging the community. Virginia is in the hunt for a conference crown for the first time in years, and could be on track to make the ACC title game when they host Virginia Tech on November 26th.

STOCK DOWN: Rex Burkhead’s Heisman campaign (formerly sponsored by yours truly). I’ve been an admirer of the legend of Rex ever since watching the former Plano (TX) prep star tear it up on a Rivals scouting video, and coming into last Saturday’s game, the All-American I-back looked like he might just make a surge for a late-season Heisman run. We knew Northwestern might score on the Black Shirts, but c’mon, who among us saw the Wildcat defense holding Burkhead in check? A costly fumble in the redzone not only kills whatever outside chance Burkhead had at making that run, but it might have killed Nebraska’s BCS bowl hopes.

STOCK UP: MACTION. Tuesday night used to have the distinction of being THE WORST night for television watching. This is not an opinion, but a legitimate fact. However, after last Tuesday night’s 123-point smörgåsbord of offense in Northern Illinois’ 63-60 win over Toledo, we all have reason to reevaluate our troubled relationship with Tuesday evenings. And with two key conference games coming up this Tuesday (Western Michigan @ Toledo and Northern Illinois @ Bowling Green) the fun isn’t likely to stop.

STOCK DOWN: Washington State. Have things really changed in Pullman? After starting 3-1, the Cougars have lost five consecutive games, including Saturday’s 30-7 loss to Cal. I thought Paul Wolff would be able to get this team to a bowl after a hot start, but asking Washington State to win its final three games looks like too much considering Arizona State and Washington loom ahead.

STOCK UP: The Conference-USA title race. Houston and Southern Miss are two of the hottest teams in the country, and if both can win their remaining three games, they will meet in what just might be the most high-profile Conference-USA Championship ever. Considering how many teams ranked 10-20 have been losing as of late, I’m guessing both head into the game ranked in the Top 20 of the AP Poll – a distinction, I should add, that gives the eventual champion a legitimate case at playing in a BCS Bowl.

STOCK DOWN: Penn State. Really, if the allegations are true, all I can say is this situation is beyond joking about. Sad is an understatement here.