Once again the Ohio State Buckeyes wet the bed in a big game in front of a national TV audience as top ranked Southern California dominated 35-3 in front of 93,607, a record crowd at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.

Just like the Florida and LSU BCS title games, the Buckeyes couldn’t handle a team that is loaded with speed at the skill positions. The Trojan receivers got separation which enabled Mark Sanchez to torch the Ohio State secondary with 4 touchdown passes, 2 went to Damien Williams in the 3rd Quarter while Joe McKnight gained 105 yards on 12 carries.

Does this hurt Ohio State’s national championship hopes? Probably so because this loss is sure to linger especially when you couple this with the Buckeyes lackluster showing last week against Ohio U who they barely beat.

Next up for Ohio State is Troy at the Horseshoe which might be a tougher game than you might think. Then it’s Minnesota before an October 4th showdown against Wisconsin at Madison.

Since the Badgers won at Fresno State Saturday night, Wisconsin’s stock is up, Ohio State’s is down.

Sun Devils Done In

How could Arizona State lose in overtime to UNLV at Sun Devil Stadium? You get the feeling the Sun Devils thought they would cruise over the Rebels and were looking ahead to Georgia next week. Only problem is UNLV bit them in the backside.

“It starts with me. I didn't have them ready to play and I'll take the blame. But we have to play better as a group. There are a lot of guys in that locker room that understand that." Arizona State Head Coach Dennis Erickson said.

“I just want to say that obviously, UNLV, we have to give all the credit to them. They played a great game, and they're the reason why we lost. They played a great game, so we lost. Other than that, we practiced fine, but we just didn't execute it in the game. We didn't score, we turned the ball over, and we didn't do well in all three aspects of the game, and when you don't, you're going to lose."
Said Quarterback Rudy Carpenter who threw for 242 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

UNLV head coach Mike Sanford sensed all week the Sun Devils weren’t taking his Rebel team seriously with the Georgia Bulldogs stepping on the Sun Devil Stadium turf next week. So he played that up as the Rebels prepared for the Sun Devils.

"Yes we did, of course. We were out to gain respect." Sanford said.

Now after this unexpected loss, can Arizona State regroup and get up for the Bulldogs?


SEC Time Warp

Those who have been to Starkville, Mississippi sometimes feel this small town is behind the times. Well time went back 50 years when Auburn and Mississippi State game ended in a 3-2 with the Tigers prevailing. That’s right, a field goal and a safety were all the points scored. Rumor has it that single bar facemasks were worn. This was a dirty low down defensive battle.

This is the kind of game that’s to the liking of Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville.

“I am an old defensive coach so I was liking it a little bit but I wish we had scored a few more points. We just wasted a few opportunities. That was a true defensive game.”
Tuberville said.

Auburn’s defense was outstanding not giving up a first down to Mississippi State.

“It is all about defense when you go on the road. Our guys came to play today. We gave up zero first downs today on 14 chances and only 116 yards total offense. You can win a lot of games that way. Our guys played hard and played with enthusiasm.”
Tuberville said.

Mississippi State’s promising season is now stuck in the mud at 1-2 and it just gets harder for the Bulldogs. Next up is a trip to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech.