Mr. October

October 1st means the leaves are starting to fall, conference play is underway in college football and it's time for the baseball playoffs. I do pay attention to the Fall Classic. Actually, I admit I have been paying attention the last couple of weeks to the American League races. I don't profess to be an expert, but this week, the Indians have had their chances. It's tough after winning 17 of 19 to come home and lose 4 of 5. Now the Tribe need help to get into the playoffs. The 60s were the last time Cleveland was able to celebrate a championship of any kind. In the 80s, the Browns came close with the Cardiac Kids in 1980 (why was Brian Sipe throwing into the end zone when a field goal would've won the game), the Drive, and the Fumble. Then the Indians had their chances in the 90s, losing out to the Strike in 1994, the Braves in 1995 and the Marlins in 1997. Personally, I think Cleveland fans deserve a title more than Boston fans for the simple fact they aren't as annoying and they don't let a lack of championships rule their lives as Boston fans did. So I'm rooting for Cleveland, but if they don't make it, I'm rooting against the Yankees and/or the Red Sox.

Alright, let's talk football:
Michigan 34, Michigan St. 31 (OT). Sparty just can't beat Big Brother. The tone was set on the first drive of the game, when Michigan went 98 yards to take the lead. Michigan badly missed tailback Mike Hart, who was the key to victory racking up 220 rushing yards. The Spartan offense did not run smoothly today. 2 missed field goals, and the badly thrown halfback pass robbed Sparty of at least 13 points. Michigan St. came out expecting to beat Michigan convincingly. That was their fatal error. In a rivalry game, especially against your big brother, you must take them seriously and always believe you're the underdog, fighting tooth and nail for respect.

Virginia Tech 34, West Virginia 17. This was my upset special, but Marcus Vick put an end to that. 15/17 passing for 177 yards and 2 TDs, going along with his 74 yards rushing that included another touchdown were too much for the Mountaineers. The Hokie defense held WVU to 150 yards rushing, well below their average, and only gave up one big play. They've got the athletes all over the field they can compete with anyone.

Alabama 31, Florida 3. To sum up, the Tide rolled. Brodie Croyle was almost perfect and Tyrone Prothro was dynamite, making plays all over the field. Unfortunately for him and his team, he's out for the year with a broken leg that he suffered when the game was out of hand. Alabama had more team speed than Florida, especially on defense if you can believe it. The loss of Prothro though is huge. Florida must find a way to regroup, they were thoroughly dominated in all facets of the game today.

USC 38, Arizona St. 28. So the Trojans spotted ASU a 21-3 lead and still came back. Matt Leinart didn't have a great day (for him), but the running back tandem of White and Bush did, going for more than 350 yards and 4 TDs. Sam Keller threw for 345 yards, but had no running game to help him and the rest of the ASU offense. They especially needed it in the 2nd half when USC started to roll. The running game could've helped kill USC's momentum. USC, as good as they are, can't afford to keep coming out flat, especially when they go to South Bend in 2 weeks.

Notre Dame 49, Purdue 28. Where is the Purdue defense I read about all preseason??? In the last 2 weeks, they've given up 91 points. Last week, Laurence Moroney ran wild on them. This week, Brady Quinn threw for over 400 yards to torch the Boiler defense. The Irish went 4-1 in a stretch of games that most people (including myself) thought they would go 1-4. Now, Charlie Weis gets 2 weeks to prepare for USC. Hmmmmm.....

Ok, Top 10 time.
1. USC. They will stay here until they get knocked off. Again, they are vulnerable through the air, but you must be able to run the ball to have a chance, especially in the 2nd half. Notre Dame will challenge USC with their balanced offense in 2 weeks. Next up for the Trojans is a trap game at home vs. Arizona.

2. Texas. Vince Young was impressive today in Columbia, going for 344 all-purpose yards and 3 TDs. Brad Smith gave the Texas D fits early, but they adjusted as they did against Troy Smith and Ohio St. Next week is the big showdown with Oklahoma in Dallas. The only edge Oklahoma has in this game is the psychological edge. Bob Stoops will tell his team all week, "Texas knows they should win, but we know we can win." If the game is close at the half, look out for the upset.

3. Virginia Tech. Marcus Vick is efficient, the defense is strong, and the special teams are special. Vick has done a good job spreading the ball around, hanging in the pocket for as long as possible. He has only run when forced to do so, and when he has, he has shown he is just as deadly as his brother. The Hokies try to avoid a letdown next weekend at home vs. Marshall.

4. Ohio St. We'll really see how good Ohio St. is when they're forced to take their act on the road for the first time. And what a way to start your road schedule: at Penn St., now 5-0, and at night. There will be some drunk and skyhigh fans at Beaver Stadium next Saturday night. Can the Bucks dominate on the road as they have at home????

5. Florida St. Syracuse had no chance in this game. Drew Weatherford continues to improve (234 yards and 3 TDs), and Lorenzo Booker added 109 on the ground. The defense continues to be strong, and will remain strong as FSU works their way through the weak part of their schedule. Wake Forest is next.

6. Georgia. The Dawgs have Tennessee Saturday after being off next week. We'll find out how good they really are, especially the offense going against Tennessee's athletic defense.

7. Alabama. They defined the term "buttwhoopin" with their win over Florida. Big-play offense, fast defense, and big-play special teams. But without Tyrone Prothro, can they keep it up??? At least Brodie Croyle is still healthy, he should keep the Tide offense rolling with his good decision-making. Next week is a sandwich game at Mississippi.

8. Notre Dame. This team's only weakness is their pass defense. It's not from a lack of good coaching, it's from a lack of talent. I think they'll score against USC, a lot, but they are too vulnerable against the pass. Charlie Weis is an offensive mastermind. Notre Dame will go 9-2 (I can't believe I said that).

9. Tennessee. Yes, I have them ranked ahead of Florida, but now that they have their quarterback issues seemingly solved, Tennessee can make a run at the SEC. If Rick Claussen can keep making good decisions, if his receivers can keep catching the ball, and they play for 60 minutes, they'll be tough to beat.

10. LSU. Hey, they were one bad sequence away from beating the Vols. They got off to a slow start at Mississippi St., but they got it going and ran away with the game. They still have a great running game and a very athletic defense. Can Les Miles handle the pressure??? They go to Vanderbilt next week before a date with the Gators:

Knocking on the door: Miami (they drop out for lack of quality wins), Florida (didn't look good at all today), California (undefeated, but haven't played anyone)

On the high school front, Northmont took care of business, beating Butler in the rivalry game 42-9. The Bolts are 5-1 and host Miamisburg next week as the playoff push continues. In Ohio, the playoffs are determined by computer points. You get points for each victory (different amounts depending on the division the team is in) and for each victory by a team you have beaten. There are 6 Divisions, 4 regions in each division, and the top 8 in each region make it in. Northmont got a huge boost from Cincinnati LaSalle when they beat Cincinnati Moeller today. Northmont gets points from that because they beat LaSalle earlier this year.

Tomorrow, I guess I'll watch some baseball and the Bengals. "Who Dey" is turning into the national catchphrase of the year. Everywhere I go, I hear Who Dey, which is certainly a lot better than "O-H", "I-O", which I heard all 2003 constantly after Ohio St. won the national championship.

In a non-sports related note, Paris Hilton is no longer engaged. Gee, what a shocker?!?! You can find Paris dancing on the bar at a VIP room near you.

Honestly, I thought I'd be coming to you from a different location than home in October, but something big like this is worth the wait. So I wait.

Just out of curiousity, does anyone watch Saturday Night Live anymore???? Just wondering since I hear no promos for it during the week when I used to hear one every day.

Oh well, talk to you later.