WHEN a commissioner speaks glowingly in July about his conference, you shrug it off, figuring, ‘What else is the head honcho supposed to say about his league before the games have begun?’
But Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese’s words this summer at his league’s football media day certainly don’t sound like rhetoric today. The first BCS ratings will be released this afternoon, and the road to the national championship Fiesta Bowl game will likely go through the Orange Bowl on Dec. 7.
That’s when Miami and Virginia Tech could arrive in the Orange Bowl undefeated and likely holding the top two spots in the BCS ratings. Both will be in contention for the Fiesta Bowl when the ratings are announced this afternoon.
“People come up to me and say, ‘Congratulations on a great season,’ and I appreciate that, but I say to them, ‘We’ve had a couple of great years now,’ ” Tranghese said in July.
The Big East is 19-12 against Division I-A non-conference opponents this season, and is the only league that boasts two undefeated teams – Miami and Tech.
The top two teams in the BCS ratings at the end of the season will play in the Fiesta Bowl; that means the Hurricanes and Hokies are on a collision course.
Miami still must play at Tennessee. Tech still has rival Virginia, the winner of six straight.
Then comes the Orange Bowl showdown, followed by the Fiesta Bowl.
HEISMAN WATCH: 1. Ken Dorsey, QB, Miami – 32-1 as a starter for the ‘Canes, who did not play Saturday. 2. Philip Rivers, QB, N.C. State – has completed 65 percent of his passes including 16 TDs and 5 Ints. He scored on a 6-yard run and threw a pair of 53-yard touchdown passes in the Wolfpack’s 24-22 win over Duke. 3. Maurice Clarett, RB, Ohio State – has posted a school freshman-record seven 100-yard rushing games.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Arizona State quarterback Andrew Walter – threw for a school-record 536 yards and four touchdowns as the Sun Devils traveled to Oregon and upset the Ducks, 45-42.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Bowling Green – playing its first game as a ranked team since 1985, trailed 35-21 midway through the third quarter, but rallied for a 48-45 double-OT win over Western Michigan and remained undefeated.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Ohio State linebacker Matt Wilhelm, describing how Buckeyes were able to avoid their first loss of seaon against Wisconsin: “We keep our equilibrium by almost losing a game.”
We’re just thrilled to hear a player use the word “equilibrium” in a sentence when he wasn’t talking about concussions.