College Football Odyssey

On September 1st, tornado-like conditions forced cancellations of home games for Nebraska and Iowa State.  The 23rd-ranked Cyclones decided to schedule a contingent make up game yesterday once their fate was sealed insofar as being eliminated from the Big 12 title game.

ISU asked nearby Drake to travel 25 minutes North to Ames.  Somehow, it was lost in the national media that 7-3 Drake also had a cancellation on September 1st for their ballyhooed home opener against none other than William Jewell.

For those not entirely up on Drake football history:  The Bulldogs play in the non-athletic scholarship Pioneer League: The same Pioneer League that spawned Jim Harbaugh’s coaching career at University of San Diego.  So, Iowa State has a 85-0 advantage  when it comes to football scholarships.

The Bulldogs were Division 1-A for a period of time up until 1985 when the Missouri Valley Conference ceased to be a 1-A operation.  Drake had its moments in the sun.  From 1979-1981, the Bulldogs annually beat a Big 8 team (Kansas State once and Colorado twice).

While Drake has a creditable team in 2018, the Bulldogs were not deemed strong enough to make the 24-team FCS playoff.  Accordingly, Iowa State entered as a 42-point favorite.    For magnitude of comparison, Appalachian State was a much lesser underdog in their memorable 2007 upset win in the Big House (and had athletic scholarships to give out).

Messy, wet field conditions can level the playing field and the slop was certainly a factor in Ames.  I was stunned when I heard that Iowa State led by a mere 6 points at halftime, 20-14.  An overconfident Cyclone team would be sure to roll in the right half.  Uh, NO!  When Drake hung around into the 4th quarter, the Odyssey just had to stream the radiocast.  With disbelief, we heard that Drake, down 27-24, had a first down on the Cyclone 26 with under 5 minutes to go!!!  A sack and a holding call snuffed history but in no way negated a fantastic effort by the Bulldogs.

Drake actually outgained ISU 279-273.  After the game, Drake players were celebrating as if they actually won the game.  Which, in some ways, they did.

SO, while the national media will fawn over Nick Saban, Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray, the Odyssey remains enraptured with one of the year’s most unique games.

Before we all dive deep into championship weekend, the Odyssey reflects on three of last week’s rivalry games.  The theme:  Winning begets winning.  Losing begets losing.

Michigan went to Ohio State as a favorite.  For the first time in Urban Meyer’s tenure, his Buckeyes were a home dog.  This  against the Team Up North that had won all of two of their 17 previous battles.  The last time Michigan won in Columbus, they were quarterbacked by a hot prospect for the New York Yankees (Drew Henson).

Virginia traveled to Lane Stadium to attempt to wrest the Commonwealth Cup from Virginia Tech.  Like Michigan, the Cavaliers were a road favorite against their tormentor.  The Hokies had won the previous 14.  However, this VPI team had an atypically terrible defense and was limping into its rivalry game with a 4-6 record.  Undaunted, the Hokies roared off to a 14-0 halftime lead.  Tech won a 34-31 overtime thriller to extend their whammy over UVa.

In August, if you had predicted Washington State would enter Apple Cup week with a 10-1 record, you might have been drug tested.  Immediately!  Nonetheless, behind their nouveau quarterback superstar, Gardner Minshew, Washington traveled 300 miles east to the Palouse as an underdog.  The Huskies had beaten Wazzu in the previous 5 games in no small part due to the continued excellence in their defensive backfield that has stymied Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense.  Was a driving snowstorm a major hindrance to WSU last Saturday?  Maybe.  Worse, the Cougars could not contain Myles Gaskin.  Six in a row.

The psychology in all 3 series has become fascinating, no more so than in Ann Arbor.  Don Brown has been lauded as a defensive genius.  I wonder how many points Ohio State would have scored against a lesser defensive coordinator?  Would it have been much more than 62??  Ohio State watched Indiana’s success on shallow crossing routes against the Wolverines the previous Saturday.  Guess what Ohio State repeatedly did in the first half with great success.  Some tremendous play calling by the Buckeyes.

For Michigan, Virginia and Washington State, the already heavy burden they bear just got a bit heavier.

Some of the meida talking heads are bemoaning the fact that the conference championship games next Saturday will be falling well,short of their perceived standard.

Neither Pitt nor Northwestern have one FBS non-conference win to their credit. (In Pitt’s case, an excuse exists because the Panthers played a really tough slate that included Penn State, Notre Dame and the defending national champs, UCF).  Utah’s 3 conference losses will not keep them from a rematch with Washington.

Memphis was considered dead a month ago yet they finish 5-3 in the American Athletic West.  Good enough to win the division and get a rematch of their 31-30 spine tingler with a UCF team allergic to losing.  If not for Tulane blowing a 9-point, 4th quarter lead against SMU a few weeks ago, the Green Wave would have been UCF’s opponent next Saturday.  Now, that would have been a great story out of New Orleans!

Oh no, the agony, the media wails.  Greg McElroy wants the best two teams to meet in the conference championship a la the Big 12.  Is this really a good idea?  “Hell no!” says the Odyssey.

In general, rematches diminish the uniqueness of college football.  You should only   get one shot a year.  Michigan fans are going to have to suffer for  365 painful days after their latest drumming in Columbus.  Instead,  suppose the McElroys of the world got their way.  It would be both anti-climactic and unfair for Auburn-Alabama or Michigan-Ohio State to ever play on consecutive weekends.  Why are those games one of the epic tilts in any sport each year?  One of the reasons:   You only get one shot.

The Big 12’s Oklahoma-Texas rematch is unfair to the Longhorns.  After a walk-off field goal by “Dicker the Kicker”  climaxed their epic at the Texas state fair, the Longhorns deserves to be the Big 12 champ. Today!  Yet, they have to unfairly deal with the nightmare of defending Kyler Murray again and beat OU a second time.

And what about the uplifting sagas of redemption?  Northwestern, Pittsburgh and Memphis should be lauded for having the gumption to turn their seasons around, not derided for being unworthy.  Yes, Northwestern lost to Akron.  Yes, Pitt looked like a high school team in Orlando (After Pitt’s performance yesterday against Miami, maybe the Panthers should never venture into the Sunshine State).  Get over it.

So, go Wildcats!  Upset the Buckeye apple cart.  Pitt, play loose against Clemson as nobody expects you to win.  Pretend like you are Rocky Balboa!

As for you misguided media souls:  not to worry,  Trust me, you will still be getting your fixes for Alabama and Clemson come playoff time.  In the meantime, please let the rest of us enjoy the improbable story lines this week.

When we booked our flight in August for this past weekend in North Texas, we were looking forward to going to check off two more stadiums in our dwindling list of places not visited:  North Texas and SMU.

We also had major hopes of an early Saturday game at Oklahoma or Texas.  Accordingly, we booked a Saturday night return.  After seeing an exciting game at North Texas on Thursday night, we looked forward to a pivotal game at SMU on Friday night.  Southern Methodist, which has won pretty much  nothing since its return from the death penalty 30 years ago,was actually in control to win the American West title with a good Memphis team coming to town.  Certainly, this was one of the biggest games at the Hilltop since the on-site stadium debuted in 2000.

My heart sank when I took my seat.  Stadium capacity is 32,200.  My first reaction:  what a beautiful stadium.  Second reaction:  Where were the fans?  I should have had a clue when  I parked for free on a residential street 3 blocks from the stadium.

The Odyssey has often talked of the difficulty of maintaining high interest in a program when there is a proximate NFL team.  In no case does more oxygen get sucked out of a college football team than what the iconic Dallas Cowboys annually do to the reborn Mustangs.  I had another clue to the general disinterest when I picked up a latte at Starbucks, 3 miles from Gerald Ford Stadium (By the way, not to be confused with President Gerald Ford.  The Presidential Ford did play Center at the Big House where many enthusiastic fans actually bothered to show up).  When I told a teen that I was en route to the game, he immediately thought I was going to a high school playoff game (admittedly, a religion in the Lone Star state).

Driving up to Gerald Ford was unlike any other 100+ stadiums the Odyssey has visited.  We were in the midst of a very posh neighborhood with tony stores that loudly spoke to the affluence of Dallas.  This is where we rank SMU football in the local pecking order of general interest.:

1.  Dallas Cowboy football
2. Local high school football
3. Upscale shopping
4.  Local house tours
5. SMU football

For SMU, the game proved as dispiriting as the crowd.  The first half was totally disjointed as neither team got any traction.  SMU coach Sonny Dykes was coaching like a desperado instead of as a mere 9-point underdog.  With the score 0-0, he gave up a chip shot field goal and went for it on 4th and a long one from the 7.  Fail.  Later in the first half, he called a fake punt from SMU’s side of the field.  Another fail.  Even worse, SMU could not run the ball or efficiently pass protect as Memphis’ defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage.

The game was not just disjointed but also bizarre.  The over/under skied to 75 yet the halftime score was amazingly 7-5 in favor of  Memphis.  Sonny Dykes is known for high-powered offenses and no-show defenses, making the first half became even more confounding.  The SMU defense played well, controlling Memphis’ phenomenal running back, Darrell Henderson.  Ben Hicks was so-so at QB and was not helped by any receiver not named James Proche.  After a Hicks interception, I was informed by a nearby fan, that’s why we call him “Pick-6 Hicks.”  The SMU fan informed me that there were 4 consecutive games where Hicks lived up to his nickname.  The Odyssey was not surprised as we were in Ann Arbor when Hicks was benched after a game-changing Pick 6 in the Big House.  Just like in Ann Arbor, James Proche continued to impress as he again went well over 100 yards in reception yardage with another game of double-digit catches.  Memphis continued to impose its will on the lines in the 2nd half and wound up with a deserved 28-18 victory.

I left the game in a funk,  Assuredly,  the game’s late 8pm start and the evening cold contributed.  The Odyssey loves the unique passion associated with college football.   The SMU players, the American Athletic conference and college football deserved better.  Friday night games are a specious form of the TV devil, especially when up against high school football playoffs  in a state crazed for high school football.  Would it have been asking too much for SMU not to have a Friday night under such circumstances?  I know TV rules but there should be scope for a touch of common sense.  Where was SMU’s athletic director when this date was made?

I left the stadium wondering if SMU  made a wise decision, post-death penalty, to return to Division 1-A football.  It is as if the Mustangs have a “zombie program.” Yes, the football team has come back from the dead, but in very different form.  Even their night’s promotion spoke of a time that cannot ever be recaptured.  Doak Walker bobbleheads were being given away.  Doak Walker was a fantastic player – 70 years ago.

The announced times of the Texas and Oklahoma games were both in evening slots. Disappointing!  The change fee from a Saturday return flight to a Sunday return flight were prohibitive so I thought I would just watch Saturday’s games from a fun, New York City-styled loft hotel room.  No tripleheader for the Odyssey.  Or so I thought.

When I woke up Saturday morning, I still had not gotten rid of the bad taste from Friday night.  I realized that TCU was playing at Baylor in the early game but I had already seen TCU play at Baylor in the 2011 opener in an absolute thriller that announced RG3’s momentous Heisman Trophy season.  The morning looked beautiful and the slate of early games did not look immensely compelling.  At the very last minute (9:15AM  for an 11 o’clock game), I decided to hightail it 110 miles South to Waco. Quickly.

About 15 minutes into my 12th-hour gallop toward the 114th installment of the “Revivalry” between the two private schools (TCU now leads by a narrow margin of 55-52-7). I knew I had made the right decision as my mood was brightening by the mile.  A frustrating traffic accident on I35, 5 miles north of Waco, made me later than hoped.  I parked roughly half a mile from McLane Stadium and was amply rewarded with a beautiful riverwalk ( I was late, so it was actually a riverrun even at my advanced age) on the South side of the Brazos River, highlighted by the changing fall colors.  The stadium was perched on the North bank.  I was happily reminded of the charm associated in going to Washington and Tennessee games as both stadiums were adjacent to rivers.

Walking into the stadium, I was jazzed by massive cheering as Baylor scored a 1st quarter touchdown.  Perhaps 1,000 times more enthusiasm than on any play Friday night.  Thank God!  McLane Stadium turned out to be breathtakingly beautiful, easily one of the country’s best venues to watch a game.  The architects got everything right, including an open South end zone which offers stellar views of the river and the expansive campus.  It also added to the spirit  to see the Baylor students, filling the lower rows of one side of the field, sporting their yellow, “Baylor Line” tee shirts.

Baylor should have won the game but did not.  Injuries forced TCU to use a 3rd string QB and a third-string running back.   This was on top of a zillion Horned Frog injuries on the defensive side.  TCU had zero sustained TD drives during the game.   Both Horned Frog touchdowns were byproducts of creative play calling.  Jalen Reagor first scored on a 65-yard jailbreak screen pass.  With the score knotted 9-9, in the third quarter, TCU had 4th and 1 at the Baylor 37.  Offensive coordinator, Sonny Cumbie, called a reverse that totally fooled the Bears.  Reagor strolled into the end zone with what proved to be the game-winning TD.

Equally surprising was TCU’s stellar defense that limited Baylor team to 9 points and 303 yards.  A week prior, Baylor’s offense tallied 505 yards against a quality Iowa State D.  In spite of Gary Patterson’s brilliance as a defensive guru,  holding Baylor to 9 points was one of the day’s stunning developments.  In the Odyssey’s opinion, Patterson is one of the few coaches who could have triumphed Saturday given the hand dealt.  In ESPN’s playoff-centric coverage, not much will be made of TCU’s victory or excellent coaching.  What a shame!

Last night’s game at Apogee Stadium between North Texas and Florida Atlantic promised to be entertaining.  Promise fulfilled!

The 2018 Mean Green has started fast in virtually every game but last night was faster than fast, as their all-timer of a quarterback, Mason Fine, threw for 210 yards — in the first quarter!!  In this age where music blares from  stadium speakers with impunity, as the first quarter ended,  either of two songs should have been featured:  The Chiffons’ #1 “He’s So Fine” or their smash followup, “One Fine Day.” An opportunity missed, I sadly thought.  I rationalized that many in the crowd were not alive in 1963.

The game’s drama built up throughout.  North Texas’ early 20-7 lead evaporated at halftime as FAU rallied to nip ahead, 21-20.  Disaster seemed to strike early in the second half as Fine went out of the game with what appeared to be an injury to his non-throwing wrist.  Seldom-used Quinn Shambour to the rescue!  The Mean Green  offense shifted game plan and relied on the rush as Shambour scampered for TD runs of 5 and 18 yards.

Still, with FAU’s productive offense (amazing to think that Devin “Motor” Singletary came to Apogee Stadium with 64 career touchdowns!) lurking, North Texas fans were relieved to see Fine later reenter the game.  FAU missed a chance to tie the game at 34 when Vladimir Rivas’ 41-yard field goal attempt doinked off the right upright.  I was glad President Trump was not watching the game because he would have been hopelessly conflicted by the doink.  He clearly would have rooted hard  for a “Vladimir” but not so much for a “Rivas.”

When DeAndre Torrey ripped off a 92-yard TD scamper with 5 minutes remaining,  the Mean Green’s lead expanded to 41-31.  Pretty safe one might surmise.  But this is the same North Texas that has experienced double-digit hell in all three of their losses where large leads have been squandered, highlighted by last week’s horrific meltdown at ODU after being up 28-0.

Sure enough, Chris Robison promptly threw the 2nd of his 50+-yard TD bombs.  41-38.  Sure enough, FAU forces a UNT punt, but exhausting their time outs in the process.  Apogee ecstasy after the game-clinching interception!

Turns out that at least the North Texas band appreciates 1960’s music.  In the fourth quarter, they played the #1 hit from 1962 by Texan Bruce Channel, “Hey Baby”  That gem is so old it preceded the days of Hayden Fry pacing the Mean Green sideline.

Another musical moment was missed given the game’s late 8:37 PM start (CBS Sports felt compelled to push the starting time back so that an earlier game could be televised.  CBS just knew that the nation would be riveted by a snowy game at perennial power, Kent State).  At game’s end, Eric Clapton’s classic, “After Midnight”, should have blared.  However, I was not too disappointed.  Thanks to the doink, we did not have a 41-41 game that would have resulted in the first of who knows how many overtimes.  As it was, already past my bedtime.

Thursday night, a fascinating game will take place between two enigmatic teams.  North Texas hosts Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic team.  At the beginning of the season, these teams rated to be the favorites to meet again in the Conference USA championship game (Last year, FAU had its way with North Texas, cruising to a 69-31 regular season win and a 41-17 triumph in the title rematch).

The Mean Green started out on fire with big wins over SMU and Arkansas.  Its current 7-3 mark masks how close North Texas is to being undefeated.  The Mean Green gave up double digit leads to UAB and Louisiana Tech but that heartache was dwarfed by last Saturday’s stunner in Norfolk.  North Texas jumped off to a 28-0 lead over a downtrodden Old Dominion team that limped into the game with a 2-7 record.  Old Dominion’s diminutive QB, Blake LaRussa, flashed the same magic that stunned Virginia Tech, converting a key, late 4th down conversion en route to a 34-31 barnburner. (By the way, has any 3-7 team ever experienced more ecstasy than ODU?  Their other victories were as a 4-TD dog to instate titan, Va Tech, and an incredible victory  comeback at Western Kentucky that required 3 untimed downs, which included a near Kick 6)

Florida Atlantic was supposed to be the class of CUSA.  So, what is up with their 5-5 record?  Their swagger took a jolt after their opening humiliation at Oklahoma.  Devin Singletary and Company were supposed to rampage through conference defenses but inconsistent QB play has held them back.

We guess North Texas might fare well, because it is Senior Night on a short week, but anybody who has a good feel for what is going to happen in this game is much smarter than the Odyssey.

On Friday night, we head an hour South to the Hilltop as SMU hosts Memphis.  In August, one of these teams was expected to contend for the American West title.  That has happened.  Except it is SMU doing the contending!  If the Mustangs win Friday and next week at Tulsa, they win the West.  Not too shabby given that the likes of Phil Steele predicted a cellar-dwellar finish for the Mustangs.

The Odyssey was impressed when we saw the Mustangs in Ann Arbor.  SMU kept the game close for a almost a half until a Josh Metellus Pick 6 totally flipped momentum.  SMU has already beaten Houston and took a 9-1 Cincinnati team into overtime.  SMU has an excellent receiver, James Proche, who has not cared which of the Mustangs’ 2 QBs throw him the ball.

We wonder if SMU can slow down the vaunted Memphis offense.  Logic says no.  The Tigers’ vastly underrecruited, 5’9″ bowling ball, Darrell Henderson, leads the country in rushing with 1,446 yards and a ridiculous average of 9.2 yards per rush.  Just in case you think Henderson is a flash in the pan, he averaged 8.2 yards per carry last year.

Feels like a 45-42 game one way or the other.  SMU is still not getting enough respect as evidenced by the Mustangs getting 8.5 points in Dallas.

When you undergo a year of near misses, critics can come out of the closet.  Consider Iowa’s four defeats:

1. A last-minute loss at home to Wisconsin where Iowa controlled most of the game
2. An interception late in the game at Penn State at the PSU goal line just when Iowa was poised to take control
3. To rally at Purdue, only to see the Boilers conduct a last-minute drive for a game winning field goal
4. Iowa went into yesterday’s home game at Northwestern as an 11-point favorite and, to most observers, was clearly the more talented team.  Pat Fitzgerald weaved yet more of his Wildcat magic as Northwestern upset Iowa 14-10.

Now, for the intrigue.  Iowa’s strapping Noel Fant was considered the nation’s premier tight end coming into 2018 and is Iowa’s career leader in TD receptions as a tight end (no small feat, considering that Iowa is a tight end factory.  Dallas Clark and Tony Moeaki are among tight end alumni in the Ferentz era).  Fant was targeted only 3 times among Nate Stanley’s 41 attempts yesterday.

Folks are wondering why.  We see no clear answer.  Three possibilities:

1. Sophomore TJ Hockenson is also deemed to be a high quality tight end and, as such,  has seen lots of playing time
2. Perhaps Fant has not been deemed to fully recover from an earlier concussion
3. The Iowa staff is still upset about Fant’s role in the pivotal goal line interception at Penn State

Such implied criticism of Ferentz and his staff would never have happened if the 2018 version of Iowa were not the Heartbreak Hawkeyes.  Fant’s older brother, a coach in Omaha, would not have dropped repeated Twitter bombs.

Iowa, so close to repeating their 2015 stellar season that led them to the Rose Bowl, yet, so, so, so far away.

On Sunday, we chronicled the Pac-12 South race (perhaps an inappropriate noun) where everybody can win and all are nicked with at least 3 conference losses.  Since chaos in college football can be great fun, we are rooting for UCLA to win its last 3, win the division and enter the Pac-12 title game at Levis Stadium with a spiffy 5-7 mark.

We were turned off this week as some national talking heads were bemoaning some potential mismatches in the conference title games.  Am I the only one who is suffering from Clemson, Alabama and Ohio State fatigue?  And incessant conversations about the playoff?

The way-ahead leader in the Big 10 West:  Northwestern.  The Wildcats sport absolutely no running game, after the forced retirement of Dylan Larkin, and the most bizarre loss of the year to Akron.  At halftime, in their September 15 game against the Zips, Northwestern was cruising over an offensively-challenged Akron team by a 21-3 score.  Who knew Akron was going to score 3 non-offensive touchdowns to shock the Cats?  While Northwestern is a 10-point underdog at Iowa this week, all the Wildcats have to do is win two of their last 3 (doormats Minnesota and Illinois are also on the docket) to make their initial appearance in Indianapolis.   Sure, it would be embarrassing for the Big 10 West winner to be winless in non-conference, but there could be company in the form of……..

Pittsburgh!  The Panthers, who were predicted to be also-rans in the ACC’s Coastal Division, are sitting pretty, with a 5-1 Coastal mark.  Ironically, their only conference loss is a 38-35 defeat is to cellar dweller North Carolina.  Like Northwestern, the rest of their schedule is manageable (Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Miami are all struggling) and the Panthers went winless in their non-conference tilts against FBS teams.  In full disclosure, such losses were to excellent teams in Penn State, UCF and Notre Dame.  In further full disclosure, the Odyssey attended their game at UCF in a game where Pitt was totally humiliated.   A Clemson-Pitt ACC championship game will be generally viewed as some form of mercy killing.

Houston’s pratfall against SMU raises the possibility that either 4-5 SMU or 4-5 Tulane could emerge out of the American’s West division.

The Sun Belt West is too weak for words.

All of which means that there may be some gross mismatches in conference chamionships or there is scope for some great upsets, depending on your general philosophical view.

What were the odds that every Pac-12 South team would have 3 conference losses before we turned the clocks back last night?? Last week, the wisest of talking heads were saying that Utah was the class of not only the South but the entire conference. FPI was literally orgasming over Utah.  Yesterday, the Utes were pretty helpless and hopeless against both N’Keal Harry and his 3 TD grabs (not a surprise since Harry will be a 1st round draft pick)  and Arizona State’s  251 yards rushing (an absolute shocker since the Utes had been stout against the run).  The combination of ASU’s 38-20 upset and the broken collarbone of Ute QB Tyler Huntley have thrown the South into utter chaos.

Let’s look at the conference records and future schedules of each pretender:

Pretender                    11/10                       11/17                        11/24

Arizona (4-3)                  bye                           @WSU                       ASU

ASU (3-3)                        UCLA                      @Oregon                   @Arizona

Colorado (2-4)               WSU                        Utah                           @Cal

USC (4-3)                       Cal                             @UCLA                    Notre Dame

UCLA (2-4)                  @ASU                          USC                          Stan

Utah (4-3)                      Oregon                     @Col                          BYU

This early on a Sunday, it is way too early to figure out all the possible tiebreaker scenarios if there is a 3-way tie for the Pac-12 South crown at 5-4.  Could UCLA actually win the title with a potential 5-7 mark?!?!  If so, Chip Kelly will need a full week to stop laughing at his critics.  We would think this next to impossible but, then again, UCLA throttled a good Cal team in Berkeley by a hard-to-fathom 37-7 count.

We might think the heated Territorial Cup rivalry would be likely to decide if not for their tough, looming road tilts.

We would think USC might be the most likely to wind up with a 6-3 mark.  If so, they must also hope for a Utah loss after the Utes embarrassed the Trojans in Salt Lake City.

The only team we cannot imagine winning the South is Colorado.  When you blow a 4-TD lead at home in the second half to doormat Oregon State, how could you possibly win the South, especially with the toughest remaining schedule?    Which, if this race maintains its current level of insanity, means the Buffs are a lock to win out!!

Bobby Petrino’s sad-sack Louisville team appears to have given up the ghost for 2018.  The main factor that might keep Petrino on the Louisville sideline in 2019 is a combination of a large buyout and a cash-strapped UL budget.

Matt Colburn has to be one of the country’s happiest football players in the country this week after his latest star turn reminded Petrino of a classless maneuver in Colburn’s recruitment.  Louisville had offered the prep running back from South Carolina only to rescind the scholarship offer at the very, very, very last minute.  Colburn’s consolation prize was Wake Forest.

Fast forward to last Saturday’s Louisville game at Wake Forest.  Colburn torched Louisville’s miserable running defense (Georgia Tech can definitely attest!) for 243 rushing yards in a Demon Deacon romp.  Colburn is among the top 10 running backs in Wake Forest history.  Last year, in Louisville, Colburn’s 134 rushing yards were key to Wake’s 42-32 upset win.

Given Petrino’s stealth exit from the Atlanta Falcons and the way he handled his motorcycle fiasco at Arkansas, some poetic justice exists in Colburn’s excellence against the Cardinals.  And if Colburn’s payback did not suffice, maybe the fact that the biggest underdog on the board tomorrow is Louisville +38.5 as it heads to an execution at Clemson’s version of Death Valley.