Huskers just keep looking worse, and other thoughts

John Leroi Out of Bounds

In this crazy season of college football where Notre Dame loses more often than Purdue, and Washington State gets a Rose Bowl invitation for the first time in more than 60 years, Michigan has some thank yous to pass around. The Wolverines are already indebted to Missouri for taking previously top-ranked Nebraska to overtime before succumbing to the Cornhuskers.

Add to that list the Florida Gators who dished Florida State its first loss of the season two Saturday's ago; and the Colorado Buffaloes, who nearly pulled off one of the greatest comebacks since Kordell Stewart stepped into Michigan Stadium.

Alas, Nebraska remains unbeaten, and even though the Wolverines' lead in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll is widening with every Nebraska turdecer, there will surely be hell to pay if both the Wolverines and Cornhuskers finish the season undefeated.

In that case, add Michigan State to Michigan's thank you list for beating then-No. 4 Penn State and Vanderbilt for almost doing the same to No. 3 Tennessee. No offense to the Nittany Lions and Volunteers, but neither stands a chance against Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

The Seminoles are the best bet to knock off Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. So, if Auburn beats the Volunteers in the SEC championship game on Saturday, Florida State will be heading to Miami. Might as well address another one of those thank you cards to Terry Bowden.

Of course considering Nebraska has performed so poorly the past few weeks, it is not out of the realm of possibility for Texas A & M to upset the Cornhuskers in the Big 12 championship game. Okay, better buy one more thank you card for the Aggies just in case.

And, why, pray tell, should we thank Vanderbilt. Not only did the Commodores bring Tennessee down to Earth, they also rattled Peyton Manning almost as much as Florida did, diminishing his chances of winning the Heisman Trophy.

Michigan All-everything Charles Woodson will be announced as the Walter Camp College Football Player of the Year at a press conference in Schembechler Hall today, and a poll of ESPN Sportszone readers has Woodson as the favorite to win the Heisman.

Manning still may win it, but Woodson is looking better every Saturday, even when he isn't playing.

Will coach for money

After taking the Longhorns to bowl games in every season but his first in Austin, John Makovic was fired as Texas' coach a day after losing to Texas A & M. Likewise, Arkansas let go of Danny Ford after an uneventful season in Little Rock.

In this day of parity in college football, losing seasons at large schools simply are not tolerated, thanks in part to the recent success of Northwestern, Kansas State and Washington State. That prompted Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue and Illinois to give their coaches the ax last season, which has paid dividends to the Boilermakers, whose new head man, Joe Tiller, has Purdue, at 8-3, in the Alamo Bowl but deserving better.

Spartans say Aloha

It may sound stupid, but when Michigan State and Penn State play, you can throw the records out the window. The Spartans whipped the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions, 49-14, in Spartan Stadium in what has been a long-anticipated victory. The Spartans, at 7-4 and Aloha Bowl bound, are actually a better team than they are given credit. Remember, the Spartans are just two field goals away from being 9-2.

Historically, Michigan State has played its best game of the season against Penn State for the last four years, but has lost each time before Saturday's victory. The worst letdown was a 20-point Spartan lead that was erased by four Bobby Engram touchdown receptions in 1993.

Michigan State was a big reason the Nittany Lions decided to join the Big Ten, when former Spartan coach George Perles and Penn State coach Joe Paterno agreed to face off to end every season. Paterno, whose Nittany Lions lost out on an Alliance Bowl bid with the loss, might be rethinking that decision.

- John Leroi can be reached via e-mail at jrleroi@umich.edu

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