Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno, the all-time leader in college football history who was involved in the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State, has died at age 85 of lung cancer.
While we can argue about whether or not the right teams were playing, it was hard to argue with the excitement of the BCS bowl games so far. Three of the four were decided either in the last seconds of regulation (Rose Bowl) or in overtime (Fiesta and Sugar bowls), while the fourth (Orange Bowl) shattered virtually every bowl game record on the books for offensive statistics.
But the non-BCS games also gave us a lot of close games and great individual performances, as well. Here are the highlights from the final week of bowl season.
Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck saved the best for last, going 27 for 31 for 347 yards and two touchdowns in what was probably his last college football game.
But his stellar effort wasn’t enough as Cardinal kicker Jordan Williamson missed three field goals — including one at the end of regulation and another in overtime — and opened the door for Oklahoma State’s exciting 41-38 overtime win in Monday’s Fiesta Bowl.
The Rose Bowl between #5 Oregon and #10 Wisconsin was expected to be a shootout, and the two teams lived up to the hype in the highest scoring Rose Bowl in history. Oregon running back De’Anthony Thomas had just two carries, but made them count on touchdown runs of 91 and 64 yards and the Ducks scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to secure a 45-38 victory.
The second week of bowl season usually features some exciting games, and this year was no exception. Many of the games this week gave us wild plays, last-second finishes, great individual performances and, in the case of the Alamo Bowl, the kind of unstoppable offense that would make Bo Jackson in Super Tecmo Bowl proud. Here are all the highlights from the last week in college football.
Bowl season is in full swing. Here’s a look back at what went down in the first week of games.
Thursday, Dec. 22
Maaco Bowl; Las Vegas, NV
NO. 8 BOISE STATE 56 – ARIZONA STATE 24
Doug Martin returned
Over a year after the first allegations of improper benefits being given to Ohio State football players broke, the NCAA has finally issued its final report on the matter and handed down its punishment.
The Buckeyes will not be eligible to play in the Big Ten Championship or a bowl game next season, and they will lose a total of nine scholarships (three in each of the next three seasons). The school will also be on probation through 2014.
It’s pretty well accepted that the BCS system to determine college football’s national championship is unpopular with the public.
But a new survey from Poll Position shows just how hated the BCS -- which uses a mix of human polls, computer rankings and strength of schedule to determine a one-off national championship game — really is.
