Season 1 BCS Race is Heating Up

As we enter week 11, the BCS race is heating up and several RUTS teams and computer controlled teams are poised to make a run at a spot in the BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans.

The past few weeks have provided some shocking upsets, and teams are jockeying for position. Let's take an in-depth look at the BCS race and recap some of the craziness that has transpired over the past few weeks...

Oregon's Tough Losses - Nature's way of getting back at Phil Knight for all of the hideous Pro Combat uniforms?
No team in RUTS has experienced the heartbreak and disappointment in the past few weeks as the Oregon Ducks. Coach StuBucksman's team was ranked #5 in the nation heading into week 9, and despite a week 2 loss at LSU, the Ducks were poised to make a run at the Pac 12 and National title. Then, the tables turned, much to the anger of Coach Stu.

In week 9, against Oklahoma, the Ducks were clinging to a 24-21 lead and had the ball with time running out in the 4th quarter. Coach Gump's Sooners then forced a fumble, 1998 Tennessee vs Arkansas style. The Ducks defense was unable to keep the Sooners out of the endzone, as Oklahoma Qb "Dirty" Landry Jones scampered into the end zone, giving the Sooners the 28-24 win with 20 seconds left.

But, that heart breaker was nothing compared to what would occur in Week 10 in the Big House against a 1-loss Michigan team. The winner of this game would all but wrap up the Pac 12 North title. The Quack Attack looked poised to win this game in dominating fashion, cruising to a 42-17 lead just seconds into the 4th quarter. The teams then traded another pair of scores, and with under 5 minutes remaining in the game, Oregon led 49-24. Then, the Big Blue magic emerged...

Behind an array of Denard Robinson passes, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 recovered onside kicks, the Wolverines scored the final 7 of their 36 fourth-quarter points with 43 seconds left to defeat the Ducks 53-49. The loss left Coach StuBucksman is disbelief and questioning whether or not he should retire and focus more attention on Sensual BBQ's upcoming album Put them Ribs on the Grill, but after a nice hot bubble bath and a Chick Fila sandwich, Coach Stu came to his senses. He also made the bold decision to hire his son, Coach MANBucksman, to oversee the Ducks' RBs and special teams. The Ducks may be down, and with a week 13 game against USC looming, may be out of the running for a BCS Bowl, but, look for a renewed focus on the running game and onside kick recoveries.

Update: The bad luck for Oregon continued in week 11, as the Ducks lost starting QB Darren Thomas for 5 weeks due to injury.

BCS Race is Getting Hot? Nation's undefeated teams feeling the heat...

Entering week 11, few can argue who the top-ranked teams should be. #1 Florida State has held the top spot since Week 4 and has managed to remain unscathed. #2 Texas has been playing exceptionally well, defeating Alabama & Oklahoma in the process. The Longhorns' major test will come this week, when they travel to LA to face #12 USC. Texas then closes its season with back-to-back road games against #9 Michigan and current #3 (and unbeaten) Texas A&M. The Longhorns have a long way to go before securing a BCS bid.

Four computer teams are also unbeaten: #3 Texas A&M, #5 Pitt, #19 Houston and #22 Miami Ohio. Look for Pitt and Texas A&M to remain contenders until season's end.

USC has quietly been climbing in the polls, and should they upset the Longhorns this week, look for the Trojans, who would all but clinch the Pac 12 South with a win, to leap into the conversation for the national title.

And...don't look now, but the team with quite possibly the easiest road to the BCS title game might be....preseason #1 Oklahoma. Coach Gump's team has 2 losses, but are ranked #6 in the BCS. The Sooners have no more user RUTS games and could be riding a 6 game winning streak into bowl season. The Sooners also are out of contention for the Pac 12 title game. They'll likely need some help from some teams losing, but Oklahoma is right in the thick of the National title race with  the easiest remaining schedule. Sooner fans will be watching on the edge of their seats.




Lightning Strikes Twice! Coach roop1189 Duplicating Coach stinvol's RUTS debut

 The Michigan Wolverines and RUTS rookie Coach roop1189 have been climbing the polls all season. The rookie coach has led his team to two major upset wins over RUTS legends Coach cjohnchavis and Coach StuBucksman, and the #9 Wolverines only loss came at the hands of unranked California.

The Big Blue still have tough matchups against #2 Texas and the Miami Hurricanes, coached by roop's arch rival Coach stinvol.

Ironically, Coach stinvol was able to have a similar impact in his rookie RUTS season in RUTS3, season 1. Stinvol defeated Coach utvol27 and the Oklahoma Sooners that season to claim the Big XII South title. Now, Coach roop1189 looks to be duplicating (and perhaps even surpassing??) his arch-nemesis's success. These two longtime friends, turned foes, will battle it out in South Beach. The winner will get bragging rights, especially in the off-season, as their are known to vacation together in upper East Tennessee.

Tigers still scratchin'! LSU still in the running to win SEC, National titleThe Bayou Bengals have experienced their fair share of disappointment and struggles this season. Coach cjohnchavis has had to alter his gameplan, make a change at QB, and now has lost his star RB, Spencer Ware for the season with a torn shoulder.

Nevertheless, the Tigers are still alive and kicking in the SEC and National title races. LSU's ranked #8 in the BCS and still have to play Alabama before a likely rematch with #1 Florida State in the SEC championship. The 2-loss Tigers might need some losses from some computer teams ranked ahead of them, but if they can manage to win out and defeat the Seminoles, there's a good chance that LSU could vault to the top of the polls. Don't count out the Tigers just yet.

Just for fun - some cool NCAA 12 photos
Now, to close out today's post, here are just randomly cool photos people have snapped in NCAA 12. Despite all the bugs with the game this year, the up-close graphics are phenomenal! Enjoy....some of these look like real game photos...