NCAA Top 25 for October 2014 | Mississippi State Hits The Top Spot

Time now for my NCAA top 25 rankings. If I can pat myself on the back, I told you so about Mississippi state. Will Florida State keep their lofty rankings by winning big? Will will Wisconsin come back on this list? Who knows. Meanwhile, we're looking forward to seeing who wins this week.  

1. Mississippi State- I called it, boy did I call it. Now Gators fans are calling for Florida to hire Dan Mullen as the new head coach.

  2. Mississippi- If Mississippi State has the best resume in America, their in-State counterparts have the second best resume.

  3. Florida State- Needs to make a statement this weekend against Notre Dame

  4. Baylor- In prime position to win the Big 12 after that wild finish against TCU

  5. Auburn- They now find themselves out of the playoff at the moment after the fiasco this weekend against Mississippi State

  6. Notre Dame- Loser in the Florida State –Notre Dame game this weekend falls out of the National Championship picture.

  7. Oregon- They will win the Pac-12 as a consolation prize

  8. Michigan State- They almost pulled the “oops” game last weekend.

  9. Marshall- The quietest unbeaten left.

10. Alabama- I’m not impressed with the Tide this season at all. If Brandon Allen’s arm was a little stronger, they would have lost again last weekend.

11. Georgia- The Bulldogs keep on trucking along.

12 TCU- Well it was fun while it lasted.

13. Arizona- The luck finally ran out for the luckiest team in America..

14. Oklahoma- This appears to be another dull season for the Sooners and yet another Fiesta Bowl invite.

15. Washington- First place in the Pac-12 is on the line this weekend against Oregon.

16. Ohio State- Here come the Buckeyes. They might just pull this off after all.

17. Kansas State- Will probably have to settle for the Cotton Bowl.

18. Georgia Tech- Needs to get back on tract after the Duke loss.

19. Nebraska- They are gunning for either the Rose Bowl or the Capital One Bowl at this point

20. Duke- Probably the one of the stories of the season so far. This Duke team is 5-1.

21. Minnesota- In prime position to win the Big Ten right now.

22. Oklahoma State- this may be the quietest team in the country right now.

23. Rutgers- Not much to say about this team.

24. East Carolina- A lot of offense, and no defense.

25. Kentucky- 5-1 right now, which is why I rank them.

Badgers 2013 Bowl Opportunities | Should Wisconsin Find A New Quarterback?

The Wisconsin Badgers are going to finish the 2013 college football regular season at 9-3, and 6-2 in Big Ten Conference Play. The Badgers are now headed for the Capital One Bowl following the events of the Auburn-Alabama game this weekend, as Vern Lundquist called it, “an answered prayer”. The Alabama loss puts Ohio State into the national championship game if they beat Michigan State this Saturday. If Michigan State does indeed win that game, the BCS selection committee would probably bring Ohio State into the BCS as an at large team, therefore placing Wisconsin into the Capital One Bowl regardless. Yes the Badgers run of three straight Big Ten Championships is over, but overall a successful season.

Well if the Badgers had a successful season, they why are we talking about them needing to make a change at quarterback? The success this season for Wisconsin had nothing to do with Joel Stave. Rather the 9-3 record is due to the play of running backs Melvin Gordon and James White, as well as the fact that this defense was sixth in the nation in points per game at 14.8. Stave had nothing to do with it. In fact, Stave at times hampered Wisconsin. 

Does Wisconsin Replace Quarterback Stave?

I understand the Badgers are not exactly known for great quarterback play, but their quarterbacks have always been good caretakers of the football and of time of possession. Stave’s play in 2013 started out okay, but got gradually worse as the season went on, and this last Saturday, in the 31-24 loss against Penn State, Stave was just plain awful. He finished the game 29-53 with 339 yards and three interceptions. Don’t let the passing yards fool you, he played terrible.

I don’t think they will make a change before the bowl game. There is no reason to play Curt Phillips in the bowl game and it wouldn’t be a good idea to give any of the freshmen the start. They have gone this far with Stave, might as well let him finish the job. There are a lot of people who think that just because a player isn’t going to be in the team’s plan next season, he should be benched. I say let him finish the job he signed up for. But come the offseason, it may be time to look at other options. Right now, outside of Stave, and senior Curt Phillips, the Badgers have a lot of unknowns on the roster. Two freshmen who certainly look the part, Thad Armstrong and Bart Houston come to mind. Conner Senger, a freshman from Milwaukee that I have personally interviewed, is undersized but is a good football player. Another option would be a sophomore named Tanner McEvoy.

Bottom line, whether it is Joel Stave, or someone else, the Badgers need better play out of the quarterback play out of the quarterback position then what Stave gave them this season.