Morning Six Pack: November 5, 2012

We're back after a brief hiatus to address some vexing technical difficulties. Whilst we recover, check out these six college football stories from around the country.

Analysis: Alabama Coach Nick Saban Questions Oregon’s Offense

As Alabama and Oregon seem destined to play for a national championship, Crimson Tide Coach Nick Saban has questioned whether the Ducks’ no-huddle offense is a risk to player safety.

Whittingham hits 100 - Utah 
 

Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham reached an important milestone Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Oregon passes Notre Dame in BCS 

One down, one to go for Oregon. The Ducks moved up a spot and passed Notre Dame in the BCS standings on Sunday, moving into third place behind Alabama and Kansas State.   

Auburn's Wallace faces stiff test 
 
As quarterback Jonathan Wallace surveyed New Mexico State’s defense before the snap, he thought otherwise. The freshman checked to a pass. Wallace found senior receiver Emory Blake with a perfect throw.

Inside the Rankings: Bobby Bowden Never Liked Computers from the Start, But Silicon Suits Tommy Tuberville 
 

The computers hate hate hate Florida State. This isn't really that unusual this season, given the Seminoles big win and the loss to N.C. State. But the gap between the humans and the chips on FSU isn't going away.

Quotable:

It’s debatable whether Alabama needed a game like this in order to focus itself in future weeks, but Alabama fans probably needed it. There had been plenty of talk in the days leading up to this game whether Alabama would stand a chance against an NFL bottom-feeder, a ridiculous notion by itself but one that had the potential to over-inflate a few teenage egos. The happiest man in the world right now is probably Nick Saban, who will have no shortage of needles on hand to burst bubbles and get the team (and especially, the Alabama secondary) refocused on short-term goals rather than lofty hypotheticals.

One of the smartest things Lou Holtz has ever said in his life is, “You never have the same team two weeks in a row.” For Alabama, this is most fortunate, because Alabama will have to improve to beat Texas A&M next Saturday. But Holtz’s quote also applies backwards, and is the explanation for why Alabama could so thoroughly dominate teams like Michigan and Mississippi State, then look like it did for most of the LSU tilt.

Simply put, college football doesn’t always make sense. Scores can’t be compared week-to-week. How a team did one Saturday is in no way connected to how it will do the following Saturday. Teams either improve, or backslide. There is no standing still.


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