Ball State, Central Michigan kick off pivotal week

Nov 17, 2008 - 5:50 PM By Jim Ralabate PA SportsTicker College Football Editor

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The eyes of the college football world will be darting all over the radar this upcoming weekend.

Will Rich Rodriguez and Michigan end a forgettable season with a memorable - and unlikely - upset of Ohio State in Columbus?

Will undefeated Utah secure a BCS bowl berth against hated rival BYU in Salt Lake City?

Will Joe Paterno and Penn State beat Michigan State in Happy Valley and book their tickets to the Rose Bowl?

And of course, will Graham Harrell and unbeaten Texas Tech continue their magical ride to the national championship game by rolling into Norman and ousting Oklahoma?

Let's face it folks, this will be the pivotal weekend of the 2008 season.

But before the curtain raises on all the Saturday drama, pollsters and fans alike should shift their attention to Mount Pleasant, Michigan - where the climactic chapter of one of this season's unlikeliest stories will be written.

Ball State - that's right, David Letterman's alma mater - can take the penultimate step toward an undefeated regular season Wednesday night in a nationally-televised game at high-powered Central Michigan.

If the Cardinals escape Kelly/Shorts Stadium with a win, they will need only to beat Western Michigan at home to complete the first perfect football season in school history.

By navigating that two-week gauntlet, the Cardinals will win the MAC's West Division and earn a spot in the conference's title game, where they will be a heavy favorite against either Buffalo or Bowling Green.

Despite losing star wide receiver Dante Love to a career-ending spinal injury, Ball State already has enjoyed unprecedented success, winning its first 10 games en route to the best start in program history and climbing to 17th in the BCS rankings.

Cardinals head coach Brady Hoke, a Ball State alum who undoubtedly comprehends the magnitude of what he already has accomplished this season, knows his team has two more major obstacles to hurdle.

"We have weathered 10 storms, but we have a long way to go," Hoke said. "We have stayed focused on what the goal is, and the goal is to win a MAC Championship."

That will not be an easy goal to reach with Central Michigan standing in the way.

The Chippewas quietly have been one of the best "mid-majors" in the country; their only two blemishes are road losses to Georgia and Purdue - where they lost the lead with just over a minute remaining.

Riding a six-game winning streak and also boasting a perfect record in MAC play, Central Michigan will roll Eastern Michigan in its season finale on November 28.

Therefore, the MAC West Division winner and likely conference champion will be determined Wednesday night. And what a matchup it promises to be.

The game will feature two of the best unknown quarterbacks in the country: Ball State's Nate Davis and Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour.

For those who haven't seen Davis yet, think Byron Leftwich, only more durable.

LeFevour, on the other hand, is a poor man's Tony Romo. The junior has been limited by injuries this year after lighting up the statsheet last season, when he passed for over 3,800 yards, ran for over 1,100 yards and accounted for 46 touchdowns.

Expect plenty of offensive fireworks.

And Ball State, which has maintained a one-game-at-a-time perspective throughout this season, is expecting a formidable foe in the Chippewas.

"Every week, we've focused on the task at hand, which was the next team," Cardinals linebacker Bryant Haines said. "But underneath it all, Central Michigan has been lurking."

HAPPY TRAILS: Syracuse finally put Greg Robinson - and Orange fans - out of their collective misery.

Robinson was fired Sunday, ending the most dismal coaching tenure in the school's history.

Syracuse had never experienced a 10-loss season when Robinson was hired to replace Paul Pasqualoni in January 2005.

But under Robinson, the Orange have deteriorated into a laughingstock. Saturday's blowout loss to UConn dropped Robinson's overall record to 9-35, which actually looks good compared to his 3-23 mark in Big East play.

A longtime NFL assistant who never had held a head coaching job, Robinson was hired to revive a Syracuse program that went 16-20 in its final three seasons under Pasqualoni.

But the Orange have gotten markedly worse under Robinson, whose team has been outscored by a whopping 300-169 margin this season.

Granted, Robinson faced a difficult task when he came to Syracuse. But he clearly failed in nearly every aspect of the job, from recruiting to in-game coaching.

I'm sure Greg Robinson is a nice guy - Syracuse's athletic director had nothing but good things to say about Robinson as a person.

But despite his success as a defensive coordinator, Robinson obviously could not cut it as a head coach.

THE BAD, THE WORSE AND THE UGLY: Every week, PA SportsTicker's college football staff will sort and rank the worst 10 teams in the country. Only BCS conference schools are eligible for this prestigious poll:

1. Washington State (1-10) - The Cougars received all but one first-place vote.

2. Washington (0-10) - Only winless team in the FBS; has a chance to lock up the No. 1 spot with a loss this week to Washington State.

3. Syracuse (2-8) - New coach will have a tough task rebuilding this once-proud program.

4. Iowa State (2-9) - Needs to beat Kansas State to avoid winless record in Big 12 play.

5. Michigan (3-8) - Wolverines have five home losses for first time in program's 129-year history.

6. Tennessee (3-7) - Phillip Fulmer is ending a brilliant tenure on an awful note.

7. Indiana (3-8) - Hoosiers have only one win since September 6.

8. Purdue (3-8) - Joe Tiller may have made mistake coming back for this year.

9. Mississippi State (3-7) - Last year's 8-5 season seems like it was a long time ago.

10. Texas A&M (4-7) - Lost to Baylor for the second time in the last 23 meetings.

Also receiving votes: Charlie Weis, Duke, Arkansas, Kansas State, Baylor, UCLA.

WEEKLY WEIS WATCH: When everyone else is frowning upon you, sometimes the only thing to do is smile.

That's exactly what Charlie Weis did following Saturday's 27-21 win over Navy, a game that nearly ended in disaster for Notre Dame.

Despite holding a 20-point lead, the Fighting Irish lost a fumble at Navy's 5-yard line and failed to recover two onside kicks - all in the final five minutes.

Rather than fret over his team's late-game collapse, Weis told jokes following the rain-soaked contest, asking reporters if they wanted to try out for his hands team.

Perhaps Weis was merely happy that he still has a job, since a second straight embarrassing loss to Navy likely would have got him fired.

But I doubt Weis will be laughing in two weeks, when Notre Dame almost certainly will get sand-blasted by USC.

EXTRA POINTS: Congratulations to Cincinnati for finally reclaiming the Keg of Nails with Friday night's win over Louisville. It marked the first time in six years that the Bearcats beat the Cardinals. ... Miami is back in the national rankings for the first time since September 2006. Count on the young and ever-improving Hurricanes staying there for a long time.

Question or comment? E-mail james.ralabate@pa-sportsticker.com.