Long-awaited ‘If I Had A Vote’ Week 10

Another docile week near the top and nutty and the bottom. Here’s last week’s rankings:

1. Texas
2. Penn State
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida
6. USC
7. Texas Tech
8. Georgia
9. Oklahoma State
10. Ohio State
11. Utah
12. LSU
13. Boise State
14. TCU
15. Tulsa
16. Missouri
17. Pittsburgh
18. South Florida
19. BYU
20. Ball State
21. Georgia Tech
22. Kansas
23. Florida State
24. Virginia Tech
25. North Carolina

And now for this week:

1. Texas
They survived Oklahoma State again. If they can beat Texas Tech this week it’s relatively-smooth sailing to Miami.

2 (tie). Alabama and Penn State
There are things I like about both teams and things I don’t like. I think if they played 100 times both would win 50. But overall I’m kind of pulling for Texas to lose and these two to win out to get a Redux of the 1979 Sugar Bowl, 30 years later. AND JOEPA IS STILL THERE.

4. Florida
Kentucky was pretty banged up, but putting 63 on the board against what had been a pretty good defense is pretty impressive.

5. USC
They managed to survive their most dangerous road trip of the season. Now they’ve just gotta hope for some losses.

6. Oklahoma
My love for the Sooners wanes as their defense continues to give up piles of points and yards.

7. Georgia
Of all the scenarios I envisioned for the Bulldogs’ trip to Death Valley, 90 combined points was not among them.

8. Texas Tech
I don’t care if they waxed Kansas. They aren’t as good as any of the teams ranked before them (Even if they have a better than good chance of beating both Texas and Oklahoma)

9. Utah
The Utes just keep on winning. TCU is coming up in a couple weeks, though.

10. Oklahoma State
Can’t penalize them too much for nearly beating the No. 1 team on their home field.

11. Boise State
The Broncos just have to hope for Utah to lose at this point.

12. TCU
The Horned Frogs have given up 7 points or less in seven of their nine games.

13. Ohio State
They just didn’t have it this year.

14. Tulsa
The Golden Hurricanes let UCF hang around a while and then crushed them. I like that sort of toying with the competition.

15. Missouri
I was pretty surprised by the ferocity of their beatdown of Colorado.

16. LSU
You could almost say they’re a quarterback away from being among the best in the country, but when you consider they’ve given up 103 points in their two losses and made Auburn’s offense look almost competent you have to wonder.

17. BYU
I have a feeling the Cougars will lose once or twice more.

18. Ball State
Rolling towards a showdown with Central Michigan on a Wednesday night in a few weeks.

19. Florida State
Has anybody benefitted from the ACC’s awfulness more than the Seminoles (other than maybe Virginia)?

20. North Carolina
I like this team a lot. They should be really fun to watch next year.

21. Michigan State
They finally beat Michigan in Ann Arbor. And barring Sparty-like meltdowns shouldn’t lose again before their trip to Penn State on Nov. 22.

22. Minnesota
I have no idea how they’re here. None.

23. West Virginia
They’re starting to get that swagger back and they have a clear path to the conference title, unless, of course, Bill Stewart screws it up.

24. South Florida
I might be more disappointed in the Bulls than anyone.

25. Troy
If you think I’m putting them here because I don’t like any of the remaining options and just wanted to give my half-alma mater some love, you’re absolutely right.

The time is gone

As you can see form the timestamp, tomorrow’s notes today almost became today’s notes today. I won’t waste any more of your time.

O-line shuffles
Jason Bosley made the request, but the idea was already floating around in offensive line coach Hugh Nall’s head.

After seven games at right tackle, Bosley made the move back to center—the position he started at all last season – Thursday at West Virginia. Sophomore Ryan Pugh, who had taken over at center during those seven games, went back to right tackle.

“I feel a lot more comfortable at center,” said Bosley, who opened up the season at center, but hadn’t seen action there until Thursday. “Pugh did a great job at center, too. It’s something we had been thinking about doing anyway. I was getting plenty of reps at center during practice so I wasn’t behind.”

The move was made in lieu of Auburn taking fewer snaps out of the shotgun and more under center with two backs in the backfield.

It’s a role Bosley is better suited for, coach Tommy Tuberville said.

“The communication is a lot better. He felt a little bit more at home,” Tuberville said. “We didn’t have as many problems, not to say Ryan can’t do it. He’s our backup snapper, but we put him back out there where he’s been. It’s just a little bit more consistent.”

The transition was just as smooth for Pugh, who played at both center and tackle at Hoover High School in Birmingham.

“I knew it was going to be a tough challenge to go back out there on such short notice,” Pugh said. “Coach Nall got me prepared real well.”

Thursday’s swap at center and tackle wasn’t the only new look Auburn flashed on its O-line.

Sophomore Mike Berry made his first start of the season and fourth of his career at right guard in place of Byron Isom. Isom suffered a concussion in Auburn’s loss to Arkansas and was held out of action on doctors’ orders, Tuberville said.

Berry ran with the first-team offense at practice Sunday and could get his second start of the season Saturday at Ole Miss.

“He made some mistakes you’d expect on the blitz, but I like his athletic ability,” Tuberville said. “We do a lot of pull stuff with him. He does a good job.”

Tigers cornered
The Tigers’ injury list has grown so long that Tuberville didn’t want to bother running down it Sunday because there wasn’t enough time.

The circumstances have prompted Tuberville to move a number of players around at different positions at practice this week, “just to make sure we’ve got depth
going into the game.”

One switch that was addressed and could take place Saturday is at right cornerback, where the Tigers could be without starter Jerraud Powers and freshman backup Neiko Thorpe.

Powers was hampered by a nagging hamstring injury Thursday, particularly in the second half, when he played mostly on “one leg,” defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said.

Powers was forced to play through it, though, because Thorpe rolled his ankle on the Tigers’ successful second-quarter on-side kick attempt.

Neither players practiced much Sunday and are considered “day-to-day.”

“(Powers) is as aggressively rehabbing it as anybody would,” Rhoads said. “I would expect him to play come Saturday.”

If he doesn’t, the job will go to true freshman and Phenix City product, D’Antoine Hood.

Hood hasn’t seen much action this season, as a lack of quickness has prevented him from playing much in the team’s nickel packages, Tuberville said recently. But Rhoads has liked what he’s seen from Hood, especially over the last month, where “he’s matured, he understands this level of game better and his practice has reflected that.”

“There’s really no hesitation to pull the trigger on him, and he’ll be ready to play,” Rhoads said.

Blue October
Thursday’s 34-17 loss at West Virginia capped a historically woeful October for Tuberville and the Tigers.

Auburn went 0-for-October, losing all three of its games in the first full month of autumn. It’s the first time Auburn has lost all of its games in October since 1999, Tuberville’s first season with the program, when the Tigers dropped four games to cap a five-game losing streak.

Before 1999, the last time Auburn went completely winless in October was 1950, when it finished 0-10.

Tuberville has a .575 winning percentage (23-17) during October in his time at Auburn, making it hands down his worst month of the season.

If you hadn’t guessed ...

I didn’t have time for the liveblog. And don’t tell anybody, but I’d kinda rather watch the World Series than Tulsa-UCF anyway.

My top 25 coming by 10:30 p.m.

Here’s the kicker

How do you take the focus off an offense that has struggled all season, a defense that has given up 59 points in its last two outings and a team that has either tied or been outscored in seven of eight second halves this season?

Open up the kicking job, of course.

Tommy Tuberville said today that he has reopened the competition for Auburn’s field-goal duties. Current starter Wes Byrum is 8-of-14 on the season. Last time I checked, that average only flies in baseball. He’s had at least one miss somewhat affect the outcome in three of Auburn’s four losses, the most recent coming Thursday at West Virginia. The sophomore shanked a 44-yarder that would have tied the game, 20-20, early in the fourth quarter.

The surprising twist on the entire shakeup? Punter Clinton Durst will be joining the fray.

Here’s what the head coach had to say about it:

We’ve got to start making field goals. It’s just become a point now where somebody’s got to step up and do it. We’re getting better in a lot of areas. That’s just one area that we just haven’t had any consistency, so we’re trying to adjust that.

On Durst
He messes around with it. He doesn’t do a whole lot, but just talking to all the guys, he’s pretty much a natural, kicking the ball, punting it. Kicking off. He’s had a bum leg most of the year, but it’s gotten better to where we think we can kick him. He did good today. He made 2 of 3. I think Wesley was 3 out of 3. And Hull was 2 of 3. We’ll put pressure on them all week long. It was against a live rush.

On Byrum’s confidence
I mean, you’ve got to be productive. And he has before, he’s just lost his confidence. He’s got to get his fundamentals back. If he kicked like he did today, he’d be the starter, because he kicked pretty well. But you’ve got to carry it to the game and he knows that. He knows he’s had a rough time, but he’s the most mentally prepared guy that we’ve got.

In other notes of interest, Tuberville said that he had so many hurt players, he wasn’t going to bother running down the list. Banged up corners Jerraud Powers (hamstring) and Neiko Thorpe (ankle) both practiced minimally today, but could potentially both miss Saturday’s game at Ole Miss. If that’s the case, true freshman D’Antoine Hood will get the start, defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said.

OK, newspaper work calls. They still do print those things. Tomorrow’s notes today will be up shortly.

Rank ‘em, Dano

Sad news to report today. Auburn is nowhere to be found in either the AP, USA Today coaches’ or even the ESPNU fan poll. No votes were thrown Auburn’s way, either. Troy picked up five in the AP poll.

The BCS standings are due out soon, though, so there’s still hope.

But hope has and continues to dwindle here on the Plains. Auburn is 4-4. It could easily be 4-5 after Saturday’s tussle at Ole Miss. That would force Auburn to win at least one game against No. 8 Georgia or No. 2 Alabama to just be eligible for a bowl no one envisioned the Tigers to play in at the start of the season. Yikes.

Well, it likely won’t be all gloom and doom when we get Tommy Tuberville in an hour or so. The players, who have had a few days off to blow off some steam, will also be talking.

Stay tuned and keep the hope alive. The two college football bigwigs at ESPN.com still have Auburn playing somewhere in December, so that’s gotta mean something.