COTTRELL COLUMN: Let's add more also-rans to the list

Just in case there was any doubt in anyone’s mind, Saturday confirmed something I was already suspecting.

Almost everyone this year is borderline lousy.

This isn’t the case with our top three, and may not be the case with Cincinnati, Boise State and TCU, but the rest of the college football universe is populated by black holes.

Oregon, which looked like the greatest thing since sliced bread just a week ago, lost at Stanford.

Iowa, which grabbed the Team of Destiny moniker, lost to Northwestern.

Trendy picks like Oklahoma State and Ole Miss fell by the wayside long ago.

Oklahoma has lost four games.

Paul Johnson is the only reason Georgia Tech is keeping the ACC from plunging into total irrelevancy.

What’s to blame for this?

Sun spots?

Global warming?

President Barack Obama?

Any are possible, but I’m going to say the football gods are punishing us with boring games and mediocre performance until a playoff is enacted.

Nobody Puts Tressel In A Corner
Fan discontent with Ohio State coach Jim Tressel was high after the Buckeyes’ loss to USC in September, and then ballooned (and engulfed quarterback Terrelle Pryor, in the process) after an upset loss to Purdue a few weeks ago.

Now, after an impressive win at Penn State, the Buckeyes are a home win over Iowa away from winning the Big Ten and earning a Rose Bowl trip.

The lesson? Never question Jim Tressel.

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu
It’s far from a sure thing, but Saturday may have been the final nail in the coffin for three coaches.

Virginia’s Al Groh, after almost pulling off his annual Grohtober, couldn’t bring it in to Grohvember, getting blown out at Miami.

After losing to William & Mary to open the season and already on the hot seat, Groh will probably be out of a job by the end of the month.

The other? Notre Dame’s Charlie Weis.

There’s a decent chance the Irish will finish 8-4, but considering two of those losses will be to a not-all-that-swift Michigan team and Navy, Weis probably will not have done enough to assure Notre Dame fans he’s the one to get them back to the promised land.

And it’s one thing to lose to Navy, but to lose to Navy at home when they only throw the ball three times? Not good.

And while he was probably already gone, Louisville’s Steve Kragthorpe fell to West Virginia to drop to 3-6 on the year, virtually assuring the Cards will remain without a bowl appearance in his three seasons.

Speaking Of Goodbyes ...
Florida State, in a season in which even folks like me who long ago stopped believing in it had fairly high expectations, sits at 4-5 and must win two of three just to make a bowl game.

They’re not going to beat Florida, so they’ll have to either beat Wake Forest (who has beaten them three straight times) on the road or top Maryland at home to get it done.

Legendary Seminoles defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews announced last week he will step down at the end of the season. Will finding a new defensive coordinator be enough to keep Bobby Bowden on the sidelines another year?

Bowden has already allowed his son, Jeff, to be the fall guy three years ago. There’s no telling whether he’ll be able to pull off the trick with one of the best defensive coordinators of all time.

But either way, it’s sad to see people like Bowden and Andrews in this predicament.

Tim Cottrell is sports designer of the Opelika-Auburn News. He will write a weekly column on college football during the season. You can also read him on the O-A Sports Blog at oanow.com. He can be reached at 737-2511 or tcottrell@oanow.com.