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The Bottom Ten/NCAA Week 17 - The Final Poll!
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
Unlike last year, when Florida International won their final game to hand the Bottom Ten title to North Texas, Washington comes through in spades in their final game, not even bother in their season ending, Wal-Mart Trophy Presented by Motel 6 clinching loss at Cal Saturday.
With the loss, the Huskies clinch their first ever Bottom Ten title and end the season with Nation's Longest Losing Streat (NLLS), 12 games.
In other B-10 news, SMU and Iowa State tie for the Tostitos Plaque, given to the team with the longest losing streak in a season that actually includes a win, as both teams rebounded from early wins to lose ten straight. And Army clinched the Sgt. Bilko Trophy, symbolic of service academy lousiness, with their usual loss to Navy.
This year's final fiasco:
1. Washington (0-12; lost at Cal 48-7)
Mitigating Factors: Huskies never in this one, removing all doubt as to how much they wanted school's first B-10 title by giving up 60-yard TD run on Cal's second play…Husky offense storms out of gate, too, with well-balanced first half, ending four drives with punts, two with fumbles and two with interceptions.
Commitment To Something Or Another: Huskies rank in Top 100 in just to major NCAA stat categories: Pass Defense (66th) and Sacks (99th)
2009 B-10 Outlook: Fair. New coach from USC isn't used to losing, so Huskies will probably win a couple to avoid post game beatings, but Huskies will still be in B-10 hunt….Could thrive in combined entry with Washington State.
2. SMU (1-11; DNP)
Mitigating Factors: Mustangs secure share of Tostitos Plaque by ending season with ten straight losses…Offense nicely counterbalances Top 20 passing attack by ranking Dead Last in Rushing Offense (41.41 ypg), had one game where they had eleven yards, four yards and twice had negative yards rushing.
Learning Curve: Season total loss in classroom, too, as Mustangs only bright enough to place two (2) players on C-USA All Academic team in a conference that includes UTEP and Memphis.
2009 B-10 Outlook: Very Good…With consecutive one-win seasons, plus a winless 2003, already under their belts, Mustangs poised to be prime contenders for B-10 title.
3. North Texas (1-11; DNP)
Mitigating Factors: Mean Green follows up 2007 B-10 championship with strong 2008 medal stand finish…Defense does its part, ranking Dead Last in Total Defense (482.58 ypg) and Scoring Defense (47.58 ppg), but offense ruins repeat chances by exploding for 51 points in only win, 21 more points than they scored in any other game this year.
Uh, Yeah, Whatever: Offense put up 363 yards a game, but only averages 20 points a game, creating a ratio whose point and significance is not immediately clear.
2009 B-10 Outlook: Strong…North Texas will return 41 freshmen - none of them any good - from this years team, plus 21 sophomores who were on 2007's B-10 championship team, insuring a good foundation for 2009.
4. Iowa State (2-10; DNP)
Mitigating Factors: Cyclones - renamed Light Drizzles till further notice - claim share of Tostitos Plaque and make B-10 history by becoming first team to claim award in a two-win season…10-game losing streak tied for second best in country.
Clutch Time: Light Drizzles lose one game in overtime, another by two points and another by four points; four games by 28 or more points.
2009 B-10 Outlook: Light Drizzles have gone from four wins to three wins to two wins, leaving B-10 fans salivating at 2009 prospects.
5. Army (3-9; lost to Navy 34-0)
Mitigating Factors: Army claims Sgt. Bilko Trophy, symbolic of service academy lousiness, returning Trophy to Defense Department after it was awarded to Notre Dame last year after they lost to Navy and Air Force…Cadets have beaten teams that have finished season with a winning record five (5) times this century.
Duty. Honor. Turnovers: Army leads nation with 24 fumbles lost.
2009 B-10 Outlook: Always hard to tell with service academies, but Army has won just 20 games this century and has had three straight three-win seasons.
6. Sun Belt Conference
Mitigating Factors: Preseason perennial earns first Top Ten finish with strong 5-27 non-conference mark, with five wins coming against teams that won an average of 4.4 games this season…Nobody still plays defense in this league, as half of conference gave up more than 400 yards a game and three teams ranked 100 or worse in Total Defense.
Rehashed Line From Past Columns: Conference rebounded for strong .500 mark in conference play.
2009 B-10 Outlook: Everybody but conference champion Troy lost at least six games and there is no reason to think this won't be the case next year.
7. Washington State (2-11; DNP)
Mitigating Factors: Cougars stare B-10 title in face and blink with win over eventual champion-Washington in B-10 showdown last month…Cougars only wins came against B-10 champion, lower division team with four wins.
In The Trenches: Cougars leading rusher ran for 481 yards, three touchdowns.
2009 B-10 Outlook: Strong…Any team that ranks Next To Dead Last in both Scoring Offense (12.69 ppg) and Scoring Defense (43.85 ppg) and gives up 50 or more points in six games should plan making reservations for next year's B-10 end of season banquet.
8. Indiana State (0-12; DNP)
Mitigating Factors: FCS Sycamores roll into off season holders of Continental Cup, giving to team with longest all-division losing streak in North America, completing second straight winless season…Sycamores have lost hemisphere-best 26 straight.
Numbers Game: Since winning four straight in early 2004, Sycamores have won just once, in 2006, and have lost 50 of their last 51 games.
2009 B-10 Outlook: Sycamores ineligible for B-10 title, of course, but are expected to be stingy in giving up vice-like grip on Continental Cup.
9. Michigan (3-9; DNP)
Mitigating Factors: Wolverines rebound from 2-2 start to lose seven of last eight, to produce first nine-loss season in school history and first ever B-10 finish…Team so bad they failed to qualify for a bowl game, not easy to do in today's NCAA.
The Times They Are A Changing: Last Michigan team to fail to produce a bowl game actually went 10-1 in 1974.
2009 B-10 Outlook: Not too good…B-10 pollsters hopeful, of course, but odds stacked against winningest team in college football history for making long term B-10 impact.
10. BCS
Mitigating Factors: Actually did about as well as could be expected, considering they had seven one-loss teams in the Top Ten to choose from…Still though, relative lack of controversy makes as good a case for a playoff as their usual fiascos do.
2009 B-10 Outlook: Only Texans, whack jobs who favor a playoff, are really arguing about this year's title game participants, so entry may lose traditional preseason ranking, but consecutive trouble free years are unheard of, almost guaranteeing complete chaos next year.
This Week's Clash of the Titans: Season over! Stay tuned for next week's special Bottom Ten Bowl Game edition!
Bottom Ten Alumni Association: Long time loser Buffalo becomes first Bottom Ten honors graduate, winning Mid-American Conference title with win over previously unbeaten Ball State.
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