No need for Longhorns fans to mope

By JOHN TUCKER
Dear Texas fans,

Don't get feeling too badly about your Longhorns' 24-7 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes last Saturday.

Instead, take some solace in knowing you'll have plenty of company among ranked teams with a loss after Saturday. At least eight more will be joining you.

Check it out, 16 ranked teams are matched up.

Kick back and enjoy the games, Texas fans. It's time for you to watch some others suffer a loss ... like maybe the high-flying Irish.

Why not? It's got to hurt seeing Notre Dame take over the No. 2 spot you occupied in the Associated Press poll last week.

Fresh off their 41-17 win over Penn State, Notre Dame has to be loaded for Wolverine. Or, could there be a false sense of security hovering over South Bend?

Oh, QB Brady Quinn did look good against Penn State, except for those two early passes that should have been intercepted, but were dropped. And the Irish did make the most of just about every opportunity they had, though it's worth noting Penn State created several of them.

So, are the Irish really, truly ready for the No. 11-ranked Michigan Wolverines?

No doubt, but that doesn't mean they'll win.

Michigan has a seasoned quarterback in Chad Henne. Mike Hart is a solid running back that rarely fumbles, and Mario Manningham and Steve Breaston are quality receivers. That Wolverine defense isn't too shabby, either.

But perhaps most importantly, the Wolverines have a huge desire to pay back their rival for consecutive losses.

One definite must-have for Saturday's home viewing: split screen TV. Preferably one with a three-way split, or three TVs. Two or more sets of eyes wouldn't hurt either.

Heavyweight SEC slugfest between No. 3 Auburn and No. 6 LSU kicks off at 3:30 (Eastern)., same time as the ND-Michigan kickoff. And guess what... ABC has the non-conference matchup between the No. 12 Louisville Cardinals and No. 17 Miami Hurricanes at 3:30 as well.

Miami running back Tyrone Moss, back from a knee injury, ran for eight yards per carry last week in limited duty. Louisville running back Michael Bush, a preseason Heisman contender, is out with a broken leg.

The Cardinals have another Heisman contender in quarterback Brian Brohm, but the loss of Bush against one of the best defenses in the country may be too big to overcome. Got to like the 'Canes.

As for who to like in the Auburn-LSU game, that's a tougher call.

Auburn quarterback Brandon Cox and running back Kenny Irons are back leading an offense that topped the conference in scoring last season. The Tigers have outscored their first two opponents, 74-14. They've got a pretty stingy defense, and they do a great job of protecting their house, Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Which will be a tall order against LSU. They haven't given up a touchdown in 14 quarters, going back to last season. They've outscored their last three opponents, which included Miami and Arizona, 130-9. LSU QB JaMarcus Russell is perhaps the league's best, and these Tigers also have a solid running game. Something has to give...

Something already has in the other SEC heavyweight bout Saturday night in Knoxville between the No. 7-ranked Florida and No. 13 Tennessee. The Vols lost two defensive starters _ tackle Justin Harrell and cornerback Inquoris Johnson _ to injury in their game last Saturday against Air Force.

Florida is a senior-laden team with a veteran field general, Chris Leak, who's putting up Heisman numbers so far. In lopsided victories over Southern Mississippi and Central Florida, Leak has thrown for 600 yards and seven touchdowns.

It does not look good for the Vols, home field notwithstanding.

Looks real good for No. 4 Southern Cal after their 50-14 road victory over Arkansas two weeks ago. The Trojans don't look like they've skipped a beat on either side of the ball after losing 11 players to the NFL, including two Heisman winners, quarterback Matt Leinart and running back Reggie Bush.

John David Booty is looking just fine at quarterback. Can't say the Trojans are back, cause they never went anywhere.

And that's not good news for No. 19 Nebraska. The 'Huskers are trying to climb back to elite status, and it's just not happening against USC in Los Angeles..

By the way, you'll have to go back to the split screen for that game, too. It conflicts with the 8 p.m. Florida-Tennessee kickoff.

Oops, almost forgot about the game between No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 18 Oregon. That's yet another 3:30 p.m. regional telecast. Which, by the way, the Ducks will win at home.

For all you fans of No. 20-ranked TCU and No. 24 Texas Tech, search the channels around 5:30 ET. You just might find your game somewhere.

If you're rooting for the Red Raiders, spare yourself the frustrating disappointment. The Horned Frogs will win by at least a touchdown.

BIGGEST UPSET:. Thanks to oh-so-close calls for Air Force and Troy, take a look at who pulled the biggest upset in school history last Saturday.

Division I-AA New Hampshire. Coach Sean McDonnell took his Wildcats to Evanston, Illinois and came away with a stunning 34-17 victory.

It is arguably the biggest victory in UNH football history. The Wildcats did beat Rutgers on the road a couple years ago, but that win just doesn't seem as big as their road victory over a Big Ten team that's won a conference title outright and shared two others since 1995.

Quarterback Ricky Santos ran for three touchdowns and tossed a couple TD passes to senior David Ball, who this season could break a few of Jerry Rice's I-AA receiving records of 20 years ago.

And to think the whole idea of scheduling these I-AA weaklings was to chalk up an easy win.

(Contact John Tucker at jtucker(at)unionleader.com)