Asmussen's Insider: Kiffin, Vols get job done

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TEAM OF THE WEEK

TENNESSEE

LANE KIFFIN might not be able to coach his way out of a paper bag. But he can get his guys ready for a ranked team. A week after a major downer against Alabama, losing 12-10 on a blocked field goal in the final seconds, Kiffin had the Volunteers ready for South Carolina. Wearing special black and orange uniforms on Halloween, Tennessee pounded STEVE SPURRIER's team 31-13. The Vols are now .500 and should be able to get to bowl eligibility against a remaining schedule of Memphis, Mississippi, Vanderbilt and Kentucky.

TEAM OF THE WEAK

TOLEDO

We don't normally pick on a MAC school, but this is a special case. Earlier in the season, the Rockets put up 54 in a rout against Colorado. They also beat Northern Illinois, a good win any season. With a chance to move within one game of bowl eligibility, the Rockets found a way to lose to winless Miami (Ohio), knocking the RedHawks out of the Bottom 5 and giving Mike Haywood his first college win.

TOP 10

SCHOOL LAST WEEK

1. Florida (8-0) 1

— Many will tell you that TIM TEBOW moved into Heisman Trophy contention with a four-touchdown game against Georgia. A.I. will point out that a) Georgia isn't very good and b) he threw for 164 yards. He has 10 touchdown passes this season, which might win him the Heisman ... in 1962. Not now. Oh, this was supposed to be about Florida.

2. Texas (8-0) 2

— Speaking of Heisman Trophy candidates, COLT McCOY doesn't make the cut right now, either. Sure, his team is undefeated. So are six others. He is having an un-Colt-like season, with 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Maybe he deserves the Heisman as a career achievement award, but the guess here is that he would rather have the national title.

3. Alabama (8-0) 3

— There are two tests in the remaining four games and only one (against Auburn) is away from home. It's never easy to beat LSU, even at home. If NICK SABAN is smart, he'll put the ball in the hands of MARK INGRAM and have a relaxing night on the sideline.

4. Boise State (8-0) 4

— The college football nation owes the Broncos an apology. They handed Oregon its only loss of the season. They've won their last two games by a combined 99-16 score. And they are seventh in the BCS standings, just ahead of the Ducks. Sickening. Maybe justice will prevail and everybody ahead of Boise State will lose. Yet, the BCS still will find a way to pair two other teams. Sickening.

5. TCU (8-0) 5

— The Horned Frogs have a gripe, too. They have dominated the teams on their schedule, winning the last three by a combined 123-13. Other than Utah, there isn't a team left on the schedule that can beat TCU. Hopefully, GARY PATTERSON's team will be rewarded with a BCS bid. One that doesn't cost Boise State its own bid.

6. Cincinnati (8-0) 6

— You get the feeling that BRIAN KELLY could send the tuba player in at quarterback and get a good game out of him. The Bearcats are playing without TONY PIKE and winning with ease. ZACH COLLAROS is taking advantage of his chance to play. He threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns in the win against Syracuse. Cincinnati won't have a problem with UConn no matter who starts at quarterback: Pike, Collaros or the tuba player.

7. Iowa (9-0) 7

— Blame the wind, RICKY STANZI. Or the sun got in your eyes. Or Indiana's defense has good hands. No matter what the excuse, the guy had five interceptions in Saturday's comeback win. That does not inspire confidence as Northwestern visits. Maybe the Hawkeyes will get by the Wildcats, but the game at Ohio State on Nov. 14 looks difficult. Hope it isn't windy.

8. Oregon (7-1) –

— The folks in the Nike State are wondering if the Ducks should be ranked ahead of Boise State? Uh, no. If you look at the scores from earlier in the season, you'll note that Boise State beat the Ducks. Therefore, Boise State stays ahead of Oregon. Period. Now, if the Broncos lose a game, maybe we can talk. Oregon, by the way, is playing as well as anybody in the country. But that might be because the Pac-10 is overrated.

9. LSU (7-1) 9

— Here you go, LES MILES. Show the folks in Baton Rouge that they really didn't want you to take the Michigan job. Beat Alabama. It won't be easy. It never is. But if the Tigers come through Saturday, they have a great chance for a rematch against Florida. That will be Challenge II.

10. Penn State (8-1) 10

— Here you go, JOE PATERNO. Beat Ohio State on Saturday and you are two Iowa losses away from playing in the Rose Bowl. Or, if the Hawkeyes reach the national title game, the folks in Pasadena will certainly want you, too.

BOTTOM 5

120. New Mexico (0-8) 120

— That's 12 straight losses for the Lobos, though only the last eight belong to MIKE LOCKSLEY. The former Illinois offensive coordinator almost ended an awful week with his first win. New Mexico led into the fourth quarter against San Diego State before losing 23-20. Utah probably won't be kind to Locksley's team Saturday, but at least the folks of "E:60" aren't in town. As far as we know.

119. Western Kentucky (0-8) 119

— The Hilltoppers have learned how to lose in an entertaining way. On Saturday against North Texas, they scored 49 points and lost by 19. After playing North Texas even for three quarters, Western Kentucky got outscored 19-0 in the final 15 minutes. Sun Belt leader Troy welcomes the Hilltoppers this weekend. It won't be pretty.

118. Rice (0-8) 117

— The And Beans took the weekend off. Hopefully, the players got away from football, smelled the roses, took in a Mavericks game or played some golf. Don't count on much fun during Saturday's game against SMU. JUNE JONES likes to have his teams score lots of points.

117. Eastern Michigan (0-8) –

— It wouldn't be a Bottom 5 without a team from the MAC. The Eagles are coming off a 63-27 loss at Arkansas. Eastern Michigan gave Ball State its only win. But the game the Eagles must be really embarrassed about is the 28-point loss to Michigan. Yikes.

116. Washington State (1-7) –

— Wasn't much of an effort put in by the Cougars against Notre Dame in San Antonio. But at least the River Walk was nice. A trip to Arizona on Saturday won't be much fun. Can't wait for the Apple Cup.

CONFERENCE CALL

LEAGUE LAST WEEK

1. SEC 1

2. Big 12 3

3. Big Ten 2

4. Pac-10 6

5. Mountain West 5

6. Big East 4

7. WAC 8

8. ACC 7

9. Conference USA 10

10. MAC 9

11. Sun Belt 11

HEISMAN BALLOT

1. CASE KEENUM, Houston. Right now, it isn't close. The guy is leading the nation in total offense, averaging 92 more yards per game than the No. 2 guy (Texas A&M's JERROD JOHNSON). He's thrown 25 touchdown passes and five interceptions. He just hit 44 of 54 passes against Southern Miss for 559 yards and five touchdowns. And his team is good. You can argue his team throws the ball all the time and he's a system quarterback. A.I.'s answer is "Good system." Plus, he's fun to watch.

2. JIMMY CLAUSEN, Notre Dame. His team appears on its way to a BCS bowl, which helps his cause. He's got four 300-yard games and an impressive 18:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He'll have a chance to earn his way to New York in the final few weeks of the season.

3. KELLEN MOORE, Boise State. There are efficient quarterbacks. And there's Moore. Off the charts efficient. A staggering 24:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Nobody throws more touchdown passes per attempt than Moore, who has the Broncos in position to play in another BCS game. And the best thing about him: He's just a sophomore.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

1. It's Owl time. As in Temple, which ranks among the worst football programs of all time. Until this year. Somehow, AL GOLDEN (10-26 in his first three years) has Temple in contention for the MAC title. The Owls lead the MAC East at 4-0 and are already bowl eligible with a 6-2 overall record. They should win their next two against Miami (Ohio) and Akron before the final tests against Kent State and Ohio. If you aren't rooting for BILL COSBY's school, you don't have a heart. Hoot, hoot.

2. Rich get richer? Of course, the Big 12 commissioner wants to change the bowl rules to give 6-6 teams a better chance to get in. Currently, 6-6 schools can only go to bowl games after all of the teams with 7-5 records are placed in games. That way, a 6-6 Michigan can't get a bid over an 8-4 Temple. A.I. likes the way the rules are currently written and wouldn't change a thing. There are 68 bowl slots, so every deserving team should get a bid. In fact, one of these years, there won't be enough teams. Then what, Mr. Commissioner?

3. Tough call. Oregon coach CHIP KELLY is pondering the return of LeGARRETTE BLOUNT, who was suspended earlier in the season for punching a Boise State player. A.I. is all for second chances. If Kelly feels that Blount is truly sorry for what he did, who are we to argue against his return? Though most will think it's a move to improve the Oregon football team, that might not be the case. The team is on a roll and bringing back Blount will mean Kelly is taking a chance with the chemistry.

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