Football Roundup

It was a fascinating weekend of football having just been completed. I watched the Michigan-Ohio State game on TV and it was one of the best played football games of the year. I was pulling for the Buckeyes a bit because Michigan routed Notre Dame earlier this season. So much for a defensive struggle as Ohio State won, 42-39. (And I later heard that the four numbers for the Ohio Lottery, drawn 15 minutes after the game, was 4-2-3-9. Start the Twilight Zone music.) It's hard to see anybody beating the Buckeyes in the BCS title game in January.

Notre Dame routed Army, 41-9. Not much of a surprise, but Brady Quinn ended his career at South Bend with 4 TDs. Next up is the final matchup of the regular season aginst USC at LA. USC is a 7 point favorite, and they beat Cal by 2 TDs on Saturday.

ND stayed at number 5 in the BCS, but Rutgers was upset at Cincinnati, 30-11, and fell to number 14 in the BCS. I guess the hangover of the big win over Louisville got Rutgers, and it ends any shot they have of winning a national championship. They need to bounce back this weekend, as Syracuse is next before their big finale with West Virginia.

On Sunday, I watched my Minnesota Vikings commit suicide in Miami against the Dolphins. While my Pats fan friends were enjoying their romp at Green Bay at Professor Thom's, I saw the Vikings blow another one. The run defense had another spectacular day, holding Miami to -3 yards rushing. Miami was able to exploit the pass defense, and scored one TD. But that was it for the Miami offense.

The Vikings offense gave the Dolphins this win. Chester Taylor fumbled twice, and both were costly. One was brought back for a TD, and in the fourth quarter, Brad Johnson was intercepted and it too was brought back for a TD. It just left me shaking my head, as the Vikings lost 24-20. The defense did its job to win, but the offense continues to self-destruct.

The Vikings are now 4-6, and any realistic hope at a wild card is now over. The Bears continued their march to the NFC North title, winning 10-0 over the Jets at the Meadowlands. It's time for the Vikings to make changes to their offense, and it has to start at QB. It's time to sit Brad Johnson and give rookie Tarvaris Jackson a look, and Sunday's game against Arizona might be a good time to see what he has.