College Football 2011: Wild Weekend

By Cabrone D. Brewer
By all accounts this weekend’s college football schedule was supposed to be fairly mundane. But in a season filled with a number of odd twists and turns, it was only fitting that a couple of unexpected victories make their way into the swamp of madness that has become the 2011 race for the BCS Championship.
Undoubtedly the biggest upset of the week took place in Ames, as the lowly Iowa State Cyclones knocked off No. 2 Oklahoma State 37-31 in a double overtime thriller under the Friday night lights.
The Cowboys, playing a day after head women’s basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serma were killed in a plane crash along with two others, found themselves playing relatively flat throughout the game.
Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden threw for the usual 476 yards, but the offense turned the ball over five times — keeping 27-point underdog Iowa State within striking distance at all times.
It was the Cyclones first victory over a top-five opponent in school history and the end of Oklahoma State’s national title hopes.
Another Oklahoma school found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard this weekend, as No. 5 Oklahoma fell to Robert Griffin III and the No. 25 Baylor Bears 45-38 in Waco.
The outstanding Baylor quarterback threw for a school-record 479 yards and four touchdowns to give Baylor its first ever victory over the Oklahoma Sooners after building a 0-20 record in their previous efforts.
The Sooners are eliminated from national title contention, but can still secure the Big 12 championship by beating upstart Iowa State next weekend and instate rival Oklahoma State in the season finale on Dec. 3 in Stillwater.
Oregon lost all hopes of making a second-straight visit to the BCS title game, with the No. 4 Ducks getting thumped by No. 18 USC 38-35 in Eugene.
USC quarterback Matt Barkley threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns — snapping Oregon’s 21-game home winning streak and national title dreams in the process.
It was the first victory for USC in Oregon since the 2005 season.
Clemson was also handed a hard dose of reality, as the No. 7 Tigers got rocked by North Carolina State 37-13.
North Carolina State quarterback Mike Glennon threw three touchdown passes and the Wolfpack defense finished with six sacks to shatter the BCS picture for Clemson.
What will the BCS look like next week? Check back Friday for a preview of some of the final regular season games of the year.
Also Read:
College Football 2011 Week 12: The Home Stretch

College Football 2011: Total Toss Up

College Football 2011 Week 11: Moving Forward