Looking back at the chaos of the 2007 college football season
By Zach Bigalke
Week 12: November 13-17, 2007
Mid-November usually brings some clarity to the conference races and national hierarchy. In 2007, however, it only brought more chaos and confusion. No. 16 Hawaii, striving to join Boise State and Utah as BCS Busters, remained one of two unbeaten teams in the country after surviving a Friday-night visit to Nevada 28-26. Backup quarterback Tyler Graunke started for the injured Colt Brennan and threw for 358 yards and two touchdowns. Nevada was in position to win the game, but a 45-yard field goal with 12 seconds left allowed Hawaii to remain perfect.
Once Saturday rolled around, the chaos continued. Unranked Texas Tech knocked No. 4 Oklahoma out of the national title picture in a 34-27 upset. Graham Harrell threw for 420 yards and two scores, with Michael Crabtree hauling in 12 catches for 154 yards and one score. Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford was knocked out of the game early with a concussion. Despite scoring two late touchdowns to make it close, Oklahoma couldn’t recover in time.
Keeping their hopes alive for a BCS berth were No. 6 West Virginia, No. 7 Ohio State, and No. 9 Georgia. The Mountaineers hung on for a 28-23 road victory at No. 22 Cincinnati to move to 9-1 in the standings. Jim Tressel’s Buckeyes squad took down No. 21 Michigan in their annual rivalry game to win the Big Ten title at 11-1. And Georgia knocked No. 23 Kentucky out of the rankings with a 24-13 win at home.
Kansas, all the way up to No. 3 in the BCS standings, joined Hawaii as the only other unbeaten team in the country. The Jayhawks had a much easier time than the Rainbow Warriors, as Todd Reesing threw four touchdown passes in a 45-7 victory against hapless Iowa State. Coupled with No. 5 Missouri’s win at Kansas State, the Kansas victory set up a winner-take-all Border War showdown for the Big 12 North title.
The Big Upset of the Week
While most of the Saturday contests went to form among the high-ranked teams vying for a BCS berth, the biggest upset of the week had already occurred two days earlier. On a Thursday night in the desert, yet another No. 2 team fell from its perch. Arizona, entering the game at 4-6 in the standings and needing to win out to become bowl eligible, had a history of taking down high-ranked teams at home in November.
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Since Mike Stoops had taken over the Wildcats program in 2004, they had hosted — and knocked off — a top-15 team in Tucson. In his first year, Stoops’ team beat No. 13 Arizona State for the Territorial Cup. The next year, the Wildcats pummeled No. 7 UCLA 52-14 for their defining moment in an otherwise dismal 3-9 campaign in 2005. Homecoming 2006 saw Arizona take down No. 8 California 24-20, a defeat that lost the Golden Bears the Pac-10 crown.
But the way in which Oregon lost 34-24 at Arizona Stadium was especially gruesome. The Ducks had vaulted up to No. 2 in the rankings thanks largely to the play of their Heisman candidate quarterback Dennis Dixon. After spraining his knee against Arizona State two weeks earlier, Dixon had looked as good as ever on Oregon’s first series. He masterfully operated offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s option attack, guiding the Ducks downfield on the opening drive and busting a 39-yard touchdown run.
On the second series, the Ducks were thwarted when Dixon threw an interception at the goal line. Arizona converted the turnover into a touchdown on the next drive, but Oregon drove right back down the field with an 8-7 lead. At the Arizona 15, Oregon was in striking distance for another touchdown and the beginning of a rout. Then Dixon’s foot planted wrong, his knee crumpled, and he fell untouched to the turf in agony.
It proved to be Dixon’s final play with the Ducks. Brady Leaf came in to replace the injured quarterback, but completed just 22 of his 46 attempts. Jonathan Stewart rushed for 131 yards but couldn’t find the endzone, and Arizona ran away with the win. The Ducks dropped to ninth in the BCS standings, but their fall was just beginning. Arizona would end up losing to Arizona State the next week, missing out on a bowl game for the fourth straight season.