The Quad: After Top 2, Oklahoma St. Has Inside Track

The losses by national title contenders Wisconsin and Oklahoma threw the Bowl Championship Series race into a tizzy. College football, after a few weeks heavy on chalk and light on thrillers, re-emerged as the unpredictable and parity-laden beast that had driven the sport’s popularity and television ratings the past few years.

With Louisiana State and Alabama locked into the top two spots until the two teams meet Nov. 5, the biggest question is which team can jockey into position for a possible spot against the Tigers or the Crimson Tide in the national title game.

Right now, Oklahoma State appears to be that team. The Cowboys are No. 3 in the latest B.C.S. rankings, significantly ahead of No. 4 Boise State, No. 5 Clemson and No. 6 Stanford. Jerry Palm said he did not think Oklahoma State’s edge would disappear in the computers because it has a strong schedule.

“Oklahoma State is in the best shape,” Palm wrote in an e-mail. “They have a slight edge over Stanford in the polls (pretty even really), but figure to be the best computer team with the possible exception of an undefeated SEC champ.

“Unless the voters start coming harder for Stanford, the Cardinal won’t catch O.S.U.”

The B.C.S. rankings are determined by three components: the Harris Interactive poll, the USA Today coaches poll and the average of six computer rankings. Each component counts one-third toward a team’s B.C.S. score.

vs. No. 1 Louisiana State, Nov. 5at Southern California, Saturdayvs. Washington State, Saturdayat No. 8 Kansas State, Saturdayvs. No. 11 Michigan State, Saturday

Computer rankings: The six providers are Anderson & Hester, Richard Billingsley, Colley Matrix, Kenneth Massey, Jeff Sagarin and Peter Wolfe. Each accounts for schedule strength in its formula. The highest and lowest ranking for each team is dropped, and the remaining four are added and divided by 100 (the maximum possible points) to produce a computer rankings percentage.

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Cowboys’ James says teams track officiating crews

Published: September 29th, 2011 | Tags: Bradie James, Dallas Cowboys, Derrick Mason, New York Jets, NFL Total Access

Cowboys LB Bradie James let everyone in on a secret Thursday. It might not be the biggest secret for some.

While we know NFL teams research and chart just about anything that could factor into a win, that process doesn’t stop at the officiating crew. Like baseball teams chart opposing pitchers, James said part of the Cowboys’ weekly preparation is knowing which crew will be on the field and what calls they’re more prone to make. The team then adjusts their aggressiveness accordingly.

“On Wednesday, when we come in for the first day of preparation, one of the first things we see is (who the officials are), and we see what they like to throw as far as their flags and what their common calls are,” James told “NFL Total Access” on Thursday. “If you have a roughing-the-passer-type of guy, you don’t even come close to the quarterback unless he has the ball in his hand.”

During a week when protecting quarterbacks is the hottest of topics, it’s an interesting perspective from James in how teams leave no stone unturned while looking for any advantage to win a game.

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