Jim Harbaugh proved himself to be a lousy analyst Saturday night.
The Stanford coach and former Bears quarterback said before the season that USC “may be the best team in the history of college football.”
Well, the best team in the history of college football lost to a squad that had been outscored 141-51 in its previous three Pac-10 games. Yeah, we’re talking about Stanford.
And it’s not just that No. 2 USC lost to the Cardinal 24-23 at the Los Angeles Coliseum, halting its 35-game home winning streak.
Consider that Stanford’s quarterback, Tavita Pritchard, was making his first college start. And that he misfired on 19 of 30 his passes. And that the Cardinal’s top rusher, Anthony Kimble, gained just 32 yards on 17 carries.
Oh, and the Trojans led 16-7 after three quarters. But five turnovers — including four John David Booty interceptions — doomed the Trojans, who fell to 10th in the latest rankings.
“To give it up like this is a shame; it is crushing to me,” USC coach Pete Carroll said after the game. “Give credit to Stanford. They did a heck of a job, and we made a ton of mistakes.”
Shock value
Many Michigan fans despise Harbaugh for saying of his alma mater over the summer: “Michigan is a good school, and I got a good education there. But the athletic department has ways to get borderline guys in, and when they’re in, they steer them to courses in sports communications.”
At least Harbaugh has gotten Michigan off the hook — somewhat — for the Wolverines’ loss to Division I-AA Appalachian State.
That result might have been a tad more shocking, but Stanford-USC was the greater upset.
Oddsmakers said the line on the Appalachian State-Michigan game would have been about 24 points. USC was favored by 41 points Saturday night. Wow.
‘Man’ on a mission
Wisconsin’s All-Big Ten cornerback, Jack Ikegwuonu, has seen the league’s best receivers up close and personal. But he has never seen a player quite like Illinois’ Arrelious Benn.
“I look at the kid, and they tell me he is a freshman,” Ikegwuonu said. “I could not believe them. I need to check the guy’s ID. He’s a great player, and he’s so big for a freshman. That’s what struck me, the size of him. He is not a boy. He is an 18-year-old man.”
Benn, who turned 19 last month and is listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 215 pounds, caught a team-high five passes Saturday. On a third-and-6 play in the second quarter, he snared Juice Williams’ rocket pass in tight coverage, then broke left for a 26-yard gain. Benn also rushed twice for 7 yards.
“The way that they’re using him, they’re not putting too much pressure on him,” Ikegwuonu said. “Options, sweeps, bubble passes. Simple plays. [Coach] Ron Zook’s doing a great job over there.”
Ikegwuonu and Benn got tangled up after one play, drawing offsetting personal fouls for shoving. Benn later left the game after aggravating a right shoulder injury.
“Things like that happen,” Ikegwuonu said. “I had a chance to speak to him after the game and ask him about his shoulder. He’s a nice kid. No hard feelings, definitely.”
Coaches need coaching
Are the coaches who vote in the USA Today poll — and the mix of former writers, coaches and administrators who vote in the Harris Poll — paying attention?
The writers have Illinois 18th in the latest AP poll, one spot ahead of Wisconsin. You’ll recall that Illinois (5-1) beat Wisconsin (5-1) on — when was that? — Saturday.
The coaches have Wisconsin 15th and Illinois 19th. Same for the Harris voters.
The Badgers’ best victory was a 37-34 squeaker over Michigan State, which lost to Northwestern on Saturday. Illinois has beaten 4-2 Penn State, won at 5-1 Indiana and barely lost to Missouri, which is undefeated and ranked 11th in the AP poll.
Big stretch awaits
Ohio State rose to No. 3 in all three polls after dismantling Purdue 23-7. Ohio State gets a breather next week — hello, Kent State — before getting a visit from Michigan State and its coach, former Buckeyes assistant Mark Dantonio.
Then the real fun begins — a four game stretch at Penn State, vs. Wisconsin, vs. Illinois and at Michigan.
Even in a weak Big Ten, if Ohio State finishes 12-0, the Buckeyes absolutely deserve to play for the BCS title.
The only other undefeated teams from major conferences are: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Cal, No. 4 Boston College, No. 5 South Florida, No. 11 Missouri, No. 15 Cincinnati and No. 20 Kansas.
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tgreenstein@tribune.com
