East

As it begins its N.C.A.A. tournament run in Cleveland, OHIO STATE has been deemed the No. 1 overall seed. The Buckeyes, of course, want to remain at the top when the tournament ends. Their game against No. 16 TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO won’t be much of a stumbling block. No. 8 GEORGE MASON is clearly a dangerous team in the tournament (see 2006). Will the Patriots begin another run with a victory over struggling VILLANOVA, seeded ninth? After missing the tournament last season, No. 2 NORTH CAROLINA is back again and playing in the friendly environs of Charlotte against No. 15 LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY, which owns the nation’s longest current winning streak at 13 games. Charlotte is not as friendly to No. 7 WASHINGTON, which won the Pacific-10 tournament and then had to travel roughly 2,800 miles for its game against No. 10 GEORGIA.

West

No. 4 TEXAS struggled at the end of the season, losing four of its final eight games. Coach Rick Barnes also has a troubling history in the tournament, with his teams often going out much earlier than expected. But the main reason that No. 13 OAKLAND has some thinking upset in Tulsa, Okla., is Keith Benson, a 6-foot-11 senior who averages 18 points and 10.1 rebounds a game and could impress N.B.A. scouts with a strong showing. No. 1 DUKE does not expect much trouble from No. 16 HAMPTON, but the Blue Devils will get some playing time for the freshman point guard Kyrie Irving, out most of the season with a toe injury.

Southwest

In Chicago, No. 6 GEORGETOWN will welcome back point guard Chris Wright for its game against No. 11 VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH. Wright has not played since breaking his left hand Feb. 23. No. 10 FLORIDA STATE is also dealing with an injury to a star. The Seminoles still have not said if Chris Singleton, their leading scorer and rebounder who has a broken foot, will play against No. 7 TEXAS A&M.

Feeling re-energized after a brutal season on the field and an off-season full of change, Texas Coach Mack Brown sat down for an interview in his office last week. He touched on topics as varied as his love of the Boise State offense to his new young coordinators to why he won’t be taking his shirt off around Texas’ new strength coach. He also talked about how YouTube aided his hiring process, how Texas’ new ESPN channel will impact the program’s future and how he re-evaluated the program’s recruiting philosophy last year.

What have the last six weeks been like in terms of bringing the fire back to this program?
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From left, Dave Kaup/Reuters; Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press; Rick Bowmer/Associated Press; Ed Reinke/Associated Press; Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune Herald, via Associated Press From left, Missouri running back Henry Josey; Michigan State’s Mark Dell; Oregon running back LaMichael James; Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray; Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin

There’s still a long way to go in the regular season, but not that long. For Michigan State and Missouri — both unbeaten and among the biggest surprises in college football — Saturday could be a day of reckoning. Both face stern tests on the road (with the Spartans at Iowa and the Tigers at Nebraska). But if they get past this weekend, both will be favored in their remaining games, not counting a potential Big 12 title game for Missouri. Of course, they both have to get past Saturday.

Another undefeated team, Oregon, is on the road. The Ducks will be traveling to Southern California, a team that has been forgotten because of its N.C.A.A. punishments and its drop-off in talent from previous seasons. But the Trojans’ two losses have come by a total of 3 points, and they are always tough to play at the Coliseum.

Two other powerhouse programs over the last decade — Texas and Florida — have struggled this season. In the Gators’ case, that means that this weekend’s game against Georgia (also known as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party) has lost a little bit of its luster. The Bulldogs actually come into this matchup with the momentum, having rebounded from an uncharacteristically rough start under Coach Mark Richt. For the first time in a long time, the Longhorns will be an unranked team hosting a ranked team in Austin. And that team, believe it or not, is Baylor. A loss to the Bears, no matter how talented they are, would be a low point for Texas under Mack Brown.

No. 5 Michigan State (8-0) at No. 18 Iowa (5-2)

Pete: Iowa. I think Sparty’s charmed run finally ends. If not here, then yikes.
Fred: Michigan State. Why not? Not totally sold on this pick, but I just got a feeling that Sparty keeps rolling.
Paul: Iowa. I think the defense bounces back after a disappointing loss to Wisconsin last week.
Connor: Iowa. Many thought the Hawkeyes would be where the Spartans are now.
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From left, Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images; Kevin C. Cox, via Getty Images; Charlie Riedel, via Associated Press; Charlie Neibergall, via Associated Press; John Miller, via Associated Press. From left, Ohio State linebacker Ross Homan; Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton; Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez; Iowa defensive tackle Adrian Clayborn and Oregon States running back Jacquizz Roders.

There is a new No. 1 this week. And no, I’m not talking about our race for the Quad’s top prognosticator. Despite a brutal 1-4 performance last weekend, Paul Myerberg still holds a slim, one-game advantage over Pete Thamel. The real new No. 1 is Ohio State, which faces its first true road test tomorrow night at Wisconsin. Camp Randall is always an intimidating atmosphere, but the Buckeyes hope Terrelle Pryor and a tough defense will be enough to overcome the Badgers’ stout running game. Auburn is one of the last two undefeated teams in the Southeastern Conference (Louisiana State is the other), but the Tigers looked shaky in beating Kentucky last week. They face a stiff challenge from Arkansas on Saturday. Nebraska knows what it feels like to fall from the heights of the Big 12, so the Cornhuskers could have some empathy for struggling Texas if they choose to. They probably won’t though. Michigan is trying to bounce back from a loss to Michigan State, but is running right into an Iowa squad that would like to fight it out with Ohio State for Big Ten supremacy. Meanwhile, in the Pac-10, Oregon State is quietly looking to assert itself as one of the conference’s top teams. It beat Arizona last week and will try to knock off a Washington squad that has already defeated Southern California. There is plenty to watch this week and much to predict. As always, if you agree, disagree or merely find our picks laughable, feel free to let us know.

No. 1 Ohio State (6-0) at No. 18 Wisconsin (5-1)

Pete: Ohio State. It’s going to be low scoring and ugly, but Ohio State has too much speed and talent to lose.
Fred: Ohio State. I wanted to pick South Carolina last week and I want to pick Wisconsin here, but I can’t bring myself to do it.
Paul: Ohio State. Wisconsin will look to control the clock and win the turnover battle, but I think the Buckeyes respond to their first road challenge of the season.
Connor: Ohio State. It will be fun to watch the Buckeyes’ defense against the Badgers’ running attack.
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Butch Dill/Associated Press Jordan Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. is the site of one of Saturday’s most intriguing matchups.

The college football season is a grind. The clear goal for the top teams is to stay undefeated and that means you have to bring your best game every week. Alabama showed us last week that the top teams can’t afford to come out flat. The Tide traveled to face a tough South Carolina team that had a great day and now it no longer controls its own destiny. This week Ohio State, which took over the top spot, goes on the road to Madison for one of the toughest games on its schedule. Auburn hosts Arkansas with the goal of remaining unbeaten headed into next week’s game against L.S.U. (Would love to see both teams undefeated for that one.) Meanwhile, unbeaten Nebraska looks for some revenge as it hosts Texas in a rematch of last year’s Big 12 championship game. Even some of the lower ranked unbeatens like Michigan State and Missouri have challenging games. Every week we learn a little bit more. This Sunday the B.C.S. rankings come out and the debate gets ratcheted up a notch. Things are happening people. Every Saturday is important.

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From left, Ezra Shaw/Getty Images; Reuters, via Bill Waugh; Morry Gash, via Associated Press; Andrew Stanfill, via Associated Press, via The Gainesville Sun; Charlie Neibergall, via Associated Press Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck; Oklahoma defensive end Jeremy Beal; Wisconsin running back John Clay; Florida quarterback Trey Burton and Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi.

This Saturday was circled on the schedule by many college football fans at the beginning of the season, with Alabama against Florida and Oklahoma versus Texas looming as two of the year’s marquee games. But a funny thing happened in September. A few things, actually. Florida, while undefeated, has looked a little sluggish in the first few weeks of the post-Tim Tebow era; Texas appeared lethargic in losing to a seemingly unimposing U.C.L.A. team in Austin last week; and Stanford has developed into a top-10 team behind an explosive offense led by quarterback Andrew Luck. All that means that Stanford at Oregon has become perhaps the most intriguing game of the weekend, with the Cardinal traveling to the always raucous atmosphere of Autzen Stadium to try to prove that they belong in the top tier of the Pac-10. As for Florida, every team in college football wishes they could struggle as well as the Gators. Still, Alabama has been No. 1 since the season’s start and the return of Mark Ingram two weeks ago has made a terrific running game that much more formidable. These teams have been the class of the Southeastern Conference for several years and there is always a chance for an epic game when they play each other.

The Big Ten has performed well in the early going, with six teams in the top 25. But conference play starts this weekend, and teams are going to start knocking each other off. Michigan State will welcome back Coach Mark Dantonio, who had a minor heart attack after a double-overtime victory against Notre Dame two weeks ago. He’s back just in time to face No. 11 Wisconsin, which has one of the best running backs in the country in John Clay. Penn State and Iowa both had disappointing nonconference road losses against ranked teams in the early going, but now have a chance to get a big victory at the start of Big Ten play. There is plenty going on this weekend and plenty for our prognosticators to ponder. As always, if you agree, disagree or merely find our picks laughable, feel free to leave a comment.

No. 8 Oklahoma (4-0) vs. No. 21 Texas (3-1) in Dallas

Pete: Oklahoma. This will be ugly and not fun to watch. Looks like a 10-9 win for the Sooners.
Fred: Oklahoma. Seems like Texas may not be that good.
Paul: Oklahoma. The Sooners are a better team, top to bottom, than the Longhorns.
Connor: Oklahoma. Can the Longhorns possibly get over the shellacking by U.C.L.A. so quickly?
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Paul Myerberg is getting you ready for the upcoming college football season over at Pre-Snap Read. The Quad will also feature a daily look at each of Paul’s top 50 teams in the country heading into the season opener. Today’s team, No. 12, is Texas. You can find a larger Texas preview here.

Likes

1. The depth in the secondary is overwhelming. Blanketing, potentially.

2. The linebacker corps is paced by two rising stars, both juniors: Emmanuel Acho and Keenan Robinson. Remember Acho’s name.

3. Remember Acho? Emmanuel’s older brother, Sam, is the program’s next all-American caliber defensive end. While the interior of the line is a concern, no worries at end.

4. Even with Oklahoma and Nebraska looming, the schedule breaks down nicely. The potential is there for a torrid second half.

5. This program is a machine. Even in a down year, Texas might very well land in the national title hunt.

Dislikes

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The USA Today coaches’ poll was released Friday and, no surprise, Alabama was No. 1.

The defending champion Crimson Tide received 55 of the 59 first-place votes, with No. 2 Ohio State getting the other four. Florida was No. 3 and Texas was No. 4, while Boise State came in at No. 5, an upstart among some of the college football’s traditional powers.

Here is the complete top 25:

1. Alabama (55)
2. Ohio State (4)
3. Florida
4. Texas
5. Boise State
6. Virginia Tech
7. Texas Christian
8. Oklahoma
9. Nebraska
10. Iowa
11. Oregon
12. Wisconsin
13. Miami (Fla.)
14. Penn State
15. Pittsburgh
16. Louisiana State
17. Georgia Tech
18. North Carolina
19. Arkansas
20. Florida State
21. Georgia
22. Oregon State
23. Auburn
24 (tie). West Virginia
24 (tie). Utah

After the Big 12 was saved from extinction by Texas’ decision to stay, Commissioner Dan Beebe said Tuesday that he was content with a 10-team conference and that he had no desire for expansion.

“The 12 teams we had was the ideal number,” Beebe said in a teleconference. “But with the 10 that we have, there is a lot of positive feelings about having 10 teams.”

After Colorado announced its decision to leave for the Pacific-10 and Nebraska accepted an invitation from the Big Ten, Beebe said he spoke to the networks the conference has deals with and was told they would not seek to reduce their rights fees because of the smaller conference. So Beebe said initially the conference schools would see more television money, because they would be splitting it amongst only 10 teams.
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While much of the focus during the N.F.L. draft will be on, well, the N.F.L., Nick Corasaniti is keeping his eyes on college football. He is breaking down how the first-round picks will be replaced, or not, by their former college teams.

Texas safety Earl Thomas was taken by the Seattle Seahawks with the 14th pick in the N.F.L. draft. Here’s a look at how the Longhorns will be affected by his departure.

What they lose:

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press Earl Thomas

Despite playing just two seasons for Texas, Thomas was an integral part of the Longhorns’ recent success in the Big 12. In his freshmen and sophomore seasons, Thomas started all 13 games at safety. His sophomore season ranks as one of the best ever by a Longhorn defensive back, with 71 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 16 passes broken up and a single-season team record 8 interceptions.

Where they stand:

In 2009, the Longhorns ranked second in the Big 12 and 19th nationally in pass defense. Despite losing their best player in Thomas, who was arguably the second-best safety in the country, the Longhorns should look to improve in both rankings. Coach Mack Brown has gone so far as to say it is as good a unit as he has ever had.

Blake Gideon, entering his junior year, has started every game at safety since setting foot in Austin. While some may only remember his dropped interception in 2008’s loss at Texas Tech, Gideon has truly been a sound anchor for the Texas secondary. Playing across from Thomas, Gideon had an impressive 2009 season, with 62 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 5 passes broken up and 6 interceptions, earning him all-Big 12 honorable mention recognition.
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Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Kansas’s Brady Morningstar driving in the top-ranked Jayhawks’ first-round game against Lehigh.

Live updates and analysis from the N.C.A.A. tournament. Pete Thamel in Providence, Thayer Evans in New Orleans and Dave Caldwell in Oklahoma City gave updates, and Zach Hillesland, a former Notre Dame forward, offered analysis about the games from South Bend, Ind. Readers are invited to join the conversation in the comments section below.

You can follow Pete Thamel on Twitter throughout the tournament.

Well, that’ll do it for a wild day. Seven of the 16 games were won by the lower-seeded team, three went to overtime and four were decided on a shot in the final seconds. Quite a start.

Now get some rest, throw your bracket in a drawer (admit it, it’s over) and come back tomorrow at noon for more. The first game is Morgan State-West Virginia at 12:15. I’m rethinking my pick already. Thanks for reading. Andrew Das

Montana couldn’t pull off one final upset to end the day. Dairese Gary scored 9 of New Mexico’s last 11 points and also had a critical steal with a minute left to seal it for the third-seeded Lobos. They will face Washington, the No. 11 seed, on Saturday. AD

Only one game to go. New Mexico leads Montana, 57-54, with two minutes left.

Texas, whose days as the nation’s No. 1 team are long forgotten, falls in the most painful way possible. After leading by 8 early in overtime and by 4 after two free throws with 28 seconds left, the Longhorns gave their win away. First they lost Ari Stewart in the corner, and he made a 3-pointer to cut the Demon Deacons’ deficit to 80-79. Then Gary Johnson missed two free throws, and Ishmail Smith drove the court and dropped in a floater with just over a second left.

It must hurt, but one final fade was a fitting end to a brutal year for Texas. Read more…

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The handshake between Texas Coach Rick Barnes and Baylor Coach Scott Drew was brisk Thursday night after the Bears won, 86-67, in the Big 12 quarterfinals to beat the Longhorns for a third time this season.

Even factoring in the coaches’ well-known disdain for each other, Barnes was in a hurry. He’s running out of time to fix a team that achieved Texas’ first-ever No. 1 ranking in January, but that might not have made the N.C.A.A. tournament if this year’s regular season had lasted a few more weeks.

The Longhorns (24-9) have lost 9 of their last 16 games, leaving Barnes befuddled by his team’s collapse after its 17-0 start.

“If I had put my finger on it, I would have done it a long time ago,” Barnes said.

Barnes said his team’s loss to Baylor (25-6) on Thursday night encapsulated its season the last few months. His team trailed by 4 at halftime, then fell behind by as many as 15, only to battle back to within 5 before fading badly over the game’s last eight minutes.

The Bears’ three-game sweep of Texas this season was its first since 1981-82.

“We go through a four-, five-minute period where we just come unraveled,” Barnes said.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The night session of the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals opens this evening with No. 2 seed Kansas State facing No. 7 Oklahoma State.

The game is a chance for the Wildcats (24-6) to avenge a 73-69 home loss to the Cowboys (22-9) in January. And while the matchup is intriguing, it’s hardly as interesting as the night’s game between No. 6 seed Texas (23-8) and No. 3 Baylor (24-6).

With Bears having beaten the Longhorns three straight times dating back to last year’s Big 12 tournament, the tension between the two teams has spiked. It was after losing to Baylor in the Big 12 tournament last year that Texas Coach Rick Barnes expressed stern words about Baylor Coach Scott Drew to The New York Times.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Welcome to the opening round of the Big 12 tournament on a drizzly Wednesday night.

There aren’t any bubble teams here with No. 1 Kansas, No. 9 Kansas State, No. 21 Baylor, No. 23 Texas A&M, Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma State all seemingly set to be in the N.C.A.A. tournament.

The final and most anticipated game of the day is set to tip off between slumping Texas (23-8, 9-7), the No. 6 seed, and No. 11 seed Iowa State (15-16, 4-12). The Longhorns, formerly ranked No. 1 in the nation, have lost 8 of their last 14 games.

They face an Iowa State team that is coming off a stunning 85-82 road upset of then No. 5 Kansas State in overtime last Saturday. In their lone game against Iowa State in January, the Longhorns posted a 90-83 road victory. The Cyclones are overmatched, but do have a N.B.A. prospect in the 6-foot-10, 230-pound junior forward Craig Brackins, who is averaging 16.5 points and 8.6 rebounds this season.

A loss would be devastating for the Longhorns, who need all the momentum they can muster heading in to the N.C.A.A. tournament.

A double-digit seed won here earlier in the day when No. 12 Nebraska upset No. 5 Missouri, 75-60. No. 9 seed Texas Tech dropped No. 8 Colorado, 82-67, and No. 7 seed Oklahoma State finished off a 81-67 romp of lackluster No. 10 seed Oklahoma.