Conspiracy theory: PSU helps B1G
— -- You have a grassy knoll in your front yard and own every Oliver Stone movie ever made. You spend time on Google looking for the truth about why Auburn was left out of the national championship game in 2004 and the real reason USC got the NCAA hammer over Reggie Bush.
You are a conspiracy theorist.
That's spelled C-O-N ... spiracy (for all you "In Living Color" fans).
We love a good conspiracy theory as much as the next person, and in sports, there's no shortage of them. So today, we present the conspiracy theory of the week, along with the biggest overreaction and underreaction to the weekend that was in college football. Because there are always different ways to look at the same story.
Conspiracy theory of the week: Penn State is immediately eligible for the postseason to help out a really weak Big Ten.
Admit it: The thought crossed your mind. It seems all too coincidental that the NCAA announced an end to the heavy sanctions imposed on the school on the exact day the college football world dismissed the B1G and its playoff chances.
Following an unsightly Week 2, the B1G eulogies started rolling in faster than an Oregon offensive blitz. Ohio State looked lost against Virginia Tech . Michigan State got boat raced in Eugene, Oregon. Michigan got smoked in South Bend, Indiana. It was a fun two-week ride, guys. Collect your lovely College Football Playoff parting gifts at the door.
You could hear the organ music starting up and the bagpipers marching in and the ...
Oh. Wait! Keep hope alive!
Keep Penn State alive!
Keep B1G playoff hopes alive!
Penn State, at 2-0, has become the most relevant team in the B1G, thanks to the governing body that many believe intended to destroy the program in 2012 following the horrific Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. But that's another conspiracy theory for another day.
The NCAA decided to back away from a four-year postseason ban and scholarship reductions for another two seasons because the university has made "remarkable" progress in adopting recommendations for change.
Penn State has new life and the B1G has new life. Maybe that didn't happen by accident.
Overreaction of the week: Oregon is going to win the national championship.
We have been conditioned to react instantaneously to games the second they end, so overreactions have become second nature. This week, the overreaction centers on Oregon, following a definitive 46-27 win over Michigan State. The Ducks absolutely impressed, scoring the final 28 points in the game after trailing at halftime. Big win, great win, a win that should have made them the No. 1 team in the country.
But anybody who is ready to crown 'em needs to slow their roll. Isn't the Pac-12 supposed to be the second-best conference in the country? So that presumably means a tough conference schedule remains, including games against UCLA, Washington, Arizona, Stanford and Oregon State, along with a potential Pac-12 championship date against UCLA/USC/Arizona/ Arizona State . If it's going to be that easy for the Ducks to waltz through the Pac-12, maybe it's not that good of a conference.
Just rewind to last season, when Oregon was penciled in for the BCS national championship game against Alabama in late October. To that point, the Ducks were averaging 55.7 points a game and beating their opponents by nearly 40 points a game. And then Stanford happened. And then Arizona happened. Or 2012, when Oregon was ranked No. 2 in late November. And then Stanford happened.
So ... let's take a deep breath and see where Oregon stands in December.
Underreaction of the week: BYU humiliating Texas 41-7.
The reaction to the game centered squarely on Texas coach Charlie Strong, whose honeymoon in Austin is clearly over after such a humiliating defeat. Totally understandable, given the expectations there.
But how about some credit and a little attention to BYU, a program that has tried to find its footing since becoming an independent in 2010? The Cougars might have the best chance to break into the national championship picture among all those outside the power structure.
Teams such as Boise State, UCF and Fresno State already have losses. BYU, meanwhile, has a chance to run the table with a favorable schedule. The slate is not a cupcake walk -- games against Houston, Virginia (a team that beat the Cougars last season), Utah State, UCF, Boise State and Cal -- remain. But it is manageable.
After a few down years, it appears as if the Cougars finally have a quarterback they can build around in dual threat Taysom Hill , who leads the team in passing and rushing. The defense remains aggressive and stout. Still, there will be those who automatically eliminate BYU from consideration because the schedule is not tough enough. What would happen if it came down to unbeaten BYU and one-loss Michigan State for the final playoff spot? Maybe reports of the B1G's demise are an overreaction, too.