As uninteresting as the football games were on Thursday. the games on Friday were unreal, especially since they involved four coaches who are (or, in some cases, were) on the hot seat.

• Colorado putting up 65 points on Nebraska to not only end the Huskers season, but most likely Bill Callahan's coaching career at Nebraska.
  
• Mississippi State putting up 17 points in the fourth quarter to beat Ole Miss, putting Ed Orgeron's career at Ole Miss on life support. 
  
• Texas A&M beating rival Texas for the second consecutive year and A&M coach Dennis Franchione resigning immediately after the game.
• And the stunner:  Arkansas, in what most likely will be their last regular season game under Houston Nutt, edges top ranked LSU in triple overtime, ending any chance the Tigers had of going to the national championship game.
• In one other game that has some national significance (if you acknowledge the WAC) Hawaii continued their undefeated season by beating Boise State.

Now to the significance part.  LSU first.  The Tigers came out flat as a pancake which was very strange to me, especially since it was a home game and Death Valley is a huge home field advantage for LSU.  While the Tigers played better in the second half, Darrin McFadden and company wouldn't be denied and, in the end, Arkansas fulfilled some of the promise that might have been earlier this year if injuries hadn't hurt them.

As far as the national championship picture is concerned, LSU and the SEC are done for BCS championship game consideration as there is not enough time for LSU to scramble back up the mountain.  My OSU-Georgia scenario is over as well, because with LSU losing, the SEC championship game becomes a moot point (probable birth in the Sugar Bowl) and whomever wins will go to a BCS game, they just won't go to the BCS championship game.  And, even if Georgia made the SEC championship game (which requires Tennessee to lose to Kentucky today), they would be handing LSU their third loss which certainly wouldn't help their computer ranking. 

We turn our focus to the remaining survivors: Kansas, Missouri, West Virginia and Ohio State.  Of the four, Ohio State has no control of their destiny because they are done for the season and are basically waiting to find out if they are packing for California or Louisiana.  Either Kansas or Missouri will lose this week, and the winner may very well lose next week, knocking both of them out.  West Virginia does control it's own destiny having simply to win out over UCONN and Pitt, with the UCONN game having huge upset potential.  If Missouri beats Kansas and loses the next week to Oklahoma and if West Virginia gets upset, your championship game candidates include Virginia tech (who has a tough game today against Virginia) and Oklahoma (who has to play OSU today and either Kansas or Missouri next week.)  Round and round it goes and where it stops. . .

On some of the other happenings of yesterday in college football. I would be shocked if Tom Osbourne didn't fire Bill Callahan.  But I was wondering something else.  Would Tom Osbourne considering hiring Dennis Franchone to replace him?  Fran is from the Midwest, he's had some success in the Big 12, he's coached in two top six conferences (Big 12 and SEC) and he knows the league.  Losing his job at A&M was more about his booster exclusive web site and that can be spelled out by contract prior to his taking the gig.  If Norv Turner can get a third chance in the NFL, Coach Fran deserves another in the Big 12.  Or maybe at Ole Miss.

I have ESPN game plan, so I got to watch the Egg Bowl yesterday.  What a comeback by Mississippi State.  Before the season started, most pundits had a Sylvester Croom death watch, but somehow the guy was able to piece together a seven win season with wins over Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky and now rival Ole Miss. This after starting the season getting spanked 45-0 by LSU.  Croom and the Bulldogs are most likely in a bowl game for the first time since 2000.  Meanwhile, yesterday's game ends another miserable season under Ed Orgeron for Ole Miss.  While university officials have praised him, it's obvious the guy is Dave Wannstedt with a Cajun accent. 

I did not watch Idaho State-Hawaii last night, but the Rainbow Warriors came through and rule the WAC.  In the grand scheme of things it means they move up to a New year's day bowl. 

Lighting Round

• The Denver Broncos will be without running back Travis Henry on Sunday.  They may also not have running back Selmon Young.  Maybe the Bears could lend them Cedric Benson.
• The Fudge Packers get banged up against the Lions.  This does not bode well heading into their closed circuit TV appearance Thursday night against the Cowboys.
• Kenny Williams is a man with a plan.  That failed.  So he has a new plan.  Kenny is quick becoming the Energizer Bunny of General Managers.
• The NFL may be moving a team to Toronto.  Yeah, because it['s worked out so well for baseball and the NBA.
• SIU beats Mississippi Stateto move on to the finals of the Anaheim Classic.  They play for hardware Sunday.  Go dogs!
• When you sing another's county's national anthem, best make sure you know all the words.  Otherwise, you may sing something you didn't mean to.
• Finally, Happy Birthday to our colleague and resident game picker, Butkus D. Dogg.  B.D is celebrating his second birthday today, which makes him 14 in dog years.  Next year, I have to find a dog stripper for him.