Weekend Review

Not all of the games are complete just yet, but most are. Currently, only Fresno/Oregon is on, and that one may turn out to be a great game, but I don't feel like staying up until 1am to comment on it, so I'll leave it alone for now. Here are my thoughts on what I saw today.

Starting from the top, Ohio State's win really surprised me. I feel like Texas played well-enough to win this game, but they never came up with the big play when they needed it. In fact, when they needed it, they shot themselves in the foot. That's not how you win big games. Both teams are very good, though, and I stand by that. I'm actually happy with this result because I feel Ohio State will be tested more in the Big Ten race than Texas will be in the Big 12. I like that nobody gets a free ride this year (except maybe USC). Of course, that may be harsh, because the Trojans do have Nebraska, Arizona State, Cal, UCLA, Oregon, and ND. That's not too shabby. Here's to a wide-open national championship race.

ACC. NC State and FSU should be ashamed of themselves. Akron and Troy are both scrappy teams, but the talent level at the ACC schools should have been enough to win. I'm disappointed in both. Of course, I expect this sort of performance out of Chuck Amato's boys. This weeks performance by FSU, though, I feel vindicates my placing them so low in my Power 22 Poll. I don't see what everybody else does. Moving around a bit, VaTech continued to look good. UNC's defense made life tough early, but the Hokies eventually ran away with it. And then there was Duke. Poor, lowly Duke. I was rooting for them. Can Wake really be that bad? I think so. Finally, we have Clemson getting upset by BC. Yes, it was an upset, but it was not a great upset. BC has the talent to get the job done, and they played just slightly better (an extra point better). I would like to get a chance to see more than highlights of BC, but I have yet to see a game broadcast in this area. From what I have seen of the ACC, though, I have not been impressed. They are certainly not playing like a new "Power" conference.

Big Ten. Michigan and Rutgers (vs. Illinois) took care of business. I'm glad Michigan is playing well. If the kinks have been worked out of their offense, next weeks showdown with ND should be awesome. I can't wait. Meanwhile, ND handily dispatched of Penn State. Everyone is now aware of how far back Penn State has fallen. They are still a good team, but ND is clearly a level above them. I think the Nittany Lions should stay ranked right about where they are, honestly. I think the 19-20 range is right for this group. I'll come back briefly to ND in a minute, but I was happy to see the offense back to its old self again. And finally, we have Iowa, who barely hangs on to beat Syracuse. I won't say too much except that QB Drew Tate must be the glue that holds the Hawkeyes together. Without him, they looked lost. The backup throwing four INTs certainly didn't help. In fact, it's probably a testament to the Hawkeyes' defense that they overcame numerous turnovers and still won. I also have to give Iowa's goal-line D some mad props. They hung strong at the end and absolutely set up a wall on the goal line. I was impressed. Ugly win, but Iowa will take it and hope Tate comes back soon.

Big 12. Ole Miss was beaten mercilessly by Mizzou. I was honestly a little surprised, but I hadn't seen Mizzou play yet. They looked pretty good. Of course, Ole Miss had yet to play defense at the level it achieved last year, and that has been very disappointing. The offense struggled, but the unit is still trying to find its groove. It will get better and better as the season goes on. I'm gonna be keeping my eyes on Mizzou, though. I want to see what they do in the North. Speaking of teams in the North, Nebraska rolled yet again. We'll find out how far they've really come next week when they meet USC. Other than the ongoing shoot-out between UTEP and Texas Tech, nothing else interesting happened.

Big East. West Virginia won by a lot. So did Louisville. Does anyone care about anybody else?

Pac-10. The only intersting game was Minnesota vs. Cal. I was curious as to how Cal would respond to the blowout against the Vols. Minnesota had been looking good, and I took the Gophers on the upset. However, Cal showed some guts and stuck it to its Big Ten foe. Good for them. I hope they play up to their potential, because it makes the SEC look that much better, and it means there's a legitimate shot they can knock off Southern Cal.

SEC. It was a ho-hum day in the SEC, for the most part. Auburn took care of business, and LSU absolutely blasted Arizona. 'Zona played like a young team that had never visited Death Valley before. It wasn't pretty. Florida rolled as well. Tennessee looked to have Air Force right where it wanted it, but suddenly Coach DeBerry was calling for the two-point conversion and the win. Say what? Air Force simply wouldn't go away. I'm wondering how much of this game may have been Tennessee looking ahead to next week's showdown with Florida. I know, I know...one game at a time. But does anybody really believe that? Either way, the Vols hung on to win by one. Scary, but a win. Speaking of scary, Bama 13 - Vandy 10. Whew. I thought Vandy may give them a run for their money, and they certainly did. I didn't get to see this game, but I followed it on Gametracker, and it looked like Bama was very lucky to get out of this one with a win. Has Vandy gotten better or has Bama fallen that far back? I think it's a little of both, but more of the latter. One day, Bama fans will wake up and realize that this year's team just isn't that good. Sorry. Somebody had to break the news to you. You're just lucky it's me and not Vandy. Next was the South Carolina and Georgia game. I hate that Joe T went down hurt early, but I don't think anybody was really disappointed that they had to watch Matt Stafford play the whole game. This kid looks great. Did he make some mistakes, certainly. His deep balls were a little off, but I think that has a lot to do with working on his timing with the receivers. Since he's not getting much work with the first-team, he certainly can't be expected to immediately be on the same page with his receivers. It will come, and he's going to be very, very good. The Georgia defense pitched a shut-out, but only USC's stumbles kept this game from being close. UGa is still a very good team with a great defense and a serviceable offense, but they will need to turn in a better offensive performance if they expect to win the East. I suggest you start by getting Stafford more reps with the first team.

So, I apologize that I cannot comment on Texas Tech/ UTEP or Fresno/Oregon, but you know how those West Coast games are.

One more thought. It occurred to me that Auburn and ND are both ranked fourth. With Auburn dominating Mississippi State and ND doing likewise to Penn State, it would certainly be understandable for ND to pull slightly ahead of Auburn in the polls. I can live with that. What bothers me is that if ND wins (even barely) next week against Michigan and Auburn pounds LSU, Auburn will again probably lose ground. Had Auburn beaten LSU this week and ND beaten Penn State, does anybody not think that ND would be ranked higher anyways? I've never understood the whole love affair with ND really, but it is an undeniable fact. All I can say is that if Ohio State, ND, and Auburn run the table, does anybody doubt that the Tigers will be on the outside looking in yet again? Now I know it is still very very early to be stating this, but the possibility that it could happen is disturbing.

That's all for me.

War Eagle!