College Football Thoughts - Week 1

Just some thoughts on a few of this week’s college football games.

Appalachian State Mountaineers 34, #5 Michigan Wolverines 32

The biggest upset in college football history? I’m not sure, but it’s definitely up there. Michigan really played horribly, and you can chalk that up to coaching. You can tell that they weren’t taking this game nearly as seriously as App State. And who the hell is making schedules for Michigan? If you’re going to schedule I-AA teams, don’t schedule the I-AA champions who have won 14 straight games. No good can come from it. If you win convincingly, nobody cares since it was a I-AA team. If it’s a close game, it’s somewhat embarrassing. If you lose, you mind as well not play the rest of the season.

I felt like Michigan was overrated, but I always feel that Michigan is overrated. I think their history and their media coverage always gives them an additional spot or two in the rankings. It isn’t as bad as when Notre Dame is kind of good and ranked #3, but it’s still irritating.

Michigan did not play their hardest or their best. On the blocked field goal that ended the game, the guy just walked right through the offensive line. Special teams play is a good indicator of effort, because all you really have to do is an adequate job, and things work out. Block decently, kick straight, run forward, don’t screw up. But Michigan screwed up.

Michigan can still run the table this year, leading up to the Ohio State game in November, which they are not allowed to win, but do they deserve to be allowed back into consideration for the Championship game? I don’t think so. A loss to a D-IAA team, even a good one like App State, is an embarrassment to the entire Bowl Subdivision.

Also, Michigan has now lost three straight games. This is the first time since the end of 1979 that Michigan has lost three straight.

But you know what, I anticipate Michigan will do well this year, win lots of games, and leading up to their clash with OSU, people will be campaigning and clamoring for them to be in the BCS title game, just like they were last year after they lost to OSU.

Can you imagine being Appalachian State’s next opponent: Lenoir-Rhyne? You’re facing a team that just went to the Big House and beat #5 Michigan. Good luck to L-R.

GT Yellow Jackets 33, ND Fighting Irish 3

Another embarrassing loss for a major program. It wasn’t who Notre Dame lost to, it was how they lost. They put up 121 yards of total offense against Georgia Tech’s 381. The Yellow Jackets had 260 of those yards on the ground, which is just dreadful for the Irish. Tashard Choice had 196 yards on 26 carries, averaging 7.5 yards per carry. Throw in this horrible rushing defense with switching around at QB and you have a 33-3 opening week loss. Next week Notre Dame goes to Happy Valley, and could very well be 0-2 by the time they get to Michigan. Give some credit to Tech, though. They host I-AA Samford next week and should be 2-0 by the time they begin ACC play.

Washington Huskies 42, Syracuse Orange 12

You can’t spell suck without S.U. This was a game between two mediocre programs trying to get something started, and on national TV no less. Cuse had an atrocious season last year, and things aren’t looking better for them this season. The Huskies were also below .500 last year and are struggling to return to relevance. This game was important for both of these teams, because it will play a big part in bowl eligibility. One of the things I love about D1-A is that even mediocre teams have a lot to play for every week because they’re trying to make the Bowl games, so they can get some money, some prestige, and some recruits. Because these teams are so average, every week could be the game that puts them above or below bowl eligibility.

Anyway, Syracuse allowed 302 yards on the ground, while getting 8 on their own.

I did not know this, but Washington actually has an extremely difficult schedule this year. Although Syracuse sucks, the trip from Seattle to Central New York is not an easy one. Then the Huskies host Boise State, and Ohio State, then go down to play UCLA, then host USC. They end their season with California, Washington State, and a December 1 st trip to Hawaii.

And to all the Syracuse fans wallowing in shame in CNY, don’t worry, basketball season starts in a few weeks.

My prediction for SU football stands at 0-12.

And when the hell are Cuse going to get rid of these uniforms? I don’t think they’re half bad, but the team has played like shit while they’ve worn them.

#9 Virginia Tech Hokies 17, ECU Pirates 7

I’m just going to skip over the emotionalism of this game because ESPN has driven this story into the ground. Also, someone else made a very good point that Army, Navy, Air Force, and many other schools have countless alumni fighting and dying overseas in the military, but they don’t get the Va Tech treatment. Anyway, this was almost an embarrassing loss. The Pirates outrushed Tech 142 yards to 33. It was probably just a first week kind of thing, but Va Tech don’t seem that amazing. But it’s way too early to be sure of that.

BC Eagles 38, Wake Forest Demon Deacons 28

I was working this game as an usher (an article about that to come) and it was an amazing contest. Wake Forest has had BC’s number, and has beaten them 3 of the last 4 times they’ve played. Wake went up early 14-0, but kept turning the ball over in key situations. The teams combined for 824 yards of total offense in a sloppy game that saw 7 turnovers, 2 of which were returned for scores. There wasn’t much good fundamental football, as the teams combined for 53 total rushing yards (1 from Wake, 52 from BC) on 50 carries for an average of 1.1 yards per carry. There were 112 total pass attempts.

This game was the only ACC conference game of the weekend, and it gives the Eagles a nice start in the less than stellar Atlantic Division.

#23 Hawaii Warriors 63, Northern Colorado Bears 6

There’s going to be two opposing factions regarding this game. Some will be glorifying the Warriors for a successful blowout win, pointing to other games as examples that these first week cupcake teams aren’t a given. And then there will be people who completely dismiss this victory over a I-AA team that went 1-10 last year, allowed 34 points a game, and finished dead last in the Big Sky with an 0-8 conference record.

You can look at some of Hawaii’s stats and just say “wow!” but you have to keep in mind, it was against Northern Colorado. Don’t dismiss this offensive onslaught, but keep it in perspective. 30 first downs for Hawaii, 3 of 4 on 4 th down conversions, 577 yards total offense, 10 rushes for 37 yards (this pisses me off, more later), 540 passing yards. Colt Brennan was 34 for 40 with 416 yards and 6 touchdown passes, all in the first half.

These numbers are impressive, no matter who the opponent is, and had Brennan stayed in, he probably could have thrown for 800 or 900 yards and 10 TDs. What bugs me isn’t Hawaii’s continuing to score with the game already decided (2 of their last 3 TDs were returns), but it’s their 10 rushing attempts, 3 of which were by Brennan, who led the team in carries, and yards with 23. You’re up 28-0, you don’t have to pull the QB or anything because it’s bizarre to pull a QB before half-time, but you could hand the ball off a few times, protect your star from getting injured. But instead, you throw the ball against an essentially helpless and indifferent Northern Colorado team, Colt Brennan gets praised on ESPN for 400+ yards in the 1 st half, and his Heisman stock goes up.

One of these days, Hawaii’s going to leave their QB in for too long, be throwing the ball too much, and disaster will strike. It’s only a matter of time.

Colorado Buffaloes 31, Colorado State Rams 28 (OT)

I’m not a big fan of early rivalry games, but I guess having anticipation build the entire off season could be cool. Anyway, this was probably the second best game of the weekend. It was 17-14 Colorado at halftime. The Rams pulled ahead 28-17, but Colorado got within 3 with a TD and 2 point conversion. The Buffaloes then tied it with a field goal in the closing moments of the 4 th to send the game to OT. Colorado kicked a field goal in their OT possession to win.

Navy Midshipmen 30, Temple Owls 19

I just like looking at stats from Navy’s games. Navy had 439 yards of offense, 361 of which came on the ground. They attempted 7 passes the entire game. They completed 3 of them. As a team, they rushed the ball 56 times, so they averaged 6.4 yards a carry. They had two 100+ yard rushers, and 6 different players ran with the ball. All three of their touchdowns came on the ground.

Wyoming Cowboys 23, Virginia Cavaliers 3

Embarrassing loss for the ACC, as Virginia loses to a team that went 6-6 last year. Wyoming even lost to Syracuse last year, that’s how bad they were. And Virginia was dominated by them. 474 total yards for Wyoming, 221 on the ground. 108 total yards for Virginia, 6 on the ground. The ACC just isn’t that strong this year.

BYU Cougars 20, Arizona Wildcats 7

The Pac-10 simply sucks from just below the top to the bottom. You’ve got USC, UCLA and Cal, then a bunch of mediocre and bad teams beneath them.

UCF Knights 25, NC State Wolfpack 23

Another embarrassing loss for the ACC. UCF went 4-8 last year. NC State was one of the worst teams in the ACC last year, but still, it’s fucking Central Florida.

#2 LSU Tigers 45, Mississippi State Bulldogs 0

This might have been the most impressive win by a top ranked team this week. 45 point margin of victory, shutout, on the road, against a DI-A team. Mississippi State sucks, but they suck in I-A, and the SEC, which is like sucking only half as bad as say, Northern Colorado, or North Texas. Standard blowout stats, about 350 yards passing for LSU with about 200 yards rushing. Big game next week, #2 LSU against #9 Virginia Tech.

#18 Auburn Tigers 23, Kansas State Wildcats 13

Auburn barely escaped disaster this week. They were down 13-9 going into the 4 th, at home, against a pretty mediocre Kansas State team. If they had lost this game, they get booted out of the top 25, and would have had to run the table in the SEC to even have a shot at getting consideration for possibly being allowed to be a candidate for the national title game.

By the way, Auburn’s conference schedule looks ridiculously hard. At #6 Florida, at #21 Arkansas, at #2 LSU, at #13 Georgia, and they host the weaker SEC teams they play.

#4 Texas Longhorns 21, Arkansas State Indians 13

Is a close win against a bad team the same as a blowout win? I’m really not sure where I stand on this. A win is a win is a win, but when the talent difference between two teams is so large, does anything less than a 30 point margin of victory truly qualify as a win? Is it a half win? Will Texas move down in the rankings because of this? They certainly won’t move up. But Arkansas State did have to score 10 4 th quarter points in order to make it seem like a game. Texas led from 3 minutes into the game and never relinquished that lead. They ran the ball a lot, with 38 attempts. They weren’t trying to run up the score. Once it was 14-3, they were pretty comfortable. I don’t know where I stand on this one. I guess I’m just going to ignore it when I think about where Texas stands in relation to other teams.

#24 Boise State Broncos 56, Weber State Wildcats 7

What I like about Boise State’s offense is that they can hurt you with the running game AND the passing game. They were up 28-0 after the 1 st, and slowed down their passing. They only threw the ball 28 times. They ran 55 times for 371 yards. Seven non-QBs had carries. Two Broncos had 100+ yards, and they scored 7 of their 8 touchdowns on the ground. Which is how touchdowns should be scored in a blowout game.

Kent State Golden Flashes 23, Iowa State Cyclones 14

Big time embarrassment for the Big XII. ISU isn’t one of their top teams, but to lose to Kent State at home is inexcusable for any BCS conference team. Kent State lost to Army AND Buffalo last year.

Bowling Green Falcons 32, Minnesota Golden Gophers 31 (OT)

Another horror show for the Big Ten and the BCS in general. Minnesota didn’t have a lead in this game until 2:12 in the 4 th. Bowling Green won it Boise State style with a 2 point conversion in OT. The Green Falcons had 412 total passing yards.

Just a horrible day for the Big Ten. Minnesota is not anywhere near the level of Michigan, but to lose to Bowling Green in the Metrodome is flat out shameful. The Big Ten went 8-3 yesterday, but 2 of those losses are just ridiculous.

#8 Oklahoma Sooners 79, North Texas Mean Green 10

I can’t remember the last time I saw a team put up 79 points. I’m sure it’s happened recently, probably in Hawaii. Anyway, 668 total yards of offense for OU, 403 passing, 265 rushing. 7 touchdowns on the ground (5 by DeMarco Murray), 3 in the air, 1 INT returned for a score, and a safety. That’s how you get 79 points. Oklahoma covered the 40.5 point spread by more than four touchdowns. The Sooners host Miami of Florida next week.

#1 USC Trojans 38, Idaho Vandals 10

JD Booty had an opportunity in this game against a crap team, to put up some amazing numbers. And he didn’t. This might hurt his chances for the Heisman, but it really shouldn’t. USC was going to win this game, even if Booty threw the ball with his eyes closed. And that’s what should matter. He threw 3 TDs, which is a pretty good day, but he only threw for 206 yards, and he also threw a pick. Taken in total, he had a very good day, but not a great day, which is what people were expecting.

Clemson Tigers 24, #19 FSU Seminoles 18

This was a big ACC contest (when an unranked team faces the 19 th ranked team and that’s a big ACC contest, you know the ACC is having an off year), with Clemson prevailing. It was a great game, but my favorite part of the game was the Clemson fans charging the field, then receding as the final play was reviewed, then charging during the review, then receding, then charging. Very disciplined student body they have down there at Clemson.

How the BCS conferences did:

ACC: 5-3 vs. other conferences

Big East: 7-1 vs. other conferences

Pac-10: 6-2 vs. other conferences

Big XII: 8-4 vs. other conferences

Big Ten: 8-3 vs. other conferences

SEC: 9-1 vs. other conferences

Interesting games next week:

(all rankings are pre-season rankings)

9 Virginia Tech @ 2 LSU - first top ten matchup of the year

3 West Virginia @ Marshall - in state rivalry

22 TCU @ 4 Texas - in state rivalry, two ranked teams, BCS vs. non-BCS