CFB Week 6 Recap

When I first looked at the slate of games in Week 6, I thought it had the potential to be an upset Saturday. Road tests for Oklahoma, Mizzou, Texas and Penn State against unranked but formidable foes. In the end though, it was a cookie cutter Week 6. Besides USF, Vandy and Fresno, all the higher ranked teams won this week. And that's fine, considering there's plenty of season to go and plenty of amazing games in the weeks to come.

THE BIG 10 THINGS I LEARNED THIS WEEK

1. Terrelle Pryor is the now and the future - I'll be honest. I hated the idea of Pryor starting. Now, I'm a huge fan. What he did in the 20-17 win over Wisconsin was downright amazing for a true freshman quarterback. This time last year, he was playing high school teams in PA in front of maybe 10,000 fans. Now, he's playing Division-1A, Big Ten squads all over the Midwest in front of 80,000-100,000+ fans and is making it look easy. Don't get me wrong. The guy made plenty of mistakes against Wisconsin, showing his age. But then, he showed the presence of a veteran in the final drive. Buying time to pass, running the ball with confidence and above all, managing the clock very well. The scary thing is that he is only going to get better. Playing in Madison taught him a lot and for OSU, they hope it's enough to lead the Bucks to a Big Ten title.

2. The Big 12 is no joke this season - There's an awful lot of talk about how good the SEC is. May wanna change that to the Big 12. 4 of the top 7 teams are in the Big 12. Oklahoma, Mizzou, Texas and Texas Tech. So how did those four teams perform in Week 6? How about winning by a combined 187-86. Oh, and did I mention all four were playing conference foes? Oh, and all on the road? Yeah, there are some good teams in this conference. And all 4 quarterbacks are early Heisman candidates. Sam Bradford (OU), Chase Daniel (Mizzou), Colt McCoy (UT), and Graham Harrell (TTU). Gonna be a good race down to the end but it starts next week with OU vs. UT.

3. The new Golden Boys - Yeah, I'm talkin about Vanderbilt, the new darlings of the SEC. And they should be now. They are 3-0 in the SEC East, putting them ahead of Georgia and Florida who both have fallen already. Their offense survived losing their starting QB and their defense bounced back after giving up 13 pts to a pathetic Auburn offense. They are simply a solid SEC squad and that's all you need in that conference to pull off those big upsets. Now, I'm not sold on them winning the division. They haven't played any really tough yet. I know Auburn and South Carolina were ranked but those offenses are less than stellar. Once they face the Gators and Dawgs, we'll know Vandy's true colors. But for now, celebrate Commodores.

4. USC has awaken - You had to feel sorry for Oregon before this game began. The Trojans were coming into the game hoping to prove a point. And after seeing them dismantle the Ducks 44-10, I think they did. They proved that they are still one of the best in the nation and that the Oregon State game was just a lapse of concentration. Unfortunately, in the system we are in, that lapse could mean no national title chance but at least USC has set the record straight somewhat. Only problem for them now is that there will be no other team ranked in the Pac-10 now besides them. Arizona State lost again, Oregon will drop out, and Oregon State isn't getting in either after falling to Utah. So while USC may have showed they are one of the better teams this week, they won't have any real chances to prove that the rest of the way.

5. Kevin Goessling should be on suicide watch - I say this jokingly but talk about a tough season for the Fresno State kicker. The guy has made 5 out of 9 field goals this season. But it's those 4 misses that probably have the kicker wishing he lived under a rock. 3 misses versus Wisconsin in a 13-10 loss to the Badgers. And then this week, a chance to be a hero in the 4th quarter. 43 seconds left and only a 36 yard FG. And it's blocked. And to make it worse, he misses a 40 yd FG in OT, which leads to Hawaii kicking a game-winning FG in OT. The guy has a good leg. It just isn't accurate. But his accuracy is now beginning to become a liability for the Bulldogs. Their two losses can be directly attributed to his inept kicking. It's a shame too because this team could be 5-0, ranked in the top 15, and have a good chance at playing in a BCS bowl game.

6. Dave Wannstedt saved his job (again) - He does this every year. It's almosty turning into a joke. The Panthers struggle and under perform against mediocre teams. Sometimes they win but sometimes they lose. And right when Pitt fans call for Wannstedt fired, he pulls off a huge win that has them rethinking their sentiment. In 2004, he led them to a Big East championship despite losses to Syracuse and UConn. Last year, it was a win at West Virginia when rumors were circling. And this year, it's South Florida. The guy is not a bad coach but he's not good either. But if his team plays it its potential, it can win the Big East. They showed it this week and won. But it's a crapshoot to see if they keep it up.

7. Backup QBs are becoming popular - Not very often so many quarterbacks that did not start Week 1 are making an impact for some very good teams. Obviously, Pryor leads the pack with the way he has taken over the OSU offense. Vandy's Mackenzi Adams gets a mention too for he helped lead the Commodores over Auburn. Tyrod Taylor has Virginia Tech back in the Top 25 after taking over for Sean Glennon. Jaybo Shaw has filled in admirably for Josh Nesbitt at Georgia Tech. Chris Smelley threw for 327 yards for South Carolina against Ole Miss. And a special mention to Cincy's Chazz Anderson, who is the third-string QB who is in due to injuries to his teammates. Good to see some more players getting their shots and taking advantage of it, a la Jamie Foxx in Any Given Sunday.

8. Mad props to the Armed Forces - First off, mad props to Army, who stopped a 10-game losing skid with a good 44-13 win over Tulane. Nice to see them showing some determination on the road to end that streak. Props also go out to Navy for an impressive win over Air Force. Tough to go play in that high altitude but Navy did that, winning 33-27. Navy overcame just 38 yards passing as a team by blocking two kicks for touchdowns. Unfortunately, Air Force did not win so no props to them. But hey, 2 out of 3 aint bad.

9. Notre Dame is not a Top 25 team - Irish fans have to love the fact that their team is 4-1, eclipsing last year;s win total in just 5 games. But before Irish fans start gushing about their team, they need to realize that this team is not worthy of the top 25 poll. The team has played no one of worth yet. Wins over Michigan, Purdue, San Diego St and Stanford. None of them have a winning record. In this week's 28-21 win, Stanford came back while in the San Diego State game, the Irish were lucky to walk away with a win. Plus, the 4 wins are all at home. The one loss in on the road. And that's not good news for a team with 4 of the next 5 away from South Bend. Good luck Irish. You'll need it.

10. The comeback is still alive - This is all about Miami (FL) and Kansas. For the 'Canes, it was close but no cigar. Down 24-3 at the half but they turn it around and lose respectably 41-39 in a rain-drenched rivalry game in Miami. Meanwhile, Kansas was looking to avoid an upset from the hands of Iowa State. The Cyclones were up 20-0 at the half but by the end of the 3rd quarter, it was 21-20 KU. And at the end of the game, it was 35-33 Kansas on top. Nice to see teams not giving up in the first half (ex. Ohio State vs. USC) and playing until the final whistle.

11. OU-Miami (OH) is gonna be bad - Both teams are 1-4. Both can't defend a brick wall. I'm all for a good rivalry game like this in the MAC but the thought of seeing this game in person sickens me. These are bad teams this season. Hopefully, because both teams are so bad, they game will be good. But that may not be true.

BEST GAME - Ohio State vs. Wisconsin
FSU-Miami (FL) was a close second but this one tops the list. It was a typical Big Ten battle. Slow moving offenses and defense dominating most of the game. The running game wearing down the defensive line but also opening up the passing game downfield. These teams are very even but tonight, it came down to the fact that OSU has a quarterback that can make plays in so many ways, it's hard to stop him. It was fun to watch on TV and probably a lot more fun to watch in person as 3 of my friends did in Madison.

WORST GAME - Missouri vs. Nebraska
I almost picked this game to be an upset and boy, sure glad I did not. There was a lot of talk about Bo Pelini's Husker D slowing down the Mizzou offense. Well, that didn't happen. In fact, the shutout was gone before one minute was off the clock. Nebraska simply laid an egg in this game and for a 9pm game that is the only one on after a thriller in Wisconsin, it needed to be a lot better.

OVER/UNDER
Well, it has to be said I think. Despite many who felt they could compete for a conference title, ARIZONA STATE is OVERRATED. At one point, they were #15 in the nation. But losses to UNLV, UGA and Cal have tarnished this team's image and proven to everyone that they were incredibly overrated when the season began. Too bad too because USC needs a team in the Top 25 to help the conference look decent.
And if we're talking UNDERRATED, I think you have to bring up BOSTON COLLEGE. No one really had much faith in them in the ACC season but so far, so good for the Eagles. 4-1 start despite the loss of Matt Ryan. In fact, in this week 38-31 win over NC State, BC QB Chris Crane threw for 428 yards. Not too shabby huh?

HE/SHE SAID WHAT?
"Mitch King with some serious penetration. He's a beast."- Ray Bentley

3 QUESTIONS

1. Kimbo Slice lost tonight in 14 seconds to an unknown. How does that happen?

2. Of the four Big 12 QBs, which will make the best NFL QB?

3. Just how out of proportion will ESPN blow up the Red River Rivalry?