2009 College Football - Week 1 Recap

The long opening weekend is over and in just 2 days, Week 2 begins. But before it does, time to take a quick look back at the fun that was Week 1, from what I learned, the overrated/underrated teams, the dumbest thing said by a TV announcer, and 3 questions for next week.

The BIG 10 things I learned this week

1. ACC = Awful Collegiate Conference - Before the Miami-FSU instant classic, this was a truly awful weekend for the ACC. VT and NCST lost in front of national TV audiences. Maryland lost big to California while Wake couldn't beat Baylor at home. But the worst part of it all was Virginia, losing to William and Mary (who?) and Duke falling to Richmond (what?). That's not a good sign for things to come in the conference.

2. Don't downplay the triple-option -Mad props to Navy for the scare they put into OSU. The triple-option attack is already tough enough to defend but when they have the ability to throw it deep like they do, it makes it downright difficult. OSU did just enough to win but I already feel bad for the rest of Navy's opponents, because they will have their hands full.

3. Freshman success - Who said being a freshman QB was tough? Clemson's Kyle Parker was solid in his debut, going 9/20 for 159 yds and 2 TD. More importantly, no INTs. Michigan had to be happy with Tate Forcier, who finished 13/20 for 179 yds and 3 TD. He also didn't turn the ball over. And can't forget about USC's Matt Barkley, who went 15/19 for 233 yds and a TD. Granted, this is just a one-game sampling. We'll see how all 3 frosh do when they face tougher competition in Week 2. Clemson gets Georgia Tech, Michigan gets Notre Dame and USC gets Ohio State.

4. Beware the tough road (or neutral) game - I said in my preview post about how I wish more teams would be like Oregon and face good non-BCS teams on their fields. Well, thanks to Boise State's win, I doubt that will happen anymore. Same goes for neutral field matchups like BYU-Oklahoma. Yes, Bradford went down to injury but at the half, it's not like Oklahoma was up 30. No, it was just 10-7. Maybe these kind of games are best suited in Week 2 or 3, when play isn't so sloppy. Speaking of that...

5. Sloppy Sloppy Sloppy - There was some awfully sloppy play in Week 1. The entire Boise State-Oregon was tough to watch. South Carolina and NC State struggled to maintain any flow on offense. USC and Tennessee had zero points after the 1st quarter before scoring 28 in the 2nd quarter and finishing with 600+ yds of offense. BYU and Oklahoma also weren't moving the ball with ease and many expected. Same goes for Georgia and OK State. It was Week 1 though so let's hope this sloppy play subsides.

6. Lightning can strike twice - It wasn't a good Saturday to be a Northern Iowa Panther fan. After sticking with Iowa for 4 quarters and putting themselves in great FG position. So with 7 seconds left, the Panthers line up for the game-winning FG, and wouldn't you know, it's blocked. But in a strange twist, the Panthers got another shot after recovering the football. So with one second left, a chance at redemption. But yet again, they were denied by the Hawkeyes. I've never seen that before and probably won't see it again for a long time, if ever.

7. The Heisman race is on - Colt McCoy was phenomenal in his 2009 debut, throwing for 317 yds and 2 TD. Tim Tebow didn't play too long but still managed 188 yds passing and a TD. Johnathan Dwyer scored 2 TD but rushed for only 95 yds. Meanwhile, Jahvid Best had 10 carries for 137 yds and 2 TD. Some people to keep your eyes on include Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen (15/18, 315 yds, 4 TD) and Cincy's Tony Pike (27/34, 362 yds, 3 TD) who both had great starts to their season.

8. Cincy = Class of the Big East - Some people were dubbing the Cincinnati-Rutgers matchup as the Big east championship in Week 1. If that's the case, then Cincy is going to roll through the other 7 teams. The Bearcats cruised to a 47-15 victory, including scoring 38 unanswered points. Tony Pike is the real deal and so is his favorite target Mardy Gilyard. the Bearcats still have to travel to USF and Pitt but after that dominating performance, it's hard to see them not winning the Big East and playing in a BCS game once again.

9. Not your 2008 Huskies - If you stayed up late and saw the LSU-Washington game, you probably noticed the great play of Washington, sticking with LSU for more than 3 quarters. Expect that play all season from this team. New head coach Steve Sarkisian seems to have energized this group, getting them to believe they can win again (they went 0-12 in 2008). Plus, if junior QB Jake Locker can stay healthy, he single-handedly will keep them in just about any game. They won't win the Pac-10 but they will eb able to put some scares into teams like Oregon State, Cal and yes, even USC.

10. Sportsmanship is still an issue - It's ironic that on a weekend that was supposed to emphasize sportsmanship with pregame handshakes that we had the most egregious act seen on a field in a long time. Oregon senior RB LeGarrette Blount punching Boise State lineman Byron Hout after the game. Blount's college career is now over and more importantly, sportsmanship was forgotten once again. It's not going to be easy to put sportsmanship to the forefront in college football when there is so much on the line each week but I'm glad they tried to make an effort. It's just too bad it didn't work.

11. Mark May is turning into Trev Alberts - I initially liked the pairing of Mark May and Lou Holtz. Unlike when it was May-Alberts, the arguments between the two men made me chuckle. But now as I watch May-Holtz, I find myself wanting to laugh with/at Lou and punch Mark. Here's why. Mark makes his point and then Lou goes. Lou makes his "point" and then, Mark argues with Lou about that point or argues that his original point is more important (even though Lou never said one was more important). In other words, he's just trying to pick a verbal fight. We get it Mark. You like to argue and like to be right. So do I. But don't pick a verbal fight with Lou Holtz. He's old and a little crazy in the head. It's not a fair fight so just stop it already.

OVER/UNDER
- I have no hesitation in calling Iowa my OVERRATED team. They come into the year ranked #22 and supposedly a dark horse contender for the Big Ten. But then, they need 2 blocked FGs to prevent falling to Northern Iowa. Yikes. I know it was Week 1 but it's also Northern Iowa. The Hawkeyes should've been able to handle them easily, if they were that good.
- I also have no hesitation is calling Cincinnati the UNDERRATED team of the week. They weren't even ranked in the AP Poll in the preseason. That's a shame too for a team that returned such dynamic players on offense. Yes, the defense only returned 1 starter but as seen by their performance against Rutgers, I'd say they learned a lot in the offseason. Look out for the Bearcats.

HE/SHE SAID WHAT?

“On their front four they have 1 senior, 3 sophomores and two freshman.”- Lou Holtz

For a complete list of some of the best stuff said this weekend, check out this website.

3 QUESTIONS

1. Will having to prepare for the triple-option offense hurt Ohio State in their preparation for USC?

2. How much will Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham's injuries affect Oklahoma this season?

3. Who will be the celebrity picker on College Gameday in Columbus? (My guesses: Rick Nash, Eddie George, or Greg Oden)

Week 2 preview post coming Thursday around noon.