What a week it was, complete with stunning upsets, dominating performances, and absolute heartbreaks. And it's only Week 2! That is the beauty of college football, where every week is as important as every other. As usual, there are some things to learned from this weekend's games.
The BIG 10 things I learned this week
1. Ohio State heartache continues - Right when it seemed like Ohio State had gotten the "big game" monkey off its back, USC drives down the field and scores a game-winning touchdown with about a minute left. For what seems like the 100th consecutive 'big game", the Buckeyes fell short. The margins are getting smaller (losses by 3 to Texas in Fiesta Bowl and 3 to USC) but the heartache continues to grow for OSU fans. This is a critical point in the Jim Tressel tenure. He needs to figure this out soon, because once Michigan gets better, that rivalry game will be a "big game". Oh, and it's just fitting that the Browns lose and Bengals lose on a ridiculous play, to cap off a depressing football weekend for many fans in Ohio.
2. Queen taking over the King? - Cincinnati is known as the queen city but their college football team may be king in Ohio. Seriously, this Cincinnati team could give OSU a run for their money right now. In two games, QB Tony Pike has thrown for 591 yds and 6 TD. The team has scored 117 pts in 2 games. Yes, the opponents haven't been the toughest but this no-huddle offense is clicking and this team is growing in confidence. This week's trip to Oregon State will truly show just how good this Cincinnati team is but as of now, I'm impressed.
3. Houston, I have a problem - It is a real shame that I overlooked the Houston-OKST game as one of the top 15 games of the week. Considering the Cougars returned one of the best senior QBs in the nation in Case Keenum, the game should have at least made the list. I still would have picked OKST but it's the principle. Of course, hindsight is 20/20. What Houston did was expose an OKST team that is still struggling to find a defensive identity. Giving up 45 points at home is not a good sign for a team that thinks they have a real shot at beating Oklahoma or Texas. Kudos to Keenum (725 yds, 7 TD in 2 games) and company for the upset. Keep an eye on them: they may be the BCS buster of 2009.
4. The MAC attack - Toledo crushed Colorado 54-38 at home on Friday in front of a national TV audience. Don't look now though but playing a MAC team even at home may not be as easy as you think. Ohio took down North Texas in 2OT, but that's not saying much. 2 more gave Big Ten teams a run for their money. Eastern Michigan came back from a 24-10 deficit to tie it at 24, forcing NW to kick a game-winning 49-yd FG with 8 seconds left. Western Michigan pushed Indy before falling 23-19. Bowling Green led Missouri 20-6 before the Tigers scores 21 unanswered to avoid the upset. But the same couldn't be said for Michigan State at home, who lost to Central Michigan 29-27 after what may have been the best executed onside kick in college football history. Lesson learned here is don't sleep on a MAC team, at home or on the road.
5. Wins aren't always wins - Just ask Florida State a d Maryland. Both teams won but they had to fight for them against FCS teams. FSU was down 9-7 to Jacksonville State before finally scoring a touchdown with 35 seconds left to take the lead. This game was in Tallahassee too, in front of 90,000 fans. Wasn't much better for Maryland, who needed overtime to defeat James Madison at home. Again, both teams won but for the fans, those are the kinds of wins that have you shaking your head, wondering if that was a fluke or if that's how the team will play come conference play.
6. Michigan is (almost) back - With a 38-34 win over Notre Dame, Michigan proved that they are a better team. While I'm not sold that they will stay in the top 25 all season, I think it's safe to say Rich Rodriguez has this team going in the right direction. QB Tate Forcier is the real deal and should be a quality QB for them the next 2-3 years. The defense still needs some work but if the offense can outscore teams, then they may get bailed out every week.
7. Rocky Top still a bit rocky - After completely destroying Western Kentucky 63-7, the people in Tennessee had to feel like the game against UCLA would just be another big step forward for the Vols. Instead, it was a step back as the Vols fumbled and threw away their chance to win. Tennessee committed 4 turnovers and lost 19-15. QB Johnathan Crompton followed his 233 yd, 5 TD performance against WKU with a 93 yd, 3 INT outing. Next week, the Vols have the Gators in Rocky Top. They better hope the Week 1 team shows up because if the Week 2 team shows up, it'll be over before it even starts.
8. Offense can win games - That is, for Georgia and South Carolina. The two teams are rivals and in the past, it's been defense that has reigned supreme. In fact, neither team had hit the 21-point mark in 7 games. But this year, the first team hit 21 points in the 2nd quarter. UGA won 41-37 but the big lesson learned here is that these teams do have offenses. In Week 1, the two combined for 17 points. Now, they go into their Week 3 matchups with tons of confidence on offense. Neither team should be a team like Florida down the road but at least they may be able to score a few points now.
9. Coaches on the hot seat - It's only been 2 weeks but for some coaches, now may be the time to get things going if they want to be employed come 2010. Al Groh at Virginia needs a good win streak. Same goes for Mark Snyder at Marshall who hasn't done much since taking that job. Even new head coach Chip Kelly better be careful. Though he was hand-picked by Oregon AD/former head coach Mike Bellotti, almost losing to Purdue at home would have been devastating to a team that was picked in the top 15 to begin the season. Also, Paul Wulff needs to win soon at Washington State. He's now 2-13 in 2 years and with Washington looking to be better under Steve Sarkisian, the pressure will be on.
10. Heisman Watch - FLA QB Tim Tebow had a big day, gaining more than 300 total yards and 5 TD against Troy. Texas QBColt McCoy started slow but finished with 381 total yards and 4 TD against Wyoming. Cal RB Jahvid Best rushed for 144 yds but just one TD. ORST RB Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 166 yds and a TD. Cincy QB Tony Pike had another solid week as did Clemson RB CJ Spiller. And despite the loss, ND QB Jimmy Clausen threw for 336 yds and 3 TD, definitely keeping him in the mix early.
11. Worthless Reviews - I can't remember any other week having more worthless reviews than this week. I love the college replay system but reviewing plays that were already called correctly on the field needs to stop. I know sometimes they don't get much time to look at the play before the next one but a couple times this week, there were some clear calls that for some reason, were reviewed. Let's hope future weeks see less pointless reviews because it really kills the flow of a game.
OVER/UNDER
- After laying an egg against Houston, it's safe to say OKLAHOMA STATE is the OVERRATED team of the week. They looked good, but not great against Georgia. But who knew it would take an unranked, non-BCS team in Houston to expose just how awful this Cowboy defense really is. OKST is still a good team but it's fair to say they sure weren't the 5th ranked team in the nation.
- For the UNDERRATED team of the week, I'm going to have to choose MICHIGAN. Not many people were giving them a chance against Notre Dame. But the Wolverines showed up to play and their freshman QB Tate Forcier came through in the clutch. That's not a good sign for the rest of the Big Ten, who may have been hoping that the team was still a year or two away from really being competitive under Rich Rodriguez.
HE/SHE SAID WHAT?
"Drops it right over the pocket. If you had a pencil in your pocket, he puts it right in the pocket."- Doc Walker
For a list of other great comments, check out this website
3 QUESTIONS
1. Which team will fall to 1-2? Michigan State or Notre Dame?
2. When is the next time a Big Ten team will win a big game against a non-conference foe?
3. With so many great games next week, what will be my Game of the Week?
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