2009 College Football - Week 3 Recap

It was another week of great games in college football. With some big upsets and semi-scares, there was plenty of action from noon to midnight. Now, it's time for me to recap it the best way I can.

THE BIG 10 THINGS I LEARNED THIS WEEK

1. The Road Is Clear - Florida and Texas are in the driver's seat to a national title. Yes, they still have big games to go but it's obvious right now that these two seem to be the cream of the college football crop. While Alabama, Penn State and Ole Miss may want to be a part of the conversation, they aren't because they aren't led by a Heisman Trophy candidate QB and have not won a title in the last 5 years. There's a good chance one of these two will slip up, as seen by their somewhat close 10-point victories over unranked opponents at home. They have plenty of tough games left on the schedule so we'll see if they stay on top all season.

2. SEC Dominance - Every year, there's an argument about the best conference in college football. Well, as of now, I think it's safe to say it's the SEC. With 4 teams in the top 7, the league is filled with talent. Add in teams like Georgia, South Carolina and Auburn (yes, Auburn), and you'd be crazy not to think they are the class of college football right now. It will be fun to see what happens once they start beating each other up in conference play.

3. Mountain West Woes - On a weekend when two Mountain West teams could have taken huge steps towards being a BCS buster, both fell. Utah went into Oregon with the nation's longest winning streak, playing a Ducks that had underperformed in its first 2 games. But they didn't do that Saturday, as Utah lost 31-24 and saw their BCS dreams get squashed. BYU was supposed to roll over Florida State. Not only was the game at home, but the 'Noles were coming off an awful game against Jacksonville State. Instead, the Cougars were pummeled 54-28. The Cougars were all the way to #7 in the nation too. Now, they're just another non-BCS team hoping to sneak into the BCS instead of kicking the door down.

4. Ohio State-ment - You had to know that after hearing for a week about what an awful play-caller he was that Jim Tressel was gonna put on a show against Toledo. That he did as the Buckeyes won 38-0. The only problem is that no one was watching. The game wasn't nationally televised. So while OSU may have looked great, no one saw it. Maybe that's one reason OSU fell two spots this week despite playing their most complete game yet. Tressel and the Bucks need to make these statements against quality teams if they want respect, not MAC teams at a neutral location.

5. Cincinnati to title game? - Don't look now but the road to an undefeated season just got easier for the Bearcats. First, give them props for their 28-18 win at Oregon State. That's a quality road win. The rest of the schedule though is looking pretty easy for the Bearcats. The two big road tests left were at South Florida and at Pitt. Well, the South Florida contest just got a bit easier. You see, USF senior QB Matt Grothe tore his ACL and is out for the rest of the season. Grothe is the heart and soul of that team and without him, their season is in limbo. So as long as Cincy can get by Pitt and Illinois at home, you could see a UC team that goes 12-0. But also don;t be surprised if that means Orange Bowl and not BCS championship game.

6. Happy Hurricanes - In a hurricane season that so far has been incredibly quiet, the Miami (FL) Hurricanes are doing their part. In just 2 games, the 'Canes have gone from questionable to talented to top-10 team. Their 33-17 win over a good Georgia Tech team proved they are for real. QB Jacory Harris looked great, though the GT defense wasn't giving him much pressure or covering any receivers. The defense shut down the triple-option attack, something most defenses have trouble doing. And what I like the most is that they are playing great against great competition. These aren't cupcakes. FSU and GT are ACC opponents and top-25 teams. Next up for the Canes is VT and Oklahoma. Guess we'll see just how good they are.

7. Welcome Back Washington - Not since the days of QB Brock Huard and/or QB Marques Tuiasosopo have Washington Huskies fans been this excited for a season. With a 2-1 start, including an amazing 16-13 upset of #3 USC, the Huskies have proven they're on their way back to competing on the national level. Give a lot of credit to QB Steve Sarkisian for this. Yes, the Huskies played an injured USC team but a USC team at 80% is probably still more talented than a Washington at 100%. They just have better personnel, plain and simple. But Sarkisian is getting the best out of his players, which include Ty Willingham recruit Jake Locker, whose draft stock rises with every week. They won't be able to sneak up on anyone anymore this season but they quite possibly could find themselves in a bowl game.

8. Pac-10 power shift? - With USC going down, one has to wonder, is this the year USC does not win the conference? UCLA is 3-0 and playing with a ton of confidence. Rick Neuheisel has this team believing they aren't just the other team playing football in the L.A. area. Cal is 3-0 and just steamrolling through their opponents. Jahvid Best has just been downright dominating on the ground, as the Bears have jumped all the way to #6 in the nation. Plus, Cal gets to play USC at home. If USC lost 2 games in the Pac-10, you gotta think that'd be enough. Keep your eyes peeled on this race.

9. Who needs defense? - I thought the saying was defense wins championships. Someone may want to tell that to the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs did beat Arkansas 52-41 in a shootout but for the second straight week, I don't think Bulldog fans should be encouraged with their play. Yes, being able to score 52 pts and on nearly every possession is great. But giving up 41 and leaving receivers wide open for long TD plays is not something you want to happen. UGA still has a brutal schedule ahead of them, against teams with superior defenses and more dynamic offenses than Arkansas and South Carolina. They better hurry up and figure out how to defend because if not, this will be an ugly season for the Dawgs defense.

10. Heisman Watch - Both Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy had less than stellar games this past week. Both won, which is what matters, but neither really padded their numbers any. Jahvid Best put up some numbers though, scoring 5 TD while rushing for 131 yds. Tony Pike threw for 332 yds and a couple TD. He also ran for one against ORST. Johnathan Dwyer is all but out after a 7 yd performance against Miami (FL). But Miami (FL) QB Jacory Harris threw his name in the mix. He now has 656 yds and 5 TD in two games. Also, don't forget Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead, who threw for 3 TD in a victory.

11. The Final Verdict on "Final Verdict" - Get rid of it. Seriously. If you've ever watched ESPN's College Gameday Final, you'll see a segment called "Final Verdict". Rece Davis serves as the judge while Mark May and Lou Holtz act as lawyers arguing their case against something in college football. When I first saw it last year, it wasn't awful. But with each passing week, it's just about unbearable to watch. It's not funny. It's not informative. It's not good TV. Spend that time showing longer highlights of games or talking to Chris, Lee and Kirk or cleaning up the spit that Lou Holtz has left on the desk. Any of those are better propositions than "Final Verdict".

OVER/UNDER
- I'll start with my UNDERRATED team this time and no doubt that is MIAMI (FL). I had zero doubt that the GT offense would roll over the Canes. But boy, was I wrong. Randy Shannon has recruited himself some talent and now that talent is showing off. QB Jacory Harris knows how to manage a game and that defense is fast. They have only played two games but they may just be the real thing.
- As far as the OVERRATED team, I'm gonna have to say BYU. I never thought the Cougars were the #7 team in the nation as the polls suggested. But I did believe they deserved a spot in the top 15. But with a loss like the loss they had at home against FSU, they proved that they aren't ready for the bright lights yet. The win over Oklahoma was already tainted with Bradford's injury. The FSU game was their chance to prove they're for real. Guess what? They're not.

HE/SHE SAID WHAT?
"He's got great eye vision."- Gary Danielson

For a list of great gaffes from announcers in Week 3, check out this website.

3 QUESTIONS
1. As they get set to play their first decent team so far, are North Carolina and Penn State for real?

2. How much will Malcolm Floyd's injury affect Notre Dame's offense?

3. Are Michigan and Washington really two of the best 25 teams in the nation?