Some networks were calling Week 4 "Upset Saturday". While I understand the reason, I think a better name for this week was "Exposed Saturday". A lot of teams that people thought were great are in fact just good. Thus, the upsets. So what else did we learn this week?
THE BIG 10 THINGS I LEARNED THIS WEEK
1. Florida can exhale - Did you see the faces of every Florida fan as Tim Tebow lied on the ground? Talk about scared. They saw their season flash before their eyes. But the Gator faithful can relax, now that they know it was just a concussion. Not only that but conveniently, the upcoming week is a bye week for the Gators, giving their "Superman" more time to recover. I think he'll be just fine and ready to go against LSU. If not, then there goes his chance to win a second Heisman Trophy.
2. Top Ten exposed - When Ole Miss lost Thursday, we all should have known this would be a week of teams being exposed. Ole Miss came into the season with high expectations but hadn't played real competition yet. The same could be said for Penn State, who fell victim to a good Iowa team. The only shock is that they lost at home. Can't forget about Cal either, who despite piling on the yards on inferior opponents, couldn't gain any against Oregon. And Miami (FL)'s surge to the top was stopped by Virginia Tech. In the end, I'm not sure if any of these games were upsets. I just think these teams found out how good or bad they really are.
3. BCS buster anyone? - The field of teams who could bust into the BCS party is down to 3, and a good 3 teams they are. Boise State is the highest ranked of them all but are in the worst position, having only beaten Oregon and now stuck playing their weak WAC schedule. Houston has two quality wins over OKST and Texas Tech but like Boise State, are now left with their less than stellar Conference USA schedule. TCU is in the best shape, despite the fact their best win has been over a 2-2 Clemson squad. That's because they still have BYU and Utah on the schedule, giving them chances for quality wins unlike the others. I think Boise State is the best team of them all but if all 3 go undefeated, expect TCU to be the team in the BCS game.
4. Back to reality - I hope Washington enjoyed their trip to the top 25, because it may be a while before they get back. While I respect the voter's decision in giving the Huskies a spot in the top 25, they also were making a rash decision. As seen by their loss to Stanford, the Huskies still have some work to do before they return to the likes of the top 25. This team is going in the right direction though and cannot be overlooked by any Pac-10 squad, but for now, they're an average team that can play an above-average game if they're inspired enough.
5. Pac-10 up for grabs - So who leads the Pac-10? Not USC, Cal, ASU or ORST. Nope, that's be Stanford, Arizona and Oregon. In other words, this is going to be a wild Pac-10 season. USC and Cal are still the favorites to win but the loser of their game next week will have their second loss in the first week of October. Meanwhile, teams like Oregon and Stanford are in great shape with their early victories. Oh, but don't sleep on UCLA or ASU, who haven't even played a conference game yet. This should be a fun race.
6. Big Ten up for grabs? - Speaking of fun races, the Big Ten is shaping up to be a good one too. Ohio State is still the favorite but they haven't looked unbeatable yet. Oh, and their final three games are at Penn State, vs. Iowa and then at Michigan. Talk about a tough November. Iowa is in good shape after taking down Penn State in Happy Valley but again, a trip to Columbus looms. Penn State is down now but they are still a great team and should challenge for the top spot all season. Wisconsin is perfect right now and being underestimated. But the wild card in all of this is Michigan. The Wolverines are not only 4-0 and full of confidence, but they get PSU and OSU in the Big House. There's a lot to be figured out but it's nice to see the Big Ten race is more than just PSU and OSU.
7. ACC fun set to begin - Last year, you may remember the ACC was full of mediocrity. Every team just beat each other, with every team finishing around 8-4. The same may happen this season, except for of course Virginia Tech. Every team has a loss already and besides VT, only one team in the top 10 of the rankings. While VT is clearly the leader of the pack, they're not safe from losing, as seen by their losses to Boston College and Florida State last season. This is gonna be a messy October and November in the ACC. Stay tuned.
8. You're undefeated??? - As usual, a few teams have come out the gates perfect. now, it's time to see if they can keep it up. Auburn is 4-0 but the meat of their schedule is coming. Same goes a perfect UCLA team, whose best win so far is at Tennessee. Texas A+M is also undefeated but that'll change once they get going in Big 12 South play. South Florida also is 4-0 but that could be short-lived too since they face Cincinnati on October 15th on what should be a Big East battle of unbeatens on a Thursday night.
9. What happened??? - With strong starts also come some slow starts. It was a bad September for some teams. The worst of them all is Michigan State. The Spartans began the year in the top 25 but now are 1-3. Florida State also came in to the season with a spot in top 25 but are now just 2-2, losing to then-unranked teams. Illinois can't be happy with their 1-2 start to the season. Same can be said for Oregon State's 2-2 start. There's obviously plenty of time to turn the season around but a bad beginning isn't an easy thing to recover from.
10. Heisman Watch - Tim Tebow was playing well before he got his bell rung. If he can play against LSU, then he'll stay in this conversation. Colt McCoy padded his stats with 286 yds and 3 TD against UTEP. Cincy QB Tony Pike continues his great play with 300 yds and 3 TD vs. Fresno State. Meanwhile, not a good day for Cal RB Jahvid Best, who was held to just 55 yds. Houston QB Case Keenum deserves a look these days, after another upset victory. He threw for 435 yds and a TD but also rushed for the game-winning TD. The chances for PSU QB Daryll Clark and Miami (FL) QB Jacory Harris took a huge hit with their losses.
11. When to rush the field - The 17th ranked Houston Cougars were hosting unranked Texas Tech at home. The Cougars won 29-28 and for some reason, the Houston fans stormed the field. Did someone forget to tell them they were the favored team? If you want national respect, act like you expected the win. Most fans rush fields after games they thought they were going to lose, not win. Now consider this. South Carolina beats #4 Ole Miss at home on Thursday night in front of a national TV audience. Do they rush the field? Nope, because they expected to win that game despite being unranked. The fans had higher expectations of their team and the team made them look good.
OVER/UNDER
- I could choose a lot of teams for the OVERRATED title but I'll go with OLE MISS. They were simply anointed with their top 10 spot this season without really proving anything last season. Yes, they brought back QB Jevan Snead and an improved offense but they also did lose 5 starters on that offense and some great players on defense. Pundits just put way too much stock in their 6-game win streak to end last season.
- Time to show some love to Jim Leavitt and call SOUTH FLORIDA the UNDERRATED team of the week. The Bulls lost senior QB Matt Grothe to a season-ending injury, a devastating blow considering he had started since freshman year. Oh, and lost him before facing FSU in Tallahassee. But the Bulls didn't falter one bit, beating the 'Noles 17-7 with the help of backup QB B.J. Daniels and an aggressive defense. Congrats to USF, who brought even more respect to their program.
HE/SHE SAID WHAT?
"Dawes was the outside guy, worked inside, then did a little whip route, where you move inside then *whip it back out*" - Ray Bentley
3 QUESTIONS
1. Can Boise State move higher than #5 or is there a glass ceiling for the Broncos?
2. Is Iowa that good or did Penn State just play that bad?
3. Should Notre Dame be encouraged or discouraged by their dramatic 3-point victory at Purdue?
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