So I haven’t had much time this week, but after this weekend’s games I’ll have full articles about each of these conferences: so eher are my rankings thusfar.

SEC East

1. Georgia, 2. Florida, 3. Vanderbilt, 4. Tennessee, 5. Kentucky, 6. South Carolina

SEC West

1. LSU, 2. Alabama, 3. Auburn, 4. Ole Miss, 5. Mississippi State, 6. Arkansas

ACC Atlantic

1. Clemson, 2. Wake Forest, 3. Maryland, 4. Florida State, 5. North carolina State, 6. Boston College

ACC Coastal

1. Miami, 2. Virginia Tech, 3. North Carolina, 4. Georgia Tech, 5. Duke, 6. Virginia

Big Ten

1. Penn State, 2. Wisconsin, 3. Ohio State, 4. Michigan State, 5. Illinois, 6. Purdue, 7. Northwestern, 8. Iowa, 9. Michigan, 10. Minnesota, 11. Indiana

The Big XII is easily the second best conference this season behind the SEC, so let’s see how the teams stack up against each other going into conference play.

North Division

1. Missouri Tigers- This could be the second best team in the country behind USC. Chase Daniel is the Heisman frontrunner after putting up ridiculous numbers in his first three games. The Tigers have not exactly played the toughest competition, other than a tough neutral site win over Illinois. Only a loss to Texas and another slip-up along the way could cost Mizzou the North Division. If all goes to plan, they should get their rematch with Oklahoma, but since when does college football follow a plan?

2. Kansas Jayhawks- The team looking to dethrone the Tigers in the north, their greatest rival, and greatest competition, the Kansas Jayhawks should be 4-0, but they blew the lead at South Florida. Since they haven’t beaten an FBS team yet, I don’t think this team can overthrow the Tigers, who are just far more talented in every aspect. Plus the Jayhakws have a brutal conference schedule.

3. Colorado Buffaloes- The Buffaloes were very impressive in a home win over West Virginia. They defended the spread offense incredibly well, which could indicate that this Buffalo team has the ability to shut down the spreads of Kansas, Missouri, and Texas Tech. Pat White was held to just 43 yards passing, but White and Noel Devine ran all over the Colorado defense. There are no superstar backs in the Big XII, but the Buffs definitely need to strengthen their run defense if they are going to contend in the north.

4. Nebraska Cornhuskers- The only difference between Colorado and Nebarska so far is the level of competition. Nebarska has convincingly won all thee games, but their opponents were mediocre and all three games were at home. It is a solid all-around team, but we won’t know how good until their three-week stretch is over which includes Virginia Tech, Missouri, and Texas Tech. The Huskers need to get star halfback Marlon Lucky going in order to shake things up in the North.

5. Kansas State Wildcats- The Wildcats failed to make a statement at Louisville on Saturday, so my opinion of this team remains the same as it has over the last couple seasons. A decent football team, 6-6 season, a lower-tier bowl bid, and maybe an upset of a top 25 school somewhere along the line. The Wildcats, like many other Big XII teams, have a strong passing attack, led by QB Josh Freeman and WR Brandon Banks, but it will be difficult for them to win shootouts with the other dynamic offenses in the conference.

6. Iowa State Cyclones- This team has been in the cellar of the Big XII North for almost a decade and that won’t change in 2008.

South Division

1. Oklahoma Sooners- This team is really,really good. They have a couple of tests along the way, but this team should get into the Big XII title game with only one loss.

2. Texas Longhorns- Colt McCoy is one of the most underrated Qbs in the country, and he’ll have his chances to step into the spotlight. Injuries have been a major reason for Texas’s lack of recognition as a title contender, but their defense has not been prepared for any of ttough tests they will face in the Big XII by any of their non-conference opponents.

3. Texas Tech Red Raiders- The fourth team from the conference in the top ten, Texas Tech has opened up a running game with halfbacks Shannon Woods and Baron Batch. They obviously have an amazing passing system, but I still question their defensive capabilities. If they win their first four conference games, which includes a trip to Lawrence, Kansas, then the Red Raiders will leap-frog Texas in my mind before their showdown with the Longhorns. 

4. Oklahoma State Cowboys- A very, very good team with a miserbale schedule. At Texas Tech, at Missouri, at Texas, at Colorado, and Oklahoma at home. The Cowboys could have to settle for a very mediocre bowl bid despite being, in my mind, one of the top 30 teams in the country. The competition in the Big XII this year is just that tough. The Cowboys are definitely explosve enough to knock off one of the big dogs. I say their best chances would be either Texas or Texas Tech.

5. Baylor Bears- At 2-2, the Baylor Bears’ first bowl season since 1994 is within sight. They play the conference’s two worst teams at home, and have a couple winnable road games. This team has coem along way from Big XII doormat. They won’t contend for a conference championship, but they might shake things up a bit. They have 11 rushing TDs in 4 games. The running game is not something Big XII defenses will be used to dfeending much of, so the Bears could get the better of one of the big dogs. 

6. Texas A@M Aggies- Doormat? No other wya to say it. This team won’t win more than one game in conference, and certainly won’t be bowling this December. Despite Jerrod Johnson’s 6:1 TD:INT ratio , he has only thrown for about 130 yards per game and has only completely about 50% of his passes. Plus, the Aggies have not had a rush of more than 17 yards this season, so this is not a very efficient offense without starting QB Stephen McGee.

Now for the lowliest of the BCS conferences: the Big East.

1. South Florida Bulls- As the Big East’s lone representative in the AP Top 25, the Bulls are the clear favorite to win the conference. They have played a tough but not brutal non-conference schedule, the right balance of tough contests and easy wins to prepare them for conference play. They only have to go on the road three times in Big East play, and their final game against West Virginia could determine the conference championship. USF got to #2 last year, and their inexperience led to their collapse. This year Matt Grothe will not let that happen. This will be a BCS team barring another meltdown.

2. West Virginia Mountaineers- Two road games, two losses for the Mountaineers. A blowout at East Carolina, and an OT heartbreaker at Colorado. Their real test will be when Aubuen comes to Morgantown in late October. Until then, West Virginia has three very easy games, all at home. If they can get some momentum going, and get their dynamic offense back on track, West Virginia can win the Big East again in ‘08.

3. Pittsburgh Panthers- This was the trendy pick to win the conference early on. Unfairly, I have been rooting against Pitt all year just because of Mark May. This does not dismiss the fact though that this team has struggled to beat Buffalo and Iowa at home, and lost its season opener to Bowling Green. If they lose to South Florida in a couple weeks, they could be in trouble because they still have the Backyard Brawl with the Moutaineers and a tough road game against Connecticut. LeSean McCoy needs to put this team on his back if the Panthers are going to get back to the BCS.

4. Connecticut Huskies- This is a team that came out of nowhere and nearly won the conference last season, and something similar might happen in ‘08. The Huskies have wrecked both Virginia and Baylor, but three straight road games should really give UConn the test they need. We’ll find out in the next three weeks (at Louisville, at North Carolina, at Rutgers) how good this team really is.

5. Cincinnati Bearcats- The Bearcats hung tough with Oklahoma two weeks ago, and played well despite an ugly final score. Their defense was supposed to be one of the stingiest in the country this season, but it has yet to rise to the occasion. After Ben Mauk failed to regain eligibility for his senior season, the Bearcats offense was expected not to produce. But their passing game has been quite effective, with top receivers Dominick Goodman and Marshawn Gilyard putting up very impressive numbers. However, Cincy plays all three of its conference road games against teams ahead of them in these rankings.

6. Louisville Cardinals- The Cards notched an impressive home victory over Kansas State, and could shoot up these rankings with a win over UConn. This team is a bit of a mystery since only two weeks before that, they lost to Kentucky 27-2. This enigma of a football team plays only three of its final nine games on the road, so they could easily sneak into a 7-5 bowl bid season.

7. Rutgers Scarlet Knights- Until Rutgers wins a game, they are not moving from this spot. After they beat Morgan State this week, they play the top five temas in the conference with no bye weeks in between. Rutgers will most likely not have a bowl season, unless Mike Teel can really turn this team around. The defense has been lackluster, and their big play receivers Underwood and Britt have been nearly non-factors. This team is looking at a 5-7 or even 4-8 season.

8. Syracuse Orange- They have a better winning percentage than Rutgers does, yes I know, but this team will never leave the Big East cellar. The Knights at least have an opportunity to right their ship. That just doesn’t seem to be in the cards for Syracuse. 3 wins tops for the Orange.

Now that the non-conference season is, for the most part, over, the Sports Nation has gotten a feel for the teams in the major conferences, so here are the first set of power rankings for the Pac-10.

1. Southern California Trojans- The Trojans are in a league all by themselves. They have outscored their two opponents, who both played in January bowl games last season, 87-10. This team has the best chance of any in the country to go undefeated. Their Pac-10 schedule is very manageable, with their only true road test being at Arizona.. The men of Troy get both Cal and oregon at home, so things seem to be going USC’s way. If they stay healthy, they should have no problems getting to the National Championship.

2. Southern California Trojans- Since they don’t have much direct competition in the conference, I decided to put USC also at #2 in the Pac-10 rankings. The rest of the conference has been dreadful in non-conference games with a couple exceptions.

3. Oregon Ducks- Despite this week’s home loss to Boise State, Oregon still looks like the second best team in what is a, other than USC, wide open Pac-10. The Ducks showed great desire and fight in their run of 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter against Boise, but they came up short in the end, 37-32. Oregon has an explosive offense, but they are at USC, at Cal, and at Arizona State, so I’m not quite sold on the Ducks yet.

4. California Golden Bears- Cal would have been a clear-cut choice behind USC, and USC, had it not been for their embrrassing loss at Maryland. However, this is just what Cal needed. Last year, the Golden Bears rose to #2 in the country, got cocky, and threw their season down the drain. An early wake-up call was big for this Cal team, especially in a non-conference game, and this is still a very good football team. They have Arizona State in two weeks and USC down the road, so they need to stay level-headed.

5. Arizona State Sun Devils- Coming into the season, ASu was a trendy pick to upset Georgia, and maybe win the Pac-10. This team has a very good chance though to start 2-5. At Cal, at USC, and Oregon at home. They have a bye week to right the ship, and I think they will under the leadership of Rudy Carpenter. The Sun Devils need to establish a running game if they are going to contend in this league. Georgia exposed their one-dimnesinal offense last night and laid the defensive blueprints for the rest of the Pac-10. If they can survive the next month, they can go into cruise control for the rest of the season and reel off 4 or 5 victories to end the season.

6. Arizona Wildcats- This is porbably the last bowl-bound team in the conference. Willie Tuitama has already thrown for 1,000+ yards to go along 10 touchdowns to just 3 INTs. Nic Grigsby leads a solid running game to a complete a very balanced Wildcats attack. They have three very winnable conference games before taking on USC at home.

7. Stanford Cardinal- Since the Pac-10 has six automatic bowl bids, and USC can’t play itself, Stanford right now has the best opportunity to get that final bid. They are 2-2 right now and have a decent shot to get 6 or 7 wins. Although Toby Gerhart is a stud of a running back, the passing game has just one TD to five total picks. One passing tocuhdown in four games is not going to cut it.

8. Oregon State Beavers- Thier only conference game so far was a loss at Stanford, but the Beavers play USC and are at #20 Utah their next two games. This in all likelihood puts them at 1-4 and in a serious hole. They play most of their tough conference games at home, so with an upset or two, the Beavers could land themselves a bowl bid at 6-6 if their running game picks up.

9. Washington Huskies- Washington is 0-3, all losses coming against ranked opponents, but they are a dangerous football team, just ask BYU. They have 6 of their next 7 games at home, and have four very winnable games to get their season back on track. Although their non-conference schedule is admirable and in the spirit of college football, it may have cost them a bowl bid for 2008. Jake Locker is still a very talented QB and they have plenty of offensive weapons. But they won’t move up these rankings until they get at least two wins.

10. UCLA Bruins- So it’s beginning to look like their dramatic victory over Tennessee was a total fluke. They have been outscored in their last two games 90-10. The Bruins play Fresno State, are at Oregon, at Cal, and at home vs USC at the end of the year. If this teams wins more than 5 games I would be shocked. The Kevin Craft we saw in the first half of the Tennessee games looks like the Kevin Craft we’ll be seeing all season long. If that is the case, the Bruins will be a 4-8 or 5-7 team at best.

11. Washington State Cougars- Thier tsrating QB is in the hospital, their only win is against Portland State.  They got murdered by every FBS opponent they’ve played so far. This team doesn’t look like it will be moving out of the Pac-10 cellar anytime soon.

Every week of the college football season, the Sports Nation will pick six games outside of the major showdowns covered extensively and tirelessly by ESPN and the other major networks.

1. Central Michigan at Purdue-12:00- Ok so this one does not really affect the college landscape all that much. But these two teams put on a show in the Motor City Bowl last December. So if you have satellite and can tune in to this one, I’d suggest you do so. These two teams combined for 99 points, 1022 total yards, and the Boilermakers kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired to win 51-48. Most of the playmakers for both teams are back in ‘08, so this should be another thrilling game.

2. Iowa at Pittsburgh-12:00- This is the first true test of the season for Iowa, as well as their first road game. The Hawkeyes have allowed just 8 points in 3 wins, but thats was against Maine, Florida International, and Big XII doormat Iowa State. Nonetheless, they are undefeated, which is more than could be said of Pitt. Boy was I happy to see them lose, no offense to Panther Nation, I have nothing whatsoever against the team, but ESPN’s royal idiot Mark May picked them to either play in or win a BCS game, I forget which, either way the man is straight up crazy. Pitt has a chance to go to 3-1 (potential wins over Iowa, Syracuse) before their Big East showdown at South Florida in three weeks, so this is a nice chance to build some momentum. LeSean McCoy is averaging less than 4 yards per carry, a stat that will have to improve to beat a stout Iowa defense. Both teams are reluctant to give up points, but the difference will be at the QB position. Iowa will win if these statistical trends continue: Iowa’s 600+ passing yards to Pitt’s 505, Iowa’s 5:3 touchdown to interception ratio compared to Pittsburgh’s 1:2 ratio.

3. Arizona at UCLA-3:00- Consider this the “bounce-back game of the week” in college football. BYU ran UCLA off the field last week 59-0, and Arizona suffered a stunning blow at New Mexico 36-28. UCLA needs to get back on track after their impressive upset of Tennessee by establishing the run. Against BYU, the Bruins netted just 9 rushing yards, with their leading rusher averaging just 1.7 yards per carry. To their credit, they did not run well against Tennessee, but won anyway. Arizona head coach Mike Stoops should use this information to his advantage. Stop Kevin Craft and the pass=victory. But the Wildcats will also have to be sharp on special teams, for UCLA has some playmakers on their special teams unit. The pressure is on both teams to prove themselves to the Pac-10 that they are a legitimate contender.

4. Virginia Tech at North Carolina-3:30- This ACC contest will be a huge statement game and may define each team’s season. The Hokies are reeling while the Tar Heels are rolling. Virignia Tech is still trying to recover from a home opening-weekend loss to East Carolina, while the Tar Heels are rested and fired up coming off last Thursday’s blowout of the Scarlet Knights up in Piscataway. There are far more playmakers for Carolina, but experience is on the side of Va Tech. UNC is dangerous nad explosive while the Hokies are more stable and grounded. These contrasting styles make for a very interesting matchup. This game could end up determining who wins the ACC Coastal Division and possibly captures the conference crown and a BCS bid.

5. Boise State at Oregon-3:30- This is one of two true tests for the Broncos this season. The other is Fresno State at the end of the year, where a BCS birth might be on the line. Other than these two, Boise State should have no problems winning the rest of their games, and you know they have still have that memory of the ‘05 Fiesta Bowl in the back of their minds each time they step on the field. Oregon’s offense is the best in country so far, and they are at home. So a win by Boise State would be monumental and would easily propel them into the top 25. Meanwhile, Oregon still has BCS aspirations and so every game for them is a must-win.

6. Utah at Air Force-4:00- The game no one is talking about for some odd reason. Utah is ranked 20th, they beat Michigan in the Big House, oh and they’ve scored 125 points in three games, all against FBS opponents. This is definitely a team to watch out for in the BCS picture. As are the Air Force Falcons, whose weak schedule could push them to a 10 or 11 win season. They get both BYU and Utah at home. This game will be filled with a lot of offense, predicted final: Utah 41 Air Force 38.

The end of the the third week of the college football season left me saying just that. 2008 is off to a wacky start, maybe even more so than last year. The #1 team in the preseason poll has already been dethroned…because they won. But that’s a whole separate issue. Here are my immediate reaction from Week 3.

1. What the hell happened to the Ohio State Buckeyes? Buckeye Nation is scratching its collective head right now, but I hate to say I told you so. With Beanie Wells not at 100%, the Buckeyes never really stood a chance in this game. Todd Boeckman was awful, and by the time their playmaker Pryor got in the game it was too late. This raises a couple questions about Jim Tressel: Why didn’t he play Wells, the Heisman candidate himself said we was able and wanting to play, and why did it take him so long to pull Boeckman in favor of a much more explosive, versatile weapon like Terrell Pryor. I don’t mean to take anything away from USC either because they’re good, really, really, scarily good. Their defense might as well replace that of the St. Louis Rams, and Mark Sanchez looked brilliant. The Buckeyes were outmuscled in the trenches and outcoached by the big-game genius Pete Caroll. This game however was more about the Buckeyes’ inefficiency on both sides of the ball than USC’s talent. This game was way overhyped, it even had its own spot on ESPN’s bottom line. Yet I and all of Southern California knew that all the buildup was just to get people to watch a surefire blowout on Saturday night. USC has been and still is my national championship favorite along with Missouri and Florida, but Ohio State has some major work to do just to get back to a BCS game.

2. If you haven’t heard the name Brandon Tate, get to know it. The senior wide receiver for the North Carolina Tar Heels has been a beast in every sense of the word. Tate has not only caught 8 balls for 231 yards and two receiving touchdowns in two Carolina victories, has 125 rushing yards on just 5 carries (a 25 yards per play average) and a TD on the ground, but he has also 260 return yards and a TD. To steal a line from Friday Night Lights, “he can block, tackle, score the touch down, snap the ball, and kick the extra point. Hell, the boy will fill up the Gatorade cooler, walk the dog, and paint your back porch. I’m telling ya, the boy can plain outplay football.” The kid is special and this UNC team could surprise people in the ACC especially in that weak Coastal Division. They don’t play Wake Forest or Clemson, and they get Virginia Tech at home.

3. ACC>Big East- Evereyone ragged on the ACC after it ook a shellacking in Week 1, but oh how the tables have turned. As I mentioned, the Tar Heels thumped Rutgers 44-2 on national Tv in the Scarlet Knights’ house. Maryland upset Cal, Duke knockedd off Navy, and the Hokies and Tigers, two of the conference’s perennial powers, looked much improved in their victorious conference openers. The only bright spot for the Big East has been South Florida, who needed a major comeback to beat the Big XII’s third, fourth, or maybe even fifth best team in its own backyard. UConn did beat the crap out of lowly Virginia at home, but the Big East has definitely emerged as the worst BCS Conference. In even broader terms, the top two conferences, the SEC and the Big XII (and the USC Trojans) have separted themselves from the pack as the distinct upper tier. The middle tier consists of the deep collection of average to solid teams known as the Big Ten, South Florida, Wake Forest, and maybe Va Tech and Clemson thrown in with them. And yes the Mountain West is in there too. The comes the rest of the Pac-10, Big Eas, and ACC.

4. MWC>Pac-10- Without the Trojans, the Pac-10 would be even more of a laughing stock this year than the east coast conferences. Four wins last week for the ountain West: TCu crushing Stanford at home, BYU demolishing, destroying, humiliating, UCLA and making them look like a D-II school 59-0, an impressive road win by UNLV at #15 Arizona State, and a disappointing loss for Arizna at New Mexico. The MWC has two teams in the top 20 and TCU and Air Force might be joining that lost shortly. This conference is very likely to steal bowl bids from the Pac-10, Big East, or ACC because of its tremendous overall out-of-conference record.

5. Michigan might be the worst team in the Big Ten this season. Did you ever think that would even be remotely possible? the Wolverines are looking at either a 4-8 or 5-7 season, yes, that means no bowl game.  84th in the FBS in rushing yards, 76th in passing, 96th in points per game. Those don’t sound like typical Michigan numbers. In three games they have not yet managed to hit the 900 total yard mark. This team is flat out bad. Who is to blame? No one really. This is the exact definiotn of a rebuilding year. A new system is being implemented by Rich Rodriguez, and this year he does not have the players to run it all that efficiently. Llyod Carr’s recruits were to be put into a much different system and style of play. Give Rodriguez another year or two and he’ll have the Wolverines back on top of the Big Ten and in the Rose Bowl. After all, Ohio State still can’t stop that spread offense.

6. Sticking in the Big Ten, Penn State and Wisconsin are now the two top teams. The Nittany Lions visit the Badgers and the Buckeyes. If they can win one of those, they will probably go 7-1 in the Big Ten and head for Pasadena. As far as I’m concerned, Ohio State is done. Teams will study that USC tape and learn how to stop their passing game and slow down Terrell Pryor. Until Beanie comes back, this team is in trouble. At Wisconsin, at Spartyville, Penn State in the Horseshoe, at Northwestern, the Bucketes could be lulled to sleep in a trap game against a way underrated team, and since they’ll be looking ahead to next week’s trip to face Juice Williams and Illinois. Wisconsin is the most dominant defensive team in the conference, and Penn State has the most explosve offense. Ohio State and Michigan step aside. There is new royalty in the Big Ten.

7. 3-2? This just shows how ridiculously good the SEC is from top to bottom. Mississippi State, widely considered the conference’s doormat, held an Aburn offense that scored 61 points its first tow games to a field goal. 3-2 was the final favoring the Tigers. This game was not as much a statement about either of the two teams as it was about the message sent by the SEC: holy crap, our worst team can probably shut down more than half the teams in your league.

8. Lastly, a quick shoutout to Drew Willy, Buffalo quarterback from my hometown, whose hail mary pass as time expired propelled the Bulls to a thrilling win over Temple. Congrats Drew!!!!

Everyone knows about the titanic battle between USC and Ohio State Saturday night at the Coliseum. But I’m gooing to keep this short and sweet. USC will win this football game by double digits, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Chris Wells is doubtful for the Buckeyes, and their running game without him looked dreadful against Ohio. Jim Tressel assures the media that he will unleash Terrell Pryor on the USC defense, but Pete Caroll will have his Trojans ready. This one is all hype, it even has its own place on the Sportscenter bottom line. This game will once again prove the inferioprity of Ohio State not just to the SEC, but now to the Pac-10’s elite. USC wins big, end of story. Predicted final score, this is just a rough estimate but I’ll go with 31-14.

Week 1 of the NFL season gave us some much needed answers, but raised even more questions.

Jets-Dolphins

The Fins aren’t the same team as last year.  Chad Pennington was terrific, and will help this team and groom young QB’s Chad Henne and John Beck.  The big story, however, was Brett Favre.  The future Hall of Famer proved that he will lead this team to the playoffs.  Rookie corner Dwight Lowery was outstanding, knocking down multiple passes and making a few key tackles.  The Jets pass rush was improved as well, really putting the pressure on Pennington in the 2nd half.

Patriots-Chiefs

Uh-oh Pats fans.  Tom Brady’s done for the season.  But, remember when Bledsoe went down and Brady had to come in? Could it be the same with Cassell?  Only time will tell, but the Patriots were a Dwayne Bowe drop away from going to overtime.

Giants-Redskins

The Redskins learned a whole new system this offseason, and it showed in Week 1.  Their offense was disfunctional, and Jason Cambpell struggled mightily.  The Giants looked good, but their offense was slowed in the 1st half.

Falcons-Lions

Detroit’s D looked as bad as ever, and Matt Ryan and Michael Turner’s Falcon debuts showed that Atlanta may have a bright future.

Ravens-Bengals

The Bengals are going to have a VERY long season.  Carson Palmer completed only 10 out of 25 passes for 99 yards.  Joe Flacco showed promise, but has a long way to go for Baltimore.  The Ravens did prove that they have depth at the running back position however, which is very helpful to a young quarterback.

Bills-Seahawks

With Brady out, the Bills have a shot to win the division.  They dominated a perennial NFC power Sunday, and Trent Edwards will be a phenomenal NFL quarterback.  Seattle looked bad but will still win the NFC West.

Bucs-Saints

Drew Brees has still got it.  300 yards and 3 TD’s sound pretty good to me.  Reggie Bush had a great day catching the ball, except for getting jacked up by Ronde Barber.

Eagles-Rams

The Eagles are back, and they have a good chance to win the division.  Donovan McNabb was so good Andy Reid even gave Kevin Kolb some reps.  Steven Jackson still isn’t back on track, and neither is Marc Bulger.

Steelers-Texans

The Texans are still a couple years away from the playoffs based on this game.  They had trouble stopping the run and Willie Parker had a huge game.  Matt Schaub struggled against a tough Pittsburgh defense.

Jags-Titans

The Jaguars offense did not look good. They couldn’t run the ball, and David Garrard threw 2 picks which didn’t help.  Vince Young didn’t do too well, but he can win games (and now he’s depressed)?

Cowboys-Browns

The Cowboys are still the cream of the crop in the NFC.  Marion Barber and Felix Jones are going to make a great tandem this season, and Tony Romo is still improving.  Cleveland just ran into a better team Sunday,

Panthers-Chargers

Wow what a game.  The Chargers have a very talented teams, but can’t seem to win these games.  Is it coaching, is it lack of passion?  Whatever it may be, San Diego needs to fix it now, because they just lost a heartbreaker to a mediocre team.

Cards-9ers

Even though I think Seattle will win the division, this MIGHT be the year Arizona overtakes them.

Bears-Colts

Matt Forte was terrific for the Bears, proving that they don’t need Cedric BEnson.  Indianapolis coulndn’t run the ball, and Peyton Manning only found the endzone once.  Weak performance by the Colts.

Packers-Vikings

Aaron Rodgers is coming along nicely, but Tavaris Jackson is just dreadful.  He completed less than half of his passes, and even with two great backs he can’t pull that game out.  Rodgers, however, had a great day, not completing only 4 passes.

Raiders-Broncos

The Broncos could be dangerous once Brandon Marshall is back.  Sure it was the lowly Raiders, who can’t move the ball or stop anyone, but Jay Cutler was fantastic and so was rookie wide out Eddie Royal.

There are some huge showdowns this week in college football, but we’ll get to those closer to game day. First, the Sports Nation would like to take a look at some games that may not seem to have national championship implications or a spot in prime time on ESPN, but are nonetheless very relevant to the overall landscape of college football.

1. North Carolina at Rutgers- Thursday at 7:30- The Tar Heels are the ACC’s “promising young team.” Hopefully they will look better than they did Week 1 in a mere eight-point win over James Madison. But last week a bye, so they have had an extra week to reflect, analyze, prepare, and focus on the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers needs to zone in on WR Brandon Tate, who had 3 carries for 106 yards, a kickoff return touchdown, and ran back a punt for a score to compliment his four catches, 93 yards, and a TD reception. The Knights also have concerns in their passing game. This Big East-ACC showdown (if you can call it a showdown the way these two conferences have performed) is one of the final games between the two conferences. It’s redemption and possible a season-saver for Rutgers, and time for Carolina to prove themselves as a legitimate threat.

2. Oklahoma at Washington- Saturday at 7:45- Washington lost a heart-breaker to BYU last Saturday, this could be either beneficial or disastrous. Not many people yet know the Huskies are a good football teamexcept them, their fans, and I guess me. But they are solid all-around and should use their Week 2 loss as fuel to their fire. This team should be pumped up and ready to compete Saturday night vs the #3 Sooners. Speaking of Oklahoma, they will be all business come up in Seattle. They dont’a appear to have any chinks in their armor, but their kickoff coverage was lackluster against Cincinnati, allowing a 97-yard touchdown in the 3rd quarter. One of two things will happen. The Huskies will come out of the gates playing well but will fade away in the second half, or they will grow more and more inspired with each passing play and will take the Sooners right down to the wire.

3. Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech-3:30-New Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson has a chance to get off to a 2-0 start in the ACC. This could be the Yellow jackets’ toughest test of the conference play in Blacksburg. They can build off their momentum from a 19-16 win at Boston College a week ago, and coast into a three-game home strecth involving Mississippi State, Duke, and Gardner-Webb. it is very possible for this team to be 5-0 before their trip to Death Valley in October. Meanwhile, the Hokies are still feeling the blues of their opening day loss to East Carolina. They need to prove themselves to themselves, the ACC, and the nation that they are the defending conference champs for a reason. Tyrod Taylor should give them a boost, but they might have a tough time in uncharted waters with GT’s triple option attack.

4. UCLA at BYU-3:30-Good news for Cougar fans: BYU is still undefeated and after this game does not play a terribly tough opponent until their trip to TCU late in the season. Bad news: UCLA is tough, talented, fired up, and the Cougars won by the skin of their teeth last week at Washington, and even that does not explain how close they came to getting knocked off. The Bruins are coming off their stunning win over Tennessee led by third-string QB Kevin Craft. This will be a tough game, but I’d give the edge to BYU for tworeasons. They know what they have to do to play in the BCS: go undefeated. They know how close they came last week to having that dream shatter, so they will be focused and determined not to let it be that close again. Second, as great a story as Kevin Craft is, he has still only played one game, and BYU has a very skilled defense and an offense ranked third in the NCAA in yards per game.

5. East Carolina at Tulane-3:00-The Pirates are the media darling so far in 2008. Two games, two upsets. This is their first road game of the season and it will be interesting to see if they come out flat and have somewhat of an emotional hangover from the past two weeks. Tulane hung in with Alabama and played respectably in a 20-6 loss. The Green Wave can be dangerous, but they still have the hurricane issue surrounding the team and they have not beaten a ranked opponent since 1982 (33 games). East Carolina should be fine in their C-USA opener, but watch out, as we have found out, anything is possible in college football.

6. Oregon at Purdue-3:30-The Ducks have been tearing up the scoreboard, that’s it. 110 points in two games, one of which was a conference game with Washington. Need I say more? Unfortunately, they have play USC, Cal, and Arizona State all on the road later in the year, so they need every win they can until then. Purdue is one of those mysterious teams. They;ve only played one game, an expected home blowout of Northern Colorado. This team could finish anywhere between 4th and 8th in th Big Ten. So this game will definitely be a forerunner of what their potential is in the Big Ten this year. With Curtis Painter at QB, four upperclassmen on the O-line, and six returning starters on defense, the Boilermakers could pull an upset and sneak into the Top 25 if they can slow down the Duck’s offense.

Michigan vs Notre Dame this week, if you care more about history than a quality football game, here you go.

Another week of college football in the books. What have we learned?

1. The Big East is going to challenge the ACC–as the worst BCS conference in the country. Yes Miami was embarrassed by Florida in the Swamp in prime time, but, The Hurricanes were in the game most of the way and played competitiviely for a while in a game they were three touchdown underdogs in. The ACC’s top dogs Wake Forest and Clemson each posted impressive victories. But, Maryland lost to Mid Tennessee State out of the Sun Belt. Wake has emerged as the conference’s power, but Clemson can regain its place at the top when they meet in Winston-Salem in a few weeks. Meanwhile, #8 West Virginia and their stellar offense were manhandled in every which way by East Carolina. #13 South Floirda needed overtime to win at Central Florida, a team they beat last year by 52 points, and Syracuse lost by two scores at home to Akron. Which conference is worse? The Orange Bowl might very weel decide that. Until then, Virginia is at Connecticut next week, NC State has a chance to knock off South Floirda in about a month, and North Carolina goes to Piscataway to take on the Scarlet Knights on Thursday.

2. The Big Ten is wideeeeeee open. I know the Buckeyes are still the favorite to win the conference championship, but they were about 13 minutes from losing to the Ohio Bobcats, at home, against a backup QB who was 9 of 25 and threw 3 interceptions. If not for a muffed punt by the Bobcats and a block in the back that was not called on a Buckeye punt return touchdown, we might have seen the upset of the year on Saturday. Penn State and Wisconsin look scary good. The Nittany Lions and Badgers blew out Oregon State and Marshall, respectively and are head hunting Ohio State as Big Ten season approaches. Also, don’t count out Juice Williams and Illinois, Iowa who has been impressive so far, and 1-0 Purdue, who plays host to #18 Oregon this week.

3. East Carolina is good, but 14th in the country, that’s a bit of a stretch. Anyone who watched these Pirates last year in the Hawaii Bowl, or who followed the ACC could have foreseen the Pirates’ upset of the overrated Hokies. And if anyone had seen ECU play West Virginia the last three years, the Pirates were twice on the brink of a colossal upset, and this year they finally got it done. I still have my doubts about this team’s ability to run in the table in Conference USA, especially with the national spotlight on them now, and having to bear the burden of being dubbed this year’s potential “BCS buster” along with BYU and Fresno State. They haven’t been on the road yet in ‘08, it wouldn’t shock me if they went undefeated, but I just don’t think they are going to. At Southern Miss and at Central Florida are potential trap games for the Pirates.

4. I am so sick and tired of everyone complaining that the officials cost Washington the game at home against Brigham Yougn on Saturday. With time running out, Jake Locker scrambled into the endzone for the Huskies to make it 28-27 Cougars. He then threw the ball into the air and celebrated with his teammates. The resulting excessive celebration penalty resulted in the extra point being moved back from 20 yards to 35 yards. The kick was blocked and BYU survived. Yes, it is a stupid penalty that should be removed from the NCAA rulebook. Yes, the refs did blow the call. The players got excited in the heat of the moment and the zebras should not have blown the whistle in such a tight spot. BUT, do not even begin to think that the Huskies lost because of the penalty. Last time I checked, college kickers are capable of hitting 35-yad field goals. In fact it is a relatively easy kick and should be fairly automatic for a Pac-10 kicker, especially kicking it straight on. Junior kicker Ryan Perkins was 15 of 20 on filed goals last season, 10 of 15 from 30 yards or more. So in all honesty, it was a very makeable kick. Take the extra point, go to overtime tied at 28, and win it there. But, the kick was blocked. So kudos to the BYU defense, and extra laps for the Washington O-line THAT ALLOWED THE KICK TO GET BLOCKED. Maybe Perkins kicked it too low. Maybe both. Either way, the celebartion penalty did not cost the Huskies the win. It doesn’t matter how far away a kick is if it gets blocked. A block is a block, give credit to the offense and accept the loss like men.