Thoughts after Week 3

LSU's defense is flat out nasty.  And if the offense is able to keep them off the field so they're rested when they get back out there...well, that's just not fair.  What they did to Mississippi State on Thursday night bordered on assault and their game this Saturday against West Virginia will solidify if this defense is ready to carry the Tigers to another National Title.

Ohio State, did you watch the Friday night game between Boise State and Toledo?  See how a good team puts away lesser competition by three touchdowns?  Your school president needs to keep his Buckeye hole closed this year.

Penn State is brutal on offense.  Neither quarterback instills any kind of confidence that they can move the ball at all.  They better make the most of the opportunity against Eastern Michigan next week, because I don't think they can get over 25 against any team in the Big Ten.  Which is too bad, because the defense seems fairly good and is just getting wasted.  The only positive I took away from the squeaker of a win against Temple was that Penn State's cheerleaders have improved dramatically.  And Temple fans, you aren't looking too bad either.

UCLA...why does Kevin Prince continue to play quarterback for you?  He completed as many passes to Texas as he completed to Bruins (3).  Put the Bruins in a deep hole to start and no chance to rely on the running game to shorten the game down and beat the Longhorns.  Coach Neuheisel can't be liking his chances of returning next year, but that will give him lots of time to set up his NCAA Basketball Tourney pools.

Wisconsin isn't a dark horse for the BCS Championship anymore.  They have to be in the conversation.  Russell Wilson gives them a dimesion at quarterback they haven't had in Madison and they are going to be tough to beat with the balance they bring to offense.

Florida might be back.  It's only one game against a somewhat decent team, but the Gators looked very good against Tennessee.  Their defense isn't up to LSU's standard, but it's pretty good.  And most importantly, they seemed to have figured out how to get the ball from the center to the quarterback and QB John Brantley's decision making seems to have improved as well.  They still commit way too many penalties, especially pass interference calls, and if they don't get that fixed, they're going to have problems against the best of the SEC.

Mississippi...how are you 2-5 against Vanderbilt since 2005?

Duke...save a copy of The Herald Sun tomorrow as you are in first place in the Coastal Division of the ACC.  You'll get to sit there for two more weeks before you get back into conference play with a visit from Florida State.

Utah turned BYU into a bakery, creating seven turnovers and absolutley blitzing them 54-10 in the Holy War.  Where has BYU's prolific passing attack of yesteryear gone?

Oklahoma State vs. Tulsa had to be one of the strangest games ever played.  Not because the Cowboys routed Tulsa again, but because weather delays caused the game to start at almost midnight and it didn't end until after 3:30 in the morning.  Like I mentioned to some friends a few weeks ago, "In my day, when I watched college football, they played in the rain."  I understand the safety concerns and the liability issues but it sure seems like we're getting soft

Picks for Sept. 16-17 Games

Rebounded a little bit last week, going 2-1 (thanks Iowa for not being able to hold a lead, or to make a 4th down stop, or finish off the Cyclones) and bringing the overall record to 3-4 for the season.  Four games this week, starting with Friday night.

Boise State -20 at Toledo - Boise State loves these showcase games and tends to show the country what they can do against so called "Little Sisters of the Poor".  The Broncos will steamroll Toledo at Toledo, a team Ohio State barely got by at home, and will get no credit for doing so.  And we'll listen to the ESPN commentators comment about what a good college quarterback Kellen Moore is but that he doesn't have the size, speed or arm strength to make it in the NFL and that he's a system-quarterback.  Hmmm...reminds me of another quarterback from the 80's who was a little short, a little slow, couldn't throw the long ball, was part of an offensive system.  And like Moore, was deadly accurate, an assassin with the game on the line, and just kept winning until people finally had to take notice.  How do you think the talking heads would view Joe Montana if he was playing college today?

Central Florida -5.5 at Florida International -  Florida International got a nice win last week at Louisville.  Unfortunately, beating the Cardinals isn't something to get too excited about.  Central Florida went 11-3 last year with a bowl win over Georgia and has started off 2-0 this year.  They will be too physical for the Golden Panthers and put them away early.

Oklahoma -3 at Florida State - I'm a little hesitant with this one because the Sooners seem to have their problems on the road.  But with a veteran team led by quarterback Landry Jones and a solid defense going against EJ Manuel, I like the Oklahoma to buck the trend and take out the Seminoles.  Interesting stat on this one:  The ACC is 0 for their last 32 against Top 5 teams.

Nevada -6 at San Jose State - This number just seems too low, but then the people in the desert have made a lot of money off of people who think that the number seems too low.  I just don't see it on this one.  San Jose State is a really bad football team who made a decent showing against a not so good team last week (UCLA).  The Spartans won't be able to keep up with the Wolfpack and this one will get out of hand in the first half if Nevada doesn't turn it over.  Nevada will run wild and the sting of the ugly blowout loss to Oregon last week will be relieved some here.