OK, I promise to never whine about how bad the college football Saturday looks ever again.
I didn’t think it would be interesting Saturday but it was amazing, especially if you like offense. Which I do.
Thanks to all of the teams who left their defenses on the bus and made for an interesting day at the Dooley Dome. Good friends, good food and this new thing that someone brought over that involves hops and barley.
THE NOT-READY-FOR-PRIME-TIME
COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25
1. Alabama: Nick Saban didn’t get the memo and left his offense in the locker room in the second half.
2. Oregon: Ducks had to turn it on in the second half against lowly Washington State.
3. Florida State: Good road win for Semis but it’s surprising they struggled with USF.
4. LSU: Are the Tigers sandbagging or struggling? That’s the big question.
5. Georgia: And I thought the Bulldogs had a great defense.
6. South Carolina: Think the Gamecocks took Kentucky for granted?
7. West Virginia: Not many teams can give up 63 points and win in college football.
8. Texas: Horns may be for real this season.
9. Kansas State: Old man football is working for Wildcats.
10. Florida: We’ll see what the Gators are made of this week.
11. Notre Dame: Catholics vs. Convicts in Chicago on saturday night.
12. TCU: It’s hard to get a grip on this team right now.
13. Southern Cal: Trojans have a Thursday night game this week.
14. Louisville: Charlie Strong’s team has perfect record despite imperfect play.
15. Oregon State: The Beavers continue to be unbeaten.
16. Mississippi State: Probably too high but they haven’t lost … yet.
17. Rutgers: Scarlet Knights vs. Louisville at end of season may be big.
18. Cincinnati: Munchie for Heisman! Get the campaign started.
19. Louisiana Tech: Watch out for this team. Told you before the season Bulldogs could play.
20. Stanford: Mind-numbing loss on Thursday night.
21. Nebraska: Heckuva win for Bo Pelini.
22. Northwestern: Yes, I said Northwestern.
23. Texas Tech: Gotta rank them despite their weak schedule.
24. Clemson: Managed to shake the FSU hangover in time to beat bad Boston College team.
25. Miami: I buried them a few weeks ago, but Hurricanes can score some points.
THE SEC FOUR-PACK
1. LSU is hardly coming to Gainesville with a lot of confidence. After beating Towson State 38-22, the Tigers are trying to figure out what is going on. They have had 19 penalties and five lost fumbles in their last two games. “I thought we played down to our opponent,” said Les Miles. “It’s a very somber locker room.”
2. Tennessee hadn’t given up 50 or more points since Tim Tebow and the Gators scored 59 in The Swamp in 2007. The Tennessee secondary looked slow against Florida and slower against Georgia. The Vols have allowed four runs of 70 or more yards in the last three weeks. “It’s correctable. That’s the good thing about it,” said linebacker Herman Lathers. I disagree.
3. Alabama scored only six points after halftime against Ole Miss which prompted Rebels coach Hugh Freeze to say of his team, “They feel good.” But Alabama has a track record of shutting it down when the outcome has been decided (see; Florida game 2010). So I wouldn’t feel that good.
4. So Georgia finally got Alec Ogletree and Bacarri Rambo back for double secret probation and got torched by Tennessee’s offense. You have to think the suspended players were rusty. But the freshmen tailbacks came through with 294 rushing yards and five touchdowns to save the day. How’s it going at Alabama State, Isaiah Crowell?
