Looking Forward to Championship Weekend

The final weekend of the regular season is here. By Sunday night, we will know who’s going the the BCS National Championship and the rest of the 35 bowls. This weekend features a lot of conference championship games and there are some important Big 12 games as well. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest games on this final weekend before the bowls.

• Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, Noon ET, ABC. This year’s Bedlam matchup will be Oklahoma State’s chance to win its second Big 12 Championship in three years. Oklahoma State has been on a roll lately, beating Texas and Baylor by a combined score of 87-30. The Sooners are coming off a nice win of their own, winning at Kansas State 41-31. The weather (15 degrees at kickoff) will be a major factor tomorrow, as will the Boone Pickens crowd. We saw what happened to freshman QB Bryce Petty when Baylor came to Stillwater. I don’t see the Sooners freshman QB Trevor Knight having much more success. Oklahoma State 31, Oklahoma 20.
• SEC Championship Game in Atlanta: Missouri vs Auburn, 4 ET, CBS. In case you’ve been living under a rock, Auburn’s miracle season continued last week with a last second win over Alabama. So Auburn has to win this game right? The crazy thing about Mizzou playing in this game is that two years ago they were a middle-of-the-road Big 12 team. Now, they find themselves in the SEC Championship Game. Auburn 27, Missouri 21.
• Texas at Baylor, 3:30 ET, FOX. This game doesn’t mean much if OSU beats OU earlier in the day. But if OU wins, the winner of this game will win the Big 12 and head to the Fiesta Bowl. As long as Bryce Petty doesn’t trip over the turf monster at the one-yard line again, Baylor’s ability to rush the ball with quarterback will be a huge advantage for the Bears. Texas doesn’t have the offense to keep up with Baylor in a track meet in Waco. Baylor 45, Texas 22.
• Pac-12 Championship Game: Stanford at Arizona State, 7:45 ET, ESPN. I’m not sure how they did it, but ASU finished the Pac-12 season with the best conference record. Better than Stanford. Better than Oregon. ASU’s lone conference loss was to….Stanford. But the Sun Devils get the Cardinal at home this time around. In the first meeting, Stanford destroyed ASU on the ground, rushing for 240 yards. Arizona State rushed for only 50 yards in that game and if they have similar issues rushing the ball this Saturday, it will be up to Taylor Kelly to lead the passing game. I like Taylor Kelly when Marion Grice and D.J. Foster are doing well on the ground, but if ASU gets one-dimensional they are in trouble. Stanford 31, Arizona State 27.
• ACC Championship Game in Charlotte: Duke vs Florida State, 8 ET, ABC. Duke has had a tremendous year, but the Seminoles are way too talented. Florida State 56, Duke 20.
• Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis: Ohio State vs Michigan State, 8:17 ET, FOX. This could be the game of the day. Ohio State is undefeated and controls its own destiny, while Michigan State only has one loss and finished the Big Ten conference slate undefeated (If the Spartans didn’t lose at Notre Dame, this would be the BCS National Championship play-in game.) Michigan State has done it with defense all year long, allowing the third least points per game in Division I. Ohio State has been the exact opposite, averaging the third most points per game. They say defense wins championships and I agree. Michigan State 24, Ohio State 21.

Duke Football! (The Week 13 Preview)

Three stories from the 12th week of the college football season:

• USC spoils Stanford’s Pac-12 bid. Southern Cal upset Stanford 20-17 as the Trojans continue to play well since firing Lane Kiffin after a Sept. 28 loss to Arizona State. Since then, USC is 5-1 with the only loss being a 14-10 defeat at Notre Dame. Interim coach Ed Orgeron has done a tremendous job. Stanford, on the other hand, blew a major chance at making a BCS bowl. A week after moving ahead of Oregon in the Pac-12 North, Stanford falls back behind the Ducks and is likely out of a BCS bowl berth.
  
• Mack Brown is back on the hot seat. Texas entered last weekend undefeated in the Big 12, but left the weekend with a blowout loss at home and rumors of their coach being back on the hot seat. After watching a full Texas football game for the first time in a while, I was shocked at how the Longhorns made it to November being undefeated in conference. QB Case McCoy is terrible and the Texas defense let Clint Chelf run all over them. I know the Longhorns have had a lot of injuries, but they are just not a very good team.
• Duke Football! Duke scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to run away from the 23rd-ranked Miami Hurricanes in a 48-30 win last weekend. The win moved Duke to 8-2 overall and 4-2 in the ACC. Duke leads the ACC Coastal division with only two games left. Both are on the road, but both are very winnable (Wake Forest and North Carolina). Major props to Duke coach David Cutcliffe.

My Top 25 (last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. Florida State (1) – Florida State continues to roll, beating Syracuse 59-3 last week.
2. Alabama (2) – The Crimson Tide didn’t play well last week at Mississippi State, but still came away with a 20-7 win.
3. Ohio State (4) – The Buckeyes get a visit from Indiana this weekend.
4. Baylor (5) – Baylor travels to Stillwater this Saturday, a place they’ve struggled mightily at.
5. Clemson (6) – Clemson quietly is moving up the polls with only one loss on the year (home vs. Florida State).
6. Oregon (7) – “Thanks, USC” – Oregon
7. Auburn (8) – Auburn miraculously beat Georgia last weekend on a tipped Hail Mary. Now they get to look forward to a game against Alabama in a few weeks.
8. South Carolina (10) – The Gamecocks hung on to beat Florida 19-14 last weekend.
9. Texas A&M (9) – Texas A&M will be coming off a bye week when they face LSU on Saturday.
10. UCLA (12) – UCLA took care of Washington thanks to RB/LB Myles Jack.
11. Oklahoma State (13) – OSU has now won three straight games in Austin. Is this real life?
12. Missouri (11) – Missouri faces a big test this weekend when they head to Ole Miss.
13. Stanford (3) – A week after getting back on top of the Pac-12 North, the Cardinal suffered their second loss of the year.
14. LSU (14) – LSU hasn’t had as good of year as they hoped, but a win over Manziel would be sweet for the Tigers.
15. Fresno State (15) – Just keep on winning!
16. Michigan State (21) – MSU looked really impressive in beating Nebraska in Lincoln last week. A Michigan State-Ohio State matchup is looking more enticing.
17. Wisconsin (16) – Wisconsin ran for 554 yards in a 51-3 win over Indiana last Saturday.
18. Northern Illinois (18) – These darn Tuesday/Wednesday night games are screwing up my Top 25!! (Northern Illinois already won on Wednesday.)
19. Louisville (17) – If you’re interested in watching Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville faces Memphis on ESPN3 at noon this week.
20. Ole Miss (20) – Ole Miss has three losses, but it would be difficult to find three better losses than these: at Alabama, at Auburn, vs. Texas A&M.
21. Arizona State (22) – Arizona State still leads the Pac-12 South after beating Oregon State late last Saturday.
22. Oklahoma (19) – OU heads to Manhattan, KS this weekend.
23. Duke (NR) – Duke plays at Wake Forest this weekend.
24. UCF (24) – Central Florida needed a crazy touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter to beat Temple.
25. Southern California (NR) – USC has looked really good since Lane Kiffin was fired after a loss at Arizona State.

On the way out: Miami 23, Texas 25

Games to Watch in Week 13

• Baylor at Oklahoma State, 8 ET, ESPN.

The Big 12’s best offense travels to Stillwater to play the Big 12’s best defense. Clint Chelf has been an upgrade over J.W. Walsh at quarterback for the Cowboys and OSU plays really well at home. The weather will be a big factor (20 degrees and a strong North wind) and that should favor OSU and its running game. Will Baylor be up to the challenge? Their two true road games have been Kansas State and Kansas. Playing a top-10 team at night with Gameday in town, will be a whole different story. Oklahoma State 34, Baylor 24.

• Arizona State at UCLA, 7 ET, FOX.

The winner of this game will be the leader of the Pac-12 South with only a couple weeks left. Taylor Kelly and the Sun Devils have had a tremendous year, but UCLA has a new offensive weapon in Myles Jack that could prove to be the difference. UCLA 31, Arizona State 17.

• Texas A&M at LSU, 3:30 ET, CBS.

Johnny Manziel will have a big stage to try to convince voters that he should win back-to-back Heisman’s. LSU has struggled in big games so far, but you have to think that they show up at home against the Fightin’ Manziel’s. LSU 45, Texas A&M 35.

The Week 12 College Football Preview

No Nonsense on The Farm.

**PROGRAMMING NOTE: My good friend Kevin Read and I are working on our annual Sean Mallon All Stars for the 2013-14 college basketball season. I’m really excited about this year’s team. Look for the post to be up on Sunday.**

Three stories from Week 11 of the college football season:

• How the heck did Stanford lose to Utah? Stanford beat previously-undefeated Oregon 26-20 last Thursday night, but the game wasn’t even that close. Stanford was up 26-0 in the fourth quarter before the Ducks rattled off 20 points in a row to at least make the loss look respectable. The close score line should not diminish just how dominant Stanford was last Thursday. They kept the high flying Oregon offense off the scoreboard for three whole quarters. (Oregon’s lowest point total before last Thursday was 42.) And the Stanford offense did a great job of keeping Marcus Mariota off the field. Stanford rushed 66 times for 274 yards while holding onto the ball for 42 minutes and 34 seconds. If Stanford didn’t lose to Utah, you could argue that it should be Florida State and Stanford in the National Championship, with Alabama out in the cold.
  
• Auburn and Missouri will not go away. Auburn and Missouri both played conference games on the road last week and they both took care of business. Missouri beat Kentucky 48-17 and Auburn beat Tennessee 55-23. While I didn’t expect either team to lose last weekend, I am still shocked every time I see them in the top 10. Both teams have difficult final regular season games. Missouri hosts Texas A&M and Auburn hosts Alabama.
• Thanks for playing, Texas Tech. Tech had not played anyone until October 26th when the Red Raiders traveled to Oklahoma. They lost there and now they’ve lost back-to-back home games in blowout fashion to Oklahoma State and Kansas State. It doesn’t get any easier this week for Tech as they head to Jerry’s World to play Baylor. Even though the record may not show it (currently 7-3, about to be 7-4), Tech is going in the right direction. But in order for them to take the next step, the defense has to get better.

My Top 25 (last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. Florida State (1) – Florida State went on the road last week and beat Wake Forest 59-3. They head home to play Syracuse this week.
2. Alabama (2) – Alabama survived a big scare from LSU last Saturday.
3. Stanford (5) – What an impressive win by the Cardinal last weekend. Stanford will try to avoid a letdown when they head to USC this week.
4. Ohio State (4) – After a bye week, the Buckeyes head to Illinois.
5. Baylor (6) – Baylor took care of OU last Thursday and now they get to face whatever is left of Texas Tech.
6. Clemson (8) – Clemson’s only loss came against Florida State. But boy, was that a bad loss.
7. Oregon (3) – Oregon got pushed around by a physical Stanford team. Oregon faces Stanford’s nemesis, Utah, at home this weekend.
8. Auburn (9) – Auburn hosts Georgia on Saturday.
9. Texas A&M (10) – The Aggies put up 51 against Mississippi State last weekend in what might have been Johnny Football’s final home game.
10. South Carolina (12) – If South Carolina beats Florida on Saturday and Missouri loses to Texas A&M in a few weeks, the Gamecocks will likely head to the SEC Championship as the winners of the SEC East.
11. Missouri (13) – Missouri has a bye this week.
12. UCLA (14) – The Bruins are still in a good spot to win the Pac-12 South, but they can’t afford to lose to Washington this Friday.
13. Oklahoma State (16) – OSU beat up on lowly Kansas. A much more significant test comes up this weekend as the Cowboys head to Austin.
14. LSU (7) – LSU is the best three-loss team in the country. So there’s that.
15. Fresno State (17) – Just win, baby.
16. Wisconsin (18) – Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Wisconsin’s only two losses are on the road at Ohio State (not a bad loss) and at Arizona State (a very weird loss).
17. Louisville (19) – I wonder how Teddy Bridgewater is doing.
18. Northern Illinois (20) – #MACtion will be in full force this Wednesday with 9-0 Northern Illinois playing 9-1 Ball State.
19. Oklahoma (11) – A very ugly loss for the Sooners against Baylor. Iowa State visits Norman this weekend.
20. Ole Miss (21) – Ole Miss hosts Troy this weekend.
21. Michigan State (22) – Michigan State puts its perfect Big Ten Conference record on the line at Nebraska on Saturday.
22. Arizona State (23) – ASU hosts Oregon State on Saturday. Hopefully the Sun Devils aren’t looking ahead to the game at UCLA the next weekend.
23. Miami, FL (15) – How the mighty have fallen. After being 7-0, Miami has lost two straight and now face a good Duke team.
24. Central Florida (24) – Good win against Houston last week.
25. Texas (25) – Texas survived at West Virginia last weekend. The Longhorns can make another big statement by beating Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Games to Watch in Week 12

• Michigan State at Nebraska, 3:30 ET, ABC/ESPN2. The winner of this matchup will most likely represent the Legends Division in the Big Ten Championship against Ohio State. Also, Legends and Leaders are the worst names for divisions ever. Thank goodness the Big Ten is switching to East and West next year. Michigan State 31, Nebraska 24.
• Miami, FL at Duke,  3:30 ET, ESPNU. Miami went from owning the Coastal Division of the ACC, with a chance for a statement win at Florida State, to losing two in a row and heading on the road to face a tough Duke team. Duke and Miami are both 3-2 in conference, but they are chasing Virginia Tech (4-2) and Georgia Tech (5-2). Miami will be playing without its outstanding running back Duke Johnson, who broke his right ankle last week. I like the Blue Devils in a close one. Duke 24, Miami 23.
• Oklahoma State at Texas, 3:30 ET, FOX. Oklahoma State is going into Austin on a roll. The Cowboys offense has put up 58, 52 and 42 points in its last three games. But the Longhorns are playing well too. They haven’t loss since September 14th. One of the keys to the game will be quarterback play. Can OSU QB Clint Chelf complete enough passes to keep the Texas defense from putting nine guys in the box every play? And can Texas’ Cases McCoy limit the turnovers. McCoy has thrown six interceptions in the last four games and the Oklahoma State defense has been thriving on takeaways so far this year. Give me the Cowboys (Homer Pick!) because I think the Longhorns’ injuries finally start catching up to them. Oklahoma State 35, Texas 31.

Hello Thursday Night (The Week 11 Preview)

Bryce Petty and Baylor have dominated so far, but what happens now?

Three stories from Week 10 of the College Football season:

• Florida State continues to impress. Florida State moved to 8-0 after beating previously unbeaten Miami, 41-14. It was another impressive performance by the Seminoles defense, which has allowed only 28 points in games against Miami and Clemson (In those two games, FSU scored 92.) Florida State’s toughest regular season game left will come in the season finale at Florida. But the way this team is rolling right now, it’s hard to see them getting beat.
• Oklahoma State is starting to figure it out. And they are figuring it out at the perfect time. The Cowboys (7-1) lost their Big 12 Conference opener at West Virginia, but they’ve racked up four straight wins including a 52-34 win at Texas Tech last weekend. While QB Clint Chelf is no Brandon Weeden, he’s done an impressive job leading OSU since replacing J.W. Walsh. With Chelf under center the last two weeks, Oklahoma State has put up 50+ points in consecutive road games. And with the OSU defense forcing turnovers like they did in 2011, the Cowboys have a real chance at winning the Big 12.
• Enough about last week, let’s talk about Thursday!! Is November 7, 2013 the best Thursday in college football history? Four BCS top-10 teams in two big games. Oklahoma at Baylor and Oregon at Stanford. There are national championship implications in both games. There are also huge conference implications in both games as well.  A very Thirsty Thursday indeed.

My Top 25 (last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. Florida State (1) – Another week, another dominant win by FSU. The Seminoles get to beat up on Wake Forest this week.
2. Alabama (2) – Alabama had a bye last Saturday as they prepare to play LSU at home on Saturday night.
3. Oregon (3) – Oregon will play at Stanford on Thursday night with a chance to get revenge from last year’s loss in Eugene.
4. Ohio State (4) – The Buckeyes beat Purdue 56-0 last weekend. They have a bye this week.
5. Stanford (5) – Stanford will host Oregon on Thursday night with a chance to spoil Oregon’s season once again.
6. Baylor (6) – Welcome to the party, Baylor. Are you ready?
7. LSU (7) – We know the Tigers won’t be intimidated by a trip to Tuscaloosa. But LSU has struggled on the road so far this year, with two losses (Georgia and Ole Miss) and one win (Miss. St.)
8. Clemson (10) – Clemson beat up on Virginia 59-10 last weekend. They have a bye this week.
9. Auburn (9) – “You’re still here?” – The rest of the Top 25.
10. Texas A&M (11) – The Aggies get a visit from Mississippi State this weekend after beating up on UTEP 57-7.
11. Oklahoma (12) – The Sooners have a chance to put Baylor back in its place on Thursday night.
12. South Carolina (13) – South Carolina continues to plug along, waiting for Missouri to lose again so the Gamecocks can regain the top spot in the SEC East.
13. Missouri (15) – Missouri looked pretty good last weekend, beating Tennessee 31-3. The Tigers go to Kentucky this Saturday.
14. UCLA (14) – After getting beaten up by Stanford and Oregon in back-to-back weeks, the Bruins got back on track last week by beating Colorado 45-23.
15. Miami, FL (8) – The Hurricanes lackluster performances in late October finally came back to bite them at Florida State.
16. Oklahoma State (18) – OSU is on a roll and the Cowboys get a visit from Kansas this weekend.
17. Fresno State (17) – Fresno State remained undefeated by beating Nevada, 41-23. This weekend, the Bulldogs travel to Wyoming.
18. Wisconsin (19) – Wisconsin beat Iowa last Saturday and they will get a visit from BYU this weekend.
19. Louisville (20) – Louisville plays winless Connecticut on Friday. That will be fun.
20. Northern Illinois (21) – Northern Illinois moved to 9-0 by beating Massachusetts 63-19 last Saturday.
21. Ole Miss (22) – Ole Miss gets a visit from Arkansas this weekend.
22. Michigan State (NR) – The Spartans beat in-state rival Michigan last weekend. MSU is now 8-1.
23. Arizona State (23) – Arizona State went to Washington State on Halloween and dominated the Cougars, 55-21. ASU travels to Utah this weekend.
24. Central Florida (24) – UCF plays Houston this Saturday in a matchup between the top two teams in the American Athletic Conference.
25. Texas (NR) – Texas leads the Big 12 standings, along with Baylor, and the Longhorns will try to stay undefeated in conference at West Virginia on Saturday.

On the way out: Texas Tech 16, Michigan 25.

Games to Watch in Week 11

• Oklahoma at Baylor, THURSDAY, 7:30 ET, Fox Sports 1. Baylor has had a very easy schedule so far, so it’s hard to know how good the Bears really are. Yes, they have an explosive offense, but the Baylor defense has looked really good because they have played inferior opponents. Oklahoma’s offense isn’t a juggernaut, but it will be enough to cause Baylor major problems. Oklahoma 34, Baylor 31.
• Oregon at Stanford, THURSDAY, 9 ET, ESPN. Why did Stanford have to lose to Utah?? Even with Stanford’s loss, this game is still the biggest of the college football season so far. Oregon has a shot at the national title. With a Stanford win, the Cardinal will have a chance to play for the Pac-12 title, and an outside shot at a national title. Even though it will be a home game for Stanford, I still like Oregon because Oregon has the Heisman front-runner in Marcus Mariota. Oregon 35, Stanford 27.
• LSU at Alabama, 8 ET, CBS. LSU and Alabama is always close and this year should be no different. LSU’s offense is legit, but the defense has struggled. In contrast, Alabama’s defense leads the country in points against, allowing only 9.8 points per game. Alabama 41, LSU 24.

A Return to Normalcy (And a Week 10 Preview)

The Oregon Ducks ran past UCLA last weekend and continued their pursuit of a Pac-12 title.

Three stories from a not-so-crazy Week Nine:

• The favorites actually won! After the carnage of weeks eight and nine, week ten gave us more of what we expected. Only four ranked teams lost to lesser ranked teams last weekend and three of them (Missouri vs South Carolina, Texas Tech vs Oklahoma, Nebraska vs Minnesota) were toss-up games. The only real upset was Duke beating Virginia Tech, but the Hokies didn’t really impact the National Championship race.
• Miami needs to figure things out quickly. Like before Saturday. After beating Georgia Tech 45-30 on October 5th, Miami has really struggled. The Hurricanes have played North Carolina (2-5) and Wake Forest (4-4) and yet they only beat those two teams by a combined seven points. Miami scored a touchdown win 16 seconds left to beat UNC and they scored a touchdown with 53 seconds left to beat Wake Forest last weekend. Miami better get back to how they were playing in September as soon as possible because they head to Florida State this weekend.
• “Don’t forget about us!” – Alabama. The Crimson Tide are rolling. Since struggling to beat Texas A&M on September 14th, Alabama is 6-0 and is outscoring its opponents 246-26. If you break that up into points per game, Alabama is averaging 41 a game. Alabama’s opponents? 4.3.

My Top 25 (last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. Florida State (1) – Florida State got revenge for last year’s upset loss to NC State. This week they face fellow unbeaten, Miami.
2. Alabama (2) – Alabama beat up on Tennessee last week. The Crimson Tide have a bye this week.
3. Oregon (3) – Oregon beat UCLA by 28 on Saturday and have a bye this week.
4. Ohio State (4) – The Buckeyes crushed Penn State last weekend, winning 63-14. Ohio State heads to Purdue this weekend.
5. Stanford (5) – Stanford held on for a big win at Oregon State late last Saturday. The Cardinal have a bye this week.
6. Baylor (7) – Baylor beat Kansas and have a bye upcoming.
7. LSU (11) – LSU took care of Furman last weekend. The Tigers have a bye this week.
8. Miami, FL (6) – The Hurricanes needed a Duke Johnson touchdown run with 53 seconds left to beat Wake Forest 24-21 last weekend. They head to Tallahassee on Saturday night.
9. Auburn (10) – Auburn beat FAU by 35 in week nine and they head to Arkansas on Saturday.
10. Clemson (12) – Clemson beat Maryland in the first of back-to-back ACC road games. They travel to Virginia this week.
11. Texas A&M (13) – The Aggies beat Vanderbilt by 32 at home last weekend. This weekend they face UTEP.
12. Oklahoma (17) – Oklahoma got an impressive win over Texas Tech last weekend. The Sooners do not play this weekend.
13. South Carolina (12) – South Carolina beat Missouri on the road and now they go home to host Mississippi State.
14. UCLA (9) – UCLA failed in two attempts to beat the best teams from the Pac-12 North. Now they have to worry about possibly losing the Pac-12 South. They face Colorado this weekend.
15. Missouri (8) – Missouri was finally exposed by South Carolina. They host Tennessee this weekend.
16. Texas Tech (14) – The Red Raiders couldn’t beat Oklahoma, but they have a chance to beat the other Oklahoma school on Saturday night in Lubbock.
17. Fresno State (15) – Fresno State almost lost its perfect season last week, needing overtime to beat 3-4 San Diego State. The Bulldogs host Nevada this weekend.
18. Oklahoma State (21) – Oklahoma State has changed its QB (from J.W. Walsh back to Clint Chelf) and its starting RB (Desmond Roland over Jeremy Smith) in the last two weeks, but the Cowboys look better than they have in a while. OSU heads to Lubbock fresh off a convincing win against Iowa State.
19. Wisconsin (19) – The Badgers are going to Iowa after having a bye last week.
20. Louisville (22) – Louisville beat South Florida last weekend and have a bye this week.
21. Northern Illinois (NR) – Northern Illinois beat a 1-6 Eastern Michigan team last week. This week they face 1-7 Massachusetts.
22. Ole Miss (23) – Ole Miss beat Idaho by a lot last weekend. They have a bye this week.
23. Arizona State (24) – The Sun Devils head to the Palouse this Thursday after having a bye last week.
24. Central Florida (NR) – UCF beat Connecticut 62-17 last week. They have a bye this week.
25. Michigan (NR) – Michigan takes on its in-state rival, Michigan State, on Saturday.

On the way out: Virginia Tech 16, Nebraska 20, Oregon State 25

Games to Watch in Week 10

• Miami at Florida State, 8 ET, ABC. Miami has looked very vulnerable the last two weeks with close wins against UNC and Wake Forest. Florida State has done the exact opposite by crushing Clemson on the road and beating NC State handily. I expect both trends to continue. Florida State 45, Miami 17.
• Michigan at Michigan State, 3:30 ET, ABC. Is Michigan State as good as their record indicates? Why isn’t Michigan getting more love, their only loss is in four overtimes on the road? Who knows? Who really cares? Michigan 34, Michigan State 28.
• Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, 7 ET, FOX. Texas Tech returns home after road games at West Virginia (close win) and at Oklahoma (tough loss). The crowd in Lubbock will be going crazy, which definitely gives the Red Raiders an advantage. Oklahoma State needs to have a great week running the ball like they did last week. But playing a noon game in Ames is a lot different than playing a night game in Lubbock. Texas Tech 31, Oklahoma State 17.

What the heck is going on here? (And a Week 9 preview)

Florida State sent a huge message on Saturday night.

Three stories from another crazy weekend in college football:

• Congratulations if your team survived Week 8. It all started on Friday night when #8 Louisville fell at home to Central Florida. Then Saturday came and #6 LSU, #11 South Carolina, #15 Georgia and #20 Washington all lost to unranked teams. Throw in #3 Clemson, #7 Texas A&M, #9 UCLA and #22 Florida all losing to ranked teams and a grand total of NINE Top 25 teams lost last weekend.
• Sean Mannion is quietly having a ridiculous year. No one is talking about Oregon State’s quarterback. Maybe it’s because they began the season by losing to an FCS school, Eastern Washington. But since then, the Beavers have rattled off six straight wins and Mannion is putting up crazy numbers. Mannion is putting up Peyton Manning-like numbers. He’s thrown for less than 400 yards in only two games (In those, he threw for 372 and 367). He’s thrown for three or more touchdowns in every game and he already has 29 passing TD’s on the season. He’s also only thrown three interceptions, which means he’s not being careless back there. It’s time to start watching Sean Manning Mannion.
• Florida State is really, really good. At one point in the fourth quarter of Florida State’s game at #3 Clemson, the Seminoles were winning 51-7. FIFTY-ONE TO SEVEN!! That score pretty much sums up the game. Florida State looked great on defense, making Tajh Boyd and the Clemson offense look like a shell of itself. And freshman QB Jameis Winston continued to look great. What a statement win by Florida State.
  

My Top 25 (last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. Florida State (5) – Florida State absolutely destroyed a top-5 team on the road. No team, including Alabama, has had a more impressive win than that. The Seminoles host NC State on Saturday.
2. Alabama (1) – Alabama beat Arkansas 52-0 and will host upset-minded Tennessee this weekend.
3. Oregon (2) – Oregon beat up on Wazzu and face a desperate UCLA team in Eugene on Saturday night.
4. Ohio State (4) – Even though they are undefeated, the Buckeyes are going to need a lot of help to make the BCS National Championship Game. After being tied with Iowa going into the fourth quarter last week, Ohio State pulled away in the fourth quarter. They host Penn State on Saturday.
5. Stanford (12) – Stanford salvaged its hopes of winning the Pac-12 by beating UCLA last weekend. Stanford travels to Corvallis to face Mannion and Oregon State late Saturday night.
6. Miami, FL (11) – Miami was one of the biggest winners of last weekend. They needed a late score to hold off UNC on Thursday night, and then they sat around all weekend and watched top-10 teams lose all over the place. Miami hosts Wake Forest at noon on Saturday.
7. Baylor (13) – Another big winner from Week 8. Baylor beat Iowa State 71-7 at home and now they travel on the road for a bye week game against Kansas.
8. Missouri (14) – Missouri took advantage of Florida’s inept offense to move to 7-0. The Tigers host South Carolina on Saturday.
9. UCLA (6) – UCLA suffered its first loss of the season at Stanford last weekend. While it wasn’t a bad loss, the Bruins can not afford to lose back-to-back Pac-12 games. The problem is, UCLA plays at Oregon this weekend.
10. Auburn (23) – Auburn pulled off one of the many upsets by beating Texas A&M in College Station. Auburn plays FIU this weekend.
11. LSU (8) – LSU suffered its second SEC loss at Ole Miss last Saturday night. They host Furman on Saturday.
12. Clemson (3) – Clemson disappointed on a big stage at home last weekend. Look for them to get some revenge at Maryland this weekend.
13. Texas A&M (9) – Manziel and company are all but out of it in the SEC West. They have two conference losses, after losing to Auburn, and Alabama has yet to lose while holding the tiebreaker over the Aggies. A&M hosts Vanderbilt on Saturday.
14. Texas Tech (16) – The Red Raiders struggled with West Virginia into the second half, but they were able to remain undefeated behind their third QB of the year, Davis Webb. Texas Tech will have a chance to prove they are for real when they head to Norman this weekend.
15. Fresno State (15) – Just keep winning, baby. Fresno heads to San Diego State this weekend.
16. Virginia Tech (18) – The Hokies had a bye last week. Duke visits on Saturday.
17. Oklahoma (20) – It wasn’t always pretty, but OU beat Kansas last weekend. The Sooners host Texas Tech on Saturday.
18. South Carolina (10) – With Georgia’s injuries derailing it’s season, South Carolina was poised to take control of the SEC East again. But then the Gamecocks lost at Tennessee and now SC has to win at Missouri this weekend and hope the Tigers slip up somewhere else.
19. Wisconsin (25) – Wisconsin’s only two losses are at Arizona State (in a crazy ending) and at Ohio State (not a bad loss at all). Wisconsin beat Illinois last weekend and now has a week off.
20. Nebraska (24) – Nebraska’s only big test of the year so far was a home game against UCLA, which they lost. But Nebraska has won all its other games and travels to Minnesota on Saturday.
21. Oklahoma State (21) – The Cowboys switched quarterbacks again (going back to Chelf over Walsh) in a win over TCU last Saturday. OSU looks nothing like its former self and the Cowboys head to “The City of Nightmares” Iowa State this weekend. Oh goodie.
22. Louisville (7) – After complaining about Louisville’s schedule last week, the Cardinals proved they weren’t nearly as good as their ranking indicated by losing at home to UCF last Friday. They look to right the ship at South Florida this weekend.
23. Ole Miss (NR) – Big upset win over LSU last weekend, Ole Miss hosts Idaho this weekend.
24. Arizona State (NR) – The Sun Devils dominated the suddenly-reeling Washington Huskies 53-24. ASU has a bye this week.
25. Oregon State (NR) – Oregon State’s only loss is a bad one (home vs. Eastern Washington), but they have a chance to make some serious noise by beating Stanford at home this weekend.

On the way out: Georgia 17, Washington 19, Florida 22

Games to Watch in Week 9

• UCLA at Oregon, 7 ET, ESPN. Although UCLA is a good team, there is just too much in favor of the Ducks. They have the home field advantage and they have the best player on the field in Marcus Mariota. Oregon 40, UCLA 28.
• South Carolina at Missouri, 7 ET, ESPN2. Missouri got past Florida and Georgia in back-to-back weeks, but the Gamecocks will be the third tough opponent in a row. I think that, and Jadeveon Clowney putting pressure on Missouri’s new QB Maty Mauk, will lead SC to the win. South Carolina 24, Missouri 17.
• Texas Tech at Oklahoma, 3:30 ET, FOX. Texas Tech puts its perfect record on the line at Oklahoma this weekend. With the Sooners defense, and their playmakers on offense, I think Texas Tech is in for a big wakeup call. Oklahoma 42, Texas Tech 20.

Looking Back at Week 6 and Looking Forward to Week 7

The Baylor Bears are undefeated, but for how long?

Three stories from Week Six of the college football season:

• Ohio State is good, but will need some help to make the National Championship. Ohio State went on the road and beat a good Northwestern team, 40-30, to move to 6-0 on the year. The Buckeyes used a huge game from RB Carlos Hyde (168 yards and 3 TD) to hold off Northwestern and move up to #3 in the USA Today poll. Unfortunately for Ohio State, they might end the season ranked #3 and out of the national championship picture. Ohio State only has one more chance to impress voters in a game at Michigan on November 30. The rest of the Buckeyes schedule is full of Big Ten cupcakes and Ohio State doesn’t have a marquee non-conference win to help its case. If Alabama, Clemson and Oregon/Stanford all go undefeated, all three will be ranked above the Buckeyes in the final BCS standings. I wouldn’t be surprised if one-loss Georgia, or even Florida State, moves past Ohio State based on the strength of schedule coming down the stretch.
• The SEC is the best conference, but the Pac-12 North is the best division in college football. Stanford and Oregon are not only the two best teams in the Pac-12 North, but they might be the two best teams in country. Keith Price and Washington were impressive in their 31-28 loss at Stanford last weekend, justifying their #16 ranking in the country. Oregon State and Washington State both have four wins as well. The only other division that compares to the Pac-12 North is the SEC West. Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M are the top teams in the SEC West, but there’s not much after that (Auburn, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Miss. State).
• When will Baylor play a good team? Wofford, Buffalo, Louisiana-Monroe and West Virginia. All poor teams. All at home. Baylor is putting up gaudy numbers (they have yet to score under 69 points in a game), but we will finally learn how good this team is starting this weekend at Kansas State. K-State is not as good as they were last year, but it’s hard to see Bill Snyder getting blown out at home. Baylor won’t play a nationally ranked team until November 7th when OU visits. Then the Bears play Texas Tech, at Oklahoma State and at TCU.
  

The Top 25 (last week’s ranking in parentheses)

1. Alabama (1) – Beat Georgia State handily in week six, now the Tide travel to Kentucky.
2. Oregon (2) – Oregon continued its great start by crushing Colorado on the road. But Washington awaits this weekend.
3. Stanford (3) – Stanford beat UW to keep pace with Oregon in the Pac-12 North. Stanford heads to Utah this week.
4. Clemson (4) – Oh look, Clemson dominated an inferior opponent (Syracuse) again. The Tigers host Boston College on Saturday.
5. Georgia (5) – The Bulldogs survived an overtime game at Tennessee last week. Georgia host Mizzou on Saturday.
6. Ohio State (6) – Coming off a big win at Northwestern, Ohio State gets a well deserved bye week.
7. Florida State (7) – The Seminoles might have had the most impressive win of week six, beating 25th-ranked Maryland 63-0. Florida State gets a bye week this week.
8. Louisville (8) – Cool schedule.
9. UCLA (9) – UCLA hung on for a 34-27 win over Utah last Saturday. UCLA hosts Cal this weekend.
10. Texas A&M (11) – A nice, relaxing week for the Fighting Manziel’s last week. They head to Ole Miss on Saturday night.
11. LSU (13) -Struggled for much of the first half against Mississippi State before taking control in the third quarter. LSU hosts Florida on Saturday.
12. Oklahoma (12) – Oklahoma has not been very impressive in Big 12 games this year. The Sooners struggled with TCU, but a huge run late in the fourth quarter secured the 20-17 win. Bob Stoops and OU would love nothing more than to get Mack Brown fired this weekend at the Cotton Bowl.
13. South Carolina (10) – The Gamecocks beat Kentucky without Jadeveon Clowney and they may have to play this week’s game, at Arkansas, without him again.
14. Miami, FL (14) – The Hurricanes are still undefeated after beating Georgia Tech 45-30. Miami has a bye this week.
15. Florida (15) – Despite having a loss, the Gators are still undefeated in conference and have a great opportunity to move up the polls with a win at LSU.
16. Washington (16) – Losing at Stanford is nothing to be ashamed of. The Huskies need to make sure there are no lingering effects from last week when Oregon comes to town on Saturday.
17. Michigan (17) – Looked better against Minnesota than they have in a while. Michigan travels to Penn State on Saturday.
18. Baylor (19) – October 12th is the official Columbus Day. Also, the date of Baylor’s first road game.
19. Fresno State (21) – Fresno State beat Idaho 61-14 and now gets a bye week.
20. Texas Tech (20) – Tech took care of Kansas and returns home to play Iowa State on Saturday.
21. Northwestern (18) – Tough loss at home to Ohio State. It doesn’t get much easier at the Wildcats head to Wisconsin this week.
22. Virginia Tech (23) – The Hokies are 5-1 with their only loss against Alabama to start the season. Virginia Tech plays Pitt at home on Saturday.
23. Missouri (NR) – Their place in the rankings may be brief with a visit to Georgia looming on Saturday.
24. Oklahoma State (25) – Good news – OSU beat K-State at home. Bad news – OSU still hasn’t played a good game. Best news – bye week.
25. Auburn (NR) – Auburn upset Ole Miss 30-22 and faces Western Carolina this weekend.

On the way out: Ole Miss 22, Maryland 24.

Three Games to Watch in Week 7

• Oregon at Washington, 4 ET, Fox Sports 1. Washington gets the second half of the Stanford-Oregon gauntlet this weekend. Oregon QB Marcus Mariota is having a crazy year so far (14 passing TD’s, 0 INT’s, 7 rushing TD’s) and he should keep it going  this weekend. Can Washington keep up with the high-scoring Ducks? Oregon 48, Washington 34.
• Florida at LSU, 3:30 ET, CBS. Florida’s only loss this year is at Miami by 5 points and LSU’s only loss is a 3-point loss at Georgia. Needless to say, both teams are good and we are in for a good game in Baton Rouge on Saturday. The key matchup will be Florida’s offense against LSU’s defense. Florida’s O hasn’t been good all year, but they are facing an LSU defense that has struggled as well. I think LSU’s defense will rise up and the LSU home crowd will lead the Tigers to a close win. LSU 24, Florida 17.
• Texas A&M at Ole Miss, 8:30 ET, ESPN. Ole Miss started 3-0 including road wins against Vanderbilt and Texas before losing two in a row to Alabama (not a bad loss) and Auburn (not a good loss). Johnny Football comes to Oxford, Miss. with a great opportunity to get a team while they’re down. Texas A&M has reeled off two big wins since losing to Alabama and they’ve had a week off to prepare for Ole Miss. But I’m not picking A&M. Give me the Rebels. Why? For one, this has the makings for a trap game for A&M. They’ve recovered nicely after losing to Bama and after the road game in Oxford, the Aggies get to come home for four straight games. I think they are ready to be home. Secondly, everyone in the SEC hates Manziel so you know Ole Miss will be amped up for this game. And finally, this is only the second home game of the year for Ole Miss. The Rebel fans haven’t seen their team since September 7th (SE Missouri State), so they’ll be ready to go in what should be a raucous atmosphere. Ole Miss, like A&M last year at Alabama, is a talented, young team that can play with anyone on a given night. The freshmen will feed off the crowd and give college football its first big upset of the year. Ole Miss 35, Texas A&M 32.

Looking Back at Week 5 and Looking Forward to Week 6

Before we dive deep into college football stuff, check out this Washington State fan:

Three quick hits from the fifth week of the college football season:

• Georgia is glad September is over. Georgia faced three top-10 teams in the first month of the season. After losing on the road to #8 Clemson, the Bulldogs were able to win home games over #6 South Carolina and #6 LSU. If you would have told a Georgia fan that Georgia would go 2-1 against those teams, the best case scenario would be exactly how it played out. The Bulldogs lost early, but have shot back up the rankings thanks to two big wins. Most importantly, SC and LSU were SEC opponents so the Bulldogs are sitting atop the SEC East with only one more ranked team to play (Florida). The Bulldogs survived September and are poised to make a run at the SEC Championship, and perhaps even a National Championship.
  
• Ole Miss is good, but not “Alabama good.” Even though Ole Miss scored zero points at Alabama this past weekend, the Rebel defense gave up only 25 points while limiting QB A.J. McCarron to 180 yards and no touchdowns. Ole Miss was only down 16-0 going into the fourth quarter, which is impressive considering their inability to doing anything positive on offense. Ole Miss wasn’t going to beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, but all the freshman and sophomores gained a lot of great experience that will pay off for the next few years.
• Oklahoma State isn’t in trouble yet, but Cowboy fans should be worried. Oklahoma State lost its Big 12 opener at West Virginia 30-21 in what can only be described as one of the worst Cowboy performances in recent history. QB J.W. Walsh completed only 42.5 percent (20-47) of his passes. Running back Jeremy Smith ran FIFTEEN times for ONE yard (that’s .0667 yards per carry for those scoring at home). And the special teams unit produced a 13-yard punt, a 16-yard punt and two missed field goals (including a 23-yarder). While losing at West Virginia is only one game, it’s important to note that the Cowboys have not had an all-around good game despite their 3-1 record. The Cowboys are not used to the Big 12 favorites role and I think that showed in the way they’ve played. Maybe losing to West Virginia was the wakeup call this team needed.  Oklahoma State only has three games in October and the Cowboys will be favored to win all three (KSU, TCU, @ISU). With last weekend’s loss, OSU can’t afford to lose any of these October games if it wants to win a Big 12 title.

The Top 25 (last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. Alabama (1) – The Crimson Tide took care of Ole Miss and gets rewarded for their hard work by facing Georgia State.
2. Oregon (2) – Oregon crushed Cal 55-16 and heads to Colorado this week.
3. Stanford (3) – Stanford beat Wazzu last weekend, but the real winner was the guy in the video above.
4. Clemson (4) – Clemson beat Wake Forest by 49 on Saturday. Now, the Tigers head to Syracuse.
5. Georgia (5) – Big win over LSU, but I can’t move them past Clemson.
6. Ohio State (6) – Ohio State withstood a late rally by Wisconsin to win 31-24. The Buckeyes travel to Northwestern this week.
7. Florida State (8) – Jameis Winston threw for 330 yards and 4 TD’s in a win over Boston College. Maryland visits FSU this weekend.
8. Louisville (10) – Cool schedule.
9. UCLA (12) – UCLA, coming off a bye week, plays at Utah on Thursday night. Upset alert?
10. South Carolina (9) – Took care of business against UCF. But lost QB Connor Shaw who might miss this week’s game at Kentucky.
11. Texas A&M (13) – The Aggies looked impressive winning at Arkansas. Bye week for Texas A&M coming up.
12. Oklahoma (15) – Oklahoma scored a huge road win at Notre Dame, and became Big 12 favorites, all in the same weekend! OU hosts TCU on Saturday.
13. LSU (7) – LSU will look to bounce back from a tough loss at Georgia by beating Mississippi State.
14. Miami, FL (14) – The Hurricanes beat USF 49-21 and play Georgia Tech at home this weekend.
15. Florida (16) – Beat Kentucky last weekend and now get a visit from Arkansas.
16. Washington (18) – UW continues to impress with a win over Arizona last Saturday. The Dawgs have a chance to make a big statement on Saturday at Stanford.
17. Michigan (17) – Coming off a bye week, Michigan hosts Minnesota.
18. Northwestern (19) – Northwestern got a week off to prepare for Ohio State’s visit on Saturday.
19. Baylor (20) – Baylor will host West Virginia after a bye last week.
20. Texas Tech (24) – Texas Tech got an extra week to prepare for Kansas. That’s not fair.
21. Fresno State (NR) – Fresno was up 42-17 heading into the fourth quarter and held on for a 42-37 win. Fresno heads to Idaho on Saturday.
22. Ole Miss (22) – After losing at Alabama, Ole Miss returns home to play Auburn this week.
23. Virginia Tech (NR) – Beat Georgia Tech last Thursday. Now the Hokies face UNC.
24. Maryland (NR) – Maryland is 4-0, but hasn’t gotten much respect in the polls. That will change with a win at Florida State.
25. Oklahoma State (11) – OSU will look to rebound against Kansas State this weekend.

On the way out: Wisconsin 21, Notre Dame 23, Georgia Tech 25.

Three Games to Watch in Week 6

• Ohio State at Northwestern, 8 ET, ABC. Northwestern is 4-0 and they’ve looked legit through September. The Wildcats like to run the ball with QB Kain Colter (59 ypg) and RB Treyvon Green (101 ypg). But Ohio State is a way better than all of Northwestern’s opponents so far. The Buckeyes held run-heavy Wisconsin to only 104 yards last week. Oh yeah, and the Buckeyes have Braxton Miller. Ohio State 30, Northwestern 21.
• Washington at Stanford, 10:30 ET, ESPN. Stanford continues to roll to start the 2013 season. Washington’s offense is averaging 574 yards a game, good enough for fifth in the country. However, the Stanford offense is no joke. They are actually averaging more points per game (41.3 to 39.8) than UW and QB Kevin Hogan continues to impress. It will be close, but I like the Cardinal to get revenge from last year’s loss in Seattle. Stanford 45, Washington 41.
• Maryland at Florida State, Noon ET, ESPN. Maryland is 4-0, but the schedule has been suspect at best. We’ll learn a lot about Maryland on Saturday when they face QB Jameis Winston and the Seminoles. Florida State should roll in this one, but don’t be surprised if Maryland hangs around for awhile. Florida State 34, Maryland 17.

Looking Back at Week 2 and Looking Forward to Week 3

Stephen Morris gonna Stephen Morris.

Here’s a look at three storylines from the second week of the college football season:

• Georgia is the top team in the SEC East. Georgia bounced back from an opening week loss at Clemson to beat South Carolina  41-30. That’s huge because now the Bulldogs have the tiebreaker in the SEC East against the Gamecocks. And Florida’s loss at Miami exposed some weaknesses with the Gators (OK, we already knew UF had a terrible offense), so Georgia is in great position to represent the SEC East against Alabama in the Nick Saban’s 75th Annual SEC Championship Commencement Ceremony Game.
• Texas is not a favorite to win the Big 12. Again. An August tradition unlike any other: Texas is “back.” Every season, there’s something new that makes everyone hop back on the bandwagon. Look, we got really good recruits! Hey look, we brought in defensive guru Manny Diaz!! (Fired after this past Saturday’s 40-21 loss at BYU in which his defense gave up 550 rushing yards) GUYS, DAVID ASH LOOKED LIKE DREW BREES IN SPRING PRACTICES AND WE HAVE SO MANY FIVE-STAR RECRUITS. I don’t know what it is, but we all get sucked in for some reason. There’s a lot of talent in Austin, but until that talent starts producing on the field, it will be another mediocre year for the Longhorns.
• Miami is the real deal. Miami defeated Florida 21-16 on Saturday and should now be considered one of the favorites in the ACC. Miami’s defense kept the low-powered Florida offense in check and QB Stephen Morris made the necessary plays to lead his team to the upset. Morris is the key to how far this team goes. He will make a terrible decision on one play only to come back with a spectacular play the next. If Morris can become more consistent, and running back Duke Johnson can continue to give Miami a solid rushing attack, the U will be celebrating a lot more victories this year. Johnson didn’t have a great game (21 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD), but Florida is the toughest defense he will face all season.

The Top 25 (last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. Alabama (1) – A nice week off for the Crimson Tide. Now they have a chance to get revenge against Texas A&M.
2. Oregon (2) – The Ducks traveled across the country and crushed Virginia 59-10. Next up is a home game vs. Tennessee.
3. Stanford (3) – Stanford took care of San Jose State on Saturday and now the Cardinal play Army.
4. Clemson (4) – Clemson beat up on South Carolina State of the FCS. Next up is a trip to North Carolina State.
5. Georgia (5) – I believed in you Georgia, and you didn’t let me down. Finally a schedule break for UGA as they play North Texas at home on Saturday.
6. Ohio State (6) – The Buckeyes dominated SDSU. Now they head west to play at Cal.
7. LSU (8) – LSU won the first half of a pair of easy non-conference home games (UAB and Kent State)
8. Texas A&M (10) – A&M crushed Sam Houston State. Alabama’s comin’.
9. South Carolina (7) – South Carolina gets a chance to right the ship on Saturday against Vanderbilt.
10. Michigan (12) – The Wolverines scored a big win over rival Notre Dame. Next up is Akron at home.
11. Louisville (11) – Cool schedule.
12. Florida State (13) – Off week for the Seminoles last week. Now they get Nevada at home.
13. Oklahoma State (14) – The OSU defense wasn’t as bad as the final score indicated in a 56-35 win at UTSA. UTSA scored 28 points in the fourth quarter against the second-string D. The Cowboys play Lamar in the home opener on Saturday. (That is, if they don’t get the death penalty before kickoff.)
14. UCLA (15) – Bye week for the Bruins last week. Now they head to Nebraska.
15. Miami, FL (19) – The Hurricanes defense came up huge against Florida forcing 5 turnovers. Next up is Savannah State at home after a bye week.
16. Florida (9) – Florida has a terrible offense. That is all. Bye week for the Gators coming up.
17. Oklahoma (16) – Not the dominant performance Sooner fans were hoping for in the conference opener vs. West Virginia. But a win is a win and now OU plays Tulsa. With QB Trevor Knight out with a knee injury, Blake Bell will start.
18. Nebraska (18) – Nebraska crushed Southern Miss last weekend, but now they face a really good UCLA team.
19. Wisconsin (21) – Another cupcake win over an FCS team for the Badgers. They head to Tempe for a matchup against ASU this week.
20. Washington (22) – Bye week for the Huskies last week. UW heads to Illinois this week.
21. Arizona State (23) – Started the season off with a win over Sacramento State from the FCS. Real season starts on Saturday against Wisconsin.
22. Northwestern (NR) – A couple impressive wins for the Wildcats to start the season (@ Cal, vs. Syracuse). Next up is a home date with Western Michigan.
23. Baylor (25) – The Bears put up 70 on Buffalo last Saturday as the offense continue to impress. Baylor gets a bye this week before playing Louisiana-Monroe.
24. TCU (24) – Beat SE Louisiana while losing their starting QB Casey Pachall. But losing Pachall may not be a bad thing. Backup Trevone Boykin looked good, throwing for 133  yards and 2 TD’s and running for 35 yards.
25. Notre Dame (20) – Losing at Michigan isn’t a terrible loss for the Irish. They continue their tour of Big Ten teams with a trip to Purdue this week.

On the way out: Texas 17

Big Games in Week 3

• Alabama at Texas A&M, 3:30 ET, CBS. Alabama heads to College Station for a shot at revenge after losing to the Aggies at home last season. It will be interesting to see what Alabama’s defense does differently to deal with Johnny Manziel. Alabama has had a week off to prepare and there’s no way Saban allows his team to lose to A&M two times in a row. Alabama 34,  Texas A&M 17.
• UCLA at Nebraska, Noon ET, ABC. There hasn’t been much talk about UCLA this year, but this team is legit. They have a great offense led by QB Brett Hundley with talent all over the field at his disposal. They have a tough Pac-12 schedule, but a convincing road win over a fellow Top 25 team will give the Bruins some well deserved press. UCLA 35, Nebraska 20.
• Wisconsin at Arizona State, 10:30 ET, ESPN. In the first two weeks of the college football season, Wisconsin and Arizona State have combined to play three teams from the FCS, and not one game against an FBS team. So we will learn a lot about both teams late Saturday night. The late kickoff time helps Wisconsin, which isn’t used to the extreme heat ASU players deal with all year. But early weather forecasts predict a high of 103 on Saturday and a low of 82. Expect some cramps and worn out Badgers. Wisconsin 17, Arizona State 30

Looking Back at Week 1 and Looking Forward to Week 2

Sammy Watkins and Clemson made the first big statement of the 2013 college football season

Ah, college football is back. Here’s my take on three stories from the first week:

• Oklahoma State has a really good defense. Oklahoma State took care of Mississippi State on Saturday and, here’s the shocking part, it was the defense that carried them. The Cowboys gave up three points while forcing two turnovers in a 21-3 win. Mississippi State didn’t score after its first possession and they didn’t get close again until the final drive of the game, which ended in an interception. One of the biggest complaints of past OSU defenses has been an inability to get off the field. But on Saturday, Mississippi State went 2-for-16 on third down conversions. More importantly, the Cowboy defense was able to hold Miss. St. in check while the OSU offense got its legs under them.
• Notre Dame will be fine without Everett Golson. I know it was Temple, but Tommy Rees did a good job running the show in replacement of Golson. Rees is not the dynamic athlete Golson is, but he is more than capable of guiding the Irish offense. Notre Dame’s defense, no matter who is playing quarterback, will be the key factor in how far this team goes.
• The AAC is not only an arena in Dallas, but it is also a crappy football conference. I typed “AAC” into Google and here are just a few things that came up before I found the football conference: American Airlines Center, the American Alpine Club, the Aluminum Anodizers Council, Another Anime Convention 2013, the American Acupuncture Council and the Appalachian Athletic Conference. The last one is the most concerning because an NAIA conference comes up on a Google search before a DIVISION ONE FBS CONFERENCE WITH AN AUTOMATIC QUALIFIER IN THE BCS comes up. Needless to say, things aren’t going well for the American Academy of Chefs American Athletic Conference. The Conference Formerly Known As the Big East did not have a good coming out party on the field either. In the first weekend of the season, members of the AAC went 4-5 with wins over perennial powerhouses Purdue, Southern, Ohio and Akron. But that’s not the worst part. Not by a long shot. No, the worst part is that Connecticut and South Florida lost to FCS schools by a combined score of 86-39. It’s really a shame that Louisville will only have one tough conference game (Cincy) all year.

The Top 25 (last week’s ranking in parentheses)

1. Alabama (1) – Took care of business against Virginia Tech. Now the Tide get a week off before they head to Texas A&M to get revenge for last year’s loss.
2. Oregon (3) – Like most teams in these rankings, you can’t take much from Oregon’s week one game (home vs. Nicholls State)
3. Stanford (4) – The Cardinal get the season started on Saturday against San Jose State.
4. Clemson (9) – Huge win at home against Georgia. Clemson has beaten a top-10 SEC team in their last two games (also beat LSU in last year’s Chick-Fil-A Bowl).
5. Georgia (2) – Despite losing at Clemson, I still believe. But a home game against South Carolina is not the best way to recover from a week 1 loss.
6. Ohio State (5) – The Buckeyes started out hot against Buffalo, but the Bulls outplayed Ohio State from the second quarter on.
7. South Carolina (6) – Good win against UNC on Thursday.
8. LSU (8) – Solid win over TCU late Saturday night in Dallas. The Tigers should coast in their next three games, then it’s off to Georgia on Sept. 28.
9. Florida (7) – Florida rolled over Toledo and heads to the U this Saturday.
10. Texas A&M (10) – Beat Rice while Manziel continued to annoy most college football fans. Jesse Palmer had a good take on ESPN. (ESPN.com)
11. Louisville (11) – Cool schedule.
12. Michigan (12) – The Wolverines crushed Central Michigan on Saturday. They get a chance to really make some noise by beating Notre Dame this week.
13. Florida State (13) – That Jameis Winston fella is pretty good.
14. Oklahoma State (14) – Not sure how I feel about Gundy benching Chelf after two possessions, but a good win over an SEC team is a great way to start the season.
15. UCLA (17) – QB Brett Hundley is the real deal and if they get by Nebraska in two Saturdays, they will be undefeated heading into the Stanford-Oregon gauntlet in mid-October.
16. Oklahoma (16) – Weird game for the Sooners. They scored all 34 points in the second and third quarters and QB Trevor Knight only threw for 86 yards. But a shutout, even against Louisiana-Monroe, is impressive. OU opens Big 12 play this weekend at home against West Virginia.
17. Texas (18) – Looked in doubt midway through the second quarter against New Mexico State, but the Longhorns eventually rolled.
18. Nebraska (15) – Nebraska held off a late rally by Wyoming to take their season opener 37-34. They get Southern Miss at home this Saturday.
19. Miami, FL (19) – The U dominated Florida Atlantic on Friday and they get an extra day of rest before playing Florida at home this Saturday.
20. Notre Dame (20) – Notre Dame looked good against Temple. They had to the Big House this week.
21. Wisconsin (22) – Wisconsin beat Umass last Saturday and they will beat Tennessee Tech this Saturday. We won’t learn anything about the Badgers until they head to Arizona State in Week 3.
22. Washington (23) – U-Dub with an impressive win over Boise State at home. Could they be for real?
23. Arizona State (24) – Open the season with Sacramento State this Thursday.
24. TCU (21) – Tough loss to start the season, but the Horned Frogs will still be a force in the Big 12 with their defense.
25. Baylor (NR) – Baylor has a good chance to start 7-0, which will only make it that much more disappointing when they lose their final five games.

On The Way Out: Boise State 25

Big Games in Week 2

• Florida at Miami, FL, Noon ET, ESPN. Miami has a chance to make a huge statement at home against in-state rival Florida. I think Stephen Morris and Duke Johnson lead the Hurricanes to a big win. Miami 31, Florida 17.
• South Carolina at Georgia, 4:30 pm ET, ESPN. Even though Georgia lost its season opener they still have a realistic shot of getting to the national title game. Losing to Clemson doesn’t effect their SEC record, so they can still win the SEC East and then take down Alabama in the SEC Championship Game to reach the BCS national championship. But they have to win against South Carolina in the conference opener for both teams. I like UGA at home. Georgia 21, South Carolina 20.
• Notre Dame at Michigan, 8 pm ET, ESPN. Tommy Rees looked good last Saturday throwing for 346 yards and 3 TD’s against Temple. But a home game against Temple and a trip to Ann Arbor are two very different things. Rees will be OK, but the defense will carry the Fighting Irish to a close win. Notre Dame 20, Michigan 17.