Auburn...
- Not sold on the QB. Todd threw a lot of ducks and was lucky they weren't picked off. During the game last night, I can remember three occasions where my friend and I looked at each other and said, "LSU would have picked that off."
- Running game has vastly improved. Even if we're slowed down, we're still going to run the ball efficiently enough to win the ball game.
- Defense needs to work on fundamentals. Why was the tackling so piss poor? This was evident on kickoff coverage as well.
- This offense is exciting. From long passes down the field to Lee Ziemba waving his arms like a 8 year old girl in a backyard football game, Gus Malzahn is going to be a blast for the next two years.
USC...
- It's been a while since USC won a close game. They usually blow a team out or lose to a lesser team by a few points.
- Barkley is the real deal. Give him a few more weeks to get used to the speed of the game, and he'll be one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. I said this before the season - in three years, Barkley will be the #1 pick in the draft as long as the first pick needs a QB.
Ohio St...
- Their defense was impressive, but their offense was lackluster. The defense lost all kinds of talent last year, but they're playing sound football. Terrell Pryor and Co. were very underwhelming especially when you consider that USC replaced 7 guys from last year's squad. If there was ever a chance for Ohio St to get back on the respect map, it was this game. Whaddoya know, they blew it.
- Jim Tressel will be the most difficult coach to fire/force to resign. They might not want him gone, though. I think Ohio St fans believe winning the Big 10+1 is a respectable feat.
Michigan...
- Much like last week's situation with Miami, one team proved to be back and it wasn't Notre Dame. Michigan, although playing in the Big House, proved they can win a big game under Rich Rod. Kudos to him as well. That was a serious low blow last week with the allegations of NCAA violations.
Alabama, Texas, LSU...
- If rankings truly rank teams based on how good they look THIS season, these three teams should drop. Alabama was down 14-13 to Florida International late in the 2nd quarter. Texas was down 10-6 to Wyoming right before the half. LSU struggled with Vanderbilt.
- I'm not saying these teams can't climb their way back up, but top 12 teams should be blowing these opponents out of the water. Of course, they won't move anywhere. Texas might switch places with USC. On the other hand, they probably won't. Voters will only see the final score.
- Rece Davis accurately portrayed the bullshit of preseason polls and preseason hype yesterday. When Texas was beating Wyoming 13-10, he said, "Texas will easily take care of business in the 2nd half." How did he know that? Does he have McFly's book of sports scores from the future?
- He didn't know anything except that Texas was ranked #2 in the preseason, Wyoming usually isn't any good, and Texas is Texas. It's an easy guess to make when you say Texas will blow out a team like Wyoming, but they weren't doing shit at the time. Texas looked mediocre, unprepared, subpar. They lacked focus. They looked nothing like a top team should. Yet, they get a free pass because they're Texas. Ask BYU if they think that's fair after they defeated Oklahoma and then blew out their mediocre opponent, Tulane.
Georgia...
- Do you really celebrate a win over South Carolina? South Carolina could only score 1 TD against NC State. Then, Georgia almost embarassingly loses to Oklahoma St. Then Oklahoma St loses to Houston. So, honestly, UGA fans, aren't you a little scared about this season?
West Virginia...
- Struggled with Liberty. Struggled with East Carolina. Struggled on defense. I'm excited about this week.
Final thought...
- Look at the rest of our schedule. Be very excited, folks. Think about this: West Virginia looks average; Tennessee still struggles with turnovers; Arkansas still hasn't proven much; LSU's defense is very suspect; Ole Miss looked terrible in the 1st half against Memphis (who was blown out by Middle Tennessee St yesterday); and Georgia has definite weak spots including a defense that gave up 37 points to South Carolina. Alabama is the only certified powerhouse team we'll have to face as of right now. If we can get by without significant injuries, we very well could be looking at an 8-9 win season or better if you're a supreme optimist.
War Damn Eagle!