Two Weeks In ...
Texas ---
Wherever you are Doss, you've gotta be smiling. The Horns never stood a chance in this one. This is definitely not the way to start off your tenure if you're Sarkisian. Especially after all of the hype built up around him being "The Answer".Arkansas --- was keyed in from the start. It'll be curious to see just how good they actually are, going forward. They looked decent, early, last season. Then they fluttered off. But, this win felt different. Maybe the culture is changing. It does feel as though Sam Pittman is their man.
Ohio State --- Did the "I" get dotted with a Rubber Ducky? The defense was out of sorts. Kerry Coombs is going to be seeing the left side sweep in his sleep. If you're getting beat up front, at some point you should shoot the gaps with the Corners. They needed to get better pressure from the outside, to compensate for the time Brown had in the pocket. The Buckeyes were playing catch up all game long. Stroud did well, but it was a lot of window dressing, because OSU had to throw the ball to stay in the game. Even with his 3 TD passes, he wasn't on target most of the day. He had more than a couple sail on him, that his receivers couldn't get to. And, two of his TD passes could be attributed to busted coverage, where the defenders were out of position, and couldn't recover in time to catch the receivers. They fell too far behind to try a rushing battle. Ultimately, they were taken away from their game plan.
Oregon --- Only lost momentum on 1 or 2 drives. Though they were able to reestablish their composure, and stalled the Bucks would be comeback each time OSU seemed to get a head of steam. The Ducks controlled the pace of the game, in the shoe. They took the crowd out of it early, and settled in. They schemed well, and continued to force OSU to chase them. This was not a simple "On Any Given Saturday" type of performance. They went in with a plan, and executed it.
BYU --- Was impressive. They hadn't beaten Utah since 2009. Saturday, they got over that hump. The Cougars were playing fast and intense, executing well on both sides of the ball. The final score is deceptive. The 9 point difference does not tell the tail of how this game unfolded. They are going to be something to pay attention to this season.
Stanford --- Couldn't do hardly a flippin' thing against Kansas State. So, to walk into the Coliseum and beat down USC the way they did, seems like an Anomaly. This wasn't the Buckeyes on the road vs Purdue. This was the Cardinal going into the Trojan's house, and smashing the fine China onto the floor. They crushed USC. It wasn't even close. USC put some points up late; but it was purely garbage points by then.
USC --- What now? Goodbye Helton. Next Up ??? The Trojans do not look like they have any confidence in themselves. A packed Coliseum, was nearly vacant shortly into the 4th quarter. This team is headed for a rough year. If Chip is going to make strides on the other side of town, now is the time. The power maybe shifting in L.A.
Iowa --- This is what they wanted. The Hawkeyes look pretty strong. I do not know if it is just because they are the better team, or if Ferentz is just "That Coach" who Matt Campbell cannot beat ... You know, the way Washington State never won the "Apple Cup" under Leach, because Petersen beat him every year, even when Wash St had 10 wins and Wash only had 6 [5 going into the game]. The Hawks were the road team, and, even though this game was a heavy defensive battle in the early portion, Iowa pulled away as the game went on, while the Cyclones couldn't do anything to stop it. This team might be there at the end, playing for a Big 10 Title. From what I saw on Saturday; they could compete with the Buckeyes.
Iowa State --- Is this the team that was supposed to challenge Oklahoma and potentially win the Big XII? Campbell is now O-6 vs Ferentz and the Hawkeyes. They nearly lost to Northern Iowa in week One. Now, despite the "Experts" telling the world how the Cyclones are a Dark Horse for a Playoff spot, they get educated at home by their in state rival. They could still turn out to be a solid team, going into conference play. But they aren't likely playing for the tournament. If they catch Oklahoma off guard, they might be in the Big XII championship. However, I wouldn't look past K-State.
Texas A&M --- Came about as close as you could, to losing to the Buffaloes. Colorado is not a very good team. The Aggies scored late, to take the lead. That is, 2 minutes left late. It was the only time they had the lead in the game. And it ended 10-7. They struggled the whole way. Yes, their starting Quarterback got injured. But, Colorado lost some key players during the game, too. Their defense shut down Colorado's Offense, after the TD in the 1rst quarter. However, again, the Buffaloes are not very good. Maybe A&M pulls it together, and has a strong season. I'm just not sold on them. They certainly have to do something to justify their #5 ranking. I keep waiting for them to live up to the preseason praise the media continues to laud them with.
Notre Dame --- After the fsu game, Kelly said, "We didn't execute well. Maybe the team should be executed". Now, he might be powdering up the muskets himself. Goodness, this game was close. Toledo had the lead with under 2 minutes to go in the game. It felt like desperation to scrap their way down field, and to get the ball into the end zone. They do not look like the contender they've built themselves towards. Now, it feels as if this Irish team is in a rebuild. They looked to be on equal footing with the Rockets. The offense sputtered, while the defense did just enough to not let Toledo get too far ahead of them. After this game, what transpired in Tallahassee may no longer be a good measuring stick for how improved people thought the `noles could be.
Florida State --- Speaking of the `noles ... maybe Saturday's loss to Jacksonville State sheds more light on why Toledo was able to come within a whisker of beating ND ... Where on Earth was the Defensive Coverage? There is 6 seconds left with your opponents needing a TD, with them being backed up on their own 41 yard line, and you leave your conrers in an One on One situation. They have to throw it 59 yards, you should clearly drop six, and have them sit between the 10 and the goal. What's even worse, is you have a 17-7 point lead with 4:50 left in the 4th. Then you lose 20-17. This was not a game you can afford to lose. One of the things fsu had over Miami & UF, is that they were the only of the Big 3 Florida schools to have never lost to an FCS [Div-1AA] program. Where do yo go from here? I've seen teams fall to a place of total disrepair. I do not believe the Seminoles are at that point, though, they may very well be tightrope walking that line.
Miami --- I keep having people tell me that Appalachian State is a good team ... I don't wanna hear it. We were treading water most of the game, and holding in there. App St had a chance to win it at the end. They only needed to get into field goal range to win it. If it hadn't been for a wildly bad snap that shot over their punter's head, in the 1rst quarter, the game very well could have ended up in overtime. D'Eriq King has never had the same Offensive Coordinator in consecutive seasons. So, under his second year with Rhett Lashlee, you'd think this team would develop, and progress forward. They aren't. The talent is there; it simply isn't being coached up.
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As we say here in the hills and hollers of Wild and Wonderful, “That’s a tough row to hoe!!!!”