College football is great. But we already knew that. I was pumped up to watch a number of games yesterday. The NFL slate today? Not a game worth three hours.
South Carolina is a good football team. The Steve Spurrier era in Columbia has been marked by frustration and disappointment as his squads were always missing something and eventually paid for it. But now the team is complete--but only when QB Stephen Garcia plays well. He exploited the Alabama secondary yesterday with help from his younger playmakers. And the South Carolina defense is playing at a very high level. But if the team over-celebrates this win and loses focus they will squander this win with a defeat at the hands of Kentucky next week (although Spurrier is 17-0 versus the Wildcats).
Alabama was due a clunker, but how about the excuses pouring out of the mouths of the analysts. We are supposed to feel bad for the Tide because they played three good teams in a row. Please. Every year for a decade we have been told about how tough it is to play in the SEC because week-in and week-out the games feature talented squads. So then when someone actually plays three good teams in a row--and Arkansas and Florida, the teams Alabama beat leading up to this game are not top ten material--we can use that as an excuse if they lose? Let's all hug Oregon State because after losing a tough game to Boise State they then had to play a solid Arizona State team and then travel to Arizona. Wait, they won that third game in an upset. Stanford, who followed up road games with Notre Dame and Oregon with USC? Well, the Cardinal won that third game too. And I guess those folks making that excuse--and there were plenty of them--must be against a playoff system. After all, you would have to win multiple tough games in consecutive weeks.
It looks like the LSU faithful will have to embrace head coach Les Miles, who is now 6-0 on the season. That fake FG call was fun, even it was executed poorly, and Miles does have his players' trust. Of course, the second half of the team's schedule features road games against Auburn and Arkansas and a home match-up with Alabama. Win two games against the AAAs of the SEC West and LSU may well find themselves in the SEC title game with a shot at the BCS title game. Then again, lose two to three games the rest of the way and the fans will be back calling for the Mad Hatter's head.
It is looking like the absence of a Michigan State-Ohio State game this year will be a shame as the two unbeaten Big Ten teams are playing at a high level. Iowa, who hosts both the Buckeyes and the Spartans, will have a lot to say about the winner of the conference. The Hawkeyes begin a run of seven straight conference games with a trip to Ann Arbor Saturday.
What else? Miami lost to FSU, but the Hurricanes had played road games at Pitt and at Clemson the two weeks prior so we must give them a pass even if they are not in the SEC. North Carolina State continues to be the surprise team in the ACC and their Thursday night showdown with Florida State on October 28 may decide the Atlantic Division. Then again, it may not as the Pack have three conference road games in November.
Oregon remains the best team in the Pac 10 and will do nothing this weekend to disprove that as they are off.
Can Syracuse save the Big East? Okay so they are only 1-0 in conference play. But how often do we get to say that? Coach Doug Marrone has done a great job of surrounding himself with just guys who want to play. They have worked hard and may be turning a corner. With Pittsburgh, Penn State, UConn and Boston College scuffling, the Northeast desperately needs a team playing well. Then again, the Yankees just swept the Twins, the Jets, Steelers, Eagles, Patriots and Giants are challenging for their respective divisions and hockey has started so most of the people up north may not notice.
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