Reflections on Saturday

Alabama is trying its best to separate itself from the pack out of necessity.  Their schedule is so weak (no Florida, Georgia or South Carolina from East) apart from the LSU game that they are going to need to appear so much better than everyone that to deny them a national championship spot if they lose a game would be ridiculous.  It worked last year and the media are back on the case doing the Tide's PR for them.  If only they had scheduled Louisiana Monroe this season.
I have been saying for months that there was no way USC was going undefeated and they showed why last night.  They are just not tough enough on the lines.  Plus last year's second half run was fueled by the us-versus-the-world/this is our bowl game mentality that disappeared this off-season with every first place vote.   That was their edge last season.  The big problem, of course, is that they went all in for this season and the outlook for next year does not look too sunny.  Meanwhile UCLA just keeps rolling along.  Expected sanctions against Oregon may create a conference power vacuum up north although Stanford looks poised to keep on humming.  They may never beat USC on the recruiting trail for playmakers but they do know how to develop tough guys for the trenches.
Notre Dame displayed a great deal of young talent last night and is almost all the way back.  They really want revenge against Michigan next week too.  But October not only features Stanford and Oklahoma but a tough match-up against BYU right between the two powers.  You really want to play some team ranked 122nd in the country between those two big games the way Alabama does it.
I doubt anyone will give them any credit--and the biggest win was turned in by a team leaving next year--but let's hear it for the Big East.  Pitt looked dead in the water a week ago but was sparked by a return to full health by stud RB Ray Graham to stun Virginia Tech.  Louisville and Connecticut made it a clean sweep over the ACC by beating UNC and Maryland (take that Randy Edsall!) but, sadly, winning on the field never means anything in these wars between conferences.
The SEC East race should be a good one.  Florida had the big play on display in subduing Tennessee.  Georgia just needs to keep everyone healthy and off suspension while QB Connor Shaw needs to stay healthy (although sub Dylan Thompson can play).