It was another week of lopsided matchups, including several of the FBS-FCS variety, but let’s see what knowledge we gleaned from the handful of truly excellent games on the slate.
Things We Learned In College Week Two
– I have several obnoxious Notre Dame fans in my life, so I’d like to get this one over with early. The numbers make this look like a much closer game than it was. The total yards were similar, and Michigan actually outrushed the Irish 100 yards to 54 (not that either team should be proud of that number). The big difference in the stat line? Turnovers. The Wolverines had four to Notre Dame’s one. Michigan also went 0-for-2 on field goals, although to be fair, neither was exactly a chip-shot (46 and 48 yards). This game is always a fun one to watch, and I’m going to miss it.
– Michigan fans depressed over last night’s loss should be sure to catch the highlights of Virginia Tech-Ohio State this morning. More on that later.
– Once again, I missed parts of three really good games because they were on in the same time slot and I was trying to watch all three at once. I watched the first quarter or so of Oregon-Michigan State, and not surprisingly, the Ducks looked pretty dominant. I switched back an hour or so later, and Michigan State had taken the lead. That was when I started making more of an effort to watch this game. Suddenly, Oregon woke up and went back to just owning the Spartans on basically every snap. I don’t know what happened in between, but as long as they don’t make a habit of it, they’re going to be a very tough out in the Pac-12.
– I really wish more of the Ducks’ games were on at a reasonable hour on the east coast. Damn, they’re fun to watch.
– If any Oregon players need a Halloween costume, they could wear last night’s variation on the uniform and go as a hi-lighter. Bonus: they’d be visible in the dark.
– Ohio State and Virginia Tech overlapped with the two aforementioned games, so I didn’t see every snap. I wouldn’t say, from what I saw, that the Hokies were dominating exactly, but they were definitely in control. I was actually surprised this morning when I looked at the box score and saw how close most of the stats were.
– Obviously, the loss of Braxton Miller hurts the Buckeyes, but they were having issues on defensive and the offensive line as well. Even with Miller, I’m questioning whether they could have beaten Michigan State in the division, or Wisconsin in the conference championship.
– Nebraska survived a HUGE scare against FCS McNeese State thanks to a late, videogame-esque Ameer Abdullah touchdown run, during which he broke five tackles. Major props to the Cowboys, and to the Nebraska fans for applauding them on their way off the field. They put up a hell of a fight.
– So the Big Ten got a bit more interesting yesterday. Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin (my pre-season picks as the three best in the conference) all have a loss, and if Nebraska plays conference games like they played against McNeese State, they’ll have a loss before long. Is the door now open for a Penn State or an Iowa to sneak into the conference championship? Time will tell.
– Good on USC for gutting out a tough win over Stanford. It’s not every day the Cardinal allows a 150-yard rusher.
– SEC, please stop embarrassing your fans with these early matchups.
– What is going on in the Pacific Northwest? Washington State losing to Nevada? Washington allowing 52 to Eastern Washington?
– Finally, here’s a note on a team that hasn’t been on many people’s radar the last few years. BYU put up 41 on Texas, allowing a single TD to the Longhorns. Clearly, the turnaround in Austin is going to take coach Charlie Strong more than a few months; I don’t think anyone expected Texas to do much this season. But keep an eye on the Cougars and dual-threat quarterback Taysom Hill.
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