Rising:
Washington: They played really well against Syracuse. Yes, the Orange aren’t good, but it was still a dominating performance.
Arizona State: It was just San Jose State, but they completely kicked their butts. Solid performance.
Cal: In the national game of the week, Cal came to play and showed why they were the better team. They’d be higher on the list if they hadn’t already had high expectations.
Oregon State: The defense played well, as did the running game. The passing game remains a concern, however.
Hovering:
Washington State: They had a very game effort against a very good Wisconsin team.
UCLA: The offense was a bit better, and the defense a bit worse, than what I expected, but it doesn’t change the overall picture of where this team is.
Stanford: Ditto.
USC: Sort of a “meh” performance against Idaho. Nothing to worry about, but nothing to brag about either.
Oregon: No turnovers is a great thing, but they let Houston hang around far too long.
Falling:
Arizona: Yuck. This was a really bad showing by the Wildcats.
UCLA (-17) 45, @ Stanford 17
(my pick: UCLA 24, @ Stanford 6)
This was a close game at the half, but then the Bruins came out of the locker room and started rolling. Once they got untracked, it was over, because Stanford simply didn’t have the horses to keep up with UCLA’s second half explosion.
What to take from this:
If you’re UCLA:
Meh. Against a Stanford team that isn’t very good, UCLA struggled for far too long. Still, Ben Olson showed a lot of promise, and the defense did a decent job. For a week one effort, it’s fine, but they need to get better for when they play the tough teams on the schedule.
If you’re Stanford:
The good news is the offense showed some good signs of life. Over 300 yards, only one turnover, and a running game with a slight pulse. That’s a lot more than they were able to do last year. But the defensive effort was really bad. Over 600 yards given up, and the Bruins were able to do just about everything they wanted to. If UCLA is as good as advertised, it’s not a bad loss, but if not, and the defense doesn’t get better, things are going to get ugly.
@ Cal (-6) 45, Tennessee 31
(my pick: @ Cal 34, Tennessee 31)
After Cal jumped ahead 7-0 on a defensive touchdown, Tennessee answered with a touchdown drive, then Cal answered back, and so on for most of the first half, with the Bears ending the half with a 10 point lead thanks to a couple defensive stops and a late field goal.
The second half saw almost as much offense, but this time the defenses were able to clamp down in the red zone a bit, slowing down the scoring. In fact, it was a goal line stand by the Bears that really seemed to be the big difference, as it slowed down Tennessee’s momentum in the third quarter, when it looked like they would make a run. And forcing the Vols to kick a field goal when they had once again marched down the field proved to be key, because it gave the Bears enough breathing room to be able to all but put the game away with a touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter.
All in all, though, this was a really entertaining game, and a huge win for the Bears.
What to take from this:
Cal should be very happy with the way that they played. That said, their luck turned not on general dominance, but on having a few more big plays than the other team. The fumble return for a touchdown, Jackson’s punt return, the goal line stand, these were the difference makers. And that means they still have some work to do, because they aren’t always going to be making so many big plays. They should be happy, but they shouldn’t be satisfied, because this isn’t a complete team yet.
@ Oregon St (-6.5) 24, Utah 7
(my pick: @ Oregon State 24, Utah 20)
This was a tight defensive battle through the first half, but after halftime the Beavers came out and took control, scoring ten points in the third quarter, tacking on another touchdown in the fourth, and shutting down the Ute offense the whole half.
What to take from this:
The Beavers should be very happy with how their defense played, and with how Yvenson Bernard played. That said, the passing game remains a big issue. Moreover, Utah lost both their starting quarterback and starting running back well before OS took control of this game, so it’s tough to draw too many conclusions from the game, especially considering how well Ute QB Johnson was doing against the Beaver D before he got knocked out. This was a positive sign, but considering the circumstances it’s tough to draw many conclusions from the game.
@ BYU 20, Arizona (+4.5) 7
(my pick: Arizona 17, @ BYU 14)
BYU came out and controlled this game almost from the beginning, completely shutting down the Wildcats until the second half, by which time it was too late for Arizona’s anemic offense to do anything but score a cosmetic touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
What to take from this:
This was an extremely worrisome performance. BYU had to replace their entire passing game, and they had a tremendous amount of success against a Wildcat secondary that was supposed to be really good. Moreover, Arizona was supposed to have improved at least a little on offense, but if anything they were even worse than they were last year. There is a lot of work to be done in Tucson, and if they’re not careful New Mexico might knock them off two weeks from now, which would make this September a total disaster.
@ Wisconsin 42, WSU (+14.5) 21
(my pick: @ Wisconsin 31, Washington State 10)
The Cougars played well in Madison, giving the heavily favored Badgers a very close contest through the first three quarters. They moved the ball well, and they were able to do that both on the ground and through the air, against a very talented defense. They weren’t able to do much to stop the Badgers, especially at the end, and their special teams gave Wisconsin good field position far too often, but this was still a very solid performance against a very good team.
What to take from this:
The running game worked well, which is a very pleasant surprise, and of course it’s good that Alex Brink is still finding success through the air. But the defense needs some work, as the Badgers were able to do whatever they wanted for virtually the whole game. The next two weeks are light, but then it gets real tough in a big hurry. They need to plug the holes, and quickly, if they want to reach their bye week in position to make a bowl run.
@ Oregon (-16) 48, Houston 27
(my pick: @ Oregon 28, Houston 20)
This was a neck and neck game at the half, but then Oregon got untracked, scored touchdowns in four straight possessions, and Houston couldn’t quite keep up.
What to take from this:
The good news is that Dixon played great and had zero picks. The bad news is that the defense really struggled, and that they couldn’t put it away until the fourth quarter despite four turnovers, three of them right at the beginning of the game. That’s not a good way for the team to start things out.
Washington (-3) 42, @ Syracuse 12
(my pick: @ Washington 24, Syracuse 17)
For a little while, it looked like Syracuse was going to do well, as they kicked an early field goal to end the first quarter up 3-0. However, the Huskies started the second quarter with two touchdown drives, then followed it up with three third quarter touchdowns to turn it into a rout.
What to take from this:
This was a very good performance for Washington. Jake Locker, the great unknown, had a solid first game, with about 150 passing yards and about 80 rushing, and Louis Rankin was very good too, with just shy of 150 rushing. Just as importantly, the defense totally shut down the Orange running game and was pretty good against the pass. The level of competition wasn’t high, but this was a great performance on all levels. This game is a great sign for the rest of the season.
@ Arizona State (-14.5) 45, San Jose State 3
(my pick: @ ASU 38, San Jose State 10)
ASU came out and dominated San Jose from start to finish, doing whatever they wanted on offense, and totally shutting down the Spartans on defense. This was over well before halftime.
What to take from this:
Yes, it’s San Jose State, but the Spartans were decent last year. It may well be that the Sun Devils are really this good. We’ll know more after Oregon State comes to town in late September, but for now things are really looking up in Tempe.
@ USC (-46) 38, Idaho 10
(my pick: @ USC 51, Idaho 7)
USC beat up an overmatched Idaho team and totally shut them down, except for a cosmetic score at the end. There’s no useful information to be gleamed from this game.
Pac-10 Games Record:
This Week: 8-1 SU, 5-4 ATS
Season: 8-1 SU, 5-4 ATS
National Games of the Week:
Georgia Tech 33, @ Notre Dame (-2.5) 3
(my pick: Georgia Tech 24, @ Notre Dame 21)
Well, I certainly didn’t see THAT coming. The Irish were outplayed start to finish, but were able to hang around for a long time because GT struggled in the red zone. But once Brown got ejected, turning a fourth down into a free set of downs for the visitors, they converted the touchdown and the rout was on.
@ Georgia (-6.5) 35, Oklahoma State 14
(my pick: @ Georgia 24, OK State 14)
A lot of people seem to think the Cowboys could be the real deal this year, and I’m starting to think they may well be right. Still, a week one trip to Athens is a very tough test, and the link seems just a bit low.
Colorado (-2.5) 31, Colorado St 28 (OT)
(my pick: @ Colorado State 28, Colorado 24)
Another down to the wire finish between these two teams. This was easily in the top five games of the day.
@ Clemson 24, Florida St (-3.5) 18
(my pick:Florida State 24, Clemson 14)
Baby Bowden has been doing well in this game the past few years, and it’s at Clemson, so there’s reason to think the Tigers have a chance, but FSU will be too good to be beaten in this game.
National Games Record:
This Week: 2-2 SU, 2-2 ATS
Season: 2-2 SU, 2-2 ATS
My Top 25:
I tend not to make many significant adjustments after week one, because it’s usually too hard to tell which “good” wins were against surprisingly weak teams, and which “bad” losses were against teams better than expected. Still, there were a few adjustments to be made this week.
#1 USC (Preseason: 1)
Still the choice, although some other teams looked very good this week.
#2 Oklahoma (Preseason: 2)
No real reason to change my mind about the Sooners, who dominated North Texas.
#3 LSU (Preseason: 3)
The Tigers looked very good against Mississippi State on the road. They’re a lot closer to #1 and #2 than they are to #4.
#4 Wisconsin (Preseason: 4)
No one really jumped up and showed that they deserve this spot more than the Badgers, although WV seems pretty close right now.
#5 WV (Preseason: 7)
The Mountaineers looked great in their week 1 performance, and Western Michigan isn’t supposed to be bad.
#6 Louisville (Preseason: 8)
They beat a AA school like a drum. Movement is a result of other teams’ struggles. (same with all other schools who did this)
#7 UCLA (Preseason: 9)
They didn’t look great against Stanford, but they hardly looked bad either.
#8 Georgia Tech (Preseason: 14)
This is the single best performance of week one, bar none.
#9 Virginia Tech (Preseason: 5)
This was a less than impressive performance by the Hokies. Ignoring the emotions of the game, the offense didn’t look great, and ECU isn’t good enough to be hanging around like they did.
#10 Texas (Preseason: 6)
Wow, this was not a good performance by the Longhorns. Still, it’s just week one, and they were in control before the last minute run, so I hesitate to drop them much.
#11 Ohio St (Preseason: 12)
#12 Cal (Preseason: 16)
Good game against a good Volunteer team.
#13 Georgia (Preseason: 17)
They move up after a very solid win against a decent Oklahoma State team.
#14 South Carolina (Preseason: 11)
#15 Penn St (Preseason: 13)
#16 Texas A&M (Preseason: 15)
#17 Miami (Preseason: 18)
#18 Florida (Preseason: 20)
#19 USF (Preseason: 21)
#20 Hawaii (Preseason: 22)
#21 BC (Preseason: 25)
#22 Tennessee (Preseason: 23)
Giving Cal a good game on the road is very respectable. They only drop a little.
#23 TCU (Preseason: 26)
Beating Baylor like a drum earned the Frogs an entry into my top 25.
#24 Oregon (Preseason: 24)
They didn’t play badly, but Houston hung around for a bit too long. They stay put because Auburn struggled even more and Nebraska needs better competition before I jump on board that bandwagon.
#25 Nebraska (Preseason: 24)
They had an extremely impressive win against Nevada. If they keep it up, they'll be moving up fast.
Dropped:
Michigan. (Preseason: 10)
For obvious reasons
Florida St (Preseason: 19)
This wasn’t a terrible loss, but Clemson doesn’t have the talent to make a loss acceptable for a top 25 team, even if it was on the road.
On the Cusp:
Auburn, BYU
Questions, comments or suggestions? Email me at cfn_ms@hotmail.com
