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SCS.com The first Saturday of the 2007 college football season was one to remember, most notably for the stunning upset D-IAA Appalachian State pulled on the road against the Michigan Wolverines, a team this site ranked #3 in its preseason poll. There were other surprises as well, such Notre Dame�s pathetic showing against Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech�s offensive struggles against East Carolina, Georgia�s dominance of Oklahoma State, and much more. Check out the full recap of the season�s first Saturday!

BEST GAME

Appalachian State over Michigan

This game should have been over several times, but Michigan kept making mistakes and Appalachian State never gave up. When push came to shove, ASU had the superior playmakers and mindset it took to win. The blocked field goal was a perfect way to end it.

Runner-Up: Missouri over Illinois

BIGGEST UPSET

Appalachian State over Michigan

Appalachian State pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports history when they beat highly ranked Michigan in the Big House 34-32. Appalachian State not only upset them, they played better than Michigan. Lloyd Carr needs to start packing.

Runner-Up: Wyoming over Virginia

BEST TEAM PERFORMANCE

Georgia

This was supposed to be one of the best games of the week, but UGA�s defense was to much for OSU. Georgia�s defense is much better than we all thought. The Bulldogs dominated the 2nd half, outscoring OSU 14-0. UGA looks like a serious SEC East contender.

Runner-Up: Penn State

MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM PERFORMANCE

Notre Dame

Charlie Weis wasted our time by not telling us who the starting QB was, because all 3 played and all 3 struggled. Each QB got sacked at least once. Nothing went right on offense or defense. Notre Dame is in for a long season.

Runner-Up: Iowa State

AWARD OF THE WEEK - Play of the Week

DeSean Jackson, Cal

Jackson fielded the punt at the 23, and made at least 3 to 4 Volunteers miss before he reached the 30 yard line. He followed his blockers at half speed all the way to the end zone.

Runner-Up: Cornelius Brown, Missouri - 102-yard fumble return for a touchdown

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Colt Brennan - QB - Hawaii

Brennan had a scary good night versus Northern Colorado. He completed 85 percent of his passes and threw for 416 yards and a mind-boggling 6 touchdowns.

Justin Forsett - RB - California

Cal�s running game surprised the heck out of me. Forsett averaged 6 yards per carry, rushed for 156 yards, and scored a touchdown. His TD to go up 45-31 in the 4th quarter put the game away.

DeMarco Murray- RB - Oklahoma and Sam Bradford - QB - Oklahoma

Oklahoma�s redshirt freshman DeMarco Murray took advantage of Allen Patrick�s injury and scored a eye-opening 5 touchdowns in his first career start. Freshman QB Sam Bradford threw for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns as well. I think the Sooner offense is going to be fine without Adrian Peterson.

Craig Steltz - SS - LSU

Steltz started the college football season with a bang. He intercepted Mississippi State QB Michael Henig 3 times! One more INT and he would have been tied for most interceptions at the end of 2006 for LSU.

Matt Ryan - QB - Boston College

Ryan led BC over 2006 ACC champion Wake Forest. Ryan threw 5 touchdown passes against a pretty good WF defense and threw for a career high 408 yards. He was throwing so well, he even caught his own pass, firing a ball that was batted down at the line, hit him in the facemask, and then bounced right into his own hands.

THREE THINGS WE LEARNED

#1. Preseason rankings do not mean anything.

It is not about how high you are ranked in the preseason; it is about how ready you are to play on Saturday. Michigan showed how a �national title contender� can kill its hopes and dream in week 1. Michigan does not deserve to be in the top 25 after their loss to Appalachian State. Save the rankings until October so we do not have to go through this every year, because another top 25 team is going to look atrocious against a lesser opponent, and it will repeat until we have watched enough football to judge every team.

#2. Virginia Tech might not be able to handle LSU.

LSU�s defense looks unstoppable. They will force turnovers, rattle you, and control the line of scrimmage at will. Virginia Tech has a great defense as well, but their offense seemed shaky against ECU. I do not think Glennon and company can handle the Tiger defense.

#3. West Virginia has the best offense in football.

Pat White would be my Heisman favorite if Steve Slaton was not lined up in the backfield behind or beside him. White is the best dual QB since Vince Young. Slaton is an explosive threat running and catching. No defense on their schedule should slow them down.

LOOKING FORWARD

Next week is full of big games that might not be as interesting as they seemed before week 1. LSU vs. Virginia Tech has the making of a defensive slugfest. However, I think LSU is in a different league than VT. Oklahoma hosts Miami in matchup of perennial juggernauts. Oklahoma looks like one of the most complete teams in the nation, while Miami�s offense still has a lot of work to do before it considers itself ready for a top notch defense. Penn State should destroy Notre Dame, especially if the Domers cannot pick a starter at QB. Oregon and Michigan could be a good close game, but I think Michigan will open up their offense and play with a fiery passion that was missing from their game against Appalachian State.

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