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MONDAY QUICK HITS FROM THE FIRST WEEKEND
September 1, 2008

SCS.com I am officially the happiest person alive. College football is back and there is no shortage of things to discuss. The opening week was full of upsets, shootouts, and eye-openers. The first issue I want to cover is the ACC’s horrible weekend.

The ACC’s top two teams, Virginia Tech and Clemson, were upset on Saturday. Virginia Tech lost to East Carolina, who looks like they will be the class of Conference USA. I love Frank Beamer. He has been a great coach since taking the job at Virginia Tech in 1987. However, Tech fans are livid about his decision to try and red shirt Tyrod Taylor. Taylor is clearly better than senior Sean Glennon, but Beamer wanted to save Taylor’s sophomore season until 2009. Now, Taylor’s redshirt will likely be burned and Virginia Tech will be 0-1. This is the worst possible situation any team could ask for.

I was on a message board recently, and found a poster who believed Clemson would go 12-0. I claimed that no Clemson team coached by Tommy Bowden will ever live up to expectations. It did not take the Tigers long to prove me right. They were absolutely demolished by Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide. James Davis and C.J. Spiller, Clemson’s two star running backs, combined for EIGHT carries. That is a joke. I know Alabama’s lines dominated throughout the game, but you have to establish the run. Davis and Spiller are too special to get less than 15 touches a game each.

The ACC is going to be the worst BCS conference this year. Clemson and Virginia Tech can still win the conference, but it has been proven that they are not worthy of being in the top 20. Wake Forest, Miami, and Florida State are even bigger contenders to win the conference after the poor performances in week 1.

A conference that did not disappoint was the MAC. Bowling Green upset Pittsburgh 27-17. The Falcons slowed down LeSean McCoy and shut out the Panthers in the 2nd half. Pittsburgh fans have had enough of Dave Wannstedt, and so has LeSean McCoy. He was quoted saying that he was disappointed by the conservative play calling. Pittsburgh has a solid team, but Wannstedt is going to hold them back in 2008.

Buffalo and Temple were impressive in their debuts. Once the laughing stocks of the MAC, these two teams seem ready to contend for a MAC title. Temple rolled over Army 35-7. Buffalo dominated UTEP 42-17. Buffalo ran for 263 yards and threw for 221 against UTEP.

Speaking of the MAC, I think this might be the year that several mid-majors burst into the final top 25. Utah, TCU, BYU, Fresno State, Boise State, East Carolina, and Tulsa all have solid teams that think that they are the best mid-major team in the country. Watch for one of these teams to come out of conference play unscathed. The one or two that manage to enter conference play undefeated will be the favorite to make a BCS bowl run. My money is on BYU. They have to travel to Washington and host UCLA in week 2 and 3. If they win these games, it will be up to Utah or TCU to stop the Cougars from making their first BCS bowl.

QUICK HITS

Teams that disappointed while winning in week 1

- North Carolina 35-27 over McNeese State (UNC was losing in the 3rd quarter. I thought this team was supposed to turn the corner this year?)

- South Carolina 34-0 over NC State (Chris Smelley saved the day. Spurrier still struggling to find rhythm on offense.)

- Maryland 14-7 over Delaware (Struggled at the quarterback position all game long. Da’Rel Scott and Darrius Heyward-Bey are the only offensive threats.)

- Arkansas 28-24 over Western Illinois (Casey Dick was solid, but the Razorbacks have not found a replacement for McFadden/Jones.)

- San Jose State 13-10 over UC Davis (Took a last second touchdown pass to beat UC Davis. Kyle Reed likely won the quarterback job.)

Teams that pleasantly surprised

- Dennis Dixon who? Oregon dominated Washington 44-10. Jeremiah Johnson is the real deal.

- The next Bear Bryant? No, Saban will never be able to replace Bryant, but he is putting something special together in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Alabama, a team full of freshman, dominated Clemson physically.

- Something is stirring in Stanford. Stanford beat Oregon State 36-28 in a close battle Thursday. Maybe the upset of Southern California in 2007 was less of a fluke and more of a sign of things to come.

- Vanderbilt showed why a MAC team should never be favored over a SEC team. Vandy, who has been building a strong program over the past few years, lost a lot of key players from 2007’s team. However, they showed that all is not lost when they beat Miami (Oh) on the road Thursday 34-13.

Upsets that had me shaking my head

- Arkansas State over Texas A&M (What has happened to this once proud program?)

- Louisiana Tech over Mississippi State (I had a feeling La. Tech would pull this upset, but that does not take away from the fact that Mississippi State was supposed to be a contender this year in the SEC. After winning eight games in 2008, this is a wake up call for Sylvester Croom and the Bulldogs.)

- Utah over Michigan (I am not shocked that Utah won, but I was disappointed that Michigan’s offense struggled so much. Wolverine fans are going to have to be patient with Rodriguez.)

- Cal Poly over San Diego State (SDSU has been in a downward spiral the past few seasons. This loss crushes their confidence.)

Notes

- Chris “Beanie” Wells will likely be ready for Southern California (the media is making it seems worse than it is). However, if he is not 100% against USC, that game completely changes.

Coaches who might have sealed their fate after only one week - Tyrone Willingham, Dave Wannstedt, Steve Kragthorpe, and Greg Robinson

The SEC is going to be great again in 2008. I am drooling just thinking about Florida, LSU, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee playing each other in a few weeks.

I was impressed by Wisconsin, who has stuck with the I-formation offense even though most of college football has gone to the spread. They rushed for over 400 yards against Akron.

Joe Paterno tied Bobby Bowden for the most wins, 373. However, it is a shame it came against Coastal Carolina, who has only had a football program six years.

Missouri’s offense was very impressive against Illinois. However, they let Juice Williams throw for 451 yards and five touchdowns. That makes me worry.

I am getting a little tired top 10 teams playing FCS teams. Oklahoma has beating Chattanooga at half time 50-0. Ohio State, LSU, West Virginia, and Georgia were not phased at all by their FCS opponents. Why do top 10 team’s play FCS opponents if there is no threat of losing?

Hunter Cantwell and the Louisville looked awful (even worse than Kentucky’s). They are going to struggle mightily this year if the offense does not improve before Big East play. Check back for my article every Monday and the Fab 15 every Sunday (excluding this weekend due to Labor Day). Shoot me an email (questions or comments) and I will gladly respond to it in my weekly article.

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