6:16 AM
Football
By Ed Bagley
(Editor's Note: All of the team rankings for this opening article are based on the Top 25 Preseason Coaches' Poll, and the Sagarin Ratings, Jeff Sagarin's factual, mathematical ratings among competition between all 245 Division 1 teams. There are 120 Division 1-A teams (also known as FBS - Football Bowl Subdivision - teams), and 125 Division 1-AA teams (also known as FCS - Football Championship Subdivision teams). Why the NCAA had to make referring to 1-A and 1-AA teams more complicated is beyond me; let's just say it was really unnecessary and leave it at that.)
Brigham Young, Boise State, Alabama and Oklahoma State were college football's biggest winners in the opening week of the NCAA season.
No. 20-ranked Brigham Young (BYU) used a late 4th quarter touchdown to upset No. 3-ranked Oklahoma, 14-13, and all but obliterated Oklahoma's hopes for a dream season. The Sooners, who lost to Florida 24-14 in last year's National Championship Game, returned the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner-quarterback Sam Bradford.
Bradford strained his throwing shoulder in the closing seconds of the first half on a hard, clean, highlight-reel hit by BYU linebacker Coleby Clawson; Bradford watched the second half from the sidelines. Bradford's backup, Landry Jones, could not get Oklahoma's offense moving enough to protect its 10-7 halftime lead.
BYU quarterback Max Hall was 26-of-38 for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns. Yes, Hall did give up 2 interceptions and he was sacked 4 times, but when it counted, he led the Cougars on a 16-play, 78-yard scoring drive that broke Oklahoma's back.
After converting on a 4th-and-4 play from the Sooners' 29 yard line, Hall completed a 7-yard TD pass to a wide-open McKay Jacobson in the back of the end zone with 3:03 remaining. BYU's victory was huge, not just because Oklahoma was ranked No. 3, but also because the Cougars won on the road.
There is no way on God's green Earth that Oklahoma should be ranked No. 3 in this week's poll, and Brigham Young should most certainly be ranked higher than No. 20.
Some fans may blame Sam Bradford for not generating enough offense in the first half because Oklahoma led the nation in scoring last year with 51+ points per game. However, Bradford did not give up BYU's go-ahead touchdown-the Oklahoma defense allowed the score, the same defense that ranked 58th in scoring defense last year.
There are reasons why Oklahoma lost the national championship to Florida last year, and the biggest reason was the Sooners' scoring defense-they were a whole lot better on offense than defense. Sooner fans do not want to accept this, but that is their problem.
BYU's victory would have gotten even bigger press if were not for No. 14-ranked Boise State's most excellent 19-8 victory at home over No. 16-ranked Oregon. The Broncos shut out Oregon in the first half, 13-0, and then made it stick in the second half.
Oregon won the sucker-punch contest thanks to the Ducks' out-of-control, 1,000-yard-plus senior running back LeGarrette Blount slugging Boise State's Byron Hout after Boise State's win, but the Broncos won the contest, and the bragging rights.
Blount was kicked off the Oregon team for the rest of the season. He has run his last handoff for the Ducks, and quite possibly blown away big bucks and an NFL career opportunity. After throwing his sucker punch, Blount apparently also slapped a teammate. Unfortunately, on his way up, Blount has apparently not figured out that mugging and thugging are street activities, and not part of college football.
Neither team played well, but the Broncos made an early-season statement about the state of the mid-level conferences.
Entering their games, both BYU from the Mountain West Conference, and Boise State from the Western Athletic Conference, are rarely mentioned in the same breath as teams from the 6 major conferences that get automatic bids to the 6 major bowl games, which includes the National Championship Game.
The 6 major conferences include the Southeastern Conference (SEC), Big Ten, Pacific 10 (Pac-10), Big 12, Big East, and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Last year Utah from the Mountain West Conference ran the table with a perfect 13-0 record, and was not even considered as a worthy opponent for Florida in the National Championship Game.
Utah promptly trashed Alabama 31-17 in the BCS Sugar Bowl, and a one-loss Oklahoma got the face Florida. Oklahoma's 45-35 defeat came at the hands of another one-loss team, the Texas Longhorns, who were beaten by Texas Tech 39-33 on Michael Crabtree's great last-second TD catch. The Longhorns were upset that they were not selected to play Florida for the title.
After going 12-0, Alabama lost to Florida 31-20 in the SEC Championship Game, and then never got over it, losing badly to Utah. Had the Alabama Crimson Tide been given the chance to face Florida Gators, they would have done better; the Crimson Tide viewed Utah as half an opponent, that was Alabama's mistake.
Apparently No. 5-ranked Alabama has now recovered as the Crimson Tide rolled over the No. 7-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies 34-24 Saturday at home, scoring 18 points in the last quarter to seal the deal. The game was huge as it is rare when two Top 10 teams face off in a season opener.
The No. 9-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, who went 5-0 last year as a home favorite, picked up a great victory at home against the visiting Georgia Bulldogs, 24-10. Top ranked teams must beat other top ranked teams to climb in the polls, and Oklahoma State did just that, scoring touchdowns in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters as Georgia's offense sputtered, and its defense gave up too many points.
Now let's review some blowout victories by Top 25 and unranked teams over cupcake opponents just collecting a big paycheck for an expected defeat, and hoping they do not suffer a lot of injuries before going into league play:
No. 1 Florida by 59 points at home over 1-AA Charleston Southern, ranked 201 among 245 teams by Sagarin, 62-3.
Air Force (ranked 55) by 72 points at home over 1-AA Nicholls State, ranked 176, 72-0.
Arkansas State (ranked 119) by 61 points at home over 1-AA Mississippi Valley State, ranked 237 among 245 teams, 61-0.
Southern Mississippi (ranked 65) by 52 points at home over 1-AA Alcorn State, ranked 232 among 245 teams, 52-0.
Fresno State (ranked 71) by 51 points at home over 1-AA UC Davis (the University of California at Davis), ranked 146, 51-0.
Houston (ranked 66) by 48 points at home over 1-AA Northwestern State, ranked 178, 55-7.
Vanderbilt (ranked 54) by 45 points at home over 1-AA Western Carolina, ranked 182, 45-0.
I am personally ignoring any Top 25 or unranked team that played a 1-AA school and did not win by at least 45 points. Let some other media give them ink.
Here are some good wins by Top 25 and unranked teams:
No. 4 Southern California (USC) by 53 points at home over San Jose State, ranked 109, 56-3.
No. 12 California by 45 points at home over Maryland, ranked 45, 52-13,
No. 23 Notre Dame by 35 points at home over Nevada, ranked 77, 35-0.
No. 24 Nebraska by 46 points at home over Florida Atlantic, ranked 112, 49-3.
No. 25 Kansas by 46 points at home over Northern Colorado, ranked 198, 49-3.
Baylor (ranked 85) on the road over Wake Forest, ranked 30, 24-21. Phil Steele has Baylor as his No. 11 Most Improved Team for 2009. Phil Steele's College FootballPreview has been the most accurate preseason magazine the last 10 years. The Baylor Bears were 4-8 last year. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons went 8-5 last season, and beat Navy 29-19 in the EagleBank Bowl.
Missouri (unranked by the AP and Coaches' Polls but ranked No. 18 by Sagarin) on the road over Illinois (ranked 63), 37-9. Phil Steele had Illinois as his No. 1 Most Improved Team for 2009.
Buffalo (ranked 115) on the road over Texas-El Paso (UTEP), ranked 101, 23-17. This game gets my first week attention for two reasons. One, UTEP was Phil Steele's No. 5 pick as the Most Improved Team for 2009. Two, Buffalo was a doormat for so many years, but no more. Last year the No. 12-ranked Ball State Cardinals were 12-0 when they played the Buffalo Bulls for the Mid-American Conference Championship, and were beaten by Buffalo 42-24, as the Bulls claimed their first ever conference title and earned a trip to the International Bowl.
Idaho (ranked 164), another perennial loser in recent years, on the road over New Mexico State (ranked 144), 21-6. The Idaho Vandals are getting better (they were 2-10 last year), and any Vandal victory should be cause for a huge party-down afterward.
South Carolina (ranked 31) on the road over North Carolina State, ranked 58, 7-3, in the lowest scoring game of the first weekend. South Carolina scored a TD in the 1st quarter, gave up a field goal in the 3rd quarter, and held on to win a very tough, non-conference away game. The Gamecocks victory was even sweeter because Phil Steele had the North Carolina Wolfpack as his No. 6 Most Improved Team for 2009.
So the scorecard on Phil Steele's Most Improved Team picks the first week was at least 1 on (Baylor) and 3 off (Illinois, North Carolina State and UTEP).
North Texas (ranked 165) on the road over Ball State, ranked 81, 20-10. North Texas has been another troubled program in recent years (the Mean Green have not been so mean, racking up a 1-11 record last year), so any victory should be cause for a big hoedown with a pig pickin'.
Southern Methodist University (ranked 135) at home over 1-AA Stephen F. Austin, ranked 189, 31-23. SMU gets ink here because the Mustangs have been one of the worst teams in the nation in recent years (1-11 last year), and any victory should be recognized because head coach June Jones had spectacular success at Hawaii before bolting to SMU for more of everything.
Here are some really unimpressive wins by Top 25 and unranked teams during the first week of play:
Topping the list is No. 19-ranked Utah's home victory over in-state rival Utah State, ranked 131, 35-17.The Utah Utes were 13-0 last year; the Utah State Aggies were 3-9.
No. 2 Texas at home over Louisiana-Monroe, ranked 127, 59-20. Dude, the Longhorns should have done better against last year's 4-8 Warhawk team.
No. 6 Ohio State at home over Navy, ranked 59, 31-27. The Buckeyes were outscored 13-11 in the 4th quarter by the Midshipmen, who went 8-5 last year and lost 29-19 to Wake Forest in the EagleBank Bowl. What is it about Ohio State Buckeyes that every year they are given a pass in the final rankings? The Buckeyes lost to Florida 41-14 in the 2006 National Championship Game, lost to LSU 38-24 in the 2007 National Championship Game, and lost to Texas 24-21 in the 2008 BCS Fiesta Bowl.
Face it, man, the Buckeyes are weak. Would you believe Ohio State was 6-6 against the spread last year, and a paltry 1-4 against the spread as a home favorite? No wonder they have fallen out of favor with the betting public.
No. 11 LSU on the road over Washington, ranked 80, 31-23. This game could have easily gotten away from the LSU Tigers. The Washington Huskies, winless last year at 0-12, are much, much better this year under new coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Nick Holt. Take away an errant pass that led to a 29-yard touchdown by LSU's defensive unit, and a 45-yard Tiger TD pass and catch with a missed tackle that Husky free safety Greg Walker misplayed on a one-on-one, and Washington wins the game, 23-17.
Get this: Washington ran 83 plays to LSU's 48, out-gained the Tigers 478 yards to 321, and 11 Husky drives went beyond midfield and into Tiger territory. Washington hosts Idaho this Saturday; the Idaho Vandals had better be on top of their game.
(Editor's Note: All of the team rankings for this opening article are based on the Top 25 Preseason Coaches' Poll, and the Sagarin Ratings, Jeff Sagarin's factual, mathematical ratings among competition between all 245 Division 1 teams. There are 120 Division 1-A teams (also known as FBS - Football Bowl Subdivision - teams), and 125 Division 1-AA teams (also known as FCS - Football Championship Subdivision teams). Why the NCAA had to make referring to 1-A and 1-AA teams more complicated is beyond me; let's just say it was really unnecessary and leave it at that.)
Brigham Young, Boise State, Alabama and Oklahoma State were college football's biggest winners in the opening week of the NCAA season.
No. 20-ranked Brigham Young (BYU) used a late 4th quarter touchdown to upset No. 3-ranked Oklahoma, 14-13, and all but obliterated Oklahoma's hopes for a dream season. The Sooners, who lost to Florida 24-14 in last year's National Championship Game, returned the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner-quarterback Sam Bradford.
Bradford strained his throwing shoulder in the closing seconds of the first half on a hard, clean, highlight-reel hit by BYU linebacker Coleby Clawson; Bradford watched the second half from the sidelines. Bradford's backup, Landry Jones, could not get Oklahoma's offense moving enough to protect its 10-7 halftime lead.
BYU quarterback Max Hall was 26-of-38 for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns. Yes, Hall did give up 2 interceptions and he was sacked 4 times, but when it counted, he led the Cougars on a 16-play, 78-yard scoring drive that broke Oklahoma's back.
After converting on a 4th-and-4 play from the Sooners' 29 yard line, Hall completed a 7-yard TD pass to a wide-open McKay Jacobson in the back of the end zone with 3:03 remaining. BYU's victory was huge, not just because Oklahoma was ranked No. 3, but also because the Cougars won on the road.
There is no way on God's green Earth that Oklahoma should be ranked No. 3 in this week's poll, and Brigham Young should most certainly be ranked higher than No. 20.
Some fans may blame Sam Bradford for not generating enough offense in the first half because Oklahoma led the nation in scoring last year with 51+ points per game. However, Bradford did not give up BYU's go-ahead touchdown-the Oklahoma defense allowed the score, the same defense that ranked 58th in scoring defense last year.
There are reasons why Oklahoma lost the national championship to Florida last year, and the biggest reason was the Sooners' scoring defense-they were a whole lot better on offense than defense. Sooner fans do not want to accept this, but that is their problem.
BYU's victory would have gotten even bigger press if were not for No. 14-ranked Boise State's most excellent 19-8 victory at home over No. 16-ranked Oregon. The Broncos shut out Oregon in the first half, 13-0, and then made it stick in the second half.
Oregon won the sucker-punch contest thanks to the Ducks' out-of-control, 1,000-yard-plus senior running back LeGarrette Blount slugging Boise State's Byron Hout after Boise State's win, but the Broncos won the contest, and the bragging rights.
Blount was kicked off the Oregon team for the rest of the season. He has run his last handoff for the Ducks, and quite possibly blown away big bucks and an NFL career opportunity. After throwing his sucker punch, Blount apparently also slapped a teammate. Unfortunately, on his way up, Blount has apparently not figured out that mugging and thugging are street activities, and not part of college football.
Neither team played well, but the Broncos made an early-season statement about the state of the mid-level conferences.
Entering their games, both BYU from the Mountain West Conference, and Boise State from the Western Athletic Conference, are rarely mentioned in the same breath as teams from the 6 major conferences that get automatic bids to the 6 major bowl games, which includes the National Championship Game.
The 6 major conferences include the Southeastern Conference (SEC), Big Ten, Pacific 10 (Pac-10), Big 12, Big East, and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Last year Utah from the Mountain West Conference ran the table with a perfect 13-0 record, and was not even considered as a worthy opponent for Florida in the National Championship Game.
Utah promptly trashed Alabama 31-17 in the BCS Sugar Bowl, and a one-loss Oklahoma got the face Florida. Oklahoma's 45-35 defeat came at the hands of another one-loss team, the Texas Longhorns, who were beaten by Texas Tech 39-33 on Michael Crabtree's great last-second TD catch. The Longhorns were upset that they were not selected to play Florida for the title.
After going 12-0, Alabama lost to Florida 31-20 in the SEC Championship Game, and then never got over it, losing badly to Utah. Had the Alabama Crimson Tide been given the chance to face Florida Gators, they would have done better; the Crimson Tide viewed Utah as half an opponent, that was Alabama's mistake.
Apparently No. 5-ranked Alabama has now recovered as the Crimson Tide rolled over the No. 7-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies 34-24 Saturday at home, scoring 18 points in the last quarter to seal the deal. The game was huge as it is rare when two Top 10 teams face off in a season opener.
The No. 9-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, who went 5-0 last year as a home favorite, picked up a great victory at home against the visiting Georgia Bulldogs, 24-10. Top ranked teams must beat other top ranked teams to climb in the polls, and Oklahoma State did just that, scoring touchdowns in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters as Georgia's offense sputtered, and its defense gave up too many points.
Now let's review some blowout victories by Top 25 and unranked teams over cupcake opponents just collecting a big paycheck for an expected defeat, and hoping they do not suffer a lot of injuries before going into league play:
No. 1 Florida by 59 points at home over 1-AA Charleston Southern, ranked 201 among 245 teams by Sagarin, 62-3.
Air Force (ranked 55) by 72 points at home over 1-AA Nicholls State, ranked 176, 72-0.
Arkansas State (ranked 119) by 61 points at home over 1-AA Mississippi Valley State, ranked 237 among 245 teams, 61-0.
Southern Mississippi (ranked 65) by 52 points at home over 1-AA Alcorn State, ranked 232 among 245 teams, 52-0.
Fresno State (ranked 71) by 51 points at home over 1-AA UC Davis (the University of California at Davis), ranked 146, 51-0.
Houston (ranked 66) by 48 points at home over 1-AA Northwestern State, ranked 178, 55-7.
Vanderbilt (ranked 54) by 45 points at home over 1-AA Western Carolina, ranked 182, 45-0.
I am personally ignoring any Top 25 or unranked team that played a 1-AA school and did not win by at least 45 points. Let some other media give them ink.
Here are some good wins by Top 25 and unranked teams:
No. 4 Southern California (USC) by 53 points at home over San Jose State, ranked 109, 56-3.
No. 12 California by 45 points at home over Maryland, ranked 45, 52-13,
No. 23 Notre Dame by 35 points at home over Nevada, ranked 77, 35-0.
No. 24 Nebraska by 46 points at home over Florida Atlantic, ranked 112, 49-3.
No. 25 Kansas by 46 points at home over Northern Colorado, ranked 198, 49-3.
Baylor (ranked 85) on the road over Wake Forest, ranked 30, 24-21. Phil Steele has Baylor as his No. 11 Most Improved Team for 2009. Phil Steele's College FootballPreview has been the most accurate preseason magazine the last 10 years. The Baylor Bears were 4-8 last year. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons went 8-5 last season, and beat Navy 29-19 in the EagleBank Bowl.
Missouri (unranked by the AP and Coaches' Polls but ranked No. 18 by Sagarin) on the road over Illinois (ranked 63), 37-9. Phil Steele had Illinois as his No. 1 Most Improved Team for 2009.
Buffalo (ranked 115) on the road over Texas-El Paso (UTEP), ranked 101, 23-17. This game gets my first week attention for two reasons. One, UTEP was Phil Steele's No. 5 pick as the Most Improved Team for 2009. Two, Buffalo was a doormat for so many years, but no more. Last year the No. 12-ranked Ball State Cardinals were 12-0 when they played the Buffalo Bulls for the Mid-American Conference Championship, and were beaten by Buffalo 42-24, as the Bulls claimed their first ever conference title and earned a trip to the International Bowl.
Idaho (ranked 164), another perennial loser in recent years, on the road over New Mexico State (ranked 144), 21-6. The Idaho Vandals are getting better (they were 2-10 last year), and any Vandal victory should be cause for a huge party-down afterward.
South Carolina (ranked 31) on the road over North Carolina State, ranked 58, 7-3, in the lowest scoring game of the first weekend. South Carolina scored a TD in the 1st quarter, gave up a field goal in the 3rd quarter, and held on to win a very tough, non-conference away game. The Gamecocks victory was even sweeter because Phil Steele had the North Carolina Wolfpack as his No. 6 Most Improved Team for 2009.
So the scorecard on Phil Steele's Most Improved Team picks the first week was at least 1 on (Baylor) and 3 off (Illinois, North Carolina State and UTEP).
North Texas (ranked 165) on the road over Ball State, ranked 81, 20-10. North Texas has been another troubled program in recent years (the Mean Green have not been so mean, racking up a 1-11 record last year), so any victory should be cause for a big hoedown with a pig pickin'.
Southern Methodist University (ranked 135) at home over 1-AA Stephen F. Austin, ranked 189, 31-23. SMU gets ink here because the Mustangs have been one of the worst teams in the nation in recent years (1-11 last year), and any victory should be recognized because head coach June Jones had spectacular success at Hawaii before bolting to SMU for more of everything.
Here are some really unimpressive wins by Top 25 and unranked teams during the first week of play:
Topping the list is No. 19-ranked Utah's home victory over in-state rival Utah State, ranked 131, 35-17.The Utah Utes were 13-0 last year; the Utah State Aggies were 3-9.
No. 2 Texas at home over Louisiana-Monroe, ranked 127, 59-20. Dude, the Longhorns should have done better against last year's 4-8 Warhawk team.
No. 6 Ohio State at home over Navy, ranked 59, 31-27. The Buckeyes were outscored 13-11 in the 4th quarter by the Midshipmen, who went 8-5 last year and lost 29-19 to Wake Forest in the EagleBank Bowl. What is it about Ohio State Buckeyes that every year they are given a pass in the final rankings? The Buckeyes lost to Florida 41-14 in the 2006 National Championship Game, lost to LSU 38-24 in the 2007 National Championship Game, and lost to Texas 24-21 in the 2008 BCS Fiesta Bowl.
Face it, man, the Buckeyes are weak. Would you believe Ohio State was 6-6 against the spread last year, and a paltry 1-4 against the spread as a home favorite? No wonder they have fallen out of favor with the betting public.
No. 11 LSU on the road over Washington, ranked 80, 31-23. This game could have easily gotten away from the LSU Tigers. The Washington Huskies, winless last year at 0-12, are much, much better this year under new coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Nick Holt. Take away an errant pass that led to a 29-yard touchdown by LSU's defensive unit, and a 45-yard Tiger TD pass and catch with a missed tackle that Husky free safety Greg Walker misplayed on a one-on-one, and Washington wins the game, 23-17.
Get this: Washington ran 83 plays to LSU's 48, out-gained the Tigers 478 yards to 321, and 11 Husky drives went beyond midfield and into Tiger territory. Washington hosts Idaho this Saturday; the Idaho Vandals had better be on top of their game.
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