Surprise!

[Derek]

USC goes down....I don't know which I like more a USC loss, or a Notre Dame loss. Hard to decide.

And VT? What happened Vile??

Tenn look like they went flat.

And is Louisiana Monroe NOT a fluke??? Overtime with Auburn??? Really??

[Brian Roastbeef]

Alas, we didn't get the expected Notre Dame loss, so this balances it out I guess. With as inconsistent as Michigan is, I fear that we may have to deal with the Irish and their Fighting at least until Stanford gets a chance at 'em next month.

After I saw Syracuse hang entirely too close with USC, I was wary of their potential to fall to a strong team. I couldn't understand why Stanford was getting 9, and well... I was right.

Disappointed in Tennessee.

Too bad Louisiana Monroe couldn't close in OT. They may really have something, but they'll never be credited for it. They will get one more chance to be scary though Friday night, against Baylor before disappearing into obscurity except for those of us on here who care to follow the lesser known teams. Baylor's defense hasn't been amazing so far either...

OSU and Louisville looked a little nerve-wracking but survived. TCU looked a little slow to start.

Pitt I liked to beat the spread, but never expected this... I didn't actually see it, so I'm uncertain what happened there as well. Looks like the Pitt defense completely shut down the VT ground game. Could be a scary sign of weakness there since the Hokies haven't shown a lot with the run even in their wins, while Cincy had no trouble running all over Pitt.

And to close BYU is currently making me sad. A mixed week as usual. Some upsets I wanted to see, a couple I didn't, and a couple that just never manifested...

[Vileborg]

VT has no running game so they are relying on their QB throwing into double coverage and he hasn't been any where near sharp enough to pull it off.

I expected the defense to bail them out and i was stunned they couldn't stop them.

[billybud]

1...USC down?....I like it...opens up the top five.

2...VT's loss to Pitt....VT lost a lot this year. It will take a while for that front to gell...however, I was surprised at Pitt being able to upset them.

3...Bama vs Auburn...wow...if defense wins championships, pencil in the Tide. But, losing a QB, can really hurt an offense.

4...Ohio State...from the video clip that I saw..a real defensive mistake allowed that winning score for them...I didn't see a defender within 15 yards.

[WoVeU]

USC losing was big...with many good teams in line behind them. I think FSU is the big winner there. They should go into the 3 hole this week...good timing, next week FSU wins the ACC and then sits back with no big opponent to push them in the poles. A couple of hillbilly coaches might occupy the 1 and 2 spot for a while at least.

[Spence]

Ohio State is not good. Defensively they are a mess. If they are the twelveth best team in the country then there are 108 really bad teams.

[Cane from the Bend]

Yep; and a potential questionable pass interference call took a touchdown away from Cal early in the game.
That was closer than I expected.

Tennessee could only run the ball in spurts. Too inconsistent, relying on the passing game all day, and the gators were able to eventually shut it down.

BYU/Utah . . . what a wacky finish . . . having to pull the fans off of the field twice . . . BYU getting a 15 yard penalty because of the people on the field . . . then missing the second field goal
Just crazy.

What of Wisconsin; winning by only 2 points over Utah St . . . Something has to change in Madison.

notre dame? hmm . . . guess I'm gonna have to to start licking my wounds now. Miami playing vs the irish in Chicago the day after my birthday (not quite the present I was hoping for with this one).

Any team, any given week; Right?

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[Spence]

Ohio State was a lot like Louisville yesterday. They started celebrating a win before the other team actually conceded.

[donovan]

Utah State is for real, don't think Wisconsin was that bad, just who they are. Another good game for Utah State, no one handed them anything.

Forida State v. Wake Forest: Well if lightening could strike twice the game would had a running clock the second quarter and the fans would have never seen the half time show. Thompsons performance was amazing…but who I was impressed with was EJ Manuel. I was always a big Ponder fan, but EJ, that what his closest friends call him, was like he had Mr. Billybud’s cool rub off on him. FSU may be for real, I suspect they are, but too early for head to be any more swelled in state that has the guts and fortitude to hang in there with “In God We Trust” as their motto.

Ohio State v. California: Going to be a long season for Ohio State. California is not the team they have been and like many games, at any moment the tide could have turned. If anything happens to Miller, could be curtains. Not sure anyone can sustain those performances week in and week out. Meyer can develop deep and maybe there are fresh legs in the wings. California will be a spoiler, but going to be in the middle of the hunt.

Auburn v. Anybody: Glad they are going to be on page 6 for this season

Oregon v. Tennessee Tech: Didn’t matter who the team was, Oregon is going to have to be reckoned with this year. All things being equal, i.e. cetirus paribus , The will win the Pac 28 this year.

Stanford v. USC: Do not think this was a huge upset, USC looked good on paper...but not a power on the field. Stanford will be in the hunt, but think they will stumble.

[Spence]

You are right about Ohio State. Fans here have to realize that Ohio State finished 6-7 last year. Worst record since 1897. Ohio State wasn't going to be instantly fixed. They have to develop some players. Get some depth and start the climb back up the ladder. Ohio State is relatively lucky to survive the sanctions with the team they have. Hopefully they will learn a lesson about what can happen and never have to suffer this kind of thing again.

[billybud]

Re FSU...

I was disappointed that they took Thompson out of the game in the second Qtr...he had 197 yards and it has been quite a few years since FSU has rushed a back for 200 yards in a game...

The FSU offense is still spotty....but the defense has a nasty attitude. Even the 4th stringers were hitting hard.

We'll know more when they meet Clemson next week. Clemson is a much faster team and has Sammy at WR..and he will get his yards.

[Grayghost]

My biggest suprise was how well Cal played against Ohio St. Granted they had some serious protection issues, but after the first two games I really did not give my Bears much of a chance against the Buckeyes.

Bigelow was a real eye opener. They need to get that guy the ball as much as possible. Serious speed. Although my team lost I was very happy with their performance overall. Like I said, they have protection issues, and they certainly had a number of coverage breakdowns, but considering the first two games, I can live with it.

Pitt over V.T. shocked me. Not because I think V.T. is a world beater this year, but they are a good team, and Pitt had played so poorly in it's first two games.

Utah St. did not surprise me. I actually picked them in my work football poll. I was actaually quite peeved they lost.

Stanford over USC was not a total suprise. Although I picked USC, I knew Stanford had a chance, especially playing at home. If I was suprised by anything it was Stanford's defense. I thought it would be a much higher scoring game.

UL Monroe was not a surprise. I thought they would give the Tigers a run for their money and maybe win. I also thought they might have a letdown after the Arkansas win and get run. The Sun Belt improves a little every year. Troy took Miss St. to the wire. W. Kentucky beat Kentucky. They may be "Nobodies" according to Doss, but they are improving nobodies.

Besides Cal, my biggest surprise is the performance of the WAC oveall. Utah St., La. Tech, and San Jose St. are playing quite well this year, and UTSA is 3-0, although they have yet to play anyone significant. Texas St. isn't bad either. I'm not sure where New Mexico St. is going, and Idaho is just plain bad this year, but...every conference needs a bottom feeder.

[Spence]

My biggest suprise was how well Cal played against Ohio St. Granted they had some serious protection issues, but after the first two games I really did not give my Bears much of a chance against the Buckeyes.

Bigelow was a real eye opener. They need to get that guy the ball as much as possible. Serious speed. Although my team lost I was very happy with their performance overall. Like I said, they have protection issues, and they certainly had a number of coverage breakdowns, but considering the first two games, I can live with it.

Pitt over V.T. shocked me. Not because I think V.T. is a world beater this year, but they are a good team, and Pitt had played so poorly in it's first two games.

Utah St. did not surprise me. I actually picked them in my work football poll. I was actaually quite peeved they lost.

Stanford over USC was not a total suprise. Although I picked USC, I knew Stanford had a chance, especially playing at home. If I was suprised by anything it was Stanford's defense. I thought it would be a much higher scoring game.


UL Monroe was not a surprise. I thought they would give the Tigers a run for their money and maybe win. I also thought they might have a letdown after the Arkansas win and get run. The Sun Belt improves a little every year. Troy took Miss St. to the wire. W. Kentucky beat Kentucky. They may be "Nobodies" according to Doss, but they are improving nobodies.

Besides Cal, my biggest surprise is the performance of the WAC oveall. Utah St., La. Tech, and San Jose St. are playing quite well this year, and UTSA is 3-0, although they have yet to play anyone significant. Texas St. isn't bad either. I'm not sure where New Mexico St. is going, and Idaho is just plain bad this year, but...every conference needs a bottom feeder.

Bigelow is a player. Cal has lots of the same issues as Ohio State. Suspect backfield. Not great linebacker support.

[Eric]

I think four developing stories this year are UL Monroe, Louisiana Tech, Utah State, and Ohio. None of these programs have really been traditionally good but they can all compete for a spot in the top 25 this year. I think UL Monroe is the least likely since I don't think they can run the table and win the Sun Belt, but Utah State can easily beat BYU and Louisiana Tech and Ohio should win out until the MAC title game. Louisiana Tech has three tough tests ahead against Illinois, Virginia, and Texas A&M. It's way early to put them up as a BCS buster, but we'll have a better idea after this week when they face Illinois. Their offense looks like something to deal with.