5 Things We've Learned--Week 4

1) The Big East is absolutely horrible and doesn't deserve a BCS bid

So much of the media focus is on the ACC and their struggles, but the real problem of the AQ (auto-qualifying conferences) is the Big East. Comparatively, the ACC is a powerhouse. In the ACC, FSU seems to have rebounded nicely from the shellacking received from OU in Norman, VT is bouncing back from the JMU fiasco, NC State is a surprising 4-0, UNC would be good if their whole team was on the field rather than in prison, Miami came out and wiped Pitt out on the road after losing to OSU, the stories go on and on.

Now, the Big East on the other hand is a total mess. UConn was destroyed in the Big House, WVU struggled to beat Marshall in OT, and Cincy fought OU but lost just the same (and they lost to Fresno as well). The marquee conference win up to this point is the stunner of WVU over Maryland.

Here are the numbers and they speak for themselves (and will get the non-AQ conferences in an absolute uproar).
Big East vs. teams from automatic qualifying conferences: 1-10
Big East vs. FBS (Div 1-A) teams: 6-13
And the one bright spot:
Big East vs. FCS (Div 1-AA) teams: 9-0 (Yay! They might win the lower division!)
It's unbelieveable how bad they are and no one says anything.

To get the blood boiling more, think about this, one of these teams (Syracuse, WVU, Rutgers, USF, UConn, Louisville, Pitt, or Cincy) will be in a BCS bowl while at least one (usually 2) from each group of 3 will be left out: OSU, Wisc, Iowa; Stanford, Oregon, Arizona; OU, Texas, Nebraska; Florida, Alabama, Auburn. A playoff isn't needed to 'fix' the BCS, but perhaps it's time to trim the fluff.

2) Alabama and OSU are really good

As a student at THE Ohio State University, I'm a little biased but you can see from my grades of OSU that I'm very critical. OSU absolutely demolished every team this year (Miami was close for about a half--and yes I realize the other opponents were terrible) and their only weaknesses readily apparent are special teams and a consistant running game (but our QB scramble game makes it tough for any defense).

Alabama has cruised until the scare this week against Arkansas but was there really any doubt? As the scores flashed on the video board in Columbus and a cheer went up, I was very stoic, urging caution. I fully expected a team with Bama's weapons would come back. Arkansas is a very good team, but they just don't match up enough on defense to stop the Tide. As the game progressed, my caution appeared warranted (don't get me wrong, I'd like them to lose...but I really don't want Boise to get a shot because it's not right). I expect the problems of the Tide were fixed at halftime with Nick Saban threatening to kill puppies if his defense didn't wake up and hit someone. It obviously worked and now they sit undefeated with another big one this week.

3) The difference between the mid-majors and the BCS conferences (in general) is depth

My crazy, off-the-wall upset pick last week had Bernard Pierce and the Temple Owls defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions in Happy Valley. As the first half progressed, I was feeling pretty darn good about it as the scores kept flashing up in Ohio Stadium with Temple TDs vs. PSU FGs. After halftime, I noticed the Temple points completely dried up which left me wondering how a promising pick went awry.

While watching College Gameday Final (and their absolutely horrid Few Good Men parody), I discovered the flaw in my pick: it hinged on Pierce playing the whole game. It appeared Al Golden's Owl defense stifled the Lions and continually held them to FGs while Pierce run wild, but the injury bug bit around halftime and the dreams of upset died there. Without Pierce, Temple couldn't move the ball and were forced into a subpar passing game which flip field and led to turnovers.

In most BCS conferences, when 'the guy' goes down, there's someone ready in the wings to take the reins and give it a shot, but at Temple (and most other little schools) there's just a huge drop between the starters and the backups. Don't get me wrong, if OSU lost Pryor, we'd pretty much be screwed, but if Herron or Saine twisted an ankle, there are always Hall and Berry capable of moving the ball. Look at Bama. They lost a Heisman winning RB to injury and Trent Richardson smoked the competition in his absence. One guy makes a HUGE difference in the upset bids and midmajor conference races.

4) Just playing a BCS conference opponent doesn't make the game tougher

Many people jumped all over the Boise/Oregon State game as the big hurdle for Boise. Gameday was there and praise was heaped on the Beavers as a worthy opponent. If Boise could clear this evil BCS foe, they'd be ready. Here's a secret, Oregon State is really overrated. The Rodgers brothers are nice, but the quarterback is trash and the defense is a sieve. Boise's win over VT was a quality win and it will be shown as the season progresses and VT remembers they don't suck, but the Oregon State win will mean less and less as time goes on. The Pac 10 is full of midlevel talent teams and a few who have looked excellent so far (Stanford, Oregon, Arizona to a lesser extent). I wouldn't be surprised is Oregon State finishes in the lower half of the conference.

Another example is jumping on OSU for playing Ohio and EMU. Editor's note: These teams don't just suck, they're black holes of suck. I realize this. What everyone is forgetting is that every team has these garbage opponents. A lot of praise was heaped on Bama and Mark Ingram for destroying a BCS opponent in week 3. It was Duke. The Blue Devils would struggle with these crap MAC teams. Look at the team, not the conference. Realize that there are quality non-AQ teams (Boise, TCU, Utah, AF, Nevada) and suck BCS teams (Purdue, Minn, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Duke, Wake, Kansas, Baylor, Washington State, UCLA--oops sorry Texas, the whole Big East) .

5) Oklahoma is the most confusing team ever

Look at the results:
Week 1: Squeak by Utah State (bad)
Week 2: Slaughter FSU
Week 3: Defeat AF by a score and get destroyed on the ground
Week 4: Survive a bad Cincinnati team on the road

Which team will we see this week? The destruction of my Noles is a quality win and beating AF no matter the score is a good thing, but Cincinnati and Utah State should have been demolished by this same team. Consistency is usually needed to win the title and Oklahoma is certainly not showing it now. Granted, it matters not how the games are won, but I would certainly not be stunned if OU drops a game that it shouldn't later this year. I expect them to blow out the Longhorns in Dallas, but watch for a let down game shortly thereafter. Remember Arizona's handling of Iowa to be follwed by a last sec TD to beat Cal (bad) 10-9?

Bonus---aka I forgot this last week
Big Ten (and in fact most of NCAA) has awful special teams

Ohio State, the marquee, thus far has had 1 punt returned, 2 kicks returned (1 called back), a blocked FG returned for TD, and a blocked punt along with mediocre to bad return/coverage teams. Wisconsin had 2.9999 kicks returned for TDs against them against ASU which would have cost them the game had the returner gotten 1 more yard before halftime. Iowa lost to Arizona following myriad special teams blunders including a blocked punt. Michigan survived the UMass scare following a blocked punt. Leaving the conference, Cincy might have pulled a monster upset had they not fumbled a punt inside the 20. This is a serious issue on which many coaches need to focus more effort. Very surprising that Tressel's mantra of field position and special teams appears to be falling on deaf ears.

2010 Week 2--National Championships anyone?

After last week whet your whistle for college football, time to jump right in to the main course. This early week features an astounding FOUR national championship rematches--and it's only week 2! So many great games this week, it's hard to figure out where to turn your attention. We missed week 1, but there was nothing going on last week so let's get to work.

Penn State @ Alabama:

Gomer: As my career as a music educator has really become all-encompassing, I feel it necessary to let everyone know that I don't keep track of as many pre-season things as I used to. Be that as it may, those who know me, know that I always have an opinion to share about a sporting event. All that said, PSU just doesn't strike fear into anyone's hearts... well except maybe Jim Tressel's when the 'Nits come to Ohio Stadium at night... But seriously, PeeSU doesn't stand much of a chance in this one. The Tide could be missing their entire first string, and still beat the Lions. As much as I'd like to see the Big Ten pull an upset, not gonna happen. PSU: 9 Bama: 37

Chief: The bluebloods meet in Tuscaloosa in a rematch of the 1979 Sugar Bowl goalline stand. Unfortunately for those in Happy Valley, I don't envision this being much of a battle. PSU has a true freshman at QB for the first time in the program's history...and Bama is not exactly a simple test. The defending champions should make easy work of the Lions with the Nick Saban defense and the bevy of backs. Royster gets some yards for the Blue and White, but not nearly enough. PSU: 13 Bama: 31

Michigan @ Notre Dame:

Gomer: The game in which no one should be able to win. I hate Michigan. I HATE Notre Dame. Maybe it's former coach, wise-ass Charlie Weiss and the golden boy (aka overrate) Brady Quinn/Jimmy Clausen/insert big-name recruit here. Michigan shouldn't have a problem moving the ball against ND, but ND shouldn't have a problem moving the ball against Michigan. This is one of the few days of the year where I will gladly tell any "friend" who cheers for Michigan, "GO BLUE!" UM: 39 ND: 33

Chief: The battle of the programs that "are back"...but not really. Michigan is led by dynamic QB Denard Robinson who had a field day running the ball in week 1 vs. UConn, and I was actually surprised by the lack of offense in the ND opener vs. Purdue. Even with the week 1 performances, I don't think either of these programs are ready to go to the next level. Robinson will run, but the Irish will score (Michigan capitalized on too many turnovers last week). Too many blows will knock Denard out of a key late series in which the Irish will hold at home to take the game. Mich: 24--ND: 27

Florida State @ Oklahoma:

Gomer: Florida State is in a position to really disappoint it's fans. OU looked awful against Utah State and the Seminoles looked sharp against SAMFORD. Not really sure what to expect, I think Oklahoma's program is in better shape than FSU's, and well, Bob Stoops can do some weird stuff from time-to-time. FSU: 24 OU: 31

Chief: 2000 National Championship remix (OU 13-2). Going into the year, I felt this was a sure loss due to the historic performance of Oklahoma in Norman, but the defensive embarassment last week gives me great hope. Christian Ponder was spectacular last week (granted against Samford) and is probably the best QB no one is talking about (outside Heisman shot?). The Sooner defense struggled against a horrible USU team but the Noles got a little swagger to start out the Jimbo era in Tallahassee. I'm going with the upset with a late Ponder TD scramble to end the Sooner championship hopes! FSU: 38--OU: 34

Georgia @ South Carolina:

Gomer: SEC SEC SEC SEC.... blahhhhh. Neither of these teams will make it to the BCS National Championship game, but that doesn't mean it won't be interesting. Spurrier is trying to show he knows how to coach an offense somewhere other than with Florida, and Richt is busy adopting kids. 'Cocks find a way to win. UGA: 13 USC: 37

Chief: Spurrier got the hopes of Cocky nation up last week with an impressive week 1 win over Southern Miss and Georgia comes in with a bit of disappointment with the loss of stellar wide out AJ Green. With Spurrier, the focus is always on the offense, but the defense at South Carolina was a major bright spot last year. This is a huge game in the SEC East that no one is looking at. The Years of the Gators are coming to an end. Who will pick up the reins? GO COCKS with the home field advantage. UGA: 20--USC: 24

Miami @ Ohio State:

Gomer: 2,808 days... wow. That's how long it's been since Ohio State won it's most recent national championship over the unbeatable Miami Hurricanes. It's been beaten like a dead horse, but this game isn't about what happen that glorious day in the desert, when I was a week freshman in college, but it's about how the fans of both teams perceived the win. For the Buckeyes it was a sigh of relief and the sign of an exciting era of OSU football. For the 'Canes, it was the sign of the "end times" for their program as they have been on a downward spiral for years. Randy Shannon is the right coach for Miami, but he hasn't had enough time to build and give Tressel's crew his best shot. 'Da U': 13 OSU: 38

Chief: 2002 National Championship--THERE'S A FLAG!! (OSU: 31--UM: 24/2OT). The two national powers collide for the first time since the epic battle in the desert in 02. Since that year, the Buckeyes have maintained a level of excellence (6 BCS bowls, 6 Big Ten titles, 1 Heisman winner) and the Canes...not so much (1 BCS bowl, 1 Big East title, 0 Heismans). Jacory Harris leads the high powered offense of the Canes but he's been very suspect at times. Star running back Cooper is probably out for the clash in the Shoe (another blow). Both D-Lines are stacked, but Miami's secondary is not as experienced. The Silver Bullet defense came out firing on all cylinders last week (albeit, against Marshall) but were really laying the wood. The offense was spectacular with the Brandon Saine explosive running game opening up a bevy of options for dual-threat QB Terrelle Pryor. I was surprised the line on the game was so high, but I still think the Bucks cover in the craziness of the Shoe. GO BUCKS! 'The U': 17--OSU: 27

Other Picks

Illinois St @ NW Gomer: NW Chief: NW

South Dakota @ Minn Gomer: Minn Chief: Minn

West. Ill. @ Purdue Gomer: Purdue Chief: Purdue

Iowa St. @ Iowa Gomer: Iowa Chief: Iowa

BYU @ AF Gomer: BYU Chief: BYU

Oregon @ Tenn Gomer: Oregon Chief: Oregon

Toledo @ Ohio Gomer: Ohio Chief: Ohio

SIU @ Ill Gomer: SIU Chief: Ill

Stanford @ UCLA Gomer: UCLA Chief: Stan