Some Notes on Football

Well, with the exception of the Boise State - Virginia Tech game that is in progress as of this writing, Week One of College Football is in the books. Seems then a good time to review the high and low points for each conference.

Big East:

High Point - Syracuse and South Florida win... big. South Florida's next game is Florida, which will be a big test for them. Syracuse probably won't be all that great for the rest of the year, but it only takes 6 wins to reach a bowl game.

Low Point - UConn and Pitt both lose. These are the flagship programs of this conference. UConn has been a program on the rise, but they ran into a revitalized Michigan squad Saturday. Pitt faltered on Thursday, setting a tone for this conference. By the way, Pitt was the #15 team in the nation. They lost to an unranked.

ACC:

High Point - Florida State comes out of the gate in a big way for Jimbo Fisher. All in all, so far, the ACC teams that should win have won.

Low Point - It could be argued that the low point is occurring as I type this, since VaTech has already given up 10 points to Boise, and the Broncos are driving yet again. But so far the low point is UNC, who lost multiple starters to suspension just before the game with LSU.

Big XII:

High Point - Oklahoma State swarmed out of the gate, demolishing poor Washington State 65-17.

Low Point - Kind of a dual low point for the conference. Oklahoma won, but they played very poorly, beating Utah State 31-24. The lowest point so far is the fact that North Dakota State took down Kansas 6-3.

Big Ten:

High Point - Michigan steamrolled UConn 30-10. The Wolverines were rededicating the Big House, and thi was a great way to do so.

Low Point - Illinois built a lead against Missouri that they were not able to hold. The Tigers came back in the second half to disappoint the Illini.

PAC-10:

High Point - Oregon's 72-point victory over New Mexico. The Ducks look like the team to beat in a top-heavy PAC-10.

Low Point - USC coming within a hair's width of losing to Hawaii. The Trojans, stifled under a two-year bowl ban, are playing for pride.

SEC:

High Point - This will definitely sound like a cheer for the home team, but Georgia played a great game in dismantling Louisiana-Lafayette 55-7. The new 3-4 Defense that Todd Grantham installed played great all day, Aaron Murray rocked at QB, as did back-up freshman Hutson Mason. And the kick coverage problems I worried about early in the game sorted themselves out.

Low Point - There are three low points for the SEC, sadly. These are not ranked in any particular order.

1. Florida's offense never once found a rhythm against Miami of Ohio. The Gators won, but it was not pretty.

2. LSU might have beat UNC, but they played a very sloppy game.

3. Lowest of all, though, is Ole Miss. The Rebels dropped a double overtime game 49-48... to Jacksonville State. Shame.