College Football's First Week

College Football’s First Week
by Big Al McMordie

So who’s No. 1? All right, so it’s still VERY early in the college football calendar, but after the first full weekend of college games, folks have been wondering if it’s a wide-open race for the national crown this season. That's because we witnessed some mediocre play by several of the projected top teams.

Oklahoma’s pass defense didn’t look sharp, as the Sooners gave up 24 points and 218 passing yards to Bowling Green. Last year’s champion, LSU, needed to pull a rabbit out of the hat to avoid a loss at home to Oregon State in the opener. They looked out of sync all game and survived in OT only because Oregon State missed three extra points. But I didn't mind, as Oregon State was a big play for me. And don’t forget USC a week ago, which trailed 10-7 at the half to Virginia Tech before rallying to win 24-13 (with the help of a bad officiating cal). All three of those teams failed to cover, too.

Still, USC is the team to beat. Virginia Tech was one of the few tough blips on the radar screen for the Trojans. Most of their remaining schedule is relatively easy. Based on the way Oregon State played against LSU, the toughest test for USC is going to be October 30-November 6 when the Trojans play back to back road games at Washington State and at Oregon State. Unless Cal can pull another stunner (at USC on October 9), we can get used to the Trojans being No. 1 at least through Halloween. Remember, the Pac 10 doesn’t have a playoff round after the regular season to determine its champion, like the Big 12 and SEC Conferences. By the way, USC toyed with Washington State and Oregon State last season by 43-16 and 52-28 scores.

Come November, Oklahoma will have already faced two tough opponents -- Texas on October 9 (in Dallas) and at Kansas State the following week. The Sooners and Bob Stoops have absolutely owned Mack Brown and Texas the last few years, but two things to keep in mind are that Texas has a weapon in mobile sophomore QB Vince Young this season, and they also have new co-defensive coordinators. One of them is Greg Robinson, who preaches an aggressive, attacking style. Last week, my biggest play was on Texas, and the Longhorns completely stuffed a very strong North Texas running game, and held RB Patrick Cobbs to minus-yardage on eight carries. Cobbs led the NCAA in rushing last season, so it will be interesting to see how the new-look Texas defense performs before facing Oklahoma. Texas has been a good Over play in recent years (7 Overs, 3 Unders last season), but will a potentially improved defense mean they are better worth an Under look?

LSU looked out of sorts against Oregon State. The Tigers still have to play road games at Georgia, Florida and Arkansas as they attempt to defend their title. And that doesn’t include the SEC title game. One thing in LSU’s favor, however, is their defense, which was the cornerstone of their national championship run. Last week, Oregon State ran for just 84 yards, 2.7 yards per carry against the Tigers’ defense.

A talented Georgia team also has a very competitive SEC schedule, with home games against LSU and Tennessee, and road games against Arkansas, Auburn and South Carolina (the latter this weekend). So while it’s only Labor Day, the road to the national championship still appears to be USC’s to lose. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. And don't miss my big football games this weekend. Last week, I hit all my top plays, including my strongest game: Texas over North Texas, a 65-0 Blowout Winner.

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