Week 1 Postlude

I'm not sure if anyone else was under this impression, but I don't remember many opening weeks that were as hotly anticipated as this one. A commentator for the Boise State-Oregon game said that this was the latest the season had started since 1981, so that might have had something to do with it. But I think there was also just a general desire to get a new season started so that we could get out of a controversy-filled offseason and into something that everyone enjoys: actual games. And with the late start, and an unusually good opening slate of games, there wasn't even the tedious first weekend of blowouts and byes to get through. So let's talk about the merciful return of college football.

South Carolina over NC State

This game turned out to be exactly what was expected: a sloppy, penalty-filled game with a lot of missed opportunities by a pair of middling teams. I felt sorry for fans of both teams, because it must have been excrutiating to watch when you have a vested interest in a game like that. But on Thursday night, I didn't care how it looked, I was just happy to see college football again.

Boise State over Oregon

Did not see that one coming. I expected Oregon to pull out the win against the Broncos. Though I had some misgivings about Oregon over the long haul, I did not expect the Ducks to be so utterly lifeless in their opener. Boise State tends to win through excellent execution that makes up for any talent gap. On Thursday, I saw a team that was every bit as talented as Oregon. And they were executing their game much better than the Ducks. No wonder it went so badly for Oregon.

As for Blount's punch, I have a lot of opinions on that, but I'll keep most of them to myself. The Boise State player, Hout, obviously was not innocent in the matter, but that doesn't mean that he deserved to take a shot to the jaw. But had he not been cold-cocked, I doubt too many people would have worried about what he did or said.

Utah over Utah State

I don't know a whole lot about Moutain West football. But I do know that a tough win over Utah State, even if they are an in-state rival, is pretty embarrassing.

The ACC

Losing two games against FCS teams is not the way to show the nation that you've arrived. But, honestly, if either Florida State or Miami can put together a big year, then all will be forgiven. For the rest of the league, it's already, "Better luck next year."

Ohio State over Navy

I was at this game, and I had my misgivings about going for it on that fourth down. Taking the points in that situation was the correct call, since it would have put the Buckeyes up by three scores. However, it seems that Tressel wanted to find out what sort of team he had, and he gave them a learning opportunity. Whether or not it was the right call, Ohio State survived unscathed. I think they started looking ahead when they were up by 15 with 7 minutes to go, but they got their focus back enough to keep the win (which impresses me), even as they got some practice with playing four quarters of football. Which may pay dividends for them if can stretch the USC game into four quarters.

Iowa over Northern Iowa

I think Iowa was looking ahead to their game with Iowa State in week 2. Or at least I'm going to give the Hawkeyes the benefit of the doubt and say that.

BYU over Oklahoma

Now this one was a genuine shocker. Unfortunately, I was unable to see any of it. Not that I would complain all that much, I was unable to do so because I was hanging out with friends. But from all the reports I heard, it sounds like the Oklahoma offensive line was doing their quarterbacks no favors. That stinks for Sam Bradford, and it stinks for the rest of the Sooners, since they could really use a third-year starter to run the offense when they have all those new faces in it.

With this win BYU has announced their presence. However, they still have a lot of tough games ahead, including a game against Florida State in two weeks. They would do well to not get cocky; it was only the first game of 12. And it was against a school that may have more issues than anticipated.

Oklahoma State over Georgia

This was, for me, was even more of a shocker than BYU beating Oklahoma. Admittedly, I have a strange and inexplicable habit of overrating Georgia every year, but I think everyone was expecting them to put it to a Cowboys team that faced a big gap between it and the top 3 teams in its division last year. There is something very odd going on in the state of Oklahoma. Maybe T. Boone has finally gotten his beloved Cowboys over the hump. It's too early to see clearly, but a two-touchdown win over Georgia has me impressed with this team's talent and mettle.

On the other side of the field, Trindon Sturdivant injured his knee again. Don't tell me it's going to be another one of those years for Georgia.

Missouri over Illinois

You know, I at least expected Illinois to play hard and show up well against a Missouri team who is replacing everybody. Or at least everybody we've heard of in the last four years. It's looking like it will be a rough year in Champaign.

LSU over Washington

It seems that LSU may still have some work to do if they want to improve from last year. Steve Sarkisian may have made things better, but I'm going to doubt that the Huskies are top-25 material. Even a healthy Jake Locker doesn't instantly turn around the fortunes of an 0-12 team.

Alabama over Virginia Tech

Nothing surprising here, Virginia Tech doesn't play with much offense in any given year, and their defense was going to wear down eventually against Alabama. I was impressed that they hung in there against the Tide, however; they have some grit to them. Unfortunately, the ACC had another big loss on the big stage against the SEC, which knocks the Hokies and their conference down a couple more pegs in the public mind. Alabama looked rough, but that's going to happen when you open against a good team. I am suprised Alabama didn't blow it open late; I think Virginia Tech may be tougher than people will give them credit for.

Cincinnati over Rutgers

In retrospect, I should have remembered that this is Rutgers we are talking about. The Bearcats were pretty impressive, particularly on defense, so they are looking like the frontrunner for the Big East title. If nothing else, they are going to make it interesting for the rest.

Miami over Florida State

This game turned out almost how I expected, though both teams looked better than they did in their previous season-opening meetings. Unlike their previous season-opening meetings--and more like the long tradition of this rivalry--Florida State did something stupid at the end to lose the game. At least it wasn't the kicker taking the blame this time.

Honestly, the result of this game is not really going to affect either team that much. I didn't see anything in that game that affected my impressions of the two teams and their respective chances this season. It was a sloppy game with a lot of mistakes on both sides, and both teams have things to work on. Despite what many people are undoubtedly saying, it was a game that told us almost nothing about either team.