Week 3 Postlude

Miami over Georgia Tech

I was impressed with Miami in this game, they were firing on all cylinders throughout and Georgia Tech looked completely overmatched throughout. I figured the Hurricanes would struggle against the triple option, but it seems that they were prepared for everything that came their way. They knifed into the backfield routinely and were playing defense on the Georgia Tech side of the ball. And on offense, the Miami attack left Georgia Tech looking confused by what the heck was going on all around them. Though it didn't help that there was no pass rush to speak of by the Yellow Jackets, and even less indication that there would be anybody tackling a ballcarrier near the line of scrimmage. On both sides of the football, Miami (and Georgia Tech, in their own way) showed just how important it is for a team to control the line of scrimmage in a running offense.

Boise State over Fresno State

I had expected that Boise State would struggle against Fresno State, but the Broncos did not have much trouble with the Bulldogs. Fresno State had some fight in them, but they were far outclassed by Boise State. I think it is time to stop considering Boise State for the plucky underdog role. They are a legitimate team all on their own.

Florida State over BYU

While I expected Florida State to beat BYU, I did not expect them to do it in the way that they did it. I was anticipating a score in the 16-10 neighborhood. I did not expect the Seminoles to suddenly find an offensive identity and explode for 59 points against anybody.

Oregon over Utah

This one was less surprising. Let's face it, Utah was gutted by graduation. With the strength of the Mountain West Conference, they were not likely to go BCS bowling anyway.

Ohio State over Toledo

I would like to point out that this Ohio State team's defense is much more effective that I had reason to expect. They tackle much better than they have for a few years, and they are proving difficult to pass on. And I was struck by something that happened during the Toledo game that bears mentioning: While Toledo was running their no-huddle offense, Ohio State switched out their defensive line between plays. That may not seem like anything special, but it is rare that a team can be organized well enough to perform that maneuver against a no-huddle offense. That ability may prove important later in the season.

Another thing that bears mentioning is that, for all that talk about Ohio State not being able to win the big one, they have proven remarkable at winning the little ones through the Tressel years: those games that teams should win easily, but can sneak up and bite a team out of nowhere. They may have trouble winning big games, but they at least win the games that will get them to the big game in the first place. Which brings me to...

Washington over USC

Sigh. It's become such a common occurence that I am no longer surprised by it. In fact, Stewart Mandel of CNN/Sports Illustrated even correctly predicted that this was the game that the Trojans would drop. I am not willing to try to predict USC's annual loss, but I am not surprised when it happens. I get the feeling that the Trojans survive and thrive on emotion, but cannot survive without it. If they are jumping around and excited, they are dangerous. When it's a game against a fairly unremarkable opponent and there really isn't anything to get excited about... well, I think you get the idea.

I'm not sure what the make of USC this year. Their offense is pretty limited, and their defense is solid, but still looks out-of-sorts. I think they are playing dumbed-down schemes on both sides of the ball, what with their young quarterbacks and a rebuilt defense, so they are probably not going to be up to their usual standards. They are a danger to drop at least another game, especially with their limitations on offense, but I have tried to predict that before and failed badly. I would likewise not be surprised to see them win every game from here on.

Notre Dame over Michigan State

Michigan State, Michigan State, Michigan State................ why do you keep doing this to yourselves?

Texas over Texas Tech

This was a good win for Texas, and good practice for the rest of their season. They are going to have battles coming up and they needed a four-quarter fight against a good team. Texas Tech continues to impress, I doubt there are many teams that could hang with Texas for four quarters of football. But with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State both coming out of the gate slow this year, Texas Tech may yet be a threat in the Big XII South.

Florida over Tennessee

This game was noteworthy because the injuries that have been piling up have me concerned about the Gators in the long term. They have a lot of games left on the schedule and they need to get healthy if they want to survive them. Injury and influenza are working this team over big time; but it may yet prove fortunate that Florida didn't play anybody to start the season.

Georgia over Arkansas

Two straight shootouts and two straight wins for Georgia this year, which is exactly what nobody expected from Georgia this season. From what I saw (I'll admit it wasn't much, I fell asleep) Ryan Mallett looked to be as good as advertised. But if Georgia can continue to post big numbers on offense, they may be more dangerous than expected.

Auburn over West Virginia

Sorry, I didn't see it. What did I miss?

A glance at the score indicates to me that Auburn should at least go bowling this year, and West Virginia still has some work to do. It was pretty well expected that the Mountaineers would have some difficulties after losing Pat White, so this was unsurprising. But Auburn's status is still unclear. They seem to be better, but that may not matter much in a very difficult SEC West. Unfortunately, we didn't learn much about the future of either team from this game. Or at least I didn't, since I didn't see any of it.

Virginia Tech over Nebraska

In a very hard-fought game, Virginia Tech pulled out the big win. This tells me that Virginia Tech may be better than I had anticipated, and that Nebraska may not be as far along as I thought. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, the Hokies have been regulars in the rankings for several years, and Nebraska has been down for a while. Nebraska doesn't seem quite ready to be a player on the national stage, but I wouldn't be surprised if they have something surprising to say about the Big XII race this year. In what is no longer news, the Hokies may again be the team to beat in whichever division of the ACC they happen to be in. I think it's the one with Miami, isn't it?