By Nostradamus. Week 4 of the 2008 College Football season is in the books. So what did we learn?
The big and bad SEC and Big 12 just aren't that big and bad. Some elite teams have found some chinks in their armour, and the Pac 10 took another Joe Frazier left hook right on the chin. It is also time to give the defending National Champions their due respect.
SEC: You can talk about how big and bad the SEC is all you want. However, this year, when it really comes down to it, they aren't that much different from anybody else. LSU, Georgia, Florida, Auburn, and Alabama are good. The rest of the conference is average to poor at best. Arkansas and Mississippi State are downright awful, and South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Kentucky don't scare anybody. Tell me all you want about how tough the SEC is from top to bottom. It's falling on deaf ears right now. The SEC has a top, no middle, and a lot of bottom. That's a nice setup if you are a Playboy model, but not good if you proclaim yourself as the best conference in all the land.
Big 12: Just like the SEC, the Big 12 is top-heavy. Take away Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, and
Texas Tech and this conference is rather mediocre. Baylor and Iowa State are making huge strides, but Texas A&M and Kansas State's struggles more than make up for their improvements. Colorado beat West Virginia, but that team is so poorly coached right now, it's hard to call that a great win and Kansas is good, but far from great. Nebraska is a ways away yet, and Oklahoma State still doesn't have a defense that can stop a local high school team on a regular basis. The conference is getting better, but it hasn't exactly lived up to the hype and billing that everyone is giving it credit for right now.
Florida: Don't let the 30-6 final fool you. The Gators struggled immensely to move the ball on offense, and are still struggling to move the ball on the ground. And this was against an average SEC defense. Take away a scintillating punt return by Brandon James and two Vols turnovers on the Gator goal line and this game has a very different look and feel about it. Their defense is also a far cry from the furious ones that play at LSU, Auburn, Georgia, and Alabama. If the Gators can't find a way to rev up their mighty offensive engine, then they will not beat LSU or Georgia. The Gators are no longer my favorite to come out of the SEC. In fact, there may well be four teams in the SEC better than them right now.
Missouri: Missouri was never in any real danger against Buffalo. Nevertheless, their mental lapses and mistakes are looking like they may be this team's Achilles’ heel. Putting the ball on the carpet three times and giving up a kickoff return for a touchdown are not the things that 'elite' teams do. Chase Daniel and the offense have been simply dominant, but if they can't shore up these mental mishaps, then a tougher team will step up and bite them. Time to concentrate on the little things Tigers, and strive for perfection. You don't have the dominant defense to fall back upon like other elite teams.
Pac 10: For the second week in a row the Pac 10 takes it on the chin. Oregon gave up 386 yards passing and 37 points to Boise State in a loss at home, and Arizona State didn't even belong on the same field as Georgia last night. It is tough to see anybody that can compete with USC in the Pac 10 this year. Maybe Arizona at home at night? Hard to see Oregon, California, or Arizona State rolling into the Coliseum and giving the Trojans any kind of a test. When the season started, USC's schedule looked very formidable. 4 weeks into the season, and it looks like one of the easiest of all the contenders.
LSU: Time to give these Tigers their due. They had a couple of mental breakdowns in their secondary, gave up an interception return for a touchdown, and still found a way to pull out a victory on the road in a hostile environment. The Tigers offensive and defensive lines are the best duo in the country. Charles Scott is a beast of a RB, and don't look now, but they also may have found a QB in Jarret Lee. Right now, the Tigers are my team to beat in the SEC and the scariest part is that they will keep getting better as the season progresses. When all is said and done, we may get our USC vs. LSU matchup in this year's National Championship game.
Vanderbilt: Looking for an early season favorite for Coach of the Year? Then look no further than Bobby Johnson at Vanderbilt. The Commodores are off to a 4-0 start and have 2 SEC wins on their ledger already. Using nothing more than Chris Nickson and a bunch of smoke and mirrors, Bobby Johnson has the least talented bunch in the entire conference sitting atop the SEC East standings. At least for now he does.
Alabama: Whether you like him or not, Nick Saban is a great College Football coach. The Tide is riding high at 4-0 and with a game next week @ Georgia we will get to see if these guys are contenders. Don't be surprised if they pull off the upset in that one and vault into the top five.
Wake Forest: Time to eat some crow. In the preseason, I didn't give the Demon Deacons much of a chance of being ACC Conference Champions. Four short weeks into the season, and they look like the favorites. One truly has to appreciate the coaching efforts done by Jim Grobe and his staff. Against Florida State they lined up inferior athletes at virtually every position. They then proceeded to show what coaching and team play is all about. While the 'Noles were busy strutting their normal swagger and smack talk, the Deacons used the heady play of veteran signal caller Riley Skinner and an underappreciated defense to put the Seminoles in their place for the 3rd straight year.
Florida State: Dadgummit. It is looking more and more apparent that the game of College Football has passed by Bobby Bowden and his coaching staff. Time for the 'Noles to start making their move towards a different future. Then again, for a fan base that can't pack a stadium for a nationally televised game featuring two ranked and undefeated teams, I just don't have much sympathy for them. The strutting and smack-talk that is the constant of this team is getting old. Especially when they don't produce much on the field.
Penn State: Are the Nit's for real? Right now, they look like it. Daryll Clark is playing some pretty good football in the new spread attack that Joe Pa has unveiled this year in Happy Valley, and the defense has been pretty solid as well. Games against Illinois, @ Purdue, and @ Wisconsin will tell us a lot about this team in the upcoming weeks, but as of this moment the Lions look like they have a lot of fight in them this year
Minnesota: Don't look now, but the Golden Gophers are off to a 4-0 start under Tim Brewster in his 2nd season as head coach in Minneapolis. The defense is vastly improved, and Adam Weber is a gritty and heady signal caller with a few weapons around him. This is easily one of the most improved teams in the entire country, and they look like they will have some say in who comes out on top in the Big 10 this year.
CONTENDERS: The list didn't change much this week, but the Gators are on notice and I have added Penn State to the mix for now. As I see it, these are the teams that look like they have legitimate National Title hopes in line:
USC, Oklahoma, Missouri, LSU, Georgia, Florida, and Penn State. Those that are on the fence: BYU, Wisconsin, Alabama, Texas, and South Florida.
That was week 4 as seen through my eyes.
As always, best of luck to you and yours, and good luck to your squad for the rest of the season.
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