Sep 19, 2008

Well, we’re three weeks into the 2008 college football season.

And what do we know? Well, not much. It’s still too early to know much of anything.

That being said, here’s what I think:

I think the Pac-10 is as bad as the ACC and Big East, so I think USC has a clear path to the BCS Championship game.

But I think we should all remember that USC lost to Stanford last year. So I think we should assume nothing.

I think Missouri’s Chase Daniel is the best quarterback in the country. I think Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford is one step behind. I don’t think I’d trade either of those guys for Tim Tebow.

I think the Big 12 is better than the SEC.

I think we’ll see Ohio State change the way it recruits offensive linemen. Starting now. The best O-lines in the country are nimble, quick, fast and mean. Ohio State’s is massive, soft and slow. And right now they’re not any good.

I think Penn State’s “Spread HD” offense is legit. You don’t score 55 points per game by accident, and I don’t care who you’re playing. That being said, I’ll reserve judgment on this team until I see how they do on the road at Purdue, or Iowa, or Ohio State, or Wisconsin.

I think Penn State will lose two of those games. I think you can’t lose six contributors on the defensive line, plug the holes with deep reserves and converted offensive linemen, and expect to stop a good running team.

I think Wake Forest and North Carolina are the best teams in the ACC.

I think there are only three teams playing lights-out football right now: USC, Missouri, Oklahoma. I think Georgia can join them if they put a hurtin’ on Arizona State this week. But to do so, they’re going to have to show me something on offense besides Knowshon Moreno.

I think Dave Wannstedt better beat Iowa this week or he’s in trouble.

I think Michigan fans are being shockingly patient with Rich Rodriguez.

I think Notre Dame will win 8 games this year. And the BCS will do everything in their power to find an excuse to stick the Irish in a BCS bowl game. Somehow, someway. Maybe they’ll change the rules. Again.

I think the house of cards that was the Rutgers Revival just fell down. Look for a steady stream of recruits to flee the Garden State.

I think Auburn being in the Top 10 is a joke.

I think Phil Fulmer will manage to save his job by beating one of the following: Alabama, Georgia, Florida.

I think if Syracuse officials want to save their football program, they have to do two things: 1. Hire UConn coach Randy Edsall; 2. Tear down that horrendous dome. Nobody wants to spend a beautiful fall day sitting inside an unairconditioned greenhouse that smells like urine.

I think Clemson has been a big disappointment.

I think East Carolina has been the kind of story that makes college football great.

I think we’ll know a lot more about college football 2008 after this weekend.

I think my above opinions may change. But for now, I think I’m right.

Out And About: News And Notes You May Have Missed

• Neil Rudel, managing editor of the Altoona Mirror in beautiful Altoona, Pa., has been covering Penn State football for decades. He’s a pretty sharp guy (I once freelanced a story for him in college; I handed in 20 inches of flowery prose, which he promptly cut to 10 inches of fact) and picks up on things around Penn State football that many others on the beat don’t. He did just that this week, when he wrote a very interesting column about Saint Joe Paterno’s latest health trouble—a “sore leg” that has so baldy hampered Paterno that the coach can’t run onto the field with his team, is having trouble standing through entire game days (against Oregon State, team doctor Wayne Sebastianelli was stationed next to Paterno for much of the second half) and, this week, had to skip practice because the pain was so great. Wrote Rudel of Paterno: “He's long taken pride in being able to run on and off the field, and he's often said when he couldn't or if he couldn't run around demonstrating at practice, he would consider retiring. This could be one of those sad signs that the end is indeed nearing.” Very insightful piece by Rudel.

• For some reason, I am enjoying writing about Pitt this year. They’re just so … Clemson. Minus the people in the stands. And this week, we are given yet another opportunity to wonder, as we wonder so often with the Tigers, whether or not the real Panthers will finally show up and win a damn game. Coach Dave Wannstedt and his team welcome the resurgent (relatively speaking) Iowa Hawkeyes this weekend, and one can just sense that the Panthers—losers to Bowling Green in Week 1—might pull off one of their patented upsets (or, possibly, completely and utterly collapse like they usually do on the national stage). This much, however, is certain: This game is a must-win for Wannstedt, who is squandering the once-strong support he enjoyed from the Pitt faithful. Even though, "he's a Pitt guy.” Said Pitt tight end Dorin Dickerson: "Iowa’s a Big Ten school, and they're 3-0. People think the Big Ten teams are bigger and stronger, and that's going to be a big test for us. But we'll see."

• How bad is the Pac-10? Well, it’s hard to tell. I mean, it is early and all. But here’s my guess: The Pac-10 is really bad. Just take a look at last week’s results: Cal loses to a Maryland team that lost the week before to Middle Tennessee State; UCLA loses a squeaker to BYU, 59-0; much-ballyhooed Arizona State blows a 10-point second half lead and loses to UNLV; and floundering Arizona loses to New Mexico. Ouch. Of course, in the wake of these kind of league-wide disasters—the Los Angeles Times called it, “Black Saturday”—you can always count on coaches of the league in question to rally to its defense. Except, apparently, in the Pac-10. Because when he was asked this week to defend his conference’s reputation, Cal coach Jeff “I Was Once A Candidate for Many Important Jobs, But Now I Will Remain Here in Berkeley” Tedford said: "There are a lot of good players and good coaches in our conference. But there are a lot of good players and good coaches in other conferences." That is the quote of the year.

Quick Hits: Straight And To The Point

• New Washington State coach Paul Wulff, whose team may actually be the worst in Division I football, borrowed a line from soon-not-to-be Syracuse coach Greg Robinson this week, telling reporters: “When I arrived on campus, no, I did not realize where we were at. As we have gotten closer into the season, I've realized we have a long way to go." In other words: “We suck, but that’s not my fault.”

• Speaking of Wazzou: The Division I football schools of the state of Washington are a combined 0-5.

• I am not a gambler. In fact I have never once gambled on a sporting event. I watch for the pure enjoyment of sport. However, if I were a gambler, I might take note of the Boise State-Oregon game this week. Because Oregon, who lost quarterback Justin Roper to injury last week, is now down to their third-string quarterback. Starter Nate Costa was lost earlier in the year.

• For all y’all who don’t typically watch Big Ten football—either out of outright prejudice, or because you’re still bitter over the War of Northern Aggression, or because you’re watching Jefferson-Pilot Sports—I would encourage you to tune in this week and watch Michigan State vs. Notre Dame, if only to watch Spartans tailback Javon Ringer in action. One of the most underappreciated players in the country.

• Auburn stinks. They are ranked in the Top 10, yes, but they stink. They scored three points last week against Mississippi State. This is in partly because Tommy Tuberville for some reason decided he wanted to install a “spread offense” On The Plains and he didn’t have the personnel to pull it off, but its mostly because Auburn’s offensive players stink. The Tigers are currently last in the SEC in red-zone efficiency. In other words, they stink. Said Offensive Coordinator Tony Franklin: "I've never been bad in the red zone before. More than likely, it's two things. One is mistakes. Two is me. I've not done a good job in the red zone.” Actually, I think Franklin is wrong. The problem is that Auburn stinks.

• The best quarterback in the country is not Tim Tebow. The best quarterback in the country is not Mark Sanchez. And no matter what Glen Mason says, the best quarterback in the country is most definitely not Terrelle Pryor (though he will be, eventually). No, the best quarterback in the country is Chase Daniel, the Missouri star who last week threw for 405 yards in a win over Nevada and broke the school’s all-time passing record. In his career, Daniel has now thrown for … 9,153 yards. I mean, seriously?

• Speaking of Daniel: According to the St. Louis Post-Disptach, the quarterback’s stat line over his past two games is as follows: 39 of 45 passes; 650 yards; seven touchdowns; zero interceptions. And though I don’t know what those passer rating numbers mean, I am guessing that Daniel’s is really good. Because it is 259.33.