Week 5 Recap

Week 5 finally brought the upsets and craziness that was expected of this season. Whether this is a precursor to another season like last year, or just an aberration remains to be seen.

Here are some of the top stories from week 5.


Ranked Teams Losing


Nine teams ranked in the top 25 lost this week. Some were amazing upsets, and some were outcomes we expected. Here's the nine ranked schools that lost.

• No. 1 USC - The Trojans once again choked against a non-ranked PAC-10 team that has no where near the talent as Pete Carroll's bunch. This year it was Oregon St.'s turn. The Beavers pulled off the stunning upset on Thursday night, forcing me to stay up and watch. Man was I dragging ass the next day at work.
• No. 3 Georgia - The Dawgs did the unthinkable and lost during one of their black-out games. 'Bama has it's fans all riled up and clamoring about a national title. I thought it was nearly impossible for the Bulldogs to lose a "black-out" game.
• No 4. Florida - Lets' move on.
• No. 9 Wisconsin - The Badgers squandered a huge lead in the Big House. RichRod's bunch may have got the win they were looking for.
• No. 16 Wake Forest - Frankly, I'm more surprised that Wake lost to Navy than I am about USC losing to Oregon St. I didn't think the Midshipmen had a chance to stay on the field with the Demon Deacons. I guess that just shows the real power of the ACC.
• No. 20 Clemson - Speaking of ACC power. The Tigers pulled a Clemson and were upset by Maryland.
• No. 23 East Carolina - The Pirates are no longer the feel good story of the year. That's back-to-back losses after their 3-0 start.
• No. 24 TCU - I hope the Horned Frogs enjoyed their stay in the top 25. We all knew TCU was over matched vs. Oklahoma.

The SEC West is GOOOOODDD!!!!


If the SEC is the best conference in the country, than the SEC West is easily the best division in the nation. Coming into the season, the East took all the headlines. Now it seems, the West has the goods in the conference. Alabama obliterated Georgia and are currently ranked number 2 in the nation. Ole Miss pulled off the stunning upset of Florida at the Swamp. LSU is ranked third in the nation. And Auburn, ranked 13th nationally, beat Tennessee. The Vols aren't that good, but they're still an SEC East team. There's still plenty of football to play and I still believe an SEC East team will win the conference. However, right now the West is the best.




Still Unbeaten



There are still 18 teams in the nation with dreams of that perfect season. Some have better chances than others of coming closer to accomplishing that feat. Here are the 18 teams that are still playing perfect football.

1. Alabama 5-0
2. Ball St. 5-0
3. Boise St. 3-0
4. BYU 4-0
5. Connecticut 5-0
6. Kentucky 4-0
7. LSU 4-0
8. Missouri 4-0
9. Northwestern 5-0
10. Penn St. 5-0
11. Oklahoma 4-0
12. Oklahoma St. 4-0
13. South Florida 5-0
14. Texas 4-0
15. Texas Tech 4-0
16. Tulsa 4-0
17. Utah 5-0
18. Vanderbilt 4-0
    

Weekly Picks

Last Week - 43-11

Overall - 161-33


For some reason it seems like I missed a lot more than 11 games this past week. I guess my awesomeness is hard to fathom even for myself. If it wasn't for the PAC-10, most notably Arizona, Arizona St. ad California, I might have had back-to-back weeks of single digit misses.

I have to make my picks early this week because their is a monster showdown on Wednesday.

As I did last week, I will highlight my pick.

Kansas St. @ Louisville (This is the momentous game I spoke of on Wednesday.)
West Virginia @ Colorado (I think Dan Hawkins will have his bunch ready to play some division 1 football.)
Baylor @ Connecticut
Troy @ Ohio St. (Just barely.)
East Carolina @ North Carolina St. (The dream season continues.)
Temple @ Penn St.
Mississippi St. @ Georgia Tech
Ohio @ Northwestern
Florida Atlantic @ Minnesota (For the second straight season.)
Iowa @ Pittsburgh
Central Michigan @ Purdue
Alabama @ Arkansas ('Bama wins the Douchebag Bowl.)
South Carolina St. @ Clemson
UCF @ Boston College
Eastern Michigan @ Maryland
Akron @ Army
Buffalo @ Missouri
Wyoming @ BYU
Arizona @ UCLA
Indiana St. @ Northern Illinois (Jerry Kill's first win as a Husky.)
UL-Monroe @ Tulane
Florida @ Tennessee (It will be closer than last year....But not by much.)
Boise St. @ Oregon (I like Boise St., but not enough.)
Houston @ Colorado St.
Notre Dame @ Michigan St.
Virginia Tech @ North Carolina
Northeastern @ Syracuse ( I know I said I'd never pick the Orange again, but I'm giving them one more chance.)
Miami(FL) @ Texas A&M
Rutgers @ Navy
Marshall @ Southern Miss
Utah @ Air Force
Alabama St. @ UAB
Idaho @ Utah St. (Quite possibly the worst game of all-time.)
South Florida @ Florida International
Rice @ Texas
Massachusetts @ Texas Tech
Wake Forest @ Florida St.
Sam Houston St. @ Kansas
Ball St. @ Indiana (Nate Davis to Dante Love all game long.)
Murray St. @ Western Kentucky
Vanderbilt @ Ole Miss
Portland St. @ Washington St.
Kent St. @ UL-Lafayette
Middle Tennessee @ Arkansas St.
SE Louisiana @ Louisiana Tech
Wofford @ South Carolina
Tennessee Tech @ Western Michigan
New Mexico @ Tulsa
Miami(OH) @ Cincinnati
LSU @ Auburn (The game of the week.)
Georgia @ Arizona St.
Nicholls St. @ Memphis
TCU @ SMU
Fresno St. @ Toledo
San Jose St. @ Stanford
Iowa St. @ UNLV
New Mexico St. @ UTEP


Upset Alert: UNLV has a real good chance to take down it's second straight BCS opponent when they host Iowa St. Portland St. will give Wazzo all they can handle as well. Also, it might not be considered an upset, but Florida St. will be playing for all kinds of respect when they host Wake Forest on Saturday, Of course, the 'Noles probably don't care too much about respect anyway.

Thursday Recap

Thursday officially marked the first day of the college football season. It also marked the first of many fights I will have with my wife over the viewing of said college football. She's got to understand there's a certain order for my priorities in life right now:

1. Me.
2. College Football
3. My entertainment
4. Family.

That seems about right. How could she get mad at me? Anyway, here's a brief recap on the happenings around college football Thursday night.

ESPN showcased the North Carolina St. v. South Carolina match-up. The Gators weren't involved in this one but it sure seemed like it. UF references were made throughout the game with the OBC on the Cock sideline, Jesse Palmer in the booth and Erin Andrews reporting. In case you were in a comma last night, Palmer played QB for Spurrier at Florida. Chris Fowler must have mentioned that fact 40 times. Also, all the references to Palmer being on the Bachelor are very unnecessary.

The actual game was a complete douche fest. SC QB Tommy Beecher threw four picks and the OBC never once slammed his visor! What kind of shit is that? Also, the refs are taking this whole new celebration rule enforcement thing a little too seriously. I mean, giving a guy a penalty because he's doing push-ups after missing an int? That's a little ridiculous.

It's safe to say Jim Harbaugh has done a tremendous job of getting the Stanford Cardinal back to being competitive. Stanford pulled off a mild upset by defeating the Oregon St. Beavers late last night. The Cardinal have a RB named Toby Gerhart that is the real deal. This guy is big and has deceptive speed. The way he broke through Beaver tackles made you think Ron Zook was the OSU coach.

Both of the Miamis were in action last night. Miami(FL) wooped up on Charleston Southern behind QB Jacory Harris. Miami(OH) faltered at home against the almighty Vanderbilt Commodores. By the way, Vandy CB D.J. Moore is a legitimate All-American candidate. I would like to hear any of his doubters now.

Wake Forest got their first ever victory in the state of Texas by knocking off Baylor. Wake is a dark horse national title contender this season. If Riley Skinner can keep producing, the Deacs are capable of running through the weak ACC. Baylor dual threat QB Robert Griffin II was very impressive running the ball. Passing.....not so much.

Eastern Michigan won! That almost never happens.

Cincinnati and Connecticut both looked rather impressive while beating up on 1-aa teams. I think Cincinnati will surprise some people this year. Brian Kelly is a vastly underrated coach. Kelly's old team, Central Michigan, also got a win last night. Let the Dan LeFevour Heisman hype begin!

ESPN probably has the worst pre-game/halftime show crew ever. I love Lou Holtz, but these horrible gimmicks they make him do are ridiculous. The pep talk segments last year were a monumental flop. That shit fest looks like Emmy winning material compared to the new Dr. Lou crap they're trying to shove down our throats this season. Also, I hate Mark May. He sucks.

Can't wait for Saturday.

The top 25 players: ACC

The Atlantic Coast conference has fallen upon hard times as of recently. It seems the ACC has replaced the Big East as the worse non-BCS conference in America.

The thing that is most befuddling to CFB fans is the fact that the talent in the ACC is just as high as anywhere else. Clemson, Florida St., and Miami are consistently among the top recruiting programs in the nation, Virginia Tech is a perennial national player, and Wake Forest and Virginia have shown signs of success.

Also the recent hirings of Butch Davis at North Carolina and David Cutcliffe at Duke has given a boost to the once bottom feeders of the conference.

I think the ACC will bounce back somewhat this season. That being said, I wouldn't pencil in any ACC team into your NC game.

Now that I've rambled on about the ACC, here's the list of the top 25 players in this conference.

1. James Davis - Clemson RB - The Tigers received a tremendous boost when Davis announced he was returning to campus. Davis and fellow back C.J. Spiller will give Clemson one of the better rushing attacks in the country.

2. Victor Harris - Virginia Tech DB - This may seem a little high to some, but I feel Harris is one of the better talents in any secondary in America. Harris is a sure fire NFL first rounder who should help the Hokies compete for another ACC title game berth.

3. C.J. Spiller - Clemson RB - This may be another player that some people may feel I have a little too high. I am still upset that Spiller spurned his hometown Gators to wear the orange and blue of Clemson.

4. Hakeem Nicks - North Carolina WR - Every time I watched a Tar Heel game last season, I saw a tremendous acrobatic catch from Nicks. This may seem absurd, but Hicks reminds me a lot of Calvin Johnson while he was at Georgia Tech. If UNC can get their QB situation figured out, Nicks could be in contention for All-American honors.

5. Cullen Harper - Clemson QB - Harper surprised a lot of people last season. I was one of them. It doesn't hurt that Harper is surrounded by some of the best talent in the conference at Clemson. Still, Harper is a tremendous talent at the QB position and he will provide quality leadership for the Tigers.

6.Aaron Kelly - Clemson WR - Kelly will be the primary target for Harper at Clemson this year. He was able to produce All-ACC numbers last season, and I see no reason why he can't repeat that performance.

7. Alphonso Smith - Wake Forest DB - Jim Grobe has been able to cultivate some real talent at Wake Forest. Expectations are high for the Deacons this season. Smith will make it hard for any team to throw against the Wake Forest D.

8.Andrew Gardner - Georgia Tech OL - The ACC has always produced some top notch offensive linemen. Gardner is the latest in a long list of quality linemen from the conference.

9. Michael Hamlin - Clemson DB - Don't get too excited Clemson fans. There is always a lot of talent on the Tigers, they just can't seem to win every game they're supposed to.

10. Riley Skinner - Wake Forest QB - I think a lot of people across the country are seriously underestimating this guy. Skinner has proven to be a top tier QB for the Demon Deacons over the past few years. Skinner would love to get the Deacons back into the ACC title game after missing it last season.

11. Vance Walker - Georgia Tech DL - Walker gets to practice with one of the best O-linemen in Andrew Gardner down in Atlanta. That has allowed Walker to really improve his technique. In what appears to be a transition year for the Jackets, Walker and the D will need to come through big.

12. Aaron Curry - Wake Forest LB - Yet another reason why the Deacons will have a say in the ACC title race. Curry and the Wake Forest D should be greatly improved this season. That's a scary thought for the rest of the conference.

13. Chris Chancellor - Clemson DB - I've run out of nice things to say about Clemson at this point.

14.Dave Phillistin - Maryland LB - Ralph Friedgen may be on a little bit of a luke warm seat at Maryland this season. The Terps have a lot of questions on offense. Thanks to Phillistin, the Maryland defensive unit should remain strong.

15. Eugene Monroe - Virginia OL - Virginia nay fall out of the spotlight this season with the departure of Chris Long. It's a shame that most of America won't get the chance to see talents like Monroe playing for the Cavaliers.

16. Mikell Simpson - Virginia RB - Even though Simpson won't be starting for Virginia, I still believe he is a top 25 talent within the conference. Simpson came on strong in the second half last season, including a phenomenal bowl game for the Cavaliers. I look for Mikell to slowly start to increase his carries this year. Every time this guy touches the ball, he's a threat to go all the way.

17. Rodney Hudson - Florida St. OL - Tough times have befallen the Seminoles lately. The cheating scandal at the end of last year was pretty much the topping on the shit cake of a season FSU endured. Still, 'Nole fans are optimistic their team can turn it around this year. I'm not so sure they can, but with players with the talent like Hudson, anythings possible.

18. Chip Vaughn - Wake Forest DB - Along with Alphonso Smith, Vaughn may help form of the fiercest secondaries in America. Who would have ever thought we would be saying that about a Wake Forest team.

19. Josh Adams - Wake Forest RB - Much like Riley Skinner, Josh Adams is severely underrated by the rest of the country. Adams is an explosive back who is a great receiver coming out of the backfield. The more I talk about this Wake Forest team, the more I'm convinced they are for real.

20. Javarris James - Miami RB - James will be sharing carries with Craig Cooper this season. I expect James to get the bulk of the load. Insiders of the UM program have often said that James may be the most talented back to come from Miami since Edgerrin.

21. Darrius Heyward- Bey - Maryland WR - If Maryland can ever figure out the mess they call their QB situation, they just might have a decent offense. I would rank Heyward-Bey a little higher, but the fact that we don't know how the QB play will effect him kind of hurts his ranking.

22. Marvin Austin - North Carolina DL - Austin is a part of a Tar Heel defense that may be among the best this season. Butch Davis put together some pretty good defenses at Miami and it seems he is doing the same in Chapel Hill.

23. Clint Sintim - Virginia LB - Sintim is one of those players that has a constant motor. He never takes a play off and he plays through the whistle. I can always find time for guys like that on my lists.

24. Greg Carr - Florida St. WR - Over the past few year, the Florida St. offense has pretty much consisted of fade routes and jump balls to Carr. If I had a talent like Carr at WR on my team, I just might do the same.

25. Eron Riley - Duke WR - I was torn between two Duke players for this spot. I decided on Riley over his QB Thaddeus Lewis because Riley is the better athlete. David Cutcliffe is a great coach, and he should have the Blue Devils playing more competitively this season.