1. The Pac 12 is Back and deeper than ever.
Oregon State, Arizona, USC, Oregon, Arizona State and UCLA all looked good this weekend. Five Pac 12 teams are ranked and three teams were knocked out of the Top 25 by losing to Pac 12 teams this season. Even though USC and Oregon look like shoo-ins for the Pac 12 title game, look for a deeper conference to rake during bowl season.
2. LSU is just as scary as Alabama is this season. Again.
LSU likes to make a statement during non-conference play. Last season, they dismantled a really good Oregon team in Dallas. This season, they took apart Washington by 38. LSU will have only one tough stretch this season. It spans four games and sees them at The Swap, hosting South Carolina, at Kyle Field and Alabama coming to Death Valley.
3. SEC newbies, despite potential growing pains, can hold their own in their new conference.
Had it not been for Elvis Fisher going down with MCL injury during the game Saturday, Missouri may have knocked off Georgia. After Fisher's injury, his assignment (Jarvis Jones) showed everybody in Missouri why he's worthy of a Top 10 pick in the NFL draft. Texas A&M, on the other hand, almost knocked off the Gators in their SEC debut. If I'm the Aggies, I don't see how they can't go 9-3. Arkansas, Missouri, Ole Miss, Auburn and Mississippi State all look beatable at this point of the season.
4. In his second season removed from a National Championship, Gene Chizik is on the fast track to losing his job.
When you're in the SEC, you expect to start 0-2. Getting dismantled by Mississippi State in Starkville is not exactly how you keep your job in this conference. Don't look now but Auburn host giant killers Louisiana-Monroe this weekend before LSU comes to town.
5. Alabama's loss of backup RB Jalston Fowler for the rest of the season could be more costly than you think.
With starting running Eddie Lacy's injury troubles, losing Fowler has to be a point of concern for the Tide. Remember, as of late-August, Lacy called his injuries "nagging." If Lacy goes down, I would imagine Freshmen T.J. Yeldon and Dee Hart would split carries.
6. Jordan Wynn's football career is over. Utah will not go bowling this season.
When the fans storm the field in Logan, that usually means somebody's in trouble. Quarterback Jordan Wynn was injured in the second quarter and retired earlier this week. With this win, the Aggies break a 12 game losing streak. Losing to the most pitiful "wait until basketball" program outside of Lawrence tends to reflect poorly on your bowling chances.
7. The Big 10 is a mess.
You know something is amiss when Wisconsin cans their offensive line coach two weeks into the season. The Badgers are 1-1 after losing to Oregon State and beating Northern Iowa by 5. I don't even need to explain what the deal with Penn State is. Nebraska lost to a close one to UCLA. Michigan beat Air Force by 6. Purdue is now without QB Robert Marve. Did I mention that the Big Ten have only 10 teams eligible for the postseason? On the bright side…
8. Michigan State is the exception to Answer #7
After winning a hard-fought game with Boise and routing Central Michigan, the Spartans take their act back home to take on an upstart Notre Dame team in what might be the game of the week. Michigan State looks like the odds on favorite to win a weak Big Ten this year. Don't be surprised if Sparty runs the table.
9. The Big 12 is stronger and deeper this season despite losing Mizzou and Texas A&M.
Most people who watch College Football's annual bowl games can tell you that West Virginia and TCU won BCS bowls over the last two seasons. They would also fail to remember Mizzou or Texas A&M winning a BCS game anytime in recent history. The Moutaineers and Horned Frogs are both off to better starts to the season than the Tigers and Aggies, who both lost their respective SEC Conference debuts last week. Having WVU and TCU makes the a conference with Oklahoma, Kansas State and Texas deeper.
10. Rochester (IL) product Wes Lunt has the tools to operate a Big 12 offense.
Wes Lunt's personal seven game win streak came to an end over the weekend against Arizona. However, throwing for four touchdowns in against your first BCS-conference opponent is no small feat. Lunt should be fine in Stillwater.
11. Air Force is a shoo-in for their third straight Commander-in-Chief's trophy.
As if we didn't know that already, the Falcons put up a valiant effort against Michigan over the weekend. Navy is starting to look like Army and Army is continuing to look like Army.
12. Life as a Houston Cougar is downright pitiful post-Case Keenum.
From Conference USA runners up to getting demolished by Texas State in their opener, the fall from the top is steep. The Cougars lost to Louisiana Tech over the weekend and life does not get easier from there. They take on ranked UCLA on Saturday before playing host to Rice, who has a win against a BCS team this season. More on Rice later.
13. Bama should not overlook Arkansas, despite the loss to UL Monroe.
Losing Tyler Wilson for the second half didn't exactly help the Razorbacks in their quest to knock off UL Monroe. The Hogs look like mincemeat for the Crimson Tide this up coming weekend. Wilson might play against the Tide this weekend. If he does, the Tide must put the game away early. These are the things that upsets are made of.
14. Kansas State/Oklahoma in Week 4, is not only one worth watching, but may decide the Big 12 this season.
Kansas State's shellacking of Miami over the weekend was a statement. First, the ACC is awful. Second, Kansas State is not going anywhere this season. The students in Manhattan will have a reason to come out and Wabash at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. On the 22nd, the Wildcats travel to Norman to take on the 5th ranked Sooners. Last season, the Sooners took the game in Manhattan 58-17.
15. Week 1 was no fluke, Pittsburgh will not make a bowl game in 2012.
After losing by 24 in Cincy, Pitt dropped to 0-2. They played three currently ranked teams in Va Tech, Louisville and Notre Dame. They also play a battle tested Syracuse, UConn, Rutgers and South Florida. Pitt drops at least five of those games. This speaks volumes considering how bad the Big East is this season.
16. If there's a worse BCS Conference team than Pitt, it's Kansas
While your team was playing football last season, the Jayhawks were failing to win a conference game. The Jayhawks ran the table in reverse during Big 12 play last season after starting 2-0 with wins over McNeese State and Northern Illinois. I had heard rumors, which turned out to be untrue, that the Jayhawk fans had stormed the field following the win against NIU. For an encore, they lose to Rice in Lawrence. Aside from a trip to DeKalb play the Huskies on the 22nd, the Jayhawks will attempt to navigate through what I consider to be an even deeper Big 12. If they win a Big 12 game this season, my money is on Texas Tech in Lubbock on November 10th.
17. Penn State can go 6-6, but losing to Virginia in Week 2 really hurt those chances.
If there's anybody outside of Happy Valley who wants to see this program recover, it's me. I do not see the Nittany Lions going .500 without winning each of the next four games. If there are six games that Penn State can win they would be against Navy, Temple, Illinois, Northwestern, Purdue and Indiana. Right now, I have them finishing 4-8.
18. We still don't know if this is the year that Texas is "back".
For the last couple of seasons, Texas has started the season ranked. The best reason I can give you for that is that they're Texas. So after two wins over inferior opponents, Texas is ranked 14th as a reward for defeating Wyoming and New Mexico. The first test for the Longhorns is a stretch in which they play Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Oklahoma. This run starts the 29th in Stillwater. If the Horns can start 5-1, they have my respect.
19. The game in Knoxville this weekend is more important to the SEC East race than you think.
Both sitting at 2-0, the Gators and Vols play in Knoxville this weekend. Both teams are ranked and have something to prove. If the winner of this game can knock off Georgia and South Carolina does the same, we have a new division race. No wonder the folks over at ESPN's College Gameday wanted to get their mitts on this.
20. Savannah State may be the most overmatched cupcake team I've ever watched.
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