USC has issues - I'm not saying this simply because they lost to a worse Washington team. I noticed an offensive ineptitude against Ohio State that I figured would come back to haunt them later in the season...just not against the Huskies. After taking a 10-0 lead, there was no reason for the Trojans to go into complete conservative mode and try to ride out the rest of the game with their defense. If coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates don't open things up soon, they may be facing another conference loss in just two weeks...when they travel to Berkeley to face the on-point California Golden Bears.
I still hate polls - I didn't mean to get repetitive after posting this same thought last week, but this is kinda ridiculous. Florida State, fresh of a 54-28 pantsing of BYU in Provo, is BEHIND BYU in the Coaches' Poll. Luckily, that particular poll doesn't matter, but it's the principle of the thing. How can anyone who votes look at the score of that game and think that the Cougars are better than the Seminoles? Incredible.
Percy Harvin is good - Yeah, he scored for the Vikings in each of their first two games, but as the old adage goes, "you never know what you have until it's gone." The Florida Gators are finding this out the hard way. Though I think they played a good game against Tennessee (I'm in the minority on this one), it's been clear in their first three games that Harvin's gamebreaking ability and unique skill set is greatly missed. Instead of a handoff to Harvin going 65 yards for a score, the Gators must now rely on Tim Tebow even more to create drives on his own. It's good for Florida that Tebow is more than capable of doing so, but you wonder how much of a workload one man can shoulder before things stop working out.
Ryan Mallett was worth the wait - After getting spot duty as Chad Henne's caddy at Michigan in 2007, Mallett transferred to Arkansas after Rich Rodriguez was hired in Ann Arbor and had to sit out the 2008 season as a result. The perfect fit for coach Bobby Petrino's multiple-set, pro-style offense, Mallett leads the nation in passing efficiency and lit up Georgia like a Christmas tree. Yes, the Hogs lost, but it wasn't his fault, throwing for 408 yards and 5 TDs in the 52-41 defeat. Possessing a howitzer for a right arm, look for Mallett to continue to terrorize defenses for the rest of this year and next year before leaving to become a first round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Quit sleeping on Cincinnati - While you were watching Virginia Tech luck out against Nebraska and Florida State blow out BYU, the Bearcats headed to Mars (the Pacific Northwest) and beat a good Oregon State team by double-digits. QB Tony Pike continues to impress, and coach Brian Kelly's team should be able to go on a nice run before facing West Virginia in November. Just don't slip up against Fresno State this week, gentlemen. I'll feel like an idiot.
Tyrod Taylor still isn't good - After being a much balleyhooed recruit, Taylor has failed to impress during his time in Blacksburg. Sure, he was MVP of the ACC title game last year, but he hasn't gotten close to improving his passing skills. With a rocket arm and gifted running ability, Taylor should be better now as a junior. He's not, and that's the reason Virginia Tech will be unable to repeat as ACC champion.
Teams that impressed me - Washington, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Southern Miss, Northern Illinois, Auburn
Teams that disappointed me - USC, Texas, Utah, BYU, Arizona, Northwestern
Games I'm looking forward to this weekend - Ole Miss at South Carolina (Thurs), Indiana at Michigan, North Carolina at Georgia Tech, Arkansas at Alabama, Cal at Oregon, Miami at Virginia Tech, TCU at Clemson, Boise State at Bowling Green, Iowa at Penn State, Washington at Stanford, Texas Tech at Houston
~~ Lank
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