The Weekend That Was: September 5th

Every week throughout the season, I'll be giving you a few things that stuck out to me in the previous week's slate of college football games. It could be a player, team, incident, or performance that impressed me. It may be a list that is 3 things long or 20 things long. Think of it as a stream-of-consciousness notes on what I saw.

Sam Bradford's injury - Sure, Oklahoma has a pretty good defense and running game. But as we saw Saturday night, not good enough to beat a decent opponent. BYU won the game because Oklahoma was, essentially, running into the line for three downs and then punting in hopes that their defense could hold their slim lead. It worked well for about 27 minutes, but once the Cougars scored the go-ahead touchdown, you knew the ballgame was over. Translation: Bradford needs to come back soon.

BYU isn't as good as you might think - The Cougars deserve credit for finding a way to win Saturday's game against Oklahoma. However, let's have a little perspective here. They won by one point against a team that was missing their Heisman-winning quarterback. Am I supposed to believe that Sam Bradford wasn't going to account for at least two points in the second half? If Bradford finishes the game, we're talking about a (roughly) 27-14 win by the Sooners, in which everyone applauds BYU for playing them tough and showing their mettle. Instead, Bradford didn't finish and everyone has put BYU in the driver's seat for a BCS birth. Really? They won't even go undefeated in the Mountain West. Mark it down.

Oklahoma has problems - Even before Bradford's injury, the receivers weren't getting open and the line wasn't blocking particularly well. If you look, part of the reason Sam Bradford threw for 50 TDs last year was because he had all day to throw and his receivers were tremendous after the catch. Neither of those elements were in play Saturday, and it'll take some time for that to develop. The Sooners, even with Bradford, are very much a work in progress.

Notre Dame-Michigan might actually be watchable now - Last year's game was pretty bad. Neither team could do a whole lot offensively and combined for 8 turnovers. This season, things should be different. Jimmy Clausen looked terrific against Nevada, a solid mid-major squad to be fair, and may be peaking at just the right time for the Irish. Michigan, on the other hand, look a little more in synch against Western Michigan, another solid mid-major, than they did all of last season. Remember, Michigan lost to Toledo last year and Toledo was bad MAC team. The fact that they were able to soundly whip a good MAC team to begin this season shows that improvement has been made. Is it enough to go bowling? Too early to tell; but at least this year's edition of Irish-Wolverines shouldn't put us to sleep.

Navy kept it real (as always) - The Midshipmen almost pulled it off, but didn't quite have enough gas in the tank to beat Ohio State in Columbus. They got down early but made a furious comeback to get within two. Once the two-point conversion attempt was intercepted and returned to the house, putting them down by four, the game was over. But the admiration and appreciation that I have for the Naval Academy and the product they continue to put on the field year in and year out was not over. I don't believe it ever will be. I don't think people realize just how little talent they have to work with every year, yet they produce winning season after winning season against a schedule that features some good teams.

USC should never pass the ball - Not even Knute Rockne loved the forward pass more than me, but the Trojans would be silly to pass the ball with any regularity. Their offensive line should be dominant, and their running backs, led by the electrifying Joe McKnight, should be as well. Starting a true freshman at quarterback and only having one proven receiver (Damian Williams) only enhances my point. Their defense is good enough to keep every game close, and by the time the 4th quarter rolls around, USC will still be running over, through, and around you, and you'll be wondering how your 17-14 deficit is now 38-14. Run, Pete, run.

The Big East is pissed - After losing 10 starters off last year's defense, Cincinnati was supposed to take a step back this year after winning the Big East in 2008. Somebody forgot to tell the Bearcats, though. Coach/wizard Brian Kelly led his team to Piscataway, New Jersey Monday to face a quasi-favorite in the Big East race, Rutgers (who is one of about 5 teams that could legitimately win the conference), and absolutely destroyed them. The offense was in fine form, putting up 47 points, but everyone knew with the return of QB Tony Pike and WR Mardy Gilyard, they'd be able to score. However, the defense was downright stingy, flying to the ball against the run and forcing turnovers against the pass. There will be some missteps for Cincy this year, but if Monday showed us anything, it's that they can't be discounted in the race for the Big East title just because they lost a lot on defense.

Teams that impressed me - Missouri, Notre Dame, Michigan, Tennessee (goodness, Lane), Baylor, Oklahoma State (not because they beat Georgia, but that they showed some resilience in doing it), Bowling Green, North Texas, California, Washington, Navy, Cincinnati, Syracuse

Teams that disappointed me - Virginia, Duke, Oregon, Ball State, Indiana, Illinois (really?), Iowa, NC State, South Carolina, Central Michigan

Games I'm looking forward to this weekend - Notre Dame at Michigan, USC at Ohio State, UCLA at Tennessee, Stanford at Wake Forest, Purdue at Oregon, Syracuse at Penn State, Air Force at Minnesota, Houston at Oklahoma State (be careful, Cowboys)

~~ Lank