Random Musings

*Part of the problem with the 24/7 sports news cycle is the constant overreaction to whatever is happening right now. For instance, Tom Brady goes out and the Patriots season is OVER. They have no hope and there really is no need to play the rest of the season. We’ve seen this in college football in multiple forms. The biggest one so far is:

“THE ACC IS TERRIBLE. THERE IS NO HOPE FOR THE CONFERENCE. THEY MIGHT AS WELL STOP PLAYING FOOTBALL ALL TOGETHER.”

This “irrefutable” fact was clear after only two weeks.

Oh but wait. Maybe the talking heads got it wrong. Just this weekend, Maryland hammered Cal, UNC destroyed Rutgers and even lowly Duke beat Navy. Everyone, especially the media, needs to cool out and let the season progress just a little before making blanket generalizations.

*Having said that, is there any doubt that USC will win its seventh consecutive Pac-10 title? The rest of the league with the exception of USC, Oregon and Oregon State went out this week and laid an egg. Cal lost at Maryland, Wazzu lost at Baylor, Arizona lost at New Mexico, Stanford lost at TCU, Arizona State lost at home to UNLV, and Washington was bombed out at home by Oklahoma. Did I mention that UCLA lost 59-0 to BYU? All the talk about a resurgent Pac-10 may be a little premature.

*What can you make of Auburn’s thrilling 3-2 win over Mississippi State? I think it is fair to say that both offenses are putrid. If LSU can get to 17 points they can win. The problem is the Tigers have scored a grand total of 19 points in their last three trips to the Plains.

*I think the Big 11 is wide open this season. Ohio State is the most talented team, but without Beanie Wells the Suckeyes are missing a key cog to Tressel Ball, i.e., a strong ground game, solid defense and special teams. Penn State has crushed three outmatched teams so far, Wisconsin passed a major road test winning at Fresno State, Northwestern is 3-0 (seriously!) and the Mighty Spartans are looking good. Plus OSU lost to Illinois last season.

*Mizzu and Oklahoma are cruising toward a titanic showdown in the Big 12 Championship. I know there are a ton of games to play, but both of these schools look overwhelming on offense. The Big 12 and SEC will be a lot of fun to watch this season.

*Don’t look now, but Butch Davis has UNC on the right track. It will only be a matter of time before the Tar Heels become a dominant force in the ACC.

*Vandy baby!! 3-0 with a legitimate shot to make a bowl this season.

*All the Notre Dame loonies will put way too much stock in the Domers 2-0 start. If not for SIX Michigan turnovers, the game would probably have been much different. Reality check this weekend, if ND beats the Spartans in East Lansing, I will publicly flog myself for being such a hater.

*Based strictly on winning percentages, Georgia’s schedule is ranked 2nd toughest in the country. LSU logs in at 37th.