September 12, 2009, the second week of the College Football season is in the books and it provided the best games of the season.
#3 USC defeats #8 Ohio State in the final two minutes at the hands of a 19-year old freshman QB. Michigan gains confidence and team unity in a last minute victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Georgia rebounds from a loss against Oklahoma State the previous weekend by holding off South Carolina in Athens.
Each weekend bring us closer to knowing who will play in the BCS and bowl games as well as gives us some great learnings about the 2009 season. Here’s a few from Week Two of the 2009 College Football season.
1. FSU looks like they are more than a year away. What a tough week for Florida State’s head coach, Bobby Bowden. He starts by losing Monday night to his College Football nemesis, Miami, and then warns his players about their upcoming opponent, Jacksonville State. The coach spoke earlier this week about how he reminded his team that QB Ryan Perrilloux used to be the starter at LSU. His team didn’t get the message. The Seminoles were behind nearly the entire game and were fortunate to avoid a disaster and get out of Tallahassee with a 19-9 win. Bowden mentioned before the season he thought the ‘Noles would be ready for a run in 2010, but it sure didn’t look that way tonight.
2. BYU road looking easier. Speaking of Florida State, based on their performance this weekend and the way BYU, a 54-3 victor over Tulane, has looked during the first two weeks of the 2009 season, expect the Cougars to emerge victorious next weekend. The host the Seminoles in Provo, Utah in week 3. They should be on cruise control from after next Saturday until October 24, when they host TCU.
3. It’s Groh-ver at Virginia. As for the Horned Frogs, they might have put one of the final nails in the coffin for the Al Groh era at Virginia. The Cavaliers, who lost to FCS opponent William & Mary last weekend were never in the game this week as they fell to TCU 30-14. Trips to North Carolina, Clemson and Miami as well as home dates with Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech suggest it won’t get much easier for the men from Charlottesville.
4. 2009 could be the year the WAC/MWC end up stating their best case for an automatic BCS bid. It’s been well chronicled that the WAC and MWC are having big seasons, with a number of teams ranked in the Top 25. However, they’re making their best statements by what they do on the field. Here’s a couple of recent successes. They currently own victories over teams in the ACC, Big XII and Pac-10….all in the first two weeks. The highlights for them include: BYU over Oklahoma, TCU over Virginia, Colorado State over Colorado, Boise State over Oregon, Hawaii over Washington State. With continuing pressure to include these conferences, don’t be surprised if they receive an automatic bid starting in the 2015 season. If it happens, remember it all started in 2009.
5. Ohio State won a lot in defeat. Last season, we all remember how the Buckeyes were rolled by the Trojans 35-3. Everyone expected USC to manhandle the Jim Tressel and company again, even with a freshman QB in Matt Barkley. With a mantra of “Believe” and am inspired performance at Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes nearly earned as much respect as if they had won the game. Expect them to stay in the Top 10-12 spots in the upcoming rankings and, with a late season game at Penn State (November 7th), they still have an outside shot at reaching the BCS National Championship game.
6. USC is now battle tested. Pete Carroll said tonight of his starting QB “age doesn’t matter, he’s our starting quarterback.” Others talked about the cliche that “he’s no longer a freshman” and “we saw him grow up tonight.” The bottom line is Matt Barkley has faced the most high pressure situation he’ll see this side of the National Championship game. Every Trojan should be feeling a high level of confidence about the man under center.
7. How good is Cal? Based upon the challenges happening at Oregon this season, it’s almost certain that the winner of the October 3rd game between USC and Califonia in Berkeley will win the Pac-10. The Golden Bears have completely obliterated their first two opponents, scoring more than 50 in both games. Heisman candidate Jahvid Best has amassed nearly 300 yards rushing, with a YPC average of more than 10 and four touchdowns scored in the first two games, a 52-13 win over Maryland and 59-7 over Eastern Washington. Can they carry this momentum into the first Saturday in October?
8. The Sports Illustrated curse is alive and well. Following their 24-10 victory against Georgia last weekend, the Oklahoma State Cowboys were predicted to make the BCS by ESPN and CBS Sportsline (MrBCS.com, for the record, has not included them in any BCS projections to date). Most in the national media declared their defensive ails “fixed” and likewise expected big things in 2009. Suddenly, that’s all in question following their 45-35 home loss to Houston. The Pokes were outscored 21-7 in the 4th quarter and let a 35-31 lead slip away at home. The good news? It wasn’t a conference game so the bid to win the Big XII is still in tact. The bad news? This almost certainly eliminates any opportunity to win the BCS National Championship this season.
9. Gus Malzahn is a tremendous teacher and coach. How else to explain the transformation at Auburn. Essentially the same players from the previous season where the transition to a spread offense cost Tony Franklin and head coach Tommy Tuberville their jobs. In a 49-24 rolling of Mississippi State, can the Tigers become a factor in the SEC West? More importantly, when will Gus Malzahn be offered a head coaching position? Don’t be surprised if it happens after this season.
What did you take away from Week 2 of the 2009 College Football season? I’m already excited for next weekend. Is it Saturday yet?
