College Football in Review:Week 3

Make or break Saturday is over lets look at the contenders, the deadsetters, and teams whose chances at a National Title died this past week.

Best Game of the Week:Kansas vs South Florida-Without a doubt, the best game ever played at Raymond James Stadium. The USF Bulls, trailed 20-3 at halftime and rallied back, only to loss that lead but managed to hang on winning 37-34. USF scored 31 unanswered to make it 34-20 with close to 8 minutes left in the game. But Kansas and Todd Reesing did not die and managed to rally back to tie it at 34. But a costly interception gave USF the ball inside their own 30. A few moments later and it was over...South Florida 37 Kansas 34.

Best Player of the Week:Maikon Bonani(USF)-Here you are...your a Freshman in college...earlier in the week you are given the starting kicking job and in your first game, you have to win the game for your team. Earlier in the game you missed a field goal. Now you have to make it or your team faces overtime and loses confidence in you. A sold out stadium of 70,000 people on their feet with 11 white jerseys coming at you and 10 green jerseys protecting you...that is what this young man did. To be in a situation as big as he was in and to come up in the clutch is an amazing achievement for a Freshman like him. Look for bigger, better moments in this kid's future.

Dissapointment of the Week:Ohio State-Yes, again. I was dissapointed in the Buckeyes for losing to USC and thus possibly ensuring them of a National Championship loss. A close loss is understandable, but to lose 35-3 on National Television in the biggest game of the year(outside of the National Title and Michigan game) is redicolous. They have no one to blame but themselves.

Surprise Team of the Week:Maryland-I expected the Terps to beat Cal, but didn't expect them to go out there after losing to Middle Tennessee State and somehow manage to pull out a victory over a Cal team who last week had flat out beaten Washington State. This win is huge for the Terps and can be a momentum shift for this football team.

Numbers:
892-Combined number of yards by USF and Kansas

6-Number of consecutive wins that USC holds over Ohio State

1974-The last time Ohio State beat USC, the 1974 Rose Bowl where Ohio State won 42-21

405-The amount of passing yards by Chase Daniel in Missouri's 69-17 win over Nevada

726-Combined number of passing yards by Texas Tech and SMU in the Battle of the Run & Shoot

1959-The year that most Syracuse fans wishes it was

7-The amount of touchdown passes thrown by Max Hall in BYU's 59-0 win over UCLA

423-The amount of yards passing Kevin Riley had in Cal's 35-27 loss to Maryland

25-The amount of rushing yards by Jahvid Best in Cal's 35-27 loss to Maryland. Best had 200 rushing yards against Washington State the week before

282-The amount of rushing yards by Javon Ringer in Michigan State's 17-0 win over Florida Atlantic

2-The amount of win that Duke has. Thats about the same amount as the previous 3 seasons.

260-The total amount of yards by Georgia Tech's Josh Nesbitt in Tech's 20-17 loss to Virginia Tech

The Contenders:
South Florida-The Bulls may have struggled with Central Florida and for a while against Kansas, but the Bulls are legit, their toughest game is their last against West Virginia on December 6th in Morgantown while they get Pitt, Rutgers, and UCONN at home.

USC-The Trojans have beaten Virginia and Ohio State by a combined 87-10. With an easy Pac 10 schedule(Arizona State, Cal, Oregon all at home) look for the Trojans to run the table to a 12-0 finish.

Oklahoma-The Sooners are 3-0...they have outscored opponetts 164-42 in 3 games. Sam Bradford has 882 passing yards and 12 touchdowns the running game is hot and the defense is brutal. The Sooners also have Texas Tech and Kansas at home and the only tough game is in October against Texas in Dallas. Look for Oklahoma to win the Big XII South unless they stumble ala last year.

Missouri-The Tigers are 3-0, Chase Daniel is playing to perfection and seemingly no one can stop them. The Tigers only real challenges come against the Longhorns in Austin and Kansas at Kansas City. However, that game against Nebraska is going to be a trap game. Mizzou is real.

The Deadsetters:
Kansas(2-1)-The Jayhawks may have lost to USF, but it was a close game...on the road. However, the Jayhawks have to go to Norman and play Oklahoma and have to play Texas and Missouri...thankfully one is at home and the other is in Kansas City.

Arizona State(2-1)-Yes, I know that ASU lost to UNLV, but the Sun Devils have the schedule to possibly help dig themselves out of the 2-1 hole. They get Georgia on Saturday at home, Cal in Berkeley, USC in Los Angeles, sounds tough but from their the schedule gets lighter. If they can get past these three games the Sun Devils may find themselves back in the National Title picture.

California(2-1)-The Golden Bears lost to Maryland on Saturday. But the pollsters will re-consider the lost later and if Cal can get past their hardest games(Arizona State, Oregon, @USC) they will be back in contention.

Maryland(2-1)-The Terps beat Cal which shocked everybody. In the previous two seasons, Maryland has been notorious for its bad starts and good finishes. In 2006, they started 2-0, got blown out by West Virginia, and escaped Florida International(who went 0-12 that year). The Terps lost to Georgia Tech two weeks later but racked off 5 consecutive wins and was suddenly 8-2 contending for the ACC Championship. In '07, they won their first two, got blown out by West Virginia(again...), blew a lead against Wake Forst, but still managed to beat Top 10 teams Rutgers(in Piscataway) and Boston College. I know they finish 6-7 but I'm just saying they're a mystery. The Terps still have to get through Clemson(on the road), Virginia(in Charlottesville), Wake Forest, Virginia Tech(in Blacksburg), North Carolina, Florida State, and Boston College(on the road). No easy task but if they can do it, Maryland could get back in the hunt.

Michigan State(2-1)-They barely escaped FAU, but the rest of the schedule is not as difficult. They get Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Wisconsin at home and the away games at Indiana, Michigan, and Penn State are managable. Look out for the Spartans as they enter the Big Ten schedule.

Virginia Tech(2-1)-The Hokies seemed to be connecting a lot better this week. But the schedule is going to be difficult as they go on the road to face North Carolina, Nebraska, Boston College, Florida State, and Miami. Beamer's done it before, he can do it again.

Georgia Tech(2-1)-The Yellow Jackets hardest games are Clemson, North Carolina, and Georgia. Clemson struggles against physical defenses, UNC is young, and Georgia seems vulnerable. Paul Johnson has faced many challenges before so he can handle it.

The Unknown:
Georgia-Unless the Bulldogs can shape up, they ain't going to make it. I know they demolished Georgia Southern and Central Michigan. But the Dawgs struggled against South Carolina and with depth being concerned, UGA must be concerned for the schedule against Arizona State(in Tempe), Alabama, Tennessee, LSU(in Baton Rouge), Florida(in Jacksonville), Kentucky(in Lexington), Auburn(on the road), and Georgia Tech it won't be any easier for the Dawgs.

Auburn-How are they a Top 10 team? The defense is alright, but the offense can't really score. 3-2? Come on. You can win with defense for as long as you desire but eventually it'll break.

Texas Tech-I know they have a high-powered offense that throws 9000 times a quarter, but just that ain't going to help you. I know they shut down SMU's attack, but thats because the defense is used to seeing the Run and Shoot from the offense in practice. Giving up 24 to Eastern Washington doesn't help much either.

Oregon-The Ducks are unbeaten, but is this really the same good Ducks team as last year? Or are they vulnerable if they lose their starting QB? Only time will tell as the Ducks prepare for Boise State, USC, Cal, and Arizona State this season.

Penn State-Is this the year? Can Joe Pa take the Nittany Lions to a National Championship game? I know they have fallen apart each of the last two years and was dissapointing in 2007, but the schedule points to yes as a chance to get through the season. They got Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Michigan State at home but they also got Purdue, Wisconsin, and Ohio State on the road. It could be 2005 all over again or a case of 2007.

North Carolina-The Tar Heels are 2-0, they won their first out-of-conference game out-of-state in 5 years. Butch Davis is a genious, the schedule favors them(hardest road game is at Maryland). Can the Heels get to their first ever National Title game?

Florida State-They're saying that the Noles are back, but the question is, "are they?". They beat Chattonoga and Western Carolina, thats easy...but they still got to face Wake Forest, Colorado, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Boston College...at home and Miami and Georgia Tech on the road. Are glory days here again for the Noles?

Kentucky-The Wildcats are just as good as last year...but they are vulnerable. It was shown in Kentucky's 20-14 win over Middle Tennessee last week. The Wildcats were one yard away from losing.

Eliminated from Contention:
Ohio State-I know that in '83 Miami lost 31-3 to Florida and rebounded to beat Nebraska in the title but its different now. Too many teams are just as good.

Michigan-The Wolverines lost 35-17 to Notre Dame. No one expected much, but its still a dissapointment to be a Michigan fan and go another year without a title.

Mississippi State-2 points? Honestly...

UCLA-59-0 is just enough to bury you for 59 years.

Illinois-I know they're 2-1 but if they're struggling against Louisiana-Lafeyette and Eastern Illinois, I wonder then what Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Penn State will do to them?

Rutgers-They'll be back though, Greg Schiano is a genious, its just Mike Teel sucks.

Games to Look Out For:
West Virginia vs Colorado-The Mountaineers hardest task...trying to breathe after running for 90 percent of the game. CU looks to pull off the upset. You can see it Thursday at 8:30pm on ESPN.

Georgia vs Arizona State-Yes I know that ASU lost, but this is still going to be a good game, like Lou Holtz said, "Every team is different every week". Look for a good one. You can see it Saturday at 8:00pm on ABC.

Florida vs Tennessee-Always a close one when in Knoxville, the Vols look to pull off the upset against a tough Gator team. You can see it Saturday at 3:30pm on CBS.

LSU vs Auburn-Its the battle of Tigers as LSU takes on Auburn in an SEC West battle. You can see it Saturday at 7:45pm on ESPN.

Troy vs Ohio State-The Buckeyes have been slipping and Troy is one of the best "unknown" schools. You can see it Saturday at 12:00pm on the Big Ten Network.

Wake Forest vs Florida State-Last time the Deacans went to Tallahassee they destroyed the Noles. Now FSU wants revenge. You can see it Saturday at 7:00pm on ESPN2.

Virginia Tech vs North Carolina-UNC is on the rise and Va.Tech is on the fall. You can see it regionally Saturday at 3:30pm on ABC(check your local listings).

Overview:
A good week in College Football although Saturday night was dissapointing. Lets see how this week goes. It starts Wednesday at 8:00pm on ESPN2 as Louisville takes on Kansas State.