Start of Conference Play signals end of Kentucky's Season

The indomitable spirit of college football willed Week Four into being watchable, thanks to a handful of supposed-pushovers who put up more of a fight than expected and more than a few BCS squads who looked a bit disinterested. It still wasn’t a riveting exhibition of the sport, but at least the 70-0 games were on regional channels and the national matchups were close. Of course, the close games were a result of some surprisingly bad play from a few alleged contenders. Michigan looked strangely vulnerable for the second straight week, costing the Wolverines votes in the polls. It didn’t help that their signature win, Notre Dame, also nearly lost again, this time to an utterly inept Michigan State offense (though the Spartans’ defense is pretty good).

The most surprising score of the day was the 21-21 that flashed on the bottom of TV screens during the third quarter of Georgia’s game with North Texas. However, don’t be fooled by the margin of victory. UGA dominated the contest with a greater-than-2:1 yardage advantage; the Mean Green’s second and third touchdowns came on a kickoff return and a blocked punt that made the game appear much closer than it was. Top contenders Clemson and Alabama also struggled somewhat against mediocre competition and, as with Georgia, shouldn’t be overly penalized for it.

The mega-blowouts administered to Florida International, Savannah State, Louisiana-Monroe and Florida A&M (courtesy of Louisville, Miami (FL), Baylor and Ohio State, respectively) hopefully won’t have any impact on the polls, because playing what amounts to JV teams shouldn’t be rewarded. Running up the score to 70 or more isn’t impressive. The fan response of “we took out our starters” doesn’t hold up under any scrutiny. All four teams put up at least three more TD’s in the second half and only OSU removed its starters immediately. That doesn’t mean they should be punished, but they shouldn’t gain a single vote for their “performances.” Yes, that means Baylor is still unranked, ‘cause Wofford, Buffalo, ULM? Give me a break. There’s some serious West Virginia 2012 potential with this Baylor team. Remember how WVU started 5-0, scoring at will, with Geno Smith all but handed the Heisman? Then the Mountaineers played some real defenses and lost five straight. When Baylor plays a remotely decent team (not until mid-October, sadly), call me.

Fortunately, next week should see the level of competitiveness improve dramatically. Thursday night features a realllllly interesting early ACC game between Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. The weekend begins with the intriguing South Carolina – UCF matchup, then continues with LSU at Georgia and Oklahoma making a return trip to Notre Dame. Good pickings abound as the afternoon goes on, too. Texas A&M goes to Arkansas in the old Southwest Conference rivalry and Alabama hosts Ole Miss in another meeting of SEC West teams. Undefeated Arizona and Washington clash in Seattle, while Stanford takes a dangerous trip to face WSU. In two key divisional showdowns, Wisconsin takes on Ohio State and USC goes to ASU. This is a full docket.

Top 25

There wasn’t a lot of change to be had with the slim pickings of last week. Stanford moved up, but so did Florida State, as both teams benefitted more from Ohio State’s inability to find a decent opponent than anything they did themselves on the field. Notre Dame drops out after another poor showing (and I seriously considered doing the same to Michigan). Next week this list will probably look very different.

1) Clemson

Yeah, Clemson wasn’t that great against NC State, but you know what? Neither was Alabama against CSU. If we’re taking for granted that NCSU is better than Colorado State, which they are, Clemson should remain number one. I’ll take a conference road victory – at a place notoriously difficult for top teams in the recent past – over a sleeper against a mid-major. To be sure, the Tigers will need to shore some things up to continue to hold onto the top spot (my prediction about the defense versus a power run game came true eerily fast), but no matter how you look at it Clemson still has the best win in the country.

2) Alabama

We’re at the point where the offensive line’s struggles are a concern. ‘Bama shouldn’t be gaining fewer than 350 yards against Colorado State at home. This squad is more experienced than last season’s but for some reason seems to be playing more like a group of underclassman now. There’s plenty to time to correct all these concerns (and it’s worth noting that several players saw reduced minutes against the Rams), but it would be nice to see a little fire from the Tide. Just because Nick Saban is a soulless automaton programmed to recruit future NFL first-rounders and win championships doesn’t mean the team has to play like robots. How about a statement against Ole Miss this week, eh?

3) Oregon

The Ducks could have dropped had any of the other contenders played someone good. The competition to this point has been… spotty, to say the least. At least we know Oregon is considerably better than Florida, thanks to that slopfest the Gators had with Tennessee. Given that UF is a fringe top-25 team right now, though, that’s not overly high praise. What is interesting is how the schedule, once forgiving, now seems a mite tougher. UCLA is going to be a barnburner and the trip to Washington is no longer a gimme by any stretch of the imagination. If the Ducks make it to Pasadena (either for the BCS Championship or the Rose Bowl), they’ll have earned it.

4) LSU

LSU was one of the few teams to come out of last weekend with a legitimate feather in its cap. No, I don’t think Auburn is that good, but that’s exactly how the Bayou Bengals made them look. The box score actually tells less about the game than you’d think: despite a slim edge in yardage, LSU scored the first 21 points and only allowed Auburn on the board after QB Zach Mettenberger (who needs a nickname, because I hate writing “Mettenberger” all the time) tossed his first INT of the year. To be honest, these Tigers have been the most impressive SEC team in 2013… but let’s wait until the showdown with Georgia this Saturday before jumping to too many conclusions.

5) FSU

The Seminoles didn’t crank up the unsportsmanlike scoring like some of their big-school counterparts, but their game with Bethune-Cookman was no less a laugher than those 70-point shellackings. Boston College this week should be a similarly-themed contest, but the next game against Maryland has suddenly become rather interesting. If FSU is the title contender I think they are, they’ll blow the Terrapins away too. Jameis Winston wasn’t his usual brilliant self this week, but it’s unlikely that any team on the ‘Noles schedule other than Clemson has the ability to make him look mortal if he’s on his game.

6) Stanford

For the first three quarters against the comedy of errors that is Arizona State, Stanford looked fantastic. The 21 points allowed in the fourth were a little disappointing, but the game was already over. I’ll certainly give the Cardinal credit for a dominant win. However, as I said last week, I’m thoroughly unconvinced that ASU is very good. They absolutely fulfilled my expectations by making prep-level mistakes, giving up blocked punts and missing tackles left and right. Part of that was Stanford, but part of it was also sheer ineptitude. Moving the Cardinal up one spot seems fair.

7) Ohio State

OSU has to slide because the schedule just hasn’t gotten any better. Until this week against Wisconsin! …Except the Badgers already lost… to a team that just got hammered. Anything short of a blowout Saturday will raise further questions for me about a team that is 16-0 under Urban Meyer but hasn’t faced a single legitimate threat in two years. The Buckeyes are stuck in an unfortunate situation not usually seen in the Big Ten: if they win close, people will say they’re overrated, but if they win big people will call the conference terrible. Louisville has the same problem, but that’s nothing new for a Big East team.

8) Georgia

I’ve already gone over what made the North Texas game appear close, but it’s also possible the Bulldogs were simply looking ahead to LSU. You can hardly fault them for that. With the running game and passing game both clicking for the first time in what seems like an eternity, the Tigers are formidable. Yet I remain strangely confident in this Georgia team despite its flaws. Perhaps it’s because we already know exactly what UGA is – rare for an elite team – because of the two high-profile games to start the season. Good as LSU seems to be, they haven’t faced an opponent on Georgia’s level. An LSU win wouldn’t shock me, but Between the Hedges I feel like this is the Bulldogs’ game to lose.

9) Louisville

I want to like Louisville so much, but every time I look at their schedule I just cringe. The Cardinals follow last week’s 72-0 throttling of FIU with a date at winless Temple, then finally get a smidge of competition in the form of Rutgers and UCF. To this point the Teethed Terrors (seriously, what kind of Cardinal has teeth?!) lead the nation in scoring defense and are averaging exactly 48 points per game… and the country remains entirely unconvinced. As they should. You gotta beat somebody with a pulse to climb higher up the rankings. The same applies to Baylor, but the difference is that Louisville went 11-2 last year and Baylor was 8-5.

10) Texas A&M

Consecutive road games with Arkansas and Ole Miss will really serve to clear the air around this team. Is A&M really good, or just a good offense? The Aggies predictably squashed SMU Saturday, but that does little for me considering Texas Tech did the same. Right now this team is still reaping the benefit of having played Alabama close (and rightfully so). In another couple of weeks they’ll need to start doing some winning of their own against decent squads, provided aTm wants to stay in the rankings. The good news is that after Ole Miss the schedule gets mighty accomodating, with four straight home games.

11) UCLA

It’s a good thing UCLA has that win over Nebraska, because sandwiched around that game are a pair of blowouts that don’t tell us anything about the team. I like Brett Hundley and it would appear the Bruins have taken that proverbial “next step” – yet, I thought that last year, too. With a second bye (already?) before a Thursday night date with Utah, UCLA won’t be going anywhere in the polls this week. I’m still hesitant to commit too heavily to this squad, which has played so efficiently on offense it actually makes me wary of a regression to the mean. Beating the Utes – who aren’t bad, especially at home – would help to assuage my fears.

12) South Carolina

I think Carolina is the better team and should win at UCF this Saturday. Without a doubt, the Gamecocks are more talented. As is always the case, though, the best team isn’t guaranteed of a victory. The Knights are a dangerous non-league foe, probably much more so than SC expected when scheduling this game. Normally I wouldn’t have this kind of trepidation for an SEC contender on the road, but the conference’s average performance so far this year and Carolina’s own sluggishness have created room for caution. Both the offense and defense seem to be less than the sum of their parts.

13) Oklahoma State

The Big 12’s continued horrendousness in non-conference play has the potential to hurt the Cowboys the most, as OSU is the most likely team to run the table. Problem is, if they did so, they’d never win an argument against an undefeated Pac-12 or Big Ten champion. This situation can be demonstrated by West Virginia’s 37-0 defeat at the hands of Maryland last Saturday. Okie State, as WVU’s next opponent, is now in the impossible situation of having to better a massive shutout or get called a fraud. With the ugly way the Big 12 has unfolded, this kind of thing is exactly what the Cowboys didn’t need.

14) Oklahoma

Speaking of teams hurt by WVU’s loss… how about OU? The Sooners beat the Mountaineers 16-7 in Week Two, which at the time looked unimpressive and now looks downright pitiful. Is Oklahoma about to get rocked in South Bend? I’d say yes, but I just remembered how bad Notre Dame has looked the past three weeks. With a bye to prepare, you’d certainly expect the Sooners to be ready to spring some payback on the team that embarrassed them at their own place last year. Then again, I thought similar things in 2012. Show me something, Blake Bell!

15) Washington

Washington’s rise has nothing to do with the 56-0 pasting of Idaho State and everything to do with Michigan’s downward spiral. Still, UW should feel good about their 3-0 start, even if Fresno took the air out of the big win over Boise State. Arizona comes to town this week and I don’t see the Huskies having any trouble. The ‘Cats are decent but have yet to be tested and more importantly have shown no signs of being able to throw the ball. I’m not sure if UW can really compete with Oregon and Stanford, but they’re a top-25 squad and should prove their ranking by winning big.

16) Ole Miss

The Rebel’s ranking is based more on the future than the past, as wins over Texas and Vandy aren’t exactly amazing. I don’t expect Ole Miss to put up a particularly good fight against Alabama this week, either. However, this young team, which will have played three consecutive road games after next week’s trip to Auburn, is extremely talented and should grow considerably as the season goes on. How do I know? Because after facing the Tigers, Mississippi gets an absurd six straight home dates. With a decent QB in Bo Wallace and a group of underclassmen improving each game, the Rebels are in excellent shape. Just probably not this week.

17) UCF

The Knights took a week off to prepare for South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney. Fair enough, although quite frankly Clowney hasn’t looked stellar so far this year. If the minor injuries hampering the Gamecocks’ star are more trouble than the team is letting on, UCF could be in for program-changing upset. I’m very surprised this team isn’t ranked yet considering how it went on the road and beat Penn State. The Nittany Lions aren’t world-beaters, but it’s a more impressive win than most teams can boast to this point. UCF has a balanced offense and an above-average defense. What more could the American Conference have asked for from a new member?

18) Miami (FL)

Miami had to drop because of how ugly Florida’s win over Tennessee looked. Clearly, the Gators were better than the Vols (as they were versus the ‘Canes), but watching that team is just awful. The giant blowout over Savannah State didn’t do anything for anyone and it’s unlikely this week’s game with a terrible USF team will, either. Thank goodness the Hurricanes start conference play soon. Even with the Florida win, I’m still not sure if this team is for real. They might have just caught the Gators on a bad offensive day (though to be fair, those are pretty common for UF right now) and the other two wins are against patsies.

19) Nebraska

Say it with me: UCLA can’t be top-15 team if Nebraska isn’t ranked. That’s not my rankings, that’s the actual polls. The Bruins’ only quality win is against the Cornhuskers, so a ranked Nebraska team is necessary to justify the UCLA hype. You can argue that the ‘Huskers haven’t beat anybody – though I actually think Wyoming might be pretty good – but neither has Florida or South Carolina, whose presence in the top 25 is noticeable. Heck – Wisconsin and Notre Dame are ranked right now, and neither of their losses is anywhere near the quality of Nebraska’s. This is a confusing situation. What isn’t confusing is whether the Cornhuskers are good.

20) Florida

Aside from Notre “Luckiest Team of All Time” Dame, Florida is probably the most aggravating squad to watch in all of college football. The Gators can’t throw, can’t really run and play a brand of good but not amazing D. Yet they win games like last Saturday’s matchup with Tennessee by simply being less inept than their opponent. I love turnovers as much as anyone, but getting bailed out six times (six!) by the Vols, including a couple that were just laughably dumb, isn’t sustainable by any means. The apparent loss of DE Dominique Easley could be crushing as well. Fortunately, this week the Gators get the cure for what ails you down South: Kentucky!

21) Michigan

Another week, another close win against a bad team, another slide. Was it all just a mirage? Is Notre Dame just terrible? Will Michigan even score on Ohio State this year? All these questions will be answered in due time, but for the moment, wow. The Wolverines had better use the week off to right the ship and get ready for a (currently) undefeated Minnesota team. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s gone wrong. The defense hasn’t lived up to preseason expectations and the offense has been both less productive and less efficient. Devin Gardner has looked lost the past two games after starting the season very strong. Thank goodness for byes.

22) Texas Tech

As one of the hipster TTU fans who can claim liking the team “before they were ranked” I feel vindicated. Wins over Texas State or Kansas (in two weeks) won’t impress anyone, but you know what does? The defense, ranked 15^th in points allowed. To put it kindly, let’s just say that’s not what this team is known for. In fact, with Kansas, Iowa State and West Virginia on deck, I think it’s pretty safe to call a 7-0 start for this team. Not bad for Kliff Kingsbury’s first coaching gig. The schedule will get tougher down the line, but with a win over a top-25 team under their belt the Red Raiders are essentially bulletproof until late October.

23) Fresno State

Defense? Not necessary. Fresno might end up as one of those 2008 Hawai’i-esque BCS busters who can’t play any D, but hey, they’ll be there. Derek Carr, while not the “best QB in the country” coach Tim DeRuyter claims, is pretty solid, seen by his 460-yard, four-TD performance against Boise State. His receivers Isaiah Burse and Davante Adams are stellar as well. There’s always the issue of the running game, sure, and the defense leaves a lot to be desired. However, with this sked it won’t be a problem. Outside of a tricky November road date with Wyoming I don’t see the Bulldogs getting threatened by any other team.

24) Northwestern

Northwestern, we meet again. Lest week I chastised the pollsters for handing the Wildcats a higher ranking than they deserved based on a lot of fluff wins in 2012. I’ll continue that this week, as NU rose again on the strength of… a 35-21 victory over Maine! Fun fact: the Black Bears outgained the Wildcats in both yards and first downs. The final margin was the result of a pair of pix-sixes; otherwise, Northwestern was played to a draw by an FCS team. Even with a week off to prepare for Ohio State this team has no business staying within three TD’s of the Buckeyes. Even this ranking feels potentially inflated.

25) Maryland

Maryland’s spot is brought to you by the transitive power, which is admittedly dangerous to apply in football. Taken in a vacuum, the Terrapins’ four wins aren’t particularly impressive. When compared to those of other contenders, though, they look a lot better. The Terps’ 11-point win at Connecticut was a lot prettier than the one Michigan just squeaked out, and Oklahoma’s 16-7 victory over WVU can’t compare to the 37-0 thrashing the Mountaineers took from Maryland Saturday. I have doubts – seen by the the Terps' presence at the bottom of my list – but 4-0 and a defense allowing only 10 points a game? I’ll take it.

Pac-12 Report

The league unfolded essentially as I expected in Week Four, with UW, WSU and UCLA notching massive blowouts, USC struggling with Utah State and Stanford putting ASU in their place. The outlier was Oregon State, who came away with a way-closer-than-it-should-have-been win over San Diego State. Utah also won a hard-fought game with rival BYU, which isn’t particularly noteworthy but serves as justification for showing this. See, BYU? This is why no one likes you.

The cupcake stompings don’t really need any analysis, so I’ll go straight to OSU. The time has come to admit that this Beavers team isn’t that good. The season is one-third over. Enough with the platitudes about growing pains and “sticking with” the run game. This team has an average offensive line with several players injured. That’s just a fact. It’s hard to consistently run the ball under those circumstances. While the passing game has been clicking, there will come a time when it doesn’t, either because of the lack of respect defenses will pay to the rushing attack or the fact that OSU hasn’t yet faced a D in the top 70. Meanwhile, as the Eastern Washington game showed, sometimes you can’t outscore everyone. The Beavs’ defense has also been very poor and appears overmatched against the top offenses in the conference.

As I said before, I’m not overwhelmed with Stanford, even though the ASU win was easily the Cardinal’s best performance of the year. The blowout was impressive, but the Sun Devils really aren’t. I’ve never seen a group of D-1 receivers drop as many balls as ASU’s did versus Wisconsin and Stanford, the special teams are a joke and the defense is decidedly mediocre. So while Stanford looked great… I’m questioning whether Arizona State is really a contender in the South this year. To be sure, the top-25 ranking was silly (and strange, given how voters normally don’t reward teams who benefit from bad calls).

Fortunately, this week is (finally) the first full slate of conference games. We’ll get some real answers for the first time in 2013, even though UCLA and Utah aren’t playing. Saturday begins with an intriguing matchup, Colorado at Oregon State. Now, regardless of whatever struggles the Beavs are having, OSU should have no trouble with the Buffs. However, CU has had two weeks to get ready for this game because of the flooding that postponed their visit from Fresno and the team has to be excited about the prospect of entering October undefeated for the first time in nearly a decade. The Buffaloes are seventh in the nation in passing and face an OSU defense allowing 35 points per game. Losing to Colorado at home would be a rock bottom I don’t expect the Beavers to hit, but I also doubt CU is going to go away quietly.

The Pac-12 won’t pick up a lot of East Coast viewers this week with three games concluding after midnight EST, but the one other game on at a reasonable hour should be a doozy. Arizona travels to Washington for a sweet showdown of 3-0 teams both putting up a ton of points and allowing very few in return. Despite the records, though, I feel this will be a fairly easy win for Washington. Unlike the Wildcats, the Huskies have already had both a home (Boise State) and road (Illinois) test and are moving the ball both on the ground and through the air. ‘Zona is getting production pretty much exclusively from the running game and has played much weaker competition. As an added bonus, the Wildcats have played all three of their games in Arizona and Nevada. The forecast for Saturday’s date in Seattle? 60 and raining.

The first game in the three-headed nightcap is a sleeper. Stanford was vastly outplayed and nearly lost to Wazzu in 2012 and now must travel to Seattle for a night game with a Cougars team that should be 4-0. WSU has begun to resemble the team people thought it might when Mike Leach took over and would certainly love nothing better than to shock the Cardinal. Sorry, guys. My soft spot for the Cougs aside, I expect Stanford to play better than they did last year, knowing this is not a team to be taken lightly. WSU’s crowd (always an underrated factor) may help the team jump out to an early lead, maybe even one they’ll hold at halftime. But the Cardinal are a bad matchup for Wazzu – too sound defensively, too ball-control heavy to allow enough scoring possessions. Eventually they’ll grind the Cougars down.

The second late game should be the most competitive as USC and Arizona State meet in the desert. Lost in the hubbub over SC’s horrendous offense is the secret of the Trojans’ D, which is allowing just 11 points per game. Considering the offense it works with, that’s amazing. After the first two weeks I would have said ASU, at home, would win this game going away. In the words of the immortal Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend!” The Sun Devils have been atrocious defensively the past two weeks and committed a crazy amount of critical mistakes in all three phases. Who can out-inept who in this game? It sounds ridiculous even to me, but I’m sticking with my preseason pick, the Trojans. ASU should be the better team but has been too sloppy lately to trust.

The final night contest is Cal at Oregon, which should be an interesting exercise for both defenses. Cal has been atrocious this year, ranking in the bottom 25 in passing yards allowed, rushing yards allowed, pass efficiency defense and total defense. Oregon has a potentially special unit, especially in the secondary, but one that has yet to be tested by a competent passing offense. That’s the one thing the Bears have: true freshman Jared Goff leads the second-best air attack in the nation, throwing to a group of talented young receivers. However, Goff has yet to leave the friendly confines of Strawberry Canyon and he’ll be in for a nasty time at Autzen Stadium. Playing catch-up all game against Oregon’s speedy offense won’t help, either.

Random Thoughts and Observations

Several commentators made references to Florida’s season potentially being “lost” due to QB Jeff Driskel’s broken leg. Things like that are the reason I write this blog. You realize Driskel is terrible, right? In his entire career, he’s got 14 TD passes to 10 interceptions. If you’re thinking his running ability makes up for it, he averages three yards per carry for his career. If anything, Florida can potentially be much better without Driskel. His injury is unfortunate, but let’s have some perspective.

Driskel’s injury does continue a troubling trend of serious injuries among college players. In recent years there has been a steady rise in not only concussions but season-ending knee injuries. In both cases the NCAA is at fault for not mandating proper safety equipment. Players still wear decades-old helmet designs that are criminally unsafe and players are not forced to wear mouthguards – the most important part of concussion prevention – despite their mandatory use in youth football. For knee and leg injuries, the biggest problem is that most skill players don’t wear knee (or thigh) pads, vital to stopping blown knees. If the NCAA actually cared about players, it would require these types of basic safety equipment.

Stanzi Watch Update: Still no Heisman talk, but we’ve got movement on the Stanzi front! Virginia Tech QB Logan Thomas, always a Stanzi threat, has claimed his first trophy of the year. But Michigan’s Devin Gardner has taken a commanding lead as the only player with two Stanzis to this point. There were quite a few near-misses as well, but here are Week Four’s winners:

Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech

Opponent: Marshall

Performance: Two INT, one FUM (recovered himself), scored game-winning TD in OT

Jake Heaps, Kansas

Opponent: Louisiana Tech

Performance: Two INT (one late in game), led game-winning drive

Gary Nova, Rutgers

Opponent: Arkansas

Performance: Two lost FUM, one INT (for TD), led team back from 17-point deficit

Devin Gardner, Michigan

Opponent: Connecticut

Performance: Two INT, two FUM (one for TD, one recovered himself), led team back from 14-point deficit

After four weeks our leader is Gardner, who has two Stanzis to several players’ one. It’s a long season, but things have started to get interesting, especially with Thomas throwing his hat into the ring. Here are the Stanzi Standings so far (with severity of performance the tiebreaker):

2013 Stanzi Awards

Devin Gardner, Michigan: 2

Connor Wood, Colorado: 1

Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech: 1

Jake Heaps, Kansas: 1

Gary Nova, Rutgers: 1

Connor Halliday, WSU: 1

I loved seeing the fight Eastern Illinois put up against Northern Illinois. Why don’t more FCS teams play like this in those big-money games? Here’s how Saturday’s game started: EIU drove 75 yards in less than three minutes, scoring a TD and then going for two (they failed). Undaunted, the Panthers promptly tried and recovered an onside kick, then scored on a 43-yard pass the next play. After an NIU three-and-out, they came right back down the field and took a 20-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. The defense eventually couldn’t hold up and the Huskies won 43-39, but that kind of aggressiveness is rare from an FCS team and deserves to be lauded.

Next week: Finally, enough data for Heisman talk? Also, what does it mean that players who a few years ago would have been derided as “system” QB’s are now praised as the best signal-callers in the land? The fate of the zone-read in the NFL might play a large role.

Return of the Stanzi

What a great week for football, even if the TV selection left a lot to be desired. It’s rare to get a treat like UCLA – Nebraska so early in the morning and the rest of the day didn’t measure up too poorly, either. The noon block had the SEC mega-ultra-showdownageddon (and another contender, Oregon, in action). The night was finished off in wild fashion, as three games went down to the wire. First, Notre Dame survived Purdue. Next, Oregon State escaped Salt Lake City with a wild overtime win over Utah. Finally, there was the epic weirdness of Wisconsin – Arizona State, which needs its own section for further analysis.

It was enough that I felt comfortable releasing my initial rankings, something I prefer to wait on until Week Four. The 2013 season has given us enough big games already that conclusions can actually be drawn from a relatively small sample size. It’s heartening to see teams get a jump start on the more difficult scheduling the new playoff system will require. We still don’t know whether FCS opponents will be banned – somehow I doubt it – but at the very least the schools at the top seem to have gotten the memo: better competition equals better rankings. This will only help the sport.

I wanted to head off the “TCU is overrated” talk as soon as possible, because it’s quite possible this could become a sticking point later in the year. LSU’s opening win over the Horned Frogs needs to be recognized for what it was – a quality win. I say this because TCU probably won’t look anything like a quality team the rest of the year, if last Thursday’s defeat at the hands of Texas Tech was any indication. The loss of quarterback Casey Pachall, which I noted last week, can’t be understated. I’ve had high hopes for Trevone Boykin, but he looked far from polished or ready to lead his team against the Red Raiders. That’s not to take away from a solid game by TTU (and a steady game plan from new coach and homegrown hero Kliff Kingsbury), but TCU is undeniably better with Pachall at the helm. When LSU’s non-conference schedule is debated, remember that the Tigers beat a different TCU team.

Louisville had a chance to make a statement Saturday against rival Kentucky and essentially blew it. The Cardinals’ meager schedule doesn’t provide them a lot of opportunities to prove they’re actually a great team. They needed to do so against an SEC bottom-feeder in Kentucky and failed. The outcome was never really in doubt, but UL took way too long to get going (a 10-3 halftime lead?) and never did anything to make the pollsters take notice. Consider that Oregon, also facing a mediocre SEC team, demolished Tennesssee 59-14 (and the Volunteers are probably better than UK). Louisville has to step its game up the next few weeks to be taken seriously. You can’t ride that Sugar Bowl win forever.

It seems too easy to blame UCLA’s slow start on pent-up emotion, but I don’t know what else to call it after the win over Nebraska. For the majority of the first half the Cornhuskers were by far the superior team, building a 21-3 lead and making the Bruins look as inept as in last season’s Holiday Bowl. Then UCLA scored 38 straight points, stuffing the Nebraska offense and carving up the Blackshirts’ D. What happened? It’s hard to believe UCLA is that much better than the ‘Huskers, who are, by any fair estimation, pretty good. But had the Bruins played that way for four quarters the score might have been 75-0.

Alabama’s win over Texas A&M was surprising in some ways, very predictable in others. It was shocking to see the Crimson Tide give up so many yards through the air, though it did feel like a sign that even the best defenses in college football today are pretty much helpless against a decent passer-to-receiver combination. ‘Bama just doesn’t cover people THAT badly; you can bet Nick Saban is fairly unhappy with his secondary this week. However, the Tide did move the ball themselves at a brisk and efficient rate. This was expected, given Texas A&M’s alleged – as it turns out, correctly – defensive deficiencies. This game felt very much like the Texas – USC title bout in (bowl season) 2005, when a team with a great offense and average D (USC) met a team with both great offense and defense (Texas). As in that game, it was the squad capable of stopping the other that prevailed. Despite the close score and yardage totals, Alabama controlled the game from the second quarter on. The Aggies were never mathematically out of it (see the frantic late-game rally), but once the Tide took the lead they found themselves playing an impossible game of catch-up. Without a D to make a few stops (save a fluke fumble), A&M was doomed.

I’ll talk about the ridiculous last play later, but for now my comments on the Wisconsin – ASU fiasco will be limited to this truth: the official outcome will have no effect on the polls, because neither of those teams is top-25 material right now. If you take that contest as the draw it essentially was, you’re left with an entertaining game between two decent, but not very complete football teams.

Speaking of that game… it’s official: the Pac-12 is the nation’s second-best conference behind the SEC. Even if Wisconsin had beaten ASU, it would have only given the Big Ten a 2-2 mark on Saturday, which wouldn’t have been enough to erase the statement UCLA made. Toss in the fact that Oregon and Stanford are still top-10 squads and the picture is pretty clear. I’d rank the Big Ten third because the Big 12 has been so awful, then a tie between that league and the ACC, which has looked much improved but still needs to demonstrate depth. The American, with Louisville and UCF leading the way, has the momentary edge on the Mountain West, followed by the MAC, Conference USA and the Sun Belt. Keeping those rankings in mind, let’s talk top 25.

My top 25 aims to be an amorphous, ever-changing list that reflects both the full season’s results to this point and the trending performance of teams on a week-to-week basis. Gone are the days when holding onto a spot required merely a win. Teams must improve over time, show an ability to adapt to the opposition, avoid injuries (just ask TCU) and perform against challenging competition. Everyone enters the season believing things about teams; those prejudices must be forgotten as we’re presented with actual on-field results. Here are my initial rankings.

Top 25

1) Clemson

Both Clemson and Alabama are 2-0, but both 2-0’s trump Oregon’s 3-0 over lesser competition. There’s no sense in splitting hairs about whether Georgia or Texas A&M is a better win… it’s UGA, as the Bulldogs have actually beaten someone. The Tigers get a moderate test this week in a Thursday night road game versus North Carolina State, so perhaps I’ll reevaluate. For the moment, though, Clemson has accomplished more than any other team: I have Georgia as the best one-loss squad, therefore Clemson logically should sit on top. I have concerns about whether the defense can succeed against power-oriented rushing attacks, but few offenses can afford to play that style against the high-scoring, up-tempo Tigers. No team is perfect.

2) Alabama

‘Bama deserves to drop a spot after that horrendous defensive performance. I don’t care if it was the 2007 Patriots offense, allowing 600+ yards is inexcusable (and for the record, the Pats only averaged 411). There’s nothing wrong with the offense, which continues to be among the most well-balanced in all of football (though the Tide certainly will see better defenses). But sheesh… how about covering someone? Like the guy who already has 200 receiving yards? Alabama is very, very good, but the A&M game was a bit of a letdown. When you’ve won three of four titles, you get judged differently. This team is capable of, and will need to be, better than it was last Saturday.

3) Oregon

The Ducks’ three wins, as I’ve said, do not compare to Clemson and ‘Bama’s. I don’t think Tennessee is horrible, but the Volunteers probably aren’t anything more than a .500 squad. As always, the physicality questions remain – whether Oregon can adjust and succeed against teams with a size advantage. However, UO fared much better against UT than they did against Virginia in that regard, which is a positive sign for those who fear a repeat of a Stanford-esque flop. The offense is still humming right along, though it is true that the ground game has suffered some with Byron Marshall as the lead back. It will be interesting to see if the Ducks continue to lean on QB Marcus Mariota, rather than the rushing attack that has been their forte for so long.

4) LSU

I like what LSU has done so far, beating a pretty good TCU team at a “neutral” site (Arlington? Yeah, sure) and once again giving up less than 20 points a game. But it’s what is happening on the other side of the ball that should make people take notice. Yes, that day we’ve all been dreading has finally arrived: LSU can throw the football. The Tigers are averaging more than 250 yards through the air with QB Zach Mettenberger, who has completed 65 percent of his passes with no interceptions through three games. Time will tell if this offense can sustain its momentum in conference play (two backs are also averaging more than eight yards per rush), but thus far the signs are very encouraging. LSU has clearly accomplished more than the rest of the teams on this list.

5) Ohio State

So far, this is what we know about Ohio State: the Buckeyes beat Buffalo (who’s really, really bad), beat San Diego State (who lost to FCS-level Eastern Illinois) and beat Cal… who’s probably also really bad. It’s simply very hard to discern how good a team is when the competition is this terrible. At least Oregon played Virginia and Tennessee. Certainly, the Buckeyes have talented players, but that’s never a guarantee of success. I still think we don’t know how good the QB’s are, which is pretty important in today’s game. OSU might be an elite team, or just very good team that’s bullied a down Big Ten the past year. The first league game against Wisconsin will provide some clues, but that’s still another week out. Until then, I can’t rank this team any higher.

6) Florida State

FSU has probably impressed me more than any of the top contenders to this point. I expected the Seminoles to struggle out of the gate with a new (freshman) QB, but that’s exactly the kind of preconception my rankings aim to eliminate. If anything, FSU has been better than last year when a fairly decent guy by the name of E.J. Manuel was running the show, ranking in the top five in both scoring offense and defense. Granted, it was Pitt and Nevada, but I would argue that those wins are clearly more impressive than Stanford’s over San Jose State and Army. Jameis Winston has been a revelation, completing 40 of his first 45 career attempts. Are you kidding me? Those are “Geno Smith September 2012” numbers, except Winston is a redshirt frosh, not a fifth-year senior. It’s obvious why he was the top-ranked QB in his class; Winston may be a game-changer for the already-stacked ‘Noles.

7) Stanford

To be clear: neither of Stanford’s seemingly “close” wins were ever remotely in doubt. SJSU and Army weren’t much of a challenge and the lack of intensity from Stanford was noticable. Still, there are plenty of power schools playing cupcakes this time of year. Few have looked as unimpressive as the Cardinal. For a team with such a great O-line, Stanford isn’t running the ball particularly well (fewer than 200 yards per game) and the RB committee is looking as suspiciously single-back-oriented as it did last year. Tyler Gaffney, good though he may be, is no Stepfan Taylor. Kevin Hogan hasn’t needed to show what he can do in the passing game, but at some point he will and it’d be nice to know beforehand what the young QB can handle. He and the rest of the team should be able to make a statement against ASU this week.

8) Georgia

With another week before conference play starts against LSU the Bulldogs ought to be able to work out any lingering disappointment from their 1-1 start. We know by now what Georgia is: a talented offensive team with a less-than-elite line and a very young defense that will give up a lot of points and yards this season. However, as is always the case with young defenses, the growing pains should even out over the course of the year as the new starters get acclimated. UGA reminds me a bit of Oregon in 2011 – a team that offered a chance to score every drive, but was vulnerable to great offenses because of young defenders. Ultimately, playing three top-10 opponents in the first month will benefit the Bulldogs, as the schedule is pretty much all downhill from LSU. I still expect this team to compete for the East title.

9) Louisville

Despite the fact that I really do like Louisville, my reservations about the Kentucky game remain valid. UL should be able to easily blow out a team like the Wildcats, even if it was a rivalry game. The Cardinals’ first two opponents were terrible, so they need to take advantage of every chance they get to impress against BCS teams. The next time this squad should be challenged will be the Thursday night game versus Rutgers in early October. How can I justify moving them up when they beat the likes of FIU and Temple? This may be the worst schedule a BCS Championship contender has ever faced. I established my Teddy Bridgewater fandom credentials long before the bandwagon ever existed, but we, the people, need more. Problem is, I don’t know how UL can provide it.

10) Texas A&M

First, the good. A&M’s offense got it done against ‘Bama like nobody’s business. Johnny Manziel and Mike Evans connected all day and the Aggies put up a better showing than expected versus a defense that was supposed to be the nation’s best. That bodes well for the future. What doesn’t is the D, which was predictably carved up by land and by air. You don’t need a brilliant defense to win a title, but you’ve got to at least have an adequate one. A&M simply doesn’t have the players on that side of the ball, so god help them if the offense ever has an off day. This is by no means a bad team (hence their inclusion in my top 10), yet it’s one that will be in for another couple of losses if the coaching staff can’t figure out how to cover up some of the defense’s deficiencies.

11) UCLA

It’s entirely possible this is way too high for the Bruins… but if you feel, as I do, that Nebraska is a top-25 team, UCLA can be no lower. Going on the road to a place like Lincoln and storming back in the manner this squad did is something you’d see from a great team. I’m by no means completely convinced – that bowl loss to Baylor sticks in my mind – but right now this is the second-best road win by anyone. That needs to be rewarded. Further complicating matters is the Nevada situation; the Wolf Pack may be awful, or they might have just gotten thrashed by a couple of elite teams in UCLA and FSU. Time will tell. What’s surprised me the most has been the defense’s performance after losing so many key guys, but that’s why they play the games.

12) South Carolina

I briefly considered slotting Carolina over UCLA (after all, I’d pick the Gamecocks if the two were to play), but thought better of it for two reasons: first, though the Georgia loss was a quality one, SC was clearly outplayed; second, nothing this team has done defensively has been very impressive. With DE Jadeveon Clowney dealing with painful bone spurs in his foot, this is a very good time for the Gamecocks to have a bye week. If the game against UCF was this week instead of next, I’d be tempted to pick the upset. Carolina remains solid on both sides, but the stats don’t lie. At 65^th in scoring offense (30 ppg) and 67^th in scoring defense (25 ppg), this team isn’t playing elite football yet.

13) Oklahoma State

The upper Big 12 schools are a bit of an enigma. With zero quality non-conference wins and its members content to beat up (or get beat by) patsies early on, the Big 12’s quality is a mystery. It doesn’t look great, but the Oklahoma schools may surprise us, as seen by my pegging them here in the teens. Speaking of which, I must offer a mea culpa to the Cowboys: you, not Texas, should be the Big 12 favorite (but the Longhorns should have been so good!). While Oklahoma looks to be returning to its ground-and-pound roots, the ‘Boys keep doing their air-it-out thing to great success. As OSU also boasts the closest thing this league can count as a quality win (Mississippi State), they get the nod over OU.

14) Oklahoma

Color me pleasantly surprised at Oklahoma’s response to losing so much talent. The Sooners are playing classic OU football, averaging more than 270 yards on the ground and holding their first three opponents to a total of three touchdowns. Not bad at all. Next up is Notre Dame in a revenge game. Although the luster is clearly gone from last season’s exciting showdown, this can still be a big moment for a team in transition. After years of adopting the Big 12’s “outscore ‘em” strategy, will the Sooners rebuild the team around more traditional principles? It makes sense; only Texas can compete with OU from a recruiting standpoint, and older powers like Alabama, LSU and Stanford have found success that way. I remain thoroughly unconvinced by the QB’s (prove me wrong, kids! Prove me wrong), so this is as good a time as any for Bob Stoops to reevaluate how his wants his team to look.

15) Michigan

I had a tough time figuring out where to slot Big Blue this week. Should more credence be given to that impressive win over Notre Dame or the lucky escape against (terrible) Akron? Adding fuel to the “overrated” fire was ND’s own poor performance versus a very bad Purdue team. In the end, I ended up putting Michigan 15^th – right where the AP voters did. This is a good team – we know that. But how good? Good enough to beat Ohio State? Win the Big Ten? Not by playing like they did against Akron. However, I’m still confident (enough) the Wolverines could beat the rest of my ranked teams that they have to be up here.

16) Washington

It feels dangerous to put Washington this high, as it’s entirely possible Boise State just isn’t that good (we’ll know this Friday when the Broncos meet Fresno). For the moment, though, that blowout win stands as a pretty solid mark, especially for a team in desperate need of a marquee victory. The Huskies have been scoring more or less at will and the defense, unlike in past years, seems to actually have a pulse. That’s the good news. The bad news is that after the Idaho State walkover this weekend the sked turns brutal – a sneaky-good Arizona team, then Stanford, Oregon and ASU. It’s ok to put UW this high for that reason. If they’re overrated, we’ll know.

17) Miami (FL)

The only reason Miami is on this list is because I couldn’t leave Florida out, something I seriously considered doing. The Gators haven’t done anything to deserve being ranked, so why should the Hurricanes reap the benefits of beating an “elite” team? I had to include Florida, though, because it was obvious throughout their meeting that Miami was the inferior team. Sometimes the weaker squad wins, which is what happened that day. The ‘Canes are probably good, but with such a small sample size (2-0, with the other win over FAU) we really don’t know. I do know they were lucky to beat Florida, so I’ll split the difference for logic’s sake. Al Golden’s boys are here at 17, while Florida rounds out the top 20.

18) Ole Miss

Hey, a bye before playing Alabama? I thought the SEC was going to outlaw these shenanigans. No matter, ‘Bama is more than good enough to beat the Rebels. With that said, Ole Miss doesn’t look too bad. The program has built on last season’s success and added an infusion of young talent that has already paid dividends. Although I don’t see them knocking off the Tide, there are really only two other games on the schedule that look to give the Rebels trouble: Texas A&M and LSU, both of which are at home. If they win one of those – easily possible – a 10-win regular season could be in store. However, a word of caution: after surviving a very losable opener against Vandy and beating up on downtrodden (in every sense of the word) Texas, Ole Miss just might be overrated. But the Alabama game will provide some answers.

19) UCF

Probably my biggest surprise or “reach” team, UCF has been quite good thus far. Unlike some teams that will remain nameless, the Knights actually took care of business against Akron, then shut out FIU before going on the road to beat Penn State. The game on September 28^th with South Carolina will be very interesting, but win or lose Central is looking like the biggest threat to Louisville in the American. Remember the names Blake Bortles and Storm Johnson. The QB and RB will be well-known by season’s end. The defense ain’t bad, either. In their one season of AQ status, could the Knights actually make the BCS? It could be one Louisville upset from happening. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

20) Florida

As I said, I had to include Florida to justify Miami (FL)’s ranking, so here the Gators go. I hate to come off like a cynic, but after 2012’s improbable 11-win campaign it does feel like UF is due some misfortune. Was the Miami game just the start? In two contests, it’s become very apparent Jeff Driskel has made zero strides toward being an actual QB and without the defense to bail him – and the rest of the inept offense – out it’s hard to take Florida very seriously. All the talent and athleticism in the world means nothing if players aren’t put in a position to succeed, a job at which the Gators coaches have clearly failed. Last year proved you can win with a decent ground game and elite D, but right now this team has neither. With LSU, Georgia, South Carolina and rival FSU on the docket, that could spell trouble.

21) Nebraska

Not unlike Florida, I had to keep Nebraska in my rankings to justify UCLA’s lofty position. However, I’m more certain the Cornhuskers are a good team than I am with Florida, largely because this team has a relatively competent QB. Nebraska ends up lower on my rankings because of that ugly defense, but the ‘Huskers also have a higher floor than the Gators because of their schedule. There’s no one nearly as tough as the opponents I mentioned earlier. Of course, there’s some bad feelings around this program because of the Bo “F#%! our fans” Pelini incident and general frustration with the defense, but Nebraska is good enough that anything less than an eight-win season would be a surprise. I see this team righting the ship enough to compete for the Big Ten title.

22) Texas Tech

I’m tentatively sticking the Red Raiders in the top 25, though a midweek win over a hobbled TCU team might not be worth getting too excited about. The prospect of Tech being great again with Klingsbury coming home to lead the squad makes for a tantalizing story, I’ll admit. It is possible this team just caught TCU at the right time. With the upcoming schedule, however, TTU is likely looking at a 6-0 start. Baker Mayfield has been marvelous at QB for the Red Raiders, even if he did throw a trio of picks against the Horned Frogs. In the Air Raid system running the ball is never a priority, and Mayfield (so far) has proved to be a quick study, so I don’t see him continuing to make those kinds of mistakes. We’ll see if it pays off when Tech faces the Big 12’s heavyweights.

23) Notre Dame

Notre Dame might not even be a top-25 squad, if last week’s narrow victory over a truly bad Purdue team is any indication. We don’t have much to go on with this team; two wins over weak competition and a loss to Michigan aren't very useful. The Fighting Irish still have a lot left over from 2012’s unlikely championship game squad, but considering the breaks they got last season ND will need more than just veteran leadership to reach the BCS again. The program has recruited well enough that a huge drop-off is unlikely; still, the Irish face a Florida-like situation without their excellent defense from a year ago to put the offense in great position all the time. QB Tommy Rees is decent, but he’s not enough to make up for a rushing attack that ranks in the bottom third of the country. Notre Dame is on notice.

24) Northwestern

In theory Northwestern is a really good team. The Wildcats are 3-0, coming off a 10-win season, and feature a nice group of skill position players. Sounds great, right? Well, I’m officially on record as a major Northwestern skeptic. Those 10 wins last year didn’t come over anyone of note and the three wins in 2013 have been over teams that have exactly zero wins over other FBS schools. After the team reaches 4-0 versus Maine there will be a lot of commotion regarding a showdown with a presumably undefeated Ohio State team in the first week of October. Don’t believe the hype – whatever niggling issues the Buckeyes might have, they’re not nearly enough to make the Northwestern game competitive. I know I have the Wildcats ranked, but that’s honestly because there aren’t any other BCS teams worthy of it right now.

25) Fresno State

Pending the result of Friday’s tilt with Boise State the Broncos might end up in this spot instead. To this point I like what Fresno has done. The win over Rutgers, though tight, was a good first step for a mid-major looking to return to prominence. Pay no attention to the final score of the Cal-Poly game – the Bulldogs led that one 41-3 before letting up. This could be the best non-AQ school in the country, given what the offense has accomplished so far. How many teams have four receivers with double-digit catches this early in the season? Yes, the defense is mediocre, but there’s plenty of time for improvement. Let’s be honest: Fresno can probably just outscore everyone on their schedule anyway. However, just so my bases are covered, all of this praise comes with the caveat that I get to revoke it if Boise wins.

You’ll notice quite a lot of power schools on the list; that’s intentional, as few (if any) mid-majors have shown much to this point. Teams present in the actual polls but absent from my rankings include Baylor (seriously, play somebody), Wisconsin and Arizona State (did anyone watch that game?) and Michigan State, which is so baffling I don’t even have a quip for it.

Pac-12 Report

UCLA won the weekend, both for themselves and the conference. I’ve been afraid to take the Bruins seriously ever since the no-show in San Diego last winter, but it seems we can actually start treating this team like a real threat to Oregon and Stanford (fingers crossed). The early win set the tone for the entire league, which went an impressive 8-1, with the only loss a somewhat competitive showing by Cal to top-five Ohio State. I’m not counting Oregon State’s win over Utah in that figure because both teams are in the Pac-12, but as far as conference openers go you could do a lot worse than a 99-point overtime affair.

Stanford was less than great in the Army win, though against the Black Knights it wasn’t really necessary. Thank goodness ‘Furd finally plays someone with a pulse this week, because I’ve grown tired of trying to figure this team out. Are the Cardinal just biding their time against weak competition, or are they vastly overrated? ASU is the perfect opponent to find out. The Sun Devils unsurprisingly got the overreaction benefit this week from pollsters who were scrambling to find a new team to rank after Wisconsin “lost.” No matter – to keep it, ASU will have to beat the Stanford on The Farm this week, which doesn’t seem very likely even with the Cardinal’s average performance through two games.

Oregon State, UCLA, WSU and Washington all face pretty meager challenges this week, from SDSU (OSU) to New Mexico State (UCLA) to Idaho (Wazzu) to Idaho State (UW). That’s a solid four guaranteed wins (hey, if it works for the SEC, it can work for you, too!). Colorado, Oregon, Arizona and Cal are joining the strangely large group of teams taking a Week Four bye, so there’s not much to go on other than the ASU – Stanford matchup and Utah versus BYU in the Holy War, possibly the nation’s nastiest rivalry. Remember the wacky ending last year? I think the Cougars do.

The final game (though not chronologically) is Utah State at USC, a game I’ve had my eye on for quite a while. Before the season, I pegged this as a trap game the Trojans were likely to lose; of course, I hadn’t counted on SC already being upset by Wazzu. With that wake-up call, will USC be more ready? USU is no pushover and Chuckie Keeton is a much better QB than anyone on the Trojans’ sideline. Still, USC looked rejuvenated last week against Boston College and the shame of losing the way they did to WSU will motivate them here, right? Right? Hmmm. I’ll stop short of calling for the upset, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Keeton went out and shredded the USC defense en route to an Aggies victory.

Random Thoughts and Observations

It‘s time for the return of the Stanzis! I had forgotten to hand these out in the first two weeks, then realized that Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel and Utah’s Travis Wilson both very nearly took home the year’s first Stanzis on Saturday. If you don’t recall, the Stanzi is named for ex-Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi, who routinely got credit for saving his team from holes he himself put them in with poor play. The award was born out of my bewildered joy at watching Stanzi miraculously bring the Hawkeyes back from certain defeat. Since then, I’ve tried to recognize such performances with Stanzis.

This year, I’ve formalized the rules and will be awarding individual Stanzis weekly, along with a year-end Ultimate Stanzi, which will be memorialized by a statue of the man’s 2009 game versus Indiana, when he threw five interceptions yet somehow won (yes, it was just as ridiculous then as it is now). The rules are as follows:

2013 Stanzi Awards

1) QB’s are the only players eligible

Quarterbacks are the only players that touch the ball every play. They have a much greater impact on the game than any other position and can make plays – good and bad – easier than anyone else.

2) The QB must have multiple turnovers

At least two turnovers are required. They usually need to fall into my “critical mistakes” category: interceptions taken back for TD’s, interceptions in the end zone, fumbles at the worst possible time. These need to be plays that significantly damage the team’s chance to win. The more boneheaded the play, the better.

3) The game must be very close, preferably involving a late comeback

It doesn’t matter if the QB plays badly if his team still stomps the enemy into the ground. No Stanzi effort is complete without a dramatic do-or-die drive to tie or take the lead right after consecutive pick-sixes. Every contest was a thrill ride with Stanzi; nothing more than a one- or two-score game is acceptable

4) The QB’s team must win the game

The truth is that while I loved to hate Stanzi, he won an inordinate amount of the time. While both Manziel and Wilson threw multiple costly interceptions – including pick-sixes, the backbone of any respectable Stanzi-ing – both their teams lost. Sorry, fellas. You gotta win to pick up a Stanzi!

Any number of players can win Stanzis in any given week, depending on the level of QB atrociousness. The Ultimate Stanzi will be awarded to the player with the most total Stanzis over the course of the year. In the event of a tie, the player with the most turnovers will prevail. If there’s still a tie, I’ll have to go to the still-nebulously defined “critical turnovers” category to determine how much said QB’s hurt their respective teams.

Keep in mind this is not Grantland’s Bad QB League. The Stanzis don’t celebrate bad QB’s, they recognize poor play by (generally) good players. After all, the QB’s must win to be eligible. Rather than making fun of actually bad players, the Stanzis reveal the absurdity behind the idea that a QB should get credit because his team won. In any case, I came up with the Stanzis first.

After reviewing all the FBS scores from Weeks One-Three, I’ve determined three Stanzis should have been handed out. Here are your leaders in the clubhouse so far this season

Connor Wood, Colorado

Opponent: Central Arkansas

Performance: Two INT, two FUM, led two fourth-quarter TD drives in 38-24 win

Connor Halliday, WSU

Opponent: USC

Performance: Two INT (one in USC end zone), one FUM, led game-winning drive in 10-7 win

Devin Gardner, Michigan

Opponent: Akron

Performance: Three INT (including pick-six), one FUM, led game-winning drive in 28-24 win

In less silly news... this old instructional video for football is one of the most entertaining things I’ve come across in a while. It’s amazing to see how much the game has changed in the past 60-odd years, but what I found even more interesting was the use of tactics rarely seen post-NFL merger (1970) that are now commonplace again. Look at the shovel pass around the eight-minute mark. That’s a shovel to a back crossing the QB’s face behind the line of scrimmage (rather than staying in place), a common sight in the NFL today and a staple of college spread offenses. Minus the pre-snap motion, it’s the exact play WVU’s Tavon Austin scorched Clemson with in the Orange Bowl two years ago! This video shows that despite the obvious difference in player size/athleticism and a host of new formations, many of the same concepts from the early days of football are still applicable today.

The distressing lack of great games this week has led ESPN’s College Gameday to set up shop in Fargo, North Dakota for Delaware State’s visit to the FCS’s top team, North Dakota State. The Bison, as you may recall, upset reigning Big 12 champ Kansas State in Week One. Good for Gameday. With so many FBS contenders taking a week off or scheduling patsies, lower-division schools deserve the spotlight. I think I speak for many fans when I say the opportunity to see the showing from a great FCS team’s fan base far outstrips my desire to watch Florida or Notre Dame or yes, even Oregon host the thing AGAIN.

About those FBS games… seriously, what happened? We were spoiled with what seemed like one of the best opening months ever and now Week Four brings us nothing. The early slate Saturday is practically unwatchable, even by my standards. The best matchup is North Carolina’s visit to Georgia Tech, which, though it could play an important role in the Coastal Division race, isn’t reeling in the viewers. Let’s be honest here. The second wave is stronger and features some rivalry games (Tennessee – Florida, MSU – Notre Dame, West Virginia – Maryland), but that’s about it. Arizona State and Stanford face off in the week’s sole contest between ranked teams, while Auburn and LSU follow with another rivalry game, but unless you want to watch a whole lot of FCS teams get pummeled you’ll probably end the day feeling unfulfilled. The best game of the entire week might be Utah – BYU, which will probably be delightful given the history of the series and, of course, last year.

By the way, look how well the refs handled a very difficult situation in that 2012 Holy War. With fans on the field and a furious home crowd ready to explode, the officiating crew took its time, reviewed the tape and made the correct call in every instance. You know, exactly the opposite of what the refs at the ASU – Wisconsin game did.

I’ve watched the replay of that fateful last snap (sorry for the ad) about 100 times and I’m 90 percent sure Joel Stave’s knee did hit the ground. However, the fact that he did the motion so quickly and had one of his linemen back into him right as he went down made it very confusing. Stave compounded the issue by spotting the ball himself instead of just tossing it to the back judge right behind him. It’s not unreasonable at all that ASU mistakenly thought it was a fumble. Of course, the refs should have acted much faster and reviewed what happened, but some fault also lies with Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen for calling a kneel with very little time left and no timeouts. To his credit, Andersen has taken the high road in all of this, refusing to complain or berate the officials over something that will not be changed (It’s a simple fact that the NCAA really doesn’t like altering scores post-game.) Wisconsin fans – normally such a pleasant bunch – could learn thing or two from him. Did the officials mess up? It sure seems like it. Now you know what it’s like to play in the Pac-12 every week. Ugh.

Next week: Heisman talk, an update on the race for the 2013 Stanzi, the real start of conference play and – just maybe – some good games.

Pay or play

Congratulations to the Miami Hurricanes, Washington State’s defense and Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray. All three could claim important accomplishments on Saturday. The ‘Canes struck first by capitalizing on Florida’s mistakes to earn their first win over a top-15 team in four years. Murray exorcized a bunch of demons by finally getting one against South Carolina and looking good doing it. Finally, WSU held USC to a single touchdown – set up by a turnover, no less – in their first game holding an opponent to fewer than 19 points since 2010. All three games were also significant to the conference and/or national title races.

Florida’s loss was the second nonconference defeat by an SEC heavyweight in as many weeks, showing that perhaps the gap has narrowed between the leagues. That notion was only bolstered by UGA’s fine performance versus the Gamecocks; after all, if Georgia really is great, Clemson’s better. While USC wasn’t expected to be a BCS Championship contender, the Trojans’ loss was important because of how it affects the rest of the Pac-12, particularly in regards to outside opinion. A better SC makes for a better (and more respected) league, that’s undeniable.

I’ll never understand taking a bye after one game (don’t the players want to play again?), but in some cases schools probably wished they had been idle. Ohio State and Cincinnati both lost QB’s to injury – Cincy probably much more severely – and came away from their games extremely anxious about the future. The Bearcats have more serious issues to correct after a thrashing by projected Big Ten bottom-feeder Illinois, but I can’t imagine the Buckeyes feel too great after seeing Braxton Miller go down.

It’s still amazing how some power schools (Florida, LSU, Texas) can’t seem to recruit a single above-average QB. With the resources available to them, you’d think these programs would always have a four-star guy waiting in the wings. Instead, we’re stuck watching the likes of UF’s Jeff Driskel or Jordan Jefferson (formerly of LSU). Imagine how excruciating it must be for fans of the teams. Terrible QB play lost LSU at least one national title (2011) and Florida would have gone undefeated in the regular season last year if not for Driskel’s turnover-fest against Georgia. The inability to get a single player who can complete a pass longer than 10 yards is baffling. That’s not even mentioning what happened to USC this week, because I think I need more time to digest how an offense with a receiver like Marqise Lee could be that bad.

The biggest win of the weekend – indeed, of the young season – was Miami (FL) over Florida, which for longtime Hurricanes fans had to feel somewhat like cosmic payback for the events of the 1987 Fiesta Bowl. This time it was Miami, not its opponent, winning despite a complete inability to move to the ball and a relatively mediocre defensive performance. The Gators sure have a good D, though, eh? Turning it over five times will kill you, though, even if you nearly double up the opposition in yards and first downs. Somewhat like in that Georgia game last year, Florida found out that great defense can only take you so far with horrendous QB play.

Other than that early upset, there weren’t a whole lot of surprises. None of the mid-major leagues acquitted themselves particularly well with big upsets. Georgia rebounded to knock off South Carolina, but that was hardly shocking. The Big 12, in general, looked awful. Outside of Gainesville, the most disgusted people have to be in Austin, where their Longhorns now boast the worst run defense among AQ schools after giving up an eye-opening 550 yards on the ground to BYU. Somehow, Texas managed to not figure out how to stop a QB who completed a laughable nine of 26 pass attempts. Over in Norman, Oklahoma was struggling to a 16-7 victory over West Virginia. After looking so strong last year, the Big 12 has opened 2013 with a thud.

The AAC took another hit when title hopeful Cincy got rocked at Illinois. The best teams in the American are looking like Louisville and UCF. This does not bode well. Rutgers looks decent but fairly defense-less, while the rest of the pack continues to demonstrate why they used to be mid-majors. However, only the ACC has really stepped up among the BCS leagues. Miami (FL)’s win, the conference’s second in two weeks over the SEC, was huge. The ACC has been the worst AQ league in BCS bowls over the past 15 years; perhaps it will turn things around just as the BCS ends.

The SEC has undeniably been less than stellar so far, but with the Big Ten still rebuilding and the Big 12 looking to be in serious decline, the only minor competition for “best conference” is the Pac-12. The teams out west have performed respectably, but Oregon’s blowout of Virginia doesn’t earn them any points. Cal and Colorado nearly losing to FCS teams the week after Oregon State did doesn’t help the conference, either. We’ll get a much better feel for how this season will play out after this Saturday when UCLA visits Nebraska, the first of four Big Ten-Pac-12 matchups. Washington also travels to Illinois (Chicago, not Champaign) and Ohio State and Wisconsin return the favor by coming to Cal and ASU, respectively.

The headliner is Alabama and Texas A&M in the revenge game. While there are obviously championship implications, the game probably won’t mean as much in terms of the SEC race. The West is still a dogfight, so starting 1-0 in conference play, while nice, isn’t going to come close to deciding things. Unlike in previous years, it doesn’t mean a freebie in the SEC Championship either.

Pac-12 Report

ASU got off to a predictably smooth start against Sacramento State. Utah followed suit against another FBS team, Weber State. Both Pac-12 squads looked crisp and powerful, as they should have against overmatched competition. However, it was the conference’s other two games against lower-division schools that gave me reason to pause.

First, it’s true that Cal was coming off an emotionally charged game last week. A home and season opener with a new coach, a new system and a ranked opponent in town could certainly explain away the rough first half the Golden Bears had against Portland State. But a Northwestern hangover can’t excuse giving up more than 500 yards to the Vikings. The Bears’ defense stiffened up in the second half, but the final margin of seven points says it all. That was way too close. Cal will need to play far better if it hopes to compete with its next two opponents – Ohio State and Oregon.

As for Colorado, thank goodness for Paul Richardson. I emphasized in the preseason just how important he was to this team, and it’s fair to say he might have swung both of the first two games for the Buffs. Colorado is clearly still rebuilding, needing to score the final three TD’s of the game to win 38-24. With Fresno State on deck, it’s hard to imagine CU keeping this win streak going. Nevertheless, even very small steps should be celebrated at Colorado right now. 2-0 feels a lot better than 0-2.

I mentioned earlier that Oregon’s win over Virginia didn’t tell us anything, which is true. The Cavaliers, stout thought their defensive front may be, were picked to finish low on the ACC totem pole for a reason. As much as Ducks fans are excited about the Mark Helfrich era looking exactly like the Chip Kelly one, Oregon hasn’t played anyone remotely close to its level. Tennessee should be overmatched this week, but does offer a test on both lines. UO struggled to run the ball on the interior against UVA. If that continues against the Volunteers, you know teams will continue to try to stuff the box.

Oregon State looked much improved versus Hawai’i, even if some old issues popped up. It’s hard to say at this point if it’s the players or the scheme, but OSU doesn’t look as sharp as last year. Injuries (to LB Michael Doctor and across the O-line) have rocked this team. The Beavers have to be able to run the ball more effectively to compete in the Pac-12, but if the line can’t hold up it might force Mike Riley’s hand. Defensively, at least the secondary wasn’t nonexistent against the Rainbow Warriors. This is an unfortunate week to have to play on the road for the first time, but OSU is more talented than Utah and is more than capable of getting a key league victory.

I’m very concerned about Arizona. That seems strange when the Wildcats rolled to 58-13 win over UNLV, but going beyond the box score reveals that UA has problems; more than say, Oregon State, whose fans are feeling pretty anxious right now. The most obvious issue is that Arizona simply can’t throw the ball. It’s great to rack up rushing yards on one of the worst teams in the country, but QB B.J. Denker went 8-21 for 81 yards. That’s not going to get it done later in the year. I will say the Wildcats’ D has been a lot better so far, but even that comes with the caveat of horrendous competition.

I’ll end with WSU – USC, so to Stanford we go… overall, the Cardinal clearly controlled the game with San Jose State. It remains to be seen whether the Spartans can recapture the magic of last year’s 11-2 campaign, so it’s difficult to say if this was a great defensive effort. All of the traditional Stanford trademarks were seen in the game: airtight run support, efficient passing and generally smart football. Still, even for Stanford, less than 200 yards rushing isn’t exactly amazing. The Cardinal will need to show me a little more in the future.

The de facto nightcap (let’s be honest, no one was excited about Stanford – SJSU) featured Wazzu at USC in one of the strangest games the Pac-12 has seen in quite some time. Think, if you will, of the conference’s long-time reputation: high-scoring, pass-heavy shootouts between finesse teams, right? Now look at the numbers from Saturday night: 26 total first downs, just over 400 COMBINED yards of offense, exactly zero points scored that weren’t set up by the defenses. That was without question one of the ugliest games I’ve ever seen, and I watched the 2006 Auburn – LSU game that ended 7-3. It was a gigantic win for WSU as the program tries to grind its way back to respectability.

And yet… I can’t stop thinking about the Trojans, not the Cougars. USC’s appalling offensive performance brought to mind memories of the terrible Nebraska attacks a few years ago, when the Cornhuskers would run the ball twice, get sacked and then pray for a big play from the defense. The fact that it was a USC offense that looked that weak, inept and scared was jaw-dropping. You can blame Lane Kiffin – sure, he’s likely a lame-duck coach with a complete lack of scruples – but given his past aggressiveness (if not creativity) in play-calling, I think the truth is that he knew exactly how capable his QB’s were. Which is to say, not at all. The fact that WSU (Wazzu!) wasn’t afraid of the Trojans’ offense whatsoever says volumes about the QB situation and how sanctions have crippled the program’s depth. It seems unfathomable that SC could be this bad with the (supposed) talent on the roster.

This week: four Big Ten matchups loom. It will be interesting to see how UCLA handles the emotion of getting back on the field for the first time since the death of WR Nick Pasquale last Sunday. Outside of the sectional clash, Oregon faces Tennessee, USC hosts Boston College and Colorado gets Fresno.

Random Thoughts and Observations

You can add TCU’s Casey Pachall to the list of veteran QB’s who suffered significant injuries last Saturday. It’s quite a shame to see Pachall go down after the road he took to get back to football. On the flip side, the Horned Frogs are fortunate that Trevone Boykin got so much playing time last year with Pachall out and can step in again. It’s possible TCU could be a bigger player than expected in what has started to look like a down year for the Big 12.

A new Yahoo! Report has implicated five former SEC players of receiving impermissible benefits while at school, and SI is reporting that Oklahoma State had a pattern of violations throughout most of the last decade. It’s sad, but I think at this point most fans just assume this is going on at most places around the country – except their school, of course. The lack of attempted outrage or even surprise at these allegations says a lot about our cynicism toward the sport and the NCAA.

Does this mean it’s time to pay the players? TIME Magazine deemed the subject important enough to make the front cover over, you know, ANYTHING else happening in the world. Public opinion does seem to be swinging that way and other publications have had writers come out in favor of compensation. I’m against it for the moment, for reasons I think should be obvious.

To be clear, the NCAA does not need more money. The greed, hypocrisy and incompetence of that institution have long been established. The “amateurism” argument is a sham; I’ve never argued that point. With that said, I’m still against paying college football players. First and foremost, a full scholarship to a four-year institution (that takes the place of an actual student) IS payment. It’s a whole lot of payment, especially when you consider that most athletes wouldn’t be at their school if they were regular students.

But they’re not regular students, because they make the university millions of dollars a year (well, some do, although most athletic departments are actually in the red). But for the sake of argument, let’s say every college football program rakes it in each season. Aren’t the guys who make that happen entitled to something? Fair enough. The question is, how would you go about compensating them?

Would player salary be tied to program revenue, so the more money a team made, the more players would get? Or would there be a sliding scale for value? After all, some players are clearly worth more than others. Shouldn’t they be compensated accordingly? Would the NCAA decide how much money could be awarded, or would it be individual schools or conferences? How about a salary cap to level the playing field? Would the Phil Knight and T. Boone Pickens types just be allowed to give exorbitant amounts to any player they wanted?

The problem is that despite the cries of “slavery!” and murmurings of how darn unfair it is to the kids – won’t someone think of the children? – no one has yet proposed a single feasible long-term plan for this problem. If a stipend is the answer, go with it. But even that was too difficult for the powers that be to decide on. A little reality check: players will want always want more. Is it fair to the players that the NCAA denies them all benefits? Not really. But you know what? Football is a game they play by choice, a game that awards them fame and adulation and whole lot of other “benefits” that everyone knows come under the table. It’s hard to feel sorry for people who have chosen to play a game that furthers their own interests.

Next week: THE Ohio State University? Hopped in the polls again?! Folks in Columbus won't be happy, no sir. Also: will the party be in College Station, or Tuscaloosa? It's hard to imagine Nick Saban getting beat twice by the same team...

A Foots, and Perchance a Balls?

If you’re anything like me, last weekend gave you an unhealthy amount of pleasure. Not only did college football return, but how! Kicking off with North Carolina and South Carolina on Thursday night, the five-day footbapocalypse didn’t lose steam until late Monday with the ACC’s annual Labor Day matchup. There were even a few decent games (not that opening week really requires it). Virginia Tech showed a surprising amount of fight in containing a seemingly unstoppable Alabama team; perhaps the Tide have more issues than we thought? LSU and TCU, a matchup that normally would have been a headliner, featured more than a few entertaining moments. Of course, Saturday’s nightcap saw Clemson and Georgia put on a marvelous show. As far as Week Ones go, it wasn’t too shabby.

However, the biggest sign that football was back – and the biggest story, with apologies to Clemson – was the nationwide FCS invasion. Remember the preseason predictions that college’s BCS teams would soon break off to form a fourth division above FBS? Maybe we should hold off on that for a while. A stunning seven FCS teams prevailed over their FBS hosts (not including Samford, which defeated transitioning FBS member Georgia State). Southern Utah upset South Alabama. Towson bounced UConn by 15. McNeese State torched South Florida for 53. Southern Illinois (the Salukis!) throttled San Diego State by 21. North Dakota State knocked off reining Big 12 champ Kansas State. Northern Iowa shocked Iowa State. And of course, Eastern Washington notched the upset of the weekend, surviving a thriller to beat 25^th-ranked Oregon State.

While the decision to schedule very good lower-division teams (NDSU and EWU are FCS powerhouses; McNeese State, SIU and Northern Iowa aren’t bad, either) should probably be re-examined, what made the upsets so surprising was how they didn’t seem like upsets at all. Several of the games were won comfortably, with the FCS school looking like the clearly superior team. Case in point: Eastern Washington won by three, but scored on every possession quarterback Vernon Adams was in the game. Oregon State was fortunate to give up ONLY 49 points. McNeese State, meanwhile, scored 40 straight on USF.

In lieu of a top 25, which I don’t believe in before about Week Four, I’ll run down how the individual conferences fared, which in the coming weeks will reveal more or less how my rankings will look. One thing I heard a lot this weekend was, “It’s only Week One,” which is technically true, but really not a valid statement when it comes to college football. The sport’s appeal is based on the idea that every week is a playoff. Why do you think it took 150 years to escape the bowl system? While it may be true that Georgia, for example, isn’t out of the title chase, the Bulldogs are the glaring exception. Playing in the SEC has that benefit. You think TCU will get a shot if the Horned Frogs run the table after losing to LSU? Doubtful, especially with the Big 12’s performance this week.

The mid-major conferences essentially held their own this week, competing about as well as could be expected against BCS opponents who scheduled them as patsies. Nearly every league stole at least one game from a big-name team: Western Kentucky (Sun Belt) upset Kentucky for the second year in a row, Northern Illinois (MAC) avenged a 2012 loss to Iowa and Fresno State (MWC) outlasted Rutgers in a crazy overtime affair. The MAC also got a boost when Bowling Green blasted presumed C-USA contender Tulsa 34-7. The Mountain West fared the worst, with Nevada and Boise State getting crushed and SDSU losing to an FCS team. Conference USA wasn’t great, but faced a pretty difficult slate. The SBC basically met (admittedly low) expectations, so the MAC was the clear winner.

As for the big boys, it was a mixed bag. Alabama beat VaTech by double digits, but the Hokies weren’t ranked. LSU’s win over TCU was probably the best win for the league and Florida holding Toledo to six was impressive, though those achievements were offset by Mississippi State’s anemic effort against Oklahoma State and Georgia’s loss to Clemson. The ACC got that one big win over Georgia, but that was it. The Pac-12 fared much the same, with one big victory (Washington over Boise) to its name but an FCS loss as well. It’s hard to judge the Big Ten, which didn’t play anyone. The losers were the Big 12 and American, though this was a matter of degrees. Yes, the Big 12 saw two schools (K-State and Iowa State) go down to FCS foes and nearly had another lose (WVU escaped William & Mary), but that performance pales next to the underachievements of the newly formed AAC. Connecticut’s blowout loss to Towson merely set the tone; by the time the dust had settled, South Florida 32-point loss had set the mark for largest margin of defeat to an FCS team since 2001 and the league was staring at a 4-6 record. And it didn’t come against great competition.

Next Saturday we’ll learn even more about the conferences, thanks to another solid slate. Florida – Miami (FL) ought to be fun, while Oregon gets an early test at Virginia and Texas (who started slow against New Mexico State) faces BYU. There’s also Notre Dame – Michigan and South Carolina – Georgia, if you must have two ranked teams in your games. Sleeper games I’m interested to watch include Western Kentucky and Tennessee (possible upset alert?) and an improved WSU team versus a USC squad that looked sluggish this week.

Pac-12 Report

Utah got the Pac-12 started on Thursday night, avenging last year’s loss to Utah State. The victory got the Utes off on the right foot, moving toward erasing the memories of 2012’s 5-7 finish. With a fairly tough schedule ahead, Utah will need every win it can get to reach bowl status again. Most promising was the performance of sophomore QB Travis Wilson, who looked ready to fulfill his potential in a 300-yard passing effort.

USC also played opening night, and while the 30-13 score didn’t wow anyone it was at least a solid showing by the defense against Hawai’i. After last season’s historically bad unit, the Trojans should be pleased with this first step. The offense can be dealt with later. Obviously, some fans are panicking after the new QB’s split time and failed to produce big plays, but until SC decides on a starter it seems premature to worry about how the passing attack isn’t as dynamic after losing a four-year letterman at the position.

Arizona was up next. Interestingly enough, despite a more impressive margin (35-0 against Northern Arizona), I felt the Wildcats had more significant problems than USC. The defense played well, holding the Lumberjacks to less than 300 yards in the shutout, but that’s par for the course against an FCS opponent, even for ‘Zona’s awful D. The offense, meanwhile, didn’t look great without RB Ka’Deem Carey. Arizona held the ball for less than 20 minutes and only ran 47 plays to NAU’s 75. This doesn’t qualify as “keeping things vanilla” to hide the playbook from future opponents; if anything, an early-season game against an FCS foe would have been the perfect time to get a few more reps for new QB B.J. Denker.

Saturday saw the conference run the gamut of emotions. Oregon cruised to an easy win over hapless Nicholls State, while Cal and Wazzu lost heartbreakers and Washington announced its return to the big stage by manhandling Boise State. We’ll get to the big games in a minute. First, Oregon: nothing was learned from the 66-3 trouncing of a terrible FCS team, certainly. The Ducks managed to get out of the game without any injuries, though, which is important. That’s more or less what was expected.

UCLA delivered much like Oregon, though Nevada is definitely a better test than Nicholls State. The Bruins rolled up a ton of offense in a 58-20 win, although it is worth noting that the score was only 17-13 at halftime. After a week off UCLA goes to Nebraska, so there needs to be a better four-quarter effort if the Bruins are to pull the upset for a second straight year (although if they win again, shouldn’t we stop calling it an upset? I think at that point everyone would have to admit UCLA is just better).

The Cal and Washington State losses were really tough, as both teams had chances to win against AQ opponents. Cal, playing its first game under Sonny Dykes, looked every bit as good as (probably overrated) 22^nd-ranked Northwestern. The Golden Bears passed for 455 yards with true freshman QB Jared Goff, enough to call Dykes’ system a smashing success. The killer was a pair of deflected passes returned for touchdowns, which was enough to negate Cal’s advantages in yards, first downs and time of possession. The future looks bright for this program – check out this fake! – but that had to hurt.

The story was much the same for WSU, who nearly doubled up Auburn in first downs and outgained the Tigers by more than 50 yards. Turnovers remain the great equalizer, though: the Cougars gave away three interceptions, including a killer pick on the goal line late in the fourth quarter. Wazzu gave a pretty solid “Coug” effort once again, allowing a kickoff return TD and a 75-yard run for a score. Without those fluke plays, the team would have notched a comfortable win. If those things get cleaned up, this week’s game with USC could be very interesting.

I’ll skip the two most important games of the weekend to quickly jump to Colorado. The Buffs played great in a win over rival CSU, dropping more than 500 yards of offense on the Rams and showing the kind of big-play ability the team has sorely lacked with a pair of deep TD passes. It was wonderful to see WR Paul Richardson on the field again for CU. His presence could very well signal a shift in the program’s momentum. With a freebie against Central Arkansas of the FCS on deck, might Colorado be looking at a 2-0 start? It would be the first for the Buffaloes since 2008.

Washington was unquestionably the most impressive Pac-12 team of the week, handing Boise State its worst loss under Chris Petersen. After Keith Price tossed a pick on the first play the senior QB was superb, as were the rest of the Huskies in holding BSU to two field goals and racking up nearly 600 yards of offense. It’s early, but it’s possible I should have had UW and Oregon State swapped in my preseason predictions. A word of caution: this Boise team might not be that good. But we’ll see; for now, UW looks like a player in the North race.

While Washington’s victory was big, the most notable result from the conference’s first week was Oregon State (that’s 25^th-ranked OSU) going down to Eastern Washington. Now, I hate to pile on the Beavers, but the truth is that game was simply unacceptable. OSU played as if the win was a given and the Eagles would eventually fold if the Beavs just scored a few more times. The offense was pretty good (considering that Oregon State will face MUCH better defenses), but the OSU defense was the same old story.

Remember in 2007, when Michigan got torched by Appalachian State and Oregon in consecutive weeks to start the season and everyone said the Wolverines couldn’t handle the spread? Oregon State has become the poster boy for that kind of team: decent overall, yet hopelessly flummoxed against a mobile QB. The players didn’t look alert against EWU, but for my money the problem is defensive coordinator Mark Banker.

Much like Jeff Tedford, who was once considered an offensive genius, Banker looks like a man who’s had the game pass him by. How is it possible the Beavers’ schemes still don’t account for a running QB, the read-option, or any offensive wrinkle popularized post-2005? Oregon, OSU’s biggest rival, has been running some form of the spread for nearly a decade. It’s become the dominant offense in the Pac-12. The Beavs see this all the time and there’s still very little improvement.

After watching the game twice, what struck me most was the complete lack of adjustments made by the Beavers’ D. It’s not crazy for an FCS team to hurt you in the first half, but greater depth and halftime adjustments usually mean the FBS team dominates after the break, as was the case in West Virginia’s second-half shutout of William & Mary. Oregon State coaches have claimed they mixed up coverages against EWU, but the receivers running wide open all over the field seem to dispute that.

The single significant change OSU made was to blitz. And blitz. And blitz. The Beavs just kept adding defenders to the rush, as if that would make up for general bad defense. Adams, the Eagles’ talented QB, simply read the “coverage” and fired to the open man. On the occasions OSU did reach Adams, defenders would blow past him while he calmly sidestepped, scrambled and bought time for another strike. It was a cool, systematic dissection, and it was an absolute disgrace. Mike Riley isn’t the problem here. Though the head coach deserves some blame, I put this on Banker.

This week: Oregon travels to Virginia for a (dangerous?) test, Oregon State gets a chance at redemption against Hawai’i and Wazzu meets USC. That’s really about it. If any other Pac-12 schools lose, it would be surprising. This is patsy week.

Random Thoughts and Observations

As promised, I have a topic of much importance this week. I mentioned in my season preview the proliferation of plays that I’ve dubbed critical turnovers and critical mistakes (abbreviated here as just “critical turnovers”), plays that aren’t necessarily reflected by the box score. A critical turnover is not necessarily a play when the ball changes possession, though it will be quite often. This concept may seem simple, but bear with me.

Are all turnovers created equal? The answer should be no; an interception at midfield that leads to a punt is hardly the same as a fumble on the 10. Whether the team that fumbled was about to score itself or sets up a score, the result is much more impactful than the aforementioned interception. Yet both plays are recorded as one turnover. Any time the football changes hands inside either team’s red zone momentum swings in a major way, particularly on the devastating kickoff-return fumble (or “krumble”, as per ESPN’s Gregg Easterbrook). The same goes for turnovers on downs or any play that shifts a scoring opportunity to the opposition.

There was a fantastic example of a “critical turnover” in Friday’s Kansas State – NDSU game. With four minutes left in the first half, K-State QB Jake Waters threw an INT at his own 29. After two incompletions, North Dakota State surprised the Wildcats with a draw for 14 yards on third-and-10. With the home crowd still reeling, Bison QB Brock Jensen dialed in a gorgeous pass to tight end Kevin Vaadeland, who promptly dropped the ball in the end zone. No matter, right? After all, it was only first down. Here’s the next three plays: rush for two yards, sack, missed FG. Vaadeland’s drop was a critical turnover – it cost his team not four, but seven points.

So there you have it. Critical turnovers are essentially like errors in baseball (and perhaps we should count them the same way). They’re loosely defined as plays that have an impact beyond the box score, though they can also be quite obvious. This isn’t a revolutionary concept, but I haven’t seen anything like this on any other website, so I’m claiming it as my own.

After last year’s NFL fiasco it seemed reasonable to hope both the NCAA and NFL would find a way to tighten things up and streamline penalty definitions for clarity and consistency. At least in Week One, that wasn’t the case. Yes, replay is still applied haphazardly and in the fashion most jarring to the rhythm of offenses. Yes, runners are still being called down at the one-inch line far too often. Either we have a nation of supernaturally gifted, eagle-eyed officials, or refs are still trying to be the smartest guys on the field INSTEAD OF JUST CALLING TOUCHDOWNS AND USING REPLAY WHERE IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE USED. The new targeting rules have produced exactly the same amount of confusion as before, in some cases rightfully penalizing offenders and in others tossing guys for making legal hits. Oh, and the Pac-12 still has the worst refs, hands down. Sigh. Maybe things will improve as the year goes along.

It was with some amusement during the summer I noted new Arkansas coach Bret Bielema has joined Alabama’s Nick Saban as the only guys on the planet who think the no-huddle should be banned. Referring to the unfounded notion that playing football faster results in more injuries, Bielema’s words parroted the traditionalist line that spread offenses aren’t “real football.” This is as insulting as when people refer to the “real America.” Football is a constantly evolving game. The spread uses elements of offenses from as far back as the 1930’s. Of course power teams want the spread to be illegal; they don’t want to have to chase those little fast guys around. Regardless of the power coaches think they wield, it’s unlikely the rules will be changed to favor the ones who are now in the minority.

I guess I have to talk about Johnny Manziel at some point. His offseason, the most bizarre one for a still-collegiate Heisman winner in memory, was by no means the NCAA equivalent of the Aaron Hernandez case. Keeping things in perspective, it’s important to remember that Manziel hasn’t killed anybody or robbed someone at gunpoint. However, it’s also true that his behavior was wildly atypical of a Heisman candidate and, if it didn’t shame the award, it didn’t exactly polish it either. The NCAA’s pathetic attempt to punish him (you thought Oregon got off easy?) came off as desperate because Manziel’s lawyers forced their hand, but that certainly doesn’t exonerate him. If anything, he’s guiltier in the court of public opinion, which will eventually deny him any chance at repeating his award(s). The best thing Manziel could have done after all the controversy was keep quiet and at least act humbled. But no, there he was against Rice, getting in players’ faces and making a couple of very ill-advised taunting gestures. It’s clear that he doesn’t get it and has zero perspective on the situation.

The strange thing during the summer was how many pundits wrote the same article regarding Manziel’s alleged wrongdoings. I can’t remember how many times I read that, “The Johnny Football autograph situation is indicative of what’s wrong with the NCAA.” Since when? Did the country’s legion of middle-aged sportswriters just now realize the NCAA has been exploiting athletes for decades? Why is it suddenly a huge issue when a white player can’t cash in on his name in college sports? I recall silence when A.J. Green and Dez Bryant got slapped with penalties by the NCAA. Of course the establishment’s amateurism rules are bogus. But everyone signs the same agreement to play at the college level, a document that amounts to a contract with the NCAA. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to sign it and you don’t play. Should the system be redesigned? Absolutely. But it’s sad that sportswriters are making Manziel the martyr in all this. He signed the same agreement as everybody else.

A couple fun notes to end the week: in Fresno State’s epic 52-51 OT win over Rutgers, QB’s Derek Carr (Fresno) and Gary Nova (Rutgers) combined for 114 pass attempts, 804 yards and 10 TD’s, with Carr personally completing 52 of his 73 attempts. The Bulldogs had three WR’s with at least 13 catches. Good lord.

Texas Tech’s Baker Mayfield made history against SMU when he became the first walk-on true freshman to start a season opener at QB for a BCS-level school. One day later, Cal’s Goff did the same (although Goff wasn’t a walk-on). How did the young guns do? They each put the ball in the air at least 60 times and gained at least 400 yards with six TD’s between them. Not bad.

Mississippi State, who among the SEC’s cupcake schedulers has long been the creamiest of the puffiest, faced a non-league BCS opponent for the first time since 2009. In case you wondered why MSU has been off to such nice starts in recent years, there’s your reason. The game with Oklahoma State didn’t go well; after a FG on their opening possession, the Bulldogs failed to score again.

Next week: rankings shakeup? Oregon and Ohio State switching places? How scandalous! Clemson deserves to be in the top five, but no one else has played anyone good enough to warrant a ranking at all. This is why early polls make no sense.