The Long Snapper (9/2/08)

All is right with the world. College football is back. I, for one, feel like a weight has been lifted. Having to wait all these months was hard, but worth it when both the Bulls and Gators returned to the field and performed impressively in their debuts. USF did play a much weaker opponent and UF took on a team with drastic changes from last year, but both got big wins, so I’m happy.

The new polls are out, so let’s start with the rankings…

• The Gators held on to the number five spot in both polls. However, Florida lost three total first-place votes. With a slow start – and finish – against Hawai’i, combined with a strong middle, this is still right about where the Gators belong. I could make a case for them to be a few spots higher, but no lower.

• USF moved up to 17th in the AP Poll and 18th in the Coaches’ Poll. The Bulls were ranked 19th and 21st last week. I doubt the Bulls’ win had as much to do with the jump than teams above USF losing. Not to take anything away from South Florida, but they did beat a weak Division 1-AA team.

• USC jumped to the top of both polls and they definitely should have. The Trojans went on the road and beat a team – Virginia – that was pretty good last season. Georgia won in convincing fashion as well, but Southern Cal is best team in the nation.

• The same teams composed the top eight in both polls as did last week, but the AP had two new teams receive first-place votes – Missouri and LSU. Neither has earned them at this point in my opinion. Mizzou’s defense gave up too much to be considered the top team in the nation, and LSU still has a question mark at quarterback. With USC, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Florida in the mix, I don’t see how someone could vote for either of the Tigers as the country’s number one team.

• As expected, Clemson fell…a lot. Ranked ninth in both polls prior to week one, the Tigers fell to 22nd in the Coaches’ Poll and dropped completely out of the AP Poll. It’s hard to find anything good for Clemson to build on from their first game and even if the Tigers play half this bad for the rest of the season, then a lot of people were wrong – myself included – in picking them to win the ACC.

• The team that beat Clemson – Alabama – took a big leap, going from 24th and unranked to 13th and 17th. The Crimson Tide seemed to play well during the victory, but 13th seems too high. Then again, it’s still early and there’s plenty of time for Bama to plummet back out of the polls. Can you tell I have no confidence in the Tide playing this well consistently?

• Virginia Tech and Tennessee were the only teams to drop out of both polls. The Hokies and Volunteers both lost to unranked opponents, although East Carolina is knocking on the door and UCLA made their way into the AP Poll at 23rd.

• The only 0-1 schools ranked were Illinois in both polls and Clemson in the Coaches’ Poll.

Here’s what we saw in the first week of the season…

• Not only did Wake Forest win their opening game 41-13 over Baylor, but they have to be happy with how bad some of their ACC counterparts looked. The Demon Deacons are far from a Cinderella team anymore, but they have the ability to climb the polls and get themselves into a good position in the conference. A concern could be the running game, which averaged only 3.5 yards on 44 carries.

• Despite four interceptions by starting quarterback Tommy Beecher, South Carolina beat NC State 34-0. Of course much of the Gamecocks’ scores occurred after Beecher was benched. Chris Smelley – who came in and threw two fourth quarter touchdowns – has been named the starter for game two. The reason given is Beecher’s sore shoulder, but we all know he wouldn’t be starting even if he was 100%. Beecher being named the starter before the season was a little bit of a surprise, but Smelley regaining the job isn’t.

• Ryan Perrilloux saw how the other side lives, going 22-of-37 for 136 yards with 2 interceptions in Jacksonville State’s 41-14 loss to Georgia Tech. Perrilloux doesn’t have much talent around him, but his numbers should get better as JSU’s schedule gets easier.

• Appalachian State couldn’t do it two years in a row as they fell to defending national champion LSU 41-13. Neither of the Tigers’ new quarterbacks threw the ball much, so it was difficult to get a read on how efficient either of them really was. Both Andrew Hatch and Jarrett Lee played well, but neither stood out.

• Virginia Tech fans may be wishing Frank Beamer hadn’t decided to redshirt Tyrod Taylor. Starting quarterback Sean Glennon turned in a subpar performance as the #17 Hokies were upset 27-22 by East Carolina. Beamer already realized his mistake and will insert Taylor back into the lineup.

• Ohio State beat Youngstown State 43-0 but lost star running back Chris Wells in the process. Wells missed practice on Monday and is wearing a protective boot. There isn’t a timetable for his return just yet, but the Buckeyes better hope Wells is back by the time they face USC. Pretty much everyone has already asked it, but here goes: why was Wells still in the game?

• #25 Pittsburgh also caught the upset bug this weekend. The Panthers lost to Bowling Green 27-17 and weren’t able to register any points in the second half. Running back LeSean McCoy was held in check by the Bowling Green defense, only averaging 3.1 yards on 23 carries.

• The Georgia Bulldogs won their first game big – as expected – but did allow Georgia Southern to score 21 points late in the contest. Even though most of the points were against the second – and even third – team defense, I find it hard to imagine the Bulldogs being able to hold a good team, like say the Florida Gators, from putting up a score in the thirties. Georgia’s offense will keep them in a lot of games, but their defensive depth needs some work.

• For some reason, I grew up cheering for Michigan. Maybe it was because I knew that one day I would develop a deep routed hatred for Ohio State. Then again, maybe I just liked their helmets. Either way, Rich Rodriguez has completely eliminated any feelings I have toward the Wolverines. Therefore, I was happier than a pig in you know what to see Utah beat Michigan. The Wolverines have now lost two straight home openers – both to teams the Michigan of old would’ve blown out of The Big House. Stat of the game: Michigan ran for only 36 yards on 25 carries. Think they’re wishing Mike Hart still had eligibility left?

• USC looked like the best team in the nation, dismantling Virginia 52-7 on the road. Any lasting effects of the injury Mark Sanchez suffered during fall practice were not present and the junior passed for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns.

• Missouri won a shootout with Illinois, beating the Fighting Zooks 52-42. Don’t expect either team to be competitive in their conferences if they plan on given up that many points per game. The Tigers could have a lot of trouble with Texas and Kansas.

• 8 carries, 20 yards, 2.5 yards per carry. Those are the combined numbers for Clemson running backs James Davis and C.J. Spiller. Add a fumble by freshman Jamie Harper on his first and only carry and you have to wonder if Alabama was really that good, or Clemson was really that bad. Whatever the reason, the Tigers will feel the loss when they drop in the polls. I don’t feel too bad about going with Clemson in this one as the rest of the world seemed to like the Tigers as well. Stat of the game: Clemson gained 0 total yards on the ground.

• The days of high scoring Louisville teams are apparently gone. The Cardinals managed only two points in their 27-2 loss to in-state rival Kentucky. Both teams looked sloppy, gaining 415 combined yards of offense and having to punt 16 total times.

• Despite four interceptions by UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft, the Bruins were able to beat Tennessee in overtime. UCLA scored to take the lead 24-21 with only 27 seconds left in the game, but the Vols were able to tie it up on a 47-yard field goal by Daniel Lincoln as time expired. Unfortunately for Lincoln, he wouldn’t make his next kick in overtime and UCLA got the win. Tennessee might want to reconsider traveling west to start the season. The Vols lost at Cal in 2007.

• Players of the week: Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell – 536 yards passing, Rice quarterback Chase Clement – 6 passing touchdowns, Buffalo quarterback Drew Willy – 4 touchdown passes on 10 completions, Navy running back Shun White – 348 rushing yards, UConn running back Donald Brown – 4 rushing touchdowns, Ohio receiver Taylor Price – 14 catches, Oregon State receivers Shane Morales and Sammie Stroughter – 13 and 12 receptions respectively.

What to watch in week two…

Other than Miami at Florida, there aren’t a lot of games to look forward to in week two, but hopefully an upset or two will make it a little more exciting.

• South Carolina plays on Thursday for the second straight week. Traveling to Vanderbilt, it shouldn’t matter who the Gamecocks’ quarterback is. The Commodores played good in their first game, but South Carolina should be able to get the win with their defense alone. Jumping out to a 2-0 (1-0) record is especially important for the Gamecocks as their schedule gets much harder later in the season.

• The Bulldogs will win, but Georgia shouldn’t look past Central Michigan. The Chippewas have won back-to-back MAC titles and have dual-threat quarterback Dan LeFevour.

• Chris Todd will get the start at quarterback for Auburn against Southern Miss. Todd came into the Tigers’ first game when starter Kodi Burns was hurt. Todd didn’t play well in the opener, but was more effective than Burns.

• West Virginia visits East Carolina in what could turn out to be a better game than people thought only a week ago. The Pirates had some luck on their sides in their win over Virginia Tech and need more than just that to have a chance against the Mountaineers.

Here’s what’s happening around college football…

• Despite some damage to Tiger Stadium, LSU assumes their home field will be ready for their game against Troy on Saturday.

• People calling into Central Florida head coach George O’Leary’s weekly teleconference were in for a surprise when they got a phone sex line instead of the head coach. Turns out UCF’s director of athletic communications accidentally listed the number wrong. OOPS!

• Torn ACL watch: FSU running back Tavares Pressley. This is bad, BAD news for the Seminoles. Pressley was supposed to come in and compete for Antone Smith for the starting job. At the very least, he would have split time with Smith, allowing the Noles to have a good 1-2 punch. Now, Pressley will miss the season and FSU has to rely on Smith who has played well at times, but entering his senior year has far from lived up to the hype he had coming out of high school.

• Football on the Web: While not intended for our younger readers, this is one of the funniest pieces you’ll ever read. Seriously though, due to language it’s not recommended for children. Click through at your own risk.