College Football in Review

"You ever been on a Ghost Ride?"

"If Ball State's in the Big Ten they'd be the #2 team behind Ohio State"

#1 Ohio State 17 Illinois 10

Buckeye QB Troy Smith had one of those signature performances that solidifies a Heisman run. The Illini defense stepped up big and played above and beyond what anyone expected, unfortunately the Illinois offense could not get the job done despite the opportunities they were given.

#2 Michigan 34 Ball State 26

This was a game I had the honor to watch the 2nd half of, and it was one of those games where you sit back, scratch your head, and smile. A middle of the pack team from the MAC marching the ball down the field late in the game and with ease, mind you in the big house. The Wolverines are who we thought they were, and we let em' off the hook.

#3 West Virginia 34 # 5 Louisville 44

Not much to say about this game from my perspective. West Virginia made key mistakes and two of them by RB Steve Slaton overshadowed his impressive showing. This win for the Cardinals sets up the epic battle of the remaining undefeated Big East teams with Rutgers, I for one was with everyone else that foresaw this coming to pass in the preseason predictions.

#4 Texas 36 Oklahoma State 10

Texas QB Colt McCoy continues to impress going 22 of 28 for 343 yards and 3 TDs. I have seen a few of McCoy's games this season and really like his progress as a first year starter. He is not Vince Young, but that is not the type of player he is, and I think the Longhorns are the best 1-loss team in America.

#6 Auburn 27 Arkansas State 0

A good opportunity to get QB Brandon Cox's confidence up in the passing game since he isn't able to do that in the SEC, and that was about the only purpose it served. How can Arkansas State prepare a team for an SEC mainstay like Georgia? Oh, right, no prep necessary for the Bulldogs when one thinks about it.

#7 Florida 25 Vanderbilt 19

Give Vandy another satisfying moral victory here, coming within a touchdown of the #7 team in the nation, they have definately mastered this great art they have carved out. I for one move to create a third line in the win loss record. There used to be the T for tie, but since we fixed that whole thing with overtime, why no MV for moral victory?

#8 Tennessee 24 LSU 28

Even without hobbled and improved starting QB Erik Ainge, the Volunteers put themselves in a position to beat LSU. Backup QB Jonathon Crompton did enough to lead his team, throwing what should have been the game winning TD pass of 54 yards with 7:29 remaining. Erratic LSU QB Jamarcus Russell had other ideas and was able to shake off three INTs and lead his Tigers on the game winning drive even though no one is quite sure where he was throwing the pass that WR Early Doucet came up with for the win.

#9 USC 42 Stanford 0

No Surprise here, as the Cardinal are a good coming off a tough road loss, bounceback, right the ship, whipping boy type of team. Why couldnt Fresno State have gotten a matchup in Palo Alto with Stanford instead of a road trip to Baton Rouge to find that elusive victory.

#10 Cal 38 UCLA 24

Ive said it before and I'll say it again, I like Cal RB Marshawn Lynch, he is a favorite to watch. It was a nice home win for the Golden Bears, although I do see this Saturdays game in Tuscon to face Arizona as a sort of trap game. I was not thinking this until the Wildcats went up to Pullman and had a nice victory over Washington State.

#11 Notre Dame 45 North Carolina 26

Another signature win for Charlie Weiss and the Golden Domers over a very impressive opponent. The fact that the Tar Heels dropped 26 points on the Irish is a testament to the improvement and commitment they have made to the defensive side of the ball. They havent beat anybody in two years but Coach Weiss believes they are getting the shaft in the polls, that is the more of a joke than their alleged "defense" they field weekly.

#12 Arkansas 26 South Carolina 20

Darren McFadden is a stud as he rushed for 219 yards, as the Blake Mitchell led Gamecock comeback attempt proved futile and too little too late.

#14 Boise State 45 Fresno State 21

The Bulldogs were blown out in their 3rd straight game, the defense is still atrocious, WR Chastin West is still giving us a positive glimpse into the future, and QB Sean Norton is headed to the bench. The Broncos own coach Pat Hill and the Bulldogs, and there is no doubt they are the class of the WAC. Not too many positives came out of this beatdown for the Bulldogs except West's kickoff return TD and Damon Jenkins making Fresno State the last team in division 1-A to get an INT, and he went ahead and returned it for a TD. The problem that poses is the fact that the offense only generated one TD and it was a gift for QB Tom Brandstater as the Boise State safety blew the coverage leaving WR Joe Fernandez all alone in the endzone.

#16 Boston College 14 Wake Forest 21

Coach Jim Grobe has definately turned things around for the Demon Deacons and has his team sitting at 8-1. Definately a surprise team in the ACC, and this Saturday gives them the opportunity to solidify their place by beating a mediocre, offense led by Jeff Bowden, Florida State. By the way, Wake is starting their backup QB Riley Skinner and had to move a WR to RB becasue of injuries. It is mostly up to the defense to carry this team from here on out.

#19 Clemson 12 Maryland 13

Kicking 4 FGs always leaves the door open for the opponent, especially when those FGs end up being your game total. The Tigers did this, and although 12 was enough to win over the smoke and mirror Terrapins and their offensive guru coach Ralph Friedgen, the defense was not able to garner a stop on the possession it needed one most.

#23 Virginia Tech 17 Miami 10

A decent win for the Hokies which would have been a slighlty disappointing loss. Who would have thought that the above phrasing after this ACC matchup would have rang true 2 or 3 years ago?

#25 Washington State 17 Arizona 27

Just when I start handing out praise to coach Bill Doba and his Wazzou Cougars, they lose at home to a struggling Arizona. You cant lose home games like this if you want to be in the top half of the PAC-10. If I give some credit to Arizona coach Mike Stoops, will Cal roll into Tuscon and smoke the Wildcats this Saturday?