A whole new season...

Another College Football season kicked off this past weekend. Which means that until well after Christmas there will be debates galore, and excitement will be packed in like cheap candy in a stocking. Football season is Christmas to me. Every Saturday is like opening a whole new gift. You never know what you're gonna get.

Obviously, You have heard about the big upset. Little Appalachian State knocked off the #5 team in the country. Michigan, who managed to go the entire 2006 season without losing a game until they lost to then #1 Ohio State and then to #4 USC in the Rose Bowl, completes the tri-fecta by being embarrased at the Big House. Watching the highlights after the game, I heard this upset being compared to the Miracle on Ice, when the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team defeat the frickin' USSR. Am I the only one who doesn't think this game is that big of an upset? Michigan was on a two game losing streak after losing a huge emotional game against Ohio State, and then getting roped by USC in the Rose Bowl. And, granted, Appalachian State is a 1-AA team but they only lost one game last season and have one two straight 1-AA National Champions. This team has played in the quote/unquote "spotlight", and they win. Don't get me wrong...this win is HUGE, and if you play that game a hundred more times and Michigan wins all 100, but this isn't going to change the landscape of how people perceive 1-AA football. I think Appalachian State could beat most teams in the NCAA Division 1. I Guarantee they would go undefeated against the Sun Belt. They would probably win the MAC and give the WAC and Mountain West a run for their money.

The Big Big East Part 2- After going 4-0 in their Bowl Games last season the Big East looked pretty impressive in their kickoff weekend. #3 West Virginia looked a little shaky in the first half of their game against Western Michigan but they shook out the kinks and rolled to a 62-24 victory. #10 Louisville absolutely destroyed Murray State. New Head Ball Coach Steve Kragthorpe (formerly of Tulsa) has to like what he has inherited. I know it was Murray State, but anytime you win 73-10 it builds confidence and Louisville is going to need it if they want to keep winning down the stretch. The Big East schedule isn't getting any weaker. #16 Rutgers did what they do best, Give the Ball to Ray Rice, and play exceptional defense as they won their first week cake walk over Buffalo 38-3. South Florida, who is on the brink of a breakthrough season looked a little rusty on defense against little known Elon College. They won, but when you can only squeak it out 28-13 it shows that you got a lot of work to do. I think the only team that has ever heard of Elon is Appalachian State who has manhandled them the last 4 seasons by a combined score of 179-54. But it is freakin' Appalachian State. USF's sophomore QB Matt Grothe looked really good though, going 23 of 39 for 238 yards and a pair of TD's. I think he is going to make a name for himself and for the Bulls this season. Next Saturday, USF hits the road to take on #18 Auburn, and the rest of their schedule is going to be pretty rough. They do play at home against West Virginia who they shocked 24-19 last season in Morgantown, their in-state rival Central Florida (who is no push over) and of course Louisville (who has lost in each of their last two trips to Tampa, 45-14 in 2005, and the 31-28 overtime thriller in 2003). They play at Pitt and UConn, but the big game on the road for them is going to be Oct. 18 in Piscataway N.J. when they play Rutgers. This series has become a good one. Rutgers got spanked 45-31 back in 2005 when USF came to town, and last season in Tampa, the Scarlet Knights won a controversial one 22-20 in a game that I know the Bulls remember. So mark that game on your schedule, because it will have huge implications on the Big East. But if the Bulls want to get anywhere this season , they must win two of their three games against the Big 3 (West Virginia, Louisville, and Rutgers) along with an undefeated schedule against they rest of the Big East which is slowly becoming one of the most talented Conferences in the NCAA. It's not gonna be easy, but if anyone can get them there, its gotta be Matt Grothe that leads the way.

Anyway, only one Big East team lost this weekend, and the wins were pretty impressive. UConn beat Duke 45-14 on the road, Cincinnati unloaded (and they should have) on SE Missouri St. 59-3, and Pittsburgh knocked off Eastern Michigan 27-3 at Heinz Stadium. Syracuse, the only loss, has somehow developed into the whipping boy of the Big East. Long gone are the days of Donovan McNabb to Marvin Harrison, and the times have evolved into the Orangemen (1-6 in the Big East in '06) getting crushed at the Carrier Dome, 42-14 by unranked Washington on opening weekend. It's going to be an exciting season.

Slow Starts and Upsets- Other than Michigan, there were a few teams that started off pretty shaky against teams they should have beaten by a lot more. The game that comes to mind immediately is #4 Texas coming just an onside kick away from losing to Arkansas State. It was 14-3 at halftime, and after extending the lead to 21-3, ASU stormed back with 10 in the 4th quarter and missed an onside kick opportunity that just may have started a huge upset in Austin. Texas needs to clean up their act. Next week they travel to Orlando to play a confident UCF team who would like nothing more than to knock off Texas to open up their new stadium. Speaking of upsets, The UCF Knights (formerly the UCF Golden Knights) themselves went up to Raleigh and beat the N.C. State Wolfpack 25-23. Not the biggest upset, but N.C. State should be a much more talented team and the Knights. But the Knights definitely gained some momentum that they will definitely need to pull off the stunner next weekend.

#9 Virginia Tech barely beat East Carolina in their emotional kickoff. Obviously a win is something that campus needed and I'm not trying to belittle that, but only beating ECU 17-7 in Blacksburg may be a sign that the Hokies may have more struggles ahead of them. And in the SEC, #18 Auburn had a lot of trouble putting away Kansas State in their home opener. It took a 14 point 4th quarter to sneak by K State 23-13. And...Notre Dame? It's going to be nice to not have to hear about Notre Dame's quarterback controversy every single day. It doesn't matter who it is when your #1, #2 and #3 guy can't get anything going in a 33-3 thrashing by the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in South Bend. I don't know if these are signs of how the NCAA is going to look this season, but it is definitely enough to keep me watching. Its going to be a great season.