Triple Option Attack: Week One Review

Week One of the college football season is in the books. It was an exciting week with one major upset, one program confirming its status as one of the top-five teams in the nation and everything in between.

I’m going to start with my Power Poll and then give my thoughts on other contests:

Music to listen to: Cut That City by The Mars Volta

#1 Alabama: The Crimson Tide got its warmup contest before Penn State comes calling this Saturday. Running back Trent Richardson looked solid in his first game as a starter and wide receiver Julio Jones made some nice catches which was even more important. Alabama will need a passing game if it wants to get past the Nitney Lions. Next game: Saturday vs. Penn State

#2 Boise State: I’ll save the debate of whether the Broncos are worthy of being in contention for the national title, because the answer is yes. Kellen Moore was brilliant in the victory but I was even more impressed with the defensive effort. Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor is going to be doing that to a lot of defenses this year but Boise’s defense showed that it can be good enough to beat any team in the nation. However, after the performances of various WAC opponents this week like Hawaii against USC and Fresno State against Wisconsin, the Broncos may not have such a clean walk to the BCS title game. Plus Oregon State will be a stout opponent in two weeks. Next game: Sept. 18 vs. Wyoming

#3 Ohio State: The Buckeyes looked great against Marshall, especially quarterback Terrelle Pryor. He actually made efficient throws that showed his improvement over last season. The Miami Hurricanes come this Saturday and we will see a stiffer test for Ohio State. Next game: Saturday vs. Miami (FL)

#4 Texas: The Longhorns played a de-facto home game against Rice at Reliant Stadium in Houston. We learned nothing accept that the defense can still create opportunities when necessary. Next game: Saturday vs. Wyoming.

#5 Oregon: I know that it was against an inferior opponent, but the Ducks dismantling New Mexico, 72-0, was the most impressive week one performance of any team in the top-25, maybe the entire nation. Backup running back Kenjon Barner, who was replacing potential All-America LaMichael Jordan due to suspension, ran for 147 yards and four touchdowns. New Ducks starter Darren Thomas looked good as well. Now Oregon gets to travel across the country to face an SEC defense in Tennessee on Saturday. The Vols aren’t going to be an elite team this year but have always had a respectable defensive unit. If the Ducks run away with another contest, than aspirations for Oregon fans should go beyond a Pac-10 title. Next game: Saturday at Tennessee

#6 TCU: Don’t dismiss the Horned Frogs victory over Oregon State because I think that the Beavers will have a solid season. I still think that the Horned Frogs will lose one game this season especially with the other top three teams in the Mountain West Conference, Air Force, BYU and Utah looked just as good or better than expected this year. Next game: Saturday vs. Tennessee Tech

#7 Iowa: The Hawkeyes have a tricky contest against Iowa State next week. The Cyclones beat Northern Illinois this past week and looked well in the process. Iowa defeated an overmatched Eastern Illinois squad, 37-7, last week behind three touchdowns from running back Adam Robinson. Next game: Saturday vs. Iowa State

#8 Virginia Tech: I still think the Hokies are going to win the ACC but Virginia Tech fans should be disappointed that their team is once again out of the national title race with another early season loss. Next game: Saturday vs. James Madison

#9 Nebraska: Was it 1994 again last Saturday because did we see Nebraska start a quarterback who is just as big of a threat running as passing? Not saying that red shirt freshman and new starting quarterback Taylor Martinez is Tommie Frazier but the Cornhuskers gameplan against an admittedly inferior opponent in Western Kentucky, was less West Coast offense and more rushing from the quarterback and running backs. The defense looked OK but we won’t see it tested for a while. Next game: Saturday vs. Idaho

#10 Wisconsin: The Badgers had a sloppy first half against UNLV but focused on rushing the football to 278 rushing yards in the contest. Next game: Saturday vs. San Jose State

Other thoughts:

-I wouldn’t be worried about the Florida Gators if I was a fan of the squad but I would be aware of the possibility of not making it to the SEC title game this season. I’ll get to the two teams in the way of that goal later but last Saturday’s contest against Miami (Ohio) wasn’t encouraging. The offense looked average when the snap was getting to new quarterback John Brantley. The biggest issue the team is going to have is finding a power rusher to gain four yards on a third-and-three situation. The former quarterback who shall remain nameless was their best short yardage rusher for four seasons but is gone.

-Oklahoma may lose against Florida State next week and it may not be an upset. The Sooner better get off to a good start against the Seminoles or there may be problems for Oklahoma.

-With Georgia Tech looked pedestrian against South Carolina State, Virginia Tech’s loss to Boise State and North Carolina’s struggles off the field. The only thing standing in the way of Miami winning the ACC may be arch nemesis Florida State. However, if the Hurricanes have national title aspirations, a win at Ohio State is essential. At least Miami’s offense looked in mid-season form against Florida A&M.

-I was actually at the Georgia vs. Louisiana Lafayette game and was impressed with the defensive effort of the Bulldogs more than anything. Georgia’s defense last year was a disappointment but with new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s new 3-4 scheme put into place, it looked aggressive and potentially effective last Saturday. We will see if it can win in the SEC this Saturday at South Carolina.

-If you’re looking for another squad outside of the traditional BCS conferences to compete for a national title outside of TCU and Boise State, Utah would be the next best choice. While the Utes did win a quirky game against Pitt last Thursday (it does prompt a questioning of when coaches can call timeouts before field goal attempts), a win is still a win. The top half of the Mountain West may have the most completive balance of any conference in the nation.

-Lane Kiffin doesn’t waste time being the bad guy, does he? I don’t know what he was trying to prove by having USC go for three consecutive two-point conversions after touchdowns in last Thursday’s game against Hawaii but its not going to help the cause. What also isn’t going to help the cause is the Trojans’ defense allowing 36 points and nearly 600 yards of total offense to the Warriors. Now I’m happy that I didn’t have USC in my preseason top-25.

-Auburn vs. Mississippi State right now is a toss-up for me and I wouldn’t have thought that three months ago. Between the contest being a major trap contest for the Tigers, it being a short week of prep for Auburn and being on the road, a victory by the Bulldogs wouldn’t surprise me at all.

-Good win by BYU over the overrated Washington Huskies, but the Cougars better not sleep on Saturday when they travel to Air Force.

-Another game that I’m torn on coming up this week is Georgia and South Carolina. If you asked me a month ago, I would have said Georgia by four. Now, after the Gamecocks’ excellent performance against Southern Miss, a solid overall team, it’s a toss up, especially since the game is in Columbia, SC. You’ll get my pick Friday.

-LSU should be ashamed of itself for almost losing to North Carolina. Some want to say that the Tigers laid off once the score was 30-10 but I saw too many inconsistencies that will once again show another inconsistent season from them.

-On the other hand, North Carolina showed that they may be a deeper team than anticipated. The Tar Heels played a lot of freshman and sophomores last Saturday and were still able to hang with a top-25 team on a neutral field. That has to be good for something.

Those are my thoughts on week one of the season? What are yours? What do you want me to look at further?