SAM'S COLLEGE FOOTBALL COLLAGE: A madcap review of last week's college football action

MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF LAST WEEK'S ACTION, NO REHEARSALS, NO REVIEWS:
Do you think I might have been in the midst of a goofy weekend last week when, in our second pick of the week, the TCU kicker missed the extra point on the Frog's last TD to cost us at least a push in that game. Oh, Boy...B.C. was home against a V.T. squad that still only has 3.5 starters back on defense. I didn't see the game, but, will conclude it was more a product of B.C.'s inept offense than V.T.'s overwhelming defense...I finally get to a campus bar at Temple in the second half. I walk in and see RB Pierce being carted off with an injury, and Temple ahead 13-12. Nothing good happened from that point forward. I should've stayed home...I have known that one of my problems over the years is falling in love with a team in the pre-season and stubbornly going with them until I wake up. Duke has now fallen into that category. I stubbornly found a way to go with them every week so far. I fell in love with their coach Cutcliffe and his "arsenal" of returning offensive starters. Their offense sucks, and their defense can't stop my church's grade school team. Bye, Bye Blue Devils...

For Mark Richt's sake, I'm hoping his team was inexplicably down for his loss to Miss. St. There is no way the Dawgs should have had only 6 points scored by the middle of the third period...Look, I still believe Bama will pay for its lack of returning starters on defense, but, I now admit I'm a little more nervous about that after the Tide's defense stopped Ark. in the last quarter to win in comeback fashion. Gulp... Don't ever be surprised by what a team with highly rated recruits can do. UCLA has some of the most highly recruited players throughout their roster. Their team should not have beaten Texas. But, their athletes, unlike those from teams like Rice and Wyoming, have the talent to go toe-to-toe with the Longhorns...Notre Dame has similar highly recruited players. Coach Kelly will get that Irish squad together. If you like them, be patient...I hope Nevada doesn't over-celebrate their entry into the Top 25. They simply do not have the depth of talent to take anything for granted, and that includes UNLV, their next opponent...I felt confident when South Carolina went ahead 26-20 over Auburn,BUT, you can never feel comfortable when you need a team that is playing on the SEC road, at night. Other thoughts on that game: QB Newton will screw up sometime this year. After all, he's just a freshman. But, he is a future Heisman candidate; Coach Spurrier's insertion of a freshman QB in the last minutes of his loss to Auburn should have been a national story. QB Garcia may have had some key turnovers in that game, but, did anyone out there believe a freshman QB would lead his Gamecocks to a last minutes winning drive against a tough Auburn squad in Auburn at night? Spurrier may have cost his team a very realistic chance to win the SEC East...

The most surprising score of the day may have been the 16-13 final in the Memphis-UTEP game. I don't even remember who won the game, but, how in the heck did those two awful defenses hold the totals to under 30 points? I was mentally and physically exhausted by the start of that game. Good thing. I would have released the over in that game in my sleep...One of my favorite coaches of all time, Rocky Long, who did a great job at New Mexico for years, is now the defensive coordinator at S.D. St. His unique 3-3-5 defense almost took down Missouri, and destroyed Utah St. last week. The Aztecs have officially become one of my favorite teams...Finally, I'm really afraid of a letdown this week by my Temple Owls against Army. You need to have all faculties keenly aware when you are playing against that dang option. And, the Army, like Navy and Air Force, are really running the option well. GO OWLS!