We're already halfway through the season, man this stuff goes by fast! Things are starting to take shape, as big time matchups failed to live up. Teams at the top are starting to separate.
Case in point.
The Red River Shootout(I refuse to call it the Red River Rivalry)
Both teams came in undefeated, but no one expected Texas to be. How good were they really? OU on the other hand was supposed to be unbeaten still. And it showed why one team was expected to be, and why the other was not. This wasn't even a game. Texas' two quarterback circus finally backfired horribly. Texas only managed 259 total yards of offense, and coughed up five turnovers, three of which were returned for touchdowns. If not for a kickoff return for a score, and a garbage-time touchdown when OU had the cheerleaders in the game, Texas would have put up just three points. Landry Jones threw for 367 yards and three td's, and OU's receivers made it look easy against the Longhorn secondary. It was just an old fashioned butt whoopin'. Final score 55-17, Oklahoma.
Speaking of murders.
For the second week in a row, the SEC West showed who is running things right now in the conference. The gap between the East and West's best teams is astounding. Florida, who is supposed to be the second best team in the East, lost 38-10 to Alabama last week, and 41-11 this week to LSU. Not to mention, Auburn beat South Carolina on the road two weeks ago, and SC is the favorite in the East. Granted Florida is without starting QB John Brantley, but they weren't doing much better when he did play against Bama. LSU took it to Florida from the start, and it also was never a game. LSU corner Tyrann Mathieu had ANOTHER interception, making his case for maybe the best overall player in the country. LSU and Bama are on a collision course meeting on Nov. 5th that may stop time.
Speaking of Florida schools.
After the big three Florida programs all lost this past Saturday, for the first time in what seems like 80 years, no Florida team is ranked in the top 25. With the success in the last twenty years of Florida State, Miami, and Florida, to not have one of them ranked is weird. I'm surprised someone didn't rank one of them 25th just to keep the streak alive. But the fact is, Miami is 2-3 after blowing a lead late to Virginia Tech. Florida State is 2-3 after losing to Wake Forest. Florida is at least 4-2, but those two losses were beatdowns they had no chance in. The end of an era, at least for now.
Still haven't lost?
Michigan is somehow quietly still unbeaten and ranked 11th in the nation. Huh? Now their only quality win was a comeback victory over Notre Dame, but I didn't think they would be able to even do that. First year head coach Brady Hoke came into a horrible situation after Rich Rodriguez left the program in disarray. Michigan had the worst defense in the history of college football, and possible NCAA infractions looming. But he does have one of the most explosive players in the country at quarterback in Denard Robinson, who continues to put up great numbers. The truest dual threat QB in the country, with 1130 passing yards and 10 td's, to go with 720 yards rushing and 8 scores. Nice. Big test this week against rival Michigan State.
Just keeps getting worse.
I've said a few times already that Ohio State is cooked, gonners, whatever you want to call it. And just when you thought they were going to pull off a big win on the road at Nebraska, they show you why those players that aren't on the team anymore got paid so much. Because they won games! The Buckeyes were in complete control, and somehow found their offense. They were enjoying a 27-6 lead in the third quarter, when it came off the hinges. Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead lead the charge, and Nebraska stormed back to score 28 unanswered points in the second half. Ohio State coach Luke Fickell may not even get another year, he may be ousted at the end of this season they suck so bad. Final score 34-27, Nebraska.
Speaking of sucking.
Not just on the field, but in life also. We all know the story by now about South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia, who was going for the record number of times suspended from a team, only to always be reinstated. I've said all along that Spurrier knew he needed Garcia to win the SEC East, well not anymore. Garcia reportedly was caught with, and or using marijuana and alcohol, which violated his stipulations that allowed him to come back in the first place. I guess he gave up after losing his starting job to Connor Shaw, again. And watching Shaw use that opportunity to run a train on Kentucky this past weekend to a 54-3 demolishing. As soon as Spurrier knew he didn't need Garcia to win anymore, he booted him. So long sucka.
Boise State beats Fresno State 57-7.
Quietest good team.
Who also happens to have the best player in the country, Stanford. They are 5-0, and blow out everyone. Andrew Luck continues to play great football, this week throwing for 370 yards and three touchdowns. H even caught a throw back pass one handed while diving out of bounds! WHAT?! Dude is that good. After head coach Jim Harbaugh bolted to the NFL, I thought they would regress considerably. But they haven't. They play good defense, and the offense seems just as potent as ever. They haven't played a super tough schedule to date, so they will get their chance to show how good they really are. But when you easily handle everyone you have gone up against, that says something. This week it was Colorado, who hasn't exactly taken to their new conference very well. But like we didn't expect that anyway. Final score 48-7, Stanford.
Satisfied this time.
After giving up another long play for a score, and being down 14-7 after the first quarter, I was not happy with the Hogs. Auburn seemed to be able to run the ball at will, whether it was Michael Dyer or Kiehl Frazier, Arkansas couldn't stop them. But the defense finally showed up. Why they can't do it to start the game I'll never know. The Arkansas defense apparently has to be woken up by the other team scoring first to play well. Two weeks ago against A&M, it took giving up 35 points and over 300 yards rushing in the first half to start playing. This week, the 14-7 deficit was enough. The Hogs shut them out the rest of the way, and the offensive onslaught began. Tyler Wilson continues to improve and become the QB we thought he would be. For now, it looks as though the team is getting it together. This could still be a 10-2 team. Final score 38-14, Arkansas.
Until next week.
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