A few notes from the first wave of college football games today...
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| Sleep easy tonight Mack |
- Coming into the Red River Shootout, the atmosphere surrounding Texas head coach Mack Brown was similar to that of a wake before a funeral. Rumors had circulated that Mack would be out if the Horns didn't show up against Oklahoma. As it turns out, the troops rallied around their beleaguered general, and Texas routed OU. In a span of 4 hours, the Longhorns have gone from dead in the water to the front runner for the Big 12's automatic BCS bid.
- Georgia's rash of injuries didn't take long to haunt them. Aaron Murray and company looked like a totally different team against Mizzou today, and the Tigers played well enough to take out the Bulldogs minus five of their top skill position players. We still don't know if Missouri is a true contender in the SEC or nationally, but we now know that UGA is out of the national title race -- a sad development considering the Dawgs may have been the second most talented team in the country when at full strength.
- After watching Virginia Tech's defense hold Pitt to a paltry nine points, it's becoming clear that Tech could be a very underrated factor in the national title race.The Hokies may not be able to climb into the conversation themselves, but they are playing well enough to knock a team or two out of the running. The Gobblers get Miami next month, and if they win they will likely get a shot against the winner of FSU/Clemson in the ACC championship game. Sweeping those contests could cause a significant amount of chaos in December.
- Michigan State looks to have finally found an offense to go with their defense that has been one of the nation's best all season. Connor Cook has firmly entrenched himself at the top of quarterback depth chart, and skill players like running back Delton Williams and MacGarrett Kings have also emerged to give Sparty a more formidable set of weapons. State has two more likely wins [Purdue and Illinois] before meeting up with Michigan. Considering the Wolverines' shaky performance at times this year, the Spartans may be the team to beat in their division three weeks from now.
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