Until it reaches the middle of October there are no upsets. This weekend is more proof why rankings shouldn't begin at least until four weeks into the season (note to all readers: 'Eye and 'Eer rankings begin Monday).
So don't get that excited about No. 6 Cal losing at Oregon, Florida State falling to South Florida, or No. 5 Ole Miss losing at South Carolina (Thursday), and so on. Let's get to the rest of the 'Eer's observations from today.
1. Is there a better receiver in the country than Cincinnati's Mardy Gilyard? If you find him let me know. Gilyard is elusive and a nightmare for DBs because he can go long on anyone or take a short dump pass from Tony Pike and score. In the Bearcats 28-20 victory over Fresno State, Gilyard had nine catches for 177 yards and two scores. Nice day.
2. Is there a conference that needs a signature win more than the ACC? Since Notre Dame is an independent it's tough to pick the Irish, so the ACC is it. Saturday was a mixed bag for the league. Clemson losing at home to No. 15 TCU (14-10), Rutgers thumping Maryland in College Park (34-13), and No. 18 FSU playing inconsistent against South Florida (17-7) were devastating for the ACC. It didn't even help that No. 11 Virginia Tech dominated No. 9 Miami and Georgia Tech routed No. 22 North Carolina in Atlanta. The Canes and Tar Heels had a chance to represent the league on a higher level.
3. Is it time for Bobby Bowden to call it a career? It's actually time for the Seminoles to clean house. Not only should Bowden go, but so should the rest of the staff. Any team that plays as inconsistent as the Noles is showing the signs of multiple coaching deficiencies.
4. What happens to The U now? The loss in Blacksburg isn't a surprise, but how the Hokies dominated all game is the shocker. Miami must let it go and get ready for No. 10 Oklahoma or the Hurricanes will quickly go from BCS contender to 2-2. Jacory Harris seems like the type of guy who can put it behind him. However, I question wheather the Canes defense can.
5. Is the SEC still the nation's best conference? Sure, but the league is extremely top heavy (No. 1 Florida and No. 3 Alabama). The Gators and Crimson Tide are arguably the best two in the country, but after that it gets pretty sketchy. Mississippi State had No. 7 LSU on the ropes in Baton Rouge, Tennessee is struggling with Ohio out of the Mid-American Conference, Arizona State is putting up a fight in Athens against Georgia, and consider No. 4 Ole Miss' loss at South Carolina Thursday. However, South Carolina and Auburn should be considered for the Top 25.
6. Should Michigan be concerned after a close win against Indiana? Not at all. The Wolverines are 4-0 and have eclipsed last year's 3-9 season. Of course, Rich Rodriguez and the fans would have enjoyed an easy win this week, but that's not going to happen too often in Big Ten play with such a young team. UM fans should be encouraged that the Wolverines battled down the stretch and frosh Tate Forcier led them on another late TD for the win. Last year's team wouldn't have done that.
7. Who's the happiest coach after Saturday's games? Ohio State's Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes were not flashy in defeating Illinois 30-0 in The Shoe, but Tressel has to love that stat sheet. OSU rushed for 236 yards and passed for 82. That's the type of ball control Tress loves.
8. What was the biggest surprise of the day? Jim Tressel going for it fourth-and-goal from 3 with 1:18 to play the Vest decided to go for it up 23-0. Terrelle Pryor found Dane Sanzenbacher for the score. I don't have a problem with the call, just doesn't fit his personality.
9. What's wrong with Big Ten officials? I have no proof, and don't want to sound like Charlie Weis, but it seems Big Ten refs are flag happy. Watching the Michigan-Indiana game was painful because of all the questionable calls. However, the worst call came on the Hoosiers' final drive when Michigan's Donovan Warren was credited with interception when it was clear Demarlo Belcher had the reception and the ball was pulled away on the ground. I felt bad for IU as it was going for its first win in The Big House since 1967. Indian coach
Bill Lynch was not too pleased with the call.
10. Is Boise State a legitimate Top 5 team? Hell no. Of course LA Times dolt Bill Plaschke thinks the Broncos should be ranked No. 1. Boise has a nice team, but does anyone really think they could consistently play the conference schedule of any BCS conference and not lose at least three games? Didn't think so.
I'm the first to admit this means nothing, but it's fun to do. Most of these selections are based on what I've seen this fall, but some picks were made on team success combined with overall stats. I refuse to try to pick offensive linemen. Sorry, just can't do it.
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