Observations from Saturday's games (Sept. 12)

Another great Saturday of College Football. Upsets, close calls and breakout performances. Oh yea, how much longer can Notre Dame officials think everything is OK with Charlie Weis?

So let's get to 'Eer's observations.

1. "How much did I pay for that?" At least that's what I think T. Boone Pickens is saying about Oklahoma State's stunning 45-35 loss to Houston, just one week after beating Georgia and moving to No. 5 in the polls. Houston is a decent Conference USA squad, but this is the early favorite to be the biggest upset of 2009.

2. Whew!! This goes for Wiconsin, North Carolina, Wake Forest, and especially Florida State. But for those who didn't watch last Monday's FSU-Miami game you may not truly understand why the Seminoles were primed for an upset Saturday. After the hard-hitting affair with the Canes, FSU had to be worn out today.

3. Viva LeFevour. Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour is not a household name, but the big QB may be a first- or second-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. The Mid-American Conference's best player led the Chippewas to a big upset of Michigan State on the road. Don't overlook LeFevour or CMU this fall.

4. Slick Rick. Did you see that awkward halftime interview between Erin Andrews and UCLA's Rick Neuheisel. Did he actually say, "How you doin?" He's either real smooth or slimier than Lane Kiffin. Slick got the win, though, while Tennessee fans are wondering about Lane.

5. What can Brown do for you? QB Jarrett Brown is doing everything he can to help WVU fans forget Pat White. The senior threw for a career-high 334 yards and four touchdowns as the Mountaineers exacted a bit of revenge with a 35-20 victory over East Carolina. Now the Mountaineers have to solve the turnover issue to be a legitimate Big East contender.

6. Boulder, we've got a problem. And his name is Dan Hawkins. The man who once ranted "It's Division I football!!!!!", should consider finding a Div. I quarterback. Otherwise he won't be coaching Division I football any more. Are there any openings in Colorado's intramural program?

7. Not so offensive. What little I've watch of South Carolina-Georgia one thing is clear ... both teams can play a little offense. After managing just seven points apiece last week, each SEC team has eclipsed 26 points in the third quarter.

8. LeSean who? Pitt doesn't look like it will miss LeSean McCoy quite as much as many feared. Dion Lewis has stepped right in and played extremely well again Saturday, rushing for 190 yards in a 54-27 victory at Buffalo. His presence is also taking pressure off the much-criticized QB Bill Stull.

9. Nice rebound. The ACC went 9-1 this weekend after an embarrassing 5-7 last week. Poor Virginia and Al Groh. However, North Carolina, Wake and Maryland were all lucky, so 'Eer still believes the ACC is the worst BCS conference.

10. Nice first half. Despite what happens in the second half, Ohio State has played USC better than 'Eer expected. Just hope 'Eye has sobered up enough to enjoy the game.

Observations from Saturday's Games (Oct. 25)

The Big East and ACC were shaken up Saturday, while Michigan's "Little Brother" whipped up on it. Didn't get to see as many games as I would have liked (thank you ESPN 360) because of my own work requirements. But I'm watching Penn State-Ohio State right now and wanted to let everyone know what I observed this Saturday (besides a nice 30-22 victory by Marietta College over Muskingum College).

1. Nate the Great. I have been raving about Ball State's Nate Davis all season. I think everyone else is finally catching up. Davis did about everything in the No. 20 Cardinals 38-16 victory against Eastern Michigan. Not only did he throw for 241 yards and two scores, he also caught a TD pass. I'd like to say this BSU (not Boise State) could be a BCS buster at 8-0, but the Mid-American Conference is so disrespected I don't see them cracking the Top 12 of the BCS rankings.

2. LSU defense. Really! I'm supposed to take this team serious after giving up 50-plus points in two of the past three weeks? Well I'm not and I don't think too many other people are either. I should have listened to 'Eye when he kept saying that their early wins were against inferior teams. The only two tough opponents (Florida and Georgia) just attacked the vaunted Tiger defense and uncovered many weaknesses.

3. Give me Mo. It's not like anything Georgia's Knowshon Moreno does should surprise me. But his effort against LSU was more like a season highlight reel. He finished with 163 yards, but it was his 68-yard TD run in the third quarter that totally silenced the LSU crowd. It should be noted that LSU's Charles Scott was equally impressive as he gained 144 yards and scored two touchdowns.

4. Big 12 classic. No. 1 Texas did enough to remain on top of the rankings, especially after back-to-back tough weeks and possibly looking ahead to No. 8 Texas Tech. But give No. 6 Oklahoma State a lot of credit for giving the Longhorns more than most expected in Austin. Looks like T. Boone Pickens is getting his $168 million worth (or whatever the value of his gift is now after the stock market crash). Texas QB Colt McCoy looked almost human as he threw a critical interception, but the future Heisman Trophy winner still threw for almost 400 yards. Now can Texas get up again this week?

5. Leave it to Wannstache. Just when it looks like Pitt is finally turned a corner under Dave Wannstache, the Panthers blow a game (see Rutgers 54, Pittsburgh 34). I know QB Bill Stull had to be carried off the field after hitting his helmet with a teammate, but Pitt was already struggling with Rutgers. This was bad for the Big East. Pitt, despite a loss to Bowling Green, had established itself as a legitimate team for the conference. That seems to have fallen back to WVU after Thursday's impressive win over Auburn. Throw in South Florida's loss at Louisville and the Big East is having a bad year.

5. ACC shakeup. Think the Big East is confusing, well fans of the ACC are just as confused. Following another weird week the favorites to win the conference are Florida State, Maryland and Virginia. FSU isn't so crazy, but Maryland and Virginia were written off after the first or second week. Give Ralph Friedgen and Al Groh some props for the job they have done keeping their teams focused. Many credible sources have always told me what an excellent coach Friedgen is. However, I've never heard many positives about Groh. He's got my respect now.

6. More ACC wackiness. I keep telling folks to stay away from the ACC if your picking games. I tried it again this week since it was an SEC team (Vanderbilt) playing the ACC (Duke). This seemed like an easy one, but I should have know that David Cutcliffe would have the Dookies ready for the Commodores.

7. Taking notice now. I'm not on the bandwagon, but I'm not as anti-Texas Tech as I was just 24 hours ago. The Red Raiders 63-21 whipping of Kansas was a legitimate win. Kansas is a mid-level team in most conferences, but this is the kind of win Tech needed. The hype heading into this week's game with No. 1 Texas is going to be something the folks in Lubbock have never witnessed before.

8. What's bad about the Big 12. Missouri will still likely make the conference championship game because the North Division is so crappy. Great Missouri getting the crap kicked out of them. The most exciting part of this game will be at halftime when some 5-foot-8 white guy tries to win $1 million throwing footballs at moving Dr. Pepper bottles.

9. Bama fans. Alabama's game with Tennessee isn't even over yet, but I know they are having a good week. The Tide will finish off the Vols and the win could finish Phil Fulmer at Tennessee. That's a very good week for the folks in Tuscaloosa. But I also know they enjoyed Auburn's loss at West Virginia an awful lot also. My sister lives there and when she wore her WVU jacket the next day, a number of Bama fans responded very positively.

10. Herbstreit kids. Kirk Herbstreit has cute kids. But he needs to stop bringing them onto the Game Day set every time they are in Columbus. There always seems to be one of his genetically superior sons who breaks down like a little girl lost at the mall. Enough. Leave them at home with mom.