Monday, September 11, 2006

College Football Delayed Reaction

1. I'll be the first to admit that I was wrong about Missouri. Chase Daniel looked great running the no-huddle offense. Even though the Tigers lost all-everything quarterback Brad Smith, they may be in for their best season in a long time.

2. Some former high-major coaches at mid-major places are making big differences in their second seasons. At Ohio, Frank Solich has the Bobcats 2-0 including an upset over Northern Illinois this past weekend. The Bobcats travel to Rutgers and Missouri the next two weekends, so are probably in for a losing streak, but they have a real shot at becoming bowl eligible and making some noise in the MAC. In his second season at San Jose State, Dick Tomey has the Spartans sitting at 1-1 in the Pac 10 after a one point win over Stanford and a 6 point loss at Washington. With 6 more home games left on the slate, the Spartans also have a chance to finish bowl eligible.

3. The kicking game is still important. A blocked extra point likely cost Clemson a win at Boston College. A blocked 28-yard field goal allowed my alma mater to escape over lowly Duke. And finally, a missed extra point allowed Virginia to escape at home against Wyoming.

4. Were the close contests by Florida State and Tennessee, against Troy and Air Force repectively, signs that those teams are a little overrated or indicative of two powerhouses looking ahead to much bigger games (Clemson and Florida) next week?

5. Is Drew Tate that important to Iowa? Suddenly the Buckeyes road game in Iowa is not looking all that difficult.

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