10 Observations From Week One

1.    Notre Dame looks for real – A lot of  you gave me grief because I rated the Irish so high in my preseason power 10. I understand Nevada isn’t going to be mistaken with Florida or Oklahoma’s defense but the weapons on that Irish team (Tate and Floyd) coupled with what looks like a QB in Clausen ready for the big time, perhaps I didn’t rate the Irish high enough?

2.    RRod isn’t going anywhere – With all the allegations and finger pointing going on around Ann Arbor, it was a refreshing sight to see the Michigan faithful chanting his name during the middle of the game. Tate Forcier was very impressive in his debut. It looks like he has a good feel for the offense and has an awareness and poise beyond his years.

3.    Oklahoma State is a National Title Contender – Simply because of their defense, Kendal Hunter and Dez Bryant were kept in relative check all game (although Bryant did have 2 scores) and State still won the game. The secondary kept the Bulldog receivers in check all day. (AJ Greene was no match for Perrish Cox) and they out muscled Georgia in the trenches. Bill Young had an effective blitz scheme that got pressure on Cox, sacking him, hitting him, hurrying him, and never allowing him to get into a rhythm. As a Texas fan, I am not looking forward to going into Stillwater on Halloween. State really impressed me on opening day.

4.    Steve Sarkisian is the man in Seattle – Even though they lost the game, the Huskies looked like a different team than the one of 2009,playing with energy and a swagger not seen at Washington since the Neuheisal era.

5.    Blaine Gabbert is ready for the big show – Many, including myself, expected a huuuge drop off with Missouri with all they lost on D, coupled with the loss of Maclin and Daniel. Illinois is more than a capable offensive team and Missouri held them to three points, Gabbert also impressed and looked like he was a three-year starter in the offense. I hate to admit it, but I had the Tigers missing a bowl game this season. In reality, though, they might be primed for another Big 12 North Title run…go figure.

6.    2008 a long time ago for the Oklahoma Sooners – The defense looks impressive. I’m not sure if there is a better front seven in all of college football. However, that offense is miles behind the D. The OL looks terrible, they continuously allowed their QB to get hit in pass protection, committed more penalties than I’ve ever seen a unit commit on a Bob Stoops coached team, the receivers also need a lot of work. Without Iglesias, Johnson, and now Gresham in the lineup, that fine-tuned offensive machine looked stagnant even when Bradford was in the lineup.

7.    That Alabama D is scary good – If there’s a better one in the country, let me know.

8.    Cal is a top 5 team – As I said with much grief, they have the total package. Championship level defense, quarterback play, good running game, good OL. Look for Cal to win the Pac 10.

9.    Florida and Texas ought to be ashamed – While it seemed like the rest of the country at least had to sweat it out for some part of the game, the best two teams in the country were busy doing back flips in the end zone vs. high school teams. I’m a UT fan and even I’m embarrassed.

10. SEC is overrated – so far at least. Georgia got handled, LSU did not look impressive against a middle-of-the-pack at best Pac 10 team, South Carolina looked average at NC ST, Louisiana Tech was in striking distance for much of the game versus Auburn, Bama was the only team over the weekend that looked intimidating(minus Florida who played a high school team)and even their offense wasn’t all that.