College Football Wordplay from A to Z: September Surprises and October Predictions

The month of September has provided surprises, disappointments, huge upsets, and two Heisman trophy winners going down with injuries.

Just when you thought you had a grasp on this year’s college football season, the opening week of conference play reminds us all anything can, and will, happen.

With a quarter of the season down, it’s time to re-evaluate what we have learned so far and try to piece together what we can expect to see unfold in the weeks to come.

And Once Again

The month of September has provided surprises, disappointments, huge upsets, and two Heisman trophy winners going down with injuries.

Just when you thought you had a grasp on this year’s college football season, the opening week of conference play reminds us all anything can and will happen.

With a quarter of the season down, it’s time to re-evaluate what we have learned so far and try to piece together what we can expect to see unfold in the weeks to come.

Big Ten

Despite being much improved from top to bottom, with Iowa taking out Penn State for the second straight year and Ohio State losing to the Southern Cal in week two, the conference looks to be sitting on the outside looking in at the national championship picture.

Championship Anyone?

For the first time in about 10 years, no team has established itself as the clear-cut favorite to win the championship.

Oklahoma, Southern Cal, Oklahoma State, and Ole Miss all fell out of the top five, Florida “struggled” against Tennessee and has looked vulnerable in the run game, and except for last week against UTEP, the Longhorns have failed to put together two good halves in one game.

Surprisingly, it’s been Alabama that has played the most impressive football in September. So, are the Tide emerging as the team to beat? What about Boise State and Virginia Tech?

October should help sort this mess out (see letter “L”).

Dodging Bullets

Sometimes September is all about surviving.

LSU got a gutsy goal line stand on the road against Mississippi State, while Nebraska let an opportunity to finally beat a Top 20 team slip through their fingers.

Jevan Snead couldn’t get Ole Miss’ offense going in time against South Carolina, and Oklahoma State couldn’t put away a pesky Houston squad.

Good teams find a way to put teams away and win close games, while others let victory—and championship aspirations—slip away.

Extra Points

Big Ten officials miss calls every year. Last week they botched a call late in the fourth quarter of the Indiana-Michigan game, giving the ball to the Wolverines during a simultaneous catch situation.

You can’t help but wonder if the conference was chasing money, trying to get the Wolverines into the top 25.

Forecasting

This Saturday is filled with teams getting tested for the first time.

For teams like Texas A&M, you can only cream-puff a schedule for so long. Is Auburn a contender in the SEC West? Can Wisconsin and Michigan win on the road against a conference rival to stay perfect on the season?

This week should go a long way in gauging which teams are legitimate contenders in their respective conferences.

Got Mail?

Dear Joe Pa,

Since the whiteout doesn’t seem to be working, should we maybe try a blueout sometime soon?

Sincerely,

Penn State Student Council

Heisman Race

Three players' hopes took a huge hit this past weekend: Cal’s Jahvid Best got blasted by Oregon, Jacory Harris was humbled by Virginia Tech, and Tim Tebow got a little taste of what it’s like to be Sam Bradford.

Granted, all three will still have opportunities to get back into the Heisman picture, but at this point it looks like the trophy is Colt McCoy’s to lose.

Impact Freshmen

Newbies putting up big numbers this season:

Former Duke point guard Greg Paulus has brought some much-needed excitement back to a struggling Syracuse football program. The quarterback has ‘Cuse fans believing they could go bowling this winter.

Pittsburgh running back Dion Lewis has picked up right where LeSean McCoy left off. The freshman is fourth in the nation in rushing, with 493 yards, and has already found the end zone seven times this season.

Ryan Williams has been opportunistic at Virginia Tech, filling in for injured starter Darren Evans. Williams is averaging 123 ypg and has been a huge factor in the Hokies' success this season.

Jumping to Conclusions

(Predictions for next week)

Upset Special: Washington 31, Notre Dame 27

Could be in trouble: Purdue 28, Northwestern 27

Closer than you think: Alabama 24, Kentucky 17

No way Jose: Ole Miss 27, Vanderbilt 10

Killer Bets

Four-game parlay of the week:

Ole Miss: -9.5
Washington: +12.5
Oklahoma: -7
Arkansas: -1

Looking Ahead

Best matchups in October:

Saturday Oct. 10

Florida vs. LSU
Alabama vs. Ole Miss
Michigan vs. Iowa

Saturday Oct. 17
Oklahoma vs. Texas
USC vs. Notre Dame

Saturday Oct. 30
Georgia vs. Florida
Texas vs. Oklahoma State
USC vs. Oregon

Mid-Major Mayhem

Boise State, TCU, and Houston all remain in the BCS picture. The Cougars have already taken down two Big 12 South squads in Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

TCU went to Clemson and got a win last week, and the Horned Frogs still have games against Mississippi State and BYU left on the schedule to impress pollsters.

Boise State opened the season with a win over Oregon and has arguably looked the best of the three.

For the first time since the inception of the Bowl Championship Series, we could be looking at two mid-majors stealing BCS bids.

No You're Not...

The “U”—we’re back, baby.

ESPN College GameDay—in Chestnut Hill for Florida State vs. Boston College this weekend?

Colorado—I know he’s the coach's son, but...still starting Cody Hawkins?

Florida State—getting much action in Vegas these days.

Overrated

TCU, Michigan, LSU

Playoff Bracket

Using this week’s AP Top 25 Poll, here is how an eight-team playoff would look like if the season were to end today:

Florida vs. Oklahoma

Texas vs. Southern Cal

Alabama vs. Virginia Tech

Louisiana State vs. Boise State

Q & A

How importance is scheduling tough non-conference opponents?

It’s huge.

Do you think playing against Memphis and Southeastern Louisiana got Ole Miss prepared to open the SEC conference on the road at South Carolina?

Are playing Akron, Syracuse, and Temple helping Penn State now?

Still, so many programs are scared to play a tough early schedule.

Oklahoma and Virginia Tech both scheduled tough foes early and lost, but they are still in the thick of the BCS title hunt.

It’s a fact—early season losses against quality opponents don’t hurt a team as much as losing a game to a team you shouldn’t.

Reader Response

Is your team not getting the hype they deserve?

Having trouble picking games?

Want to get into next week's article?

Post a comment or question below, or you can e-mail them to [e-mail].

Shoutout

Best wishes to USC tailback Stafon Johnson, who was the victim of a freak weightlifting accident. Johnson had to have a seven-hour emergency surgery after the bar slipped out of his hand while bench pressing and landed on his throat.

It was a harsh reminder to all of us to take nothing for granted, as it can all be taken away in a heartbeat.

We wish you a healthy recovery and the best of luck in your pursuit to return to the football field.

Top Five

Alabama

The Tide have added a passing game to go along with that stout defense, as Nick Saban’s team has looked the most impressive on the field so far this season.

Texas

Once again, Colt McCoy only had one good half this week, but this time it was because he was only needed for one, as the Horns jumped up on UTEP 47-7 at halftime.

Florida

Things were looking fine in Lexington until Tim Tebow was knocked out in the third quarter. Luckily for the Gators, they have a bye week to get the Heisman winner healthy before heading to Death Valley.

Oklahoma

Sam Bradford and the Sooners enjoyed the week off and have to be feeling better, especially after what happened in Blacksburg.

Virginia Tech

Beamer ball was at its best on Saturday, as the Hokies hushed Hurricane fans and made a big statement to the conference in the process.

Upcoming

What to watch for next week:

Southern Cal vs. California

Win Saturday night, and it looks like two weeks after the annual Southern Cal conference road loss, the conference is still the Trojans' to win.

Oklahoma vs. Miami

What was looking to be a showdown a week ago has now turned into a game “Big Game Bob” should win.

Michigan vs. Michigan State

The Wolverines look to pull out another nail-biter to remain perfect on the season.

LSU vs. Georgia

The Bulldogs have been hot lately, but Les Miles will have the Tigers in the game late in the fourth quarter.

Video of the Week

Texas pulled Colt McCoy in the second half, so with Florida comfortably ahead of Kentucky, should Tim Tebow have been in the game?

Listen to Mike and Mike debate.

What We're Sure of...

The Pac-10 conference will end up being the most competitive from top to bottom.

Besides Washington State, every team in the conference has a winning record.

Washington, UCLA, Stanford, and Arizona have all improved this season, and Arizona State showed they would be tough to beat, taking Georgia down to the wire last week.

Come season’s end, the conference could be looking at nine bowl eligible teams.

X-Factor

Guys that probably aren’t household names but will be come April for the NFL draft.

RB Ryan Mathews (Fresno State), LB Eric Norwood (South Carolina), RB Darius Marshall (Marshall), Mike Williams (Syracuse)

Your Projected BCS Bowl Matchups

Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State

Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Southern Cal

Sugar Bowl: Florida vs. Cincinnati

Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Boise State

National Championship Game: Alabama vs. Texas

Zzzzzz

(Teams the country shouldn’t sleep on)

Nebraska, Iowa, South Carolina, West Virginia, UCLA, Oregon