College Football Polls Lead To Fear: Boise, Oregon, 'Bama, OSU Fight for Spots

Calm down.  The midpoint of the season has not passed so there is no reason to panic yet.  Here are some thoughts about the season. 

First Down

After the latest polls were released yesterday, the best word to describe the temperature is paranoia.  Oregon jumps Boise, and somehow the whole world has gone crazy. 

Relax.  This is October 4, not December 5.  The amount of football left to be played is incredible.  The landscape will change. 

Second Down

The most glaring issue for all the top teams right now is the lack of focus in critical stretches of the game. 

Alabama lulls itself to sleep sometimes.  Ohio State’s offense plays with a sense of urgency and then goes flat, Oregon’s defense is up and down, and Boise has a tendency to let strong leads fade against good teams. 

The question is whether these mental lapses will come back to haunt them.  Doubtful.  The mark of a championship team is delivering when it counts the most, and they do. 

Third Down

What has happened to the SEC East?  Besides Florida, is there a team worth mentioning?  Georgia’s loss to Colorado was embarrassing, Kentucky looked bad again, Tennessee cannot score against good teams and Vandy is well, Vandy. 

There is promise with South Carolina, but the win against Georgia is looking less important.  Furthermore, the meltdown against Auburn last week looked more telling considering the recent collapses over the last few years.  The Gamecocks have a final chance to prove they are still a legitimate contender this week against the Tide. 

Fourth Down

Besides the Big East, all of the conferences appear to be stronger in the middle of the pack.  The spread between the elite teams and the average to good teams is not as wide as it has been recently.  The depth has already led to mild upsets.  Washington over USC, Michigan State over Wisconsin, and Iowa State over Texas Tech. 

Some other surprises are Kansas State, UCLA, NC State, Northwestern, and Auburn.  Hopefully they can sustain their early-season successes as the season progresses. 

OT

How in the world is LSU so inept on offense?  With consistent recruiting classes in the top 10, the talent level is unbelievable.  Judging from LSU’s clueless behavior on the second-to-last play of the game against Tennessee, the only answer is poor coaching.