Top 25
As regular readers of my blog know, I do not count the statistics of FCS v FBS contests, so I wait until most teams have played their FCS opponents (after Week 2) to tabulate my Top 25. This year, with the success of Notre Dame and USC, who played in Week 0, I might have two teams with 3-0 records in my first tanking next week.
Upset Alerts
Of course, the big upset was Colorado's victory over TCU. The Horned Frogs play Nicholls State this week, so they will bounce back, but they certainly took a big hit. It was also quite an auspicious FCS beginning for Coach Prime. Watch out, folks! Colorado has some real talent, and tons of heart and spunk.
Another Texas team suffered an upset, as Baylor fell to Texas State. Rutgers and Florida State completely blew away their opponents. Northern Illinois and Duke round out the upsets for the weekend.
Big Ten Report
Most of the teams did very well. Ohio State's offense looked a little weak, but they have often started slow in the first week the past few weeks. Purdue lost to Fresno State, but that's a good team. Minnesota struggled a bit against Nebraska, but they ended up winning.Iowa had their game end closer than it should have.
Some teams did much better than expected. Michigan State really shined, and Maryland was outstanding. The only real disappointment was Northwestern, who couldn't do ANYTHING right. Let's hope they can turn it around.
MAC Attack
Not so good a week for the MAC, although Northern Illinois and Western Michigan engineered wins. Akron and Bowling Green kept things close. Toledo was close, but they had help by three silly Illinois penalties. That game shouldn't have been that close.
Picks
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at NC State Wolf Pack : The Irish are having a strong season. The Wolf Pack can be tricky, but the Irish are tough. NOTRE DAME by 26
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Colorado Buffaloes : Time for Coach Prime, Part II.The Cornhusker defense will be tougher than what they faced from TCU last week, but that offense is quite impressive. COLORADO by 23
Purdue Boilermakers at Virginia Tech Hokies : Neither have been especially impressive so far, but I think Purdue has a bit more spunk. This game could go either way, though. PURDUE by six
Ole Miss Rebels at Tulane Green Wave : Tulane has built themselves up to be a force, but the Revels will test that. Both teams are offensive forces, so this will be a high-scoring affair. The winner might be the last team to hold the ball. OLE MISS by four
Texas A&M Aggies at Miami Hurricanes : Nobody is giving Miami much of a chance, which is exactly when they are dangerous. A&M isn't as strong as people think, and the Miami defense will control things. MIAMI by eight
Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa State Cyclones : The Cyclones play Iowa tough, and both teams have strong defense. It'll be a tough battle, but I give the Hawkeyes the edge. IOWA by three
UTEP Miners at Northwestern Wildcats : After the travesty we witnessed last week, UTEP has to be the favorite in this game. UTEP by 13
Western Michigan Broncos at Syracuse Orange : It would be quite a coup for the MAC if the Broncos could win this game, but I doubt it. That doesn't mean that Syracuse will run away with it. SYRACUSE by 12
Texas State Bobcats at UTSA Roadrunners : The Roadrunners disappeared in the second half last week. Given the powerful performance given by the Bobcats in their defeat of Baylor, I have to favor them here, too. TEXAS STATE by eight
Marshall Thundering Herd at East Carolina Pirates : East Carolina's defense showed some teeth last week, they just couldn't get their offense moving. Marshall is not as tough an opponent, but I still wonder if that offense will show up. MARSHALL by 15
Cincinnati Bearcats at Pitt Panthers : I don't care how one-sided Pitt beat Wofford, this battle of Ohio goes to the Bearcats. CINCY by 18
Texas Longhorns at Alabama Crimson Tide : Texas surprised the Tide last year, so they won't get surprised again. However, the Tide also lost some key players, and a one-sided victory over a weak FCS team last week is no preparation for a well-stocked Longhorns team. TEXAS by three
Memphis Tigers at Arkansas State Red Wolves : The Red Wolves got slaughtered last week. While the Red Wolves will bounce back, they won't bounce back all the way. MEMPHIS by 20
UCLA Bruins at San Diego State Aztecs : The Aztecs have won two games, but that streak ends here. UCLA is a strong team, and they have the defense to stall the Aztecs. UCLA by 18
Auburn Tigers at Cal Golden Bears : On the other hand, Cal is a California school that still need sto work on their squad. Auburn is down this year, but they should get past the Bears. AUBURN by 14
Oklahoma State Cowboys at Arizona State Sun Devils : This would seem like an easy game for the Cowboys, but something tells me that the Sun Devils won't make it so simple. OKLAHOMA STATE by 16
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