1. Georgia Tech is an interesting study. I know they haven't seen a top 5 defense yet, but any question about whether they can do it against a "real" team....well those doubts should be gone after they put just shy of 500 yards up against the Tarheels. I know the Hells lost a couple of high draft picks, but this was a damn good defense last year when most of those guys were suspended. 496 total, 312 rushing....those are impressive numbers. The triple option is still just as difficult to defense as ever, maybe even more because noone runs it so it is hard to prepare for. Throw the very real capability to throw the ball down the field, and this is a really interesting offense.
I won't say that I am buying into the Yellow Jackets as a contender, but there offense just might be for real.
2. All that noise about San Diego State having been built to beat Michigan....Uhm...yeah, how did that work out for ya out west? Now, don't get me wrong. I love what Brady Hoke had going out west, but I think that the comments about the talent level at Michigan being down are overstated. This was still Michigan, and they were still getting quality athletes.
Here are their rankings for the last 4 years from Scout.com
2011: 23rd
2010: 12th
2009: 14th
2008: 6th
And they are currently slated for #1 looking at 2012. Yeah, they are not the same vaunted defense that they were, but these are quality athletes with a genius running the defense. Michigan will be back to the top level of the country within 2 years.
3. I wasn't confident in the Noles high ranking at the start of the year, but don't read too much into their early struggles. They haven't lost a game with the starting receivers available, and have been killing themselves with penalties. They are not a top 10 team, but there is talent there, and the pressure might be off now. That said, Taj Boyd is a great player and Clemson is a damn fine team.
4. I feel myself slipping down the slope of rooting for the OKState Cowboys again. I flirt with this every year when I look at the fun style that they play and the athletes that they trot out on the field year after year. This was a huge win, over a great A&M team, on the road. That said, their interior run defense got exposed in a big way. Their offense is great, but they have some good teams coming up, so I'm going to stay off the bandwagon for a bit longer till they can prove that they can stop the run. It's odd to think, but a team like Kansas State could be a threat the way they run the ball. Yeah, OSU has better athletes than near every team in the country, but it's weaknesses that count in the tough games.
5. You can say what you want about Alabama's lack of balance, but Trent Richardson is the driving force for their offense, and that is a lot of force to deal with. They have, arguably, the best defense in the country, and great rushing attack, and they are getting better at QB. Ok, ok, so maybe making less mistakes at QB would be a better way, but they are loaded enough that they could win the title a game manager at QB....again.
You don't beleive me? Well, Arkansas was supposed to be a threat in the SEC west.
6. South Carolina needed this. Vanderbilt is not a great team, but they are well-coached and improving, and they got dominated. Now, if you look at the numbers you see quickly that USC's offense did not do well, but their defense is a really great unit. The GameCocks need to lean back on Lattimore and Jeffry. If they can get those guys 40 touches a game, they will be tough to beat.
7. OU has to be the favorite in the country right now. Their offense is the combination of a fast paced attack, with the talent on both lines to match up with anybody in the country. So, you give the defense great athletes to match up against and remove the time that they have to match up, and you are going to make things difficult.
On Defense, their front 7 with Travis Lewis back is as good as any in the country. Their young secondary is improving, but these are all blue chippers and they will get there. They got a good test against Missouri's spread attack, and this game was not as close as the score. After Missouri's strong start, OU adjusted and hammered them the rest of the way.
8. Jarrett Lee just always seems to do enough. I am intrigued as to what would happen if LSU ever got a real challenge and they needed him to sling the ball around the field. I have a feeling, after watching him throw the ball that he could do it. He has a good arm, throws a nice deep ball, and is accurate.
9. Arizona State has not been as consistent as you would like from team who is chasing a conference championship and the associated BCS bid, but they are the best team in the Pac-12 south at this point. Their defense took a couple of turnovers away from USC and the offense was dynamic and efficient. They seem to be improving as the season goes, but at this point they are a long shot for a top bowl game. I just don't think that half of the Pac-12 matches up with the rest of the country, including the Pac North.
10. The Big 12 looks like it is going to hold on, which is not surprise to me. There was a lot of talk about it being a house of cards, but the remaining schools are long-time members of the NCAA with strong history of their own. This is all about money, and the central time zone has value.
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