Foot Notes: College Football Recap (Week 5)

Over the weekend, shockwaves were sent throughout the world of college football, as Cinderella crashed a lot of tailgate parties. Among the big surprises include the following five games, in my latest edition of "Foot Notes", which this time around... truly is a Cinderella story.

No Bull

Over the last few seasons, West Virginia has been considered a national title contender. Yet, the team's performances throughout each year seem to fluctuate more than Oprah's weight. Friday night proved to be no different.

#18 South Florida 21, #5 West Virginia 13
Certainly, when the year began, a number of people (including myself) were high on South Florida's chances to surprise some teams with their suffocating defense and inspired play. Today, I think one could easily argue that this team is the cream of the crop in Florida, a state that often sees Florida, Florida St., and Miami dominate the headlines. Break up the Bulls, who knocked off the Mountaineers on Friday night, which was only the beginning to a wild weekend in college football. Certainly, it didn't help West Virginia that Pat White got injured in the first half, but credit South Florida for frustrating Steve Slaton (only 54 yards rushing on the day), while also forcing him to fumble on a few occasions. The Bulls (1-0, 4-0) held off a late charge by the Mountaineers (0-1, 4-1), and remain undefeated on the season.

Footnote: With Louisville's defense unable to guard anyone and Rutgers faltering against Maryland, the doorway is now open for South Florida to earn its first ever BCS bowl berth. There is still a long way to go, but the Bulls have the talent to make it happen. In a few weeks, the Bulls travel to Rutgers in a key conference matchup.

Losing Sooner Rather than Later

I haven't seen a poor late performance like this since... wait, nevermind. I did see the Mets this weekend. That tops it. Speaking of the Mets, talk about irony that the team plays in a town called "Flushing".

Colorado 27, #3 Oklahoma 24
Any team that converts only 1 of 9 third down attempts doesn't deserve to win a game, and that was a stat accomplished by the Sooners on Saturday. Oklahoma did manage to hold a 24-10 lead at the end of the third quarter, only to see Colorado come roaring back to score the game's final 17 points, including a game winning 45 yard field goal by Kevin Eberhart as time expired. Give credit to the Buffaloes, a former staple in college football that has desperately been trying to restore its credibility within the Big 12 conference. This is a great start. The Big 12 North division could come down to Colorado and Nebraska, who face each other on the final game of the regular season.

Footnote: This week's Red River Shootout with the Sooners and the Longhorns has huge long-term implications because one of these previously top ten-ranked teams will fall to 0-2 in the Big 12, making one team's bid for a Conference Championship or BCS game become very unlikely. This would be cause panic - just ask Penn State.

The Real McCoy?

Texas gets trounced. Kansas State puts up a crooked number that practically matches the total number of babies adopted by Angelina Jolie.

Kansas State 41, #7 Texas 21
Colt McCoy's line sums up the game for the 'Horns... 19 for 39, 200 yards, 1 TD and 4 INT's. You had to see it coming for Texas, who hasn't been sharp during the early weeks of the season. However, a 20 point loss to the Wildcats wasn't exactly expected either. Perhaps the Longhorns were looking forward to next week's Red River grudge match with Oklahoma, or perhaps not. Either way, it adds up for back-to-back wins for Kansas State over Texas, and this one was further aided by K-State's two touchdowns on special teams, and one on defense. Next week's game against Oklahoma promises to be a nail biter for all of those involved, including Texas QB Colt McCoy (see right).

Footnote: It's hard to fathom that Texas or Oklahoma could be 0-2 in the Big 12 conference after next weekend. Just when Mack Brown was getting comfortable with his job security too...

Beaten This Way and Piscataway

Hey Coach Schiano, those voices you hear are not screaming about what could have been in the last game, those are Penn State fans begging you to be the "next in line".

Maryland 34, #10 Rutgers 24
I personally would not call this a major upset, as Maryland has had a respectable football program since Ralph Friedgen took over a few years ago. Then again, it is a top 10 team being dropped by an unranked foe, even if Maryland had played competitive football against tough opponents in Wake Forest and West Virginia. To hold off a tough Rutgers squad, Friedgen gave his opponent a steady dose of Keon Lattimore, who carried the ball 34 times, rushing for 124 yards. This was further proof that the Terps are going to cause headaches for the rest of the ACC as the season progresses.

Footnote: Rutgers certainly takes a hit by losing this game, but one should keep in mind that it was against a non-conference foe. Therefore, the Scarlet Knights still have zero blemishes in the Big East race, while preseason favorite West Virginia has fallen from the ranks of the conference unbeatens.

Swamped

The defending champion Gators lost at home to a struggling Auburn team? Yeah, and Bob Barker retired from The Price is Right, leaving the door open for Drew Carey to be his replacement. Come on now, seriously...

Auburn 20, #4 Florida 17
The Gators have found its 11 game winning streak come to a screeching halt, and at the hands of a conference rival that was left for dead. As they say, I guess that's why they play the games. Don't get me wrong when I say this, as I like the talent of Tim Tebow, but I think the Gators may rely on him so much regarding passing and rushing, that as a result, they may become too one-dimensional (from a player standpoint). On Saturday, Tebow had 19 carries for 75 yards, while the rest of the Gators had 9 carries for 36 yards. Any team that focuses on shutting down Tebow, could possibly trigger a domino effect for Urban Meyer's team. If I'm an opponent, I put a spy on Tebow at all times, and make the other runners beat me.

Footnote: Florida has #1 LSU next week, another solid defensive squad, that is also very quick and talented on both sides of the ball, as well as on special teams. Traveling to Louisiana will not be easy, and after having the nation's longest winning streak, the Gators could be staring back-to-back losses in the eye.


On Saturday, Florida, West Virginia, Texas, Rutgers, Clemson, Penn State, and Oklahoma all folded like cheap laundry. USC and Wisconsin narrowly escaped. As a result, the polls were tied into knots, and LSU has emerged as the #1 team in the country. Take a deep breath my friends, college football is in full swing. With games like LSU vs. Florida, Oklahoma vs. Texas, and Ohio State vs. Purdue on next week's plate, it's only going to get better.

Let's not forget Cinderella, who is out there screaming (while holding a hand up to her ear), "Can I get a little love for the underdog?"

This has been "Foot Notes", thanks for reading...