Well the opening weekend of college football certainly wasn't boring...
It started with a whimper. South Carolina 7 North Carolina State 3. Looking at that final score, you probably have an idea of how ugly the game was to watch. Multiply that by 10, and you have a clear picture of what happened.
The Boise State-Oregon game did not live up to expectations, mostly because Oregon never showed up. The Ducks didn't get a first down until halfway through the 3rd quarter. Starting tailback LeGarrette Blount certainly showed up, though not until after the game, when he sucker punched a Boise State player who was taunting him. Blount turned around and coldcocked the BSU player (who wasn't wearing a helmet), then went crazy, pushing his own coach and trying to pull a Ron Artest and jump into the stands to confront some fans. It took multiple coaches and cops to finally get him off of the field. The decision Oregon made to suspend him for the rest of the season was the right one, as the punch was bad enough, but the rest of his behavior left them no choice.
The biggest winner of the weekend? Unquestionably BYU. They knocked off a BCS bowl participant from last year and the #3 team in the nation in Oklahoma. For those of you who dismiss this because Sam Bradford got hurt, BYU faced him for a whole half and gave up 7 points. Oklahoma scored 60 points or more 5 weeks in a row last season, and BYU held them to 7 points in a half with Bradford under center. That they pulled off the win is an even bigger statement. If BYU can run the table, they will have a legit argument for being put not just in a BCS bowl, but in the BCS title game (their schedule is strong, their conference is at least as good as the Big East, and they have a marquee win).
The biggest losers? Sam Bradford and Boise State. Bradford, because he came back when he could have been a top 5 pick, and he gets hurt right away. Oklahoma still has a shot at the BCS title game, but their road got a lot harder. But Boise State? Didn't they win their game over Oregon? Yes, and they only became losers when BYU knocked off Oklahoma. It's unlikely the BCS would invite more than 1 non-BCS conference team into the BCS bowls, and if both BYU and Boise State finish the season undefeated, BYU will be 10x more deserving. Their schedule is much tougher, their conference is much less of a joke, and their marquee win dwarfs BSU's. The saving grace for Boise is that BYU has the much harder road to go undefeated.
Ohio State almost ended up in that losers column, as Navy had a chance to tie the game at 29 with less than 3 minutes to go. The 2-point conversion play Navy dialed up...well, it could have gone better. Navy's QB dropped back to pass, then threw the ball to a receiver who was falling down, and had not 1, not 2, but 3 OSU players bewteen him and the QB. Naturally, the first OSU player picked off the pass, and ran it back all the way to give OSU a 4 point lead that they held on to for the W. They'd better get their stuff together in a hurry though, as USC comes to Columbus in 5 days.
The weekend also featured the most bizzare ending to a game I have ever seen. Northern Iowa trailed Iowa by 1 with 7 seconds left. They attempted a 41 yard field goal...and it was blocked. However, Northen Iowa recovered the ball with 1 second left. Normally, this would be moot, but it wasn't 4th down and the ball never crossed the line of scrimmage, which meant Northen Iowa maintained possession. With 1 second left, they lined up for another kick which was...blocked.
In 2 games involving 4 ranked teams, we also learned that Georgia's offense and Virginia Tech's defense both need work. Georgia did zilch on offense against Oklahoma State's suspect defense after the first drive of the game, which is very concerning for when they start playing SEC defenses. And Virginia Tech may be able to deal with the mediocre ACC offenses, but if Alabama can go up and down the field on you, you'd better reconsider your national title aspirations.
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