By Anthony Voelpel
Take everything you think you know about college football and throw it out the window. Forget about who you think is the best team and what the best conference is. Because after last Saturday, a day being labeled “Insanity Saturday,” there is no right or wrong in the world of NCAA football anymore.
Few times in college football have we ever seen a weekend with so many of the nations top teams taking a fall. For the record, seven teams ranked in the top 13 lost, five of them losing to non-ranked opponents. (Take a minute to collect your thoughts and catch your breath).
The No. 18 USF Bulls’ Friday night upset of No. 5 West Virginia began the weekend’s “festivities
“. The Mountaineers played very sloppily, committing an astonishing six turnovers (four coming in the first half) and with backup quarterback Jarrett Brown being forced to come in to the fill injured Pat White’s shoes, it was not WVU’s night.
Saturday’s games proved that Friday night’s game was not simply a fluke but a portent of things to come. Many a national championship hope was dashed, with half of the top 10 teams, most surprisingly No. 3 Oklahoma falling to conference opponents. For the Soooners, their trip to Boulder to take on a less than average Colorado team didn’t seem like a daunting task, especially when they got up 24-7 late in the third quarter. The Buffaloes eventually scored 20 unanswered points winning the game on a last second 45 yard field goal from Kevin Eberhart.
Next came Pac-10 action at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. It was game of the week when No. 6 Cal came for a visit against the red hot No. 11 Ducks. Altough this wasn’t technically an upset, it certainly as the Ducks snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, when Ducks WR Cameron Colvin dove toward the endzone in a desperate attempt to tie the game with :22 ticks left, only to fumble on the 1 inch line and have the ball squirm into the pay dirt for a touchback.
In Austin,Texas the No. 7 Texas Longhorns, were cold-cocked by unassuming and unranked Big-12 also-ran Kansas State. The Wildcats shocked the ‘Horns, handing them 41-21 drubbing, dominating all sides of the ball, especially special teams.
The ACC would not make it through with one of their top teams falling, with formerly fast-rising No. 13 Clemson losing to a Georgia Tech team coming off two embarrassing losses of their own. The Tigers were held to three points in a hideous, disappointing loss.
Could it get much worse (or better) than this? Well, as day turned into night, the country saw two more top 10 go down. Locally, No. 10 Rutgers was trounced by unranked Maryland at home in front of a sold out crowd. With this lost, preseason Big East favorites Louisville, West Virginia, and now Rutgers all have a loss before the month of September is over. (Again, take this time to catch your breath).
The final victim of the weekend was defending national champion, the No. 4 Florida Gators. The Gators, seemed to be overlooking Auburn , a rather serious lapse, considering that the Tigers were the only team to beat them last year. The ill prepared Gators almost protected home field, keeping it close before finally succumbing to a last second field goal.
Even teams that won their games had to avoid disaster. No. 1 USC looked undisciplined and unmotivated in their sneak-by, three-point victory at Washington. No. 2 LSU led woeful Tulane by one at half time and needed a flawless second half to get by the Tide. No. 9 Wisconsin barely got by (for the third straight week) an unranked Michigan State team.
All in all, we could’ve seen every team in the top 10 lose (excluding Ohio State) this past weekend. I’m coming to realize that in the early going of this season, talent is not the issue for most unranked teams, but the same -ole matter of who wants it more theory is still in effect. So get used to these upsets because I guarantee there are plenty more on the way.
Must see games this week (and there a ton):
No. 8 Kentucky at No. 11 South Carolina- The start of a crucial 3 game stretch for the Wildcats.
No. 4 Ohio State at No. 23 Purdue- Great D against Great O. What more can you ask for.
No. 10 Oklahoma at No. 19 Texas- Red River Shootout never gets old. OU needs redemption.
No. 15 Virginia Tech at No. 22 Clemson- Big ACC showdown between two of its best schools
No. 9 Florida at No. 1 LSU- The Gators are one of few teams who can pull of the upset.
