What’d I miss in Week 4? Injuries and upsets is all.

Sep 30, 2010

Last weekend I took a trip to New York to visit my sister and her family in Brooklyn. I got to see my little nephew for the first time, attend my sister’s 40^th birthday party, and go to the Giants/Titans game at the incredible New Meadowlands Stadium, so it was definitely a worthwhile trip.

The downside to the visit was I missed all the college football action that went on in Week 4 since a.) College football is about as important in the Big Apple as soccer and b.) My brother in law is a native Canadian, which precludes him from ever enjoying a sport that isn’t played on ice, Astro turf or a huge field with goal posts in the front of the end zone. Thus the television is a CFB-free zone on Saturdays, a condition that would NEVER occur down here in the South.

And although I had a great time despite a travel snafu that forced me to spend the night in the spacious Atlanta airport (good riddance, Air Tran!), my only regret is that I apparently missed out on some of the more interesting action of the season.

Here’s what I caught from wrap-up shows, highlights on small TVs in bars and online recaps:

-my mere mentioning that only an injury could derail Denard Robinson’s Heisman campaign caused the Michigan QB to stumble to the sidelines against Bowling Green with a knee sprain. It appears the injury is not serious, but this is the greatest fear with a running quarterback, that he will be hurt while scrambling for extra yards; coach RichRod even mentioned he wished Shoelace stepped out of bounds prior to the tackle that sent his star to the bench in the first quarter. Before the injury Robinson tallied 189 total yards and two TDs as the Wolverines routed the Falcons, 65-21, but you can bet Big Blue fans will hold their collective breath every time Robinson scrambles the rest of the season

-did UCLA really bi*chslap the #7 Texas Longhorns, 34-12? I had to triple check that one to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. Turns out it was true, as the new-look Bruins continued their recovery from an 0-2 start with another impressive victory in Austin. UCLA’s offense, stagnant in losses to K-State and Stanford, has come alive in the last two games thanks to the Pistol offense, which has enabled the Bruins to rush for 530 yards in its last two outings. The win was the second in a row for the Bruins in Austin – they demolished the Longhorns, 66-3 they last time they played there, in 1997. Good thing Texas didn’t join the PAC-10 after all.

-#3 Boise State beat its second ranked opponent of the season, winning 37-24 over #24 Oregon State on their Smurf turf Saturday night in prime time. Evidently it still wasn’t a resounding enough victory to quiet the doubters who will never give the Broncos the credit they deserve; only an unbeaten season and losses by Bama and Ohio State will get the Broncos in the BCS title game. *Question: name the only other current Top 25 teams that have beaten two other Top 25 clubs this year (Answer below)

-another top team that failed to impress Saturday was Nebraska, which eked out a lackluster 17-3 win at home against South Dakota State. QB Taylor Martinez finally played like a freshman, turning the ball over three times, and the Jackrabbits continued the impressive run of teams from the Dakotas this season by nearly pulling off what would have been a titanic upset. Like I said a few posts ago, beware the Dakotas!

But enough about last week, since I didn’t really see any of it. This week I will be making an indent in my recliner for what is shaping up to be another epic weekend, with a trio of terrific matchups taking center stage:

#11 Wisconsin at #24 Michigan State, 3:30 ABC Mark Dantonio returns to the sidelines – albeit in the press box - just two weeks after his heart attack following the Spartans miraculous overtime win over Notre Dame. He faces a tough challenge trying to slow down the Badgers, who put 70 on the board against lowly Austin Peay last week. Statistically these teams are pretty evenly matched though, making this Big-10 opener must-see TV for the mid-afternoon, especially now that the Red River Shootout Rivalry has been diluted, thanks to the Longhorns’ loss

#7 Florida at #1 Alabama, 8PM CBS finally we’ll find out if the Tebow-less Gators really are overrated, or if they can still contend for a title in the brutal SEC. Bama is coming off a come-from-behind win against a tough Arkansas squad, so this game will be a test of its 2010 strength as well. Personally I don’t see how Florida even competes in this one, having beaten absolutely no one this season and looking mighty unimpressive in stretches, but Urban Meyer seems to get the best out of his teams in big games. I look for the rushing attack of the Crimson Tide to wear the solid Gator defense down and win this one going away

#9 Stanford at #4 Oregon, 8PM ABC this is the game all the diehard CFB fans will be waiting for, a meaningful PAC-10 showdown featuring two of the top ranked offenses and defenses in the NCAA. Stanford comes into Eugene having drubbed its four opponents by a combined score of 192-55; the Cardinal boasts the 4^th ranked offense (48 PPG) and 12^th ranked defense (13.8PPG) in the nation. The Ducks, however, have been even hotter, averaging a mind-bending 58 PPG (1^st), 317 rushing YPG (4^th), all while allowing just 11 points per contest, good for third best in college football. Autzen Stadium will literally be rocking for this one, even though the game was moved to 5:00 local time to accommodate the national TV audience.

Whatever happens this weekend, I’ll be there to catch every minute of it, starting with the Texas A&M/Oklahoma State tilt tonight, all the way through the 25th ranked Nevada Wolf Pack taking their first national ranking since 1948 to Vegas to pummel the Running Rebs late Saturday night.

I think my trip to the college football netherlands has made me appreciate the sport even more.

*Answer: Alabama and LSU. South Carolina (1-1) is the only other team that has played at least two Top 25 schools. Twenty of the Top 25 teams have played either one or zero fellow Top 25 teams