College Football with Shobe: Week 1
Getting college football started during the Labor Day holiday weekend leads to all sorts of temporary schedule madness: a full slate of Saturday and Sunday games with a Monday Night marquee matchup tacked on for good measure. Hurricane Frances had no mercy in mind for Florida or the NCAA, however, so that Monday night special between Florida State and Frances' Miami namesake squad will have to settle for following the NFL's own prime time debut. Still, if you've been waiting all summer like I have for this weekend to get going, there's really no such thing as too much football, no matter how goofy the timetable.
BIG WINNER
Hard to pick just one (there were no upsets among ranked teams), but I guess Fresno State's defensive secondary gets the edge over other deserving units and teams. Husky Stadium is a tough away opener for anyone, no matter how depleted an appearance UW offers on the field. Sounds like the Bulldogs' safeties made sure the offense wouldn't have to do all the pullin'. FSU is now enduring media darling status as a BCS spoiler, but Kansas State provides another road test next weekend.
BIG LOSER
Oregon State! You're on the national stage, you're taking it to LSU under the madcap lights in Baton Rouge and it's up to your placekicker to seal the deal. Instead, Alexis Serna shanks it like a 23 handicapper after making the turn at Municipal Links. The fact that Serna took advantage of a final chance in overtime to miss the extra point is just twisting the knife. Nowhere else in football can a position be so easily singled out to toe the frayed line between success and season-long second guessing. Oh, the pain to be a Beaver fan on a night like this past Saturday's. Ironically enough, New Orleans Saints fans can surely empathize. But they don't quickly forget.
SURPRISE MOMENT
Seeing Tennessee on the tube on Sunday night. This first week of pre-NFL college activity always throws me off. It's either that or the checkerboard paint.
PLAYMAKER
Purdue's Kyle Orton. Numbers like (16/30, 287 yards, 4 TD/0 INT) lead to hanging 51 unanswered points on the certified patsy-free Orangemen. Orton's playcalling, leadership, and rail gun arm were much touted heading into this season, and he acquitted himself mightily after a shaky 1st quarter. And yes, I'm hopelessly biased. But it's my column, son. If no one besides Pointer or Kubat is gonna cover them, I gotta do what I can.
UNACCEPTABLE BROADCAST MOMENT
ESPN's Bob Davie, 4th quarter of Tenn-UNLV: "There comes a point when you want to know if that Excessive Celebration call is reviewable, don't you?" Never, Bob. Not even under general anesthesia.
See you next Sunday morning for the Week 2 installment.