Week 4 Review

Dammit Boise St., you ruined my prediction and any hope of a big Pac-10 game down the line this year, such as Oregon vs. USC. Can we all agree now that the Pac-10 is horrible? I'm sure it's shocking since oh let's see, the last team to win a national title from that conference besides USC was... anyone? Washington in 1991. Before that I believe it's UCLA in 1954, but anyways, let's get on to the helmet stickers.

1. Clutch teams- Some of the big boys are showing their mettle and why they are among the best teams in the country. For starters, LSU won a great game in the prairie against Auburn thanks to freshman Jarrett Lee and some great play-calling. I had a feeling they wouldn't give up their national title without a fight, and that appears to be the case. Even though Florida State was horrible overrated going into last weekend, Wake Forest still had to go on the road and beat the Seminoles. The Demon Deacons defense looks great and will only look better against the rest of the ACC. Utah went on the road and beat a tough Air Force squad with seriously high hopes in the MWC. Is there any doubt the Falcons could be the 3rd best team outside of Utah and BYU at the end of the year in that conference? This is one of the few times when both teams should move up in the rankings after the game because neither side deserved to lose. And finally, we have Georgia who went into Sun Devil Stadium and burned Arizona State. Moreno and Stafford may make up the best backfield on their own. With all of the teams mentioned above, it just goes to show how important staying focused and taking care of business is on the road, and not just in conference play.

2. Just climb on my back, I'll take you home- That's right, a few certain RBs over the weekend basically told their teams to give them the ball, make a few blocks, and sit back and enjoy the ride. Good RBs just know how to take over and that is certainly what Javon Ringer did for Michigan State against Notre Dame. Ringer had 39 carries for 201 yards and 2 TDs and bruised and battered a supposedly good Irish defense. Here's the real key though, Brian Hoyer didn't have a chance to throw horrible INTs for MSU, which is just as important for the Spartans' success. From a big Big Ten winner to a Big Ten loser. The Indiana Hoosiers had no answer for MiQuale Lewis of Ball State this past weekend, as the oft-injured Lewis had 166 yards and 4 TDs on 29 carries. The key now is to use Lewis properly with the loss of superstar WR Dante Love for Ball State. This may have been a very costly win for the Cardinals. In other news, Terrell Fenroy of ULL (the Ragin' Cajun) had a monster day with 68 yards receiving and 194 yards and 3 TDs total. While his QB Michael Desormeaux had 403 yards rushing and passing, it was Fenroy's first TD that gave ULL a lead they wouldn't relinquish and his last TD put the game out of reach against Kent State in a 44-27 win. The biggest one man show in Div I-A however may be Donald Brown of UConn who had 150 yards and 2 TDs on 34 carries in a close scare against Baylor Friday night. Brown is averaging 28 carries for 178 yards and 2 1/2 TDs per game over the season. Who knows how long the productivity will last, but as long as it does, the Huskies have a realistic shot at another Big East title.


3. The Injury Bug- Sometimes one injury can cost a team a shot a national title, conference title, or even an easy trip to a bowl game. Dante Love's injury for Ball State was already mentioned, and that could be the costliest one of all as the Cardinals had a manageable regular season and a possible undefeated season within reach. For North Carolina the season was going quite well until TJ Yates limped off against VA Tech, and now, the Tar Heels may go from ACC title contender to hoping for bowl eligibility. Yates is only out 6 weeks and games against Virginia, Notre Dame and BC may be winnable, but it will take a huge emotional response from the team. Another team looking to establish respectability is the Northwestern Wildcats who can only hope do-it-all TB Tyrell Sutton will be healthy the rest of the year. I think the Wildcats can scratch and claw their way past Iowa this Saturday and then they get a bye week, but after that, the Big Ten gets tough with Michigan State and Purdue no pushovers at home, and a final 3 of Ohio State, Michigan, and Illinois. Yikes! NC State lost a starting QB and LB to injury, but sorry, I didn't see much hope for that program anyways. That East Carolina game may have been an aberration as the Pirates put a major bullseye on their back beating West Virginia and VA Tech. I mean heck, ECU barely beat Tulane the week before, so they weren't THAT good.

Well, that's all for now, soon the week 5 preview should be up and running. On a final note, congratulations to Vanderbilt for cracking the top 25 for the first time in 24 years. It would be great to see them make another bowl. Take care everyone, go Illinois this weekend.