Blanket Coverage: Week 1 in Review

Just So You Know ...

My editor told me to spend an hour or two on this piece, but I put in four because I want to be the best.

Conference Calls

Maybe Virginia Tech would have played better against Alabama Saturday night if the entire fate of the ACC had not been resting on its shoulders. Or at least that's how Commissioner John Swofford and too many ABC and ESPN commentators made it sound.

Those of us who don't reap eight-figure payouts based on the vitality of a conference (i.e., the majority) could give a tinker's darn about a conference's vitality. It's like worrying about how come New England never seems to send a formidable representative to the Miss U.S.A. Pageant. Who cares, as long enough other states have top-notch talent? Besides, they still let Miss Maine walk in the opening number, don't they?

And, by the way, despite the result the Hokies did themselves proud in their loss to the Tide. Themselves, not the entire conference. Had the Hokies won, it wouldn't have made Virginia's home loss to William & Mary smell any sweeter.

All That Said...

After only one week it seems obvious that nobody from the ACC or Big East should make New Year's Day plans for Pasadena. Out of the Big Ten, Penn State looked impressive but with their Magnolia Bakery non-conference schedule, the Nittany Lions better go undefeated if they want to be in the conversation. As for Ohio State (who should have known better than invite Navy to a city named after one of history's most famous maritime figures), that will settle itself this weekend.

And Then There Were Two

I was lucky enough to be seated next to one of the real good eggs in the business Saturday, Dick "Hoops" Weiss of the New York Daily News. We noted how terrific it is that the three marquee players in the sport -- Heisman Trophy winners Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow and Longhorn quarterback Colt McCoy -- all seem to be such decent people, too.

McCoy seems lifted from a "Friday Night Lights" story arc and smiles as if you've just told him we're going to Dairy Queen after the game. Tebow is, well, there are those of us who want to touch his garment in hopes that it will erase our cynicism. And Bradford seems as decent and humble as a Heisman Trophy winner with a 3.9 GPA in finance could possibly be.

So, sure, it was tough to watch Bradford be knocked out of the BYU game, sustaining an injury that could crush every aspiration he and the Sooners had for this season. That's football, that's sports, that's life. Not always fair. You just keep on going.

Oklahoma, by the way, would do well to play only on campus, any campus. Since 2006 the Sooners are 30-3 on campuses and 4-5 in games played at neutral sites.



Fine, but What About Vince and E?

"I'm not here for all that drama," Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said after the Wolverines opened their season with a victory (it's been awhile) following a week of turmoil. "We're not here for drama."

As for Turtle, he's at UCLA.

Three Things I Liked

1) Steve Sarkisian's debut at Washington: The Huskies bowed to LSU, but the former USC offensive coordinator has infused U-Dub with passion and desire.

2) G.J. Kinne: Tulsa's new quarterback has the look of a gamer, passing for 211 yards and rushing for 77 more in the Golden Hurricanes' 37-13 defeat of Tulane. Like Mississippi's Jevan Snead, Kinne transferred from Texas when it became obvious that the job was Colt McCoy's (it really is a Lone Star State). With Kinne under center, Tulsa could deny both Oklahoma (in Norman, Sept. 19) and Boise State (home, Oct. 14) BCS bowl bids.

3) Mountain Time: Home to the most dramatic landscapes and fewest people, the Mountain Time Zone is also the province of BYU, Utah and Boise State. The Broncos bullied Oregon (a sign in the stands reading "Ducks really do crash on blue turf" was clairvoyant); BYU shocked No. 3 Oklahoma and knocked Sam Bradford out of the month of September and in all likelihood a chance at a repeat Heisman; and the Utes extended the nation's longest winning streak to 15 games. And over on the other side of the Continental Divide, Air Force pulled off the largest margin of victory, carpet-bombing Nicholls State 72-0.

Best Quarterback Name

Dwight Dasher of Middle Tennessee State. Play-by-play announcers cannot wait to declare, "They're blitzin' Dasher!"

Manning Up

Peyton Manning showed up at his alma mater, Tennessee, to witness new coach Lane Kiffin's debut as well as to bestow a $1 million gift for a new athletic training center. Certainly a laudable gesture on the part of the Indianapolis Colt QB.

But, as Chris Rock once said, "There's rich, and there's wealthy." In Stillwater, Oklahoma State alum T. Boone Pickens was on hand for the dedication of a renovated stadium -- one that just happens to bear his name -- whose $286 million overhaul he funded.

After the No. 9 Cowboys beat No. 13 Georgia 24-10, Pickens reportedly told Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy that the cost of his altruism (he has reportedly donated $400 million to OSU) was worth it. Said Gundy, "I have a feeling that he expects more than that."

True Bromance

Rating the top three bromances of the opening weekend, in ascending order:

3) Jaczuizz Rodgers and James Rodgers, Oregon State: The siblings took turns scoring the Beavers' first touchdowns of the season -- Jaczuizz later added two more -- in Oregon State's 34-7 defeat of Portland State.

2) Matt Barkley and Pete Carroll: How many times did USC's head coach use the terms "cool" and "calm" in describing the play of his quarterback, the first true freshman ever to open the season as a starter at Troy? Can you say, "Man crush"? Meanwhile, Mitch Mustain, who only won all eight games he started ... as a freshman ... in the SE-freakin'-C, remains 3rd-string. Is there a more compellingly tragic figure in college football?

1) Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley, Texas: Best friends and roommates, McCoy and Shipley hooked up eight times for 180 yards and a touchdown as the Longhorns handled Louisiana-Monroe, 59-20.

Seems Like Old Times

Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus, making his first start after four years as a point guard at Duke, commits a turnover late and then watches as his team loses on a three. To be fair, Paulus played well for a guy whose last game was five years ago in high school.

Trippin' Out

And by the way, how many Minnesota fans were fired up about last Saturday's road trip? You mean we get to visit a notoriously arctic city whose team plays inside of a dome? Pinch me, I'm dreaming!

Contrast that with Buffalo, who chose to travel 2,000 miles to El Paso (Niagara Falls versus the Rio Grande?!?) for their season opener with UTEP. Oh, the Buffalo, they do roam.

Both the Golden Gophers and the Bulls won.

Davie ... Jones ... Locker

During Thursday night's Oregon-Boise State game, the ESPN duo of Bob Davie and Marc Jones unveiled a gimmick called "Davie Jones Locker", in which each broadcaster broached a topic of interest (Jones focused on LeGarrette Blount's "We owe them an ass-whupping" quote in a bizarre bit of foreshadowing) as if pulled from a treasure chest.

Two nights later, Davie and Jones were in Seattle to call the LSU-Washington game, a matchup in which the most compelling player on the turf was named Locker. If ever there were a game in which to run that bit ... but we never saw it. Then again, we might have been flipping over to Maryland-Cal.

Game Cox

The link between the opening weekend's two most memorable contests, Oregon-Boise State and BYU-Oklahoma? ESPN sideline reporter Heather Cox.

He's Been There

Did you notice the Oregon assistant coach who was shepherding -- okay, strong-arming -- Duck running back LaGarrette Blount off the field following his violent outburst at Boise State? It was Scott Frost. In 1995 Frost, then a quarterback at Nebraska, was involved in a violent altercation -- in his bedroom -- with then teammate Lawrence Phillips in which Phillips assaulted his girlfriend.

Blount, as was Phillips, is a running back with NFL talent and a hair-trigger temper. Today Phillips is serving ten years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon.

Worst Quarterback Name

Kale Pick, freshman backup at Kansas. To Pick's credit, he completed both passes he threw to teammates in the Jayhawks' 49-3 scrimmage against Northern Colorado.

Least Important Statistic (Unless You're Linda Blair)

That would be "time of possession". Air Force had the ball 68 seconds more than Nicholls State (30:34 to 29:26) and scored 72 more points (72-0).

WAC-a-mole

In his last two games, last Christmas Eve versus Hawaii and on Saturday versus Nevada, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen has thrown 9 touchdown passes and 7 incompletions. The Fighting Irish junior should garner a few votes for 1st Team All-WAC.

And Finally...

Give you one guess which quarterback hosted a wheelchair-bound seven year-old cerebral palsy patient before his game, even taking him into the locker room to collect autographs. Does the Pope have a poster of Tim Tebow on his wall?