Rearview: 22 men on a dead man's chest

With the publishing of the polls last Tuesday, I griped about teams jumping into the top 25 and others being left out. By Saturday, the play on the field transformed personal theories into something factual. By far, my greatest argument was for the Pirates of East Carolina, the biggest poll snub. Not only did they beat the ranked Hokies in the opener, but they were clearly the better team for four quarters. Proving to be anything but a fluke, the Pirates came out this Saturday and proved they were better than the ninth ranked West Virginia Mountaineers. Is there a team existing in the current AP or Coaches poll with a better body of work in these two weekends of football?

The Pirates have jumped into this week's coaches poll, after the blatant disrespect in week one. But I still believe No. 20 is too low. The higher powers are obviously looking to protect the top two positions and any possible invasion of Mid-Major conferences into the BCS championship game. It's a hell of a lot harder to reach No. 2, when you start at 20 and will finish up against unranked conference opponents.

CAN YOU SMELL IT?

Fall is in the air, and that new aroma that tickles your nose is called “parity”. It’s the result of the reduced number of NCAA scholarships, acting as an equalizer, and giving nearly everyone a legitimate chance of victory. Let’s stop with the best conference “top to bottom” garbage, because there aren’t many bullies left. Check these scores.

(3) Ohio State 26, Ohio 14
(17) USF 31, UCF 24 OT
Virginia 16, Richmond 0
NC State 34, William & Mary 24
Middle Tennessee 24, Maryland 14
Colorado 31, E. Washington 24
Texas A&M 28, New Mexico 22
Michigan 16, Miami (Ohio) 6
Arkansas 28, Louisiana-Monroe 27
Connecticut 12, Temple 9
Pitt 27, Buffalo 16
Notre Dame 21, San Diego State 13

The list can go on and on, with the point being, it’s time to rethink your cupcakes, because college ball appears to have a “healthy choice” menu these days. Those listed games were guaranteed paddle swingers and impression points in the past. Nowadays, those games make BCS conference programs appear weak, regardless of a win or loss. Is there really a bottom of any conference that hasn't brought embarrassment to their group in the opening weeks?

GRAND THEFT

It always leaves a nauseous feeling in your stomach, when someone invades your home and robs you of valuables. In Seattle, the valued item was at least a tie that would have sent Washington into an overtime period against 15th ranked BYU. This thief was already wearing stripes, before conviction and sentencing. Pac 10 officials called an excessive celebration penalty against QB Jake Locker, following a touchdown that drew his team to an extra point away from a tie. The 15 yard penalty pushed the Huskies backwards on the PAT, and it was blocked to seal the one point victory for the Cougars. You make the call:

DIGITS

BYU claimed their 2nd consecutive 1 point victory over Pac 10 opponents. Each game ended with a blocked kick to seal the victory (UCLA, Washington).

In Ty Willingham’s 4 years in Washington, the Huskies are just 4-3 against opponents from mid-major conferences.

The East Carolina defense has allowed 0 passing touchdowns in 2 games versus ranked opponents.

The Gators 26-3 victory over Miami snapped a 6 game losing streak to the Canes.

After trailing 14-0 to Marshall, Wisconsin scored 51 unanswered points.

If no program from the Big East or ACC jumps into the upcoming AP poll, the Big East will have as many representatives in the top 25 as the Mountain West (2), with the ACC having one fewer, and as many as the WAC (1).

Oregon amassed a school record 688 yards of offense in their 66-24 victory over Utah State.

We won’t see the words “hot seat” in reference to Steve Spurrier, despite the Gamecocks losing 6 of their last 7 games.

UTEP has lost 8 consecutive games, and Mike Price isn't immune from hot seat discussions.

Michigan’s Rich Rodriguez wins his 1st game in Michigan on the same day Bill Stewart loses his 1st in West Virginia. Both coaches are now 1-1.


GALLOPING FINISH

Penn State- very impressive
Ohio State- less than impressive
Miami- Young with a glimpse of hope
Wazzu- God Awful
Maryland- Embarrassing
Syracuse- Equally embarrassing
Buffalo- Loving what Gill is doing with the program
Notre Dame- 11 win prediction not looking good
Georgia Tech- Feisty in the “rebuild” mode
Arkansas- It may get ugly in SEC play
Mid-Majors- Thumbs up
Pac 10 officiating- Thumbs down
Week 2- better than I thought it would be