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OK, you can officially declare a start to the 2005 college football season. Just when somebody (me) thinks they've got all the angles covered - studying all the pre-season pubs, watching (and unfortunately listening) to all the preview shows and reading the 'experts' - you realize that trying to forecast the first week of a college football season is pretty much pointless.

Team(s) of the Week

TCU - No doubt most of the focus will be on the sorry play of Oklahoma, but TCU deserves some credit as well. This is a very good defensive team that plays old-school football and any time you can get a win in Norman it's a big deal. The real winner may be the Mountain West conference who gets a big prestige boost with the win.

Georgia Tech - It wasn't too hard to see this coming, but it's still newsworthy. Tech took advantage of Auburn's new backfield and defensive coordinator and dominated from start to finish, never trailing in the game. There was already quiet trepidation about Auburn QB Brandon Cox's ability to handle the pressure that goes with being a starting QB in the SEC - and that was before he threw four picks.

Notre Dame - The good news for Charlie Weis is he won his first game, as an underdog no less, as Irish head coach by completely thwarting Pittsburgh. That's also the bad news for Weis as expectations will run out of control in South Bend. The Irish looked very polished, especially for a first game. Weis continues to own Dave Wannstedt, who couldn't solve the Patriots' offense during his sting as Dolphins head coach either. A dose of reality could set in this week as the Irish head to Ann Arbor, but they'll certainly have momentum and confidence on their side. If they can knock off Michigan, there will be several NFL GMs lamenting not hiring Weis - assuming that's not already the case.

Game(s) of the Week

Colorado State at Colorado - TBS scored a winner with this intra-state showdown, although its unlikely that many saw it as it was opposite of the more hyped Boise State/Georgia debacle (plus, many fans forget that TBS even televises college football). The two teams combined for 28 fourth quarter points including three lead changes in the final 1 minute, 30 seconds. After scoring the tying touchdown with :36 left to play, State opted for a squib kick that was returned to the Colorado 40. Three plays later, Mason Crosby hit a 47-yard field goal as time expired to set off a wild celebration in Boulder. More often than not, when you play not to lose, you lose anyway.

Maryland vs. Navy - Another in-state rivalry was renewed for the first time in 40 years before a packed house in Baltimore. Maryland QB Sam Hollanbach capped a 10-play, 82-yard drive with an 11-yard strike to Drew Weatherly with just over a minute left to give Maryland a 23-20 win over the Midshipmen. It was yet another close loss for Navy, one that resembled last year's close loss at Notre Dame that extended their losing streak in that series to 40 games. Both athletic directors have expressed interest in continuing the series and with Navy's resurgence under Paul Johnson, this is one that should be played on an annual basis.

Turd(s) of the Week

Oklahoma - Make no mistake, there is panic in SoonerNation. TCU likely isn't going to get the credit they deserve for the win, but there's no doubt that Oklahoma made them look good. Much like Auburn, who had to replace Jason Campbell, replacing the experience of Jason White is going to take a while - maybe the entire year. For the first time in the Stoops era, there is talk of rebuilding which will make Sooner fans lament the back-to-back blowouts in the national championship games even more.

Boise State - The Broncos were officially welcomed to the big time by DJ Shockley and the Georgia Bulldogs. The problem for Boise is that it isn't your typical 'sneak-up' team - they had the Bulldog coaches and player's attention since the end of last year. Playing on grass in front of 85,000 hostile SEC fans in prime-time on ESPN is a far cry from the environment they're used to seeing in the northwest.

Miami at Florida State - For all the hype and build-up this game generated, it was one of the most boring televised games of the weekend (along with Mississippi/Memphis). Miami made countless mistakes on offense (dropped passes, poor QB decisions in the red-zone, a porous offensive line) and special teams (poor punt return decisions, bad snaps on FGs). And the self-proclaimed 'AnyTime' (Devin Hester) was a no-show. FSU was even worse, except for the defense that recorded eight QB sacks. For all the athletic talent on the field, it was a horrendously sloppy game.

Players of the Week(s)

Omar Jacobs, QB, Ball State - Jacobs was Vince Young-esque at Wisconsin throwing for 458 yards and 5 TDs. Unfortunately, the Falcons' defense made Wisconsin look like USC, giving up 56 points in the loss. Jacobs will get some early season publicity for the Heisman, but it will fade as unfortunately Bowling Green won't be on national TV enough (at least in big games) to keep the momentum going.

Elvis Dumervil, DE, Louisville - The Cardinal DE recorded a school record six sacks, and the Cardinals needed every one - and more- to hold off a game Kentucky team in the season opener. If he stays healthy, Dumervil should be a Lombardi award finalist as he will rack up monster numbers in the watered down Big East - this despite offenses designing their protection schemes to stop him.

That's why they're...

They're a basketball school desperately trying to draw attention to the fact that they also field a football team. Even though they're the largest school in the state, they've watched their in-state rival elevate its program to a national level. Nevertheless, they get their shot on national TV in front of what will likely be their only sellout of the season. Despite being a three touchdown underdog, they slug it out, somewhat effectively thwarting their opponent's high-powered offense. Trailing by a touchdown in the fourth quarter, they launch a beautiful drive, mixing the run and pass with such efficiency many think that the offenses have switched uniforms. Their QB, making his first collegiate start, makes a beautiful run down to the one-yard line, all the while fighting for the goal. Pinned against the sidelines and still fighting for yardage, he fumbles the ball. If the ball bounces 99 of 100 ways, it goes out of bounds and they retain possession. Instead, it stops dead like a Phil Mickelson flop shot. Louisville recovers, then runs out the final 6:42 of the 4th quarter, preserving the victory. That's why they're Kentucky.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

* Anyone who thinks the tail doesn't wag the dog in college athletics, pay attention. Two traditional southern powers, Alabama and Florida State, want to play a football game in 2007. Each has an opening on the schedule because of the newly allowed 12th game starting in 2006, so they have settled on playing a neutral site game in Jacksonville, splitting the gate receipts. So what could prevent this game that would carry a huge national interest from happening? Both CBS, which holds the SEC TV contract and ABC which holds the ACC's, have exclusive rights to neutral site games for their respective conferences. Since this is a one-game series (both schools do not have future openings until 2010) with no return date, each is claiming the right to televise the game. Alabama officials have effectively agreed to the contract and put the burden on the SEC office to make it happen. One would think that smart people would work some sort of compromise to make this long-awaited game happen (Birmingham native Bobby Bowden has never faced Alabama in his 30-years in Tallahassee) and understand that not playing it is bad for everyone involved.

* LSU and Arizona State have agreed to move this week's game, originally scheduled for Baton Rouge, to Tempe because the LSU campus is being used as a staging site for the ongoing rescue and recovery operations involving Hurricane Katrina. Arizona State has rightfully agreed to donate all after-expense profits to the hurricane relief effort. While this agreement was reached pretty quickly, there is a potentially huge decision facing the LSU administration within the next week. After an off-week September 17, the Tigers are scheduled to host Tennessee in a huge SEC showdown, scheduled to be televised by CBS. With no timetable available for how long the relief efforts will continue - which understandably take priority over a football game - there could be some tough decisions ahead. With zero chance the game will be moved to Knoxville, the other alternative could be Shreveport which hosts the Independence Bowl and would still provide an in-state venue. LSU then has two road games before hosting Florida in another huge SEC game on October 15. Hopefully, by that time, things will be returning to some sense of normalcy in the region.

* What's up with the new helmets going around this year? Wisconsin, Texas and Syracuse all unveiled hideous new helmets this weekend. Wisconsin ditched the bright, bold, red 'W' on the sides, opting instead for a thin 'W' on the front with numbers on the sides. Texas kept the famous longhorn but put numbers above it. Even Syracuse added numbers, scrapping the traditional plain orange. Memo to whoever is making these horrible decisions: leave the helmets alone!! It doesn't look good. Maybe fans of the various schools will rebel forcing a change, or maybe it was just a one-time throwback look. Either way, give me back my traditional helmets. What's next, Penn State adding a logo?

* Florida State has a wide receiver named Decody Fagg

THE DEATH WATCH

No major upsets this week for anybody on the list, so it remains unchanged

Bill Callahan, Nebraska - Callahan moves to the top of the list. Carrying a one touchdown lead into the 4th quarter against 1-AA Maine doesn't instill confidence in the system.
Gary Pinkel, Missouri - A win over Arkansas State (and likely ones against New Mexico and Troy in the next two weeks) won't satisfy the Tiger faithful. A win over Texas will.
Gary Barnett, Colorado - A big sigh of relief after an exciting win over in-state rival Colorado State
Tommy Bowden, Clemson - Nice home win over Texas A&M. A roadie at Maryland may take him off the list for a couple of weeks
Rich Brooks, Kentucky - A better than expected effort against a highly ranked Louisville team gives Wildcat fans some hope. But it's still a loss.
Mike Shula, Alabama - Things were dicey early for Shula against Middle Tennessee State (9-7 halftime lead), but the Tide looked better in the 2nd half. Plus, Auburn losing to Georgia Tech automatically relieves pressure.
Les Miles, LSU - Miles probably gets a pass after all that he's being forced to deal with on and off the field.

Patern-o-meter - A weekly watch on the legendary 78-year old Penn State coach's progress toward the needed seven wins to allow him to retire gracefully after the season.
2005 Wins: 1
Remaining wins Needed: 6
Games Left: 10

Must see games this week

Let's hope ABC's prime-time game this week is better than the FSU-Miami snoozer

# 2 Texas at #6 Ohio State (8 p.m., ABC) - First EVER meeting between two traditional powers at one of the great venues in college football. Athletic Directors - are you watching? This is what fans want with the 12th game that starts next year

Notre Dame at #4 Michigan (Noon, ABC) - The Irish face a tougher test against Henne & Hart in the Big House

#5 LSU at #20 Arizona State (8:45pm, ESPN) - While the need to switch the venues for this game was obvious and necessary, in football terms, it is a significant disadvantage for the Tigers, who had their first game cancelled due to Hurricane Katrina

Keep an eye on

#11 Iowa at Iowa State (3:30pm, ABC Regional) - Intra-state Big 10/Big 12 match-up

South Carolina at #13 Georgia (5:30pm, ESPN) - The 'Dawgs welcome Steve Spurrier back to college football a week after welcoming Boise State to the big time

Boise State at Oregon State (6:30pm, FOX) - Not much interest in this one but look for the Broncos to be more effective in Corvallis than they were in Athens

Wake Forest at Nebraska (7pm, TBS) - The Callahan watch could officially start if Wake can leave Lincoln with a win, especially after dropping their home opener to Vanderbilt
Weber State at Fresno State (10pm, ESPNU) - Catch a peek at one of this year's chic picks to try and sneak into the BCS

Scalper's Night Off - The Citadel at Florida State. Even the pathetic Seminole offense should have the fraternity parties in full swing by halftime.

Picks - We're using our mulligan after the first week. Last Week: 1-4; Season: 1-4

Iowa - 81/2 at Iowa State - Even on the road against an in-state rival, we're taking the Hawks

Texas pick 'em at Ohio State - Vince Young looked unstoppable

Virginia Tech -20 at Duke - After facing NC State, Marcus Vick will think he's back in high school facing a Blue Devil team that lost to EAST Carolina

Wyoming -17 1/2 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette - ULL took it on the chin at Texas while the Cowboys were respectable at Florida

Tulsa -30 1/2 at Oklahoma - The Sooners have to SCORE at least 31 to cover

Top 5 -

We're drinking the Kool Aid in Iowa City

1. USC - saw nothing at Hawaii that shows them slipping
2. Texas - true test this week after what amounted to a scrimmage last week
3. LSU - very tough start to the season with a cancelled game; now they must go to Tempe
4. Michigan - ho hum start vs. N. Illinois, now a rejuvenated Irish team comes calling
5. Iowa - Yeah it was Ball State, but the Hawks were dominant

Knocking - Tennessee (A bye week to get ready for Florida after an unimpressive start); Virginia Tech (nice conference road win at NC State in the opener); Ohio State (we'll know after the Longhorns visit the 'Shoe); Louisville (squeaked by Kentucky - and the 'Cats are nowhere near a top 5 team)

Left the building - Oklahoma (not likely to return this year); Auburn (sorry Tommy, but despite your proclamations to the contrary, this IS NOT the most talented team you've had at Auburn); Florida State (a pretender that must find some offense); Miami (can't measure their defense against a horrible FSU offense.)

-SFM-

Bob Waldrop's College Football Weekly appears every Thursday on SportsFanMagazine.com.


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