We are now a few weeks into the 2009 college football season, and one thing if for certain: There is no dominant team that stands out above the rest. It seems as if every team ranked in the top five has a noticeable flaw.
Top-ranked and defending champion Florida still returns the heart of their squad in QB Tim Tebow, but they are missing their soul (wide receivers Percy Harvin & Louis Murphy, who are now in the NFL). No one has stepped up in Harvin's or Murphy's place, but the season is still very young.
#2 ranked Texas returned 16 starters on both sides of the ball, including QB Colt McCoy, so a huge season is a expected out of the Longhorns. However, I think that McCoy is worried about making a mistake or getting injured like OU's Sam Bradford (sprained shoulder, timetable to return appears to be Oct 3 against Miami-Florida). McCoy is not having fun in the huddle, you can see it in his eyes, and as a result, he is missing wide open receivers far too often this year. This is one reason that Texas has still yet to cover a game in three contests this season. You can expect Bradford to be back by the Texas game on October 17, will McCoy be back to his normal self by then?
Alabama is ranked #3 in both major polls, but they are a bit inexperienced on the offensive side of the ball, returning only four starters. The Crimson Tide lost three offensive lineman from last season, including Andre Smith. Very important stretch of games for 'Bama starting in October when they travel to Kentucky then pay a visit to Mississippi. If they get by those two teams on the road, then their national title hopes will likely come down to if they can beat Florida in the SEC Championship Game.
With all the upsets already in college football, it looks like we will be seeing quite a bit of movement between the top five teams throughout the season.
Will Jerry Jones "Hold on For One More Day for Wade "Wilson" Phillips?
Now that he lost the home opener in dramatic fashion to the Giants on national television, I think that Wade Phillips has to win at least one playoff game for the Cowboys if he wants to keep his job. Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett turned down the Baltimore job before last season, and I have to think that Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones, has promised Garrett to be Phillips' successor whenever Jones sees that a change is necessary. Don't be surprised if Jones lets Phillips go in the next month if things do not improve at least from a defensive aspect. Phillips took over as defensive coordinator for the final 10 games of last season, and so far the defensive results have been very poor this year. Tampa rolled up over 440 rushing+receiving yards against Dalllas, and Eli Manning threw for 330 yards on Sunday night, truly scary considering he does not have any high profile receivers to throw to this season.
Plaxico's two year Jail Sentence Should be Wake up Call for Some Athletes
Holy cow, can you believe it, an athlete commits a crime, and is actually going to do some time? Former New York Giants WR Plaxico Burress has just been sentenced to two years in prison on a firearms charge in which he accidentally shot himself in a Manhattan nightclub. Let this be a lesson to all those athletes, who many have been given the "royal treatment" due to their athletic ability. I think that with the incarceration of Michael Vick and now Burress, that athletes will exercise better judgment. It seems like a no brainer for these athletes employ their friends be their chauffers for example and to carry their guns if warranted (which really should be never).
Heres to hoping that we dont come across a troubling story like Vick's or Plaxico's anytime soon.
Perry's Performer of the Week: 49ers RB Frank Gore. Over 200 yards rushing, with TD runs of 79 and 80 yards. Who says the Niners needs Michael Crabtree with the way their defense and Gore are playing?
Perry's Pet (Off to the Doghouse You Go!): Pete Carroll. Third straight year of losing to a Pac-10 team when USC was at least 20 point favorites. Going to take a lot work for the Trojans to get in the national title hunt now. There still is a chance though for Carroll's team, since there is quite a bit of parity this season. Still this guy should have closed out this decade with the most national championships, not Urban Meyer considering Carroll has been at USC since 2001, and Meyer has only been at Gainesville since 2005.
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