In a weekend that brought us five games involving ranked teams, we as fans sure weren't disappointed. Even with the Huskers off we learned a lot about some future opponents, as well as some past. Join me as I recap some of the Dimes of the weekend, along with some Duds for fun.
Dimes
1. Alabama
Wow. Is Alabama really that good or is Florida a lot worse than people thought? Granted I thought the Gators were down this year, the Crimson Tide simply made a mockery of the "Game of the Week". If anybody is equipped to run through a gauntlet that includes @Arkansas, Florida, @South Carolina, @Tennessee, @LSU, Auburn, plus an SEC Championship it's the Crimson Tide. Shoot if they run through that schedule unscathed they shouldn't even have to play a National Championship.
2. Oregon
In the other "Game of the Week" the Ducks were able to use a frenzied Autzen Stadium to come back and hit the Stanford Cardinal right in the mouth. This Oregon squad has done nothing but smash opponents week in, week out averaging a mind-boggling 56.6 points-a-game. Not to mention that win at Tennessee is looking more impressive by the hour. So if Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon and the Big 12 champ go undefeated, who get's in? Oregon's schedule which may include a pair of top ten teams may be the best on the slate outside Alabama.
3. Denard Robinson
Absolutely mind-numbing. That's the only thing valid in describing Denard Robinson's play thus far. Now I'm just as much a non-believer in Michigan as anybody, shoot they haven't played anything this year. But have you sat down to take a look at what this kid is doing? Just look at the box scores. He leads the country in rushing with 905 yards and eight touchdowns, while throwing for another 1008 and seven touchdowns. He is the only player in college football history...history mind you....to run and pass for 200 yards in the same game twice. Folks, were five games into the season and his career. Barring a disaster he could shatter some pretty impressive NCAA records by the time he's leaving Ann Arbor.
4. Matt Brown
I know. You're asking yourself, "Who the heck is Matt Brown?" Well he plays for Temple. Ohhhh that's why I didn't recognize his name. Well, he's the backup running back for Temple. What could the tiny back from the Owls have done to warrant a spot here? Oh not much....just rush for 225 yards and four touchdowns to rally his team back to victory. I feel like I say it every week, but Temple (now 4-1) needs to sign Al Golden for life. The job he has done their is phenomenal, better yet a miracle. Lock him up, or the big boys will be knocking down his door here in the next year and it will be back to decades of irrelevance for Temple.
Duds
1. Urban Meyer
Maybe he should have taken the year off. The Gators came into this marquee game on their schedule as underdogs for the first time in nearly three years. Chip on your shoulder my butt. The Gators frolicked into Tuscaloosa looking to show the nation they were still on top, and left battered, bruised and embarrassed. Not even able to muster a touchdown? Gator Nation should be happy they didn't fall farther in the polls. While watching this game the most disheartening thing I witnessed wasn't the massacre that occurred on the field. It was a coaching decision. Early in the second half, on the Gators first drive, Urban Meyer decided to kick a 21-yard field goal from Alabama's four-yard line. Call me crazy but I would be outraged if Bo Pelini didn't have the...we'll use fortitude for lack of a better word here...to go for a touchdown. What was the reasoning? Oh, I guess it was to shrink the lead from 21 to 18. Was Meyer really that scared the Gators would give up following a failed 4th down? It happened earlier in the game on a fake Tebow-like pass and the Tide never turned back. Urban Meyer had better get his head on straight and start coaching this team up, or this won't be the rematch in the SEC Championship that we all thought it could be.
2. Texas Punt Returner Aaron Williams
We've all seen it by now....yikes.
3. The End of the Tennessee-LSU Game
Things to take from the situation: A. Despite being undefeated and ranked in the top ten, Les Miles days in Baton Rouge seem to be numbered. He might be the worst-great coach I know. Yes, he's won a national championship but try telling fans in the Bayou that......they're calling for his head at the end of the year no matter what.
B. Derek Dooley and his staff cannot complain about this one. Leave the personnel you have on the field. You literally could have had two players on the field and won the game. But no. We see LSU inexplicably switching packages without any timeouts so we feel we have to do the same. Are you kidding me? And not only do they have one extra player, they have two extra players on the field. To top it all off, in the post-game press conference Derek Dooley said he needs to look at the film as LSU may not have given the proper time to make personnel changes while over the ball. Well we all know what the NCAA will say about that. Hey, at least Dooley admitted the coaching staff was to blame as much as the officials.