Son of Jones Top Ten Week 2

Life isn’t always fair. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out, but we don’t always accept the fact until it becomes fully apparent. There is an ebb and a flow in humanity that balances the good and the bad, because you can have too much of a good thing, because the sun will always rise tomorrow, and because the storm is always darkest before the light. We, as a country, love the underdog, the entity that rises above its potential and does something great, not because the heavyweights are evil, but because it makes a good story.

Louisiana-Monroe 34 - Arkansas 31

Arkansas without Tyler Wilson on the field is not one of the best 25 teams in the country. If nothing else, at least take that from this game.

Going into Saturday, New Mexico had played the Longhorns twice previously. On both occasions, Texas won by a score of 47-0. This time around, the Horns provided a disappointment in only beating the Lobos forty-five to zero. I guess that’s what happens when you let Case McCoy "run up the score". C’mon Texas…

K-State laughed at the ACC’s notion of a football conference more than three teams deep in a 52-13 embarrassment of Miami (you know, the school that used to be relevant, that has a 30 for 30 about their dominance just 20 years ago). Collin Klein had a nifty 19.1 YPA.

Oklahoma found it necessary to run up the score on Florida A&M the same way a bachelor finally finds it necessary to clean up his apartment. 69-13 Sooners.

Oklahoma State hung tough with a good Arizona team on the road, but got put away late, 59-38, in an expose of the flaws in their defense. The Cowboys are a couple of years away from re-challenging the Big 12.

TCU proved deserving of their #20 AP spot (I guess, how good really are FCS teams?), beating Grambling 56-0. The Horned Frogs scored half of that in the 1st quarter.

Alabama slept through a 35-0 win over WKU. They still only had 328 total yards (Tide fans, I keep telling you this isn’t the same team as last year, please listen).

LSU made a mockery of a BCS team the same way K-State did, only in SEC fashion. Tigers 45 – Huskies (Washington, that is) 3. In LSU related news, David Piland threw the ball 77 times for Houston this week. How many picks does that equate to against the Tigers?

Georgia played a tough road matchup in Missouri’s SEC debut, but finally pulled away with the help of a couple of turnovers. 41-20 Dawgs.

South Carolina racked up 528 yards against ECU, yet somehow Marcus Lattimore only ran for 40. The Gamecocks gave up 400 yards themselves, but won comfortably 48-10.

Florida looked like they were going to start their season 1-1 and plunge into mediocrity, but held tight with A&M, beating the Aggies 20-17 on a tightrope touchdown by Mike Gillislee. Apparently the Aggies are just as good at losing close games in the SEC as they were in the Big 12.

USC played a strange game against Syracuse in East-Rutherford New Jersey. Lightning delayed the second half and the Trojans won just 42-29, but Matt Barkley still managed to throw for 6 touchdowns (because USC doesn’t have enough Heisman trophies. Just kidding they have 6).

I assume Oregon was bored in a 42-25 win over Fresno State, because they scored 35/those 42 in the first half. Kenjon Barner had some fun, running for 201 and three touches. De’Anthony Thomas probably grinned the entire game, running for 102 on seven carries with 2 touches of his own. Thomas has 3 TDs on 10 carries this season, as well as 2 TDs on 8 receptions.

Stanford beat Duke, for what it’s worth, 50-13. I guess they are the 25th best team in the country, not sure it matters unless they beat Oregon or USC.

Florida State told Oklahoma State to calm down after beating Savannah State 55-0 with nine minutes to go in the 3rd quarter. In case you were wondering, Vegas, 55 points in 33 minutes = 100 points in 60 minutes (I also checked: 0 points in 33 minutes = 0 points in 60 minutes), so the 70 point spread was a bit kind to poor Savannah State.

Clemson looked like Clemson beating Ball State 52-27. Clemson could win 11 games this season. Will they? No, just ask a Clemson fan. They will lose some stupid away game (Boston College and Wake Forest are good picks), probably lose to Va Tech and FSU and play in another 2nd tier bowl. Don’t believe me? Here are the Tigers past 13 seasons: 10-4, 6-7, 9-5, 7-6, 9-4, 8-5, 8-4, 6-5, 9-4, 7-6, 7-5, 9-3, 6-6. They’ve been "they could be good this year" for over a decade.

Va Tech beat Georgia Tech in overtime, 20-17, on Monday. They followed an impressive win with a solid 42-7 one over Austin Peay, who, for what it’s worth, lost to Western Kentucky 49-10 in week 1. The FCS cupcaking is getting to be ridiculous; I don’t have time to cover 120 football teams much less 240.

Michigan State, unlike the rest of the Big 10, didn’t suck in a 41-7 stomping of Central Michigan on the road. The Spartans now have a good shot at a BCS bid with OSU’s post-season suspension.

Nebraska lost to UCLA, Wisconsin lost to Oregon State, Ohio State beat Central Florida by 15 at home, Michigan beat Air Force by 6 at home, Penn State missed 4 field goals in a one point loss to Virginia, Purdue lost by 3 to Notre Dame, Illinois didn’t have any intentions of making it a close game with ASU, and Iowa lost to Iowa State 9-6. The SEC, Big 12 and Pac 12 had a joint media statement on Sunday morning, asking the Big 10, simply: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o8gxFGAh9w

At least the Big East didn’t publically humiliate themselves, Louisville beat Missouri State 35-7. Are the Cardinals the 24th best team in the country? No, probably not, but I’m not going to make a fuss about it.

Notre Dame took a step in the right direction, beating Purdue 20-17. These are the kind of games the Irish have made a habit of losing as of late. Perhaps the magical rubbing stones they brought home in their pockets from the hiking excursion where the team was lost in the Irish heartland last week before Patchy the Leprechaun helped them find their way back to the stadium in time for a 50-10 victory over Navy could turn the tables this season. I’m about 95% sure that actually happened.

Impressive Showing of the Week: Obviously, Louisiana-Monroe. Beyond that, Kansas State, who should adopt the team slogan "Purple Rain" (or Reign might even be cooler) and start selling T-shirts immediately.

1. Florida State- I have 0 questions about the Seminoles through two games, which is less than any other team in the country.

2. LSU- is efficient on offense and scary on defense. Zach Mettenberger will probably need to make less than 5 plays this season.

3. Alabama- makes no mistakes on defense and can find ways to score the ball.

3. USC- maybe had a bad game. Still dynamic on offense and capable on D.

5. Oregon- seems to continue to score points at will. They have yet to play anyone relevant.

6. Georgia- is disciplined, experienced and has the talent to hang with Bama and LSU.

7. Oklahoma- should be the best all-around team in the Big 12

8. Kansas State- would like to challenge that assumption

9. Texas- is brutal on defense and could be a tough matchup on the edge for the Big 12.

10. Ohio State- looks strong in a weak Big 10.

11. Michigan State- does as well

West Virginia didn’t play this week so it is hard for them to earn a spot. Depending on how the Big 10 develops they could be the 10th best team in the country, or Va Tech or Clemson could nab a spot.