BEHIND BLONDIE PARK

Let’s recap week 3 of the 2012 college football season, or, should I say….the more things change, the more they remain the same!! Matt Barkley and the USC Trojans lose to Stanford for the 4th consecutive time.

The SEC, with Alabama at #1 and LSU at #2, will now hold down the top two spots in the polls. The Big 10, struggling for national recognition, continues it’s struggles as the face of their conference

( Michigan State ) is exposed by ND. Oregon continues to pummel weak opponents. Hey Coach Phil Knight and the Nike hype machine….how about getting your program to play someone that is competitive? Someone of national significance? Someone that if you were to win, it would make your program a little more elite?

While I am on the subject of Oregon football, let’s take a look at some of the worst opening week schedules in college football. Without a doubt, Oregon plays the worst opening weeks schedule of all. The sad part is they do have a good team but refuse to play a Top 10 type of schedule. This year, they have opened up with massacres against Arkansas State, Fresno State, and Tennessee Tech. If you want your program to gain national respect, how about playing a team like Florida State early on? Their opening 3 games are a flat out joke also! FSU opens with powerhouses Murray State, Savannah State, and Wake Forest. Let’s dream…. a week 2 match-up between Oregon and FSU….at the St. Louis Rams venue…on ESPN at 8 PM…. good for both programs???? Hmmmm???? The good news is that both of these schools finally play a competitive game this week….in week 4. Oregon gets Arizona this week and FSU entertains Clemson. Other top programs with pathetic opening schedules include Georgia ( Buffalo and Florida Atlantic ), Clemson ( Ball State and Furman ), Oklahoma ( UTEP and Florida A&M ), Oklahoma State ( Savannah State and La. Lafayette ), and Ohio State ( Miami Ohio, UCF, Cal, UAB ).

As you know, the BIG news of the week was Notre Dame joining the ACC in all sports except for hockey and football. With the Big East struggling to keep it’s membership, it was a good time for the Irish to exit. I think it was a good move for both ND and the ACC. ND gets to keep it’s football independence and bring more national coverage for it’s other team sports. The ACC wins because no matter what you think about ND, it is a national school that is recognized around the world. It’s academic programs are world class and fits right in the some of the great institutions of the ACC. Talk about a great basketball conference in the future!! Duke, UNC, Syracuse, Pitt, and ND – WOW. That sounds like the SEC in football! Let’s get back to that oblong ball that takes funny bounces. For all of you ND haters out there, I know you are peeved that once again, ND doesn’t have to join a conference and they can do what ever they want. Don’t blame Notre Dame, put the blame squarely on where it belongs – on the NCAA. The NCAA is a joke – see all the schools jumping conferences…see all the schools working out their own TV deals…see conferences crumble and watch rivalries go away. Just think about this all you haters. Would you want to play Notre Dames future schedule? Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Navy, BYU, Boston College, Clemson, FSU, Virginia Tech, Stanford, USC, and Miami. I tend to think…NOT!

Saw something last night that you don’t see very often. The ‘Ole Ball coach played 4, that’s right, 4 QB’s in a Gamecock win over UAB. Connor Shaw once again injured his shoulder and Dylan Thompson came in and torched the UAB secondary. Once the game was out of hand Steve Superior put in their #3 and #4 quarterbacks. Not only that, but the entire South Carolina team got PT as they prepare for a brutal stretch of upcoming games. After Missouri and Kentucky, the Gamecocks get Georgia, LSU, Florida, and Tennessee – OUCH!

A TO Z TOP 25
 1. Alabama 3-0
2. LSU 3-0
3. Oregon 3-0
4. West Virginia 2-0
5. Oklahoma 2-0
6. South Carolina 3-0
7. Georgia 3-0
8. FSU 3-0
9. Clemson 3-0
10. Notre Dame 3-0
11. Stanford 3-0
12. USC 2-1
13. TCU 2-0
14. Texas 3-0
15. Kansas State 3-0
16. Florida 3-0
17. Ohio State 3-0
18. Louisville 3-0
19. Arizona 3-0
20. UCLA 3-0
21. Michigan State 2-1
22. Virginia Tech 2-1
23. Michigan 2-1
24. Texas Tech 3-0
25. Mississippi State 3-0

On the outside looking in: Tennessee (2-1), BYU (2-1), Utah State (2-1), Ohio (3-0), Cincinnati (3-0), Nebraska (2-1), and Rutgers (3-0).

The schedule starts to really heat up in week 4 with the following great matchups:

#2 LSU @ Auburn
#19 Arizona @ #3 Oregon
#15 Kansas State @ #5 Oklahoma
Missouri @ #6 South Carolina
#9 Clemson @ #8 FSU
#23 Michigan @ #10 Notre Dame
BYU @ Boise State

We will finally see if some of these untested schools ( Oregon, Clemson, FSU, Oklahoma ) are for real and deserving of Top 10 status!

Posted By A To Z On Sports