2008 Week 2 Wrapup

Week 2 Review
* Georgia Tech pull off a strong road victory against Boston College. Can they be a player in the ACC in Paul Johnson's first season? If they earn a win at Virginia Tech on Saturday, they'll become the favorite to take the Coastal division.
* A lot of people are discussing the controversial call at the end of the BYU-Washington game. Should the flag have been thrown? Should Jake Locker have shown more restraint? My question is why isn't BYU getting more respect? It was a closer game than it should have been, but when they had a chance to end the game they executed. Washington did not. BYU did the same thing against UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl last year when they blocked a last second field goal to ensure victory. What's lost in the discussion is the credit due to the Cougs.
* Arkansas had another gritty late fourth quarter comeback win. Too bad it was against Louisiana Monroe. Things aren't looking good for the Hogs, who travel to Texas this weekend.
* Note to Army: If you are going to play an FCS team looking for an easy win, don't play one of the perennial powers. New Hampshire is 4-0 since 2004 against FBS teams (Rutgers, Northwestern, Marshall, Army.)


Week 3 Preview
* The premiere non-conference game of the year Ohio State at USC kicks off Saturday night. Two of the top five teams in the country will be battling for the #1 spot in the polls, national title favorite status, the most impressive win of the young season, and some serious bragging rights.
* Wisconsin travels to Fresno State in a battle of ranked teams. Wisconsin has played well in their first two games, but they must travel cross-country to face a Fresno State team that's had a week off to prepare for the biggest home game of their season.
* BYU and UCLA play for the third time in two years. UCLA looked better than expected in the opener, and BYU has some problems that need to be addressed, like a -4 turnover margin. Both teams need this win to keep their seasons going in the right direction.
* Kansas at South Florida on Friday night is another great game this weekend. Both teams are coming off huge seasons and are trying to prove that it wasn't a fluke.
* Before the season began, I thought California-Maryland was going to be a very good, if underrated, non-conference game. Now it looks like the teams are headed in opposite directions. I'll be very surprised if this is anything but a Bears blowout, even though it's in Maryland.
* Other road teams that should win handily: Penn State at Syracuse, East Carolina at Tulane, Oregon at Purdue, Western Michigan at Idaho, and yes even North Dakota State at Wyoming.
* South Carolina has lost to Vanderbilt two straight years. Can they beat Georgia two straight years? I say no, but it's worth keeping an eye on.
* Temple-Buffalo was the pillowfight of the season just two short years ago. Now it's a matchup of two MAC East contenders.
* Speaking of pillowfights, Washington State-Baylor, Virginia-Connecticut, and San Diego State-San Jose State all fall into that category. I have to mention the most talented pillowfight of the season is the week between Michigan and Notre Dame. While watching the game, I predict that it will be hard to believe that these are the two winningest programs in college football history.