College Football: Quick Hits on Week 1

College football is officially back, and it couldn’t have come soon enough…unless you’re a fan of Ole Miss or Kansas.  I’m guessing they wouldn’t have minded putting off home flops against Jacksonville State and North Dakota State, respectively.  Ouch.  JSU and NDSU are just two of the 11 reasons why the first week of the season was memorable for me.  Why 11?  Because that’s how many came off the top of my head.  Good reason, right?

1. Jacksonville State – Love the coaching decision to go for 2 to win the game.  What did they have to lose, really?
2. North Dakota State – Made Turner Gill’s coaching debut at Kansas quite unforgettable – in a bad way
3. Florida State 59, Samford 6 – Without Bobby Bowden for the first time since Eve bit the apple, Jimbo Fisher’s squad proved it could put some points on the board.
4. Lane Kiffin – Love him or hate him, people are paying attention. Team showed off the firepower racking up 49 against Hawaii, but Monte Kiffin has some work to do with that defense
5. Boise State 33, Va. Tech 30 – The Broncos show they’re still for real, but only time will tell us how good of a win it really was. Still, I’m a fan.
6. 

   Nike Pro Combat? We'll take the old school Barry Sanders instead.

   Nike Pro Combat Uniforms – If your retinas aren’t toast after watching that game, you either need to start watching TV in HD or buy a bigger screen. I can’t see what I’m typing right now.  Totally going by feel.  I’m just hoping my vision comes back in time to watch Ohio State, West Virginia, Pitt, Miami, Oregon State, TCU, Florida and Alabama all sport them as well.

7. TCU – Nice win over Oregon State, a college football team that a lot of experts really like.  The Horned Frogs have a good shot at running the table.
8. Michigan 30, UConn 10 – I can’t help but feel good every time UConn loses.  I know that’s terrible, but I’m from Cuse. It’s in my blood.  The bigger story here is Rich Rodriguez saving his job…for at least another week.
9. Brian Kelly – Started his Notre Dame coaching career off on the right foot with a win over Purdue.  But maybe that’s not such a good thing in the long run.  The last ND coach to lose his first game as coach was Lou Holtz.  All he did afterward is win a national championship.  That’s something that Bob Davie, Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis all couldn’t do.
10. Texas and Florida – Out with McCoy and Tebow.  In with Gilbert and Brantley.  Both offenses had a few hiccups, I’m sure they’ll figure it out soon.  There’s just too much talent there.
11. Syracuse 29, Akron 3 – Lastly, and most importantly, Cuse starts 1-0 for the first time since 2003.  Yes 2003.  You read that correctly.  Next up, Coach Marrone and the boys are off to Seattle for Heisman Trophy favorite Jake Locker and the Washington Huskies.

For everything that’s college football, you’ll want to go here.

Be good to people.  That is all.

–

Brian Matthews

bmatthews@steinersports.com

2010 Syracuse Football: Ready to Regain Respectability

U.S. Army General George Patton once said that success is determined by how far you bounce back after hitting bottom.  On that standard alone, it seems Syracuse University is in perfect position to determine just how successful its football program is.

SU Coach Doug Marrone

The Orange made strides in Doug Marrone’s first year at the helm, but respectability is still far from the horizon.  One look at the Cuse’s schedule tells you everything you need to know about just how far the program has fallen.  A schedule that once included matchups with national powerhouses like Penn State and Miami is now filled with games against FCS (Division I-AA) opponents Colgate and Maine.  Even more embarrassing for the Syracuse football team is that they open the season this Saturday against lowly Akron…in Ohio.

It remains to be seen whether the damage done by Greg Robinson’s 4-year, 10-win stint is irreparable.  17 and 18-year old recruits have no recollection of Donovan McNabb or Dwight Freeney in orange and blue. In fact, they have never seen a sold-out Carrier Dome crowd of rabid orange-clad fans. Heck, they’ve never seen a Cuse team finish .500.  The only Syracuse football program they know of is synonymous with embarrassment.

The future success of the program is dependent on Marrone’s ability to annually duplicate the across-the-board improvements he made last season.  As a kid from Syracuse – and SU alum – here’s to hoping he can regain respectability for a once proud football program.

Click here to check out our Syracuse Football web exclusives today!

–

Brian Matthews

bmatthews@steinersports.com