Upon Further Review (Week 1)

Bronco Bandwagon

I have told you this before, but, in case you forgot, I'm officially on the wagon.  That's right.  The Boise State bandwagon. 

If you're one of those casual fans that vaguely remembers the Boise State win over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, you probably think the Broncos are just a collection of gimmicks and trickery.  Well, think again.

[At this point, I am inserting the obligatory photo that includes Erin Andrews because, well, why wouldn't we want to include Erin Andrews?]

Anyway...

One game into their fifth season under head coach Chris Petersen, the Broncos have compiled a 50-4 record, including unbeaten seasons in 2006 and last year.  That's not trickery.  That's absolutely amazing.

Speaking of amazing, I was trying to resist the temptation to include this photo of a couple of Boise State cheerleaders, and then I thought, why resist?

Monday's victory over Virginia Tech was no fluke.  Boise State dominated early, weathered a furious rally by a very talented Hokie squad, and, at a time when a lesser team might have folded under the pressure, scored the winning touchdown on their last possession.

All of this, mind you, was in front of a very pro-Hokie crowd at the ostensibly neutral site in Landover, Maryland. 

This Boise State team could play with anybody in the country.  And we'd better get used to the idea.  They don't win with smoke and mirrors.  They win with talent and guts.


I'm not convinced that I can watch too many games on the Smurf Turf without damaging my eyesight. But I'll be watching anyway. These Broncos have definitely gotten my attention.

Random Stat:  Virginia Tech is now 0-22 in games away from home against top 5 teams.

Week 1 Surprises

This past Saturday brought us some interesting results. 

Oklahoma managed to beat Utah State, but only by a mere seven points.  Florida beat Miami of Ohio 34-12, but couldn't consistently get the shotgun snap into the hands of the quarterback. USC beat Hawaii, but saw their defense get shredded in a 49-36 shootout.

But there were two games that were particularly shocking: the Jacksonville State Gamecocks 49-48 upset of Mississippi,and the North Dakota State Bison's 6-3 win at Kansas.

Everything I have ever heard or read about Turner Gill tells me that he is a good guy. At Buffalo in 2006, he took over coaching a team that had gone 5-41 in its four previous seasons.  In his first three years, he went 2-10, 5-7 and then 8-6 in 2008, including an upset of previously unbeaten Ball State in the MAC Championship game.  That's about as good as you'll ever get at Buffalo, so it wasn't surprising when Kansas came calling last year after Mark Mangino was forced to resign amidst allegations that he verbally and physically abused some of his players. 

But it's clear that Gill has his hands full with the rebuilding job in Lawrence. 

The Kids Are Alright

Chris Low, the SEC beat writer for ESPN.com, pointed out some conference schools played lots of youngsters on Saturday.  But Florida, as it turns out, played more freshman (15, to be exact) than any other school in the country.  There is lots of talent in that locker room, but with so much youth on the field, the Gators may look a bit rough around the edges at times.