Week 2 Recap

Well, after going all David Pollack and spouting that UGA was the SEC East's team to beat, I have to backpedal and realize that the Dawgs are just an average SEC team, with a defense that lines up differently but still can't tackle and a redshirt freshman QB that, while he may turn out to be great, can't yet win a game in a hostile environment, especially while missing his all-star WR. But as much as some UGA fans want to curse Bobo and the NCAA, they need to remember that Murray isn't David Greene (nor did he get Greene's early luck), and they need to realize just how difficult it is to win on the road in the SEC.

Aaron Murray will be a good QB. South Carolina put most people in the box and tried to force Murray to beat them. Without AJ Green, that's always going to be tough, especially for a young QB in a hostile environment.

Defensively, Georgia still plays with that head-shot mentality that UGA fans love when they're winning. It started a few years ago when Dawg defenders started going for Eric Berry-style blows instead of wrapping up. And now fans are left wondering why no one tackles well.

It will be interesting to see how a NFL defensive coordinator handles spread-type teams. Grantham is a great DC, and he'll eventually figure it out, but a 3-4, blitzing-style defense is great until the blitz takes players out of a play, and that happened a few times on Saturday. Still, the defense worked really well against the pass, and the ability to put pressure on the offense is something UGA has been lacking for the past few years.

Rest of the SEC East
I thought Florida was on the ropes going into the game, and I knew that USF would take on the underdog role, but the Gators were handed seven points at the end of the first half and then ran away with it. Still, Florida is going to be really pushed next week against Tennessee.

I remember during the mid-to-late 90's when the Auburn-LSU rivalry really heated up that Auburn had to win the early season-showdown, or else the season felt lost. But with a win, they'd be in position for big time games with Florida and Georgia to come.  That's where USC is. Georgia was their white whale, and while Gamecock fans are celebrating, they have to realize that it's only September and USC has a lot left - at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, at Florida. Spurrier has a team that should compete for the East, but there's a lot of work to be done.

Marcus Lattimore is going to be a beast, and their in-line running game suits him perfectly. Everyone forgets that Spurrier's great UF teams ran the ball well, but no one expects to see a Spurrier team run like they did against UGA, but he's never had a back like Lattimore.

Tennessee shouldn't be shocked at the loss to Oregon; the Vols are years away from competing with the SEC elite, and the Oregon speed finally broke out in the second half. I'm still a believer that Dooley can bring them back, but it's going to be a long road. And not all the blame can go on Kiffin; Fulmer began the tumble; Lane just made it a free-fall.

ACC's problems
I wasn't able to focus too much on Ga Tech, but Kansas looked completely ready. I guess the Jayhawks spent their summer break preparing for the Jackets and not North Dakota State, but either way it's about as embarrassing of a loss to the ACC as was Jacksonville State beating Ole Miss. That's your league champion losing to a Big XII also-ran.

Then there were  the other ACC debacles. I could say that I was expecting Christian Ponder and Jacory Harris to fold like a cheap suit, but then I remember that I drafted both of them for my college fantasy league (Week 2 result: Ponder 2 points, Harris 7; of course, I started the former). While I didn't expect FSU to go into Norman and win, I wasn't expecting  that shellacking. Then Miami decided to see how many times they could drive the ball without putting up points. And of course, Boise fans get to claim to have beaten Va Tech twice (it won't sway anyone Bronco fans). Clemson beat Presbyterian though, so not all was lost, )though I'm still not sure if that's a school or a touch church team).

At least we can thank Va Tech for going all Hara-Kari and taking Boise down with them.

Remaining Thoughts
So all-in-all, Monster Saturday was a sham, and I was left explaining to Athens Sheena why I set up two TVs and only moved six times in 14 hours: "Really, it was three National Championship rematches, and multiple big-time match-ups; how was I suppose to know they'd all be duds?" Now I'll get to spend my next off-week at Lenox Mall.

Actually, I'll have to apologize to Lou Holtz. After mocking him for picking ND-Michigan as the game to watch, it was actually the only one that was competitive. But I still only think that was from Lou's sheer dumb luck.

My poll this week had Alabama back at No. 1, Ohio State No. 2, Oklahoma No. 3 and Oregon No. 4. In the first two weeks, those four teams have set themselves apart. The next five are teams that I'm really high on, but don't know much about (Wisconsin, Nebraska, Texas, South Carolina, Iowa). No. 10 and 11 go to TCU and Boise, respectively, and then I go all-SEC (Florida, Arkansas, LSU and Auburn). While I like Florida's talent, I'm shocked to see how poorly they're playing offensively. Arkansas has yet to play anyone, and LSU and Auburn could both wind up 7-5, but, at least in the early part of the season, I'm a SEC-homer in the bottom half of my poll. Oh, and then I went stupid and put Michigan at No. 16 because of their win over ND. And for that, I'm everything that I despise.