The warm-ups and layups are done.  It's time for some serious football!

It's hard to believe that we would be talking about football games having national title implications already in week 2.  That's exactly what's at stake in stadiums around the country though, and the Big Ten gets to be part of at least two of those games. 

The time for figuring out what still needs fixing is over for those teams hoping to make a run at the national title.  The real business of championships starts right now.

Without further ado: here's a look at the Big Ten in week number two!

Too early you say..... Nah!!! After all, the commentators couldn't stop talking Monday night about how the Boise State Broncos were playing for a National Championship opportunity.  If ESPN can start talking about the first week of January in early September, then I can start dreaming about my solution to what is bound to be controversial this season as it always is... who will be playing in the National Title game.  

As far as I'm concerned...it is never too early to begin talking about the superior format of a playoff.  I enjoy watching the BCS bowl games just as much as the next guy, but my mom always told me that if you can't do something right, you shouldn't do it at all. Why should we all have to accept the obviously flawed current system when there is a simple and much better option available?

So for the fourth year in a row, we'll begin the lobbying for a 10-team BCS playoff now, at the completion of Week 1.  Sure things will change and teams will drop out of the bracket never to be heard of again this season, but that's half the fun of tracking this crazy game we call College Football!  

Feel free to leave your comments in the forum or email them to  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The 2010 football season is officially under way, and what a week it was!  We saw Boise State knock off Virginia Tech, Michigan take a big step forward, and a lot of good teams beat the snot out of a lot of weak teams.  Man, I've missed this! 

The Big Ten went 9-2 in their opening games as a conference.  There was a heaping helping of cupcakes, but a we saw a few bigger games sprinkled in as well. 

I've got about a dozen thoughts on what happened; but like a baker or the Big Ten...I can't count.

A review of games in the Pac-10

Best game:

           Oregon State    21

           TCU                30

TCU QB Andy Dalton overcame two interceptions, leading his Frogs to a huge victory over ranked Pac-10 opponent Oregon State. Dalton didn't have his best game statistically, but he was able to come through with several key third down conversions – many coming from quarterback runs up the middle. While the TCU defense wasn't stifling, it was able to confuse sophomore QB Andy Catz and contain the electric tandem of Jacquizz and James Rodgers, who were playing in front of their native Texas friends and family. The difference in the game was a poor Oregon State snap that went over the head of Catz and was kicked through the back of the end zone for a safety...with just 4 minutes left in the game. The Beavers showed that they will be a formidable team this season, on both sides of the football, but it was simply TCU's day. Mike Riley can't be too disappointed with the performance of the Beavers. With very few tough games left on their schedule, it's feasible that the TCU squad that beat them will be playing for the BCS Championship in January. And the Beavers can take comfort in the fact that their Rose Bowl dreams are still very much alive.

Game of the Week 

#24 Oregon State at #6 TCU

Saturday, September 4^th (7:45 PM EST, ESPN)

When Oregon State has the ball: Despite the departure of QB Sean Canfield, all signs point to another solid season for the Beavers offense. RB Jacquizz Rodgers and his elder brother James (WR) have accounted for the majority of the Oregon State offensive production for the past two seasons...and that's not going to change. Behind a veteran line, and with plenty of weapons to work with, sophomore QB Ryan Catz should have no problem moving this unit down the field. But this will be a hostile test to start the season. The TCU defense is simply dominating, with seven starters returning from a 2009 unit that led the nation in total defense (239.7 ypg). DE Jerry Hughes is playing on Sundays, but TCU will reload with more speedy defensive players to put helmets to footballs. If TCU can contain the running game of Rodgers (not an easy task), they will stand a good chance of keeping the Beavers out of the end zone.

It's that time of year again, and I couldn't be more excited about the upcoming college football season. It's the last season for the Pac-10 as we know it, as offseason additions of Utah and Colorado will be forthcoming in future years. While the Pac-12 will provide a unique landscape for this conference, I have to say I'm excited for the conference race in the "traditional" Pac-10 (with teams that are actually somewhat NEAR the Pacific). As I do every season, I will break down every team and give my assessment of whether the team will be refining, reloading, or rebuilding this season.
It's a wide open conference race with defending champion Oregon returning most of their talented 2009 squad, USC will be strong once again despite the NCAA sanctions that will prevent them from postseason play, and Oregon State and Stanford are both poised for strong seasons. And there are legitimate Heisman candidates in Washington QB Jake Locker and Oregon State RB Jacquizz Rodgers.