9/17 Observations

Here is a list of observations from games that have gone final so far today, 9/17.

Purdue 59, SE Missouri State 0
The Boilers needed this kind of game to get their heads back on right after losing to Rice last week. SE Missouri State really could have used Henry Harris back on the roster today.

Western Michigan 44, Central Michigan 14
Bill Cubit picked up a must win, and shows that he is ready to at least make appearances that his Broncos are in the MAC race. Dan Enos does not seem to have the same touch that Butch Jones and Brian Kelly had at CMU.

Michigan 31, Eastern Michigan 3
Denard Robinson ran like a mad man for 198 yards, but he passed the ball like a girl. Can we please get a complete game from the Wolverines at some point? They sure did not play one today.

Clemson 38, Auburn 24
Before anyone gets too excited about this win for Clemson, please realize that a girl scout could score on Auburn these days. The Auburn offense ran out of gas as they continue to have to make up for the awfule Auburn D. Dabo Swinney did need this win.

Iowa 31, Pittsburgh 27
The Panthers celebrate their impending move to the ACC with a blown big lead against Iowa. The Big East actually got a little worse this week.

West Virginia 37, Maryland 31
This was a good win for the Mountaineers, who have struggled against the Terps in recent years. WVU made it more exciting than it had to be after blowing a sizable lead.

Penn State 14, Temple 10
The Owls had every shot to win this game, but here's a hint as to how to do it. Get an offense. It helps. Paterno is still not coaching the Lions, and they are now making up excuses as to why. Time to go, Joe, and I am serious this time.

Wyoming 28, Bowling Green 27
The Cowboys needed this win badly, and they almost blew it. The Falcons blew the halftime lead, but the Cowboys almost blew their lead in the 4th quarter. Great perfomrances by Matt Schilz and Kamar Jorden wasted for the Falcons.

Vanderbilt 30, Ole Miss 7
The Commodores go to 3-0 under new coach James Franklin, and Houston Nutt just splashed into the Dead Pool for the coming week. Vandy will cool off sometime soon, however, but this is still a solid start for the perpetual loser.

Duke 20, Boston College 19
David Cutliffe saved his bacon this week, and it has become very apparent to me that Frank Spaziani, good guy that he is, is not the right guy to lead Boston College.

Georgia Tech 66, Kansas 24
So the real Kansas finally showed up this week. There is now way that the Jayhawks should have lost this game this way. Tech may be better than we thought that they could be, but this is just stupid.

Georgia 59, Coastal Carolina 0
Maybe the Chanticleers need some cats afterall. They needed something against the Bulldogs, who were pissed off coming off of an 0-2 start. This does not mean that the Bulldogs are any good, however.

Colorado 28, Colorado State 14
The Rams had a chance to make a big splash and hit 3-0 for the season, but instead, there was a major thud, as it was all Buffaloes after CSU took an early 7-0 lead.

TCU 38, UL-Monroe 17
The Warhawks took a 17-14 lead in the 1st quarter, and then the Frogs got angry and went on a 24-0 run. With all of the work done at Amon Carter Stadium during the offseason, TCU probably forgot they were playing at home.

Cincinnati 59, Akron 10
Need a remedy for getting your ass kicked last week? Play Akron. It's sure to make you feel better.

Minnesota 29, Miami (OH) 23
Thank God that the Gophers won this week, because I would have been afraid for Jerry Kill's health had they lost this week. Kill gets his first win as the head coach at Minnesota.

Nebraska 51, Washington 38
The Huskers got into another shootout, and the Black Shirts appear to have some real issues. The offense carries the day again, and the Huskies appear to be not ready for primetime.

Florida 33, Tennessee 23
The Gators still own the Vols, apprently. Florida is looking more and more like they have aspirations to crawl into the national title scene, and may be the team that they were a few years ago. Taylor Bray was still decent for Tennessee, and will probably bounce back fine.

Wisconsin 49, Northern Illinois 7
The Badgers dominate again, and they are looking like the team to beat in Bog 10 play. Russell Wilson passed for 340 yards and 3 scores, and Ball and White combined for 3 more scores.

North Carolina 28, Virginia 17
The Tarheels passed another test this week, and Everett Withers is now 3-0 as interim coach. UNC has still not played amajor winner yet, so there will be bigger tests to come.

Notre Dame 31, Michigan State 13
The Irish needed this win beyond any other, and they finally found a way to start, grind out, and finish a win. Cierre Wood ran for two scores, and the MSU run game was completely absent.

Army 21, Northwestern 14
Injuries are killing the wildcats at QB, as Kain Colter was injured in the loss. Now the Cats are down to their 3rd stringer. Teams usually don't have winning seasons when they get down that far.

Texas 49, UCLA 20
We should have witnessed the final leak in Rick Neuheisel's life vest in the dead pool. UCLA needs to end it, and soon. Mack Brown, on the other hand, seems to have Texas heading in the right direction with young talent coming out of his ears.

Oregon 56, Missouri State 7
OK...we get it. The Ducks can beat up on the weak sisters. Time for another test to see if Oregin learned anything from the LSU defeat.

Indiana 38, South Carolina State 21
The Hoosiers got a much needed win, but they didn't exactly pull away in the second half. The Hoosiers are another team that has yet to provide a full 60 minute game.

Texas Tech 59, New Mexico 13
At least the Lobos scored in double figures this week. Mike Locksley should just be counting down the days before the New Mexico administration finally nuts up and fires his ass.

Nevada 17, San Jose State 14
The Wolfpack is obviously experiencing rebuilding pains this season, and there is no way that they will be able to beat Boise State or Hawaii in the WAC. That being said, only a FG win over the Spartans?

Virginia Tech 26, Arkansas State 7
The Hokie offense is still experiencing issues, and this is the second straight week that they struggled against an inferior opponent. Is Tech just going to hand the ACC title to Florida State this season?

Tulane 49, UAB 10 
What the hell happened here? Bob Toledo may not have climbed out of the Dead Pool with this huge win, but he certainly dragged Neil Callaway into the Pool with him.

California 63, Presbyterian 12
The Bears should be ashamed of ever playing a school from the Big South, especially with so many quality Big Sky opponents available for FCS opponents. This match up and job of scheduling was nothing more than a fucking disgrace.

FIU 17, UCF 10
FIU is 3-0 for the first time ever, and no team is better than the Panthers since the middle of last season. With quality wins in every game this season,  FIU is the steady favorite to win the Sun Belt.

NC State 35, South Alabama 13
The Wolfpack didn't exactly blow up against the FCS Jaguars, and it would seem that despite the win, you could almost treat this win as a loss. NC State is in trouble when their schedule intensifies.

South Carolina 24, Navy 21
The Gamecocks were lucky to escape with a win against the pesky Middies at home, as Stephen Garcia seemed to try to give the win away at ever turn. Thank God they have Marcus Lattimore, and he rushed for over 200 yards and scored the game winner.

Wake Forest 48, Gardner-Webb 5
The Deacons should not get very excited about this win, as it was essentially meaningless. This win gives them zero clout, and they gain no points in the PRS this week beyond what they won by.

Baylor 48, Stephen F. Austin 0
Again, this win tells us nothing about the Bears. Despite the win over rebuilding TCU, we still know essentially nothing about this Baylor team. Struggles are sure to come for Baylor.

Memphis 27, Austin Peay 6
Memphis gets their only win of the season. Now back to sucking to the extreme.

More as the late games go final!