In a year where every week is filled with top 10 upsets, weeks like this may seem insignificant in comparison. No top 20 team was upset yesterday, but the day's events still taught us a lot about some of the top teams in the country. Here's what we've learned:
Bama is for real. I understand that they are the top team in the country and nobody is surprised that they are this good, but the reality is that they have not needed to prove it much this season. Beating Michigan may have looked like a huge win at the time, but the way the Big Ten has played out this year suggests otherwise (and I'm a Michigan fan). This week though, Alabama showed that they are truly a threat to repeat. Tennessee may have only been 3-3 coming in, but all three losses were relatively close losses to top 15 teams, with the only home loss coming to Florida. Playing at Tennessee is never an easy task, and combined with the NFL talent they have on the field in their passing game, this looked like a game that could trip the Tide up. Apparently not. This team just does not make mistakes. While AJ McCarron may not be the flashiest of quarterbacks, he is the definition of efficiency, with 16 TDs and ZERO PICKS on the year. Lacy and Yeldon are a scary running back duo, obviously reminding people of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, but I see similarities to Darren McFadden and Felix Jones when they were both at Arkansas. And the defense is, well, an Alabama defense.
Florida, Oregon, and even K-State can compete with Bama. After another top 10 victory, Florida showed that they are seriously capable of winning a national title. Though the victory over LSU was huge, it was far from dominant, as the Gators were shut out in the first half before turning it on in the second as they have all season. This week, they dominated from the very beginning, forcing a fumble on the first play from scrimmage, which they would cash in 3 plays later. That set the tone for a game where Florida's opportunistic defense and special teams made it easy for the offense. A 44-11 victory is a big statement over a South Carolina team that many thought were legitimate title contenders after a blowout of Georgia two weeks ago. We now know who the true title contender of the SEC East is.
The Ducks, meanwhile, may have gotten lost in the mix of all of the top 5 blowouts since their game was all the way back on Thursday. A 43-21 victory over an unranked team may not look crazy on paper, but this team continued to show how good it really is. The only reason Arizona St. was unranked is that the BCS computers are not very big fans of the PAC 12 this year. The Sun Devils were 5-1 entering this game, and ranked in the AP poll. It was expected to be a hostile environment for the Ducks, with the fans pumped up for a prime time nationally televised game. Oregon had the majority of them gone by the half when they led 43-7. Had they kept their starters in past then, the scoreline could have gotten real ugly. This has been the story the entire season, with every game ending with the Ducks' backups playing. Here's a scary stat: Oregon's starters have outscored the opponents by an average score of 42-7. The closest a team has played the Ducks' starters is 35-6! Not only does this show that the offense is explosive as usual, but that the defense is extremely good this year as well.
Kansas State just showed that their huge victory over Oklahoma was no fluke. In a close win over Iowa St. last week, the Wildcats didn't really look like a top 5 team. This week, they reminded us why they are. Although West Virginia has clearly been exposed in the past two weeks, beating a top 20 team by 41 is no small feat, especially for a team who makes a living off of close games. Collin Klein probably earned himself the top spot in the Heisman race, and holding a Geno Smith led offense to 14 points shows that K-State also has a defense that can compete at a very high level.
Notre Dame and Georgia need to step it up next week. Both teams might be in for rude awakenings if they don't. Notre Dame barely squeaked out a comeback win over a BYU team that is the definition of average. The Irish defense has shown that it is one of the best in the country, but how will the offense respond when it needs to put up more than 20 points? We will find out next week as they face Oklahoma, a team who has simply been playing angry since they lost to Kansas St.
The Bulldogs may be in some trouble next week in their rivalry game against Florida. A top 5 team just a few weeks back, Georgia has struggled mightily lately. They suffered a huge 28 point defeat at the hands of South Carolina, who Florida just dismantled. Then this week, they barely eked out a win over woeful Kentucky, a 7 loss team. Aaron Murray and the gang need to regain their stride quickly if they still hope to compete for the SEC Championship.
The Big 12 has no defense (other than K-State and Oklahoma) Okay so everyone knows this already. Just wanted to make a note of the fact that two games in this conference had over 100 points scored this week. One was in triple overtime, but 36-36 at the end of regulation still doesn't qualify as a defensive battle in my book. West Virginia, once thought to be a title contender, has not given up less than 45 points in its last four games. Texas, who was almost as highly regarded, has not given up less than 48 in its last three.
Duke is going bowling! Can anyone remember the last time this happened? I can't, because I was 1. Congrats to the Blue Devils, it's even sweeter that it was over the Tar Heels.
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