Bulletins at Halftime, Shockers and Sobering Thoughts

I remember 2007, when about two dozen top ten teams were upset in the season's first 10 weeks, including about eight in the one or two position. This is starting to feel like one of those years.

I looked it up in wikipedia:

"An unranked or lower-ranked opponent defeated a higher-ranked opponent 59 times over the course of the season. A record-setting 13 unranked teams defeated
top five teams during the regular season. The number two ranked team
lost seven times throughout the year by December 1."

Arkansas is up 17-7 on Alabama at the half. Mallett 15-22 passing for 250 yards, ran for one score and passed for another. Mark Ingram had a 54-yard run for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Tennessee needed double overtime to beat Alabama-Birmingham 32-29. Looks like the Ducks may be more unproven than we thought. UAB outgained the Vols 544 yards to 287, come from behind after trailing 23-7 at the half.

ULCA is leading number 7 Texas at halftime 13-3. Looks like the conference is even more difficult than we thought. If that score holds, it is huge.

Stanford ahead of unranked Notre Dame at the half, 13-6.

USC throttling Washington State 36-13 in the third quarter.

Temple over #23 Penn State 13-9, also at halftime. In the words of the immortal Phil Collins, I can feel it, something in the air tonight. Oh, Lord.

A reminder of how quickly a season can go bad: both Michigan Starter Denard Robinson and backup Tate Forcier left their game today with knee injuries, the Wolverines losing two quarterbacks in a 65-21 victory over Bowling Green. Their is no waiver wire in College Football, and the turf is no respecter of strength of schedule. Injuries are the dreaded wild card in any forecast or ambition or vision. Both Robinson's and Forcier's knee sprains may turn out to be minor, but the point remains. You have to get a little lucky to win a conference or finish in the top ten, and injuries are just one of the ways.

The 85-man scholarship limit and the advent of cable television changed college football forever. There are talented players on every roster. It's another reason why it is the most exciting sport in the country, with parity nation wide.

Better strap on your helmets. It's a bumpy ride to Glendale.