SOME COLLEGE FOOTBALL THOUGHTS

-USC's victories over Ohio State and Virginia are looking less and less impressive considering how bad those programs are playing right now. Everybody wants to annoint USC as the clear #1 and they couldn't be more wrong. USC will go as far as QB Mark Sanchez takes them and this should bode well for the Trojans but I still think a SEC team like Georgia or LSU could beat them on an even playing field.

-Speaking of Georgia, you have to be more than impressed with their performance last night in Tempe. They destroyed a supposedly strong PAC-10 team in Arizona State with an offense that put up over 450 total yards on offense despite their offensive line starting a bunch of non-starters including two freshmen and a sophomore. Knowshon Moreno vaulted himself back to the top of Heisman conversation with a spectacular performance in front of a primetime national audience.

This weekend they will break out the black uniforms for Alabama in what should be another big game in Athens with the College Gameday crew showing up. If Georgia lays it on Alabama then I believe a lot of the voters will rethink their vote of USC as #1.

-Javon Ringer of Michigan State looked like the Heisman Trophy winner yesterday by pounding the ball 39 times for over 200 yards rushing on Notre Dame. Unfortunately for Ringer this will be his highest rating for the Heisman all season. The Spartans are notorious for fading big time after wins against the Irish and yesterday they managed to ride Ringer to a victory but in the process put a lot of wear and tear on their best player. Without Ringer the Spartans are just an average to bad team nationally. With that being said if the Spartans win 9 games or more this season then it will be because of Ringer and he should be a finalist for the award.

-Speaking of the Irish I can't ever remember taking a loss in stride as well as I did yesterday. As a fan I can be irrational a lot when it comes to Notre Dame football and want to blame coaches or players or officials for a loss. Yesterday I thought the Irish came out with a horrible gameplan of trying to run the ball when their strength is Jimmy Clausen's arm but they could have easily won yesterday's game without the turnovers. Turning it over twice in the red zone will almost always result in a loss (ask Phil Fulmer)and if the Irish can eliminate those mistakes then they should win the majority of their games. The future is bright with the Irish when the majority of their star players are either freshmen or sophomores. With that being said the Irish are still not close to being a top 25 team until both their offensive and defensive lines improve. This week against Purdue should be a good test to see if the coaching staff can make adjustments and capitalize on their strengths (secondary and passing game) instead of trying something that clearly isn't working (running game).

-Chase Daniel is the best quarterback in college right now. He is completing over 75% of his passes and is on pace for a 36 TD to 3 INT season. Those are Tom Brady type numbers. If you get the chance watch Mizzou because they might be the most entertaining team with future NFL stars like Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman catching bombs from Daniel.

-As much as I hate Nick Saban I have to admit he is doing a hell of a job at Alabama so far. BAMA rolled all over Arkansas and now might be the second best team in their division behind LSU. If they can beat Georgia this week then you have to consider BAMA a serious contender for a SEC Title this season. Saban has them playing discipline ball and it helps with an underrated senior QB in John Parker Wilson leading by example. I can't wait to see Julio Jones and A.J. Green battle it out for best freshman WR bragging rights in Athens this week.

-The beer of choice this weekend was Red Stripe. Hooray for beer.