College Recap - College Football News

College Recap
By Tom Hamson
Posted: 3:30 am PDT 2006-09-08

Tennessee, Florida State and myself should call it a season. It doesn't get any better than Week 1.

Tennessee gave head coach Phillip Fulmer some job security with a 35-14 whupping of No. 9 California. Florida State ran its streak to two over arch-nemesis Miami with an ugly and wet 13-10 victory in the Orange Bowl. And in my debut, I went 13-5 against the spread picking Top 25 games.

SURPRISE OF THE WEEK: Tennessee throttled California. This game should have been closer. The key: the return of offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe. Quarterback Erik Ainge enjoyed a opening week, throwing for 291 yards and four touchdowns. Last season, in Tennessee's first losing and bowl-less season; Ainge only threw five touchdown passes all season.

In jumping out to a five-touchdown lead, the Vols were able to control the game and California running back Marshawn Lynch. The standout junior only got 12 carries for 74 years. Tennessee's next test: A showdown with the Florida Gators at home in two weeks. This is when we'll find out if Fulmer and Cutcliffe have pumped new life into the program.

NEARLY AN UPSET: Georgia Tech nearly pulled off the upset against Notre Dame on Saturday night. I nearly called it, picking the Yellow Jackets straight up. At least they covered the WagerWeb.com 6 1/2-point spread. If not for a reprieve on a questionable helmet-on-helmet call, Notre Dame's season would have been tainted. But with that said, look for the luck of the Irish, an early week 8-point favorite, to continue against Penn State this Saturday

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK: The much-hyped Florida State/Miami matchup.

As someone who sat through the rain, these two failed to look worthy of ever being in the top 10.

Hurricane fans complained that it started raining every time Miami got the ball on offense in the second half. It was an uncanny coincidence. I say that's God's message that Miami should have fired Larry Coker after last season. What was Coker thinking about, waiting until the fourth quarter to use a freshman running back in Javarris James (the younger cousin of Edgerrin James)? With Edgerrin on the sideline, Javarris nearly had an inauspicious beginning to a career when he fumbled a snap on a draw play on the 5-yard line.

Starting running back Charlie Jones, who scored Miami's only touchdown, was on the sideline with leg cramps. Maybe Coker should have given him a breather in the second quarter. Here's a disturbing stat for Cane fans: Miami has failed to score in the second half of its past four losses.

As for Florida State, QB Drew Weatherford did show more maturity than a year ago. And on defense, Buster Davis looks like the reincarnation of Derrick Brooks. The Seminoles, with a soft road schedule the rest of the way; appear set to battle for a national championship. Don't buy into the hype. FSU will lose to someone it is supposed to beat.

RELOADED: So much for this being a rebuilding year for USC? Trojan quarterback John David Booty stepped up and showed he might be the next Matt Leinart or Carson Palmer. Booty went 24-for-35 with three touchdowns as USC throttled Arkansas. USC used a running back by committee to replace Reggie Bush and LenDale White. But here's the key to them keeping a stranglehold on the Pac-10 title: Defense.

The Trojans created five turnovers and gave Booty and the offense great field position all night. The Trojans did get some bad news on Tuesday when they announced that starting safety Josh Pinkard will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

As an interesting twist, Arkansas will go with highly recruited freshman Mitch Mustain against Utah State. The Razorbacks are a 28 1/2-point favorite at WagerWeb.com.

BUSH BREAK: Louisville running back Michael Bush looked like a legitimate Heisman candidate with three TDs and a 128 yards rushing against the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday night. Then the senior got the worst break of his life: His right leg in two places. Ouch. It hurt just watching the replay.

This might appear a major blow to the No. 13 Cardinals. Louisville QB called Bush "irreplaceable." But with Brohm's strong arm, the Cards shouldn't be too concerned about the offense. Plus George Stripling looked solid in Bush's absence.

TEXAS SHOOTOUT: This weekend's Ohio State at Texas matchup is billed as the top game of the year. So the last thing the Longhorns needed against an explosive Buckeye offense was to have starting cornerback Tarell Brown arrested for misdemeanor drug and weapon charges.

Texas is currently a 2 1/2 favorite at WagerWeb.com

But with Ohio State rolling up 498 yards of total offense against Northern Illinois in the season opener, the Longhorns' D could be in for a long night.

GOING UNDER: Did anyone notice that scores were a bit lower than normal? A new rule where the clock only temporarily stops after a first down is to blame. Be careful because over/under lines might appear attractively low.

STRONG START: Personally, it doesn't get any better than going 13-5 in picking Top 25 games for WagerWeb and Inspin.com. I also went 1-0 in my lock of the week, Auburn over Washington State. In picking winners straight up, I went 20-2. Check back on Friday for this week's picks.

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