More Winners and Losers
STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 10: Quarterback AJ McCarron #10 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the first half at Beaver Stadium on September 10, 2011 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) Credit: Getty/Rob Carr
WINNERS –
Alabama: After an impressive 27-11 win at Penn State, Oklahoma’s hold on the top spot might not be definite, especially since the Sooners will be putting it on the line Saturday night against Florida State.
Michigan: While few believe that the Wolverines are a top 5 squad, they gained a lot of traction with a thrilling 35-31 home win over Notre Dame on Saturday night. With games against Eastern Michigan, San Diego State, Minnesota and Northwestern over the next four weeks, Michigan could be 6-0 heading into a big-time game at Michigan State on October 15.
LOSERS –
The Big East: Yes, an entire conference can be a loser. Louisville looked embarrassingly flat in its 24-17 home loss to Florida International on Friday night. Rutgers followed suit with a 24-22 loss at North Carolina. Connecticut wasn’t much better as it fell at Vanderbilt, 24-21. And Cincinnati took it on the chin at Tennessee, 45-23.
South Florida and West Virginia both picked up wins, but Louisville and Rutgers’ losses have overshadowed them. And South Florida’s uplifting season-opening over Notre Dame was doused a bit by the Fighting Irish losing at Michigan on Saturday. Syracuse is 2-0, but it needed a fourth-quarter touchdown to beat FCS program Rhode Island.
Georgia: Mark Richt’s seat has got to be hotter than a Texas BBQ grill at this point. Consecutive home losses to Boise State and South Carolina have all but knocked the Bulldogs out of BCS contention. Yes, we still consider the Boise State game a home game. It was played in Atlanta.
