Week 3 College Wrap

Before I get to the 12 games I listed, I should mention the 37-9 demolition job the Midshipmen did to the Stanford Cardinal late Saturday Night. The Middies have built a very successful program of late, perennially winning the Commander-in-Chief Trophy and regularly making Bowl game appearances. Could this be the year they finally topple Notre Dame?

Onto the games I listed Thursday...

Wake Forest 24, Connecticut 13 - Don't look now, but the Demon Deacons are 3-0. Wake Forest may not be a powerhouse, but they aren't the perennial push-over they were a few seasons ago. As for UConn, there was a time not too long ago when the Huskies were being billed as annual challengers for the Big East title. It certainly has not worked out that way; Connecticut doesn't have a bad team, but they aren't championship-caliber, either.

Iowa 27, Iowa State 17 - It looked like more of the same as the Cyclones jumped out to a 14-3 lead, but Iowa dominated the second half and ended up winning by 10. The Hawkeyes can now look forward to a Big 10 schedule that could vault them into National Championship consideration. The Cyclones can look forward to trying to squeek out 6 wins and a bowl appearance.

Texas Christian 12, Texas Tech 3 - The Big 12 looks miserable this season, which should mean a school like Texas Tech could sneak out a few upsets and maybe establish themselves in the conference. No way even that will happen if they lose games like this. As for TCU, this is a big win for them, but they will never be an elite program in that conference.

West Virginia 45, Maryland 24 - The Mountaineers looked like a legit top 5 team Thursday Night (the game wasn't even as close as the score indicated). As for Maryland, it's looking more and more like Ralph Friedgen's early success had mostly to do with the recruiting prowess of Ron Venderlinen.

Southern California 28, Nebraska 10 - Remember when Nebraska fired Frank Solich after his Huskers "only" went 9-2? I think they'd kill to have him back right now. USC continues to keep right on rolling. They could easily find themselves in the BCS title game again.

Michigan State 38, Pittsburgh 23 - The Big 10 is looking pretty good right about now. With Michigan State, Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio State undefeated and looking tough, the appears to be the second-best conference in college football. Pittsburgh does not appear to be a team capable of competing with WVU and Louisville.

Oregon 34, Oklahoma 33 - Maybe the ball hadn't quite gone 10 yards, but Oklahoma, blowing a 13 point lead with less than 4 minutes on the clock, had more to do with them losing this game than the officials did. That being said, Oklahoma looks like they have a better chance to challenge Texas than Oregon appears to have at challenging Southern Cal.

Louisville 31, Miami (FL) 7 - Louisville owned the Canes, but they're losing important players at a pretty high clip. They have an easy run over the next few weeks, but they need Brohm to be healthy for WVU on 11/2. The Hurricanes appear to be in free fall; Coker will be lucky to last the season.

Clemson 27, Florida State 20 - The Hurricanes aren't the only ACC Florida school in serious trouble. Clemson's win opened up the door that looked closed after they got beat by BC. But whoever wins this division is going to get killed by Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game.

Michigan 47, Notre Dame 21 - The statement of the week was made by Michigan, who crushed the Golden Domers at their own place. Were the Irish that overrated or are the Wolverines a National Title contender? With the game that lopsided, the answer could be both.

Florida 21, Tennessee 20 - The Two SEC tilts were classics. By going into Rocky Top and beating a tough Volunteer team, the Gators showed the heart to win the SEC East. But do they have the talent to win at the Cocktail Party?

Auburn 7, Louisiana State 3 - Both these defenses proved a lot this game. Auburn is now the team to beat in the SEC, but LSU looks capable of running the rest of their schedule, too.