AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2006 > September > 11
Monday, September 11, 2006
Buckeyes a real eye-opener
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What we learned over the weekend:
1. I was wrong about Ohio State. They are probably the best team in the country because quarterback Troy Smith has grown into a big-time passer with blazing speed. And the defense is much better than I thought. Could an SEC team beat Ohio State on a given night on a neutral site? Absolutely. But here’s the bottom line: The Buckeyes are No. 1 in both polls and if they don’t lose at Iowa on Sept. 30, I expect them to run the table and play for the BCS championship.
2. The team that would face Ohio State in Glendale, Ariz., could be determined on Nov. 25 when Notre Dame goes to USC. The only team I see in the Pac-10 with a chance to beat USC is Oregon, and that game is in the L.A. Coliseum. If Notre Dame gets by Michigan on Saturday, I expect the Irish to be unbeaten when they go to USC. How big will that game be?
3. So where does this leave the SEC, you ask? The SEC is so strong it’s just hard to see somebody going undefeated. A 12-1 SEC championship team might be able to jump over a 12-0 West Virginia, but not a 12-0 USC or Notre Dame. But if Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, or Tennessee or anybody goes 13-0 in this SEC, they deserve to be in Glendale, Ariz.
4. Florida State’s sloppy and uninspired performance against Troy could cost the Seminoles a shot at the national championship. After beating Miami, the Seminoles had the schedule set up to where they could go undefeated. But if there are more than two undefeated teams, the pollsters won’t forget last Saturday night in Tallahassee. Is that fair? Probably not but that’s the system.
5. The national media still isn’t giving Georgia Tech enough credit for their performance in a 14-10 loss to Notre Dame. All the stories of Notre Dame’s 41-14 win over Penn State talked about how bad the Irish offense played in Atlanta. Notre Dame scored 14 points because Jon Tenuta and the Tech defense thoroughly confused quarterback Brady Quinn and coach Charlie Weis.
