By Steven Weldon
Week "zero" was a ton of fun, but the first big weekend of the college football season was still upon us. This past weekend, we had zany finishes, surprising victories and teams crumbling under pressure. I'll take a look at some things that stuck out to me this weekend.
BRING BOISE STATE INTO THE PAC-12 CONFERENCE (YOU COWARDS)
In a game that was moved from Jacksonville back to Florida State University's Doak Walker Stadium due to the impending Hurricane Dorian, Boise State took on the Florida State Seminoles in a hot, humid swamp. The Broncos would go down big and looked dead in the swampy Florida water. However, as Seminole fans know of recent history; no lead is safe. Boise State tromped all the way back from down 31-19 at the half to win 36-31.
Thus why I urge the PAC-12 to add Boise State to the conference. Just as Utah dominated the Mountain West Conference before, Boise should be allowed a piece of the pie. They're always in the mix for a January bowl game and would likely not experience a drop-off as Colorado did. They deserve to be in a Power 5 conference.
HOW MUCH HYPE IS TOO MUCH HYPE?
Never, ever underestimate your opponent. Football Championship Subdivision teams will often find a way to shock a team that believes they are the clear favorite. It didn't happen this week, but both Northern Iowa and Portland State came quite close to knocking off Power 5 Conference teams. Northern Iowa had a better chance, forcing a 3 OT game against the Iowa State Cyclones. The Cyclones are ranked #21 and are primed for a nice season. Northern Iowa had other ideas. Alas, the Cyclones slammed the door shut on the visitors coming for a paycheck. Portland State had a shot against the mistake-ridden Arkansas Razorbacks, but they would make their own mistakes leading to a seven-point loss.
The mid-major teams also played well. In a shocking game in Reno, the Nevada Wolfpack defeated the Purdue Boilermakers on a game-winning field goal as time expired. Nevada isn't predicted to be a top team in the Mountain West, but they could be an interesting story.
Memphis faced Ole Miss in a game that should be considered a rivalry based on location, and largely kept the Runnin' Rebels at arms' length the entire game. They would knock them off in a 15-10 victory. Another mid-major team shocking an SEC team.
IF YOU COMBINE THE TWO, THEY'RE A PRETTY GOOD TEAM.
Finally, I turn my attention to the two biggest teams in Oregon.
Friday night, the Oregon State Beavers faced the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Reser Stadium. Honestly, it looked like it would be a shootout. Both teams' offenses were firing on all cylinders and making the right plays. That was just the first quarter.
The second quarter was not a good time for #BeaverNation, as the Cowboys offense torched them for 24 points, solidifying a victory that was well in hand before the final whistle.
Down in Texas, the bright lights shone down on the Oregon Ducks and Auburn Tigers, a rematch of the national championship game played in 2011. This game went all Oregon for the first half, but the Ducks offense wilted and was not consistent enough to keep Auburn on their heels. The Ducks would lose with less than 10 seconds left in the game on a passing touchdown by Bo Nix.
If you combine the Beavers' offense with the Ducks' defense, you've got a pretty good team.
OTHER NOTES:
JT Daniels, Southern California Trojans Quarterback, suffered a Torn ACL against Fresno State. He's out for the season, leading the Trojans with a lot of ambiguity about how their season will go.
After another win over BYU, Utah is looking like the class of the PAC-12. With USC's season in the balance, look for the Utes to take the PAC-12 South.
Jalen Hurts tossed six touchdowns for Oklahoma in a victory over Houston. When will the Sooners not have a talented, Heisman-potential quarterback?
Of course, Alabama smashed Duke. Wake us up if they're not leading the SEC this season.
Next week, I'll be at Autzen Stadium for Oregon-Nevada. Follow me on twitter, @Airweldon, for my college football input.
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