What should we take away from Week 1 of the College Football Season?

Week 1 of the College Football season is almost in the books. The two remaining games are The Crab Bowl Classic (Maryland v. Navy in Baltimore) and The Clash in the Capital (#3 Boise State v. #10 Virginia Tech at Fedex Field in Landover, MD). One is a rivalry game and one pits two ranked programs against each other who have "national championship" aspirations. Save for those two games, we now have something to go by when talking about teams in the context of the 2010 season.

With Week 1 almost in the can, what can we take away?

That's a tough one. Usually, this is the week when teams play the paycheck/tune-up games (whatever your nickname is for them). This year was no different, as there were enough of these games to shake a stick at over the weekend. These games usually don't tell much since the match-ups are usually uneven.

All the same, there was an abundance of interesting things that took place.

Florida struggled against Miami (OH) - In what was supposed to be John Brantley's coronation as the new King of the Swamp, Florida looked awful. They ended up beating the Redhawks 34-12, but the score doesn't tell the story. Going into the 4th quarter, the Florida offense had a total of 26 yards. That's not a typo. There were fumbled snaps. They were 3-12 on third down. Anyone who saw the game also took notice that Miami (OH) (a non-BCS team that plays in MAC) showed up to play, physically going tit for tat with the Gators. For a paycheck game, the Gators got a run for their money (cue the rim shot). Florida has work to do if they're going to be competitive against the SEC teams.

Michigan looked sharp - I know. They won big last year, too, and still had a lousy season. But this is different. This weekend, they played UConn, a BCS team who has an honest shot to win the Big East. They pushed around the Huskies and started to show the makings of an efficient offensive football team. Denard Robinson looked like Pat White, running the offense like an expert. Michigan showed some legit promise of a strong season.

Syracuse looked like a football team - If Encyclopedia Britannica had an entry on Bad Football, there'd be footage of the Greg Robinson Era streaming from the book. On Saturday, the opening game of Season 2 of the Doug Marrone Era, Syracuse beat the Akron Zips 29-3. The Orange displayed efficient offense, swarming defense, and looked like a tougher, more physical team. The Akron Zips are not exactly the Alabama Crimson Tide, but this was a win on the road, something the program has had difficulty with in recent years. The road to respectability is paved with victories over the teams you're supposed to beat, and this was a promising sign.

Nobody cares about USC - They played Hawaii late Friday night. There was no headline about their underwhelming 49-36 win over an average-at-best Hawaii team. None of the big network analysts talked at length about their game. To editorialize a bit, I say 'good.' They aren't eligible for a bowl game. They aren't eligible to play for the "National Championship" even if they do finish undefeated. They have little bearing on how the year will end, other than to play the role of the spoiler. Why they are ranked confuses me.

Texas Tech won without Mike Leach - Tommy Tuberville walked into a tougher situation than one may think. He took over at a winning program, making it somewhat hard to get players who already know how to win to buy into his new system. According to ESPN's Holly Rowe, there was a considerable amount of backlash from the parents of the players due to Leach's actions against redshirt Sophomore Adam James. If that wasn't enough, the fan base liked Leach, and were upset over his ouster. But, the Red Raiders went out today and beat a talented and feisty SMU team. The game didn't show any evidence of insubordination or defiance on the sideline. From the looks of this win, the team seems to be on solid ground from a standpoint of organization and structure. As far as the fans go, wins will ultimately decide whether they will embrace Tuberville, so today's victory is a step in the right direction.



We'll see what Week 2 brings.