What We Learned...Week One

Well, folks, week one is in the bag. One week closer to the 2008 offseason. Texas is 1-0, and to be completely forthright, we wrote this sentence on Thursday (although in retrospect, we kinda wish we hadn't). The lessons from this week:

• If this is an indication of the rest of the season, it's going to be a great 4 months! If you needed to be reminded why college football is the best sports season of all, you got it this week. Michigan's season is over; it is now playing for moral victories (AKA the "Big Ten Championship"). We were shaking following the end of a random game between two teams we don't regularly follow. You don't usually get that feeling watching the last two minutes of a Redskins vs. Jets game.


• Michigan will not win a title this season (duh), but we really like Mike Hart and could see him winning the Heisman. Stat of the week: Michigan is now 0-1 all time versus I-AA teams.


• Sorry to focus on Michigan, but (thankfully) it is the big story of the week. Their fans have been taking it all like champs. We hope we take it as well should we drop the opener to TBA in 2009.


• Va Tech's offense is very likely to get stomped by LSU's defense. We suspect LSU's offense was simply rolling with a vanilla game plan not to give Frank Bemer anything to look at. If that's not the case we could be looking at a 10-7 football game next Saturday. If it is the case, things could get ugly for the Hokies.


• Oklahoma's Sam Bradford looked like Colt McCoy out there. Playing that well in his first game is impressive no matter who the competition is.


• Our pledge (mostly to ourselves) for this football season: We're just going to enjoy it. Texas may win a title (OSU pretty much looked like this for an entire season) or they may finish third in the Big XII (hopefully no worse). We won't attempt to give detailed game analysis as BON has that angle more than covered. Let's just enjoy football season and hope for the best.

Our Texas lessons:

• Jamaal Charles is special. Poor scheming and blocking makes us even more appreciative of a great effort against Arkie St.


• Games that we can't get on TV and are forced to follow via only radio don't turn out well. The last time that happened? KSU last season. Hopefully the Horns will be readily available on TV the rest of the season.


• This team is much different than the one that got burned at the end of last season. You don't see a confused secondary, an offense incapable of establishing any consistent rhythm, poor red zone offense, non-existent linebacker play, etc. Wait a second...


• During the 2005 Rose Bowl one of our buddies decried Mack Brown for the positive attitude he portrayed toward VY after throwing a terrible interception, suggesting he should get mad at Vince, even scold him on the field. Even if Texas has a 6-6 season this year, we will not be that fan calling for Mack to publicly throw a college athlete under the bus in order to light a fire. That's not what got Mack here and he's a better coach for it.


• The TCU game is essential right now. A victory sets everything straight in our world, and a loss...would suck.