This week in college football the magic number for top ranked teams was 52. Both Florida State(4) and Alabama(1) won their games 52-0. Florida State beat Wake Forest and Alabama beat Arkansas. But it wasn’t smooth sailing for all teams this week.
University of Southern California vs. Stanford, 21-14
Nobody saw this coming despite the fact that Stanford has beaten USC the last four times they have met. Everyone just assumed that top ranked USC would have no problem taking home the win. A lot of people felt without Andrew Luck as their quarterback Stanford was going to have a rebuilding year. Stanford blew that notion out of the water on Saturday.
So what happened? Was USC over hyped and Stanford underrated? The answer is yes. USC has been pumped up in the national scene a little too much. Although they have won their first two games against Hawaii and Syracuse they were not easy wins. USC simply had no response to Stanford’s defense. Not only that but USC couldn’t run the ball. USC’s quarterback, Matt Barkley, had 20 out of 41 passes completed for 254 yards, two interceptions and not a single touchdown. Barkley who famously returned this year to lead the Trojans to a championship and maybe score the Heisman Trophy for himself is not looking like he going to have the year he had hoped for. USC has already fallen out of the top 10 in the polls.
Meanwhile on the Stanford side running back Stepfan Taylor just upped his value. He ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns. So I expected we will be hearing more about him.
Ohio State vs. California, 35-28
If you want to watch good football than just find an Ohio State game. Like any good movie you are never confident that the Buckeyes will prevail. The deal was sealed for Ohio State when quarterback, Braxton Miller, made a 72-yard pass to Devin Smith with 3 minutes and 26 seconds left for a touchdown. Then Christian Bryant had an interception ending California’s chances of winning. It was a frustrating game for California that missed three field goals, including two in the second half. Not only that but California also had a touchdown called back by a penalty.
Virginia Tech vs. Pittsburgh, 35-17
This is definitely the big upset of the week. Pittsburgh lost it’s first two games and entered this game as the ultimate underdog against number 13 ranked Virginia Tech. It was just sloppy football the whole way through for Virginia Tech. At one point Pittsburgh led 21-0. Virginia Tech’s quarterback, Logan Thompson, had a terrible game with three-interceptions. Thompson completed just 14 of 31 passes for 265 yards. Virginia Tech has a lot to improve on before taking on Bowling Green this week. They have no running game and lack a strong offensive strategy.
-M
Tags: Alabama, Andrew Luck, Braxton Miller, California, championship, Christian Bryant, college football, defense, Devin Smith, florida state, Heisman Trophy, highlights, Logan Thompson, losing, Matt Barkley, offense, ohio state, passes, Pittsburgh, quarterback, recievers, rundown, running game, sloppy, stanford, Stepfan Taylor, strategy, underdog, University of Southern California, upset, usc, Virginia Tech, wake forest, week 3, winning, yards
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