You really begin to figure things out after about 4 weeks of football.  What we are learning is that there seems to be a clear cut top tier of college football this year.  USC, Florida, Oklahoma and Georiga all have impressive wins over quality programs.  Georgia and Florida’s road gets a lot tougher as they have entered conference play in the SEC.  Oklahoma has to take on TCU this Saturday in Norman, and the Sooner fans recall rather well the upset the Frogs handed them in 2005.  The Frogs have won two in a row in Norman (1996 and 2005), but neither Sooner team was as good as this one.  That being said, this game is between two ranked teams as TCU debuted in the Top 25 at number 24 in the AP and 23 in the USA Today.

The Clash of Mother Nature’s Wrath

Trine vs. Defiance

This is Mike and Mike in the Morning’s pick for the small college football game of the week.  Quarterback Eric Watt passed for 265 yard and 3 touchdown passes as Trine whipped Defiance 42-14.  Trine broke open a close game in the fourth quarter with three touchdowns.

Looking Ahead

Alabama vs. Georgia
The Tide passed their first road test smoking pork on Saturday, and they get a crack at a bona fide top ten football team.  The ‘Dawgs rolled over Arizona State in prime time Saturday night, and now they are cranked up and ready for the SEC and the Eastern Division title.

Illinois vs. Penn State
Is Penn State for real?  Their offense has been off the chart scoring and gaining yards against mediocre teams.  Of course, the Illini haven’t had top level competition either.  This is a chance for one of these two teams to make a step toward filling the possible void left by Ohio State.

TCU vs. Oklahoma
As I mentioned above, the Frogs are now ranked so this makes this game a top 25 match-up.  The Frogs defense has been dominant holding teams to 183 yards per game, but the teams they have played aren’t anywhere near the caliber of the Sooners.  That being said, the Sooners haven’t seen a defense like TCU’s yet either.  And, TCU’s offense does what the coaches want it to do; they hold the ball for 37 minutes a game which is among the tops in the country.  They get smart quarterback play, they use multiple backs, they have good young receivers, and Aaron Brown has returned to the field giving the Frogs a big play threat at any time.

Sporting News has its magazine out now, and in case you haven’t heard, Street & Smith’s has partnered with them.  So, Street & Smith’s annual magazine has been merged into Sporting News’ and the magazine is issued with the Sporting News name.  You can pick one up at your local Borders.  Now for the top ten.

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. USC
4. Oklahoma
5. LSU
6. Missouri
7. Clemson
8. West Virginia
9. Florida
10. Illinois