| That's right - the Ferringo Report is back for another | | | | pulled out the wide receiver option pass. MSU was |
| fun-filled season! And this year, The Report has | | | | caught with its pants down and the Gamecocks |
| extended its diabolical reach into the realm of college | | | | managed the game's lone touchdown. That's the |
| football. Not to worry, I'll still share my reflections on the | | | | difference coaching makes.- Somehow, even though it |
| National Football League, but college will be on Monday | | | | shouldn't have surprised anyone, who wasn't utterly |
| and pro will be on Tuesday.In the meantime, here are | | | | shocked to find out the Crocodile Hunter was killed? |
| my random, nonsensical ravings about a wild Week 1 | | | | After watching him dance with King Cobras and brush |
| in the World of College Football:- The Big East would | | | | the teeth of frenzied crocs a few dozen times, I |
| have to be the conference I was most impressed with | | | | thought the guy was the real-life Beast Master. Steve |
| last weekend. Beast schools finished 7-1 straight up | | | | Irwin was supposed to be indestructible. The best a |
| and 5-0 against the spread, and notched a pair of | | | | person can hope for in life is to find something that |
| rousing victories over ACC schools (Pitt hammered | | | | they can be as passionate about as that guy was |
| Virginia; Rutgers handled North Carolina). The Mike | | | | with animals.- With all the concern about rule changes |
| Bush injury has all but eliminated Louisville from BCS | | | | and games being shortened, the effect on over/under |
| contention (I wasn't a believer anyway - not with that | | | | bettors was minimal. In the 44 games that had posted |
| defense) but it also opened the door for a powerful | | | | totals, teams went 21-23 against the number.The only |
| West Virginia team to possibly run the table and earn | | | | part of the rule change I don't like is starting the clock |
| a slot in the National Title Game.Here's a look at how | | | | after a change of possession. That's ridiculous.- Who |
| each of the six major conferences performed:ACC: | | | | looked less impressive than Michigan last weekend? |
| 6-4 straight-up, 2-5 against the spread, four games off | | | | Oh, that's right - Michigan State.- USC is a machine. |
| the board. | | | | They lost 91 percent of their total offense last season |
| Big East: 7-1 SU, 5-0 ATS, two games OTB. | | | | and rang up 50 points, on the road, in their opener. |
| Big 10: 11-0 SU, 6-2 ATS, three games OTB. | | | | Quite impressive.- Penn State and the University of |
| Big 12: 10-2 SU, 3-3 ATS, six games OTB. | | | | Georgia have both banned alcohol from parking lot |
| Pac-10: 7-3 SU, 3-5 ATS, two games OTB. | | | | tailgate parties. They want pregame to be a safer |
| SEC: 8-4 SU, 6-5 ATS, one game OTB.An interesting | | | | environment. I say if people want safe they should |
| side note is that only four of the 12 teams in the Big 12 | | | | stay home. Tailgate parties should be a staging point |
| returned their starting quarterbacks, while nine of the 11 | | | | for hedonism, vulgarity and general debauchery. That's |
| Big 10 schools brought back their signal caller. That | | | | what makes college football so fun. The word |
| may have something to do with the ATS disparity. Or | | | | "college" is involved. There should be drunkenness, |
| not.- Someone explain to me the big to-do about Cal? I | | | | nakedness and all manner of recklessness. What's this |
| don't care who you are, you don't just walk into | | | | world coming to?- Do you think it's any coincidence |
| Knoxville and kick the Volunteers around. Especially not | | | | that now that the Yankees have extended their lead |
| with a starting quarterback that was named about 15 | | | | to nine games A-Rod is suddenly unstoppable? Now |
| seconds before kickoff. Tennessee is now 12-0 | | | | with no pressure the guy morphs into Babe Ruth. But |
| straight-up and 9-3 ATS in season openers over the | | | | when the chips are down, you know he's going to fold |
| past dozen years. The Vols are going to be | | | | faster than the French army.- I was at a Jocks and Jills |
| dangerous this season as they seek retribution for the | | | | in Alpharetta, GA on Saturday and about 40 rowdy |
| Debacle of 2005.- Week 1 of the college football | | | | Oklahoma fans had reserved a room for a private |
| season has become the equivalent of NFL preseason | | | | party. Fortunately, I left before the end of the first |
| football. Twenty-nine teams played Division I-AA | | | | quarter of the OU/UAB contest. I have a feeling they |
| schools this weekend. This season there will be 74 | | | | would've burnt that place to the ground if Adrian |
| games played between the big boys and their Div. | | | | Peterson hadn't put that team on his back in the |
| I-AA little sisters. Last year there were just 45 such | | | | second half. The Sooners are severely on tilt.- Chris |
| matchups.The humorous - or distressing - part of the | | | | Spielman and Sean McDonough were calling the |
| story is that two I-AA teams actually won! Montana | | | | Michigan-Vanderbilt contest on Saturday. After about |
| State humiliated Colorado and Richmond treated Duke | | | | the 28th dropped pass in the game, Spielman told a |
| like the pansies they are.Also, what's up with counting | | | | story about how he teaches the pee wee kids that he |
| these games towards bowl eligibility? That's not the | | | | coaches to catch the ball with their hands instead of |
| case in college hoops, so what gives with football? I | | | | with their body. "I find that if you whip the ball right at |
| think all that does is give schools a reason to go out | | | | their face, they get those two hands up there," he said, |
| and put more cupcakes on their slate.- During the first | | | | getting increasingly angry as he told the tale. He |
| half of the Notre Dame-Georgia Tech game I was | | | | apologized afterwards for his "passion". Priceless.- |
| having serious flashbacks to Super Bowl XXXVI. That | | | | Take your hat off to Northwestern. They proved once |
| was the game in which Charlie Weis' New England | | | | again that football can be transcendent, and they |
| club took down an infinitely more talented St. Louis | | | | showed the college football fraternity that their fallen |
| squad in one of the Big Game's great upsets. The | | | | coach taught them well.- Kenny Irons is legit, and will |
| Rams downfall was their hubris and their soft game | | | | soon join Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown and Brandon |
| plan.You would think Weis - an alleged football genius - | | | | Jacobs as the next successful Auburn-to-NFL running |
| would know better than to come out pussy-footing | | | | back. Irons looks a bit bigger and stronger this season, |
| around against a very game Tech team. Dinky passing | | | | and he hasn't lost that burst that helped him gain 1,300 |
| and no rushing attack doomed the Irish to a 10-0 deficit. | | | | yards last season.The Tigers dominated a decent |
| It wasn't until they started grinding it out on the ground | | | | Washington State squad 40-14, but may be caught in |
| that they established control.Also, with six months to | | | | a bit of a look-ahead game this weekend. Auburn |
| design a defense to stop Yellowjackets uber-wideout | | | | travels to Starkville to face Mississippi State before |
| Calvin Johnson you would've thought Notre Dame | | | | hosting LSU in a critical SEC clash.- What happened to |
| would've done a better job. Like, say, triple-teaming | | | | the Metro-Atlantic Conference? The daddies of the |
| Johnson from the opening snap. That shouldn't have | | | | MAC have been thorns in the side of Goliath over the |
| been a halftime adjustment - that should've been the | | | | past few seasons. However, they were a putrid 3-7-1 |
| plan all along. That's a red flag.- Sylvester Croom | | | | ATS and looked downright feeble doing it.- Even if |
| should be coaching Pop Warner football. Mississippi | | | | Gary Throne had a hard time telling them apart, |
| State faced fourth-and-one at the South Carolina 45, | | | | Rutgers halfback Ray Rice (black) and fullback Brian |
| down 6-0 with about 14 minutes left in the fourth | | | | Leonard (white) may comprise the best backfield in |
| quarter. Now, I loved the call to go for it, but how about | | | | the nation. Rutgers is legit this year and I'm already |
| digging into the playbook a little bit. The Bulldogs | | | | calling that they win their bowl game.- I had heard that |
| averaged 2.4 yards per rush for the game and were | | | | LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell beefed up over |
| getting hammered at the point of attack. What'd | | | | the summer. But until I saw all 6-feet, 6-inches and 252 |
| Croom do? Just ran up the gut. No misdirection. No | | | | pounds of him sliding around the field I didn't realize just |
| ingenuity. Just a dive play. The result: minus-two yards. | | | | how big he'd gotten. He might be the best quarterback |
| If they had simply faked and sent the quarterback on | | | | in the SEC, and the Tigers will be a BCS dark horse |
| a bootleg - which they had set up by trying to run up | | | | because of him.- Reggie Ball is the Nick Anderson of |
| the middle for the entire game - they would have | | | | college football.- Give me some of whatever Tiger |
| picked up 25 yards easily.Conversely, after stopping | | | | Woods is eating these days. |
| the Bulldogs on that crucial fourth down, Steve Spurrier | | | | |