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