Last Saturday, after enjoying Missouri’s victory from the press box, I rushed home to check in on the weekend’s countless other week one college football games. As my TV and laptop screens served as the game’s revolving doors on Saturday, Sunday and even into Monday, I couldn’t help but devise a theme for it all:
College football feels… new.
Every new season injects some fresh blood into the sport’s rooted veins, but the 2011 edition of College Football Kickoff took that adage and soared. This weekend may have been just the start of a long fall of helmet-smashing, but it felt like the birth of a new age – and no, I’m not talking super-conferences (yet).
For the first time in what has to be forever, the AP Preseason Poll was absent of Texas, Florida, USC, Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State in its top 15 spots. Their vacancies were instead filled by newcomers Stanford, South Carolina and Oklahoma State.
Nebraska’s 40-7 thumping of Chattanooga furthered hype that it could be a real contender this season – in the _Big Ten_. The talk following Boise State’s 35-21 victory over Georgia was that its last remaining obstacle in a BCS return was a _regular season conference game_ with TCU.
Meanwhile, teams like Oklahoma and Florida State took to their respective conference title quests wondering if 2011 might be their last. With rumors of conference expansion filing in quicker than Virginia Tech. was scoring touchdowns (talk about something new), many schools took to opening weekend in metaphorical search of new homes.
“New home” was a weekend subplot strung together by some of the game’s familiar faces, clad comfortably in their new school colors. The Texas sideline for once did not feature the fiery antics of Will Muschamp. That’s because he took his jumping game near South Beach to Florida, where, for the first time since Steve Spurrier made his weekly stroll, the Gators did not feature a variation of the spread offense.
That’s because one of the game’s recent masters of the scheme, former Florida coach Urban Meyer, was busy in Columbus, Ohio, commentating on how Ohio State was faring without former coach Jim Tressel. That was when the Buckeyes were busy throwing to… wait for it… _tight ends_ in their 42-0 victory over Akron. (And no, it wasn’t Terrelle Pryor throwing those bullets. He’s gone, too.)
Russell Wilson was also absent from his usual team, NC State, because he was busy leading his new team, Wisconsin, to a fine show of scoring through the air (there’s some change for ya). Wilson has the Badgers primed for a return to the Rose Bowl, where they hope to avenge an upset loss to TCU, who had 50 points dumped on its defense in a _regular season loss_ (yes, TCU).
Even Joe Paterno was absent from his post on the Penn State sidelines — but only because he was coaching from the press box. I guess that’s one face that will never leave the game.
The slightly familiar face of Randy Edsall could be found on _Maryland_’s sideline during a Monday (yes, Monday) night victory over Miami. You may have spotted him in last January’s Fiesta Bowl, then donning UConn blue. He’s made a bigger name for himself already as Maryland pulled off the defeat of two Hurricanes in one week.
Speaking of weather, Mother Nature made her unforeseen week one appearance, and not just on the East Coast. As lightning shows incurred lengthy delays for three televised games, rain became a more common motif for the weekend than bizarre, new helmets. (In that regard, Georgia showed up to its slosh-fest dressed for success. Maryland… not so much.)
But, not to worry, some traditions never left the great game. Oklahoma is still throwing the ball all over the field. Navy, of course, is not. The skill players on Oregon’s offense and LSU’s defense remain blurs, even with ABC’s cutting-edge camera lenses. And yes, Notre Dame is overrated once again.
With the unconventional rolling out its bag of tricks in week one, I’m already more than amped for what may come from the second week of non-conference blowouts.
