If you missed Illinois-Missouri then, to steal a line, shame on you for six weeks. This game matched up two exceptional quarterbacks in Juice Williams and Chase Daniels who combined for 774 passing yards. Now don’t get me wrong, the defenses were a little suspect but Illinois showed that they can make some noise in the Big Ten this year Congratulations to both teams for scheduling what looked like a New Year’s Day matchup.

VA Tech and Pittsburgh turned in two horrific offensive displays. We pretty much know what happened at Heinz Field (was that Ron Erhardt coaching the offense?) but something just as bad happened in Charlotte. In front of a predominantly maroon and orange crowd, VA Tech’s offense could not capitalize on numerous chances their defense gave them. It took a defensive score to get them on the board after twice failing to score in the red zone. In the end, ECU turned the tables on BeamerBall by blocking a punt for a touchdown to seal the deal.
Tommy Bowden could be on the hot seat after his then-ninth ranked Clemson Tigers got manhandled by a young Alabama team. Knowing Clemson fans pretty well, this is not a loss they are going to forget. Clemson was never in this game and you can look at the 114-1 total yardage difference midway through the first half. This loss capped a forgettable day for the ACC: UVA was embarrassed in front of their home crowd 52-7 by USC, aforementioned VA Tech and Maryland holding on to beat Delaware, 14-7.
The LSU-Appalachian St. game was moved up a few hours in advance of Hurricane Gustav. It didn’t matter what time this game was played. LSU is not Michigan and both of those teams proved it on Saturday. LSU was in no mood to get upset and they showed it by rushing the ball 40 times for 266 yards (6.7 yards per). On the other side, Michigan continued their new tradition of losing to a lesser program in their home opener. Coach Rich Rodriguez could be in for a long year in Ann Arbor if he can’t find a quarterback to run his offense. His two quarterbacks were a combined 19 of 38 for 167 yards. Michigan was outplayed but got back in it when they scored after blocking a punt and recovering a Utah fumble. Nevertheless a failed two-point conversion was the difference in the game. I don’t think Michigan will have to worry about going for two to tie when they meet Ohio State, Penn State or Illinois.