Week 1 Roundup

As promised, the college sports season is finally underway and that means that Wallyz World is back at full throttle.
Today, it's time to begin a segment that will carry on so long as College Football is in session. It's my recap of the past weeks game as well as a quick glance at some things to watch for in the week to come. Let's get it started!

WEEK #1

Hope You Were Watching: Miami @ Florida State - Should we be upset that by November it'll be a distant memory or excited that it could be a sign of things to come? Either way, it's very likely Monday night's match-up between the Canes and Seminoles will go down as one of, if not the best game of the year. Jacory Harris has all the tools to be one of the premiere signal callers come season's end and the combo of Graig Cooper/Javarris James is lethal for ACC competitors. Let's not forget how far the Seminoles have come. I see both of these squads playing on New Years Day if not later.

Well, You Didn't Miss Much: Nicholls St. @ Air Force - This wasn't just a blowout, this was an absolute destruction of the Colonels from Nicholls St. The Falcons held the visitors to just 151 net yards, forcing 5 fumbles and sacking freshman QB Jacob Witt twice. Doubt there were many fans left after Halftime: 45-0. Even more doubtful anyone stayed to see the final scoreboard: 72-0
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All-Wally Offensive Award: Robert Griffin, QB/Baylor - After quickly establishing his presence as a freshman last season, Griffin has gone "Evan Longoria" on us, displaying reason at Wake Forest that he will not suffer a sophomore-slump. Before Saturday, Baylor had not won they're opening game against a non-FBS opponent since 2005 when they defeated SMU. In fact it marks just the 4th time in the last 10 years that Baylor has opened a season 1-0. In the 24-21 win over Wake Forest, Griffin went for 136 yards through the air and another 41 on the ground with 2 TD's and 0 INT's. All that to go along with Griffin currently sitting atop the "Punting Average" category with a booming 59 yarder at Winston-Salem! What can't he do? (*Also, thumbs up to the Bear's uniforms Saturday. Sharp.)


All-Wally Defensive Award: Brandon Downs, DT/Eastern Michigan - As tempting as it was to give this award to the entire Notre Dame defense for not allowing a single point to the potent Nevada offense (seriously), I've got to keep this as an individual honor and Downs takes the cake. Before Saturday, Downs' had never had more than 29 tackles in a season. After the Eagles 27-14 loss to Army, he's already just 19 away from tying. Brandon also recorded 2 sacks on the day and added a forced fumble. Not a bad day for a 246 lb. defensive lineman.

Didn't See That Coming: Colorado State's 23-17 win @ Colorado - "10 Wins, No Excuses". Not sure I see that happening for the Buffs after this dismantling. This was all-Rams, all-the-time. I didn't want to believe that CU was as improved as many analysts detailed. I'm patting myself on the back as we speak. (*Also, sounds like things went from bad to worse for Boulder fans. Get used to Cody Hawkins for the rest of the year- like it or not.)

Even Hellen Keller Predicted That: Florida 62, Charleston Southern 3 - They almost held true to that absurd Vegas line. Need I say more?

Wally'z Failed Winner: What didn't go wrong for me this past weekend? Oregon= Wrong. Virginia Tech= Wrong. Florida State= Wrong. Georgia= Wrong.
Wally'z Success Story: Cincinnati was impressive against Rutgers as I predicted. The minor error- calling Jabu Lovelace the QB Rutgers needed to win. ( 0-2, 0 yards. 3 rushes, -2 yards )

Looking Ahead: The only place you can start is Columbus, OH - USC @ Ohio State. I forsee another Trojan taming of the Buckeyes. But how about a few other games to get excited for beginning with Thursday's meeting of Clemson and Georgia Tech. There's also the battle of the "Private Parts" - Stanford @ Wake Forest, which should be solid. Notre Dame @ Michigan has all the story lines you'll ever need, and don't sleep on Fresno State @ Wisconsin and East Carolina @ West Virginia.