Myths Busted During OU's Bye Week
A few of the myths Homerism considers busted after taking in an Sooners-free weekend of college football:
*The only thing Alabama has to fear is Alabama.
Noted 'Bama homer and national radio host Paul Finebaum informed us all last week that so long as the Crimson Tide could "stay awake," a second straight national championship trophy would be making its way back to Tuscaloosa. Pride goeth before the fall, as they say.
South Carolina beat 'Bama left, right, up, down and sideways Saturday en route to a two-touchdown victory – no fluking. Maybe Nick Saban hit the snooze?
*Denard Robinson is a Heisman lock.
Last week, I expressed my skepticism about the other-worldly numbers that Michigan's star quarterback was putting up to start the season. Watching Michigan State bottle up Robinson over the weekend, I couldn't help but feel a little vindicated. The big question now: Will Robinson even receive an invite to the ceremony?
*LSU is a fraud.
Les Miles is:
- a.) a savvy non-comformist;
- b.) the luckiest coach alive;
- c.) coach of a team that is so talented it almost can't help but win.
If you saw the footage of Miles and quarterback Jordan Jefferson arguing about what play had been called after Jefferson had just scored a touchdown on a (designed?) keeper, I'd say you have your answer.
*Utah is a fraud.
I admit it – I expected Iowa State would give the Utes fits last Saturday night in Ames. With each passing point on the way to 68, I felt increasingly dumber. By the end of the game, it was as if I had just watched a 24-hour marathon of Outsourced.
*Steve Spurrier is done.
Spurrier gradually faded into the background of the sports world after he left Florida for his disastrous tenure with the Washington Redskins in the early part of the 2000s. Sure, he popped up every now and then – taking over at South Carolina, tossing the occasional barb at a rival. However, it's almost like Spurrier was marooned on a deserted island for a decade with just a volleyball, only to be re-emerge on a Japanese freighter as the wise man of the SEC tribe.
Spurrier devised and executed a brilliant game in last weekend's upset win at. Maybe my favorite call of the game came in the fourth quarter with the Gamecocks trying to put the win on ice. The quarterback sneak on third and short out of a bunch formation was brilliant.
*Cincinnati will fall of the map without Brian Kelly.
The Bearcats suffered through some growing pains under new coach Butch Jones to start the season. A few weeks later, though, UC is humming. The return of star running back Isaiah Pead appears to have injected some life into Cincy, which came up just short in its upset bid against Oklahoma three weeks ago and pasted Miami (OH) this weekend.
In a wide open Big East race, UC may be catching fire at just the right time.
*Oregon is a clear favorite in the Pac-10.
The Ducks have played some magnificent football so far this year, so the consensus opinion that Oregon is the odds-on favorite in the Pac-10 should shock no one. If you want a sleeper, though, keep an eye on California.
The Golden Bears are strong defensively, having held Arizona and UCLA to a combined 17 points in the past two games. Running back Shane Vereen is accumulating 5.7 yards per carry on the ground, and erratic quarterback Kevin Riley appears to have settled in comfortably this year, completing 60 percent of his passes with a 9-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
The Golden Bears also have the good fortune of drawing conference heavyweights Oregon and Stanford at Berkeley this year. Even if Cal can't lock down a Pac-10 crown, it could pose a serious problem for the conference's top teams down the stretch.