I’ll cut to the chase, there’s only one obvious choice for Game of the Week this week. Alabama at LSU is not only a matchup of two top five teams, but it’s a rematch of one of the most boring National Championship Games I can remember. But I’m not going to talk about that one. I’m sure there will be plenty of stories on your local newspaper websites as well as on all of the national ones. College Gameday will be there and ESPN will be have about a million stories about the game, the players, the coaches, etc. No, I’m going to talk about what will probably be the polar opposite of that game. Instead of a 9-6 defensive struggle we might have a 50-48 game.
Oregon and USC are both polarizing programs. USC is flashy and arrogant and has all of the advantages and their coaches are slimy. Oregon has those weird uniforms and has no defense and is all about Nike and has no substance. Those criticisms are, at best, vaguely rooted in an outdated truth and, at worst, west coast football stereotypes.
USC has a history that mirrors the Oklahomas and Texases of the world. Lots of past success with national championships and Heisman trophy winners, a rough decade or two recently and, then, a coach that has brought them back into the college football elite. Oregon was the little program that could. With no real sustained success and then a wealthy alum (Nike’s Phil Knight) helps them start getting the exposure (and, by extension the television time which leads to recruits) and has been a constant in the top 10 the past decade.
While USC has last a couple of games so far, the game still has some national importance. USC was ranked #1 early in the season and has more talent in their starting 22 than almost any other team in the country. Oregon, as always, has one of, if not the, best and most exciting offenses in the country. This year they’ve added a defense. It’s going to be a great one and I’m excited to watch it!
Other Games I’ll be Watching:
Oklahoma State at Kansas State: The Cowboys are trying to turn things around. Can they catch the WIldcats coming down off back to back emotional wins?
Texas A&M at Mississippi State: Two SEC surprises face off in Starkville. Can Johnny Football lead the Aggies to another victory?
San Diego State at Boise State: Boise State seemed to lose a hundred starters from last years team. However, they appear to be rebounding with the underclassmen very nicely. They face a stern test from the Aztecs this weekend.
* These are opinions by Dustin and not by game day cloth. This entire blog entry may or may not be the result of accusations of east coast bias.
