The Ultimate College Football Report: Surprises & Dissapointments

There have been some pleasant surprises this season, most notably the undefeated runs of T.C.U. and Cincinnati, the exciting passing game of the Houston Cougars and the best start to a season by the Pitt Panthers since the Dan Marino days.

But perhaps the most amazing college football story resides in Philadelphia, PA where the Temple Owls...yes you heard correctly, the Temple Owls are riding a eight game winning streak and have a legit shot at winning the MAC Conference Championship. The Owls have been led by exciting freshman running back Bernard Pierce, a nearby product of the Philadelphia prep circles, rushing for 1,349 yards and 15 TD's (with two more possible games remaining). Head Coach and former Penn St. Tight End, Al Golden has done wonders with a program that hasn't played in a Bowl game since the 1979 Garden State Bowl game against California which they won 28-17. As of this writing, it looks like Temple will match up with Central Michigan in the MAC Championship Game.

Now for some dissapointments. There are many so lets have at it. Lets take my "Overated University" first, the USC Trojans. With consensus TOP 5 Talent, the Trojans have completely fallen apart, especially on defense, Petey's side of the ball. Giving up 140 points combined to Oregon St., Oregon and Stanford does not bode well for the Men of Troy. How about those good ole' Georgia Bulldogs, a pre-season top 12 pick, playing incredibly inconsistent football and with a record of 6-4. Now, at some places 6 wins and bowl eligibility is a positive, not at Georgia ! They are used to competing for the SEC Championship and having 9-10 or 11 wins per season. The Sooners....even with Bradford in parts of games they lost their opener to Brigham Young and also to Texas. Currently Oklahoma sits at 6-4 and a mid level bowl invite should be in the offering (maybe they can play Georgia ?). How about Notre Lame ? With all this talent, all Charlie can manage is 6-4 ? He has NEVER beaten a Top 10 team and is 1-16 against teams ranked ? I think even Gerry Faust did better than that ! I know Bob Davie and Ty Willingham did the same and they got canned ! I can hear the whispers....Urban Meyer (he has always said it's his "dream" job). How about Ole' Miss ? Even though they are 7-3, they were supposed to be a potential BCS team. With the way Jevan Snead has played, it's amazing they have 7 wins !