now we get to see if the russell/vinny jinx still works.

picks would be oregon state (-6.5), Illinois (+4), Georgia (-6.5), and Clemson (+3.5).

Viewers of ABC and Clemson fans both would remind you that it is Tommy, not Terry, that is the Auburn coach.

The cynic in me has long wondered if Bobby, who could be coach at FSU for as long as he lives, if not longer, occasionally didn't care that much about winning games against Tommy or longtime assistant Chuck Amato (when Red Shoes was at NCSU). Thus, playing Clemson-FSU wouldn't give Tommy this mid-season boost he needs to retain his job and thus makes it easier to fire him. Congratulations, anti-Bowden Clemson boosters on getting the game moved; your wish may come true this year!

I'm gob-smacked to see the Hawaii-Northern Colorado line surpass the SMU-Houston 1989 line, which ISTR was about 58. Alas, the game is only on Oceanic PPV, so no watch for me. At least I have the Big Ten Network and can watch tOSU beat up Youngstown.

Ohmygosh, you can actually get the Big Ten Network??

My pre-season rankings:

1. Southern Cal
2. LSU
3. Texas
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida
6. Penn State
7. West Virginia
8. Michigan
9. Louisville
10. Florida State
11. Georgia
12. Wisconsin
13. Ohio State
14. Miami
15. Nebraska
16. Virginia Tech
17. Arkansas
18. Georgia Tech
19. Tennessee
20. Oregon
21. Clemson
22. Cal
23. South Carolina
24. UCLA
25. Texas A & M

Underrated: Miami , Florida State, Penn State- three traditional powers return. Miami ’s schedule is brutal, but I’m still taking them to win ten games.

Overrated: Virginia Tech, Rutgers , Kentucky , Boston College- Virginia Tech is good, but not “National Title good�. Rutgers is just WAY overrated and will finish no higher than fourth in the Big East. Look at the bright side- a year ago an 8 – 4 record would be considered a breakout year for Rutgers .

There’s a big dropoff between #4 Oklahoma and #5 Florida.

Colt Brennan will not win the Heisman, but John David Booty will. Surprise candidate: Texas QB Colt McCoy.

First pick in the 2008 Draft: Miami DE Calais Campbell. Not just a physical freak- he has the stats.

My pre-season picks are no less dopey tban anyone else’s. :)

My pick this week: Memphis +2 1/2 over Ole Miss.

Re #3
Thanks for not pointing out my screw-up in calling Tommy the "Auburn" coach in pointing your the screw-up. Ugh.

Re #9
Er, that's Mississippi State playing LSU. Oher plays for Ole Miss. Croom's top player is, uh, maybe S Derek Pegues or DE Titus Brown (per Phil Steele).

Re #12
Don't worry, ESPN just ran the University of Mississippi promo. Opening night, indeed.

I don't care who ESPN puts on, IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON BABY

re: 14

You may think you're a step ahead, but it's only because I'm about to lap you.

Georgia Tech and California are locks this week.

A shout-out to the broadcast team covering UL-Monroe vs. Tulsa for properly calling a reverse.

re: 16

I heard that, too.

Fix the problem before you change your locale.

Wow. Shows how well-regarded Mississippi football is around the nation. Which is to say, it isn't.

#7: You're too kind. As a Memphis fan, I'm saying they have no chance, as Tommy West has all but waved a white flag for this one through the media the last 2 weeks, saying in so many words the players he has are terrible. And since Memphis was 2-10 last year, I believe him.

Tulsa-UL Monroe is much more interesting than that other game on ESPN. ULM down 11 starting the 4th but driving. I figured LSU would get a shutout win tonight and I'm sticking by that.

LSU just landed the knockout punch.

I hate to say this...as good a guy Sylvester Croom seems to be, he's not a D-1A football coach. Sorry, but give me a Switzeresque jackass that can win games over an overmatched Croom.

#18- We'll see.

The funniest thing about this weekend is the in-state rivalry CSU-CU, which no one cares about because neither team was any good last year.

It has a 10 am local starting time to accomodate national TV. How the hell am I (and many fellow students at CSU) supposed to tailgate for a 10 am game?

Pure unfairness, that's what it is.

Re: 21

Words of wisdom from Cans-
You should take the morning off. Watch the game sober. Drink in the evening.

Either that or just stay up all night and sleep after the game.

LSU landed the knockout punch after their first score of the game. They could've just kneeled on every play after that and still gotten a shutout win.

I think this'll be Croom's last season. There's only so much losing with no offense a football fan in the south can take.

Re: 8, 9

Isn't Oher playing for Ole Miss, not Miss State?

Ah, nevermind. I missed the correction on my first read-through.

D'oh! I try to avoid that, I really do.

And Utah's QB and RB are both hurt against OSU now, no idea how serious the injury to the QB is since it was just before half, the RB is off to the hospital, though. Oregon State has dropped 4 passes so far by my count, our kicker is taking up punting duties (the punter quit 3 weeks ago, and was only a sophmore so no backup) and he can't punt that well, and we don't have a sure QB to turn to. As long as we keep giving Bernard the ball to run we seem OK, but I'm really worried about the game next week at Cincy.

It's not necessarily a surprise that Teel had a big game. We were expecting Kenny Britt to be his big target though. Still probably will be, but it's good to see Tiquan's hard work in camp has paid off.

Oregon State's defense is VICIOUS. Held Utah to 18 yards rushing on 30 carries, and 178 yards passing. Held Utah to 7 despite being -2 in turnovers.

Beavers will be strong this year if they can figure out the QB and punting situation.

I'm sure Utah's RB is done for the year -- it looked like the lower half of his lower leg remained on an angle from the rest of his lower leg. Pretty gross. I wouldn't doubt there's knee damage too given the replay.

I haven't finished watching the Oregon State game, but the defense was very impressive. I know they lost their starting RB and QB, but they were held to absolutely nothing the whole game. We have a couple more games to figure out the QB situation, and maybe our star WR will be back soon and help out, but as long as we can run we might be OK.

That said, why can't we find a real punter? Can't we get some walk-on that punted in HS and wants to play college ball?

I can't wait for Cal to pummel Tennessee, followed by some idiot (I'll call him "Mark May") to state that the "SEC has taken a step down this season." Trust me, it will happen. (Or maybe it will be Lou Holtz...).

Tomorrow should be a national holiday.

In regards to the UH/Nor. Colorado, the highest spread I remember was SMU vs Houston in 1989 cant find the exact number anywhere, but I keep thinking it was in the 60's

I don't think Syracuse is going to be very good this year. Just a guess.

31: Maybe McDonough (I can only imagine the suffering he went through as a Cuse alum) and Spielman didn't pick up on it because for most of the night Syracuse didn't look like they were running ANY kind of offense, period.

I do agree about the unis though--they were high school-level amateurish. I expect better from 1A teams.

Syracuse and Mississippi State looked like the same team to me. The only difference was the opponent--Washington's not on LSU's level obviously.

32: I can't wait for Cal to pummel the Vols either, but only because as a Gator fan living in west Tennessee I love seeing the Vols get pummelled :-) Something tells me the Vols will squeak that one out though :-(

Sean Glennon's first pass for VT- intercepted. He's hit a few passes but not exactly inspiring confidence. I think 3 points might be enough against ECU, but the offense might have to be competent next week against LSU.

33: Houston was a 59-point favorite over SMU (coming off the "death penalty") in 1989. Houston covered, winning 95-21.

34, 35: Syracuse's offense looked worse than the last two years', which I didn't think was possible.

Okay, 3 points won't be enough against ECU.

For those with the Big Ten Network (DirecTV channel 220): I-AA Appalachian State 21, Michigan 14, 2nd quarter.

uh Michigan's defense is worse off then I thought.

10-7 VT after Victor Harris runs an INT back. Who needs offense, really?

Michigan's defense has picked up from where it finished last year. Appalachian State is running a shotgun spread offense and gaining 5+ yards/play.

App State 28, Michigan 14, 2:15 left in the first half.

Wow, if Michigan blows this, I don't think Lloyd Carr will keep his job long enough to leave the stadium.

Michigan throws repeated slants to move the ball to the 5, but the drive stalls out. 28-17 Appalachian State, 18 seconds left in the half.

I think Michigan pulls it out, but Appalachian State is not a bad 1-AA team, probably could win the Sun Belt right now.

and Michigan has always had trouble against the athletic QB and the spread offense...you think that would end one day.

Unsurprisingly, Lloyd Carr skips the end-of-half interview as the Michigan team leaves the field to a chorus of boos.

I'm confident Michigan will go on to win this game fairly easily. These kind of first half scares against vastly inferior opponents are pretty common anymore. I mean, I can remember plenty of top 10 teams trailing against a cupcake opponent in the first half of a game before going on to blow out their opponent.
However, they better get that defense fixed quick because they'll get slaughtered in conference play if this game is at all representative of their defensive effort.

Given how easy it is in the college game to spread everyone out and get good gains - does any team have a good secondary? I know some teams are good at getting a pass rush, but it just seems like in the same way small schools in basketball use small three-point bombers to compete with big schools that small football schools use spread offenses to beat the powerhouses.

To all those referring to 1-AA Appalachian State:
Appalachian State is no longer a 1-AA team, remember? They're part of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision and Michigan is part of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. Don't those names just roll off the tongue?

48: Agreed on the replay reversal. It seemed that only the returner's hand hit the ground before he fumbled, not any other part of his body. Fortunately, it had no significant impact on the half - Michigan ended up punting, and App State drove the field for the TD.

Is this a Big Ten crew working the game?

#49-

I think PSU will have a really good secondary, assuming Scirotto stays out of jail for rounding up a posse to beat someone down. If an offense has the speed to run a spread offense, it's nearly unstoppable. If they don't have the speed, they look like Kansas's offense.

Just as VT starts moving the ball to put the game on lockdown, Glennon gets nailed and fumbles, ECU recovers. Sigh.

50: Yeah, I know. I'll take this offseason's stupid renaming over last offseason's timekeeping "improvements," however.

Tebow can throw. Now, back to your regularly scheduled Wolverine angst.

#47: Really? Who?

I can remember a few top-10 teams who squeaked by an inferior opponent, but none who turned around and beat the crap out of them.

Have there been any flying body parts on kickoffs yet with all the extra speed five yards gets you?

43- I know I've said this before, but Michigan has been to three of the last four Rose Bowls.

Think about that...three BCS bowls in four years, and UM fans are still miserable. Les Miles, consider yourself warned.

Michigan gets an interception in App State territory to start the half, but does nothing on offense. 28-20, lots of time to go.

Re 57:
How good were the coaches before Carr? I honestly don't know but that can sure color perception.

Tiller's on the hot seat too and he's been way better than previous coaches at Purdue, but when you keep getting raising expectations and failing to meet them people will start to think you're not good enough.

Appalachian St drops a sure TD pass on 3rd and 8. 31-20, 8 minutes left in the 3rd.

Wolverine fumble, Appy ball inside the UM30. Sorry, but it has to be said... Appalachian State is HOT HOT HOT!

55:
Perhaps I overstated my case a bit. I typically consider any score that came out with one team winning by more than 14 a blow out, as such a game is well out of reach for the losing team. You're right in that they're haven't been too many true woodshed beatings following a poor first half.

I just know that during the first few weeks of the season you always see at least a couple of upset alerts at the end of the first half where a cupcake has managed to hang around and the top 10 team almost always ends up winning comfortably (i.e. the game isn't really in doubt by early in the 4th quarter).

I mean, how many times have you seen a top 10 team lose in the 1st week to a team like Western Carolina or Appalachian State? It just doesn't ever happen and usually the game isn't a nail-biter in the end.

App St's kicker doinks a 46-yard FG attempt. 31-20, 4:30 to go in the 3rd.

Sean Glennon with a nice TD pass to make it 17-7. The o-line looks worse than last year's model, which is saying something. This isn't making me feel good for LSU, unless they're following the Florida model from last year of looking like crap at times and still winning.

So is Mike Hart hurt for Michigan..I heard nicked up. If he is hurt-I will say this is going to be a 4-5 loss Michigan team.

Mike Hart may be a late first day pick at best, but he's a danged good college running back. TD, Hart, and they go for 2 down 5, but Henne fumbles the snap and nothing happens. App 31 - UM 26, 3Q :24.

I just know that during the first few weeks of the season you always see at least a couple of upset alerts at the end of the first half where a cupcake has managed to hang around and the top 10 team almost always ends up winning comfortably

Those are cases where the other team might have a 3-point lead, or be tied, etc. App. State had a 14 point lead near the end of the second quarter.

There is absolutely zero chance that this game won't be in doubt early in the fourth quarter. That might have something to do with the fact that it basically is the fourth quarter, and Michigan is still losing.

App St fumbles, Michigan drives the short field for a TD (but misses the 2 when Henne fumbles the snap). 31-26 App St, 24 seconds left in the 3rd.

It's obvious App St is getting nervous - they've reined in the offense, and are making unforced errors (the drop, the missed FG) after playing a near-perfect 1st half.

Re #65
I've only been watching for the past half hour or so, but the UM TD drive was the first time he was in the game. Hart told the BTN sideline guy he's not hurt, and he looked OK on those carries, but I'd be surprised if he was A-OK and sitting on the sidelines with UM down double digits in the second half.

This is a large part of the reason why the top-10 team always wins. The schedule cupcake starts making many errors such that the top-10 team only has to play marginally better to win.

Re 69:
ESPNews said that he was sitting because of effectiveness issues.

Absolutely awful decision by Chad Henne to throw the ball across his body as he rolled right. Pass intercepted to end what looked like the go-ahead TD drive.

Michigan won't loose... there are always early season teasers... no surprise if it ends up 45-28 or something... blow-out

He was averaging over 5 yards a carry even before the last drive of the 3rd quarter....I am not sure how effective they want him to be.

Previous comment was made at halftime and swallowed up by the comment-monster...

"Run to Win" sighting in BTN broadcoast of App-UM: Michigan 17-2 when Hart has 100+ yards (120 today).

Henne takes off on 3&14 from App42, gets 9, 4&5 coming up... and it's incomplete! App ball, up 31-26, 6:55 to go.

Michigan goes on 4th and 5 from the App State 33 with 7 minutes to go, but Henne's pass is incomplete.

I'd like to know what Henne's stats are for the game (bad), but the Big Ten Network has put up maybe 2 game-related stats so far.

Safe to say this is not going to be a blowout.

Also safe to say Michigan ain't stayin' at #5.

78:
Not that it matters one bit whether they stay at #5 or not. So long as they win this game the fact that they played poorly will have absolutely no bearing on what bowl they get into or their final rank at the end of the season, which is the only time it matters.

Re #77
18-35, 185, TD, per SI's scoreboard. Very eh.

re : 79

As a UF fan, I can tell you that winning margins do matter - negative style points in this game could haunt Michigan right down to the end of the season.

Mike Hart's Heisman hopes are still alive. 32-31 Michigan.

Apparently Mike Hart is sorta good. 32-31 Michigan.

Hart = UM's key player. 53 yard TD run, UM up 32-31 after they flub the 2-pt conversion again. Appy needs to show something offensively, which they haven't in at least a quarter plus.

81:
I doubt it. If this game were at the end of the season, it might have an impact. But Michigan will have plenty of big games to impress pollsters with from here on out and pollsters have pretty short memories. I can't think of too many times where a team has been held back in the polls because of a close win in the very first game of the season.

These things never pan out... ESPN hyperventalating over this scare... BS... early in the season teams need to survive and that's it... you don't hit a groove until Week 3... Lou Holtz should know this (volumes not up so maybe he is taking that side).

And Appy's QB Edwards throws a pass over and ahead of his WR, right to UM's Ingle. UM ball, 2&5 or so, Appy 38, 4:15 to go.

I can’t think of too many times where a team has been held back in the polls because of a close win in the very first game of the season.

Considering pollsters don't release their opinions, I'd be surprised if you did.

You're actually convoluting two problems. What you're addressing is "what if Michigan is really good, and just flubbed this game? what will the voters do there?" That's an immaterial problem, because it's remarkably unlikely.

In all likelihood, Michigan isn't a top-5 team, and this game won't be the only piece of evidence against them.

Why does the game clock run after a delay of game? Michigan got to run an extra 20 seconds or so off the clock there.

Michigan FG blocked, one more chance for App St, 1:37 to go.

Re #89
Good point-that absolutely shouldn't happen.

UM FG blocked, still up 32-31, 1:37 to go.

re : 85

You may be right. But if UM is one of a cluster of teams at the finish line, they can expect every single thing they did all year to be pored over - and the fact that this is an early season game, against an opponent they were expected to thrash... well, that could hurt if they're competing against a team (say, Louisville) that handed down the predicted annihilation. Michigan fans shouldn't find this surprising - precisely the same parsing of results happened last year. When the margins are narrow even the tiniest factor can make the difference.

App St. at the Michigan 30, 50 seconds to go.

Appy State ball, 1&G at the 5, 30 seconds left.

Make that the 5 with 30 seconds. Do you play for the FG here with no timeouts?

Well Michigan it was nice, but the season is already over...

Who said this wouldn't be a nail-biter again?

I can't believe they kicked on 1st down. Way too much time left, given the college rules.

And Appy kicks the FG without running any plays. UM has a chance, down 34-32, Appy to kick off, :26 or so to play. As a Titans fan, I can remind you this game isn't necessarily over yet.

Another 2 UM TDs wouldn't surprise me... so my score prediction is still decent...

Humiliated by the comment-monster... dang you WordPress

Vanderjagtian kickoff, Michigan returns it to the 30. 21 seconds left.

re: 100

Are you channeling Wolverinejoe? - with appropriately crisp and proper Michigan grammar and spelling, of course.

98:
I'm with you. At the very least, you've got to take a kneel-down there to eat up the clock. Terrible clock management that could very well save Michigan's season.

Henne chucks up a Brett Favre Dying Quail Special, and Manningham is down at the 19. UM last TO, FG team out, :06 left.

What Travis said in #98-kicking the FG without running a play was a TERRIBLE, JLS-worthy call.

App St. should have just tackled the receiver while the ball was in the air. Awful.

BLOCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obviously, the App. State coaches forgot that the rules were changed, and they were going to pull the ultra-cheese-should-be-shot "offsides on kickoff over and over" trick.

Unbelievable. The App. State coach just won the John L. Smith Trophy for the week.

Jeez, it should just be renamed after the guy. He just may have cost us one of the greatest early-season upsets in the history of college football.

What an ending!!! Where does this rank on the all-time upset list?

I have a feeling Lloyd Carr isn't going to have a chance to complain - oh so politely - about another team's coach jobbing UM out of a title game berth this year...

My brother-in-law is not going to be happy. Oh dear me no.

Holy fucking shit! Somebody call the Suicide Hotline for Russ.

Pat, how many of the 6 BCS computers don't take I-AA games into account? I have a feeling Michigan's rating will be way too high in those ones come the end of the season.

Re #108
Nice timing, sir, nice timing.

Re #109
Wow, I don't know. The BTN people were mentioning games like Centre College over Harvard, or Notre Dame over 47-in-a-row Oklahoma, and games like that. The game they didn't mention they should have was the 1942 Coconut Grove game, Holy Cross over #1 BC, 55-12.

#110: You actually think Carr's going to finish out the season now? I mean, really?

I'm not a fan of firing coaches with Carr's record of success, but... c'mon. Teams like Michigan just should not lose to a team like Appalachian State.

Can someone check in on Vin and Russell to make sure they're okay?

I'm wondering if there will be any second guessing of Carr's decision to go for 2 when the game was 31-26. That failed 2 point conversion (which led to another failed 2 point conversion) ultimately prevented this game from going to overtime.

116: Of course, if Michigan goes for 1, maybe App State goes for the TD instead of kicking the FG on 1st and goal from the 5.

Re #116
I think it's defensible, but I probably wouldn't have gone for it then (last minute of 3Q). It's sort of the contraposition of Bobby Bowden not going for 2 in the UM-FSU game a few years ago, up 26-14 about the same time in the game, and losing 28-27.

Most likely not to survive the night, at least in the employ of UM: the guy responsible for blocking on FGs.

108
Or not

re : 114

I have no idea. Carr strikes me as a coach who doesn't have the kind of bedrock job security that would protect him from a really awful loss... but on the other hand, he has been very successful overall (except against OSU, and until the last three games.) Presumably Michigan fans can give us a better idea of the situation - profanely and at length, I imagine.

Fire Lloyd Carr

#112: Colley definitely - I think that might be the only one. There's a good reason to exclude them, though - the connection's just not good enough between the two leagues. It's poor enough between the conferences themselves. The top IAA team could be anywhere from 50-75 in IA. You just have no idea.

To follow what I was saying in #88, though, does anyone really think that this is going to be Michigan's only loss on the year? That game didn't look like a fluke. It looked like a harbinger.

Anyone know what the line was on this game?

RE: 112.
Sagarin ranks all of division I.
Anderson & Hester, Billingsley, and Colley only rank I-A.
Massey and Wolfe ranks everything.

Holy....crap!

Biggest upset ever? A D-IAA team beats a Top-10 team on the road?

Michigan loses to a D-1AA team in the Big House. This is why college is better than the NFL.

125: Michigan was favored by somewhere between 25 and 28 points.

#126: Colley excludes IAA games. I'm not sure if the others actually exclude them, or just don't list them. On their sites, they still list the records of the teams including their IAA games (Colley doesn't).

Anderson-Hester/Billingsley don't document the math enough to know.

As a Notre Dame fan, I'd really love to take all kinds of evil joy from Michigan's loss, but considering what I'm expecting from the Irish this year (and that they had a near-fumble on the kickoff return and a fumble inside their own 40 on the first drive of the season) I can't really enjoy this.

Well, I enjoy it a little.

I found this tidbit over on ESPN's website:

"From our friends in the ESPN Research department: Since 1978 when the NCAA began classifying I-A and I-AA, no I-AA team has ever beaten a ranked I-A team in the AP Poll. Until today when Appalachian State knocked off No. 5 Michigan.

(Note: in 1981, Baylor was ranked 20th in the preseason UPI poll and lost to I-AA Lamar, but it's never happened in the AP poll.)"

Wazzu TD, up 14-7 on Wisky in Madison 10 minutes into the game.

126, 129: Billingsley includes IA vs. IAA games, but it's hard to tell how much of an impact they have. Check out Virginia Tech, New Mexico, and Duke from his Week 2 rankings last year.

#134: It's hard to figure out Billingsley at all. He gives random bonuses for random things - shutouts, for instance, and it looks like he still does give bonuses for shutting out a IAA team.

God, Billingsley's rating should be axed from the BCS.

(incidentally, Billingsley has since yoinked his link for the description of his algorithm. if anyone wants to read how you don't want to develop a statistical ranking system, look here, and try to count the number of times that he prejudges the quality of a team and/or sticks his own, unsubstantiated opinion of the quality of a team in there.)

cognet.catch22.org for IRC football chat

Cans declares this the biggest college football upset ever.

Covered in sweat here, folks. This was an intense game.

Cans doesn't get down with Michigan. Easily least favorite team.

I don't think this is the biggest upset in college football history, or at least if it is, we may not know until much later. After all, if Michigan ends up as a 6-6 team, it's possible that the Mountaineers simply exposed them as an overrated team.

Also, any time an announcer says live that something is the (any adjective) ever, I immediately change "ever" to "the last year or two." There's no question that this was a huge loss for Michigan, and that it was a marked difference from Appalachian State's last I-A games, but I think there have bigger upsets.

For one thing, Massey ranked ASU 44th at the end of last season. If Florida State had won at Michigan, people would be mildly surprised, but that's it.

For another, I don't think you get full credit for outcoaching Lloyd Carr.

139- I agree with part of what you say. In 1996, Northwestern upset Notre Dame...except it turned out that Northwestern was good.

At the same time, "Appalachian State beats Michigan" has a certain ring to it like no other game I can remember.

Demetrius Jones is doing his best to play his way out of the starting job. Free Jimmy Clausen!

Juice Williams was shaken up on a QB keeper and is in the locker room for Illinois being evaluated. Backup QB McGee has fumbled twice, including once at the goalline that was returned for a 100 [102] yard TD, and Mizzou's up 20-6 near the end of the first half.

Notre Dame, down 9-0, Georgia Tech with the ball. 3rd down, complete, not enough yards.

Practically forever after the play ends, Notre Dame #94 (or, as the referee stated "The Blue Team" hahahaha) just goes nuts on a GT player, going right at his head, right in front of a referee.

He's ejected, 15 yard penalty, and GT gets a new set of downs. Thankfully for ND, Georgia Tech's QB play has been pretty bad today too, and it takes a direct snap play to get a GT touchdown, first of the day.

Sharpley is warming up at QB for ND. Jones played himself out of the starting job after one game.

I'm sorry, but this HAS to be the biggest college football upset, at least in the last 50 years. It doesn't matter what Michigan does after this, they lost to a 1AA team. At HOME. While ranked in the top 5.

I have a friend who's a big Wolvie fan, and I'm not even going to think about e-mailing him.

Was it just me, or did Carr sound drugged up in his PC that he finally decided to give an hour after the fact after sending his star players out first?

The way Vinny and Russell feel right now is exactly the way people feel right after their favorite big conference powerhouse hoops teams just got taken out of the firsdt round of the NCAA Tournament. I never saw a football game with that kind of feel until today.

Maybe Mark May was right about how bad ND would be this season.

And by the way, great job, Charlie, in being beyond paranoid in keeping the identity of that starting QB secret. Wouldn't want anyone to know he was going to suck.

BTW I'm still buzzing from The Upset so much I'm completely incapable of paying any attention to any other games. Oh I'm watching other games mind you, I'm just in a complete hazy fog.

As was pointed out in #132, according to ESPN, this is the first time ever that a Division I-AA team has beaten a team ranked in the AP poll. Ever.

Not just ranked in the top 5. Ranked in the top 25.

While it's rare to ever use those kinds of superlatives, one can honestly say this might very well be the biggest college football upset ever.

Michigan should never schedule a cupcake game ever again, at least from the South. Pick-on cupcake from the northeast, midwest-less speed and easier to handle.

I grew up a Michigan fan so I like to see them win, but this loss is less hurtful then it would have been 6 years ago.

#148: Since 1978, that is.

re : 144

Yeah, this was a 16 taking down a 1. You always know there's the possibility... but you don't think it will actually happen.

Riley Cooper! Wooo-hoooo! Dude is fast - none of the usual white receiver euphemisms apply here.

Further update: IL fumbled the KO after Mizzou went up 20-6, and the Tigers kicked an FG to take a 23-6 halftime lead. Juice Williams is out for the game for the Illini.

#144 I got that feeling after the "Bush Push" game. Had I been alone I'm sure I would have launched the TV out a window and my TV is too big for one man to lift. Instead I concentrated on not melting down in front of my infant daughter ("Mama, why is daddy crying and punching himself in the crotch?").

This was not a 16 beating a 1. 16 seeds are almost always in the bottom half of Div I teams.

I would have put App St comfortably in the top half of Div I football teams before this game. Based on the way the game was played and the fact that App did not win on the basis of flukes or bad calls, it should be obvious that they are a good enough football team to play with Michigan. Perhaps they wouldn't win if they played again, but they could clearly be competitive with teams in the Big Ten.

#154: I think we're talking about two different feelings here. I was referring to the "holy guacamole, what a monumental upset for the ages" feeling and you were talking about the "feels like you've been kicked in the balls with a steel-toed boot" feeling. But the same sort of game produces both.

I actually like Michigan, but I had to root for Appy State in that situation. I wouldn't have had a heart or soul if I didn't.

#155: I don;t care, when something happens for literally the first time ever, it's an upset for the ages. Period.

But you're right about this not being a fluke. If anything, Appy State made more mistakes and outright tried to hand Michigan the win.

"This was not a 16 beating a 1"

It was something that has never been done before. As such, I think that if it wasn't a 16 beating a 1, it was definitely a 15 beating a 2.

#153 This is true and the fact that ND is not getting blown-out is either a testament to the ferocity of Corwin Brown's defense or the ineptitude of Chan Gailey's offense. But, and you should probably get used to hearing a variation of this, Better by 100 to Georgia Tech than by two to Appalachian State.

#160

I'm going with Brown because I, like you, must salvage some good from a debacle.

Re 157:
So, if I make a mactbone Poll and put ND at number one and they lose to GT who I have as 117 then it's the biggest upset ever?

#155: The basic question about that game is "what is this game telling us - is Michigan much worse than we think, or is Division IAA better than we think?"

In my opinion, it's the former. Mike Hart is still great, but criminally underused. Chad Henne is schizophrenic. Michigan's secondary is flat out bad. And whoever coaches special teams should be fired - the final field goal block was a high school football mistake.

Ah, but 15s do very occasionally beat 2s. There have been some perfectly competent 16s too (even in last year's uninspiring crop three of four - using Pomeroy's numbers - were just a little below 50th percentile for D-I.)

And honestly now - did anyone not related to an App St player actually predict that the Mountaineers would stay within 14?

Well, we got the stomach punch September loss out of the way quickly in Ann Arbor this year. I'm still kind of numb.

And it looks like Carr is off to another great start doing what he's notorious for - taking a team with a lofty pre-season ranking and finishing the year with a *worse* ranking. Underachiever, not so proud of it.

Maybe that's in part because bowl losses kill you in the final poll, and expectations are generally too high at Michigan. Dunno. All I know is that no one takes Top-5 talent and doesn't finish in the Top 5 with it like Lloyd Carr.

First play in the Saban era at Alabama: 48 yard TD by run by Terry Grant

last year's starting RB Darby had 0 rushing TDs the entire season.

This offense is going to be 100 times better then the Shula era.

I see now that Weiss wasn't protecting Jones from us, he was protecting us from Jones. A 30-point loss at home and I'm just grateful it wasn't worse. Whither Ty Willingham?

Re #167
Preach on, Brother Russell, preach on.

167, 170: I can't wait for Hawai'i-Northern Colorado to end at 4:30 am EDT. With the new clock rules, I'll be disappointed if Hawai'i scores fewer than 80 tonight.

Not rubbing it in, but I wonder if Michigan will be ranked tomorrow. They should not be,

Wyoming 23, Virginia 3. Al Groh is a UVA alum and deserves some consideration for giving up an NFL gig for the Hoos job, but I wouldn't blame anyone at Virginia for wondering if they could do better.

Am I only person who thinks Clausen won the starting job with those 6 passes at the end? He looked sharp. I know, i know..but what can they lose after that performance.

Iowa beat Northern Illinois 16-3 in an ugly game in Chicago. For the Hawkeyes, the running game (2 100-yard rushers) and defense looked good, the passing game (4.4 YPA) and special teams looked terrible.

#18- Memphis covers! :D

"When something happens for the first time ever" doesn't make it a big deal, necessarily. When Winthrop beat ND in the NCAA dance, it was probably the first time that a Big East team ever lost to a Big South team. Ever. That doesn't mean the game was even an upset, much less the biggest upset. Ever.

Michigan almost lost to Ball State last year. That would have been an upset, but not the biggest upset ever. App State is a better football team than Ball State. So why would this win be the biggest upset ever?

In fact, haven't we seen this routine many times before? Big, strong, over-rated Big Ten team plays smaller, quicker, faster team from the South and loses.

I swear, hot breakout team with a big-time offense starts on the road in Athens against a "rebuilding" Georgia....and just like Boise State 2 years ago, Oklahoma State is getting smacked in the mouth.

Terry Grant has his 3rd rushing TD of the night. Again Ken Darby had 0 rushing TDs all of last season.

Today's games have been very interesting. Cans took Georgia to cover the six and a half point spread. Cans is enjoying this game.

Looking forward to watching Cal and Tenn until I saw that Brent Musberger was doing the game. I'd rather listen to a game broadcast in an incomprehensible foreign language than listen to him do a game.

Cal with the big defensive TD. At least they will not be behind 35-0.

Don't look now, but halfway through the first quarter, Bowling Green's up 14-0 on Minnesota in the Metrodome.

re: 182

W.O.W. from Cans.

Press the mute button on your TV clicker and put on some music while you watch them game.

Cans is here to help you out.

#177: Don't care. Biggest upset ever and I'm sticking to that.

SEC has a chance to make a huge statement, one way or the other.

Brent Musburger apparently doesn't agree with the protesters at Cal. That's the angriest I've ever heard him.

"3 trees for each one the university cuts down...that's a great deal for treehuggers!"

re : 177

ND was, what, a sixth seed? And Winthrop was ranked at the end of the regular season, after being consistently in the 'others receiving votes' group all year...

Now, if I were making a comparison, I'd go for something like Oral Roberts beating Kansas - a shocking but not completely unforeseeable very early season upset of a highly ranked traditional power at home by a minnow with a deserved reputation.

way to screw up great field position Kansas State...

Guys, before we go too crazy saying, "no I-AA team has ever beaten a ranked I-A team," I think we should remember, as Pat pointed out in #150, that the NCAA only started making a distinction between Div. I-A and I-AA in 1978. There have been some upsets of ranked teams by schools that weren't in the same "division," so to speak, although it wasn't explicitly called I-A and I-AA. I believe the relevant distinction in previous years was whether a team was considered a major-college team or not. For instance, in 1953, Alabama was ranked #5 in the preseason AP poll, and then lost their season opener to Southern Mississippi, which was not considered a major-college team at that point, I believe.

That said, this was almost certainly the biggest upset of the last decade, and possibly the last few decades. A team that many people considered a National Championship contender beaten by a lower division team. Wow.

Auburn's offense looks terrible, Brandon Cox looks as bad as he did last season.

DeSean Jackson, with a PR TD. He eluded a couple guys, waited for the rest to be blocked, and found a lane outside. Brent Musburger with the hip Billy Cannon reference-hip for BM because Cannon was in 1959 and thus within the past half-century.

I've been impressed with how Georgia's offense has looked, though part of that may I'm sure is Oklahoma State's defense. Stafford's looked pretty good, despite missing on 3rd down on the previous drive, and Knowshown Moreno, a r-FR, looks like the answer at RB.

yeah Georgia's offense was going to be good if Stafford and Moreno stepped up. I am just surprised by how well Georgia's defense has stifled Okalhoma State's vaunted offense.

Appalachian State is HOT HOT HOT. Check out this video if you haven't seen it yet (link in name).

Heading for an Arena League result in Berkeley... and it might be a fair preview of Tennessee-Florida. That game could have a very un-SEC-like score.

Oklahoma State fails to live up to the hype....loses 35-14.

I know its Western Carolina, but Alabama has put up 510 yards...the most yards since 2002, which was a 5 Overtime game.

Thank god the Shula era is over.

I didn't see any of the first half, but K-State's been moving the ball pretty well against Auburn for the first half of the 3rd quarter. Already one TD, and they're in FG range and still driving. Meanwhile, Brandon Cox sucks. Freeman caught his ankle on the turf on a scramble, though, and is limping.

Missed on 3D after a blitz, but the FG's good, K-State up 13-6.

Doug Flutie just said that Notre Dame could very well start the season 0-8 or more likely 2-6. Notre Dame's next 7 opponents are: at Penn State, at Michigan, Michigan State, at Purdue, at UCLA, Boston College, and USC. I'd say a losing record after 8 games is highly likely and 2-6 is a strong possibility, although 0-8 is probably pushing it. Still, it'd be nice to see Notre Dame fail to make a bowl game.

Alabama had 8 rushing TDs all of last season.

They have 6 tonight.

and Auburn might be lucky, Brandon Cox looks hurt.

Looks like Cal was serious about wanting revenge for getting trashed last year. 38-21 early 3rd. I may have to take Cal seriously this season.

Saban Era begins with 52-6 win over Western Carolina. And probably the best we looked against a scrub team in a while (this is a team that had only 225 yards against a suspension-riddled Florida International team last year...)

Texas 21 Arkansas 13 F
Thanks to the Michigan game and being on PPV, we won't hear much about this. But, in the wake of a big extension for Mack Brown, that has to concern some people in Austin.

202- It's Western Carolina.

Chill :)

It looks like Erik Ainge is auditioning to be the college version of Captain Checkdown. Does Tennessee have any plays that involve throwing down the field?

Re #208
The Vols' WR corps makes the Titans' look experienced and proven.

Incomplete on 4&G, Cal takes over at the 2.

209-

I thought that was a terrible call going for it on 4th. You'll need a FG at some point. Take the points now.

It's not helping things that UT's defense looks clueless.

#196: "Wow, isn’t Cal in northern California? How can they have so much speed?"

Come on, Russell. Everybody knows that Tennessee's defenders are so fast that they bend time, allowing slow opponents to run around them. I mean, seriously, how do you think Tony Hunt got 158 yards against them last year in the Outback Bowl? Use your head, man.

Honestly, I'm surprised that Big Ten teams even bother taking the field against SEC opponents, given that the SEC won 1 entire game against the Big Ten last year, while only losing 3 games, and 2 bowl games, to Big Ten teams. And those losses? Totally luck. Complete and utter flukes.

Just ask anyone from the South, they'll tell you how ridiculously lucky the Big Ten has been over the last five years. The Big Ten went 10-9 against the SEC in that time (and 8-6 in bowl games), just by getting lucky! If not for unbelievably bad luck, the SEC would definitely have been 19-0 in those games. Isn't that fact just incredible? It's like the SEC is an entire league of its own!

Knowing how completely dominant the SEC is, I've been wondering:

Why do we even have a National Championship Game? It would be so much easier to just give it to the SEC Champion every year. That way, 2005 SEC Champion Georgia would never have had to prove its superiority to all other teams by losing 35-38 to West Virginia (who totally got lucky), and 1995 SEC Champ Florida would not have had to go through the formality of losing 62-24 to Nebraska (do I even need to tell you how lucky they got?). I really think this is the solution to the BCS vs. playoff debate. Just let the other teams play bowl games for fun, and bring the crystal football to the SEC Championship Game, where the winner can pick up the trophies without having to travel to another stadium and play a pointless game.

211- Someone is overstating their case here.

The SEC is the best conference, top to bottom. That isn't to say Vandy can beat USC.

OK?

Auburn TD. Cox definitely showing better than he was an hour ago, and K-State hasn't been as effective since Freeman was injured. Still, it's only 16-13, and K-State has a chance with 2:01 to play.

Cal also looking much better than they did an hour ago. Tennessee-Cal is starting to remind me of the Cal-VaTech Insight.com(?) Bowl a couple years ago that was 52-49.

The Cal game is good. Just a good day of college football.

Is the Hawai'i game going to be televised? Cans would like to watch it.

Hawaii game is PPV. See link in name for stream.

K-State's left tackle was a turnstile on their last drive. I feel sorry for Freeman, who didn't get any help from his O-line and wasn't able to escape nearly as well after being shaken up. I still think Auburn looks really shaky.

Cal seemed to fall apart late, especially on defense. I think their lack of a deep threat on offense will come back to haunt them-I'm thinking 7-5 is not unrealistic this year, and maybe even worse.

Minnesota came back from 21 down to go up 24-21, but BGSU tied with a FG late to send the game to OT. Minn scored, but BGSU scored a TD and then converted on the 2-pt conversion in the 1st OT to win the game, 32-31.

From my perspective, being an avid Vols hater and fan of the underdog, this was the best opening Saturday of college football I've experienced in my life.

Auburn flat-out stole one BTW. Shades of the Florida win last year. Don't let the final score fool you, KSU choked this game away.

As far as all time upsets go, I was in attendance at the 1984 Syracuse 17, #1 Nebraska 9 upset.
That was major for several reasons:
SU was a perennial doormat, and only finished 5-6 that year.
SU was punished 63-0 the year before in Lincoln.

I went to the game to see a good team play football. Came away ecstatic after seeing one of the all time greatest upsets. UM going down today? A whole order of magnitude larger...

Lou Holtz just said Appalachian State beating Michigan was not an upset. Cans thinks Holtz had a little too much to drink tonight.

I cant waits for some collegent football action... I'm looking forward to seeing Bo run over people in Auburn... That black bastard has some legs...oh... and that Barry Sanders looks like he'll be something else this year... I know, everyone tells me hes a BUST but I think hes the real thing, the next Larry Johnson I'd say... Jack Del Rio is really turning around that Louisville squad... so I'd watch out for them and Ragone... all in all we have some great colleger footballs to watch in this seasons games... Miami at Buffalo is going to be a great game between AFC rivals... Georgia at Memphis State I will most definitely be atteneding in 4 weeks... I've got my game pants ready!!! haha... anyway guys... cant wait for this season to start... I've got 40 bucks riding on the Celtics in week 6, they'll beat the Hokies I'm sure of it... allright.... I've said enough... gooooo Huskies of Tennessee!!! 84' National Champs baby!! whoo!

Cans also says Reamus had a little too much to drink. Are Reamus and Holtz the same person?

what the hell? what is wrong with this guy

21 seconds into the second quarter, and Hawai'i is halfway to that cover.

Georgia impressed me the most tonight. Cal is a close second.

I am looking forward towards Alabama-Vandy next week!!

218: Nah, Holtz is just senile. Legit senile. If he's still on ESPN warbling away in 5 years, expect to see him wearing a bib for the drool.

Reamus=Raiderjoe wannabe. Or maybe even Raiderjoe himself in disguise :-)

I'm willing to say now that the Appalachian State upset is one of the top 5 in SPORTS history. Not college football, but all of sports.

Russell-

I'd still stay away from all sharp objects for a few days. You never know when you'll see a highlight of the game, or something else will remind you of yesterday, and you'll have the urge to slit your wrists. Better safe than sorry.

Putting this upset in perspective... wouldn't it kind've be like the 2005 USC Trojans beating the 2005 Houston Texans? Or the 2006 Texas Longhorns beating the 2006 Oakland Raiders? Lots of people say it shouldn't happen, but it's bound to happen one of these times... and the underdog has a lot of talent.

I think that makes it hard to quantify on "how big of an upset" terms. If Michigan ends up with this lone loss on their season, it's probably the biggest upset. If not, than it's not as big as its being made to be. Right now it's a pretty huge upset, but my goodness the talent gap out there isn't as big as it seems.

Looking at some correlation, AppState opened last year against NC State and lost 23-10. That NC State team finished 5-11. I think it won't be easy to quantify the upset-scale until we see how good UM really is. Although it's like saying, "Is this a once in 15 years event, or once in 30 years event". It's a pretty big upset...

I think it compares to the Chamanaide (or however you spell it) over #1 Virginia in 1984 in college basketball. But unlike basketball, this loss kills Michigan's season.

I think many people, particularly in the media, have confused "biggest upset" with "most embarassing loss".

As two-time defending champion of Division 1-AA, Appalachian State may be better (or have more talent) than 40-50 schools that play Division 1-A ball. It would not surprise me if the D. 1-AA champion would be in the title mix of the Mountain West and Sun Belt conferences, and be at least mid-table in the Mid-American and WAC conferences. I would also expect the D. 1-AA champion to be competitive with the bottom-feeders of the major conferences.

Would this still be considered the "biggest upset" if Michigan lost to Duke? Or Indiana? Or Wyoming? Probably not. But the stigma of "Division 1-AA Appalachian State" likely makes this the most embarrassing loss since the creation of the different divisions.

Taking a moment to discuss OTHER teams in the Big Ten I noted the following:

--Tyler Donovan looked pretty good against WSU. It helped that his pass protection was solid but Tyler squeezed some passes in there which I have found over the years can be the difference in a "blah" starting qb and a good one. I still have doubts about his arm strength in the bad weather situations that invariably occur in the Big 10.

--Both PJ Hill and Lance Smith lost some baby fat from last year. Crisper cuts and quicker accleration to the hole were the results. Hill's numbers don't show it as the WSU d-line/linebackers were crowding things early. But once Donovan sliced them up for umpteen yards and the WSU defense had to play more honest the WI running backs hit the creases pretty well.

--Not much push from the Wisky defensive line particularly on pass plays. Very much a concern as the season goes forward. Washington St. has a veteran offense so one can understand their ability to put points on the board. But nobody from the WI line was getting into the backfield at all until the second half. Not good.

--The Wisconsin safeties played pretty well. This was the first start for both so to not have any major kaplewies is a positive.

Both U of M schools in the Big 10 lost yesterday. Minnesota lost at home to Bowling Green 32-31 giving up over 500 yards in offense. As a quick reminder, Bowling Green finished 4-8 last year in the MAC and was predicted to finish no higher than fourth in their conference. BG was up 21-0 at half, Minnesota scored 31 in the second half to take the lead but then gave up the TD and 2-pt conversion to lose. Methinks it's going to be a challenging year in Minneapolis.

Anyone know the status of Illinois QB Juice Williams? He got whacked in the head and never returned. The Illini put up a fight but lost to Missouri.

The Iowa qb looked pretty pedestrian against Northern Illinois. I know the Hawkeyes had some receivers suspended so it's likely the backups just weren't getting separation. It was hard to tell while watching so many games at once. But his accuracy surely wasn't in peak form.

For Christmas, I hope someone sends Ron English a book on how to defend a spread offense. Actually, scratch that, I hope someone gives him a job offer.

Just got to a computer finally after that App State game. We had to listen to it on the radio in the kitchen at Boone Saloon because no one gets Big 10 Football package in Boone. That, by the way sucks.

What an amazing game! All of us huddled in the kitchen going crazy, especially in that 4th quarter. If anyone, anywhere, has this game recorded, do the right thing and let us watch it here in Boone. We have an entire town desperate to see the game.

Easily the biggest upset at the point the game was played in the history of football.

Penn State (class of '98 here) was great on Saturday. They beat up FIU 59-0. Discuss.

re-235
How come you write out your email address like that?

237: To confuse bots looking for addresses to add to spam lists.

re:238

Thank you. That makes sense.

I tried to post this Saturday night, but it got munched.

The Hawaii game was on PPV. There was an internet stream available for $9.95, see link in name. At least some future games should be available at the same source; I may spring for the Charleston Southern game.

K-State's left tackle was a turnstile on their last drive. I feel sorry for Freeman, who didn't get any help from his O-line and wasn't able to escape nearly as well after being shaken up. I still think Auburn looks really shaky, and I just heard today (Monday) that Lester will be out indefinitely with the academic issues.

Tennessee seemed to fall apart late, especially on defense. I think their lack of a deep threat on offense will come back to haunt them-I'm thinking 7-5 is not unrealistic this year, and maybe even worse.

Minnesota came back from 21 down to go up 24-21, but BGSU tied it with a FG late to send the game to OT. Minn scored, but BGSU scored a TD and then converted on the 2-pt conversion in the 1st OT to win the game, 32-31. It was good to come back, but I strongly suspect it will be a long year for the Gopher faithful.

If you want to listen to Clemson-Florida State on the radio, click my name.

ok, I looked at how the games that Russell and Vinny agreed on turned out.

The R & V picks are 1-2 so far this week.

Somebody might want to tell the Florida State offensive line the game's started. They have NO running room, and Drew Weatherford is running for his life. I'm ready to give up on half of my totally insane national championship prediction of Ohio State v. Florida State, and there's still 2:18 to go in the first quarter of the first game.

I was debating whether or not to watch the entire game or go to bed and get some rest for work tomorrow. FSU's performance makes it an easy decision.

re: 15
Respect due.

Even during the blackest storm, the sun is just a cloud or two away.

RE: 244

I'd rethink that.

Ignore how terrible Drew Weatherford's stats are, as he's actually playing pretty well considering the lack of help from his wide receivers and offensive line. Nice throw for the TD, and it's now 24-18 with lots of time left. Let's see if Florida State's defense looks like Tennessee's did when the Vols needed a stand and resumes sucking. Otherwise, those calls for Willy Korn may be getting stronger soon.

FSU gets the ball back on about its own 40, still down 24-18, with :31 left. And Drew Weatherford takes a sack when he has a chance to throw the ball away. They finally spike the ball with :09 left. Weatherford scrambles, and appears to hit a WR for a completion about 20 yards downfield, but he may not have had possession. And replay doesn't show enough to overturn. And the game is ruled to be over, which is a decision that should have received more attention.

Overall, Clemson deserved to win the game thanks to FSU's overall ineptitude, particularly on the offensive line, but I was reminded of something I didn't miss about quality football: the generally mediocre quality of the officiating. From missed penalties to bad spots, the Sunday game is far better than the Saturday alternative.

final tally is 1-3 for week 1

211 - HAHAHAHA!!!!

That is SO funny!!! And SO true!!!

Anyone with half a brain knows the Big Ten is obviously far superior to the SEC. There's one thing you forgot to mention though. The reason why the SEC produces about twice as many NFL players as the Big Ten is because NFL scouts and GMs have been fooled by the "SEC Rules" media hype.

Plus, any talent disparity is more than made up for by the far superior coaching in the Big Ten. Anyone could see that by watching how well coached Michigan looked this weekend. Too bad those cowards from the SEC are scared to play tough competition like App State. They would rather play cupcakes like Cal and Oklahoma State. That's why they'd never cut it in a real conference like the Big Ten!!!

This Michigan loss proves how ridiculous the college system is.

Commentators are screaming that there is no way Michigan should have lost this game. What the hell is the point of having a sport where there are games in which the outcome is expected to such a degree that if it doesn't happen there is outrage?

It just proves that the major programs make ridiculously easy schedules, so that they don't have to play many real games a year. Then when one of the games that isn't even supposed to be a contest becomes an upset...

It makes me happy when stuff like this happens. Serves them right for playing cupcakes at home.

Finally, the SEC is superior to the Big 10.

you have to feel for Russell and Vinny. The only thing that could've saved Michigan would've been if R & V both picked Appalachian State. The trouble is, I couldn't find a line for that game because it involved a I-AA team.

It makes me happy when stuff like this happens. Serves them right for playing cupcakes at home.

Do you say exactly the same thing about a team in a cupcake conference - like say, the Big 12? "Serves you right for being in the Big 12."

I don't see the big deal with scheduling cupcakes. The BCS conferences already have a massively harder schedule than any of the non-BCS conferences simply due to the quality of their conference opponents.

I think there's a distinction to be made between being in the Big 12 conference and being a team consistently ranked in the top 10 that schedules teams like Tennessee Tech, Florida International, and Appalachian State at home.

Re #255
Yes, but what does LSU have to do with this conversation? Or Florida, for that matter. I bet Tennesseee thought they'd have an easy week after playing Florida, but they have to prepare for Arkansas State. The Indians only lost to Texas by 8, ya know? Oklahoma had a lot of flaws exposed this week-they couldn't even beat North Texas by 10 touchdowns.

The big exception? Much as it pains me to admit it, USC. The Pac-10 programs all look better because they now play a full round-robin and only have room for three non-conference games, not 4. The Trojans hosted Idaho this past weekend, but their remaining non-conference games are at Notre Dame and at Nebraska. Yes, the Irish have been "returning to glory since 1993" but they're a traditional rival and occasionally a competent team, and Lincoln is normally a pretty tough place to play.

I love the Computer Polls.

Sagarin ranks AppSt 38th overall, and Michigan 40th.
Billingsley doesn't rank I-AA (you won't hear me using PC language like "Bowl Championship Subdivision), but Michigan is 26th.
Massey doesn't care how crazy his rankings look. AppSt is tied for 38th, and Michigan is tied for 481st.