Best conference in the land? Not as easy as S-E-C, especially in the east

(9/30) This is Norman Arey wishing you a more productive day than Georgia and Florida had.

The scary thing about the new polls is that Brigham Young is ranked No. 7 in the AP and No. 8 in the other. Assuming everyone ahead of them gets knocked off (hey, after this week, anything is possible), might we see the Cougars in the mythical national championship game?

This & That: OK, enough already. SI.Com’s Stewart Mandel suggests let’s forget about all the white-outs and black-outs and orange-outs (yes, Oregon State did it). Let the fans dress as they choose and go back to the school colors. . . Is Urban Meyer showing that he’s human after all? The mighty Gators of Florida are only 6-4 in their last 10 Southeastern Conference games. . . And why does TV try to name every week of the college season? Last weekend was Tailgate week, for instance. . . The new college clock rules are working. The average SEC game this year is 3:11, down 12 minutes from last season.

Wasn’t it just last week that the SEC was crowing about being the best conference in the land? Now it’s the Big 12's turn. With Oklahoma in the top slot, the league also has three teams in the top five, four teams in the top seven and six teams in the top 25.

With Duke coming to Atlanta to play Georgia Tech Saturday, it’s worth noting that Blue Devil head coach David Cutcliffe has already left this mark. Cutcliffe, who coached Peyton Manning at Tennessee and Eli Manning at Ole Miss, has Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis leading the ACC in yards passing per game (238) with five touchdowns and no interceptions.

Perhaps the West is best? The SEC West had three head-to-head match ups with teams from the East last weekend and won them all as Alabama bested Georgia, Auburn edged Tennessee and Ole Miss stopped Florida.

Washington State has set a record. The team’s 66-3 and 63-14 losses in their last two games sets a record of futility in the history of the Pac-10, whose origins date back to 1916.

Man, I’m glad I didn’t write this: From the Palm Beach Post comes this: "Clemson is stuck with Tommy Bowden after giving him a six-year extension in December just because Arkansas made a phone call. But remember, this is Clemson, not exactly a bastion of integrity and a university with enough boosters used to paying off people, most illegally, so that a few million to break a contract should be no problem." Wow! Have your lawyer people get in touch with my lawyer.

The undefeated: Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Connecticut, S. Florida

Check this week's polls: AP  USA Today

(9/29) I'm scratching my head and asking "what?"As in "What the Heck."

Unranked Oregon State dominated No.1 Southern California, leading by as many as 21 points in its 27-21 defeat of the Trojans.

Alabama, rated no better than eighth, crushed No. 3 Georgia, between the hedges, no less. The Tide was up 31-0 before it took a little snooze between roughly 9:30-10:30 p.m. Still, winning 41-30 impressed a lot of folks. Pre-game speculation was for a low-scoring game. Ha!

Florida, ranked No. 4, found out that Ole Miss has one of the better quarterbacks anywhere in Jevan Snead as the Rebels out-fought the Gators in the Swamp and won, 31-30. So what if the margin of victory was slim, it shouldn’t have happened, period.

No. 9 Wisconsin led Michigan 19-0 at halftime only to let the Wolverines come back for a 27-25 win. If there’s a worse conference than the Big 10, it’s the Pac-10.

Wake Forest inexplicably lost to the Naval Academy, 24-17 as the usually sure-handed No. 16 Deacons committed six turnovers -- two fumbles and four interceptions.

To close out the Top 25, No. 20 Clemson lost to Maryland, No. 22 Illinois lost to Penn State, No. 23 East Carolina dropped one to Houston and No. 24 TCU lost to Oklahoma.

Some of the other oddities of the weekend: Miami (hey’s where’s the swagger?) lost to a North Carolina team that was operating with its backup-backup quarterback; Nebraska’s Bo Pelini had no answer for Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer in a loss; Florida State looked like the Seminoles of old, at least for a day, in taking down Colorado, 39-21; Duke won its first ACC game since Nixon with a 31-3 pasting of Virginia; South Florida pummeled N.C. State, 41-10.

And Auburn beat Tennessee, 14-12. Really, is there anyone out there who thinks Auburn deserves its No. 15 ranking? So much for the Tigers’ spread offense. It’s being spread all over the field by opponents’ defenses.

And just to mention a few undefeated teams after five weeks - Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Connecticut and South Florida.

In summary, and that’s all I know to do after watching the carnage over the weekend -- four of the Top 10 teams lost and nine of the Top 25. Nos. 1, 3, 4, and 9 went down. Which means we’re going to have a heck of a shakeup all over the board in the polls.

Yes, Georgia’s dream is lost as is Florida’s. Southern Cal still has the Rose Bowl and Oklahoma, or could it be Alabama, should look forward to defending the top spot in the new polls. What a weekend.

Is it high Tide for Georgia or the blackest night for Alabama?

(9/26) This is Norman’s No-Nos where I pick the losers in college football games. Last week, I was 9-6, 45-15 for the season. Go ahead, find someone better.

ALABAMA at GEORGIA - This is Armageddon, the last stand, OK Corral and Little Big Horn rolled into one. Well, maybe not. Neither of these two are really proven. Alabama’s defense dampens the Bulldogs’ dreams. I THINK NOT. Close, but Tide rolled, 17-14.

TENNESSEE at AUBURN - Man, this is one huge game for each team. Vols were awful vs. Florida. Tigers let me get away against LSU. This sets the course for rest of the year for both. Orange escapes with close one. NO-NO. Orange squeezed, 24-18.

MARYLAND at CLEMSON - Word is that Terps’ Ralph Friedgen can’t recruit. Word is that Tigers’ Tommy Bowden can’t coach. So it’s coaching vs. recruiting. Coaching wins game. NO-NO. Players win games. Terrapins are slow out of the gate, lose race, 24-21.

SOUTH FLORIDA at N.C. STATE - The Bulls are strutting after their win over Kansas. The Wolfpack has peaked after upsetting East Carolina. State coach Tom O’Brien can bring ‘em together for one more hurrah. NO WAY. ‘Pack packs it in, loses 35-10.

FLORIDA STATE vs. COLORADO - What to think about the Seminoles? Hard to believe they just can’t get it back. Buff quarterback Cody Hawkins is pretty good. Colorado adds to the misery. NOT TODAY. ‘Noles win one for their old coach, Buffaloes buffaloed, 24-12.

VIRGINIA TECH at NEBRASKA - Hokies are a different team than the one which lost to East Carolina. Nebraska is a different team than the bumbling bunch last year before Bo Pelini took over. I see the ‘Huskers as superior. NO-NO. ACC! ACC! ACC! Pelini plunked, 17-9.

NORTH CAROLINA at MIAMI - Carolina’s Butch Davis goes back home. Miami’s Randy Shannon is home. That’s enough for a Hurricane victory. NO-NO. Tar Heels surprise. NAW. JUST TEASING. ‘Heels lose without their starting quarterback, 21-7.

Others losers

-Navy to Wake Forest

-Syracuse to Pitt

-Mississippi State to LSU

-Houston to East Carolina

-Virginia to Duke

-Ole Miss to Florida

-Notre Dame to Purdue

-and UCLA to Fresno State.

Recruiting, like everything else in college football, is totally out of control

(9/25) The Chronicle of Higher Education points out that college recruiting has truly turned into big business. Twenty-one Division I schools spent more than $1 million recruiting last season with Tennessee leading the way with $2 million. Other top spenders included Notre Dame ($1.8 million), Florida ($1.5 million), Auburn ($1.4 million) and Kansas State ($1.3 million).

Nine of the 12 schools in the ACC already have gone to their backup quarterbacks for meaningful snaps thus far, according to the Greensboro News-Record. Only Clemson, Wake Forest and Duke have stood by their men.

Here & There: Florida is the only team in the country with zero turnovers in the young season. . . Steve Spurrier says he’s sick of watching his South Carolina team play and has thrown open all 11 positions on the offense for grabs. . . Southern Cal quarterback Garrett Green moved ahead of former Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain as starter Mark Sanchez’s backup.

It seems there are lot of folks out there ready to see Florida State’s Bobby Bowden retire. Especially after the Seminoles were beaten for the third straight time by Wake Forest. The thing is, there’s no disgrace in losing to the Deacons. They’ve won at better places than Tallahassee. Wake is a big time program now. Cool it, Florida State. . . FSU’s game against Colorado this weekend in Jacksonville could be played in front of 45,000 empty seats. The Gator Bowl is praying for a strong walk-up crowd.

Long, long story in the Orlando Sentinel about former Georgia Tech and now Central Florida coach George O’Leary. The newspaper interviewed more than 30 former players asking how tough it was to play for the Irishman. O’Leary came under scrutiny when one of his UCF players died last spring during workouts.

How come I’m not surprised that Florida head coach Urban Meyer hates the new college football clock changes and Florida State’s Bobby Bowden likes them. Business as usual.

And finally the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, excuse me, Rays, don’t have anyone lined up to throw out the first pitch for their first Major League Baseball playoff game. Their first wish is to persuade General David Petraeus to do the honor and their second choice is basketball announcer Dick Vitale.

Coming Friday: Norman’s No-Nos.

Bring back Jeff Bowden? If you think FSU has QB issues, check most of the SEC

(9/24) We haven’t heard much about Matt Schaub since the Falcons traded him to the Texans and the former Virginia star entered the black hole that passes for pro football in that Texas city. Schaub has thrown five interceptions in his last two games and only one TD, and may lose his job.

The West Virginia powers-that-be must be wondering exactly what they were thinking when they hired assistant coach Bill Stewart as their head coach. . . Also, as Sporting News Today asks, show me the difference between FSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher’s results compared to those of former OC Jeff Bowden? Seems like both get horrid return with good talent.

Here & There: Black day in North Carolina for quarterbacks. N.C. State’s Russell Wilson, who was chosen ACC offensive back of the week, is out indefinitely and North Carolina’s T.J. Yates is out for six weeks. . . Former Texas and Atlanta Falcon great Tommy Nobis will have his number retired before Texas takes on Arkansas this weekend. . . UNC-Charlotte brass have recommended the 49ers field a Division I-AA football team in 2013. . . Kansas athletics director Lew Perkins has been named top sports executive by Time magazine.

And this from a loyal reader: "FSU has quarterback issues? How about the SEC -- Tennessee, South Carolina, Auburn, Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State and Alabama can’t complete anything over 15 yards." Good point.

And by the way, the Seminoles will again start Christian Ponder this week against Colorado in Jacksonville.

West Coast Gotcha! The L.A. Times points out that the margin of defeat in Rick Neuheisel’s first loss as UCLA coach was 59-0 to BYU. Pete Carroll’s 14 losses at Southern Cal have been by a combined 59 points.

Highly touted Georgia freshman receiver A.J. Green leads the SEC in catches with 16 for 300 yards or 18.8 yards per catch. Plus, he’s already earned a nickname -- "The Mean, Green Catching Machine."

Georgia Tech’s next game is against improved Duke in two weeks. The Blue Devils, should they defeat Virginia this weekend, would be 3-1 and have snapped a 25-game ACC losing streak when it shows up in Atlanta.

And finally in case you were wondering, Georgia is 25-35-4 against Alabama over the years but the two are 5-5 in their last 10 wars.

No need for Tebow to get sweaty; FSU still looking for a quarterback

(9/23) Early Heisman Watch statistics show Florida’s Tim Tebow no better than third among quarterbacks. Get a load of these numbers:

- BYU’s Max Hall has 107 completions in 144 tries for 1,284 yards and 15 TDs

- Missouri’s Chase Daniel hit 101 of 133 tries for 1,412 yards and 12 TDs

- Florida’s Tebow has 38 of 64 for 489 yards and five TDs.

.

The Gators haven’t really needed Tebow to get sweaty in three easy wins but then again, neither did BYU in its 59-0 rout of UCLA and its 44-0 execution of Wyoming.

There was an enlightening article about Davidson College basketball player Stephen Curry in last week’s Sports Illustrated. You remember Curry carrying the Wildcats on his back to within a whisker of a Final Four last year. Anyway, Curry is just another student at Davidson. He and the rest of the student body helps incoming freshmen carry their luggage and possession to their rooms as they move in. I ask you, can you imagine any other superstar player in any sport doing this? His father, Dale Curry, had a great college career at Virginia Tech and spent more than a decade in the NBA. The Hokies didn’t offer the younger Curry a scholarship. Amazingly stupid.

FSU coach Bobby Bowden, who’s been a strong supporter of Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe since the latter entered the league, said he was "amazed" at what Grobe has been able to accomplish in Winston-Salem at the second-smallest Division I football-playing school. That was after the Deacons beat the Seminoles for the third straight time Saturday.

So Georgia’s going to wear black against Alabama Saturday. The Bulldogs need to remember that whatever color they have on won’t deter a Crimson Tide team bent make a strong statement to become relevant again.

Here & There: Losing to Pitt didn’t help shaky coach Kirk Ferentz at Iowa; where’s June Jones’ magic at 1-3 SMU with only a win over Texas State? North Carolina quarterback T.J. Yates is out for 4-6 weeks with a broken ankle. Mike Paulus, brother of Duke basketball guard Greg, will take over for the Tar Heels. . . Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel punched out teammate Glen Lee on camera during the Scarlet Knights’ loss to Navy. Too bad the Knights aren’t as tough on opponents. . . And finally, Florida State still doesn’t have a quarterback. With senior Drew Weatherford sitting on the bench, the supposed Seminoles of the future, Christian Ponder and D’Vontrey Richardson, were a combined 12-of 36 for 118 yards and five picks against Wake.

This is Norman Arey saying Selah.

Midnight arrives for Cinderella East Carolina; what next for Vols, Seminoles?

(9/22) Some things of which I am now convinced and other things of which I wonder:

>Paul Johnson it seems, is, indeed, a good coach and Georgia Tech should, indeed, win more than it loses. In fact, the Yellow Jackets should be 5-1 going into its game with Clemson on Oct. 18. Also nice to know in Johnson’s high-risk offense that the Wreck has more than one efficient quarterback.

>So what was the big deal about Georgia going West for the first time since the Civil War? The Bulldogs were the better team, hands down, against Arizona State. Now we can all look forward to a much better game than we had first anticipated when Alabama comes to Athens next week. The Tide looked awesome in decimating Arkansas in the Razorbacks’ own backyard. And take that, Bobby Petrino. .

>Ah, North Carolina. The Tar Heels seemed to have held such promise after its win against Rutgers but still have a row to hoe in the fields of the ACC. Virginia Tech isn’t a world-beater but the Hokies were good enough to beat the ‘Heels in a game Carolina could have won.

>What about the Irish? It looked for a fleeting minute that Charlie Weis might have the Golden Domers back on the road to rehabilitation but a middling Michigan State team made Notre Dame look bad in a 21-7 win. Oh well, there’s always Skip Holtz.

>And speaking of Holtz, I was sad to see N.C. State take the measure of East Carolina and knock the Pirates from the ranks of the unbeaten. It’s always nice to see a Cinderella story developing.

>I enjoyed watching Wake Forest beat Florida State even though neither team was able to score a touchdown. The Deacons’ 12-3 win was highlighted by field goal kicker Sam Swank, probably the best kicker in the college ranks, trying seven field goals and making four. He should have made at least one other. I wonder where the Seminoles go from here? And Jimbo Fisher, it’s never too late to change your mind.

>After Florida dominated Tennessee in Knoxville, you also wonder where the Vols go from here. UT lost to UCLA, who then was plowed 59-0 by BYU and then 31-10 by a really bad Arizona team. How good does Fulmer’s six-year contract extension look to the Orange Crush, I wonder?

>And lastly, how about 4-0 Vanderbilt?

Snoozer Saturday? No-no! When Tigers clash; Urban vs. Phil; Saban vs. Petrino

(Sept. 19) These are Norman’s No-Nos where I pick the losers in 15 college games. I’m 36-9 for the year BUT I missed only two the first week, then three, then four. I don’t like the trend.

GEORGIA at ARIZONA STATE - Sun Devils’ Dennis (the Menace) Erickson has surprises up his sleeve. Last week’s loss to UNLV impaired his menaceness. Dogs’ Matt Stafford finally breaks out. No matter. Sun Devils in a mild upset. NO-NO. Sun Creatures never in it, fall 28-14.

MISSISSIPPI STATE at GEORGIA TECH - Everyone pulls for Bulldogs’ coach Sylvester Croom for taking the crooked letters to respectability. Most folks like Tech’s Paul Johnson. None of that matters. Croom wins. NO-NO. Finally a Bulldog Tech can beat, MSU loses 17-7.

LSU at AUBURN - The quarterback’s not gonna beat you in this one. LSU QB Andrew Hatch came from Harvard. Auburn’s Chris Todd came from Hutchinson JC. Auburn eked out a 3-2 win last week. Tigers win. Sure, but which one? Auburn drops it by a 5-3 score.

FLORIDA at TENNESSEE - Gators have Tim Tebow. Vols have 100,000 orange-clad nuts in the stadium. Phil Fulmer is the Dean of SEC coaches. Urban Meyer doesn’t care. Fulmer out-coaches Meyer. NO-NO. Even I can’t viasualize that scenario. UT crashes and burns, 42-14.

ALABAMA at ARKANSAS - Could the specter of this game be enough for Razorback coach Bobby Petrino to quit late Friday night? I guarantee the Tide’s Nick Saban will be there. Hogs are at home and hang tough. NO THEY DON’T. Petrino should have left, loses 35-7.

EAST CAROLINA at N.C. STATE - Pirates have become an anathema to BCS schools like Virginia Tech and West Virginia. Wolfpack relies on ST. HERKIMER, the patron Saint of Wreckage. Wolves will embarrass ECU. NOT A CHANCE. State drops it, 37-12.

NOTRE DAME at MICHIGAN STATE - Irish are unbeaten. Spartans lost to Cal who was routed by Maryland. Catholics are handicapped by coach Charlie Weis’ leg injury. No, Weis has been a handicap since he arrived but Golden Domers win. NO-NO. Irish go down, 28-21.

Other losers:

-Vandy to Ole Miss

-Virginia Tech to North Carolina

-Pitt to Iowa

-FSU to Wake Forest

-Texas A&M to Miami

-SMU to TCU

-Arizona to UCLA

-and Boise State to Oregon.

Down and out: Once-soaring Syracuse, Virginia teams now in ESPN's Bottom 10

(9/18) A budding superstar is North Carolina wide receiver Brandon Tate. The Tar Heel player has rushed four times for 125 yards and a score, caught eight passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns, returned three kickoffs for 114 yards and returned three punts for 142 yards and a score.

Just asking but would it be possible for the Mountain West Conference to become the seventh BCS league? The MWC is 5-0 against the Pac-10 and 6-2 overall against BCS teams this season. . . The Bottom 10 in college football compiled by ESPN.com, lists two once-proud programs who have fallen on hard times. Syracuse leads the list at No. 1 and Virginia is No. 9. . . Is Georgia Tech returning to its roots or just has a death wish? The Yellow Jackets, once a member of the Southeastern Conference, have scheduled nine SEC opponents over the next four seasons.

The tallest college (and maybe pro) basketball player in the country, 7-foot-7 Kenny George of UNC-Asheville, won’t play this year. George underwent surgery for a foot injury this week.

Odd that Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan has yet to sign his new contract and the negotiations have been dragging on for more than two years. Donovan left Florida for the Orlando Magic for a few days, then came crawling back to Gainesville, asking for his old job back. Is this any way to treat the Gators, who rescued him from a mistake?

Wake Forest’s recent success in football can be attributed to many things but the ACC school’s pipeline to Ponte Vedra Beach Nease High School is a big part. Nease, where Florida quarterback Tim Tebow attended, has sent six players to Winston-Salem to play for Jim Grobe. . . Oh Boy. As if the Tennessee-Florida match up needed any more fireworks, the Gator players are saying the Vol players quit in last year’s Florida blowout.

And finally, Florida tailback Emmanuel Moody was asked why he didn’t play against Miami in the Gators’ last game. He said whether he played or not wasn’t up to coach Urban Meyer, it was up to God. Obviously God has been busy guiding Notre Dame through its first three games and wasn’t paying attention to Moody.

Coming Friday: Norman’s No-Nos.

A statue for Wake's Jim Grobe; a Weiner Award for last week's Tech TV crew

(9/17) After Notre Dame unveiled Lou Holtz’ statue outside the Irish Stadium, that got me to thinking about who else might deserve a statue. I don’t mean the obvious ones like Penn State’s Joe Paterno or FSU’s Bobby Bowden. If he doesn’t win another game, Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe should have the biggest statue of all. He’s brought Wake from the laughing stock of the ACC to national prominence.

SI.Com points out that even though a 1,000-yard season for a running back is still used as a standard in the NFL, it shouldn’t be. A runner has only to average 62.5 yards per game to achieve the milestone.

Bob Stoops’ win over Washington last week gave him a 100-22 mark at Oklahoma. Stoops become the fourth Sooner coach to win at least 100. Oklahoma is the only program in history to have four 100-win coaches. The others were Bennie Owens (122 wins), Bud Wilkinson (145) and Barry Switzer (157).

The TV announcers for last weekend’s Georgia Tech-Virginia Tech game are morons, according to Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson after Dave Lamont and analyst David Norrie questioned several calls Johnson made during the loss to the Hokies. "The guys who do the game, they’re morons," Johnson said. "I don’t worry about what they say."

Here & There: If Lane Kiffin is fired as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, look for his unemployment to last less than 24 hours. Rumors are that Greg Robinson would be fired at Syracuse and Kiffin would be hired. . . Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder, he who has started all of two games, all but guaranteed a win over Wake Forest this week. . . After Saturday’s win in Columbia, Georgia’s Mark Richt owns a 26-4 road winning mark.

Team owner Rick Hendrick says Dale Earnhardt Jr. has got to cut out the whining and learn to control his temper and focus or he won’t have a chance to win NASCAR’s Chase. . . Despite the horrid economy, NASCAR reports that sponsorships are up.

And finally, some sports have play-in games, so why not college football? On Nov. 20, BYU will take on Utah. Assuming both glide through their league as they should, that’s a play-in for a BCS bowl berth.

What's ahead for Georgia? Playing four of AP's SEC-dominated Top 10

(9/16) For all the Bulldog nation, let me give you my two cents, whether you want it or not. A couple of things became evident over the weekend. First, the Bulldogs may not be the offensive force we envisioned before the season. Second, their schedule seems to have lighted up considerably with future opponents’ performances.

Arizona State, next up on the Georgia radar, lost to UNLV, which is little better than a Division I-AA team. Future opponent Tennessee lost to UCLA, which lost to BYU by 59 points. Auburn doesn’t look as difficult as it did before it squeaked by Mississippi State by a 3-2 score. In other words, instead of maybe three or four roadblocks to an ultra-successful season, there are now only two, maybe three.

For the first time in the history of the SEC, the league has five teams ranked in the AP poll top 10- No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Florida, No. 6 LSU, No. 9 Alabama and No. 10 Auburn . Everybody out there who believes there aren’t more than nine teams better than Auburn, raise your hand.

And at the risk of being labeled an SEC fanatic, chew on this for a moment. The defenses of the SEC averaged the following over the weekend:

-8.2 points allowed per game

-259 yards allowed, 186 passing, 73 rushing

-2.52 yards per rushing attempt

-14 total first downs

-SEC defenses forced 18 turnovers in 10 games.

And by the way, the Big 12 has four of the top six teams in total offense. . . And as for the Pac-10, it lost three games this past weekend to the Mountain West Conference.

As for Ohio State and the big stage, the score is Big Stage 114, Buckeyes 41 which includes Florida’s 41-14 win, LSU’s 38-24 victory and the USC’s 35-3 blowout. And here’s the kicker, the Buckeyes are still the favorite in the Big 10.

Factoid of the Day: Miami leads all colleges with 44 players on NFL rosters on opening day. Florida State was second with 37 while Georgia, Michigan and Ohio State were tied for third with 36.

I don’t get it but West Virginia has signed head coach Bill Stewart to a six-year contract, even after Stewart’s Mountaineers lost to East Carolina.

And finally, Georgia Tech is shooting itself in the foot. The Yellow Jackets have more fumbles (11) than touchdowns (10) thus far.

Uh, so about those No-Nos the other day ...

(9/15) I have a confession to make. I’ve portrayed myself to be something that I’m not. I’ve lead you to believe I knew a whole bunch about college football and it has turned out that I don’t. On the positive side, it didn’t cost you any money.

For instance, I believed Georgia would go to Columbia, S.C., and lay one squarely on the Gamecocks -- something like 28-6. Instead, if South Carolina had had any offense at all, the Bulldogs would have been beaten soundly. So much for the juggernaut that Georgia isn’t.

I believed Virginia Tech was ripe for an upset. After all, they were still reeling from a comeuppance at the hands of East Carolina. Not so. Georgia Tech fought hard and well, but it wasn’t enough.

And speaking of East Carolina, I was sure it would rip Tulane a new Green Wave. The Pirates did prevail but not without a struggle which included a comeback against the downtrodden New Orleans school.

I thought that Rutgers would be a handful for North Carolina. Not so. The Tar Heels manhandled Greg Schiano’s Scarlet Knight and may be the dark horse of the ACC.

I thought Auburn would kill Mississippi State -- final Auburn 3, Bulldogs 2..

I thought UCLA would whip BYU. Final score: BYU 59, UCLA zip.

I thought Arizona State wouldn’t look ahead to Georgia. Final UNLV 23, Arizona State 20.

I didn’t even include Arizona’s game with New Mexico in my Norman’s No-Nos because I thought it would be too one-sided -- the Wildcats kicking New Mexico back across the state line. New Mexico did the kicking and how much longer can Mike Stoops last in Tucsan?

I couldn’t decide how badly Cal would beat Maryland. I was torn between three and four touchdowns. Maryland absolutely manhandled the Bears from start to finish.

South Florida vs. Kansas was a nice little interlude in the busy weekend but the Jayhawks would surely embarrass South Florida, reminding it that it is a newcomer to these wars. The Bulls are for real.

I believed The Big 10 was a pathetic conference with no real balance. Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and Northwestern are a combined 11-0.

But I did get one right. I predicted Southern Cal would annihilate Ohio State by a 35-17 score. The Trojans did even better, whipping the Buckeyes 35-3. So Ohio State fans, just shut-up and kiss my grits.

This is Norman Arey and that’s the end of my apology.

No-Nos: Winners or wieners? Which will it be for USC, Ohio State?

(9/12) This is Norman’s No-Nos, where I predict the losers in 15 college games. Last week I was 12-3, 25-5 for the year. Prediction classes: $50 per person

Upset Special GEORGIA TECH at VIRGINIA TECH - Tricked-up wishbone played well for the Jackets in Boston. Blacksburg is another story. Frank Beamer’s been a little testy since East Carolina steam rolled Hokies. Tech is ready for Wrecks. NO-NO. Hokies hung-up, 17-14.

GEORGIA at SOUTH CAROLINA - There’s never an easy game in Columbia for the Dogs. Seldom has Georgia gone into the state with a better team. Steve Spurrier would rather go visor-less than lose to Georgia. ‘Dogs snookered again. NO-NO. Too much talent from Athens; SC loses 27-14.

OHIO STATE at SOUTHERN CAL - A must-win for the Buckeyes. Jim Tressel’s bunch is tired of underachiever label. Question is will OSU’s runner supreme Beanie Wells play? If so, Bucs win. NO-NO. With or without Beanie, Buckeyes are wieners. OSU loses, 35-17.

SMU at TEXAS TECH - Mustang coach June Jones gets a chance at redemption against a hot Red Raider team. There’s not a bigger mismatch anywhere. Mustangs have a few tricks. NO-NO. The trick will be holding Tech to less than seven touchdowns. SMU smothered, 49-7.

UCLA at BYU - Bruins whipped Tennessee in an upset. BYU squeaked by poor Washington. So why are the Cougars an eight point pick? Mormons trounce city-slickers. NO-NO. Rick Neuheisel is the better coach, BYU looks to be on two-year sabbatical, loses 28-21.

MICHIGAN at NOTRE DAME - Once a classic, now a wreck between two have-nots. Irish haven’t been impressive. Neither have Wolverines. It’ll come down to Catholics’ Charlie Weis vs. Big Blue’s Rich Rodriguez. I like Weis. NO I DON’T. Irish must do penance, lose 24-21.

N.C. STATE at CLEMSON - Wolfpack could be the worst team in the ACC. Clemson was supposed to be the best until Alabama blew its doors off. Now Tommy Bowden begins the long climb back. Too late. ‘Pack packs a wallop. NO IT DOESN’T. State loses, 35-13.

Other losers:

-Navy to Duke

-Rice to Vandy

-Mississippi State to Auburn

-Purdue to Oregon

-Iowa State to Iowa

-Maryland to Cal

-Tulane to East Carolina

-Virginia to UConn.

A six-pack of potential impact games this weekend -- plus USC-Ohio State

(Sept. 11) Whoa, Nelly! Things are getting touchy up at Clemson. Coach Tommy Bowden said quarterback Cullen Harper needs to play better after going 14-of-18 passing for 192 yards and a score against the Citadel last week. Harper said Bowen needs to "come to me and say it."

Whoa Nelly, No. 2! Former Miami Hurricane and NFL star Warren Sapp on a conference call for TV’s Inside the NFL, called Florida coach Urban Meyer "a classless dirtbag" for kicking a field goal late in the Gator’s 26-3 win over the ‘Canes last week.

For the third year running, Texas led all colleges in merchandise sales with $8.2 million. The top 10 in order, Michigan, Florida, LSU, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Penn State and Tennessee. Florida State fell all the way to 16th.

The Philadelphia Daily News reports that Penn State’s Joe Paterno tried to form the Eastern League in 1992 including seven eastern teams and ACC defector Maryland but Pitt backed out and Penn State joined the Big 10. Paterno is still bitter about Pitt’s decision.

Believe it or not, but a Georgia Tech player is currently No. 1 on some NFL teams’ wish list. Defensive end Michael Johnson could go No. 1 in the ‘09 league draft.

This weekend’s game featuring No. 5 Ohio State visiting No. 1 Southern Cal is of great importance, not just for the results but for college football as we know it on this planet. If the Buckeyes should win, it would probably result in another appearance in the mythical college title game at the end of the year. There’s nothing to stop Jim Tressel’s bunch from marching through the insipid Big 10. Remember the Alamo, of in this case the last two title games - Florida 42, OSU 14. LSU 38, OSU 24. Please, Trojans, spare us.

And finally, don’t focus all your attention on Los Angeles this weekend. Other top games and why:

>Kansas at South Florida - because the Bulls can make a case for being included with the Big Boys.

>Michigan at Notre Dame - because both teams are rebuilding.

>Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech - because the Jackets could be sitting pretty in the ACC with a win.

>Wisconsin at Fresno State - because the Bulldogs are probably the best non-BCS team out there.

>Georgia at South Carolina - because its Georgia’s first real test.

>UCLA at BYU - because the Bruins need to prove they're back.

Bowdens (Bobby, Tommy) minus Richt, Rodriguez, means trouble at FSU, Clemson

(9/10) Greg Robinson be gone! That’s what Syracuse fans must be feeling. The Orange’s once-proud football program is in shambles. Robinson is 7-30 in his fourth year following a 42-28 loss to Akron, a team picked to finish last in its division in the Mid-American Conference. . . On a related note, ACC fans should be sending thank-you notes to Virginia’s governor, who forced the conference to take Virginia Tech rather than Syracuse during the ACC’s expansion.

Mike Broghammer, the 6-foot-8 nephew of former Duke All-America and Atlanta Hawks player Christian Laettner, has committed to play basketball at Notre Dame. Yes, there’s a Duke connection. Irish coach Mike Bray is a Mike Krzyzewski disciple.

Who’s the backup quarterback for the New England Patriots now that Tom Brady is out for the year? Matt Cassel. Never heard of him? He was the backup quarterback at Southern Cal for four years.

FoxSports.com says the decline of Bobby Bowden and Tommy Bowden can be found when each lost a key assistant. The elder Bowden’s decline came when Mark Richt left to take over at Georgia. Tommy’s decline began when Rich Rodriguez left to take over at West Virginia.

Really how interesting can NASCAR’s Chase be when only four teams are represented in the final 12 standings - Childress, Hendrick, Gibbs and Roush Fenway? Where’s the little guys? More of the rich getting richer.

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis gets $50,000 for a speaking engagement. Judging his recent results, what can he possibly have to say? . . . And if you want to hear the biggest homer announcers in all of sports, tune in to NBC’s weekly broadcast of Irish games.

What do Florida State, Iowa, UConn and Kentucky have in common? None have allowed a touchdown yet this young season.

And finally, Mike Tierney, a pretty darn good reporter, columnist and editor formerly with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports department, has started his own on-line newsletter. It’s called secfootballinsider.com. Give it a look.

Weighty issues: Friedgen's Terps; Weis' 'big' win, Phil Fulmer's winning percentage

(9/9) More trouble for the beleaguered ACC. Not only did the conference expose itself as a pretender during the opening week of the season with losses by league favorites Virginia Tech and Clemson, now Maryland goes out and lays an egg.

Remember when Ralph Friedgen left Georgia Tech and immediately won 31 games in his first three seasons in College Park? Well, the big man hasn’t done it since. Barely squeaking by Delaware in the opener is one thing but losing to Middle Tennessee State is another. There’s no way Maryland should ever lose to MTSU. One writer in North Carolina suggested Friedgen hire Ron Vanderlinden, the former Terp coach, to do his recruiting. Friedgen did much better with Vanderlinden’s players than he has his own.

Not much pizzazz in Georgia’s upcoming game against South Carolina. After the Gamecocks lost to Vanderbilt, anybody out there give Steve Spurrier’s charges a chance? . . . The opposite is true of Georgia Tech, which shocked more than a few fans with its mini-upset of Boston College. Now the Jackets travel to Blacksburg for a love-in with Virginia Tech. The Ramblin’ Wreck could have a lot to say about what goes on in the weak ACC this year.

What the Hay? NFL Commish Roger Goddell, in talking about his league, said he’s always looking "to improve the quality of our product." Product? It’s a football league, Roger. You’re not selling hamburgers. Or maybe you are.

Since 2006 when the NCAA allowed Division I schools to add a 12th game, the cost of buying a cupcake opponent has gone up as much as 45 percent. Some Division One schools are saying they can’t afford to purchase the sure-win. The average payout for a visiting non-league opponent this year is $456,277 compared to $320,144 in 2005. The little guys deserve all they can get..

Is Notre Dame better this year than last year’s 3-9 squad? I’m not sure. The fight-less Irish beat arguably the worst team in college football in San Diego State by a 21-13 score. That’s hardly an endorsement for an outstanding season.

I guess the Falcons’ opening win against Detroit deserves at least a tip of the hat. Obviously Michael Turner was a great addition and Matt Ryan, although not flashy, was solid, didn’t turn over the ball and did what he had to do. I feel good for Arthur Blank more than anyone.

And finally, did you realize that the top college coach in winning percentage is Tennessee’s Phil Fulmer with a .766 followed by Bobby Bowden’s .759?

Cream puff college football games nothing short of disgraceful

(9/8) What I think I saw over the weekend in college football:

Here’s what’s wrong with college football:

-Missouri 52, SE Missouri State 3

-Wisconsin 51, Marshall 14

-Texas 42, UTEP 13

-Oregon 66, Utah State 24

-Illinois 47, East. Illinois 21

-Louisville 51, Tennessee Tech 10

-Clemson 45, The Citadel 17

-Kentucky 38, Norfolk State 3.

In every instance, the winner beat up on a cream puff whom they had no business playing. This is what a 12th game gave us. I wouldn’t care if they went back to 10 games if they were real games and not the above mess. And let’s don’t leave Georgia’s 56-17 win over Central Michigan out of this, either. Disgraceful and embarrassing.

Hey, I picked it right on my upset of the week when East Carolina beat up on West Virginia. The Pirates have to be the story of the year so far and are headed for a Top 20 ranking.

How about those Jackets? Georgia Tech went up to Chestnut Hill and beat a decent Boston College team for its first ACC win under coach Paul Johnson. I don’t believe Tech’s quite ready for prime time yet but I think it’s well on the way. We’ll know more after its upcoming game against Virginia Tech.

South Carolina is in deep you-know-what. If Steve Spurrier doesn’t give talented but obviously immature quarterback Stephen Garcia a chance, he’s going to sink with Tommy Beecher and/or Chris Smelley. Plus the Gamecocks’ top receiver, Kenny McKinley, is injured.

Florida didn’t look so hot against an obviously out-manned Miami team. Ditto for Auburn in its win over Southern Miss. Alabama was anything but impressive with a 20-6 win over poor Tulane. In other words, there’s not enough evidence in yet to really know what’s what.

Hope you watched the Wake Forest-Ole Miss game. Rebel quarterback Jevan Snead is quite impressive and will be the man on the Mississippi campus for four years. The Demon Deacons snatched a 30-28 win with a wonderful drive in the final 60 seconds. Heck of a game. Jim Grobe for President!

Rich Rodriguez had better hope the Michigan folks are patient. It looks like the Wolverines are at least one and possibly two years away from being a solid team. A 16-6 win over Miami of Ohio isn’t a resume builder.

And finally the top game of this week is No. 1 Southern Cal against No. 3 Ohio State. I’ll tell you right now I like the Trojans in this one.

No-Nos' first upset special of the season; plus a bad weekend for borh Miami fans

(9/4) Here are your Norman’s No-Nos, where I predict the losers in 15 college football games. Last week, I was 13-2. I missed Clemson and Virginia Tech. Be honest; so did you.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT GEORGIA - Chippewa quarterback Dan LeFevour compares favorably with Florida’s Tim Tebow statistically. Hey Dan, this ain’t the Mid-American Conference. Still, LeFevour devours Bulldog secondary. NO-NO. Chippewa’s scalped, 42-24.

GEORGIA TECH AT BOSTON COLLEGE - BC beat Navy two years ago by a 25-24 score when Tech’s Paul Johnson was the Middie coach. Therefore, the Eagles soar above the Jackets. I’ve got a feeling Tech may surprise the BCers. NO I DON’T. Techsters lose, 24-17.

NORTHWESTERN AT DUKE - Duke won, Duke won, Duke won -- last week. Wildcats won impressively over Syracuse. I believe in David Cutcliffe but I think Northwestern is the better team. NO-NO. Cutcliffe out-coaches Pat Fitzgerald. ‘Cats bedeviled, 22-21.

Upset Special WEST VIRGINIA AT EAST CAROLINA - The Mounties have Heisman Trophy guy Pat White running the show. Pirates have Skip Holtz on the sidelines fresh off an upset of Virginia Tech. WVU takes care of business. NO-NO. Mountaineers fall, 28-27.

MIAMI AT FLORIDA - Hurricane coach Randy Shannon says his club is ready for the big boys. Swamp Master Urban Meyer, he don’t say nothin’, just hands the ball to Tim Tebow. That’s not enough this time. HA! DON’T BE SILLY. Gators club ‘Canes unconscious, 35-10.

OLE MISS AT WAKE FOREST - Rebels have found their quarterback in Texas transfer Jevan Snead this year. Wake found Riley Skinner three years ago. Ole Miss pulls a slight upset. NO-NO. Mississippi becomes believers in Deacon doctrine, lose 31-21.

BYU AT WASHINGTON - Brigham Young was a pre-season pick to bust into a BCS bowl. Washington was nobody’s pick to do anything other than lose Ty Willingham’s job for him. Husky’s pull an upset. NO WAY. Ty’s another step closer to unemployment, 35-14.

Other losers:

-Miami (O.) to Michigan

-Southern Miss to Auburn

-Nevada to Texas Tech

-Houston to Oklahoma State

-Central Florida to South Florida

-Middle Tennessee to Maryland

-Oregon State to Penn State

-and Cincinnati to Oklahoma.

UCF's O'Leary has a real hot line for the media; Regions plants a great idea

(9/4) Closing the barn door after the horses escaped, Virginia Tech announced it will not redshirt quarterback Tyrod Taylor this season. After an opening game loss to East Carolina, Hokies head coach Frank Beamer announced that Taylor will alternate with last week’s starter, Sean Glennon, this week against Furman.

Former Pepperell High School standout Marcus Dixon was cut by the Dallas Cowboys, passed waivers and was signed to the NFL team’s practice squad.

Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said he called Alabama coach Nick Saban this week to ask what he saw that allowed the Tide to decimate the Tigers Saturday. I admire Bowden’s gumption but he should have called last Friday.

Tyrelle Pryor, Ohio State freshman quarterback and the No. 1 rated recruit in the country last year, rushed for 52 yards and one score and hit four of six passes for 35 yards in his debut against Youngstown State last week.

Oops! When the University of Central Florida sent out the telephone number for football coach George O’Leary’s first press conference, it printed the wrong number and media folks got a phone sex talk line instead. I guarantee it was more interesting than what O’Leary had to say.

A sports promotion that I like: Regions Bank announced that during each Raycom SEC Game of the Week, it will donate one tree for every yard gained by both teams. That could be 750-1,000 trees per game.

Oops II: North Carolina’s attempt to have the game ball parachuted onto its Kenan Stadium field for its game with McNeese State went slightly awry. Instead, the airplane dropped two parachutists with the ball into Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium eight miles away. The word is that Pentagon was scrambling to see if it was one of its smart-bomb planes.

And finally Paul Johnson will get a chance to see if his new offense is taking at Georgia Tech when the Yellow Jackets try to run the ball against a real team when it travels to Boston College this weekend. A guess that they won’t rush for 349 yards as they did against Jacksonville State.

Your call: Last week's biggest loser -- Clemson, Va. Tech, Pitt, Texas A&M or UT?

(9/3) ESPN.Com’s Ivan Maisel called the Atlantic Coast Conference the Absent Credibility Conference. He writes "there is no pattern to the ACC’s losses. The league lost at home, on the road and at two neutral sites." So much for the big expansion and addition of Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College, and gaining equality with the SEC. The ACC set itself back quite a bit with its opening weekend showing.

Steve Spurrier already has made a quarterback change after only one game. The Old Ball Coach named backup Chris Smelley as his starter against Vanderbilt Thursday after starter Tommy Beecher played poorly and was injury slightly. Stephen Garcia will be Smelley’s backup.

There are some tough folks out in Oklahoma. Two Sooner players were injured in a nightclub brawl Saturday where some Okies were using knives, guns and tire irons to make their point. Suggested approach by Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops: "Guys, if other people pull knives, guns and tire irons, leave."

Despite the Atlanta Falcons’ off-season effort, the thrill just isn’t there for some folks. The Falcons need to sell 2,500 more tickets in the next two days or their opening NFL game with Detroit will be blacked out in the television area around Atlanta.

Even though I don’t particularly care for Tennessee, you had to feel bad for the Vols after Monday night’s loss to UCLA. UT dominated the first half and probably deserved a better fate. Naw, on second thought, it got what it deserved.

I’ve got a question and would appreciate your response to Normanarey@earthlink.net. Which team was the week’s biggest disappointment: Clemson, Virginia Tech, Pitt, Texas A&M or Tennessee?

And finally, no one paid much attention to Auburn’s opener against Louisiana-Monroe because the Tigers won so easily (34-0) but for its trouble Auburn may have lost three receivers and has an injured quarterback going into its game with Southern Miss this weekend.

ACC 'leaders' crash on take off; new headaches for Old Ball Coach

(9/2) What I think I saw over the long weekend in college football:

>I was shocked at how easily Alabama dominated Clemson. Poor Tommy Bowden. Now he’s got to spend the season trying to make the Tiger following forget this one. . . And how about Virginia Tech’s loss at the hands of Skip Holtz’s East Carolina Pirates? Supposedly the ACC’s top two teams were beaten right out of the chute. Both Maryland and North Carolina struggled against lesser opponents. Duke won one. Thank God for Wake Forest.

>Either Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh is one heck of a coach or Oregon State is in trouble. The Cardinals looked impressive in its mini-upset of the Beavers. . .South Carolina’s 34-zip win over N.C. State wasn’t as impressive as the score. If Steve Spurrier doesn’t get his quarterback problem fixed, the Gamecocks will be abysmal. When you hire Spurrier, you don’t figure that quarterback is going to be the problem. Tom O’Brien may have an even bigger project in Raleigh. . . June Jones’ debut at SMU was spoiled as Rice shocked the Mustangs 56-27. His defense has given up 97 points in its last two outings.

>Georgia and Florida were as advertised although the Bulldogs showed its depth at running back with Caleb King having a fine coming-out party. . . Georgia Tech is still a mystery after a ho-hummer over Jacksonville State.

>Pitt’s Dave Wannstadt has placed himself on the hottest seat in college football ever in August by losing handily to Bowling Green. . . I don’t know what you saw but I saw that Rich Rodriguez may not yet have the right personnel to run his spread offense as Utah upended the Wolverines. I was impressed with Georgia Tech transfer quarterback Steven Threet’s play for Michigan.

>I was also impressed by Derrick Dooley’s Louisiana Tech team which beat Mississippi State. Vince’s son is going to be on a major school’s list soon.

>I was unimpressed with Bobby Petrino’s Arkansas team which barely got by Western Illinois and Texas A&M, which lost to Arkansas State. Poor Ty Willingham’s woes continue as his Washington team was decimated by Oregon by 34.

No-Nos' colorful debut: Crimson trickle, Michigan blue, a lemon

(Aug. 29) This is Norman’s No-Nos where I pick the losers in 15 college games. Last year, I was 163-74, 69 percent. An off-year. Year before, I was 78 percent. That’s more me.

GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT GEORGIA: The Eagles graduated quarterback Jayson Foster, the league’s player of the year. Georgia enters with a full contingent of fire, brimstone and fury. Strange things happen but NO-NO, we’re talking Eagles falling out of the sky here, 48-10.

ALABAMA VS. CLEMSON: This is coach Tommy Bowden’s year with C.J. Spiller. James Davis and Cullen Harper in all-star backfield. Alabama counters with John Parker Wilson for an upset. NO-NO. Never trust a QB with three names, think John Wilkes Booth. Tide trickles, loses 28-14.

HAWAII AT FLORIDA:  Rainbows’ arsenal is severely depleted. Gators are jam-packed with talent and motivation. Still, Hawaii wants to show it doesn’t miss June Jones. Florida doesn’t care who’s on the sidelines. ‘Bows tie up the Gators. DON’T BE SILLY. Bows tied, 56-9.

SOUTHERN CAL AT VIRGINIA: Pete Carroll can’t wait to see how QB Mitch Mustain does under pressure with Mark Sanchez gimpy. Virginia may not want to see how it does without Chris Long. Wahoos are at home and can win. NOT A CHANCE. UVA loses, 63-3.

SYRACUSE AT NORTHWESTERN: Two bad teams with Syracuse being badder than the Wildcats lately. C.J. Batcher is a veteran starter for Northwestern and the ‘Cats have no problems scoring. The Orange needs it worse and wins. NO-NO. Orange is a lemon, lose 33-13.

VIRGINIA TECH AT EAST CAROLINA: Hokies hope to be the ACC champ. East Carolina coach Skip Holtz has the Pirates playing good football. This is one of those games with upset potential. NO IT’S NOT. Pirates walk the plank (can’t believe I wrote that), 24-12.

UTAH AT MICHIGAN: The Utes are a veteran team which finished 9-4 in ‘07. Quarterback Brian Johnson can be excellent. Who doesn’t know about new coach Rich Rodriguez trying to get the Wolverines to speak spread? Michigan is too strong. NO-NO. Big Blue falls, 24-21.

Others games:

>Washington States loses to Oklahoma State

>Michigan State loses to Cal

>Illinois goes down to Missouri

>Washington loses to Oregon

>Appalachian State downed by LSU.

>Memphis loses to Ole Miss

>New Mexico downed by TCU

>and UAB loses to Tulsa.