September Recap

September Recap

Three teams tower above the rest after an exciting first month of the 2011 college football season. LSU and Alabama are the clear-cut best teams, and Oklahoma comes in just behind those SEC teams. Many other teams have the potential for greatness but have lacked the schedule strength to accurately judge their quality. Schedule strength is a familiar demon for Boise State, but Wisconsin is about to begin their conference schedule after beating up on some lesser opponents to help new star Russell Wilson get used to his new team. Oklahoma State and Stanford have begun conference play with a bang and should be contenders but still have some questions to answer before they can be considered among the nation's elite. LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma have already answered the call and seem to be poised and ready to take on the brunt of their conference schedule.

Hopefully the Bayou Bengals and the Crimson Tide will take care of business through October as well; that would set up an epic showdown between the schools on November 5^th. The Tigers have taken care of the high-powered offenses of Oregon and West Virginia, both away from home, with great all-around defense led by upcoming star Tyrann Mathieu and an offense that pounds away on the ground and sets up big plays. Alabama's defense has tons of playmakers and Trent Richardsonis explosive enough to carry the offense. Oklahoma's stature is a bit less certain now that Florida State appears to be weaker than anticipated, and the Sooners had some trouble against Missouri. However, Landry Jones, Ryan Broyles and company should be able to outscore most teams if necessary, and Bob Stoops looks to have his best defense in years.

Heisman Hopefuls

Baylor's Robert Griffin III is putting up numbers as if there aren't any defenders on the field. He somehow has more touchdown passes than incompletions. The competition has been a little suspect, as they haven't started Big 12 play, but the Bears shredded defensive-guru Gary Patterson and his TCU squad in an opening week thriller.

Kellen Moore is continuing his path to become one of the most accomplished college quarterbacks ever. He has looked sharp in each contest with a 79% completion mark and 12 touchdowns, while typically not finishing games due to lopsided scores.

Marcus Lattimore may run out of gas at the end of the season but he is saving the Gamecocks at the start. Steve Spurrier certainly hopes his 19 year old running back stays away from injury and fatigue, but 37 carries against Navy has to take a toll on the body. Lattimore is a workhorse, but not many running backs can take that level of a beating through the SEC unscathed.