The Andrew Extravaganza

ESPN and sports in general love to attach catchy titles to events, plays, or in this case, a whole day. "Separation Saturday" saw seven games played between two ranked teams. The amount of separation achieved is debatable; I think it did more to jumble the second tier together than anything else.

Louisville got past their only early hurdle by routing a soon to be Coker-less Miami team, but in the process they lost starting QB Brian Brohm to a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand. Brohm will miss 3 to 6 weeks, but his team shouldn't sweat it because the only challenge left is a Thursday night game against West Virginia on November 2nd. We all need to start getting used to the idea of one of these teams being in the national title game (look at the Mountaineers' schedule, laugh, and realize what I mean).

Auburn, Ohio State, USC, and Florida all have good looks at filling the other spot. USC would be my early favorite because their conference won't take near the toll on them as a Big Eleven or SEC schedule will the others. In that next group of still undefeateds, you have Georgia, Virginia Tech, and Michigan. But there is a lot of losing to be done by the top 10 before it's all over.

In reality, all "Separation Saturday" accomplished was the elimination of one team that could actually compete for a championship: LSU. Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Florida State were bound to get exposed at some point along the way, thankfully they did it early so I wouldn't have to keep predicting an upset like some hating asshole.

My new Top 25 poll:

My Rank	Last Rank	Team	Record	Quick Thoughts
1	1		3-0	No trouble against Cincinnatti as they won 37-7. They host a top 25 team (well, not in my rankings) in Penn State this week and will win by 28+.
2	3		3-0	It wasn't pretty, but they beat LSU 7-3 in a slugfest. They'll have more challenges at home, but this week is a sure thing against Buffalo.
3	2		2-0	They looked solid in beating Nebraska 28-10. Before the season started, I thought their next game at Arizona could be a trap, but it looks like an easy 63-7 type victory.
4	5		3-0	Crushed a Miami team with serious problems. They lost star QB Brian Brohm in the process, but shouldn't have much to worry about until 11/2 against West Virgina, but Brohm will return by then. At Kansas State this week.
5	6		3-0	Embarrassed Maryland 45-24 on Thursday night. I want to like this team because QB Steve Slaton is incredible to watch, but their schedule is so weak that I have to root for them to get upset. East Carolina is next.
6	9		3-0	Had to come from behind to beat the Vols 21-20 in Neyland Stadium. The defense is playing tough and from what I saw of this game Leak is looking sharp. They'll hammer Kentucky this week.
7	4		2-1	Lost 3-7 at Auburn. Had they played in Death Valley, I think it goes the other way. This team will stay in the hunt, but JaMarcus Russell still throws off a Chris Simms vibe in the inconsistency and mental mistakes departments; he's got a fucking cannon for an arm though. Tulane will receive their annual beatdown this week.
8	8		2-1	Rice is just what the doctor ordered. Iowa State is next and they will put up a good fight, I expect a Horns win by about 10.
9	14		3-0	Dismantled Notre Dame on the road. An unbeaten and untested Wisconsin team visits.
10	11		3-0	This team is good, but it's hard to tell how good. They've easily won against weak opponents (this week it was Duke), but the offense hasn't scored as much as they should. Cincinnatti visits and will lose 10-31.
11	15		3-0	Beat UAB 34-0, expect a similar score when Colorado comes to town this weekend.
12	NR		3-0	The Ducks got all the breaks and won a wild one against Oklahoma 34-33. I almost moved them into the rankings last week, I see now that not doing so was a mistake. Off this week then at Arizona State.
13	23		2-1	Beat Florida State on the road 27-20 to jump back up in my rankings. Their next four games should be easy wins.
14	10		2-1	Couldn't recover an onside kick and it all went to hell for the Sooners. This is still a good team with a great RB in Adrian Peterson. Middle Tennessee State will be a nice rebound win.
15	12		2-1	Lost to Clemson 20-27, this team just isn't great, but being very good is fine. Like Oklahoma, their upside is about #10 and should finish 9-3 or 10-2.
16	7		2-1	I jumped the gun last week by moving them to #7. Michigan bitch slapped those Micks. They have to visit a Michigan State team that's off to a very good start.
17	16		2-1	Did nothing to embarrass the program at USC. This team will contend for the Big 12 North. They host a Troy team that has played their major conference opponents tough, so it should be close with an off chance of getting upset.
18	17		2-1	Couldn't hold on against Florida, but they are still alive in the SEC East. Marshall at home this week for a win.
19	22		3-0	The Catholics beat the Mormons 30-23 in OT. This team doesn't play much defense, but they've gotten it done so far. At North Carolina State for a win this week.
20	25		3-0	The Horned Frogs completely shut down Texas Tech's high powered offense and scored just enough to win it 12-3 at home. Off this week before BYU then Utah and then they're home free.
21	19		2-1	Yawn. Beat Portland State 42-16. They host a vulnerable Arizona State team this weekend.
22	20		3-0	With Tate back at QB, they beat in-state rival Iowa State 27-17 in a game that always challenges them. They play at Illinois this week then we'll finally see how good the Hawkeyes are when they go to Ohio State.
23	21		3-0	Beat a terrible Colorado team 21-3. They better have their shit together this week at Cal.
24	24		3-0	Beat San Diego State 14-0. First test is at Michigan this week.
25	13		1-2	Stomping on the Louisville logo was a poor choice, especially if you back up the smack with a 7-31 loss. Coker is in trouble, but he does have a good defense and can possibly turn it around.

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