College Football Week 2 Recap: LSU's Case for the Top Spot
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by Nejoshi
It’s unfortunate that college football has a preseason poll because the LSU Tigers are definitely the best team in the nation right now. But as long as USC -- the nation’s consensus #1 during the preseason -- stays undefeated, we all know that this year’s most impressive team will actually be #2 in those things called the polls. As superficial as this issue may seem right now, this will probably become a legitimate concern in the long run. It’s hard identifying the best team in the land at any point in the season, but it’s definitely hardest when no games have been played. Through two weeks of the college football season, though, it’s hard to say any team has been more impressive than Les Miles group.
Through two games, LSU has outscored their two opponents 93-7, while out gaining their opponents by over 300 yards a game. They have forced eight turnovers, including grabbing six interceptions during their Week 1 45-0 rout over Mississippi State. It’s hard to criticize anything when you win by 45 and shut your opponent out, but there were definite whispers being heard about LSU’s offense following the win. The offense definitely had its moments of ineptitude, but Matt Flynn didn’t commit any turnovers and the team still managed to put up 347 yards of offense. For all the things they did well, it was a given that a bigger and better performance was needed from this group against Virginia Tech in Week 2.
Faced with a stiff challenge of facing the vaunted Hokie defense, LSU responded with a tremendous offensive display. The Tigers nearly put up 600 yards (598) of offense, with the highlight being Keiland Williams’ dazzling 67-yard dash that put LSU up 24-0 right before halftime. Flynn has got some serious firepower supporting him on offense, and they were all on display on Saturday night. Williams had two touchdown runs, while his sidekick Jacob Hester had one of his own. Ryan Perrilloux, Flynn’s other half as the signal caller, threw five passes. Two of them were touchdowns of 34 and 28 yards. That’s pretty impressive anyway you slice it.
LSU passed its first test with flying colors, and deserves considerable praise for shredding a defense as good as Virginia Tech’s, but the Trojans get their chance to make a statement to the public this weekend when they travel to Lincoln to take on 14th ranked Nebraska. The Cornhuskers (2-0) managed to pull out a nail-biter over Wake Forest on the road, which means their game this weekend actually carries some significant weight. An intersectional match-up like this is huge for conference bragging rights. The Pac-10 is off to a great start this year, can they keep it up? It’s been awhile since Nebraska has had a marquee win, but the Trojans have been juggernauts in games like this in the past. Should be a great game on Saturday.
Here’s my top 10 through Week 2:
10. California, 2-0: The Golden Bears are rooting hard for Tennessee to take down the Gators this upcoming week, a scenario that would add strength to their win at home over the Vols in Week 1’s premier game.
9. Penn State, 2-0: Linebacker U is beginning to look like the favorite for the Big 10 Conference and the school’s first Rose Bowl appearance since 1994. The Rose Bowl spot will probably be decided by a showdown between Wisconsin and Penn St. in Happy Valley on October 13.
8. Wisconsin, 2-0: Like Texas, the Badgers did well to avoid an upset, after trailing for the majority of their game with Utah. The 25-13 win over the Utes wasn’t pretty, but Wisconsin’s strength is winning ugly games.
7. Louisville, 2-0: Allowing 42 points to Middle Tennessee State is unacceptable. This week’s battle for state supremacy against Kentucky should raise concerns because the Wildcats have an underrated offense that could cause problems. On the bright side, Brian Brohm and the offense looks unstoppable.
6. Texas, 2-0: The Longhorns looked pretty good in their win over TCU. After some early struggles, they handled the dangerous Horned Frogs and crossed out a major obstacle in their quest for a second title in three years. The Red River Shootout on October 6th is getting bigger and bigger by the day.
5. West Virginia, 2-0: I really love watching Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense. Steve Slaton and Pat White are tremendous talents, but freshman Noel Devine is a rising star as well. Like their conference rival, Louisville, the major concern is on defense where it seems likely the defense could break down and cost this team a game, especially against either Louisville or Rutgers, efficient offenses that are capable of matching the Mountaineer’s firepower blow for blow.
4. Florida, 2-0: I believe the Gators and Mountaineers at #5 are essentially interchangeable at this point. Neither team has played anyone too stimulating yet, but I give Urban’s club the edge based on their title as defending champions. West Virginia won the Gator Bowl last year. Advantage Florida.
3. Oklahoma, 2-0: If the Sooners keep playing like this, we’re going to have a major crisis on our hands. It’s not impossible seeing LSU and USC going undefeated, but what if Oklahoma did as well? Just food for thought.
1a. USC, 1-0: As much as I’ve been pumping LSU up (their results in ’07 speak for themselves), the reality is that the Trojans can’t be judged until after their showdown with Nebraska. USC has enough talent to make us forget how great LSU was in one week.
1. LSU, 2-0: The iron is hot for the Tigers right now. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot to gain in their next game against Middle Tennessee State, but there’s a whole lot to lose. It should be interesting to see how the nation’s best defense prepares for a team that just put up 42 points on Louisville.
Later in the week, I’ll breakdown Week 3’s most compelling matchups.
