• Any question of whether Colt McCoy could run the Texas offense might have been answered by the Longhorns first game against North Texas. McCoy threw for 177 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for another score as Texas rolled to victory, 56-7, against North Texas. Of course, the Longhorns were playing against North Texas, predicted to be one of the worst teams in Division 1-A this season. They will face a much bigger test against Ohio State next week. Given the way they played this week, that game will definitely live up to the hype.
• Michigan went 7-5 last year, and lost their bowl game against Nebraska, in a game where they were heavily favored. That meant that this season needed to be even better for the boys in blue. Unfortunately, their first game looked sluggish. Chad Henne was inaccurate and didn't get help from his receivers on a number of his passes. Michael Hart, however, did look like the back that he was before and after his injury last season. If Michigan hopes to succeed this season (and fulfill my pre-season pick), they are going to need to continue to get great games from Hart, and Henne will need to step up.



• It seems that every year, my pre-season picks are derailed by Tennessee. Last season, the Vols beat LSU after trailing by three touchdowns at halftime and ruined any shot LSU had of reaching the title game (although the Tigers still took the SEC West). This season, they didn't wait until week 3 to make me look silly. Their opening game against Cal was my undoing with the Vols winning, 35-18. Erik Ainge looked like a different quarterback leading Tennessee. He still made some mistakes, one leading to an interception that was Cal's best scoring chance in the first half, but in general, he was much improved leading the Vols. Robert Meachem was his favorite receiver, hauling in 2 touchdowns along with gaining over 180 yards. Marshawn Lynch didn't have much of a chance to show why he is a pre-season Heisman candidate and Nate Longshore looked like a very un-Tedford-like quarterback, with tentative footwork and inaccurate passing. With the loss, Cal can still win the Pac-10 but their National Title hopes might be over. The Bears need to improve quickly though if they hope to beat any of the teams in the Pac-10, including Oregon and USC who both looked very impressive in their opening weeks.
• The theme of the game was supposed to be redemption but that isn't the way it turned out for Arkansas, and they may have made their season a little more difficult for themselves. USC jumped all over the Razorbacks last season, 70-17, and Arkansas was looking to get a little revenge. The game didn't work out for them, as they still lost, 50-14. The game was a little different this time around. Arkansas was able to hang with USC early and didn't fall into the 28-0 hole that they did in 2005. The talent at USC just proved to be too much over the course of the game, even with the strong defensive performances from Sam Olajubutu and Chris Houston. John David Booty threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Arkansas fans got a look at freshman Mitch Mustain in the loss and greeted him with wild cheers when he took the field. The final few series led by Robert Johnson were soundly booed until he was replaced by the highly touted recruit. Mustain led a single scoring drive for Arkansas, running in the touchdown from four yards out. He did also throw one interception in the loss. The performance was not appreciated by Johnson. Mustain was given the cold shoulder on the sideline by the veteran quarterback each time he left the field. This could be big news in the coming weeks and it will be interesting to see how Houston Nutt handles the obviously volatile situation at that position.
• If there was any doubt in your mind who the #1 team in the country was, you probably don't have much doubt any more. Ohio State dismantled Northern Illinois, a team that was the pre-season pick to win the MAC title by many experts around the country. Heisman hopefuls Troy Smith and Ted Ginn connected early to get Ohio State up by two touchdowns and it was fairly simple from there. The Ohio State defense, called into question because of the loss of 9 starters, showed that it was up to the challenge also. The only player on Northern Illinois who had consistent success against the Buckeyes was Garrett Wolfe. Wolfe was able to gain.. It seemed like just getting to the secondary was the key for Wolfe and the Huskies. They were unable to do it often enough though to get anything resembling an offense together. The real test for the Ohio State defense will come next week against Texas.
• The biggest blow to any team's hopes this season came on Sunday night. Michael Bush, who had been tabbed as a likely Heisman contender and top first round draft pick, was having a great opening game. He had totalled 128 yards on the ground and scored three of Louisville's touchdowns before tragedy struck. Kentucky defender Wesley Woodyard rolled over Bush's leg while tackling him during the third quarter. Bush was helped off the field on a cart while the stunned crowd looked on in silence. He was replaced mostly by George Stripling who performed well for the Cardinals, gaining 90 yards and scoring twice in the game. Stripling will have big shoes to replace over the course of the season. Louisville was expected to contend for the Big East title with West Virginia. Without Bush's legs carrying them, that task will get a great deal more difficult.



• It gives new meaning to laughing all the way to the bank. When the NCAA expanded the schedule to 12 games over the summer, a number of schools scrambled to fill that last slot. It meant some huge pay days for smaller schools in Division 1-A and also some in 1-AA. Even if they weren't added late to the schedule, you can bet that the folks at Montana State, Portland State, and Richmond were not counting on winning the games they were paid to take on the road. Montana State won a tough battle against Colorado on Saturday afternoon, 19-10, sealing the victory with a fumble recovery on a kick off late in the fourth quarter. Richmond waited until prime time to pull their upset, beating cellar dweller Duke, 13-0. Portland State was victorious over New Mexico in their opener, 17-6. I am sure that all three teams not only appreciated the win, but the money too.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com