The Color & Pageantry Top 25

1.    Ohio State, 1-0, 1
2.    Auburn, 1-0, 3
3.    Notre Dame, 1-0, 4
4.    Alabama, 1-0, 6
5.    Texas Christian, 1-0, 2
6.    Baylor, 1-0, 5
7.    Southern Cal, 1-0, 9
8.    Michigan State, 1-0, 7
9.    Oregon, 1-0, 8
10.  Florida State, 1-0, 10
11.  UCLA, 1-0, 11
12.  Georgia, 1-0, 12
13.  Ole Miss, 1-0, 15
14.  Texas A&M, 1-0, 25
15.  LSU, 0-0, 13
16.  Clemson, 1-0, 14
17.  Georgia Tech, 1-0, 21
18.  Tennessee, 1-0. 18
19.  Arkansas, 1-0, 22
20.  Oklahoma State, 1-0, 16
21.  Oklahoma, 1-0, 23
22.  Missouri, 1-0, 25
23.  Arizona State, 0-1, 19
24.  Wisconsin, 0-1, 20
25.  Utah, 1-0, NR

OUT: Nebraska (17)

VOTES: Mississippi State,  Brigham Young, Miami, Arizona, South Carolina, Cincinnati, Boise State, Louisville, Nebraska, California, Florida, Northwestern, Stanford, Iowa, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Kansas State, N. C. State, North Carolina and Memphis.

NOTES: Several key injuries were suffered this week.  Out for the year are UCLA DT Eddie Vanderhoes, Pitt RB James Conner, Notre Dame RB Tarean Forston and BYU QB Taysom Hill.  Those with significant injuries that may miss the majority of the year are Nebraska TE David Sutton, Clemson WR Mike Williams, Arizona LB Scooby Wright, Va Tech QB Micheal Brewer and Kansas State QB Jesse Ertz.

NEBRASKA ANALYSIS

BYU defeated Nebraska in Lincoln 33-28 on a Hail Mary pass with 0:01 remaining, ruining the debut of head coach Mike Riley. The Big Red had not lost a home opener since 1985, when Florida State beat Nebraska 17-13 on a brutally hot afternoon.  I saw several people melt from my vantage point near the southwest end zone back those years ago. New defensive coordinator Mark Banker utilized the prevent defense rushing only three on the fateful final play, and of course, all the prevent defense does is prevent you from winning.  Case stated. Only five who started the game were seniors, with two on the offensive line interchangeable with underclassman now. For the other three, at least two have young players with superior talent on their heels.  The future is bright.  Tommy Armstrong has a pretty good day, for the most part making more sound decisions and playing better than he did most of last year, all while learning a new system.  I wish he had used his legs more, but he may have been asked not to.  The offensive line was a weakness, which translated into a poor running game, which is unacceptable in Lincoln, Nebraska. SR OT Alex Lewis had two costly penalties, and he should be above that.  Chong Kondolo was getting eaten up by the BYU DT, and why we did not put in Jerald Foster I do not know.  RB Terrell Newby came on late, but it sure looks like Mikhale Wilbon is the go to guy at running back, with Imani Cross able to add depth.  We did not see Ozigbo.  While Westerkamp was his normal brilliant self, other wideouts had moments, but did not play complete games. Turner had one good catch, and Moore did some things, but we will need them to step up beyond what we saw on Saturday. Freshman Stanley Morgan was only targeted once that I saw, and he delivered.  The defensive line play was solid, but there was no disruption to speak of, which was disappointing.  At defensive end, the play was not bad, and the emergence of Freedom Akinmoladun was exciting. Banderas played well at LB, but the freshman Dedrick Young stole the spotlight, having a great day. Luke Gifford held in there in place of suspended Micheal Rose-Ivey.  Senior CB Daniel Davie looked terrible against the tall and swift BYU receivers; however, outside of one bad play, Joshua Kalu played very well and is the man back there.  Nate Gerry played well, grabbing an interception.  The young secondary members looked like guys with little experience, which was the case.  Drew Brown at placekick was awful, and unless he turns on a dime, Riley will need to find somebody else in a hurry, as this is a major liability at the moment.  Sam Foltz was great, and Tyson Broekemier did well in his place after Foltz was injured. There was some excellent play calling, (the TD to Trey Foster of note), but there was also some head scratches. Plays running up the middle late were costly, and a few jet sweeps late to the near side seemed doomed from the start. An injury to TE David Sutton, which may keep him out 8 weeks, was an un-flagged cheap shot. While this loss stings, there were several good things to take away from it.  This team is learning a new system, had their moments, and barely lost to a decent football team. How the team builds upon it is what will matter. The defense needs work, as does the offensive line, but overall I liked a lot from what I saw.  A win at Miami gains importance, but the B1G West Division is winnable for this team, and that should be the goal.  I thought Nebraska would lose one it should not, and maybe this is it, with a whole season to expand on the lessons learned on this day.

FLORIDA STATE ANALYSIS

For the Seminoles, there was much to learn in the opener against Texas State, with the Bobcats being a high tempo team returning a signal caller who has completed 64% of his passes. FSU won 59-16. Defensively, the Seminoles passed the test.  The defensive line rotated throughout, with each player having their moments. DeMarcus Walker looked real good, as did Jacob Pugh. Lorenzo Featherston did not dress, but Josh Sweat and Giorgio Newberry played well.  Terrance Smith and Reggie Northrup hounded Bobcats, with Northrup great to see after recouping from injury.  Jalen Ramsey is a superstar, All America player who owned the field.  As we suspected, the secondary is deep and talented, and a team strength. Trey Marshall and Lamarcus Brutus had their named called often. Everett Golson was sharp, and excitement is appropriately building on how far he can take this team.  Golson, who was turnover prone at Notre Dame, was the consummate field general, protecting the ball, taking advantage of what was given and accurately assessing the field.  Golson's throws were sharp, and on target. and if he can continue to progress he has a high ceiling, along with the Seminoles. Dalvin Cook was brilliant, and Mario Pender came ready to play. Jonathan Vickers, and even Jacques Patrick ran strong.  The offensive line, an area of some concern, looked cohesive and sharp.  We know what we have in Roderick Johnson, but guards Kareem Are and Wilson Bell both played well.  Center Corey Martinez and tackle Brock Ruble, who at 6'8" 313 looked mean and mobile, also faired well, which was great to see.  JaVonn Harrison had his best game as a 'Nole, joining Travis Rudolph and Bobo Wilson as the leaders of the receiving core.  George Campbell had several late catches, and he may become a central factor before too long.  Kermit Whitfield is also ready to contribute. TE Ryan Izzo made some plays as well. FSU found it difficult to handle punts, finally settling on freshman Derwin James after two fumbles.  For the season opener with so many questions, the grade for FSU was a solid B+. Firing on all cylinders no; however, even as the Seminoles were playing an inferior opponent, the team responded well, did not look confused or rusty, and appeared to benefit from strong competition at a number of positions. The offensive line, a top area of concern, looked promising, as did Everett Golson.  We know FSU will get better as they go, but this was a sharp start and gives the faithful a twinkle in the eye.