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Editor's note
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ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit's weekly First ... And 10 column takes you around college football with a look at one of the big topics of the week first followed by 10 quick observations to get you ready for the football weekend.
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First ... Leading up to the Nebraska-Notre Dame game, I talked about how I expected the Irish to give a great effort, playing at home and being the big underdog. It didn't shock me they were able to stay in the game; but the way they stayed in the game, taking the No. 1 team in the country into overtime, was shocking.
They were down 21-7 and got the big kickoff return from Julius Jones and then the punt return from Joey Getherall. There was an eerie feeling some magic was happening in South Bend that afternoon. But Nebraska kept their hopes of running the table and a possible national championship alive by being able to get it done in OT.
The message for the Cornhuskers is that they need to go back to the drawing board with their offense. The days of lining up and being able to blow people off the ball are over. The 'Huskers are going to have to add a little more imagination to the offense and help Eric Crouch be less predictable.
Nebraska needs to prove they can win, and win big on the road against good teams under Frank Solich. During Solich's tenure, the 'Huskers had lost each time they've played ranked teams on the road (Texas A&M, Kansas State and Texas) prior to beating the Irish, and still lack a killer instinct. Solich isn't solely responsible for their road misfortune. It's easy for the media and the folks in Lincoln to point to Solich, but in truth, he's not doing anything differently than what Tom Osbourne would have done. Solich will need to help his players get that killer instinct back soon because they have upcoming trips to Norman and Manhattan.
Before I heard about Arnaz Battle's injury, I was excited about this Notre Dame team. No one likes moral victories, but you have to think the Irish walked away from the Nebraska game believing in themselves. At the beginning of the year, I thought the Irish could go 9-2 potentially, and their effort against the 'Huskers only confirmed my feeling.
However, with the loss of Grant Irons and now Battle, the Irish are in a tough position to recover from. They played with so much heart and character against Nebraska; now they are going to have to reach down again and try to get it done without two of their best players on both sides of the ball.
|  | | The Longhorns need Major Applewhite's experience in the huddle. |
And 10. I've said this since Aug. 1, and I will say it again today: when you have an experienced quarterback like Major Applewhite, he needs to be the starting quarterback. Believing Applewhite should start does not mean you don't believe Chris Simms is a great quarterback who could be a future NFL first-round pick and a superstar.
But right now for Texas football, there is nothing that can replace experience at the quarterback position. When you have a guy who has 25 career starts under his belt versus a guy who has two, it makes no difference how much ability the guy who has two starts possesses, you go with the guy who has more experience if he's healthy. Applewhite had the hurt knee last year, but now he's healthy and ready to go.
Not only is Applewhite competitive, he has a better understanding of the offense than anyone else. He's like a coach on the field. Last week he demonstrated his accuracy, his competitive spirit and how the team responds to him in the huddle. Often the picture painted of Applewhite is that he's just a gritty competitor without much ability.
Standing next to Chris Simms -- who's 6-foot-5, 225 pounds and has a rifle -- he's not going to look like a prototypical NFL quarterback. But he was last year's Big 12 offensive player of the year. It's not like Applewhite is just a journeyman who happens to have experience. The guy is talented.
There is no question Simms is going to be a great player, he has all the tools you'd ever want. But this has nothing to do with Chris Simms. This situation is similar to what Michigan went through last year with Tom Brady and Drew Henson. Everybody knew Henson was going to be a future superstar, and there was nothing wrong with getting Henson his reps, but not at the expense of consistency at the starting quarterback position. It should have been Brady for Michigan last year; he should have played all the way through and when he didn't, I think it cost Michigan a chance at the national title.
This year in Texas, if they can get Simms a chance to get some reps in for the future, by all means they should. But right now the starting job should be Major Applewhite's. There should be no questions from the media in Austin or anywhere in Texas: "Who Mack Brown is going to go with?" Or "Who's it going to be this week?" It's Applewhite's job. Period.
9. We all knew Marques Tuiasosopo was a talented quarterback. His ability has never been questioned, only the style of receivers Washington has was suspect. The Huskies don't really have a go-to guy who can get deep.
I thought Miami's defense would be able to slow down Washington's offense, obviously I was mistaken. Washington did some great things offensively, and I was surprised they were able to get the ball thrown down field. Tuiasosopo proved he is their entire offense. It is built around him; anything they've been able to accomplish is because of Tuiasosopo's ability to run and throw. But Jeremy Stevens had a big day too.
Although Miami is very talented on both sides of the ball, Ken Dorsey is having a tough time. This was his first real test -- on the road as a starter -- and he looked like he may have lost a little of his composure. Dorsey had a tough time dealing with the elements: the crowd, the noise, the long road trip, and the Washington defensive pressure. I'm sure he'd love to have that game back.
If the 'Canes are able to refocus and play hard the next few weeks, Dorsey will get an opportunity to play in another big game. Right now he needs to focus on composure and poise because they go to Morgantown next week to play West Virginia before they head home to take on Florida State.
8. The Pac-10 is off to a great start. The way Washington beat Miami, being able to control the tempo of the game and take advantage of playing at Husky Stadium, was not only a big win for Rick Neuheisel and the Huskies, it was a big win for the Pac-10. Oregon lost, but gave Wisconsin everything they could handle in the Badgers' own back yard. USC was able to beat Colorado at home. Unfortunately for the conference, Arizona didn't really have it against a pretty good Ohio State team.
The Pac 10 went 2-2 in a very big weekend and has a minimum of four very talented teams (USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon). Although it was down the past couple years, with young players, the conference is now reaping the rewards of having experienced players. This proves college football is a cyclical business and when you have young teams, you're obviously going to struggle. But when those guys grow up, you're able to come back with experience and do some things.
7. If you only saw the score of the Virginia Tech win over East Carolina (45-28), you'd think Michael Vick must have exploded for a Heisman-campaign evening, throwing four TDs and running for two. But the Hokies aren't just the Michael Vick show.
Virginia Tech is back to its old tricks, winning games the way it always does -- by playing great defense, letting the offense do some damage, and making big plays on special teams. Last year the defense led the way and Vick and the offense had enough athletic ability to make the Hokies a dangerous team. But they lost almost 10 starters from a year ago, and people questioned if they were going to be OK on defense, and if Vick was the only weapon they had.
They proved to the country last Thursday night that their defense, while inexperienced, is very athletic. Virginia Tech is rising up the charts of legitimate contenders, and it's not just because of Vick. What makes them scary is that they scored 45 points -- and Vick hardly did anything. Lee Suggs, an incredible talent at tailback who has tremendous ability, had a huge night. The defense is relatively untested, but has the potential to be phenomenal. It's not only Vick who is ready to lead the way.
You don't want to get carried away, but you have to like what you've seen from Virginia Tech.
6. Michigan looks like a legitimate national championship contender. The impressive thing is that the Wolverines are doing it early without quarterback Drew Henson.
John Navarre has stepped in and not missed a beat, leading the nation in passing efficiency in his first two collegiate starts. Critics could say he's putting these unreal numbers up against cupcakes like Rice and Bowling Green, but I'll challenge anybody to get under center in front of 100,000 people at the Big House. I don't care what kind of defense you're going against, it's a scary thing to do and Navarre has looked very poised leading the Wolverines.
Now comes Navarre's first big-time test; on the road, in a hallowed stadium, against a UCLA team that is the real deal. The Bruins will upset Navarre and the Wolverines.
5. Anytime Florida and Tennessee get together there is always excitement. Even though neither team has a lot of fireworks coming into this game, it's still going to be exciting. Both are led by their defense. The Gators return 10 starters from a year ago, and look to be competitive on the road and play great defensive football. Even though Tennessee lost so many guys to the NFL, because of the way they recruit, the Vols are able to plug in some fresh talent. Florida should win, but expect a low-scoring game. How the quarterbacks perform will dictate the outcome.
4. Losing Arnaz Battle is obviously a big blow to Notre Dame -- he was the Irish offense. As much as they like to run the ball, the passing game wasn't something they could always rely on. But they always were able to rely on Battle's ability to scramble. To take that element away from their offense really hurt their chances of succeeding, not only this week against Purdue, but for the rest of the season.
Converted tight end Gary Godsey will try to lead the Irish offensively. I expect the offense to run the football with Julius Jones and Tony Fischer, and rely on play-action from Godsey. You won't see as much option football. Purdue's young defense will be totally geared to stopping the running game and making Godsey throw the ball. The Boilermakers bring a completely different attack than anything the Irish have seen thus far. They have lots of finesse, Drew Brees throwing the ball out of the shotgun, four receiver sets, etc. Purdue will win.
3. The true test for the Washington Huskies isn't Rick Neuheisel coming back to Boulder for the first time -- it's if they can come down to earth after the emotional high of proving to the country in the upset against Miami that they are a team to be reckoned with. Although Colorado is off to an 0-2 start, the Buffs are still very athletic. The Buffs have their backs against a wall and will be excited at the chance to beat their old coach in their home opener. Marcus Houston came in with a lot of hype, but he is worthy of it. This kid is the real deal. I think Colorado will win at home.
2. Which brings me to the Upset Alert. Again, these are games that have the potential for an upset (incidentally, I was 2-3 last week):
Washington at Colorado: The Buffs come home to get their first win of the year and upset their former coach.
Michigan at UCLA: Young Michigan quarterback John Navarre faces his first real test on the road. How will he respond?
Southern Miss at Alabama: Although I think 'Bama will win, this game is always a close one. The potential exists.
1. Two of the elite teams in college football, Nebraska and Florida State, both struggled this past weekend. We continue to talk about parity in college football and how no team can take any other team lightly. And we're not just seeing parity in the middle of the college football road; we're seeing it all over the country. Florida State and Nebraska are two teams many people expected to roll through the schedule and meet in the Orange Bowl.
But we may not have an undefeated team at the end of the year. When a team like Alabama or Miami (Fla.) loses early, they should maintain their focus, because with nine or 10 weeks of football remaining, unexpected things are going to happen. For a team like Alabama, who had so many expectations, to get derailed early, there is a clear message: Stay focused and continue to play hard because these days anyone can get beat and there might be two one-loss teams playing for the national title.
All summer these teams think about a national championship and an undefeated season. But if they lose their first game, it takes a pretty mature team and a coaching staff that has a good handle on the their emotions to be able to erase the loss. The ability to start over and recognize that there is still a lot to accomplish can test the character and fabric of a team.
Kirk Herbstreit is a football analyst on College Gameday and his First ... And 10 will run every Friday.
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