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| Monday, September 21 The Fans Speak -- Week 3 ESPN.com |
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What does it take to be a college football fan? Aside from a tailgate, a barbecue and a jersey of your favorite team, it's an opinion on what happened on Saturday. In our third week of collecting comments from around the country, the opinions came at us like an option attack -- from all sides. Here's a look at some of the responses from ESPN.com users:
God Bless college football ... This is the best time of the year.
Paul Robinson
This has become the year of survival in college football. The undefeated teams should be happy to just have the wins. Seems like more and more unpredictable upsets happen every week.
C. Coleman
I love this overtime thing. It brings a lot of excitement to the game. I almost had a heart attack flipping between UF-Tennessee and VT-Miami.
Greg Whyte
Way too early to start talking about Heisman. Kinda like Christmas in September. Lay off the Heisman and start talking about teams -- this is a team sport.
B.J. Moore
What if OSU, UCLA, KSU and Tennessee finish undefeated? What a playoff it would be!
E. Estes
Kansas State is without a doubt head and shoulders above the rest of the country. Sports writers continue to point at a week schedule. Florida played NE Louisiana. Ohio State played Toledo. They are looking for any excuse to delay the inevitable. Kansas State will be the only unbeaten team on January 2, 1999.
Bob Kultgen
When will Kansas State get some respect? The AP voters never give Kansas State any credit. A person would think after a 47-7 dismantling of Texas that K-State proved a much better, well-rounded team than UCLA. Ricky Willams even said K-State is a much stronger and a more physical team than UCLA. Why would Tennessee jump above Kansas State? Maybe the AP voters should take a hint from the ESPN/Coaches Poll -- they obviously know more about football.
Andy Kleiber
The K-State arrogance has been taken to a new level after their lopsided win over the defenseless Texas Longhorns. Now that they have beaten up on a so called "credible" team they are making the claim that they have the best defense in the country and the best special teams in the country. Although the special teams claim does have some merit, the defensive claim is still a long ways from being proven. I enjoy seeing this program continue in its winning ways but the boastful claims need to wait until Jan. 5.
T.J. Henken
K-State does not deserve the baggage it is getting around the country. You do not see people bagging on UF for playing The Citadel and NE Lousiana. K-State is not proud of its non-conference schedule, but who wants to come to Manhattan, for little revenue if you are a big school? You experts should try to schedule people in here. Nobody wants to come and get waxed by a good team and not get paid for it. K-State is a great team this year. That is what matters. In addition, Bill Snyder is a marvelous man. Not just a great coach. He did something special for a young man, because the opportunity was there (Martin Gramatica's field goal opportunity). The opposing coach understood that. It had nothing to do with three points. So please quit the hammering. I have a headache.
Steven C. Wilkinson
Did the AP voters have a simultaneous brain lapse? Kansas St. demolished Texas with an impressive display of offense, defense, and special teams, the likes of which are comparable to the great Nebraska teams of the last four years!
Mike Willard
I am starting to believe Kansas State's coach is smarter than we think. Not only are they playing well, they're healthy. He hasn't sacrificed his players on the altar of national prominence.
Randy Bombardier
I traveled to the Missouri-Ohio St. game on Saturday and I have a few comments. I was amazed at the unbelievable atmosphere generated by the Buckeye fans. From the tailgating to the game, it was a classic experience that I know I will never will forget. About the game, not many people gave Mizzou a chance and we showed at least for three quarters that we could make things happen against a powerhouse program. I think the experience will benefit ol'Mizzou because I don't think there is a better team in the country than Ohio State. Thanks Ohio St. for the memories. Go Tigers!!
Mark Tipton
I think Ohio State showed their vulnerability this week. With Penn State coming off a bye week, look for the Lions to shock the Buckeyes in Columbus.
Manny Tsikalas
In 1994 I became a student at Ohio State. In 1997 I left Ohio State after my graduation and went back to Indonesia. But in 1998 I am still with the game. This year's Buckeyes team is as good as the 1995 team when Bob Hoying, Terry Glenn, and Eddie George became the venom in the offense. This time, we have Germaine, Boston, and Wiley. De Ja Vu? Yes and No. Yes, because these two teams will not make it to the Rose Bowl. No, because this year's team will make it to the Fiesta Bowl and will become the champion. Sorry Nebraska, this year is Buckeyes' year.
Dian Susanto
How can Michael Wiley not be in the top 10 in Heisman candidates? For goodness sake, he has more yards rushing than Donovan McNabb has passing. Not to mention that he has more than doubled Ron Dayne's rushing output, and has 200 more yards than Ricky Williams. Of course he hasn't played against Ohio U., or UNLV, two of the nations tougher defensive squads ... ahem.
Rusty Hodgkiss
Could somebody please explain to me why the Tennessee Vols are ranked only 4th in the nation after beating No. 2 Florida , while Kansas St., which has played glorified high school teams and a mediocre Texas team, is ranked above them. Dont believe the hype, if Kansas St. beats Nebraska then by all means put them in the top 5, but scoring 77 points on teams like NE Louisiana doenst make you a top ranked contender.
Bryan Leistner
So Tennesee beat Florida. Whoop de doo. That's just one game. They acted like they won the national championship. Let's see, they still have to go through the rest of the SEC which is the toughest conference in all the land. (Sorry all you Big Ten and Big XII fans.) There is no way that Tennesse can run through the SEC. Sure, they might win the East Division, but then they still have to play in the conference title game. All in all, Tennesee will fold in the end just like always.
Josh Mackey
I am a die hard Gator fan and rarely disagree with anything Steve Spurrier does. But I have to question his decision to alternate QBs throughout the whole game. Jesse Palmer was by far having a better night than Doug Johnson. Palmer was 12 for 12 until the middle of the third quarter. Tennessee played thier hearts out but the Gators beat themselves.
Norman Terry Jr.
I'm still reeling from Tennessee's victory over Florida. One word: incredible. It was one of the greatest games I've ever watched.
Ben Fletcher
It was good to see Purdue's defense step up and stop Daunte Culpepper from having a field day. Here we come Notre Dame!
William N. Crum
Daunte Culpepper has been exposed as the most overrated quarterback in the country. His one chance to shine and he shows no fire, no heart, no anything. Purdue's defensive line spent the entire game in his face. Fourth and inches on the goal line and he throws the ball away. If Culpepper is a Heisman candidate, then Purdue QB Drew Brees should save room on his trophy shelf for three of them.
Matthew Reimer
Don't look now but the Big XII is looking strong right now. The Big XII champion may not be Nebraska or Kansas State. Texas A&M is looking very strong. Saturday the Wrecking Crew completely dominated Southern Mississippi. This defense hasn't looked this good since 1991, when they were the top defense in the nation. Shane Lechler may be the best punter ever. He averaged 50 yards a punt in bad weather. The Oct. 10 game verses Nebraska looks winnable. Texas is just plain bad. I hope they're ready for another 4-7 season.
Billy Hooks
The Baylor Bears are on the rise! In the battle against North Carolina State, Baylor's QB was explosive. His "tuck-and-run" ability is just what Baylor fans have been looking for.
Bo Richardson
Now we'll see if the Pac-10 can prove itself. Three undefeated teams (Washington, UCLA and USC) play three of the top programs of the recent past (Nebraska, Miami and Florida State, respectively). As a USC fan, I'm pulling for all three; let's shift the balance of power due west! And Oregon & Arizona don't look so bad, either.
Graham Friday
The UCLA Bruins are going to be a team to be reckoned with in both the Pac-10 picture and the national title one as well. The only teams that might defeat the Bruins are Washington and USC ... but if the Bruins win those games and go undefeated in the regular season, they should be either the top-ranked or second-ranked team in the nation (if there is another undefeated team). The Bruins should then be Fiesta bound and WILL claim their second national football title.
Moin Salahuddin
In spite of the two losses to good teams (Alabama and Washington), watch for BYU to make a strong showing as the season progresses and into the postseason. Their defense showed it can stuff the Pac-10 Heisman candidates and make them look ordinary, and Rob Morris is a big-time linebacker. If they can ever get their offense in sync, they will give ANY team in the country a good postseason game.
David Peterson
I believe that Air Force has got to be one of the hottest teams in the nation, and they will continue to get better. How many other teams could come back from a 17-0 deficient in the second quarter win 30-27? They have a balanced team: an offense that can, and will score against just about any team, and a defense that can stop or slow down virtually any team. Barring any mental breakdowns, Air Force goes undefeated, and let's see if they get a Bowl Championship Series invitation.
Chris Harris
What a horrible day for the state of Florida! Of their four Divison I-A football schools, three lost on national TV. Purdue beat Central Florida easily, Virginia Tech beats Miami at the Orange Bowl in overtime, while Tennessee was too much for Florida. Luckily, FSU saved the day. I wonder if that ever happened before?
P.J. Pietrandrea
Now that all the loudmouth southern teams (aka Florida and Florida State) have been humbled we don't have to listen to them crow about how good they think they are. The rest of us can sit back and see how it all turns out. These last two weeks show why you play the games on the field and not on paper or on the internet chat room sites where one fan tries to put another fans program down. Just let us enjoy our own teams and see how it turns out!
Scott Mason
After these first three crazy weeks of college pigskin, I thinks there's no doubt that the national champion will have a blemish on its record. Conferences like the Big Ten, Pac-10, SEC, and the ACC are so wide open that I find it unlikely that a contender will go through without being upset in their own conference. So don't give up on the Gators or Seminoles just yet.
Waylon Safranski
I think that the Iowa State Cyclones are out to shock alot of people this year. This past week we beat a Ball State team by a score of 38-0. The ISU defense was awesome and not to mention Darren Davis had 200 yards rushing. That is two weeks in a row in which he has broken the 200-yard mark (244 against Iowa and 200 against Ball State), and Iowa was supposed to have one of the top defensive lines, led by Jared Devries. Watch out for Davis as the Heisman Trophy sleeper this year.
Curt Schroeder
Texas Tech's Ricky Williams should be considered a candidate for the Doak Walker award. He may be better than Bam Morris and Byron Hanspard. As a sophmore he is continuing the trend of great running backs at Texas Tech. Unlike the last two Red Raider running backs, Ricky Williams is a good student too.
Brian Willis
Yes, there is life after Randy Moss at Marshall! Chad Pennington led Marshall to a 24-21 victory over SEC South Carolina at Columbia before more than 78,000 fans. Chad has Marshall started with a 3-0 record, and pretty good stats for the "most overrated" player in the MAC. He has completed 71 of 103 passes for 904 total yards, eight TDs, and no interceptions! Open your eyes people, he is for real! Randy has special talent, but Chad does too.
Joe Smith
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