At least, for Michigan. The Wolverines found their defense and shut out Notre Dame for their first win in three home games. The Irish, now 0-3, won the title for Most Disappointing Team, and head to Michigan State next week. It looks to be a long season for Charlie, Jimmy & company. Michigan took a small step toward restoring respectability, and backed up Hart’s promise for a W.
Overall, Saturday was a great day for football (and I enjoyed it a bit more than Sunday — see TheWittyOne’s comments below). Iowa State beat Iowa on a last second field goal, and I will try to forget that the Hawkeyes ran the ball to the Cyclones’ 20 on the ensuing kickoff with 0:01 on the clock. Ohio State decided to wait until the second half, but beat up on the Huskies. Notre Dame was embarrassed. Central Florida nearly upset the Longhorns. Arkansas and ‘Bama featured an exciting finish. Utah staged a convincing upset of UCLA. And the first half of USC/Nebraska was fun to watch.
And to top it off, my Illini have a real road win on their record — against a power conference team! Yes, I realize Syracuse is ranked almost at the bottom of D-1 teams in terms of offense, and that their defense isn’t much better, but a win is a win, and a convincing win on the road is a great confidence-builder for a young team heading into conference play.
I will admit that there were some painful moments, like having to admit that USC is a very talented team. And watching Duke (did you know they have a football team?) break their multi-season losing streak on the road at Northwestern. But that’s the fun of the college game.
