Parity or Mediocrity?

Oregon 39 Michigan 7. It wasn’t that close, though. That followed last week’s loss to 1-AA Appalachian State, called by some the greatest upset ever. What’s going on here? Is it the parity promised by the NCAA’s scholarship-limiting rule change a few years ago? Perhaps. A result of early exodus to the NFL? (Michigan’s can’t claim that one, with the voluntary return of a raft of senior skill players.) Global warming? Eighty degrees in September is routine in Michigan. I’d guess it’s Dubya; got to be.

It goes beyond Michigan, of course. Miami beat Marshall last week (whoopee!) and has seen hard times of late, but Oklahoma 51, the Hurricanes 13?

Florida State lost its opener to Clemson. That’s not a huge surprise, but today they trailed the University of Alabama – Birmingham into the third quarter before escaping 34-24. How good is UAB, you ask? The Blazers lost last week to Michigan State (a middling kind of team) 55-18. Once moribund South Carolina, resurgent under coach Steve Spurrier but unranked in 2007, upset No. 11 Georgia. After scoring only 13 at home, those are some very unhappy Dawgs. Adding to the carnage is the late overtime upset of Auburn. Our friend Bobby Star Eyes will be in mourning tonight.

Notre Dame’s dropped its first two, the opener 33-3 to Georgia Tech, a good team, but once quite appropriately called the Rambling Wreck. Today, the Nittany Lions mauled the Irish 31-10. Minnesota tried to imitate its record-setting 31 point Insight Bowl meltdown but slipped by Miami (Ohio) in three overtimes. That’s five extra periods to earn a 1-1 split against the Mid America Conference.

Next week it’s Notre Dame at Michigan. They've combined to give up 137 points while scoring only 51, all but 20 of those against a 1-AA opponent. One of these has-beens is going to be 0-3.

We were in Las Vegas before the bowl season last winter and smugly bet a parley card. Two of those “sure thing” picks were Ohio State, and – you guessed it – Michigan. Couldn’t lose. Right. Got skinned.

Heard on the Michigan-Oregon broadcast, “The Wolverines’ defense can’t handle the spread offense.” Hmmmm. The Rodents play the spread. Nah. The Maize and Blue won’t slip that far, will they?