Observations from the first week of the 2009-2010 season

Some of the key observations from the first week of the new college football season:

• The Florida Gators are clearly the team to beat with their team playing well collectively as they thrashed Charleston Southern 62-3. Even though this wasn't a good enough test to truly determine whether the Gators are the team to beat, both sides of the ball played balanced throughout the game.
  

• Oklahoma clearly needs Sam Bradford more than we originally thought. Bradford's shoulder sprain in the middle of the second quarter against BYU was the turning point in the game and the Sooner offense wasn't the same as Oklahoma ended up losing 14-13. On Monday morning, coach Bob Stoops stated that Sam Bradford won't need surgery on his shoulder. The Sooners have a managable schedule with Idaho State and Tulsa before they travel to Miami to take on the Hurricanes where they hope Bradford will be back.
  

• Ohio State is in for a long night next week against USC if they play defense the same way they did against Navy. The fact that the Buckeyes even allowed Navy to come back when they had a 13 point lead with less than five minutes left in the game makes me wonder whether Ohio State is worthy of their No. 6 ranking in the top 25. Terrelle Pryor is a freak of an athlete with surprising strength, but his offensive line needs to protect his weak side even better if they are going to put up a fight against USC.

• The ACC had 7 teams lose their first game of the season with Duke and Virginia losing to Richmond and William & Mary, respectively. This is the same conference that had 10 out of the 12 teams represented in bowl games last postseason. It may only be the first week of the new college football season, but one has to worry when two teams in your own conference can't beat teams in the former Division I-AA.
  

• Cincinnati is the team to beat in the Big East after watching the Bearcats dismantle Rutgers in the early game on Labor Day. They had one holdover from last year's championship team and yet their defense looks quicker and nastier than last year. The Bearcats have two tough road games at South Florida and Pittsburgh and possibly two tough games at home against Connecticut and West Virginia. I believe the Bearcats first test will be against South Florida on October 15, but their road game in Corvallis against Oregon State could be a trap game for the Bearcats.
  

• Miami and Florida State look as if they are coming back to relevance as they capped what was an eventful first week of college football with a thrilling finish with no time remaining as Miami escaped Tallahassee with a 38-34 win. Watching this game reminded me why college football is fun to watch. The drama that is involved as you're willing your team to win with every cheer and breath one exudes is something that every fan of any sport can relate to. It was one of those games where you didn't want either team to lose. This year's Miami vs. Florida State game is an instant classic that will be remembered as one of the best college football games of the decade.
  

• The NCAA needs to eliminate the pre-game handshake between teams, especially if they are rival teams as it takes away the fierceness and nastiness of a rivalry. I understand the NCAA is promoting good sportsmanship this week, but they already show good sportsmanship with shaking of the hands after the final whistle is blown. I don't see any other sport that does this and I believe it is pointless. Clearly, the handshake between Oregon and Boise State before this past Thursday's game didn't matter as there was a scuffle at the end of the game with Oregon running back Lagarrette Blount punching a Boise State defensive end and then getting into a verbal altercation with a fan as he exited the stadium with police escorts.
  

If this week is any indication, this year will be an exciting one as each game should be very competitive and drama-filled. Here's to an exciting year.