Ohio State – This is what the rest of the conference was scared of. The Urban Meyer era got off to a great start against an overmatched Miami (OH) squad, and QB Braxton Miller looks like the perfect fit in Meyer’s offense.

Michigan State – Beating Boise State is no small task, and while QB Andrew Maxwell struggled in his debut, the Spartans still found a way to close the game out with a W. RB Le’Veon Bell simply could not be stopped in the second half, and looks like one of the best backs in the country.

Nebraska – QB Taylor Martinez has had productive days through the air like this before, but he has never looked as good doing it. With improved mechanics and confidence in his third year as a starter, Nebraska could make a run at the Big 10 championship.

Wisconsin – The Badgers were not supposed to struggle this much. Although they escaped their battle with Northern Iowa with a win, they do not appear to be the team they were a season ago. Fortunately, they have time to figure it out.

Michigan – The worst possible way for the Wolverines to start the year, as they were thoroughly outclassed by ‘Bama. Brady Hoke still has a talented squad to work with, but they will have to rediscover their confidence after the mess in Arlington.

Purdue – Eastern Kentucky is hardly an accurate measuring stick, but Purdue looked very impressive in a dominant 48-6 victory. They may have a bit of a QB controversy brewing with the big game by the long-forgotten Robert Marve.

Illinois – The Fighting Illini beat a good Western Michigan squad to start the season, but the biggest concern to come out of the game was the injury to QB Nathan Scheelhaase. New coach Tim Beckman has to be impressed with the defensive effort his team put up.

Northwestern – The Wildcats nearly blew a huge lead to Syracuse, but were bailed out by what looks like an explosive offense. Pat Fitzgerald cannot be happy with the way the defense performed in the second half.

Iowa – The Hawkeyes defense looked very sharp against Northern Illinois, but with James Vandenberg and the offense struggling so much, the D had to step up in a big way. Vandenberg’s 3.9 yards per attempt needs to go up dramatically.

Minnesota – The Gophers managed to outlast the Rebels on the road, winning 30-27 in the third overtime. The defense made a number of key plays to win the turnover battle.

Penn State – It is hard to imagine that the Nittany Lions could be the worst team in the conference, but after being defeated by Ohio, expectations have to be scaled back. It looks like it is going to be a long year for Bill O’Brien and Penn State.

Indiana – A win is a win, but the Hoosiers are going to need more than a one-touchdown victory over Indiana State to prove that they are improved from the team that went 1-11 last year.

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Ala

1. Alabama – The Crimson Tide showed that they are clearly on a different level than Michigan, as Alabama outclassed the Wolverines 41-14 in Arlington, Texas.
2. LSU – The Bayou Bengals routed North Texas despite having to endure Hurricane Isaac. LSU will continue to ride RBs Kenny Hilliard and Co. as long as they can while Zach Mettenberger gets up to speed.
3. Georgia – The defense gave up a few too many rushing yards to the Buffalo Bulls, but the Bulldogs appear to have a star in the making in freshman RB Todd Gurley, who scored three times in his Georgia debut.\
4. Arkansas – Defensively, the Razorbacks have things to work on. But with Tyler Wilson directing the show on offense, Arkansas can stay in almost any game.
5. South Carolina – Marcus Lattimore looked great in his first game back from ACL surgery last year, and the defense appears to be a dominant force, but Connor Shaw is already banged up and the passing game struggled even when he was healthy.
6. Tennessee – Head coach Derek Dooley had to like the way his team started the season, handling a solid NC State team with relative ease. Cordarrelle Patterson looks more than capable of filling in for the now-departed Da’Rick Rogers.
7. Florida – The Gators were a little underwhelming on offense, and the QB situation is hardly solved. But Florida’s D held up well against a good Bowling Green attack.
8. Missouri – SE Louisiana hardly put up a fight against the Tigers, who showed off a balanced offensive attack.
9. Mississippi State – The Bulldogs were opportunistic in their easy victory against an overwhelmed Jacksonville State squad.\
10. Auburn – The Tigers had to face a quality Clemson team in their season opener and held explosive QB Tajh Boyd in check. But Auburn is still searching for the right combinations on offense.
11. Texas A&M – The Aggies didn’t play this week after their game with LA Tech was postponed because of Hurricane Isaac. New coach Kevin Sumlin will make his A&M debut against Florida.
12. Ole Miss – It was an auspicious debut for both QB Bo Wallace and head coach Hugh Freeze, who reawakened the Rebels’ stagnant offense.
13.  Vanderbilt – The Commodores were a few bad breaks from upsetting a Top 10 team in the Gamecocks. While they won’t challenge for the SEC East title, they still need to be taken seriously each week.
14.   Kentucky –It was not a good start for the Wildcats, who could not get any breaks against their in-state rival. Despite the loss, new starting QB Maxwell Smith had a productive day.

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With August finally here, the smell of the turf is beginning to permeate through college campuses around the nation as college football is set to return.  There have been several noteworthy stories lately that seem to be buzzing through the college football community and here are just a few of what we felt were some of the most important of these developments.

USC-

The Trojans are one of the most fired up teams entering the 2012 season due to the fact that they are entering their first year free from NCAA sanctions that have kept them out of bowl games the past 2 seasons.  They are returning quite possibly the best quarterback and the best duo of receivers in the entire country and just recently learned that they added a new piece to their already talented puzzle.  This piece is former Penn State University running back Silas Redd who gained over 1,200 rushing yards last season and along with the Trojans Curtis McNeal will give USC a duo of 1,000+ yard rushers and receivers; to go along with a Heisman front running quarterback.  With USC already the Pre-Season #1 in most polls this contribution will only reinforce how phenomenal this team could potentially be, now the only question is can they live up to it.

Penn State-

After months of speculation the sanctions against Penn State University have become official.  These sanctions include a 60 million dollar fine that will go towards a program intended to combat child molestation.  As well, they have a 4-year bowl ban and were forced to vacate all wins between 1998 and the current day.  Finally, Penn State essentially has to cut the amount of available scholarships in half, from 20 to 10, over the next 4 years.  With their star running back, Silas Redd, abandoning ship along with other important players the Nittany Lions could be permanently removed from any semblance of a “golden era” and are now a program that will be forever clouded in controversy.

LSU/Alabama-

Last years two best teams once again hold the top spots in the Coaches poll, with LSU owning a slight lead.  The USC Trojans are right on their heels however as they have more first place votes but less overall points than the following two teams.  If both of these teams can maintain these national ranking positions until playing one another we could likely see another all-SEC BCS National Championship Game.

For more information and updates on the 2012 college football schedule, we well as great deals on college football tickets, visit Big Will Tickets today!