The morning after

It's the Sunday after college football's opening Saturday, which means it's time for second guessing, ridicule and unqualified analysis. We have a lot to cover.

First off, the No.1 Georgia Bulldogs opened their season against Georgia Southern in Athens. First off, let me just say that the tailgating scene on North Campus looked more like a big-time SEC game than a season opener against a FCS Subdivision team.

The pregame festivities were pretty much the same as last season. The most interesting part was probably the introduction of "Loran's Best", or Uga VII as he's known to Dawg fans. After a solemn video montage in honor of Uga VI, we witnessed what was called (and I can't make this up) a "transfer of power." Uga VII was officially the new mascot and proceeded to pass out on a giant bag of ice for most of the game.

The game itself went much as expected. Georgia scored on their first posession and several posessions after that. AJ Green made a solid debut, including an acrobatic touchdown grab from Joe Cox. Knowshon Moreno battle cramps on his way to three touchdowns. Matthew Stafford was extremely sharp as he racked up 275 passing yards. Unfortunately, all was not well for the Bulldogs. Defensive tackle Jeff Owens left the game in the first quarter with a knee injury. Early indications are that Owens' injury could be season-ending. That would be a tough loss for Georgia, as Owens was a key member of that thinning Bulldog D-Line. The Dawgs will be without DT Kade Weston until at least the South Carolina game, so it will be interesting to see how they handle the loss of Owens. Overall, Georgia did a solid job of taking care of an inferior opponent. From a fan's standpoint, the game was absolutely miserable due to the fact that it was roughly 140 degrees Between the Hedges.

Missouri and Illinois met in St. Louis for one the day's other big games. Apparently, neither team's defense got the memo, as the Tigers and Illini combined for 93 points. Weren't we supposed to believe that Gary Pinkel's Mizzou defense was much-improved to match his high-powered offense? Apparently not. Mizzou did manage to outslug the Illini and keep their hopes of a national title in tact.

One of the themes of Saturday was the ACC proving it is nowhere near the level of the SEC, Big 12, Pac-10 or apparently, Conference USA. Lou Holthz's son Skip's Eastern Carolina opened their season with an upset of No. 17 Virginia Tech in Charlotte. Remember, VT was picked to finish near the top of the ACC, if not win the conference. USC traveled to Charlottesville for an aboslute slaughtering of Virginia. Mark Sanchez and Joe McKnight carved up the Cavs for 52 points. Of course, USC is one of the best teams in the nation. On the other hand, Virginia put up about as much of a fight as Verne Troyer would against Chuck Lidell.

The icing on the ACC's giant cake of failure took place in Atlanta, where No. 9 Clemson met No. 24 Alabama. Clemson was the popular pick to win the ACC and contend for the BCS title. Alabama was picked by most to finish third in the SEC...West. What occured in the Georgia Dome was a mid-level SEC team laying the wood to the ACC's best, as Bama drubbed the Tigers 34-10. Tommy Bowdon dug himself a nice hole early by giving the game's first carry to a true freshman because he had promised it to him during recruiting. Of course, the kid fumbled and Clemson found themselves down 10-0 very quickly. A 10-0 deficit is hardly a death sentence, except Clemson decided not to fight back. Tommy Bowdon wowed the nation by orchestrating the Tigers' annual choke job in the first game of the season. John Parker Wilson looked extremely sharp, proving that lush, fluffy bangs don't affect a quarterback's ability to thread the needle.

Remember folks, this was a middle-of-pack SEC team that beat Clemson (granted, Bama may turn out to be a lot better than we thought and Clemson could be a lot worse). That would be the equivalent of Georgia Tech, North Carolina or Maryland beating Georgia, Florida or LSU by three touchdowns. In other words, it would never happen. The ACC may soon find itself fighting the WAC and Big East for credibility.