Hogue Report: Post Notre Dame

USC dominated the Irish.  Settling for a few early field goals made it closer at half (13-7) than it should have been, and then – after leading 34-14 with 13:00 left in the fourth quarter – USC, with Pac-10 officials who again prove how bad they are, decide to help out Notre Dame with penalties that fueled Irish drives and a turnover deep in USC territory.    For Irish fans and the media who are crediting Notre Dame for keeping it close, I agree that they fought they good fight and Golden Tate is a serious talent, but this was all about SC.  Final yards:  501 for USC to 367 for Notre Dame.   Clausen was sacked 5 times.  The Trojans caused 4 fumbles (none recovered).  For years, those of us who have played in the game, and fans and media who have watched for years keep saying there’s something about playing Notre Dame, especially in South Bend, and that strange things happen… and while Pete Carroll the last few years seems to have moved past that with dominating performances, Saturday showed just what happens sometimes, and that any victory against the Irish should be appreciated.  And maybe it will be enough for Charlie Weis to keep his job, which would be a great thing for the Trojans.  (Just remember, in 5-years, he has only beaten one team that ended the year ranked in the Top-25.  Go Charlie.)

The best news for Trojans fans was the play of the offense, and particularly their quarterback Matt Barkley who was clearly the best California quarterback on the field.  Clausen is a good QB, no doubt.  But he’s not Matt Barkley – period.  Having watched Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford, and even Tim Tebow (all three of whom continue to struggle while playing on experienced offenses), Barkley has a future – I believe – brighter than any of them.  He is poised, has a relaxed confidence, and his talent level is off the charts.  There really isn’t a throw this kid can’t make.  His play to Anthony McCoy (touch more than arm strength) in the face of the blitz on 3rd and 1 was not a play many quarterbacks make.

With his maturation, you see this offense really beginning to hit its stride… yet, still, they seem to just be scratching the surface.  The balance of the offense was terrific, and the only times we were slowed was when the Irish knew we were going to run and brought 9-players within a few yards of the line.  But the combination of Barkley throwing the ball all over the field, McKnight and Bradford running, and the line doing a great job opening holes and protecting, you can feel them getting better by the week.

Coming into this season, so many teams had such high expectations.  What happened?  I’m not surprised that teams have off-weeks and struggle in a game every now and then… but I don’t see many teams executing on a consistently high level anywhere.  Florida – with tons of returners from last year’s national championship team – is playing one of the easiest schedules in the country and (yes, including most of their conference games) and DO NOT look good.  They are wholly-reliant on Tim Tebow, and as good as he is bulling his way through defenses, his passing is terrible and when teams load up to stop him, their team struggles mightily.  They needed Arkansas to miss two field goals as well as a phantom pass interference call in order to survive at home on Saturday.  Texas, also playing one of the easiest schedules in the country, looks bad as well.  If Boise State can’t be ranked higher than 5 even though they are undefeated, couldn’t we have a similar ceiling for Texas at #5 or 6?  There’s no way they deserve to be ranked any higher.  Alabama looks to be the most complete team, but they hardly look unbeatable.   Virginia Tech looked to be pulling away from the ACC pack, but Saturday they were run all over by Georgia Tech.  

In the midst of this, USC is quietly improving every week and making their annual argument to be the best 1-loss team in the country, and the team that – more than anyone else – no one wants to play.  The Trojans will likely be #4 in the BCS standings as they get released this week, and given the likely surprises will happen in the weeks ahead (prediction – Oklahoma State beats Texas in the ultimate all-orange Halloween game), the Trojans will control their destiny.

One game at a time, Trojans.  One game at a time.

For this week, here is the Hogue Report Top 10 (remember, it’s based on which team would win on a neutral field, and is based on my rarely-wrong opinion… not media bias or conference loyalties):

1.    Alabama (most complete team right now)
2.    USC (with the offense gelling and the top-notch defense, I think they beat anyone but Alabama… but give me a few weeks and that may change)
3.    Florida (their defense is good, their offense is good against most… but hard to tell with who they’ve played)
4.    Cincinnati (explosive offense + strong defense, strong resume and good road wins)
5.    Boise State (they play to the level of their competition, but they come to play in the big games)
6.    Texas (they have yet to play really well, and looked bad on Saturday)
7.    Iowa (great defense and special teams and strong wins over Penn State and Arizona)
8.    Oregon (if they get by Washington on Saturday, Halloween could mean a top-ten battle in Eugene)
9.    TCU (Playing great football, with BYU and Utah still to come on the schedule)
10.    Oklahoma State (Beat by a good and difficult-to-defend Houston team, but with several good victories.  They can score and defend)

Onto Oregon State.