Random thoughts from this past weekend that may interest only me...

- I'm jumping on the East Carolina bandwagon! They dominated West Virginia! They deserve their ranking in the top 25 this week!

- Jake Locker should not have been flagged for excessive celebration. I think BYU would have gone on to win in OT anyway, but that call was lame.

- Ohio St. is NOT going to beat USC even with Beanie Wells. USC will open up that stable of running backs and keep the OSU D off balance. I do think the Ohio St. secondary is good enough to match up with USC's WR's though. USC's defense will be the biggest factor dominating the line of scrimmage and giving Boeckman no time to throw or do anything else. It will look a lot like the LSU/Ohio St. game last year.

- Houston Nutt has Ole Miss on the right track. They look like his old Arkansas teams already.

- The loss of Tom Brady is devastating! (unless you hate the Patriots) Matt Cassel is not the answer either! That guy wasn't even a starter in college! Patriots are in trouble.

- Peyton Manning looked rusty last night. He couldn't handle the blitz and wasn't accurate. I think the Colts will regroup, but their defense was not impressive at all.

- The Bears may be back. Decimated by injuries last year, the defense looked back to old form. The offense looked back to form as well (no serious passing game but a strong running game).

- I have loved the Carolina Panthers ever since John Fox became their head coach! They always take on the following identity when healthy- Big, physical O-line with emphasis on running game. Jake Delhomme when healthy is a steady playmaker. The passing game will consist mostly of quick strikes to Steve Smith (when he comes back). The defense is always big and physical with great pass rushing D-line and quick linebackers. They out-muscled San Diego and hit 'em in the mouth. The Chargers are typically the more physical team. The Panthers (again, when healthy) just find ways to win...but it's usually ugly.

- I was impressed by the following teams yesterday: Bills, Falcons, Panthers, Steelers, Eagles, Bears and Saints. I was also impressed with the Dolphins and the Chiefs even though they lost.

- I was not impressed by the following teams yesterday: Seahawks (injuries at WR killed them), Chargers, Texans, Colts, Jaguars and Rams.