What we learned by watching television...

...We learned many things: that no team is immune to the upset bug; that early-season rankings often skew our perception of who is good and who is just okay; and that Nick Saban sure can coach.

League play is starting in the SEC, finally giving us a chance to separate the wheat from the chaff. What to make of Florida's home loss to Ole Miss? Who could have predicted it? Ole Miss lost to Wake Forest, which on Saturday loses to Navy (and convincingly, too). And yet, here are the Rebels beating Florida in the Swamp. I think the next SEC team to be exposed as a great-but-not-elite team is LSU. They struggled at home against Mississippi State, a team which was waxed 38-7 by Georgia Tech the week before.

The Big 12 has some of the best offenses in the nation (Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, to name a few). Yet it is the defense of each that will dictate how far each team goes. As far as I can tell, Oklahoma has the best one in the conference, followed by Texas. That is why, in the end, the Crystal Ball foresees those two teams as eventually beating all the others.

Notre Dame is getting better, especially on defense. I saw it with my own eyes in high definition. If now mullet-free QB Jimmy Clausen continues to improve, I think the Irish have the chance to win eight or nine games this year.

Penn State is a very good football team. But I would not put them on the Oklahoma-USC-Alabama tier just yet. I watched the Nittany Lions' "Spread HD" offense with great interest on Saturday and I've subsequently concluded that it is the "spread" fused together with some West Coast-style short passes. Fine. The question is: Can I foresee the Penn State defense matching wits with the offense when the chips are down? I don't think so.

As for Alabama's big win against Georgia, the Crystal Ball foresaw it:

"...the Bulldog O' doesn't match up well with Alabama. Georgia's weakness is its young offensive line, while 'Bama's strength is its D. In many ways, Georgia is but a more talented version of Clemson: talent at the skill positions, but a young line. Tide Coach Nick Saban, I think, will blitz Georgia to kingdom come and have some surprises on offense. Can Georgia adjust? My sense is not in time. 'Bama pulls off the road upset."

Here is another Crystal Ball special:

"Colorado vs. Florida State (in Jacksonville). Florida State's defense is stout and will get to Colorado QB Cody Hawkins all game long. The Seminoles have had problems moving the ball, but I think they will be able to move it enough to win."

(Those and a few other predictions aside, it was generally a rough week for the Crystal Ball, especially on the ACC foretellings.)

Overrated: the Big 12 (except for Oklahoma, Texas and the Missouri offense), South Florida

Underrated: the Pac-10 and ACC, Notre Dame, Tulsa, Alabama WR Julio Jones, Ball State, Connecticut RB Donald Brown

Fine Nine: Oklahoma, USC, Alabama, Texas, Florida, LSU, Georgia, Penn State, Missouri