COTTRELL COLUMN: Big weekend answers questions

Every so often, a college football weekend makes you rethink your views about the whole season.

This was one of those weekends.

Entering the season, it appeared Florida State was back on the road to something resembling dominance. Now the Noles are 2-4 and head coach Bobby Bowden is almost certainly finished.

Oklahoma State looked like a program on the rise. Now, after a loss to Houston and the loss of No. 1 receiver Dez Bryant to an NCAA violation, it appears the Cowboys and Mike “I’M A MAN, I’M 42” Gundy are well on their way back to the pack in the Big 12.

With a bevy of returning starters, Ole Miss looked like a trendy pick to make noise in the SEC. It’s now becoming apparent that super-hyped quarterback Jevan Snead is actually awful, and the Rebs will be lucky to finish third in the West.

The ACC, that paragon of lack of offense, just had a weekend in which every conference game featured a team scoring 40 or more points, including the 49-44 shootout win by Georgia Tech at Florida State.

Oregon, which just a few weeks ago looked dead in the water, is now a very real contender to unseat USC in the Pac-10.

Sometimes it’s amazing to find just how little you know.

Who’s No. 1?
While it almost seems like heresy to say, Florida is appearing less and less deserving of the top ranking.

That’s not because the Gators aren’t a fantastic team. They very much are.

However, despite its unbelievable returning depth from a year ago, something seems to be missing when it comes to Florida this year, and the only thing that seems to jump out is a lack of hunger.

The Gators beat up on Sisters of the Poor like Charleston Southern, Troy and Kentucky, but when teams like Tennessee and LSU stood up and appeared ready to fight, the Gators seemed content to do just enough to win.

That hasn’t exactly been a hallmark of the Urban Meyer Era.

Tim Tebow’s concussion clearly played a big role in the offense’s lack of production at LSU, but, again, something just doesn’t seem totally right about this team.

Meyer will, however, probably find a way to fix that.

But if Florida isn’t No. 1, then who is?

Right now, the answer may be Alabama.

The Crimson Tide have three wins only bettered by Miami, and look about as good defensively as a team can.

The good news is, however, that these two will most likely be able to settle this dispute on a neutral field in December.

The even better news is there’s a very good chance both will still be undefeated.

What 2 Watch 4
The SEC slate is a bit on the boring side this week, but two games in those other leagues that don’t count really stand out.

The first is Thursday’s Cincinnati-South Florida game.

I can hear you laughing, but both are undefeated right now, and if all breaks right, the winner of this game could run the table in the Big East.

The second, of course, is the Red River “Don’t Call It A Shootout” between Texas and Oklahoma.

The Longhorns have yet to play anyone of note, and might’ve been looking ahead just a bit in the early going against Colorado last week.

The Sooners, chastened by the football gods, now have Heisman-winning quarterback Sam Bradford back, and also should be pretty desperate since their only hope of glory this year is to win the Big 12.

Look for plenty of points and entertainment in this one.

Tim Cottrell is sports designer of the Opelika-Auburn News. He will write a weekly column on college football during the season. You can also read him on the O-A Sports Blog at oanow.com. He can be reached at 737-2511 or .