Monster(?) Saturday

So, this week has been dubbed Monster Saturday.  There are, for the first time in recent memory, some good traditional non-conference matchups.  However, until I see some of these games actually be "classics" I will remain skeptical.  Does a rebuilding Penn State, with a true freshman QB, have a chance on the road against the defending National Champions in SEC country?  Can Miami, who has been dubbed "almost back" for 3 years running now, really go into the Horseshoe and knock off everyone's second-best (or third if you're a Boise State fan...) team in America?  Florida State at Oklahoma?  Oregon at Tennessee?  Michigan at Notre Dame?  Some of these games would have been great 5, 10, 15 years ago.  Tennessee is a double-digit underdog to a Pac 10 school: how far have they fallen?  4 years ago, Michigan and Notre Dame played with both teams unranked for the first time since rankings came out.  Now this is the third year out of four we have that.  Oklahoma nearly lost at home to WAC also-ran Utah State.  Florida State, after 14 straight top 5 finishes, hasn't finished in the top 10 in a decade.

If there's anything we learned from West Virginia-Marshall last night, it is that it is difficult to win on the road, even if you are clearly the superior team.  Penn State is not a superior team.  Miami is not either, despite the "progress" Jacory Harris has made (again, we hear this every week/year).  Florida State could be as good or better than OU, we'll have to wait and see on that one.  They are actually a very good road team.  Oregon is a vastly superior team, but can they win the eastern time zone (the last time they played a game in that time difference was 2007)?  Michigan is a lot further along than Notre Dame right now, so they could do it.  But give me a break, Monster Saturday?  No games involve two top 10 teams.  One of the "monster" games doesn't even have a ranked team in it!

I'm putting Oklahoma on potential upset alert but Alabama and Penn State are safe.  I don't think Michigan-Notre Dame is worth the hype this year, but I like Michigan there.  It will be tough for Oregon to win at Tennessee, but there is no reason that they shouldn't.  Certainly nothing Tennessee or Derek Dooley has done makes me think they will hold serve tonight on Rocky Top.  Thanks for the hype, but let's see some of these traditional powers play well again before we dub these matchups "great games."