Cliff Chartrand

It was a huge weekend in college football, and the biggest story locally obviously came with Tennessee's performance against Georgia.

The Vols looked dominant in a 35-14 win over the Bulldogs, but the key now comes in the team's ability to carry it over for the rest of the year.

We've seen this kind of performance in the past, but still complacency seemed to set in as this season was getting underway and the team got off to a 2-2 start.

Remember the second half of LSU in 2005?

Tennessee was staring at a 1-2 start as well as criticism back home in the face as they dug a 21-0 hole in the opening two quarters. The team then responded with an epic comeback to silence the critics for the time.

We all know the Vols still struggled that year as they finished 5-6, and as the 2006 season was getting underway the critics were out in full force.

The season opener against California seemed like a must-win for the coaching staff, and the team once again responded with a great performance.

An injury to Erik Ainge and a bowl loss to Penn State, however, saw the team still fail to live up to the standards of most fans.

The Georgia game was a similar set of circumstances.

After a 2-2 start the team had to win against Georgia, and just like its other must-win situations over the past few years, the players responded with a great performance. They must follow it up better this time, though.

With Florida's losses to LSU and Auburn, the Vols now sit in control of their own destiny in the SEC East race.  

Mark my words, if the Vols perform as they did Saturday in the remainder of their games they will be playing in the SEC Championship game the first Saturday in December.

If they play up to their potential they will then go on to beat LSU in that game and then win their bowl game.

But there in lies the problem. Will they manage to maintain the intensity seen Saturday?

Only time will tell.

Now on to the rest of the country:

Most Impressive Performances:

1. Missouri- News flash, Missouri is for real. Before its game with Nebraska, I had no problem envisioning a 40-point performance from Chase Daniel and the Tiger offense, but what I didn't see coming was the Mizzou defense holding a solid Nebraska offense to just six points. After seeing Kansas State and Colorado upset Texas and Oklahoma, respectively, it's arguable that the Tigers are the best team in the Big 12.
2. Illinois- Don't look now, but former Florida coach Ron Zook is building himself a strong program in Champaign. Sophomore quarterback Juice Williams and freshman wideout Arrellious Benn lead an explosive attack that should give Big 10 teams fits for years to come. Saturday's win over Wisconsin could be the program changing victory the Illini needed. The team's only loss came opening weekend to Missouri, a loss that looks better and better every week.
3. Kansas- Going into last week the Jayhawks had put up impressive numbers in reeling off four straight wins to start the season, but those wins came against teams with a combined 7-16 record. By going on the road and winning at Kansas St., the Jayhawks proved they were a legitimate contender in the Big 12 North.

Most Disappointing Performances:

1. USC- Read this carefully, the Trojans' loss to Stanford was a bigger upset than Appalachian State's win over Michigan. Don't believe me? Consider this: Michigan is a tough environment to play in, but they have been beaten in the Big House recently. USC, on the other hand, had won 35 straight games at home entering Saturday. The talent gap between the two teams was also far greater between the Trojans and Cardinals. Anyone who watched any of the Michigan-App. St. game saw that the Mountaineers were a very talented team that had as many athletes on offense as the Wolverines, and the Michigan defense was far from a force to be reckoned with. USC has more talent on its team than any other school in the country. History will look back at Michigan's loss as the more historical one, but Stanford's win was more shocking at the time.
2. Georgia- From the opening series on offense the Bulldogs were disappointing. Granted a lot of that had to do with the emotion the Vols played with, but play calling and playmaking were lacking for a Georgia team that had a chance to emerge as a contender in the SEC. It now appears that will have to wait another year.
3. Rutgers & Texas- My preseason picks for the national title game each lost a second straight game this week, making me look like a complete dope in the process. Rutgers dropped two straight at home, while Texas has disappointing since the season's opening kick. At least I can take comfort in the fact that the rest of my staff is in the same boat with all of their title game choices already losing too.

Heisman Watch:

5)  Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

4)  Mike Hart, RB, Michigan

3)  Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas

2)  Chase Daniel, QB, Missouri

1)  Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College

Ryan has been the best individual player on any of my top five teams, so he's the pick here, but by no means is he a clear favorite.Daniel has been excellent for the Tigers, while the lack of a true favorite emerging leaves McFadden in the mix. He'll need more than two touchdowns every five games to have a legitimate shot though. Hart leads the nation in rushing and Bradford has been outstanding quarterbacking the Sooners thus far.