Winners, losers, and a look at next week

Winners and losers of week one for the non big 6.

5 big winners of week 1:

1. Ball State-- A big in versus a Big 10 opponent in an NFL venue is a great way to start a bowl bid in 2011 for the Cardinals. With games left versus South Florida, Oklahoma, and Army before conference play, this was a much needed win.
2. Northern Illinois--With a new coaching staff and the loss of last year's leading rusher, there was a big of uncertainty for the Huskies. After 3 quarters versus 2010 bowl winner Army, the score stood at 49-6 and all was right in the NIU world once again.
3. Boise State--Another great performance on a national stage has a chance to propel the Broncos to a solid shot at the national title game. A trap game at the Glass Bowl versus Toledo does threaten to take away the optimism of a dominant game versus SEC team Georgia.
4. Houston--Keenum had a very nice start to the 2011 season in a revenge win versus UCLA in a game that the Cougars not only lost but also lost Keenum for the season in 2010. Their schedule sets up for them to be 9-1 or 10-0 going into a November 19th matchup versus SMU.
5. Florida International--A team that many thought might have been a fluke 2010 bowl team looked like the real deal in dismantleing a much improved North Texas squad. T.Y. Hilton showed that 2010 was a preview of things to come from this do everything star.

5 big losers of week 1:

1. Tulsa--Losing All-America candidate possibly for a season due to very serious NCAA violations was the beginning of a week to forget for the Goldern Hurricanes. Things could get very rough as two of the next three games are against #9 Oklahoma State and #5 Boise State.
2. East Carolina--In a statement game for the defense to prove that last year was an abberation the Pirates were gouged for 42 points in the 4th quarter and saw a 10 point halftime lead turn into a 21 point loss. Ruffin and his coaching crew must make some major changes with a road trip to #13 Virginia Tech and a trip to UNC as two of the next three games.
3. TCU--A defense that was the nation's best for the last two years was destroyed by RG3 and the Baylor defense in a 50-48 loss to the Bears. With a difficult trip to Air Force in week 2 and a solid chance at 0-2 on the line, the defense better figure things out quickly.
4. Utah State--Up by 10 with less than 4 minutes to go, all the Aggies had to do was run down some time and recover the onside kick for a win over the defending national champs. The Aggies choked things away and lost 42-38. Utah State better recover quickly with a big game versus BYU coming up in three weeks.
5. Western Kentucky--For a team that went 2-10 in 2010 and gave up 63 to the Wildcats in 2010, WKU was down 7-3 in the 4th quarter and could not find a sniff of a passing game to pull off the upset. If there was a passing game at all for the Hilltoppers, they would be halfway to last season's win total. 

5 games to watch in week 2:

1. Boston College versus UCF--The Black Knight can do alot in beating a name opponent in an ACC-CUSA matchup. UCF will be favored and a solid win may get them into the top 25.
2. BYU versus Texas--The Cougars struggled to a 14-13 win over an improved but not so great Ole Miss squad in week 1. The Longhorns did enough to win comfortably but not look that good in a win over Rice. The game will come down to which offense finds its form first and can put some points on the board. A statement chance for BYU.
3. Northern Illinois versus Kansas--The Huskies looked very impressive in a week one demolition of a solid Army team. Kansas won but gave up 24 points to a I-AA team in McNeese State. NIU will be favored and should win but must not look past the Jayhawks towards a Soldier Field matchup versus Wisconsin later this month.
4. TCU versus Air Force--TCU's normally great defense did not look good in a 50-48 loss to Baylor in week one. Air Force did not have much of a challenge in a 37-20 win over I-AA South Dakota. The Falcons were disappointed in how they ended the game versus USD and have been itching all year for revenge versus the Horned Frogs.
5. FIU versus Louisville--FIU looked every bit the part of a non big 6 team that could knock off some of the big boys in week one. Louisville struggled to a 21-9 win over in state I-AA team Murray State. Louisville will probably be favored but FIU has a very good chance to put a feather in the Sun Belt hat with a win over a Big East team that went bowling in 2010.