As Simple as 1...2...3.
Posted October 12, 2008, 9:04 PM ET

Heading into the college football weekend, Oklahoma, Missouri and LSU were ranked as the top three teams in all the land.

No longer.

Thanks to Texas, Oklahoma State and Florida, the top three teams in the country all went down in flames. Welcome to the wild world of college football. I think it's safe to assume that we're devoid of any dominant team in 2008, and based on all the outcomes and upcoming showdown match-ups, it appears that we're just beginning the unpredictable fun.

Anybody that wants to claim the nation's #1 ranking needs to proceed with caution and understand that it is only a temporary placement. Nothing should surprise us anymore...college football is simply the most unpredictable sport on the planet.

But with that said, I've got to give props to Texas. I had only watched bits and pieces of their games prior to the Oklahoma classic at the Cotton Bowl. Mack Brown's squad impressed me with their ability to play with poise while behind most of the morning (11 AM kick-off) and afternoon.

Are they best team in the country? I have no idea, but for now they are part of the discussion....along with Bama, Penn State, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Southern Cal...

While we try to figure out what's going on at the top of the polls, there are some unknowns down below, too. Can anybody explain what has happened to Clemson and East Carolina?

The Tigers were the pre-season #9 ranked team in the country. Right now, I'm hard pressed to believe they are the ninth best team in the ACC. Tommy Bowden's tenth Clemson edition was tabbed to be his best ever....right now, I believe it will be his last.

The last two weeks have been brutal for the players, staff and fans of Clemson football. The home loss to Maryland was a comical display of horrific coaching. It was followed up with an embarrassing effort in Switzerland against the Deacs. The offensive plan and execution against Wake Forest only makes it worse for Bowden and his staff.

I have no idea how he can survive at Clemson. He's a very good man and a decent coach, but the fan base has seen enough. Right now, it seems like a logical split and a win-win for both parties. If Bowden is indeed shown the door, who is the perfect replacement?

If I was running the show at Clemson, I'm making a call to Auburn to inquire about the services of Tommy Tuberville. Of course, after their third conference loss this week to Arkansas, you might be able to get him easier than you think. It would not surprise me to hear names like Bobby Johnson (Vandy), Will Muschamp (Texas) and Jim Leavitt (South Florida) discussed for the potential job opening in Death Valley.

While Clemson watches their season go down the tube, what has happened to the Purple Power at East Carolina? I remember walking off the field last month after ECU's dismantling of West Virginia. After starting the year with impressive upset wins, the Pirates were on top of the world.

They were receiving national exposure and Skip Holtz had everyone believing that they were on the verge of busting down the BCS door. After witnessing the Virginia Tech and West Virginia wins, I was in total agreement.

Those wins seem like it happened years ago.....since the quick start, East Carolina has lost to N.C. State, Houston and Virginia. I have no explanation other than to say, "well, that's college football".

While ECU and Clemson lick their wounds, the Tar Heels are on a roll. Butch Davis looks to have turned the corner and his guys are ranked and playing with a great deal of confidence. It was great to see the Heels beat Notre Dame and the offensive genius of Charlie Weis. UNC fans will never lose their "basketball school" moniker, but in the meantime they are enjoying watching their football program gain national attention on the fast track.

After all the emails last week from ND homers, I was led to believe that the Irish were back. If I'd gotten another note about how they should have been ranked with that "impressive 4-1" start, I thought I was going to scream. I'm assuming the Irish are better than they were last year...I'm also going to stick by my guns and assume that despite their cupcake schedule, they will still find a way to win nine games and get beat-up in a bowl game....again.

This week, we have a Sundrop Southern Fried Football™ Tour stop doubleheader. Thursday, we're broadcasting live from Raleigh before the N.C. State - Florida State game. Saturday, we head down the road to check out the suddenly-hot Gamecocks, as they host the defending national champs from LSU.

I can't wait for our ACC/SEC double dip.

---

The Carolina Panthers had a golden opportunity to put some distance between them and the rest of the NFC South as they headed down to their home away from home in Tampa.

Consider the fact that Carolina had won five in a row in Tampa and eight of the last ten in their heated rivalry with the Bucs....you had to like their chances.

Unfortunately, the Panthers must have been stuck listening to all the great accolades from their destruction of Kansas City from the previous week. The game in Tampa was over just after the coin toss. The 27-3 beat-down was a slap to the face.

Three points? The Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL scored four times against Tampa Bay this weekend; you would have thought the Panthers would've been more explosive than their hockey brethren.

Despite the loss to Tampa, Carolina needs to forget about it and get ready for another huge test this week as the Saints come to town. New Orleans is another strange team....there are times they are dynamic and explosive....there are times when they need to put those paper bags over their heads.

Welcome to the NFC South.

The NFL is just about as bizarre as college football. There's so much parity, that you can forget about somebody running off and hiding from their biggest rivals. Just take a look at the NFC....of the 16 teams, 12 of them have won at least 3 games so far this season. It seems like everybody this side of the New York Giants is either 3-3 or 4-2.

We might as well get used to it - but it stinks, considering the opportunity that just slipped through the Panthers' hands in Tampa. Just like college football, there is no way you can figure it out...just enjoy the ride and maybe by mid-December it will start to make sense.

---

The National League and American League Championship Series will finish up this week. When I watch Philly, LA, Boston and Tampa Bay, I think of John McCain, Sarah Palin, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

I don't care for any of them.

---

By the time I returned from our Southern Fried Football™ Tourstop at Wofford (be sure to check out the Babes Page), I had the chance to catch the conclusion of the race from Lowe's Motor Speedway. Congrats to Jeff Burton for the win, but I would have rather watched Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards in a steel cage match.