Upstarts Already Lining Up

Last year, Northwestern. This year … Wake Forest? Or Southern Methodist? Or Texas Christian?

There aren’t enough slippers in Cinderella’s closet to handle all of the feet that want to wear them in college football this season.

Consider: TCU 20, Oklahoma 7.

Wake Forest 28, Northwestern 27.

SMU 23, Arkansas 10.

You could have gotten some big odds Saturday morning on whether even one of those three teams would win, not to mention all of them.

Who could blame the doubters? SMU and Wake Forest were 1-10 in 1995, and, while TCU was 6-5, Oklahoma was still, well, Oklahoma, and playing at home, where it hadn’t lost a season opener since 1982.

The shocker of all shockers, of course, was Northwestern. Purple backers can only hope that Wake is the Wildcats’ Miami of Ohio this year, the early-season upset that spurs them on to a winning season.

But then again, Wake (2-0) actually received some Top 25 votes in Sunday’s Associated Press poll and may be this year’s Northwestern. You never know. The victory was the Deacons’ first over a ranked team since 1979 and their first ever over a Big Ten team.

“We all saw what (Northwestern) did last year and how it helped their program,” said Wake wide receiver Desmond Clark. “We think we’ve got a good thing going here, too.”

So does SMU. For the first time since 1985, the probation-plagued Ponies are 2-0, which is definitely better than 0-2. The next thing you’ll know is that we’ll hear SMU is being investigated by the NCAA. Then we’ll know they’re back.

Losing for winning

Here’s the first poll aberration of the season. Florida (2-0) beat Georgia Southern 62-14 and lost its one first-place vote. Maybe the voter was mad after the Gators, who normally sing the alma mater to their home fans, refused to Saturday.

Seems the Gators were miffed by a student advisory board ruling suspending freshman Keith Kelsey for allegedly taking a chair from his dormitory lobby and putting it in his room. “We just weren’t in the alma-mater singing mood,” said coach Steve Spurrier.

Sky high

Weber State’s Scott Shields, who overcame an injured hip to kick three field goals, including the game-winner in the waning seconds against Eastern Washington, received the Big Sky’s Conference’s first special teams player of the week award.

Freshman quarterback Shane Grigg’s come-from-behind leadership in Idaho State’s 35-32 win over Cal Poly SLO earned him the offensive player of the week award.

And Montana free-safety Blaine McElmurry, who participated in 11 tackles and had an interception and a fumble recovery in Montana’s 35-14 upset of Oregon State, is the defensive player of the week.

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