The Hybrid: Denard, Boise, Denard, Week 2, Other Stuff

Week 1 kicked ass. A few cool upsets, some really terrific finishes, and many overall solid games.

Leading with Denard Robinson's game because I am self indulgent: Test 1: success. And passed with soaring colors. Watching Robinson go ape shit against UConn wasn't just catharsis, it was a baptism. It was a cleansing. Finally, after keeping so much faith, so much defending RichRod through the stupidest of stupid crap, and after shunning ideas of his potential firing as many other Michigan fans questioned everything finally paid off. This is spread 'n' shred. This is spreading and shredding. It was beautiful and glorious.

Denard went 19/22 for 186 yards and 1 TD through the air and ran for 197 yards and a TD. His passes were sharp. His receivers, open. And the speed, holy shit, the speed. Top flight. The big context stats: Denard broke the Michigan record for QB rushing yards in a game, and definitely more importantly, he completed five more passes in the UConn game than he did all of last season. Was his opener just a flash in the pan? You have the right to think that if you want; it will certainly be hard to replicate perfection, but if he can play at 70-85% of that level, Michigan might win a few more games than people thought going into the season. But their schedule is very, very difficult -- especially down the stretch. This could be a springboard for something great, but it could also be the exact moment RichRod peaked at Michigan. Stay tuned.

Boise State should be No. 1 this week: If there's anything I've learned about college football -- and trust me, there is very little -- it's that there's no reason to get pissed about any poll except the last regular season poll. After a fantastic, validating win over Virginia Tech in a de facto road game, the Broncos should be number one in the polls. They're not. They're not because people decided Ohio State and Alabama get to be at the top of the polls and will get to continue to be there until they lose. Damn shame. Not to take anything away from their terrific wins against Marshall and San Jose State, respectively.

TCU's schedule? Puke city: Other than Baylor and BYU (both unranked), the Horned Frogs don't play anyone the rest of the year. Was their win against Oregon State good and legit? Yup. But their schedule is so bad, that going undefeated still might not justify a BCS birth. This could get kind of annoying, as they are a good team... but there just isn't a very sound way for them prove it with the schedule they have set up for 2010.

In defense of Lane Kiffin: USC's Thursday game against Hawai'i was great. They gave up a bajillion yards on defense, lit it up on offense, and flew back to SoCal with the victory. What I've never been able to understand, though, is why everyone hates Lane Kiffin so much. Clay Travis called him "the most hated man in college football."

Is Kiffin a jackass? Yeah, probably. But, man: he got under Urban Meyer's skin last year, made Meyer go insane, pissed off everyone in the SEC, then bolted Tennessee after just one year to take his dream job at USC (where he'd previously coached). Meanwhile the painfully entitled Vol fans are all like "wahhh wahhh, where's the loyalty?" Sorry, dicks, but you just forced out your previous fat coach who at one point led you to a national title. There is no loyalty in big time college athletics. And it'd be one thing if Kiffin left for some random ass BSC job, but he didn't. He left for U-S-C. The greatest, all-everything school, ever. And it's not like his situation was ideal, either. He consciously decided to go to a school that was pretty much a lock for serious sanctions (which happened). That's damn near admirable. Yes, Kiffin was pretty mediocre as the coach of the Raiders and Vols, and maybe he'll never be a great coach, but to hate on him for going for two three times to start the game? That's pointless. Why hate on someone who is that funny and that cool? He left Tennessee after one year and he ran football plays. I think that's it. So chill.

John Brantley, do we hate you? (Update): We love you, John Brantley! Florida won by, like, 30 last week, and everybody freaked out anyway. Why? Their offense looked pretty damn bad. Botched snaps, fumbles, epic sputtering -- last week had it all. Clay Travis again: "Gators offensive coordinator Steve Addazio was handed a Bentley and turned it into a big wheel."

Brantley for life.

Bobby Loesch is the assistant editor of Tremendous Upside Potential. He can be reached at bobbyloesch [at] gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @bobbystompy.