While I'm aware there are still a few games to be played today - a couple of interesting inter-conference Big East and ACC tilts at that - there's just too much to talk about from the last few days to wait any longer.

• Notre Dame threw all over the Wolf Pack - Jimmy Clausen has more touchdowns than incompletions in his last two games, which is pretty good - but Nevada's defensive backs weren't lacking in their in coverage for the most part. There were perfect throws from the quarterback, beautiful catches by the big three receivers and some nice downfield blocking, but it wasn't like Irish players were just running free through the secondary. I'm not saying Nevada has a good secondary, but they weren't that bad - Jimmy and company were just really, really good.
• It also isn't a big surprise that Nevada had some success on the ground. I've read some Irish fans wondering what the Irish are going to do against better running games in the future, kindly forgetting that Nevada is one of the best running games in the country. I'm not saying I'm pleased with the consistent gashing that occurred until the Wolf Pack was forced to abandon the running game, but it's not like giving up some rushing yards to Nevada is the end of the world.
• Coach Weis seems intent on using the Wild [Insert Mascot Here] formation, so can we agree to call the Notre Dame version the Wild Irish (Rose)? You love cheap liquor, I love cheap liquor, let's just go with this.
• No matter what he may or may not know about Tenuta's schemes, it's going to be tough to keep Manti Teo off the field Saturday, especially with the speed Michigan will be rolling out at quarterback. I didn't get to see much of the Western Michigan/Michigan game, but after watching ten minutes worth of highlights, I came away pretty impressed with both Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson. That first touchdown pass from Forcier was a thing of beauty from start to finish, and Robinson's run really did alter the time-space continuum.  (Also, Junior Hemingway is just too great of a name.)  Western Michigan only returned three starters from a defense that wasn't stellar last year, but my research in 2007 as a Notre Dame fan qualifies me to state confidently that a horrible offense playing against a bad defense still looks pretty horrible, so those are positive strides in Rich Rodriguez's sophomore opener.
• From my experience of playing lots of NCAA Football and watching the 2005 season, I can safely say it's incredibly difficult to defend an offense like the Irish are building - two stud receivers on the outside to spread the safeties, a stud tight end to work the seams and a running back that can catch the ball out of the backfield. If one of the many quality options (Kamara, Evans, Walker, Parris) ends up being a strong slot receiver and the offensive line just gives Jimmy a little bit of time, the word "prolific" might not be strong enough.
• Sam Bradford has taught everyone a very valuable lesson: if someone gives you the option of doing something for free or doing it for forty million dollars - even in Detroit - you should take the money. While not having a Heisman winner and All-American candidate tight end certainly had something to do with the BYU win, let's not forget that the Cougars would have been up at least a touchdown at the half if they hadn't kept dropping the ball on the carpet in Jerry's World.
• What happens if Boise State (sort of likely looking at the schedule) and BYU (lot of challenges left with FSU, TCU and Utah) both run the table? If the Mountain West lured Boise State into the fold, would they automatically take the Big East or ACC's automatic bid?
• Opening line for Notre Dame at Michigan is the Irish -5.5, which I think is going to drop at least a point or two - or it at least should, when you consider the history of favorites in the series recently.
• A round of applause for the Big Ten, who managed to avoid losing to a I-AA team and a team led by a guy who was playing point guard five months ago. There were a hundred reasons I would have loved to see Navy pull off the upset in the Horseshoe, but perhaps the biggest was that it would be impossible for people to mock Notre Dame for playing Navy - a team that is always competitive and bowling - every year.
• But at least they didn't lose to any I-AA teams. Isn't that right, ACC? I think the top of the seemingly permanently downtrodden conference should be fine with Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and the Florida schools, but yikes. Also, if I read the graphic correctly, the Hokies ran it on 101 of 111 red zone plays last season. Beamer Ball would have been really effective in the 1920's.
• Isn't that funny how Washington all of a sudden looks a whole lot more competent in the post-Ty Willingham era? I forget if we've covered this as much as necessary, but have Husky fans been called racist enough yet for endorsing the firing of him?
• Has the Texas/Oklahoma State game in Stillwater surpassed the Red River Shootout in importance, at least until the Cowboys lose at Baylor the week before? Robert Griffin III is really, really good and no one should act surprised when he pulls off another upset like this weekend's at Wake Forest, because it will happen. The meme you're going to see as this season progresses is "Pryor or Griffin III?", with the answer to be decided until everyone's favorite dual-threat Buckeye gets a crack at the Trojans Saturday night.
• If you wanted to put forth the theory that many of the errors that marred Charlie Weis' first four seasons were the results of a first-time head coach making mistakes instead of simply a bad head coach, then his substitution pattern against Nevada to get some youth on the field early and often would generally support that claim. After failing to get but a few underclassmen reps in his first couple seasons no matter what the margin, a lot of Irish players made their debuts Saturday. Granted, it's a lot easier to get subs experience when you're winning by a lot and the subs are all uber-talented, but if I didn't know any better, I'd say this is how you start to build a respectable football program.
• After the Oregon debacle Thursday night, the PAC 10 put together a very respectable weekend. The two favorites delivered massive beatdowns, Washington acquitted itself fabulously against a heavily favored SEC footbaw team, Arizona took out Dan LeFevour and everyone else - save for UCLA's struggles early against the Aztecs - comfortably took care of their patsies of choice. Also getting off to a smooth start was the Big XII, who save for the Oklahoma loss, got the scalps of Georgia, Illinois, Florida Atlantic and Wake Forest.