Finally, the college football season is underway.   It was an exciting weekend as always with some great games and plays including, quite possibly, the catch of the year.

That catch of the year came from Ohio State’s Devin Smith who made a leaping and twisting one handed grab in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.  The Buckeyes started off slow and looked like they were so anxious that they played uptight.  However, as soon as the second quarter came along the Buckeyes rolled.  Braxton Miller accounted for 368 of the Buckeyes 538 yards with 207 in the air and 161 on the ground along with three total touchdowns.

Fellow Big Ten school, Michigan State, barely got by Boise State and rode the back of Le’Veon Bell who rushed for 210 yards and two touchdowns and added six catches for 55 yards.

Sticking with the Big Ten, Michigan did not fare too well against the Crimson Tide of Alabama.  Michigan’s poor play was a big disappointment to many as they were expected to be very good this season. Denard Robinson was not only shut down by the Alabama defense, but he also played poorly by making some bad decisions.

However, Alabama rolled.  Their offensive line was dominant and opened up some major holes for their running backs to get through and out into space.  AJ McCarron controlled the game from the beginning and was mistake free.  The Alabama defense looked like they will have the best defense in the country, yet again.

Former number one in the polls, USC, took down Hawaii with ease but still lost their ranking to Alabama.  Heisman favorite Matt Barkley threw for 372 yards and 4 touchdowns including 2 to Robert Woods.  Marqise Lee added 10 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown as well.

Oklahoma did not play like fourth ranked team in the country as they looked bad against UTEP.  South Carolina squeaked by Vanderbilt.  Oregon was up huge at halftime and then stopped scoring and ended with a 57-34 victory over Arkansas State.

West Virginia took down Marshall 69-34 with Geno Smith accounting for 5 touchdowns.  LSU looked solid without the Honey Badger and Clemson took down Auburn behind Andre Ellington and his 228 rushing yards.  This weekend recap can’t go without mentioning the 84-0 victory Oklahoma State had over Savannah State. Finally, Virginia Tech defeated Georgia Tech by a field goal in overtime escaping another opening game loss.

This was a very exciting weekend of college football and the rest of the season should be no different.  Alabama should continue to roll, and USC should keep up the offense for the rest of the season, potentially creating a great matchup for the national title.

The votes have been tallied throughout collegesportsfeed.com, and now it’s time to present our combined Preseason Top 25. For the next five weeks, we have five sections of our top 25 teams, starting from the end. These statistics were compiled using incoming players, remaining talent, old and new coaches, and a few previous games from last season. This week we present:

25. Florida

“Even though they didn’t have an amazing season last year and Ohio State has their former coach, Florida is going to surprise people this year. They have always had the passion for the game, and this year they are really going to show it. They beat Ohio State in the Gator Bowl this past season, and now that Ohio State has their coach, it’s more of a fight for them to prove they are good and that they could beat Ohio State and their former coach again if the opportunity presented itself.”

Allie Balog, CSF Associate Editor

“After a 7-6 season, which included a rough 3-5 SEC record last season, Will Muschamp will be coaching for his job in 2012. Expect that sense of urgency, along with another down year in the SEC East to get the Gators back in the Top 25.”

Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor

24. Notre Dame

“Notre Dame only lost 5 games last season, the last game they lost being a bowl game. Granted most of the teams they beat weren’t ranked teams, they still managed to beat a few ranked ones. Their record from last year shows that they can do well this year and most likely will be determined to do so. They used to be one of the best teams in college football, and while they don’t have the players to make them great, they still have the potential to be great. It’s just time to sit back and watch the underdogs show their true colors.”

Allie Balog, CSF Associate Editor

“Recent quarterback controversy aside, Notre Dame has a chance to be very solid this year. With a strong backfield, led by 1,000-yard rusher Cierre Wood, and one of college football’s best returning TE’s in Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame should be competitive in every game of their tough 2012 schedule. Add this year’s impressive freshman class, and the Fighting Irish could make a run into a top bowl game.”

Anthony Manzella, CSF Writer/Contributor

23. Oklahoma State

“Losing both Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon will be a major blow to the high-powered Oklahoma State offense. However, Coach Gundy will have them revved up for this season despite the losses and compete for a Big 12 championship.”

Garrett Mayers, CSF Writer/Contributor

“Freshman Wes Lunt is the answer Cowboy fans are all looking for, thanks to Coach Gundy. Gundy has a history of training quarterbacks well, and there’s no doubt he can do the same this year. Plus Lunt is enormous and has a fiery arm. Look for OSU to have a great game against Texas.”

Elizabeth Garabedian, CSF Writer/Contributor

22. Boise State

“Even with the losses of QB Kellen Moore and RB Doug Martin to the NFL, head coach Chris Peterson will have the Broncos ready to compete. A solid recruiting class will help fill the losses on both sides of the ball, and the return of sixth-year RB D.J. Harper will give the Broncos a reliable option in the backfield. Look for the Broncos to remain in the top 25 during their last season before a move to the Big East.”

Anthony Manzella, CSF Writer/Contributor

“With 16 sophomore Broncos, it should be easy for the new freshman class to adjust to the routine they have already set. Dallas Burroughs is one of the fastest players on Boise State, and Matt Miller, although red-shirted last season, is back and ready for more action, filled with awards. If they keep up their luck and skill like last season, they may be nearly unstoppable.”

Elizabeth Garabedian, CSF Writer/Contributor

21. Virginia Tech

“Look for Virginia Tech to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Clemson in the ACC championship. Losing David Wilson to the NFL will be a major hole and a big replacement, but quarterback Logan Thomas seems ready to handle the major load and can carry this team to the top of the ACC again.”

Garrett Mayers, CSF Writer/Contributor

“The Hokies have been the only constant in the ACC, since joining the conference in 2004. Second year starting QB Logan Thomas will be more consistent in 2012, and you know that the defensive coordinator Bud Foster will have the VA Tech defense on point again this fall.”

Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor

Week 11 of this year’s college football season had its share of bigtime match ups, great individual performances and emotion.  Check out CSF’s take on our top four storylines from last weekend’s action.

Despite turmoil, Penn State shows ultimate class: Despite the Jerry Sandusky child sex scandal and the following administrative leave of assistant coach Mike McQueary and the mid-week firing of legendary coach Joe Paterno, Penn State officially started the healing process this weekend for the football program, the student body and most importantly, for the victims of the alleged abuse.

It started the night before, when students and faculty held a candlelight vigil for the vicitims of Sandusky’s heinous crimes.  On game day, the Penn State fans gave a warm welcome to the team when they got off the buses and again, the the Nittany Lions took the field.  An emotional moment of silence showed fans, many of whom were in tears, was followed by both teams meeting in a

BCS Computers get lucky again: Supporters of the BCS, which depends on computer formulas to determine the best teams in the land, got a huge break last weekend.  For the second straight year, Boise State will not be able to blame computers for not getting their shot at college football immortality.  Last year, a missed field goal at Nevada cost the Broncos a perfect season, and last weekend it was a missed field goal at home against TCU.

Just south in Palo Alto, the Stanford Cardinal fell to Oregon, ending the nation’s longest active winning streak and effectively taking them out of BCS Championship contention.  In the end, the Ducks simply had too much speed and athleticsm for the Cardinal, who still played an admirable game.  These two losses leave only LSU, Oklahoma State and Houston, who has never been taken seriously for a national title run, due to their schedule.

The Dawgs are back:  After dropping their first two games of the season, many had written off the Georgia Bulldogs and many fans were calling for head coach Mark Richt’s head.  Eight straight wins later and the ability to control their own destiny in the SEC East has a way of creating optimism.  After the 45-7 rout of Auburn last weekend, the Dawgs simply have to win this weekend at home against lowly Kentucky to officially punch their ticket to the SEC Championship next month.  You wouldn’t have guessed it a couple of months ago, but Richt’s very young and very talented squad will finish this season with nine or ten wins and a ton of momentum going into next season.

Brandon Weeden torches Texas Tech:  The Red Raiders were flying high after their upset win at Oklahoma on October 22nd.  That flight was short-lived, and they have dropped three straight since then, with the most recent loss resulting in a 66-6 beat down at home against Weeden and the Oklahoma State Cowboys.  Weeden shredded the TTU defense to the tune of 423 yards and five TDs.  In fact, Weeden had almost as many touchdowns (5) as he did incomplete passes (6) in this blowout.  The victory kept OSU in the #2 spot in the polls, and a win in the Bedlam game against Oklahoma would secure a shot at the BCS title–but don’t expect the Sooners to roll over…….the road to the Big 12 still goes through Norman until proved otherwise.

Recap of Week 7 picks and highlights, Mizzou seeks new conference, BCS standings are out and one team there could be some good showdowns for the top spot, and our Week 8 picks.

Another week in the books for the 2011 college football season, and as we continue to learn more about the contenders and pretenders, CSF breaks down some of the action from Week 3.

Oklahoma passes first major test: One of our contributors, Christian Hon, and I actually covered this game and the pregame festivities (check out the on location podcast and tailgate and game footage, which should be posted on Tuesday), and what a fantastic football game! In the end, though, the Sooners showed why they’re the #1 team in the land. Although OU quarterback Landry Jones was held under 200 yards passing and picked off twice by Florida State, he completed a clutch touchdown pass in the fourth quarter when the game was tied. Oklahoma is known for their explosive offense, but it was their defense, led by linebackers Travis Lewis and Tom Wort that stepped up and passed what may have been the most difficult test of the regular season.

Notre Dame finally gets a win: The Irish still have a tough road ahead of them if they want to finish above .500, but they managed to knock off the favored Michigan State Spartans in South Bend last weekend. Similar to Oklahoma, it was the defense that stole the show for Notre Dame, holding Michigan State to just 29 yards rushing. The defense was non-existent against Michigan in week 2, so Irish fans have to feel good about the 31-13 victory over their hated rivals from East Lansing. The next three weeks see the Irish traveling to very mediocre Pitt and Purdue, followed by a home game against Air Force. If they can win two of those games, Brian Kelly’s face may turn back to red, as opposed to the bright purple shade he sported in the South Florida game.

Oklahoma State continues to win shoot outs: The Cowboys have given up an average of 27 points per game so far this season, which ranks 76th nationally. The good thing for Mike Gundy is that the OSU offense is averaging over 52 points per game, which ranks #3 nationally. The main reason for this offensive output is senior quarterback Brandon Weeden, who has thrown for 1154 yards in the first three games of the season. OSU will get their first real test of the season this weekend, when open up conference play at Texas A&M this weekend. With Oklahoma State’s non-existent defense, there won’t be a shortage of points this weekend at College Station.

Kellen Moore keeping his name on the Heisman list: While Toledo may not garner a ton of national attention, they are a legitimate football team, one that gave Ohio State all they could handle in week 2. For Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, it was just another day at the office. The senior QB threw for 455 yards and 5 TDs. On the season, he is completing 78.9% of his passes with 8 TDs and only 2 Ints, and that’s only in two games. Look for Moore to put up 4,000 yards and 35+ touchdowns and represent the Broncos in New York as a finalist for college football’s most prestigious award.

Heart of Stanford’s defense, Shane Skov done for the season: While most of the hype of the Stanford Cardinal surrounds Heisman front-runner Andrew Luck (and rightfully so), the heart of the Cardinal defense is (and has been) Shane Skov. This is a huge loss to a team that many expect to challenge Oregon for the inaugural Pac 12 title. The junior linebacker was highly touted coming out of high school and has lived up to his billing, leading Stanford defensively in last year’s Orange Bowl with three sacks and leading the Cardinal in tackles so far this season. Luckily for Stanford, October 22nd is the first test against a decent offense, when they play host to the Washington Huskies. Three football games should give the defense a chance to gel as a unit before they get into the meat of their schedule.

Welcome to the first ever CSF Podcast! Check it out as we discuss the Miami fiasco, Texas A&M and their possible exit from Big 12, key week 1 match-ups, and our upcoming tailgate video contest. More information to come on the tailgate video contest.