1. Convinced that the Big 12 is the best conference this year yet? The conference is so loaded and tough that they absolutely cannibalized each other this weekend. Oklahoma State was the lesser Missouri before this weekend, but for now at least that has been reversed. Texas spent a lot of their game looking like they were determined to lose, but finished on a vengeance and, strangely, claimed the top spot in the poll. For now the power structure of the conference is clear, but you get the real feeling that that could all change several times over this year, starting next week when Texas and Missouri meet.

2. Speaking of the Big 12, I’ve said this before, but I am struck by what a bright coaching future Bo Pelini has in front of him. Nebraska got crushed and humiliated by Missouri last week. This week they took a very good Texas Tech team to overtime. Over the last few years Nebraska would have pouted and self-destructed after the first loss, but this team has poise and confidence that the team desperately needed. A few years from now we’ll be talking like Nebraska like we did in the Osborne era.

3. Wow, does it ever suck to be a Michigan fan. I knew things were going to be rough, but every time it seems as if we have bottomed out we find a new low. Toledo? really? Ouch. I’m undyingly loyal to my team, but I may just check out for the rest of the year for the sake of my blood pressure, and find another team to temporarily cheer for. I could follow my wife’s lead and go for Minnesota. They are surprisingly good this year, and that surely can’t last, so maybe I should take it while it lasts.

4. I don’t know if I am impressed by Florida or disappointed by LSU. All I know for sure is that I don’t know what to make of the Gators. Some weeks they look like world powers, and other weeks they look like they are starting a long and painful decline (for reference see: Wolverines, Michigan). I have to pass on this team for now because I am confused and frustrated by them.

5. What now Bill Belichick? There wasn’t a whole lot to build on in that massacre. Two months ago it would have seemed ridiculous to ask, but how strange would it be to see a playoff cycle that doesn’t include the Pats? Very strange, but increasingly likely. Here’s a sentence I never thought I would write about any team, ever: It’s time for the Kevin O’Connell era.

6. Every time I see Jeff Garcia get a chance to start and lead his team to a convincing victory, and every time I see how confident and calm the huddle looks when he is in it, I have to ask why the guy can’t seem to get a job. There are at least a dozen teams in the league that would significantly upgrade their QB play by starting Garcia. He’s a ridiculously underappreciated talent.

7. They must be breathing a massive sigh of relief in Indianapolis tonight. For the first time all year both the offense and the defense had the swagger that has made this team so deadly over the years. Manning wasn’t at his very best, but he was as close as he has been since his injuries. Marvin Harrison was a threat again – something I thought might never happen again. The defense finally seemed to believe that it could function without Bob Sanders. It should be interesting to see if they can maintain this momentum. On the other side of the field, Joe Flacco, after being named starter for the rest of the year, showed how far from looking like a starter he is. It must be a very tough decision as team management to throw away a season to give a quarterback the seasoning that may or may not lead to brighter days ahead. On the other hand, it’s not like this was a tough choice for the Ravens – they didn’t really have a better choice.

8. Charlie Frye is not a good quarterback. At all. I would be hard pressed not to bet against him automatically any time Seattle hands him the ball. That’s not much of a risk, though – I’m pretty tempted to bet against Seattle any time they hit the field. They are 1-4 ATS, and that’s flattering to their play.

9. 26/30 for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Even if it came against the Raiders that is a ridiculously good line for Drew Brees. The Saints are 3-3. 6-4 down the stretch would get them to nine wins. If they hit that and Brees doesn’t lose his arm then it would seem at this point that he should think about building a trophy case for that MVP hardware.

10. The NFC North is a lousy collection of football teams. Chicago is fading, Minnesota is deeply flawed and horribly coached, and Detroit is a waste of oxygen. Green Bay has to beat anything resembling a good team before I have any faith in them.Ugly and, more significantly, boring group.