by Peter Schrager

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1. Though it feels we first saw it yesterday, this week marks the one-year anniversary of Mike Gundy's now legendary "I'm a man" press conference last fall. A YouTube sensation and sure-fire future Coors Lite ad, the "I'm 40!" speech came after a 49-45 win over Texas Tech in the third weekend of September '07. The postgame press conference focused on an article in The Oklahoman by journalist Jenni Carlson. Gundy thought the piece, written on game day, unfairly painted a picture of then backup quarterback Bobby Reid. The bombastic press conference made Internet history and local news sports reels across the country. It also brought the Cowboys closer to their coach.

Twelve months later, Gundy has his young Cowboys sitting pretty with a 3-0 record this season. Sure, they haven't exactly gone up against world beaters (Washington State, Houston, and Missouri State are a combined 3-8 on the year) but they've outscored those teams by a combined 152-63.

Oklahoma State goes up against a Troy team this weekend that gave Ohio State a lot better game in Columbus than the 28-10 final score revealed. There's also a bit of a revenge factor in play here, too. Last year, after starting the season 1-1, the Cowboys made the trip to Troy, only to be blown out 41-23. It was the absolute nadir of OSU's 2007 season. That was quarterback Zac Robinson's first career action, and the game kick-started all the events which led to the Sept. 22 Carlson article. Robinson struggled in that game. He's been solid ever since.

How far he's come.

Through three games in '08, Robinson has completed close to 70 percent of his passes and has an impressive 179.2 quarterback passer rating. Receiver Dez Bryant, meanwhile, is among the nation's best wideouts with 16 receptions for 326 yards and three TDs.

A year after Gundy's speech proclaiming his manhood, it appears that Robinson's quite a man himself. The same can be said for Bryant.

If the Cowboys can get by Troy on Saturday, they'll likely break into the Top 25. After Texas A&M next week, they hit the road for an Oct. 11 bout with Missouri. That should be a battle of two unbeatens.

2. Minnesota has a better record than Ohio State. Really? The same Minnesota that went 1-11 last year, including losses to Bowling Green, North Dakota State and Florida Atlantic? Yes, that Minnesota.

Tim Brewster's boys are 4-0 and Minnesota is looking to go 5-0 for the first time since 2004. It won't be easy, obviously. It'll be damn near close to impossible, actually. The OSU defense got back to form against Troy last weekend, Beanie Wells is back in the lineup, and Terrelle Pryor is coming into his own much sooner than anyone expected.

And I feel like Lloyd Christmas in "Dumb and Dumber" when I write this — but I'm "saying there's a chance" for the young Gophers. To see how far Minnesota has come from last year, start by comparing the 2007 and 2008 games against Florida Atlantic. Minnesota's defense had four interceptions in a 37-3 win last weekend. A year ago, FAU put up 42 in a three-point win.

The 2008 Gophers have forced 13 turnovers and have only committed two. They've got a young quarterback with a ton of moxie in Adam Weber and a legitimate pro football prospect in receiver Eric Decker.

Could Minnesota pull the upset Saturday in Columbus? They're 17-point underdogs and playing on the road, so probably not.

But I'm saying there's a chance.

3. What the hell has happened to Rutgers? After three straight seasons ending with bowl game appearances, the Scarlet Knights have officially hit rock bottom all over again. This is worse than when they lost at home to New Hampshire in 2004.

Mike Teel hasn't gotten much protection, which explains (partly) his lack of productivity. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

Now 0-3 for the first time in nine years, last Saturday's horrendous 23-21 loss to Navy was iced when television cameras caught quarterback Mike Teel taking a swing at backup safety Glenn Lee on the sidelines.

Teel's been horrible. Playing behind a baby-faced offensive line, he's thrown one touchdown and six interceptions this season. His game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter of last weekend's loss put the final nail in the coffin in a game against a team Rutgers had beaten by an average of 25.5 points the past two seasons. Teel came into the 2008 season considered a pro prospect. He needs to improve and improve soon to keep those flickering NFL dreams alive.

How'd things get so bad so quickly in Piscataway? Who knows? But Rutgers will get a win this weekend against Morgan State. After that, it's anybody's guess how many Ws they'll notch the rest of the way.

4. Oklahoma-TCU may be my favorite game of the entire weekend. In one of the weirder stats you'll see this week, the Horned Frogs have actually beaten the Sooners the last two times they've made the trip to Norman. The most recent time these two teams met in Oklahoma, upstart TCU knocked off Adrian Peterson and the Sooners during the opening weekend of the 2005 season. That one was considered a jaw-dropping shocker.

For college football fans, an upset this weekend may not be quite as startling.

For as dominant as Oklahoma's been this season, TCU's been arguably better. Gary Patterson's boys, voted into the Top 25 this week for the first time since last September, haven't trailed all season and rank fifth in the nation with an average margin of victory of 35.3 points. Their defense is ranked No. 1 in the nation in both total yards against per game and rushing yards against. Teams are averaging just 30.5 rushing yards against TCU.

Then again, they haven't gone up against any running back as good as DeMarco Murray, Chris Brown or Mossis Madu yet. And they certainly haven't seen that kind of offensive line.

The Sooners will win this one. But they'll be tested.

5. OK, that last point? It was a lie. Alabama-Georgia is obviously the real game of the weekend. UGA's doing the "blackout" thing again this weekend. When they did it last season vs. Auburn, the home crowd came in pumped, the players came in roaring, and Verne Lundquist ended up doing the "Soulja Boy". Seriously.

Both 'Bama and UGA had huge statement games last weekend. The Crimson Tide waltzed into Arkansas and beat the 'Hogs up and down the field in a 49-14 rout. Georgia, meanwhile, danced all over Arizona State in a 27-10 win in Tempe. Wideout A.J. Green, arguably the most freakishly talented receiver in the entire SEC, told reporters after the game, "I think we made a good statement. We're from the SEC, the South boys. Everybody thinks our conference is so hard, so we just came out here and proved a point."

This one should be a dandy.

I think the blackout works and the combination of Stafford, Moreno and Green are just too much. Georgia wins by two scores.

GAME YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT TIVO'ING THAT YOU SHOULD: Colorado at Florida State, 3:30 PM EST: Colorado upset West Virginia last Thursday night, while Florida State dropped their third straight matchup at home against Wake Forest. This will be a key out-of-conference game for both squads. Though few talk about it, Colorado's in the midst of one of the toughest six-game stretches you'll see in college football. West Virginia, at Florida State, Texas, at Kansas, Kansas State, at Missouri? Are you kidding me? If they win this one, there's reason to start buzzin' about the Buffs.

MILD-TO-MAJOR UPSET PICK OF THE WEEK: San Jose State led early at Stanford last weekend, but came up short in the end. This week's pick?

Illinois over Penn State

PLAYER WHO HAS NO EXCUSE NOT TO GO BONKERS: West Virginia's Noel Devine

Schrager's latest gripes

1. Guys at the sports bar who spend their entire Sunday afternoons checking fantasy football stats on their Blackberrys.

2. The 500 "Everyone but USC in the Pac-10 stinks" articles on the Internet this week.

3. With the Jets trailing by three scores, hearing announcers wax poetic over the time Brett Favre threw a snowball at a teammate last season.