Season is more inevitable than incredible

The season seems stuck in third gear. It has been good, but not great -- more interesting than compelling.

There has been no bang (yet) for your Buckeye. The fall has lacked a wipeout weekend and over-the-top drama.

Maybe it's coming, but it's getting late.

In 2007, you had a different No. 2 every week chinning to the top only to get knocked off the bar.

Appalachian State shocked Michigan that year and Stanford took USC by sneak attack. On the final weekend, with jaws agape, we watched two-loss Louisiana State go from No. 7 in the Bowl Championship Series standings on Friday to No. 2 on Sunday.

It's hard to get worked up anymore when Navy beats Notre Dame, Ohio State assumes control of the Big Ten or the Southeastern Conference starts Thanksgiving early by feasting on nonconference giblets of Northern Arizona, Memphis, Eastern Kentucky and Furman.

Georgia couldn't beat Tennessee this year but, by dog, it beat Tennessee Tech.

You call Saturday in the SEC a November to remember?

Pete Carroll is 28-0 in the month at USC without ever having played a secondary school.

Navy defeated Notre Dame, ho-hum, in South Bend. Two years ago it was humongous because Navy had lost 43 straight in the series. Saturday, some Navy players didn't even feel much like celebrating. Didn't they just do snow angels in that end zone?

We've had almost drama and near mayhem, but Northern Iowa did not quite upset Iowa on opening weekend, Tennessee didn't make the field goal to beat Alabama and Jimmy Clausen didn't make a pass to beat USC.

Wyoming had Texas on the ropes for . . . almost two quarters.

What fun is it to have Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford out for the season? The front-runner now is the Alabama back whose late fumble almost cost his team a win against Tennessee.

It's never good when the conversation starters are about officiating. The SEC has already suspended one crew and last weekend fined Florida Coach Urban Meyer $30,000 for saying something that was probably true.

And yet, the SEC replay crew blew another important call Saturday when it failed to award LSU a late interception that might have helped the Tigers upset Alabama.

LSU Coach Les Miles might tell you what he thinks, but 30 grand is 30 grand.

We've spent too much time debunking myths and knocking theories down. No, Iowa fans, your team was not equipped to win the national title this year. It was a miracle you got to 9-0, but the trip to Lourdes ended Saturday against Northwestern.