Five burning questions: Week 2

1) Is it unfair to say Clemson was overrated to start the season?

Steven Lassan: Considering the Tigers have 11 more regular season games to right the ship, it's hard to call them overrated at this point. One game certainly doesn't make a season, and the Tigers have a nice three-game stretch to work out the kinks. The ACC wasn't expected to be a strong conference this year to begin with and losses by Virginia Tech and N.C. State only added to that notion. If the Tigers win out and claim the ACC title, they should end up back among the top 10-15 teams. The real question could be how underrated was Alabama going into this year.

Mitch Light: They have plenty of time to right the ship, but at this point of the season, yes, it is fair to say that Clemson was overrated in the preseason. We had them ranked No 10 in the preseason, but the Tigers did not look like a top 10 team Saturday night. Alabama deserves tons of credit for playing very, very well, but Clemson didn’t put up much of a fight. Tommy Bowden must get this team focused, because there is still a ton to play for.

Jake Veyhl: I do think it’s unfair, especially after only one game. Did they look like a top-10 team in their opener? Absolutely not. This team still has a lot of talent, however, and I don’t expect them to drop off the map like Cal did last season. Clemson is still the class of the ACC as far as I’m concerned.

2) Can Ohio State win the Big Ten without a healthy Beanie Wells?

Steven: Yes, even if Beanie Wells is out for the year, the Buckeyes can win the Big Ten title. Although Wells will be difficult to replace, they can lean on defense and the leadership of quarterback Todd Boeckman to get through the schedule. Backup running backs Maurice Wells, Brandon Saine and Daniel Herron aren't the elite rusher Beanie is, but they are more than capable of moving the chains. Plus, Jim Tressel and his staff will find ways to get super-talented freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor more involved in the offense.

Mitch: Yes, Ohio State can win the Big Ten without a healthy Beanie Wells. He is clearly a difference-maker, but the Buckeyes have solid depth at the position with Brandon Saine and Maurice Wells. This is the best team in the league, with or without Beanie.

Jake: There’s such a gap between Ohio State and the rest of the league that I think they can still win the Big Ten without Beanie Wells. Ohio State is one of those programs that always has talent pouring in to fill any holes, so Wells’ replacement (perhaps another Wells) won’t be a slouch by any means. The Buckeyes still have the best defense in the country so all the offense needs to do is score 17 points or more and they can win any game.

3) Which team has the best chance to bust the BCS? Fresno State, BYU, Utah or someone else?

Steven: If a mid-major team is going to bust the BCS in 2008, it will be the winner of the Nov. 22 showdown between BYU and Utah. Fresno State and East Carolina will be in the mix, but the winner of the Holy War will be the team that gets the bid. Assuming both teams are undefeated, it could be a potential match-up of top 10 teams, giving the winner a spot among the top 12 in the final BCS standings.

Mitch: Well, the three top candidates, Fresno State, BYU and Utah all won in Week 1, with Fresno and Utah picking up very impressive road wins. Before the season, my pick was BYU, but I’m switching to Utah. I was very, very impressed with the Utes on both sides of the ball vs. Michigan. Fresno is very good, as it showed at Rutgers, but the schedule is too tough. The Dogs’ hopes could be dashed this weekend vs. Wisconsin.

Jake: You can make a great case for Fresno State after its Week 1 performance, but I believed before the season that BYU has the best team and I’m sticking with that. The Cougars have a great offense to roll through their opponents, but the knock on them as to, say, Fresno State or Utah, is that the quality of their wins won’t be nearly as impressive. Still, if Utah and BYU are undefeated heading into their Nov. 22 showdown against each other, that could be the game of the year.

4) Which league had the more disappointing Week 1 performance, the ACC or the Big East?

Steven: I'm going to give the nod to the ACC, but there wasn't much separation between the two. In addition to Virginia Tech and Clemson both losing marquee games, N.C. State and Virginia were destroyed, Maryland won by seven points over FCS opponent Delaware and North Carolina edged fellow FCS foe by McNeese State by eight. Delaware and McNeese State are solid FCS teams, however, the Tar Heels and Terrapins should've had their way with these two teams.

Mitch: It’s close, but I’ll stick with the ACC. When the most talented team in the league fails to score a touchdown in a neutral site game, it’s a problem. Wake Forest looked good at Baylor, but the Bears are the worst team in the Big 12. No other ACC team recorded anything close to a quality win. It was a bad weekend for both leagues.

Jake: While both had awful Week 1s with some really bad losses, I’m going to say the ACC because their teams looked bad from top to bottom. Wake Forest looked like it was in midseason form, but aside from that, too many teams struggled. The difference between the Big East and the ACC is that the Big East’s top teams took care of business while the ACC’s didn’t. Granted, the competition wasn’t as stout, but both of Athlon’s picks to win the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions — Clemson and Virginia Tech — had poor showings.

5) Assuming the Red Raiders make a bowl game, but miss the Big 12 championship game (for a total of 13 games), Graham Harrell would need to average more than 460 passing yards per game to reach 6,000 for the season. He’s already ahead of schedule with 532 in the opener. Is there any way he can reach that incredible milestone?

Steven: Yes. I'd say there is a great chance of Harrell passing for 6,000 yards this season. After all, he threw for 5,705 yards last year and returns receivers Michael Crabtree and Eric Morris, along with a solid offensive line. Harrell has a soft schedule for the next three weeks, so he can pad the stats and top the 6,000-yard mark this year.

Mitch: Yes, he can. Will he? My guess is no. One mediocre game (for him, about 300 yards) can kill an average. It will be difficult to sustain that level of play for an entire season.

Jake: It’s possible, but it won’t happen. There are too many variables that go into throwing for 460 yards per game. I have been impressed in the past at Mike Leech’s penchant for continuing to throw the ball against FCS competition when his team is up by seven scores, but I guess that’s one variable in Harrell’s favor. Still, I’d love to be on a 6,000-yard watch toward the end of the season. That’d be fun.

Throughout the season in the weekly five burning questions article, Steven, Mitch and Jake will participate in the Campus Challenge. The rules are simple. Each person picks a quarterback, running back and wide receiver to make up their "team" for the week in an effort to amass as many passing yards, rushing yards, receiving yards and total touchdowns as possible. Whoever has the best stats as the end of the year wins. All players selected must be from a BCS conference team and each editor can only use a player once during the season.