Usually by this point in the football season I feel like I have a pretty good handle on how things are going to go in most games. But last weekend offered up several surprises, some good and some bad, that caught me off guard.  That’s a big part of why we love football so much.  Anything can happen, and things don’t always turn out the way you expect.  With that in mind, let’s review some surprises.

The first comes from my Saints, who have always been full of the unexpected, though not usually the good kind.  I’m surprised they beat Kansas City.  A week after a thumping by San Diego that left Aaron Brooks so discombobulated that he threw backwards to a lineman, the Saints put together a totally unexpected comeback 27-20 win over the Chiefs.  When KC took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, the Average Joe pretty much packed it in and started looking for the old paper bag to wear on his head.  But the Saints showed uncharacteristic spine in rallying for the win.  Deuce McAllister, underused early in the game, provided a spark and finished with 127 yards on only 16 carries.  Jim Haslett, who had looked like he was heading down the Dave Wannstedt path to unemployment, would be well served to get the ball to Deuce a lot more often.

I’m surprised the Titans managed to lose 19-17 on a safety in overtime.  It took me quite a while to realize that what I had seen was real and not a waking dream.  A safety in overtime?  Give me a freakin’ break!  The Titans defense gave up only three points and they got beat by bungling offense and special teams.  The Bears scored touchdowns on an interception return and a punt return, and they added a blocked field goal to boot.  I’ve already given up on the Titans being any good this year, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask to win at home against the Bears when you hold them to three points.  The Titans are beginning to find new ways to lose games, and that’s never a good sign.

I’m really surprised at the egg Ole Miss laid in a 35-3 loss to Arkansas.  The Rebels had played well against ranked teams for three weeks in a row before getting totally outclassed by a 3-5 Hog squad.  Ole Miss even had a week off to prepare for the game, yet some of the Rebels looked like they had never tried to tackle anybody before in their life.  What a turd of an effort.  Ole Miss is going in the tank faster than the Carolina Panthers.

I’m surprised people continue to doubt the Auburn Tigers.  Is nobody paying attention here?  Georgia is a very good football team, but I’d take Auburn –4 over any team in the country, including USC and Oklahoma.  The Tigers are an unstoppable force, and they’re going to beat Alabama and then Tennessee in the SEC Championship game.  Take it to the bank.  USC and Oklahoma continue to be ranked ahead of them solely because they started the season at the top and have stayed there by default, even though both teams have looked shaky at times this year.  You cannot make an argument that Auburn isn’t at least in the top two that I will believe, and if they remain unbeaten and get shut out of the BCS Championship game, it will be a travesty.

I’m surprised at the success the Steelers are having behind Ben Roethlisberger.  We all knew this kid was good coming out of college, but I thought that playing against MAC defenses had made him seem a little better than he actually was.  Well, that theory pretty much went out the window weeks ago.  He’s the real deal, but he’s setting himself up for a fall.  The bar is being raised a little high right now. He ought to go ahead and retire now before he loses a game so he can live on in legend forever.

I’m also surprised about this whole Steve Spurrier to South Carolina talk, Purdue’s midseason collapse, Adrian Peterson’s immediate impact, and the fact that Kurt Warner is still starting for the Giants.