You know what I love most about college football? The fact that the season never shakes out the way we think it will.
Of the top 10 teams in the AP preseason poll, three have lost that status within the season's opening two weeks - Adios Oklahoma, we hardly knew you Oklahoma State and you almost fooled us Virginia Tech.
That could certainly be an indictment on preseason polls, but I'd rather express my love for the parity in college football, which seems to be in full bloom again.
Florida State nearly lost to Jacksonville State (home to former Florida defensive tackle Torrey Davis and former LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux) from the Football Championship Subdivision. Missouri fought to hold off Bowling Green, and Maryland needed a field goal in overtime to edge FCS member James Madison, which entered the game 0-9 against FBS teams since 1990.
If parity had a partner in crime, it would be injury.
Oklahoma will be without quarterback Sam Bradford for several weeks and has lost tight end Jermaine Gresham for the rest of the season, a heartbreaking turn of events for Sooners fans.
Oklahoma State climbed into the Top 5 just in time to fall at home against Conference USA foe Houston, and to top it off the Cowboys will likely be without the services of last year's Big 12 rushing leader, Kendall Hunter, due to a right leg injury. Another set of fans sent into despair.
One fan base's hopelessness, however, is another team's opportunity.
Could BYU, currently ranked No. 9 in the coaches' poll, be the first school from outside an automatic-qualifier conference to finish in the Top 5 of the BCS Standings?
With home games still to play against Florida State, TCU and Utah, I say absolutely. But there's still no way an undefeated BYU makes it into the BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena unless Florida or Texas loses.
The No. 1 Gators and No. 2 Longhorns aren't impenetrable to injury. Any given play could cause Florida or Texas fans to gasp and question the heavens. After all, Oklahoma's darling quarterback probably didn't return to Norman to have his national title hopes dashed on a single hit, and Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy don't exactly shy away from contact when they roll out of the pocket.
Here in Gainesville, fans should worry about others in addition to Tebow. At least No. 15 has a backup - the Gators don't even bother listing a reserve tight end on their depth chart, making Aaron Hernandez one of the most irreplaceable members of the team.
There isn't exactly the usual stable of wide receivers, either. Only Riley Cooper (10 catches for 187 yards in two games) and Deonte Thompson (2 TDs against Troy) have proven themselves so far, with Hernandez second on the team in receptions.
Redshirt senior David Nelson has only three catches for 13 yards, and I can't see Brandon James being more than an occasional option, despite his over-the-shoulder touchdown catch Saturday.
Injury isn't the only thing that can derail games or change a season's path.
How about the weather?
It seems like a silly thought, until you remember that the Gators' offense had six fumbles Saturday and looked completely pathetic in the rain during the first quarter against Troy.
You just never know.
So I look forward to watching BYU put its national title game hopes on the line each week, starting with Saturday's home contest against Florida State.
Keep winning, and a fan base from Provo, Utah, can keep dreaming one week at a time. It might never happen, but college football continues to show nothing is certain.
