Remember when one of your professors told you that having too much information for your research paper was actually tougher than having too little? 

Welcome to this week's SportDork entry.  When I first sat down to 'craft' this week's entry, I quickly came to a horrifying realization.  My initial jubilation over all of the marquee match ups, intriguing plot lines and surprising upsets in the world of college football turned into despair when I realized it would take me about 25,000 words to adequately address the weekend's events.  And while I am certainly up to the challenge, since, as my loyal readers know, brevity has never been my strong suit, I knew college football's opening weekend was not the time to assault the SportDork Nation with a lengthy diatribe.  It's too early.  We both know you're not ready.  You need to be gently immersed in the season, like a small child introduced to a pool for the first time.  We can't drop you in too quickly.  That wouldn't be good for anyone. 

No, the opening weekend calls for an appetizer from The SportDork, not a main course.  So with that in mind, here's an order of mozzarella sticks and potato skins:

How about Oregon and Boise State kicking off the season with one of the best sucker punches ever?  Here's Oregon's starting running back, LeGarrette Blount, cold cocking Boise State's Byron Hout after Boise State put a beat down on Oregon for the second straight year:

Apparently Blount, who talked some trash before the game ("Boise State has an a*s-whuppin coming") and then proceeded to rush eight times for a grand total of - 5 yards in the 19 - 8 loss, wasn't too pleased when Hout decided to remind him that Oregon had lost as he left the field.  Blount took exception to the not-so-subtle reminder and landed a right cross square to Hout's jaw that sent him to his knees.  Then Blount had to be restrained as he left the field to prevent him from running into the stands to take out his remaining frustration on some Boise State fans.  Blount has now been suspended for the rest of the season, which is wholly appropriate given his actions, but I have a different question:

What about Hout?  Can this guy not just keep his mouth shut and run off the field?  Was beating Oregon for the second straight year not enough?  I hate to say it, but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a part of me that loved watching Blount knock that sh*t eating grin off of Hout's face with one solid right.  Obviously, for Hout, beating Oregon was great, but not as great as acting like an a*s clown and taunting the other team's players after the game.  It's only the first week of the season, and I'm already tired of watching one idiot after another taunt and engage in a wide variety of unsportsmanlike gestures following acts as fundamental as successfully making a tackle.  If the refs aren't going to do anything about it, then there's a certain satisfaction in watching another player take matters into his own hands.  Of course, it looks like the refs aren’t the only ones turning a blind eye to this wide spread asinine behavior.  Blount has been suspended for the season, but you know how Boise State is dealing with Hout?  He's being "disciplined internally."  Super.  An hour running stadium steps ought to teach him.

And is there any reason to play a quality opponent in your opener?  After watching Georgia and Oklahoma lose this weekend, I doubt they think so.  Say what you will about Florida and others playing cream puffs in their openers, but until the polls punish teams for playing inferior opponents more than they punish teams for a loss, there is absolutely no reason to get crazy and play a quality opponent in your opener.  The fact is, if you're in a major conference, and you finish the season undefeated, you're probably going to be playing in the BCS title game, regardless of who you played in your out-of-conference schedule.  Don't agree?  Ask yourself this question: if Georgia played Charleston Southern and Troy for their out-of-conference games instead of Oklahoma State and Arizona State, and then finished the season undefeated, would they be in the national championship game?  The answer is 'absolutely', which leaves me wondering why you would ever fill up your out-of-conference schedule with quality opponents.  It's all risk and no reward.

With all the excitement on the field last weekend, surprisingly the most exciting moment from the opening weekend actually came off the field, courtesy of an early birthday present I received from Mrs. SportDork.  Here I am before the UF/Charleston Southern matchup, manning my new Son of Hibachi grill:

A grill that allows you to cook your entire meal while seated and can be back in the trunk in its insulated bag only thirty minutes after you pull the meat off?  I smell a Nobel Prize.

Finally, you may not think there was a lot of excitement among Gator fans over an opener that featured Charleston Southern, but you'd be mistaken.  Here is Fernando on Friday night, expressing his desire to make the trip down to Gainesville for the opener:

"If you're going to see Tebow, I'm going to see Tebow.  Now zip this thing up and let's go!"