Saturday Notes on a Sunday 11/2

*Just when you think you have College Football figured out, you are sorely mistaken.  Everyone from here to Jupiter thought Georgia would surely kick the hell out of a lousy Florida team at the worlds largest outdoor cocktail party.  Instead Florida trounces Georgia in a game that was 38-13 before a junk time Bulldog TD.  Florida, who is awful offensively, racked up a staggering 418 rushing yards in the victory.  The Gators attempted just 6 passes in the game.  WOW.  I gave UF very little shot in this one.  My hats off to them for proving me wrong.  That said, I would still can Will Muschamp.

*Auburn and Ole Miss played an incredibly exciting game Saturday night.  It was back and forth all game long.  Auburn wins this game because the Rebels turned the ball over twice in the red zone.  The first occured when Bo Wallace was reaching for extra yards.  The 2nd was about the damndest thing I have ever seen.  Wallace completes a pass to Laquan Treadwell who appears to go in for a TD to take the lead late.  An Auburn Defensive Back grabs Treadwell who is hurt on the play and loses the ball inches before the end zone.  Auburn recovers in the end zone and holds on for the win.  It was a fantastic finish.  Ole Miss is essentially eliminated from the playoff conversation due to heartbreaking losses in back to back weeks.  WOW.

*There was a classless act before the Penn State/Maryland game.  The Terrapins refused to shake hands with the Lions before the ball game and WR Stefon Diggs made contact with an official drawing a personal foul penalty.  This is all in the name of “rivialry” that the 2 teams are trying to forge.  If you want to make a team your rival, you go out and kick their ass.  Maryland emerged victorious in a messy, sloppy,game.  Neither team was deserving of a victory.  Penn State had 4 turnovers including a fumbled kickoff that fueled a 13 point Maryland 4th quarter for the win.  Maryland had less than 200 yards of total offense on the day.  My biggest take away was the lack of class that was apparent before the game.  Shake the hand of the other team you freaking drama queens.

*Its funny how folks like to be the first to proclaim a team as “good.”  This was certainly the case with Kentucky.  They sat at 5-1 and folks were jumping all over their bandwagon.  Now the Cats have lost 3 straight including Saturday defeat at the hands of Missouri.  Good teams dont lose to the Tigers, particularly this average outfit.  This is not meant to rag on UK.  That is a tough building job.  My point is lets pump the brakes on a team before jumping on the band wagon.  Kentucky is just like any number of teams trying to climb the mountain.  It takes time, its tough, everyone wants to win.

*This weeks Playoff Teams: Oregon, Florida State, Auburn and Michigan State.  Florida State lacks an opponent capable of playing with them for 4 quarters on their schedule.  I really liked what I saw from Auburn last night.  That team has guts.  Oregon and Michigan State will both run the table and win their respective conferences.

STOCK UP
Auburn- The Tigers have the Tide squarely in their sights.
Iowa- A thrashing of Northwestern lands you on the Stock Up list.
Arizona State- Another tough gritty victory for the Devils.  Todd Graham has done a hell of a job.
Duke- Another week another W for the Blue Devils who are now an impressive 7-1.
Oregon- For getting the Monkey off their back against the Cardinal.

STOCK DOWN
East Carolina- How can we supposed to take the Pirates seriously?  A ranked team losing to Temple?  Come on.
Mississippi State- I know Arkansas is an improved group, but is that the way a #1 team is supposed to act?
Texas Tech- Getting slapped around, at home, to a below average Texas team?  Coach Bro cant be happy.
Nebraska- This offense might be my undoing.
Oklahoma State- 3 losses in a row, none of them competitive.  Owch.

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Saturday notes on a Sunday 10/19

*Missouri beat the bejesus out of Florida Saturday evening 42-13.  It was peculiar type of beat down.  Missouri notched a kickoff return, an interception return, a punt return and a fumble return for TD.  How does that happen?  In the process of the smack down, Florida turned the ball over 6 times.  If I am a Florida fan, I have had it with Will Muschamp.  I wouldn’t want him coaching my team one more day after such an embarrassment.  How long can his reign of error go on?

*Florida State didn’t beat Notre Dame as much as they survived.  The Noles only converted 2-8 3rd downs and were out-gained by over 140 yards.  This team just seems to skate by at this point.  It seems to me they are ripe for the picking.  They have lost the edge that made them so special last year.  What happened to the team that was rolling everyone a year ago?  Has the chaos of Jameis Winston really taken that great of a toll?  This team has no chance of repeating as National Champs the way they are playing.

*Sooner fans have to be beside themselves after the home loss to Kansas State.  Oklahoma outgained the Cats 533 to 385, got 30 first downs and generally controlled the game.  OU committed a number of errors that led to the loss.  Trevor Knight threw a pick 6 backed up to his own goal line on a lazy throw to the flat.  In the 3rd quarter with the Sooners driving Oklahoma Jay Norvell dialed up a reverse pass which was intercepted in the end zone.  Michael Hunnicut missed a makeable field goal at the end of the first half, had an extra point blocked, and then a gimme with the game on the line.  The final miss came after a drive where the Sooners pounded the ball down the field with little resistance.  It was 1st and goal inside the 5, OU ran it 3 times in the middle before settling for the field goal.  This loss eliminates Oklahoma from any kind of playoff conversation and has to sicken the Sooner faithful.

*Baylor loses at West Virginia 41-27 a week after lucking out at home against TCU 58-61.  It goes to show, again, that championship caliber football requires defense.  You just cant expect your offense to do all the heavy lifting throughout the season.  A good offense, like Baylor’s, can cover up a lot of deficiencies.  Its the great deodorant.  Once again it is proven that in order to have a championship level team, defense must at least be adequate.  It sure didnt help matters that Baylor comitted 18 penalties for 185 yards, and was only 3-16 on 3rd down.  Those are sloppy stats.  Baylor may re-enter the playoff discussion, but in my opinion they are unworthy.  Playoff teams should be at least competent on both sides of the ball.

*The score is astounding, but the manner in which Alabama slapped around  Texas A&M really stands out.  This one was an absolute blood bath in every way.  The score at halftime was 45-0 and the Tide took their foot off the gas.  Alabama piled up 602 yards of total offense including an astronomical 6.6 yards per rush.  They held the Aggies to a mere 172 yards and only 31 rushing.  Where do these teams go from here?  Alabama obviously, lives to fight another day in the hunt for the playoffs.  What about the Aggies?  They have lost 3 in a row and are in full free fall.  Does this team go in the tank?  Do they get it back on track for the rest of the 2014 campaign?  I have to believe a loss like this effects this teams confidence and overall mentality.  It is something to watch going forward.

STOCK UP
Alabama– beating the pants off anyone like that is deserving of a stock up designation.
Arizona State– Stanford may be down, but its a good win for the Sun Devils no less.
TCU– an impressive bounce back victory over an over rated Oklahoma State squad.
Minnesota– The Gophers move to 6-1 after a come from behind victory Saturday afternoon.

STOCK DOWN
Florida– what a dumpster fire.
UCLA– This team makes me look like an idiot each and every week.
Kentucky– I thought UK could hang with LSU.  I was wrong.
BYU– A 3rd loss in a row after losing Taysom Hill.  Its apparent just how valuable he was.
Baylor– Play some damn Defense.

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Notes and Such 2/8

*Some strange news out of Norman.  QB Blake Bell will make the move to TE his Senior season.  I cannot recall another time that a QB was moved to that position.  Obviously Bell has the kind of size the TE position demands, but will he be able to block?  How are his hands?  I like the Belldozer, but I dont see this being a viable move for a productive season.  I think he should have remained at QB.  Trevor Knight may have had a great game in the Sugar Bowl, but his position as a starter was not solid throughout the year.  If Knight faltered, there may be a chance for Bell to regain his starter status.  As it stands, I think he will spend his Senior season sparring it up at TE.

*Michigan Coach Brady Hoke is holding an open QB competition this spring and fall.  I’m no Michigan man, but if I were, I would be ecstatic about this move.  Devin Gardner’s numbers are decent (60%completion percentage, 21/11 Td to Int ratio) but those numbers don’t tell the story.  In a number of losses, Gardner led an ineffective offense.  At times he seemed frazzled and didn’t know where to go with the ball.  If his first read wasn’t there, he would take off and as the season wore down so did he.  A healthy competition will surely be a good thing for a Wolverine offense that sucked last year.

* Another player has joined the list of graduate transfers.  Former N.C State QB Pete Thomas declared his intentions to transfer this week.  I’m sure Thomas is a nice young man, but he is a poor QB.  He does complete 60% of his passes, but his TD/Int ratio is 4/9.  That is awful, just plain awful.  This will also be Thomas’ 3rd stop after stints at Colorado State and N.C State.  I’m not a scout, but it appears to me a program would have to be pretty damn desperate to take a flyer on Thomas.  It is worth keeping an eye on.

*Cincinatti has hired a new Athletic Director.  Former Colorado A.D Mike Bohn comes over with a singular goal.  That goal is to get Cincy into another conference.  While I am not surprised by this goal I am surprised by how outward they are being about it.  But my question is this: What conference do they intend on joining?  The ACC has already turned down the Bearcats.  The Big 10 is looking to expand its footprint and Cincinnati doesn’t do that.  The Big 12?  Perhaps, but at this time that conference seems content with 10 teams.  I guess we shall see where this goes, but Cincy has made their intentions known.  They want out of the AAC.

Weekly List- Biggest Disappointment of 2013

1)Florida Gators– An absolute train wreck of a season.  After winning 11 games in 2012 they won a measly 4 games in 2013.  The Gators lost their last 7 games including a loss to Georgia Southern who managed to beat them despite throwing for 0 yards.  How Will Muschamp has a job is beyond me.
2)Northwestern– A season with such high hopes unravelled in a hurry amidst a flurry of crucial injuries and heartbreaking defeats.  The Wildcats lost 7 straight including 4 by 7 points or fewer.  Regardless, the Wildcats 2013 campaign was an enormous disappointment.
3)Texas– Most preseason publications called for Texas to win the Big 12 and go to a BCS bowl.  Some even thought the Horns would contend for a bigger prize.  UT lost 5 games on the year.  Their season was so dissapointing that it cost Mack Brown his job.
4)North Carolina– I thought Larry Fedora’s team would contend for a division title in 2013.  The division seemed wide open and the Heels had plenty of talent on their roster.  North Carolina jumped out to a god awful 1-5 start before rebounding to save their season.  Even after a bowl win N.C went 7-6 on this disappointing campaign.
5)Nebraska-I hate to say it but my beloved Huskers belong on this list.  The 2013 was absolutely disappointing.  Rather than contending for a Big 10 crown the Huskers had an inconsequential season marred by a slew of injuries and controversy.  It was a real shame.

A couple of notes from around the rest of the sports world

Lord Almighty that was a stinker of a Super Bowl.  I don’t think anyone in their right mind forcasted the kind of smack down we all witnessed Sunday night.  It was atrocious.  It didn’t take long for this thing to get out of hand.  Its a real shame because I thought the game had a boat load of potential.  Peyton Manning was just hounded and harassed into perhaps the most miserable performance of his career.  That was the worst Super Bowl since the Ravens trashed the Giants in 2000.

Winter Olympics anyone?  I find myself oddly fascinated by these niche sports every 4 years.  I never know what to make of them, but I am enthralled by these athletes.  So many of these sports are something I could never, in my wildest dreams, hope to replicate.  Its absolutely fascinating.  I will be watching sporadically for the next couple of weeks.  Chime in folks.  What are your thoughts on the Winter Olympics?  What, if anything, do you look forward to seeing?

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Saturday notes on a Sunday

A terrific day of College Football.  It was just wonderful.  Here are some thoughts and notes about Saturday’s action.

*I thought Oklahoma State had a chance Saturday night.  A chance.  I did not think they would beat the hell out of  the Baylor Bears like that.  If you did, you are either a bit richer today, or a freaking liar.  It was an avalanche in Stillwater.  The Pokes got momentum and never relinquished it.  Very, very impressive win over a team that has looked like one of the nations best all season long.  Now OSU is in the driver seat in the Big 12.  Bedlam looms.

*The Florida Gators’ season has been circling the toilet for some time now.  Well it officially hit rock bottom Saturday, with a loss to Georgia Southern in the swamp.  Georgia Southern collected something like 550k to go to Gainesville and poop all over their field.  If that isn’t bad enough, The Eagles had 0 passing yards on 3 attempts on the day.  How the hell do you not get anything through the air and still defeat a team that has superior athletes at every position?  Will Muschamp has to be on the hot seat doesn’t he?

*A day of shakeups out west.  First off, kudos to Arizona State for locking up The Pac 12 South with a win in Pasadena.  Well done by The Sun Devils.  Then Oregon loses to Arizona 42-16, in a shocker.  That puts Stanford back in first place in The North.  So The Cardinal has to beat the lowly Cal Bears to play The Sun Devils for the Pac 12 crown.

*This has been bothering me for some time.  The SEC and ACC front-load their conference schedules to put more interesting games in September.  I think this is stupid and Saturday proved me right once again.  Look at this list of hum-dingers:  Alabama/Chattanooga, Coastal Carolina/South Carolina, Florida/Georgia Southern, Florida State/Idaho, Clemson/Citadel, North Carolina/Old Dominion, Georgia Tech/Alabama A&M.  This is November.  This is the time of year when teams need to be focused on Conference crowns, not fucking around with some team that has no business being on the same field.  My solution?  Stop front-loading schedules.  If you want more interesting games in September schedule out of conference.  Its that simple.

*The feel good story of the year is the Duke Blue Devils who won again, defeating Wake Forest 28-21.  This means The ACC Coastal is there for the taking next week when The Dukies go to Chapel Hill.  I would have never thought this rivalry would have a football game with any meaning.  But here we are.  Maybe David Cutcliffe can give Coach K some tips on running a good program.  HA

STOCK UP
Notre Dame– Good win for The Irish beating BYU.  Love them or hate them Notre Dame plays a damn good schedule and this is a tough one.  Good for ND.
Washington State– Bowl eligible in Pullman lands The Cougs on the Stock up list.  Great coaching job by Mike Leach.
Oklahoma State– What a statement The Pokes made last night.
Wisconsin– This is the most under rated team in the country.  I swear I will shout it from the mountain tops until somebody takes notice.  The Badgers are GOOD!!
Boston College– Another W for The Eagles to get them to 7-4.  Nice job Steve Addazio.

STOCK DOWN
Baylor– How can anybody take The Bears seriously after an ass beating like that?  Top teams dont just get blown out of the water like that.
Oregon– With everything in front of them The Ducks get killed in Tuscon.  They give up their Conference Title dreams to The Wildcats?  WOW
North Texas– The Mean Green were in control of their own destiny until a loss at home to UTSA.  If this program is going to go places those are games that have to be won.
Florida– They paid Georgia Southern how much to come into their house and eat their cereal?
Michigan– Oh Michigan.  Another loss to a mediocre foe.  What are The Buckeyes going to do to The Wolverines next weekend?

Saturday notes on a Sunday 11-10

*In the days biggest game Alabama dispatched LSU 38-17.  In the first half it appeared that Bama would have a tough time stopping LSU’s Offense.  The Alabama Defense held The Tigers to 3 points after the break.  That, my friends, is coaching.  Alabama made the appropriate adjustments and frustrated Zach Mettenberger in the 2nd half.  Once again Nick Saban and Kirby Smart show why Alabama is number 1 and a 2 time defending National Champ.  The Alabama Offense isn’t necessarily explosive but they are steady and effective.  They showed the nation how it is done on Saturday night.

*Miami let Florida State beat them again.  The Hurricanes got caught thinking about last week and forgot about the decent Hokie team coming in.  Virginia Tech is not a great team.  In the previous 2 weeks The Hokies had lost to Boston College and Duke.  On a rainy night in Miami, The Hurricanes were not focused and lost a game that could easily cost them the division.  You have to think they are going to regret this one.

*Florida is going to miss a bowl.  How can this be?  Will Muschamp and his staff had better dust off their resumes.

*I have to include my thoughts on Thursday night.  Stanford put on an absolute clinic running the football against Oregon.  The Ducks have a smaller, fast Defense and Stanford exploited that with big personnel.  It was a thing of beauty.  The Stanford Defense frustrated Marcus Marriota by being in his face all night long.  Oregon looks like Superman against eery other team.  It appears Stanford is the kryptonite.

*Auburn has to be the surprise team of the season.  The Tigers were not ranked coming into the season and most folks, myself included, thought they would be average at best.  AU is now 9-1, in the top 10 and drilling folks in the SEC.  Gus Malzahn may be the coach of the year for the turnaround job he has done in his first season.  Yesterday they drubbed a decent Tennessee team, and never really threw the ball.  QB Nick Marshall only threw the ball for 35 yards but ran for 214.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  Malzahn will make Auburn a national player once again, if hasn’t already.

*Another week another Florida State shallacking.  This week a piss poor Wake Forest team was the victim.  42-0 at halftime?  7 Wake Forest turnovers?  Damn.

STOCK UP
Minnesota-The Golden Gophers are now 8-2 and have won 4 in a row under interim coach Tracy Claeys.  This is a good football team and the real surprise in the Big 10.
Duke– The Blue Devils are now 7-2 after beating up on a poor NCState team.  Still Duke, and coach David Cutcliffe should be commended on the great worth they are doing there.   Stock up Dukies.
Wisconsin– The best team nobody is talking about.  They are a botched call from being in the top 10.  On Saturday they beat a pretty salty BYU team.  Lets give The Badgers some love.
Central Florida– The Golden Knights beat a good Houston team to put them firmly in 1st place in The AAC.  UCF could be playing in the Sugar Bowl this year.  Hard to imagine isn’t it?
Pittsburgh– A great win for Paul Chryst and his team over Notre Dame.  Good for the Panthers.
Baylor– After half a year of playing nobodies The Bears showed their worth Thursday night.  Its going to be an interesting half of a season in Waco.

STOCK DOWN
Texas Tech– losing to an average, at best, KState team to make it 3 in a row?  Owch.  Stock down Red Raiders.
Miami– So quick were folks to proclaim that Miami was back 2 weeks ago.  After the last 2 it is clear they are the same old pretenders.
Florida– Losing at home to Vandy with a bowl bid on the line?  How has this train gotten so far off the tracks?
Maryland– Here is another team whose season is circling the toilet.  5-0 seems so long ago doesnt it Terps fan.
Illinois– Put Tim Beckman out of his misery and fire him already.

11 am time slot thoughts 11/09

An interesting set of games here for the 11 am time slot.  Here are some thoughts and observations.

Minneota is about to beat Penn State.  This is not your father’s Nittany Lions but we are talking about the Golden Gophers.  That would put Minnesota at 8-2 and winners of 4 straight under interim head Coach Tracy Claeys.  Those wins were over Northwestern, Nebraska, Penn State, and a decent upstart Indiana.  Coach Claeys deserves a head coaching job himself.  I am incredibly impressed with the job he has done in Minneapolis.

What has happened to Texas Tech?  After a 7-0 start The Raiders have now lost 3 straight after getting beaten at home by a very average KState team.  Has this team hit a wall or were they just beating bad teams?  It is hard to say at this point.  Kliff Kingsbury has to find a way to get this team off the mat and finish the year.  I actually have confidence that he will.

Have you watched Auburn?  I think this is the surprise team in College Football this season.  The Tigers are going to be 9-1 after drubbing a downtrodden Tennessee club.  This team can run the ball like it is nobody’s business.  They do it in a variety of ways as well.  Its really good stuff.  We could be looking at an enormous Iron Bowl in 3 weeks when Alabama and Auburn meet up.  I dont know about you, but I really like that rivalry.  Those teams legitimately dont care for one another, the games are super intense, and it is amplified when both teams are good.

Another week, another ass kicking from Florida State.  This weeks victim was Wake Forest, who stinks anyway.

Florida, oh Florida.  The Gators are getting their collective ass handed to them by Vanderbilt.  The Gators season started with such promise and has quickly gone in the toilet.  Florida drops to 4-5 with a loss.  UF is going to have to beat either South Carolina or Florida Sate just to get bowl eligible.  I wonder if Will Muschamp will feel some heat after this clunker of a season.

November

Saturday marks the first Saturday in November.  As with any November Saturday, there are several pretty damn good games.  Many of which have substantial implications for division and conference titles.  In November the games are bigger, more meaningful and better played. That’s not to mention the intensity of the games, which is ratcheted up a notch or two.  November is the heart of College Football season.  Texas Tech and Oklahoma State play in what will essentially be an elimination game in The Big12.  Miami and Florida State square off in what will be a lopsided affair.  The Noles are going to slap around the Canes and make an impression on the nation.  Michigan needs to beat Michigan State to remain in contention for the Legends division.  Missouri entertains Tennessee for control of their own destiny in the SEC East.  That one has tremendous potential.  My Nebraska Cornhuskers play the sinking ship that is the Northwestern Wildcats.  The problem for the Huskers is that they are playing like crap as well.  Georgia and Florida play in a game that is normally huge but this year features 2 teams dramatically underachieving.  Yep Saturday will be a tangled web that will slowly sort itself out by days end.  Along the way there will be highs, and lows, surprises and the expected.  Some will rise to the occasion, others will be crushed by a moment.  Only one thing is for sure.  It will be glorious.  Saturdays in the November, its part of what makes College Football the greatest sport in the world.

Looking ahead to Saturday- week 10

Man this fall is whizzing by.  I cant believe we are already on Week 10 and Thursday is Halloween.  Wow.  Week 9 was terrific.  I think we really learned a lot about the top teams out there.  It seems obvious to me that Alabama, Florida State, and Oregon are a cut above.  There are others that can prove themselves and perhaps get into this title chase.  We shall see.  On to this weeks action:

USC @ Oregon State– Does anyone remember 2008 when a top ranked, hot shot USC team went to Corvallis and got beat by the lowly Beavers on a Thursday night?  Man, that was awesome.  This time Oregon State has the better team and The Trojans are coming in on a Friday.  I see no reason why the outcome will be different than 2008.  Beavers roll in this one.  Watch Sean Mannion, that dude is pretty good.

Wisconsin @ Iowa– Put me in the camp that thinks Wisconsin is a pretty damn good team.  If you count The Arizona State game as a win (and you should, Whisky got JOBBED), The Badgers are a one loss team.  That one loss was to Ohio State in Columbus.  I think realistically Wisconsin should be ranked in the top 15.  Iowa has shown over the last few weeks that they are a pretty decent team themselves.  Also given the home field advantage this one should be pretty good.  Even so, give me The Badgers.  Chris Borland and The Badger Defense will be the difference.

Michigan @ Michigan State– No Offense Sparty takes on Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hide.  This game is one of my must watch games of the weekend.  These teams don’t like each other and they are both jockeying for position in the wide open Legends division.  For The Wolverines, this one is a cant lose, as they still have to play Ohio State.  Michigan State would like very much to defeat it’s rival and put them in their rear view mirror.  I think they will do just that.  The Sparty Defense will be too tough and Michigan relies too heavily on The QB run.

Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)– The Worlds Largest Cocktail Party again takes place in dumpy Jacksonville.  This game lacks the National relevance of years past but regardless is an awesome rivalry.  For Florida, nothing has changed, their Offense is still miserable.  For that reason I will take The Bulldogs.  Aaron Murray and company will put up far too many points for The Gators to be competitive.

Tennessee @ Missouri– Both of these teams lost last weekend in much different ways.  Tennessee got their wheels blown off by possibly the best team in the country, while Missouri BLEW a 17 point 4th quarter lead to end their dreams of a perfect season.  Call me crazy, call be biased, (both are probably true in this instance) but I could see Missouri sleeping on the Volunteers.  That would be a very Missouri think to do.  Meanwhile I am becoming a Butch Jones believer.  He has really done a good job in his first season in Knoxville.  He will have his team ready to play.  I will call for the upset here.  Give me The Vols to go on the road and beat up Missouri.

Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech– This is a very big game in the Big 12.  In all likelihood,  the loser will essentially be eliminated from the possibility of winning this league (that is not to say that either one of these teams will win the league).  I just cant trust the Pokes.  I have watched them a couple of time and have come away both times with a blah feeling.  Conversely, Tech really impressed me last weekend.  Those boys on Defense will pop you.  My only concern for Tech is the hangover effect of last weeks loss to Oklahoma.  Can they forget about and move on to this one?  I will say they can.  Give me Tech to win at home.

Miami @ Florida State– Do you remember when this would be the marquee game for the entire year?  These squads would go at it to determine who would represent Florida in the National Title chase year in and year out.  This rivalry has lost a lot of luster since those days.  It seems that these teams are never good at the same time.  Well this year they are.  Florida State brings in a top 5 Offense and Defense to this matchup.  Miami has been good as well but not nearly as impressive.  I think the better team wins this one as The Seminoles take out The Hurricanes with relative ease.  Miami is good, but they cant hang with Florida State.

Saturday observations from afar

This weekend my wife and daughter headed out-of-town to a wedding.  This, obviously, conflicted with my marathon College Football watching.  I think I drove my wife crazy trying to remain updated on the ongoing action.  I would slip out of the reception to catch some action and borrow her phone to check scores.  I think she was generally annoyed.  While a wonderful time was had by all, it appears I missed some outstanding action.  So here are my Saturday observations from either my mother in laws couch or the bar adjacent to the reception hall:

* 7 of the Top 15 teams went down on Saturday.  I can’t believe I just typed that.  That fact borders on absurd.  Some of the games were certainly more surprising than others, but for nearly half of the top 15 to lose is unreal.  It just shows why College Football is the best in terms of competitiveness on a week by week basis.

* Florida State makes a BIG TIME statement.  I thought they would win the game but I never would have predicted that they would go into Death Valley and dominate The Tigers.  Jameis Winston was once again Fantastic.  I saw the pregame speech he gave and was tremendously impressed.  The kid has remarkable charisma.  The Noles responded by putting an ass whooping on Clemson.  I said it in the preseason, this team has what it takes to win it all.  Winston is a big part of that.

* Georgia continues to make me look like a God Damn fool.  A few weeks ago, after The Dogs beat LSU, I put Georgia squarely in the National Title Hunt.  Well since then they have lost 2 of 3 (and were lucky to win the other one) and on Saturday lost to Vandy.  I wonder if Mark Richt’s seat is getting warm again.

* A week ago Michigan State had a very productive Offensive day against Indiana.  I thought that perhaps Sparty was getting it together on that side of the ball.  Then yesterday Michigan’s inconsistent and largely mediocre Offense had a field day against The Hoosiers.  Jeremy Gallon had 369 yards receiving by HIMSELF.  I think this game said a whole lot more about Indiana’s Defense than anything about the Wolverines.

*Missouri won again.  This is somber news for me.  I don’t like The Tigers, never have, never will.  That said they come off a big win over Georgia only to defeat Florida.  Unfortunatly the Tigers are legit.  I thought Florida would eat up a backup QB, but that never materialized.  Missery may be good, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

*It appears Washington’s schedule has caught up with them.  After playing Stanford and Oregon is consecutive weeks, the Huskies traveled to Tempe to face the Sun Devils.  UW got squashed.  I know that is a  tough 3 game stretch, but you have to think a good team will come out with at least one win.  It is also discouraging to get destroyed by ASU after being extremely competitive with Stanford and Oregon.

* After Iowa’s showing against Ohio State, we may have to rethink that division.

STOCK UP
Auburn- I called for this upset.  I must point that out.  This is a pretty damn good team.  Kudos to Gus Malzahn and his staff.
Misery- Disgusting but deserving.
Stanford-a nice bounce back win for The Cardinal.
Ole Miss- A breakthrough win for The Rebs?
Baylor- 71 freaking points against a conference opponent?  Just another day at the office for Art Briles’ crew.
Florida State- WOW

STOCK DOWN
Northwestern- The Wildcats lost their 3rd in a row.  This one was to Minnesota.  Owch
South Carolina- What has happened to the Gamecocks?
Georgia- Come on man.  The Dogs are killing me.
Notre Dame vs. USC- This game may have set back football half a decade.
TCU- This offense is pathetic.
Maryland- Lord, Oh lord.  Losing to Wake Forest will put you permanently on the Stock down list.

Looking ahead to week 8

Its going to awful hard to top last week.  There were upsets all over the place and thrilling finishes galore.  This week has an awful lot to live up to.  Lets take a look at some top matchups.

Texas Tech @ West Virginia- A few weeks ago I wrote off the Mountaineers.  I figured they were Dog feces after getting shut out by Maryland.  Then they beat the bejesus out of Oklahoma State in Morgan town.  This shocked the hell out of me and has restored my faith in them.  The Red Raiders will be starting their second Freshman QB in Davis Webb.  I think its going to be too much for Tech and they fall to West Virginia.

Florida @ Missouri- Do the Tigers have the maturity to forget about last week’s MONSTER win and focus on a team at home minus James Franklin?  I say no.  Give me the Gators.  Their Defense will feast on a backup QB.

Auburn @ Texas A&M- The Aggies are coming off an absolute thriller in Oxford.  It was perhaps the most excititng game I have watched this season.  This week Auburn comes to town for a game that will not be short on firepower.  The Auburn Offense is averaging 287 yards per game while The Aggie Defense ranks 96th in the country for points allowed.  We know The Aggs can score but can they come up with the necessary stops to win the game?  I don’t think so.  This game is my upset special.

UCLA @ Stanford- The big stunner last weekend has Stanford losing to Utah.  There is no time for a hangover for The Cardinal as this week they get a very good UCLA team.  UCLA is led by Brett Hundley whose Offense is averaging 45 points per game.  But the Bruins have yet to play a Defense like this one.  The Stanford front 7 is as good as any in the country.  This one will be fascinating.  Give me the home team.

USC @ Notre Dame- A classic matchup even though neither team is very good.  Give me Notre Dame.

Washington @ Arizona State- The Huskies have to forget about last weekends loss to Oregon and take to the road against the Sun Devils.  Arizona State smoked Colorado last week but Washington will be a much tougher test.  This game pits 2 terrific QBs against each other.  Taylor Kelly and Keith Price are 2 of the best this conference has to offer.  Ill take Price to take his team on the road and come out with a victory.

LSU @ Ole Miss- I still think Ole Miss is a good team despite 3 straight losses.  They are simply in a tough stretch in a tough league with a TON of young players.  This team is still dangerous to a team like LSU.  After a big game against Florida perhaps LSU comes out a bit flat.  I like the Tigers in this one but I think it will be closer than most experts would have you believe.

Florida State @ Clemson- This one is going be be fantastic.  2 great teams, both with a ton at stake.  I think whoever wins is a frontrunner in the National Title chase.  Clemson has the edge at QB with Boyd.  He has the skins on the wall and thus the upper hand.  Clemson is also at home.  But give me the Seminoles in this one.  I think the bright lights might be a bit much for the Tigers.  Either way this one is a cant miss.