Saturday Notes on a Sunday, well make that a Monday

Sorry folks, various Halloween celebrations caused me to be quite ill for most of yesterday.  As a result, I could barely look at he computer screen, let along hold a thought or type some words.  So here are my Saturday notes normally reserved for Sunday but this week, for your reading pleasure, they are here on Monday.  Enjoy. 

*Pittsburgh fans had to be beside themselves after a total implosion in the 1st quarter Saturday against Georgia Tech.  In an important division game, the Panthers cough it up 5 times in the 1st quarter alone.  I don’t think I have ever heard of a team turning the ball over that many times in a quarter, and it was a team that I regard as pretty decent.  As you can imagine shooting yourself in the foot like that typically doesnt result in wins, and that held true as the Jackets won handily.

*Ameer Abdullah flat out went off Saturday for my beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers.  He was sensational accounting for 341 all purpose yards and 3 TDs.  This guy does it all.  He had 225 yards rushing on just 19 carries, 26 receiving yards and 90 return yards including one return he nearly took the distance after almost downing it at the 1.  If you are not familiar with Abdullah’s work, you are missing one of the best players in the country.  His effort and his attitude are wonderful compliments to his physical talents, which are substantial.  It has been a joy to watch him over the last 4 years.

*Another year, another defeat of the Michigan Wolverines at the hands of “little brother” Michigan State.  The Spartans dominated the Wolverines Saturday in a matchup of teams going in opposite directions. The numbers are staggering.  186 total yards, 3 turnovers, just 61 rushing yards, many of those in junk time.  It was an ass whipping all the way around.  Furthermore, Michigan had the stones to throw a spear into the Spartan turf during pregame.  This blatant disrespect only fueled State and emboldened Mark Dantonio to add a salt in the wound score in the games final minute.  This has to be freaking embarrassing for fans of the Big Blue.  Surely Saturdays defeat has to be the final nail in the Brady Hoke coffin.  Lets hear from Wolverine fans, what do you think?

*Dont look now but the surprise team in the Big 12 is the West Virginia Mountaineers.  A week after an upset over top 5 Baylor the Mountaineers go on the road, to Boone Pickens Stadium and walk out with a resounding 34-10 victory.  WVU did it behind 17 4th quarter points and holding the Pokes to 2-15 on 3rd down.  I absolutely did not think anything would come of this years West Virginia squad.  Hell, I wasnt sure about Dana Holgerson at all.  The Mountaineers now sit at 6-2 with those 2 losses coming to Alabama and Oklahoma.  This is a team to watch going forward.

*Les Miles has often referred to Death Valley as a “place where dreams go to die.”  That held true Saturday night as the Ole Miss Rebels had their perfect season ended by an improving, but still not great, LSU team.  The Tigers won despite turning the ball over 4 times.  When was the last time a team beat a top 5 team after turning the ball over 4 times?  This loss falls squarely at the feet of the Ole Miss Offense and in particular Bo Wallace.  Wallace was a lousy14-33 passing on the night.  I understand that wins and losses do not solely fall on the QB, but when your Defense forces 4 turnovers and holds the opposition to 10 points, someone on the opposite side of the ball has to answer for that.  Ole Miss is not done, but losing a divisional game like that removes any wiggle room that may have existed for their playoff hopes.

*Speaking of Playoffs, this week the comittee will meet and determine who they believe are the top teams in the country.  So, each week I will give you mine.  These 4 are the teams that I believe will be in the playoffs at seasons end.  They will also be fluid.  If I dont like a teams performance, out they go.  This week I will go with the following in no particular order.  Oregon, Miss State, Florida State and Michigan State.  Stay tuned, these are subject to change in this week to week sport.

STOCK UP
TCU– putting up 80 on coach Bro puts you on the stock up list every time.
Illinois– Thanks a bunch Illini, for doing the Nebraska Cornhuskers a solid.  We appreciate it.
Utah– Has anyone noticed the Utes are 6-1 and in the thick of an ultra competitive Pac 12 South?
West Virginia– The Fighting Holgerson’s are turning some heads this fall.
Kansas State– This team has every shot at being a playoff team.  Tough games lie ahead, but KState is up to it.

STOCK DOWN
Michigan– The Wolverines are just plain sorry.
Ole Miss– Great teams win games in all phases.  Its clear the Rebs arent there yet.
UCLA– A football game with Colorado should not be that close, especially for a team with as much raw talent as the Bruins.
Virginia Tech– How did this team beat Ohio State?  That offense is atrocious.
Maryland– a nice win last week followed by an ass whipping this week.  Who are these guys?

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Week 1 Primer

IT IS OFFICIALLY HERE!!!  Thats right folks, months of anticipation and agony is finally coming to an end.  This blogger can barely contain himself.  This Thursday the 2014 season will kick off and we will be inundated with its greatness for the remainder of the year.  Fantastic stuff.  Each week I will give you my top 5 games of the week.  Week 1 this year is especially juicy.  I recall a time when week 1 was full of clunkers and mismatches.  Not anymore.  Thankfully, teams are taking it upon themselves to schedule quality opponents.  The results are delicious matchups that fans get to devour to ring in the new season.  Awesome.  So without further ado here are my top 5 week one games

Wisconsin vs LSU (Houston)- Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen is taking a big risk in starting unknown Tanner McEvoy over known commodity  Joel Stave.  McEvoy is more mobile, but I think he is being thrown to the wolves against LSU.  Expect LSU to attack McEvoy by crowding the line of scrimmage to stop the run, forcing McEvoy to beat them with his arm.  Also, look for a wide variety of blitzes and pressures from John Chavis.  As always LSU has the horses up front to do this.  This will be a fascinating matchup.  In the end I think LSU overwhelms Wisconsin with their defensive speed and wins handily.

Florida State vs Oklahoma State (Arlington)- The Seminoles begin their defense of their championship in the same place they hope their journey ends.  The Pokes are a worthy opponent but they are in for it Saturday night.  The Pokes have too many question marks on defense and the Noles are just too good for Okie State.  The spread on this game is 18.  18!!  I think that might be too high, but it indicates what a mismatch the experts expect this game to be.  Even if Florida State struggles early on, I expect them to roll over the Pokes in a game that could become a laugher.

Clemson @ Georgia- This might be the very best opening weekend has to offer.  I have made it no secret that I am very high on the Clemson Tigers.  That defense will be awesome.  The offense might be a work in progress but I expect it to be effective.  The Dogs are a big question mark to me.  I just dont know what to make of the Dogs.  I think they are ranked far too highly.  I dont think Huston Mason is going to come close to filling Aaron Murray’s shoes.  As a result I’ll take Clemson to walk into Athens and beat the Dogs between the hedges.  This loss will put Mark Richt squarely on the hot seat where he will remain for the rest of the season.

Penn State vs. Central Florida (Dublin Ireland)- The James Franklin era begins for the Nittany Lions as they travel across the pond to play the defending AAC champs of UCF.  Last year the Knights went into Happy Valley and beat the Lions.  This year I don’t think that will happen.  Blake Bortles is in the NFL and I think Penn State will be squarely focused on the Knights this time.  This game will be a treat for early morning College Football hounds like me.  A 7:30 am start means breakfast and College Football.  This is reason enough to put this game on the list. 

Texas A&M @ South Carolina- Life after Johnny Football begins for the Aggies with a bear of a game.  The Aggs go to Columbia for a Thursday evening affair with a team I recently picked to win the national title.  Needless to say I think they are in some trouble.  South Carolina will absolutely hound and harass the Aggs.  I look for Mike Davis to run wild on an A&M defense that was awful against the run last year.  A&M ranked last in SEC play in rush yards per game allowed and yards per carry.  Those stats may improve in 2014, but I think they are in for it on Thursday evening.  There will be a whole lot of anticipation for this game, but I see it being a clunker.  The Gamecocks will dominate the Aggies in front of a national audience, and make a statement about their legitimacy.

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LSU/Georgia- the best game of the year.

Saturday afternoon we were reminded why College Football and in particular the SEC is so great.  The SEC draws the ire of much of the nation because of the constant exposure the media inundates us with.  Regardless of that coverage Saturday afternoon in Athens was a reminder that the SEC still is the best, at least at the top.  The Georgia Bulldogs and the LSU Tigers played what will go down as one of the best games of the year.  This game had it all.  There were playmakers all over the field.  There were 2 future NFL Qbs dueling all afternoon.  There were 2 top flight head coaches leading talent laden rosters.  It was a see-saw affair where both schools played their hearts out.  It was a reminder of why we love college football so much.

As a viewer it was an absolute joy to watch.  At its core this game was a battle of 2 QBs.  Forget the story line CBS was shoving down your throat and examine this game and a whole.  Aaron Murray may have his detractors but on this afternoon he was marvelous.  He threw for 298 yards and 4 Tds.  More importantly he threw the clutch balls, leading a TD drive with less than 2 minutes remaining.  Murray was the point man for this prolific attack all day long.  He deserves a ton of credit.  His counterpart Zach Mettenberger deserves every bit as much credit.    Mettenberger threw for 372 yards and 3 Tds in this one.  That normally wins a ballgame.  This game went back and forth, in thrilling fashion, all afternoon.  Todd Gurley left the game with an apparent ankle injury, and the run game was never the same.  Keith Marshall filled in and was adequate but he lacks the difference making ability of Gurley.  Offensively the ability to run the ball was the real difference.  LSU had a difficult time all afternoon, averaging only 2.1 yards per rush.  Meanwhile the Dogs ran for 5.4 yards per rush. That tells it all.  The Tigers had no choice but to rely on Mettenberger all afternoon, and while he was fantastic, he was unable to carry his team to victory.

This victory vaults the Bulldogs squarely into the National Title discussion.  Sure the Dogs lost to Clemson, but that is a top team, which makes it all the more forgivable.  Its even better that the lost was week 1.  As Thanksgiving rolls around that loss  will be a distant memory.  To date Georgia has played 3 top 10 teams.  No other team can make a claim anywhere close to that.  The Dogs are 2-1 in those games.  If you were to ask me today, based upon what I have seen in the last month, I would be hard pressed to keep the Dogs out of the National Title game.  Surely there are challenges ahead for UGA, a trap in Jacksonville comes to mind, but the rest of the regular season is navigable.  If you wish to discuss the National Title picture at this time you had better include Aaron Murray and the Georgia Bulldogs.