9-28 Notes
Some more thoughts for the weekend as Mike Gundy prepares himself for life after football as Al Pacino’s replacement in GodFather 4
Remember the first hit of Daisuke Matsuzaka? By our own Johnny Ayers? NCAA rules prohibit him from possessing the ball before he graduates. Explain that one to me ….
How long does it take you to remember who won the Stanley Cup last year?
It was almost a year ago that my flight landed in Panama, Fl in route to Tallahassee to watch the Eagles defeat Florida St. It’s a two hour drive from Panama City to Tallahassee, most of it along Route 10. (There is NO need to go to Panama City. It is one big eyesore of beachfront condos with no character and little to do). The drive up was memorable as we caught some college football talk coming from Tuscaloosa. They spent the whole show wondering if Bama would ever make it back to the big time, making fun of Tennessee and touching on the Florida St. game. When I say make fun of Tennessee lets just say nothing was off limits about the citizens of that state or the deeds they may participate in. I have never heard and probably never will hear anything like that up north so if you are ever in the area, steer clear of Panama City but find a sports talk show to listen to.
Remember Ryan Ohligher’s fake field goal touchdown against North Carolina? That play was called by graduate assistant Ryan Day who then left for Florida to work under Urban Meyer before becoming the wide receivers coach at Temple last year. He is now doing the same job at BC and everything you read says this guy is a star on the rise. He’s leapfrogged from job to job thus far as he has climbed the ladder but you have to wonder if me might stay put as a wide receivers coach to learn under Logan for a while even if another job opportunity opens up. Unless of course Urban Meyer comes calling again. Its all speculation, I have no first hand knowledge of his ability but I do know that the North Carolina call caught me off-guard never mind North Carolina themselves.
Read into this what you will about Connecticut basketball.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20070927/NEWS/709270573/0/FRONTPAGEWe know Notre Dame is awful. Some people still take them on the spread however …. But my betting site has turned the moneyline off for Notre Dame to win…
South Florida linebacker Ben Moffitt is 22, married, with 2 kids. He commutes 55 miles to go to school so they can raise their kids in their hometown. I am 32, no kids and it takes me 15 minutes from closing the door in my apartment to sitting on my desk on the 5th floor. Pretty speechless.
Watching a game at South Florida and its sold out stadium makes you think here is the next Florida St.
6:12 left in the 2nd quarter and both West Virginia and South Florida have turned it over four times. Do national title contenders do this?
Why I bet on Northwestern? Cause I want to root for them and Michigan is not scary?
Yes, I do live a 20 minute walk from the Metrodome. But with Oregon and California going that will delay me from going anywhere.
So, Dick Vitale was at the South Florida game. He praised Tranghese for having the foresight to invite South Florida to join the Big East. Explain to me how you have to be a genius to invite a team from Florida to join an unstable eight team conference? Florida high school football? Simons and I were saying invite Central Florida and East Carolina 10 years ago. Maybe its good no one listened. Where would Steve Logan be then?
Noel Devine is fast. Repeat … fast …
Week 3 Picks
Moore:
WVU -7 @ S. Florida
Wisconsin -7 v. Mich St.
Clemson -3 @ GT
Michigan -17 @ Northwestern
California +5 @ Oregon
Ferris:
Penn State -3 @ Illinois
Michigan State +7 @ Wisconsin
Ohio State -23 @ Minnesota
Kentucky -23 v. Florida Atlantic
Troy -13 v. UL Monroe
Dawg:
Northwestern +17 vs Michigan
California +5 vs Oregon
Alabama +2.5 vs Florida St.
Michigan St. +7 vs Wisconsin
Maryland +15.5 vs Rutgers
9-25 Thoughts
Remember that scene in Rainman where Tom Cruise has to pull up to a farmhouse so that Dustin Hoffman’s Rainman character can watch ‘The People’s Court?” At first the housewife does not allow it but when Rainman starts to shake back and forth and mumble loudly on her porch she realizes she has to relent or see a full-fledged meltdown when a grown man does not get his way. I felt the same way when my cable went out on Saturday afternoon. Completely helpless, at the whim of an electronic box, and just praying that it would come back on before I flipped out. As I knelt in front of the LED screen, I raced through all my options for the rest of the day.
Read – Out
Go for a bike ride and enjoy the beautiful day – Out
Go to the gym – Out
Anything that did not involve football – Completely Out
And then I realized just how poor my day would be if that cable box did not flip back on. I only have the one TV; I have no college football friends whose house to rush to for the next ten hours and there is no way that Comcast would be here before Thursday. The only option would be to run out to the sports bar and its four dollar beers which would get pretty expensive right quickly in addition to leaving that valuable piece of real estate called my couch. It probably would have entailed changing out of my sweatpants and ripped t-shirt too but thankfully that big decision did not have to be made as the HALT button went away and the time reappeared on the console. It was back to being as happy as a clam at high tide with football back on and wings on the way.
Being in a technical position however got me thinking. My job, if done properly, ensures 99.99% uptime meaning that redundancy and availability is built into the solution for my customer, the business. I would think that the customer has a right to be mad if they were unable to do their work because of a system failure. Their inability to work causes deadlines to be missed, the boss to be on your case and a complete change to your schedule as it now infringes on your free time. Well, what is our recourse as Comcast (cable) customers? With internet and cable 100 or 150 dollars shouldn’t there be an attempt at instant restoration of service? Or, at the very least be able to purchase a cable package that allows for rush delivery of a cable box. That would be a good service to offer. I did not have to call the cable company but I bet there was no same day turnaround and I am sure there is no high availability package but I bet for anyone that plans their day around a single TV and sporting events, there is a market for quick restoration of service.
Anyways, on to more thoughts as I read the BCS user manual for how Notre Dame can still get a BCS slot …
Words I never thought I would utter, “I am more afraid of playing UMass then Notre Dame. Umass is a Top 10 team in the NCAA subdivision and we have seen what those teams are capable of doing. This team faced off against Appalachian in the title game last year so there is no way they should be overlooked. That does not even mention that a lot of the kids on the team would have been passed over by BC for a scholarship so they will be coming in with something to prove. These are the games that just aren’t fun from my perspective.
While watching the BC game Ferris texted me saying how he missed having the first down line. I thought it was weird that I was watching the game and had not even noticed.
Last week I wondered if Nebraska would ever be back. I did not mean will they field a team that can win the MAC.
Miami put on quite a performance against Texas A&M last week. The receivers looked the best they had in years and Kyle Wright played a great game. He must have been so bad in practice to have initially lost his job to Freeman. What really surprised me about Miami is how physical the receivers were over the middle. If they develop toughness along with their athleticism then Randy Shannon has the program on the right track.
Congratulations to Syracuse! I called my uncle, an SU supporter, after the game but he was out golfing. Him and the rest of Syracuse didn’t think they were going to win a game this year. Hopefully the Orange will build on this and get back to respectability.
I think the party is over in Louisville. They were never good pre-Petrino so why would they be good after his departure? I don’t want to pass judgment on Steve Kragthorpe yet but this is not Tulsa.
Speaking of Tulsa they were just 23 point dogs last week to Oklahoma. I thought that was a misprint and Vegas knew something I didn’t. Glad I outthought myself.
Announcers love to say that when facing fast opposing linebackers you should run a lot of misdirection. The thinking being that these guys are so fast they will run themselves out of the play. So, are we saying these guys are idiots and can’t read plays or that its good to have slow linebackers cause their lack of speed limits the offensive playbook?
Missouri is way off the national radar.
Bonnie Bernstein still does not have a ring on.
Chad Henne may have improved as little as any quarterback in four years. Do you want him or Mallett at the helm going forward.
I’ll say it. I can’t wait for Big East football this Friday. Or Saturday when Rutgers lines up against Maryland.
Hawaii really played Charleston Southern?
Matt Ryan REALLY needs to read the linebacker/safety on his slot patterns. The interceptions he has thrown for TD’s were about the exact same throw.
Is Bob Costas aging that well or are miracles being worked behind the scenes?
ESPN has to redefine their game-changing plays. By definition changing means to alter the way a game was being played. Game ending plays are fantastic finishes but did not alter the course of the game. Wake Forest’s nominee for a game changing play encapsulates what the award winner should be.
I was beyond shocked to see Kentucky come back to win at Arkansas especially after Felix Jones took back a kick in the 4th quarter. But Andre Woodson showed a lot of poise coming back and his receivers made plays. He’s my leader in the clubhouse for the Heisman.
And buried down this post is my version of the 2007 Yankees, off to a terrible start but you just know I will turn it around. …….
Standings:
Moore 6-4
Ferris 5-5
Dawg 3-7
Weekly Thoughts
Some notes and thoughts from Saturday.
USC was only the second #1 team to travel to Lincoln for a game. I would have thought Oklahoma would have done that multiple times.
Poor Temple. They actually beat Uconn on Saturday but the referee would not overturn the call on the field. For those that did not see, Temple caught a deflected pass at the back of the end zone which was ruled out of bounds. The announcers and myself were convinced that the receiver actually caught the ball but the call was not overturned. So, a couple of thoughts, either the referee did not think the evidence was irrefutable or he wanted to get out of Connecticut alive. I vote for the later. (The Big East replay official of course said the former) To me there was no question about the catch and since we have replay, lets make sure that we use it for those tough calls no matter how unpopular they are. Even if the referee does not reverse it during the game it should be judged and validated by the league who represents those officials. In this case, both the MAC and Big East should rule on it after careful analysis and come to their conclusions. I want to know what irrefutable means or do we just have to acknowledge that officials and referees can hide behind this term?
You can count on hearing the term ‘Silence is Deafening’ whenever a big team is in trouble at home.
In case anyone has not noticed (and judging by the attendance you haven’t) Central Florida is a competitive team. Behind the coaching of George O’ Leary and running back Kevin Smith, they have beaten NC St. and gave Texas a huge scare. This begs the question, “Where would Notre Dame be now if O’Leary was the coach.” If he can make Central Florida competitive, you know he would have made Notre Dame competitive.
I think Notre Dame will be solid again next year unless Weis can not coach a lick. There will be no reason next year not to have a great ballclub on the field.
If Minnesota and Syracuse played would anyone show up? Glen Mason was not that bad was he? Or Paul Pasqualoni.
Remember when people tried to call Pitt .. Pittsburgh. Talk about an idea that never flew.
Notre Dame is getting lambasted for its handling of the Demetrius Jones departure. My question is, what is the procedure that schools have followed to this point? Have other schools set a precedent for ND to follow and Notre Dame is just getting the black eye for everyone. Simons sent me this article which discusses an in-conference transfer.
https://mail.glasshouse.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.dailynews.com/usc/ci_6942865Where will Doug Flutie rank on the 25 greatest players of all time.
There are rumors floating around that Jeff Smith is done for not only the season but for his career. It would be a blow to the return team at the very least but in this day and age concussions are not treated lightly.
Nebraska got whipped by USC which in and of itself is no big surprise but makes me wonder if Nebraska will ever be back to the form they once had. If Oklahoma and USC can do it then Nebraska should be able to do it also but it just shows how long it can take to become a national powerhouse again once you lose it. It will probably be easier for Miami and Florida St. in a talent rich state.
There is a lot of quickness on the field when Challenger, Robinson and Gunnell go to the three wide set.
How bad must teams be for Syracuse to be number 9 in ESPN’s Bottom 10.
What’s so funny is listening to commentary about how Michigan could rebound. Reason #1 –they do not have to face the spread offense again. Essentially, it’s like an admission that the Big 10 teams can not play teams of such persuasion and are actually ‘good’ teams again when conventional smash-mouth football returns. As long as the Big 10 has their BCS slot things will be all right. Additionally, they have like 4 undeserved January 1st or better bowl tie-ins for their lack of speed conference. OK, they can still compete as there are quality teams but do you see anyone that can compete with the Big 4 teams in the national polls – Florida, LSU, USC and Oklahoma?
Why can’t Notre Dame fans just admit they suck right now. Many other fan bases can acknowledge that so what makes it so hard south of Chicago?
Things can change so fast in college football. Iowa was apparently on the verge of being a perennial Top 10 team, now they are losing to Iowa St. Oregon was amazing when Harrington was there and have spent the last six years wallowing in the middle of the Pac 10. Auburn should have been playing for the national title a few years back and has now lost to South Florida and Mississippi St. The fact that these programs were or are struggling is not surprising its that the same coach is running the program. Each of those coaches, Ferentz, Bellotti and Tuberville have been called great too.
Week 2 Picks
Ferris:
Texas A&M +2.5 @ Miami
Oklahoma -23 @ Tulsa
Ohio St -22.5 v. Northwestern
GT -3.5 @ Virginia
Troy -10.5 @ Louisiana Lafayette
The Dawg:
Northwestern +22.5 vs Ohio. St.
Illinios -3 vs Indiana
Alabama -3.5 vs Georgia
NC St. +7.5 vs Clemson
Notre Dame +12.5 vs Mich St.
Moore:
1. Penn St -3 @ Michigan
2. Georgia Tech -3.5 @ Virginia
3. Oklahoma -23 @ Tulsa
4. Clemson -7.5 @ NC State
5. Ohio St -22.5 vs. Northwestern
Moore takes Week 1
Ok, Moore has jumped out to a 3-2 lead over Ferris and I. Oklahoma St. might just be plain awful. Getting hammered by Troy? What does this say about South Carolina who beat Georgia who beat an Oklahoma St. team that I thought could at least score. I willl have to look at that Carolina line closely this week.
How bout BC? That may be the most impressive win in recent memory. Ryan had all day to throw and delivered accurately. Brandon Robinson looked great in his on again - off again war with his hands.
I l ike the fact we lost the turover battle 1-0 but that it did not factor into the game. Nice to see a win without being opportunistic.
9-15 Preview
There are so many interesting stories this weekend but the one that really piques my interest is Washington and Ohio St. The Huskies can signal to the nation that the program has returned to national prominence with a win on Saturday. Even if they do not win, a competitive loss will demonstrate that the program is going in the right direction under the leadership of Tyrone Willingham. Willingham is a guy I can not help but root for. The Notre Dame debacle has been discussed to death with most people believing that he received unfair treatment and now he is in the position of definitively restoring his credibility and embarrassing Notre Dame, not that Notre Dame needs assistance in that department though.
When I was growing up, I always pretended that I was a D1 prospect thus allowing me to have five official visits to the schools of my interest. The selected schools rotated but Washington always made the cut. I think most of it had to do with Puget Sound which just looked so appealing for a college football setting. Thus, Washington has always been a team that I feel partial for. I suspect that if I were to move to Seattle I would become a big fan.
Now, if I were a prospect today, here are the five schools I would have on my short list, excluding BC.
a)Washington
b)Vanderbilt
c)California (I hear the bus ride out to the zoo is memorable)
d)UCLA
e)Navy
When did I become a West Coast kid?
Everyone is talking about Notre Dame and Michigan being a must win for both teams but in actuality it is not. If Michigan loses they can still win the Big 10 and that Big 10 schedule starts the following week against Penn St. Penn St. appears like the class of the league thus far but a loss at Michigan next week could be devastating to the Big 10 and remove any team from top tier consideration. Ohio St. and Wisconsin have a lot to prove to me especially on the road. Even if they are quality teams, does either scare you?
The Big East continues to win the games they are supposed to win leading into this weekend’s action. South Florida and West Virginia both did the league proud in out of conference play. The Big East may be its own worst enemy for this year however. The teams at the top could all knock each other off once thus negating the chance of a Big East team playing for a national title. However, the status of the conference has definitely been elevated and is not a national laughingstock anymore. That’s good for the short term and perhaps long term for the conference. Long term may be in jeopardy though. Once the Big 10 gets its 12th member, how stable will this conference be? Two of the league’s doormats Pittsburgh and Syracuse both have proud traditions and if they could ever be recovered then Eastern football is back.
Have you seen the GameDay commercial with the team working out? Fowler is pretty jacked. It’s also pretty funny how they now work with Corso’s advent into maturity.
As I said last week, Doug Flutie is much improved in the booth this year. On Thursday night football, Craig James and him display banter and have a good connection. Have you noticed each week that Flutie has slipped in a line from a movie to capture a situation? Last night, he made a reference to Wedding Crashers with his ‘we do football and crabcakes in Maryland.” I caught it immediately and thought it was great. I wonder how many other people were amused by that. Fowler also demonstrated his beyond sports presence by reengaging the viewer to capture the context of Flutie’s comment. As Simons and I were discussing, Fowler could easily make the transition to the network news booth with his talent.
One last thing about Flutie is that I am enjoying his commentary from the perspective of a former quarterback. For some reason the comments he has recently made have increased my knowledge of the quarterback position. When Pat White dropped a snap, he said it was probably due to White still thinking about his pre-snap reads to get rid of the ball quickly in a 3rd and 8 situation. I thought it was plausible and demonstrated that Flutie had been in that position many times before.
One other thing about last night’s game. The telecast went down to the field to interview Ray Lewis whose brother plays for Maryland. Usually these sideline interviews are pointless and boring (unless Joe Namath is involved) but Lewis was quite a character. He was really into the game and yelled at the quarterback for not making the correct read. Flutie ageeed with him and both were delighted that the other caught what was apparently a big oversight. Anyways, Ray Lewis may have a career in broadcasting football as his defensive knowledge shown through in just a couple of minutes.
The battle of Kentucky happens this weekend with the Cats and Louisville doing battle. Everyone knows about Brian Brohm but very few know about Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson. This could be his national coming out party and entrench him as a top tier quarterback. I wonder what his other collegiate choices were and why he decided on Kentucky. I would be hard pressed to name more than two players in the history of Kentucky football.
Does everyone know the Steve Slaton and Ralph Friedgen story? Slaton wanted to go to Maryland but Maryland already had enough running backs committed so they took away his scholarship offer. Friedgen now has a ‘Slaton rule’ that if someone has the grades and speed he will have an offer waiting.
Why all the love for USC as a number one team? Many people switched their votes to LSU following the V Tech debacle and I am right on board with them. USC has not done anything yet. Last I saw of them they were struggling against Idaho. And before that they pounded Michigan (ha, ha) in the Rose Bowl and were coming off a loss to UCLA. That does not allow you to lay claim to number one in my book. Now, USC may grow into that team but LSU can only get better on offense and the fact they are so good right now with their depletions to the NFL is unbelievable.
ESPN now includes an ‘XM Radio’ column in its schedule for upcoming games.
I don’t think Cincinnati is as good or Oregon St. as bad as the score of their game indicated. I expect Corvalis to come up with a big win this year.
Ohio and Virginia Tech. Why do I think this will be close? V Tech’s offense?
If Rutgers wants to schedule an easy game they can’t find much easier than Norfolk St.
You have to hand it to Oregon. Their out of conference scheduling was Houston, Michigan and now Fresno. No pushovers there. I have respect for all west coast teams that schedule Fresno who will always play with the “I was passed over by the Pac 10’ chip on their shoulder.
Why in the world would Minnesota incur the expense of traveling to Florida to play Florida Atlantic? Shouldn’t you at least play a team whose mascot you know?
Where is Lamar Thomas going to be for the Miami-Florida International rematch? Thomas was broadcasting during last year’s brawl and remarked how he wanted to get down there and join the fray.
BC Preview
Well, the loss of Raji will hurt this week against Tashard Choice and a Georgia Tech offense that has been overpowering on the ground. Playing Notre Dame and Samford is not exactly difficult but they have dominated both games and I don’t care who you are playing, 69 points with starters on the bench against Samford is impressive.
What scares me about this game is Georgia Tech’s defensive line pressure. Chan Gailey has already said they will be blitzing so 5th year senior Matt Ryan and his receiving corps must make the correct pre snap reads. On top of that, they must catch the ball. 6 drops will not cut it on the road against a good team. What also concerns me is the alligator arms that our small receivers demonstrated last week. NC St. hit those guys hard a few times and you have to think Georgia Tech will do the same. If those hits prevent us from going over the middle then it could be a long game.
I do not think it will however. Our defense has been opportunistic with turnovers for over a year now so I think we can chalk that up to a good defense. If we can stop Choice early in the game and make Georgia tech throw some I think we will be fine but if Choice is rumbling for 5 yards a pop from the start of the game then Tech will win.
We will defend the run and Tribble will pick six one. BC 20-17.
Picks 9-15
Allright, the 3 way race is on again. The second place finisher buys rounds of shots after the Miami game. The loser brings a bottle of the winner’s choice to Churchill Down’s next year.
Ferris’s Picks
TCU -8 v. AirForce
Texas -19 v. central florida
USC -10 v. Nebraska
Florida St -4 v. Colorado
E Carolina +1 v. S Miss
Moore’s Picks
1. TCU -8
2. Ohio State -4
3. Ok St -10
4. West Virginia -16.5
5. Boston College +7
The Dawgs Picks
Boston College +7 vs Georgia Tech
USC -10 v Nebraska
Fresno St. +16.5 vs Oregon
Navy -7 vs Ball St.
Oklahoma St. -10 vs Troy
Running Commentary 9-8
Here are the Gameday Notes as I sat on the couch and watched until BC and a fast moving 12 pack got the rest of my attention
First thought of the day – Oklahoma looks great
Nebraska is not as wide open or as fluid as I thought they would be. I was expecting more from Keller.
One of the ESPN announcers felt that the player with the most to prove today was Sean Glennon. I don’t see how that is possible. I just think he sucks. If he proves anything to me, he will prove that he is mediocre.
Nebraska comes to town and Wake Forest is not even a sellout. Large chunks of open space seen in the upper decks.
Marshall University did their school promo with two or three of the shortest, chubbiest girls you can put together up front chanting the school fight song or whatever. No SEC cheerleaders there.
How in the name of Rob Johnson did Kirby Freeman beat out Kyle Wright?
The Big 10 network is not available on Comcast apparently. I knew that but I cant believe they won’t pick it up.
Erin Andrews is actually kind of bony in her shoulders.
Pam Ward has established herself as legit to me.
Why would West Virginia play at Marshall? Actually I think it has to do with politicians. Score one for the fighthing John Kerry’s.
3rd down conversions thus far. Wake Forest 5-9 and Nebraska 0-6. USC next week?
Can’t wait for Boise and Washington right now.
Its cold here today, like 60’s. Wearing my beat up sweatpants for the first time. Couldn’t be happier.
I am getting confused on the channels. All season major league baseball has been 771 and up and by default I keep switching back to this range for the GamePlan games which are 702-707 or something.
Kyle Wright is in. Bout time.
How many people born in MA are flipping to Clemson vs Louisiana “Insert Random City’ here? Yes ladies, I’m single.
I really think V Tech has no chance tonight.
Louisiana ‘Insert City’ takes a 7-0 lead.
Digital cable needs quicker reload channels. I will harp on this all year.
Miami’s freshman tailback Cooper will be a player.
Damn, hit 773 instead of 703.
John Parker Wilson. What a name for a football player.
Kyle Wright looks poised.
Booby Purify was arrested twice and is still on the football team? Or at least playing right now?
Cooper just needs to out on size.
Oklahoma eventually gave up a score but boy are they quick along that goalline.
West Virginia’s defense is still suspect. – “ya suspect’ – Ben Affleck is MIA now ha?
Bowling Green being competitive again.
I have not been to one Minnesota collegiate event. Basketball and football I have excuses for, but not hockey.
Hit 774 again.
Does the US Open really get more people to watch than a nice SEC game on CBS.
The West Virginia’Marshall ‘series’ was discontinued from 1922-1997. Discontinued is not the right word. 1922 – forever to be linked to Howard Carter in my mind.
Doing a Mike and Mike commercial. It is a pretty funny show.
I love the Miller High Life reclaim guy. “11 dollars for a burger, you gotta be crazy.”
Doug Flutie is much better this year.
Ohio St. leads Akron 6-2 in the 3rd in the Indians intrasquad scrimmage game.
Not sure what to make of BC right now. Wake looks decent or was I just waaaay off on Nebraska.
October 2nd – Cavemen!
Miami’s FG kicker at least looks good.
There is a player named Iglesias on Oklahoma? Not Miami?
BC
TOB is back. I would have clapped for him but no love.
Squib kick on the opening?
Challenger comes across real well in his pregame introductions.
On a punt, how many do you think you could even fair catch out of 10?
I should move to the South. Just give me half an hour with a southern blond and I should then have a fighting chance the rest of the night.
Over/under on Cavemen seriously? Moore?
I have to bring up my punting theory again. There is no reason to send your punter out there when he attempts to pooch it. Send a guy out there who can only kick it 30 yards at most and who can keep it straight. You will be inside the 10 every time.
Raji’s loss is seen all over the field. Pass rush is not there.
Ryan is like Brett Favre but without the cannon. He tries to force things into places where there is little chance.
I am surprised more punters do not drop the ball, especially if they feel rushed.
And the notes just got too sloppy to read.
Initial Thoughts
Sorry everybody, this little thing called work has gotten in the way of all my writing which is not an excuse as I do not have kids or a girlfriend or many dates so it’s not really an excuse but an admittance of laziness. Last week was a great college football weekend with the biggest upset of all time and Notre Dame getting trounced and managing three lousy points. I wish I had seen both games but tailgating is not a bad time either.
I was sitting at the bar before the tailgate saying to Simons that Appalachian was going to give Michigan a great game. They were a two time defending national champion of the ‘Sub Division of College Athletics’ and Michigan had to answer many holes on defense and an offense that always seems to not put inferior opponents away. And as the tailgate progressed, it was with great glee that everyone was checking their phones for an update on the Michigan score as Appalachian continued to hang in there. What is so bad about this is that for a Michigan fan you can never live this down. The moment that someone introduces themselves as a Michigan fan, they know that you are snickering internally and always have that ace in the hole if they start insulting you. It is the end of their trash talking days really. They can’t win. You almost expect the Detroit Lions to win now to help ease their pain. Wouldn’t it be fun to plan a road trip to Michigan in an RV with an Appalachian flag attached to it? Just sit out in the parking lot and booze the day away while listening to the call of the blocked field goal at the end by the Appalachian radio announcers and have it on repeat? Have a cornhole toss with Appalachian beanie bags? That, my friends, would be pure comedy. Videotaping that and putting it on You Tube may be the ultimate hit generator.
How about the Irish? Charlie is mum on his quarterback selection until gametime and then proceeds to use all three. I have to think with all that inexperience that it’s not all the quarterbacks’ fault. Sharpley even had pretty decent numbers. I can’t wait to see the game this weekend. Notre Dame has nowhere to go but up and they are playing a Penn St. team that improved greatly by the end of last season and trounced an inferior opponent like they were supposed to last weekend. What is seriously going through Weis mind right now? He has already been hailed as the savior and his team faces 7 more tough opponents before the Academy bowls. They still have to play Michigan, Michigan St., Purdue, Penn St, BC, USC and UCLA. 0-8 is a definite possibility. If that were to occur, a worst case scenario, what is left then for Weis? He would be near the same position as Willingham who was fired for his 3rd year record. That may not occur and Weis will retain his job but for 4 million a year and supposedly great recruiting classes, Notre Dame should never have to dwell on the possibility of that many losses to open a season. The thought here is that ND becomes much better next year and that Weis and team overachieved in their first couple of years at least from a national perception standpoint.
Quick hits:
Georgia Tech may just be seriously underrated right now. Real interested to see how their new quarterback adjusts. Their defense is near the top of the ACC.
Texas won by 8 points over Arkansas St? That’s not getting enough play.
Michigan will not be the last highly regarded team to lose to a ‘Sub Division of College Athletics’ opponent.
Syracuse is no good but Washington’s 42 points in the Carrier Dome bears watching. Wouldn’t it make for great drama for a declining Notre Dame and a rejuvenated Huskies program?
Florida St. lost their opener but showed a lot of guts in coming back at Clemson. This was missing from last year’s team. The in game adjustments by the coaching staff also were not seen last year. Attribute this to the upgrades at offensive coordinator and offensive line. Look for Florida St. to rebound and take the Atlantic Division title.
Georgia’s pasting of Oklahoma St. was impressive. Oklahoma St. will put up some points in the Big 12 this year but was kept in check by the Dawgs D.
How many lives does Al Groh have?
Handicapping the ACC
I can only take one thing away from this weekends’ past action. The race is WIDE open. The ACC’s darling Virginia Tech could not score against East Carolina and needed a defensive touchdown to put the Pirates away. NC St. lost to Central Florida despite its athleticism. Wake Forest had no plays except crosses over the middle. Virginia lost to Wyoming. We could look at each team but I want to focus on Miami. They had no trouble with against Marshall and now go on the road against Oklahoma. I will handicap this game later but the feeling I got was a renewed sense of optimism from the Canes and a Canes team that will improve as the year goes on. Talent is never the question and the defense has still been top rate but quarterback play has been missing at the U. If Kirby Freeman continues to improve, the Canes may be your odds on favorites to win the ACC. They do have to go to Virginia Tech but that was not a problem two years ago.
This Week Picks.
Nebraska favored by 8 at Wake Forest – Did Wake Forest do anything last week to show they could hang with a good team? BC gave them two defensive touchdowns and Wake had incredible field position all day since BC could not kickoff to even the 20 and still did not move the ball consistently. Nebraska on the other hand might be a little under everyone’s radar. Sam Keller brings a lot of experience into this and Bill Callahan may be ready to take the next step. I will be cheering for Wake but I like Nebraska.
Oklahoma favored by 10.5 against Miami – Aren’t people jumping on the Oklahoma bandwagon a little early since they still start a freshman at QB. I happen to think that Miami’s problems have been coaching and attitude. At Oklahoma is a big test but I feel good about the Canes D. Miami.
Boise St. favored by three against Washington – I wish Washington had not won by so much last week. To me, this is a statement game for Willingham and the Washington program. They get to host a Boise team on green grass. I like the Huskies to continue their improvement and Boise does not go back to the BCS.
Georgia favored by 4.5 on South Carolina – I liked Georgia’s victory last week. I know nothing about South Carolina right now. Between the hedges, got to go with the Dawgs.
Penn St. favored by 17! over Notre Dame. I like Penn St a lot but how much is residual from Georgia Tech. Can Weis live with one quarterback? I did not see ND so I am going blind again but ND seems to rally when their backs are against the wall. Somehow ND pride responds and they cover. If not, I won’t mind.
Auburn favored by 7 against South Florida. The Bulls are this years darling. Everybody is on their bandwagon and calling for a possible Big East championship. In case people did not notice, Auburn had a pretty tough opener against Kansas St. that I believe will prepare them well. Auburn is home at 9 at night. They cover easily.
LSU is a 12.5 favorite against V Tech. I feel Tech’s defense is overhyped. They scored 10 offensive points against East Carolina at home, now they go to Baton Rouge? I love LSU in this one although I have to pull for our ACC brethren.
