The Dawgs Ramblings

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.

posted by oceanjay @ 4:39 PM