So how was everybody’s Saturday night?
Better than Nick Saban’s, I’m guessing.
Geez, you oversign and boot unproductive players to get that Dream Team roster and, oh, wait, someone forgot to get a placekicker.
The Gators have one thing over the Tide — UF has Caleb Sturgis.
At any rate, it was a lovely Saturday night at the Dooley Dome with grilled chicken and the wonderful beans and dip my wife made because she knew it was a big deal for me and great company and a game that went to OT. What more can you ask for?
THE NOT-READY-FOR-PRIME-TIME
COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25
1. LSU (9-0): Uh, duh, Beavis.
2. Oklahoma State (9-0): Got a scare Saturday night on the third TV on my porch. Yes, I am bragging.
3. Alabama (8-1): See below.
4. Stanford (9-0): Suck for Luck sweepstakes getting serious.
5. Oklahoma (8-1): Can Sooners survive Broyles injury?
6. Boise State (8-0): Quick, who did the Broncos play Saturday?
7. Arkansas (8-1): ‘Backs chewed up a pretty solid defense.
8. Oregon (8-1): Ducks were impressive against Washington.
9. Clemson (8-1): Season on the line against Wake Forest this week.
10. Virginia Tech (8-1): Talk about an under-the-radar one-loss team.
11. Houston (9-0): Could you make an argument the Coogs are better than Boise?
12. Penn State (8-1): I saw a game on ESPN Classic earlier this year and Keith Jackson was asking Joe Paterno if he still had the fire to keep going. It was 1985.
13. Michigan State (7-2): Really surprised Sparty struggled with Minnesota.
14. South Carolina (7-2): Gamies just couldn’t get stops.
15. Michigan (7-2): Wolverines had their chances to tie it at the end.
16. Georgia (7-2): It’s all set up for the Doggies.
17. Texas (6-2): Horns latest team to feast on Texas Tech defense.
18. Southern Miss (8-1): The team nobody wants to play in a bowl game.
19. Kansas State (7-2): Wildcats have come down to earth.
20. Nebraska (7-2): No explaining its loss at home.
21. Cincinnati (7-1): Don’t look now but Bearcats heading for BCS bowl.
22. Wisconsin (7-2): Badgers really needed a win.
23. Auburn (6-3): Can the Tigers ruin Georgia’s party?
24. Georgia Tech (7-2): Big game for the Jackets this week.
25. Notre Dame (6-3): Nice second half for the Irish.
THE SEC FOUR-PACK
1. After watching the “Game of the Century” I came away feeling like it was great TV but not really a great show. By that I mean that you could not look away for a second, but I prefer a game where someone actually scores a touchdown. And I also left that game thinking Alabama still might be the better team. As I’ve said a hundred times, college football games come down to a handful of plays and the Tide did not make them.
2. Georgia fans have to understand I am not being critical when I talk about the Bulldogs’ soft SEC schedule. It’s simply the rub of the green. If the Doggies can beat Auburn on Saturday, they will be in Atlanta. And the truth is that Georgia may be the best-equipped East team to have a chance against a West team. Not a great chance, but a chance.
3. I know he has a $6 million buyout and all, but there is no way Houston Nutt can survive this, is there? Kentucky is awful, but obviously not the worst team in the SEC. After Louisiana Tech this week, the Rebels close with LSU and Mississippi State. There’s a good chance they could go oh-for-the-SEC. The last guy who did that (Ed Orgeron) lost his job. This will not end well. Look for Nutt to be on ESPN next year doing Sun Belt Conference games.
4. As this season winds down, the SEC is still looking for its nine bowl teams. Six have become bowl eligible and only one (Ole Miss) has been eliminated. Florida almost assuredly will beat Furman and be the seventh team and may well be heading to the Gator Bowl. While the Gator Bowl knows Florida fans wouldn’t be good for the hotel business, look at what else is out there. Mississippi State has five wins, but the Gator doesn’t want the Bulldogs again. Vandy didn’t even bring a band to Gainesville. Tennessee would be a real possibility. If the Gators get to 7-5, that means they’ll have either knocked off South Carolina or Florida State and that may jump them up to a different bowl like the Outback (see that before?) or Chick-fil-A. Lot of ball to be played.
You didn’t address it in your blog, but I for one am very annoyed by:
1) TA&M’s incessant commercials during SEC games bragging about how great the SEC will be now that their school has been added. Gimme a break! They are going to be roadkill in the SEC worse than they already are in the Big can’t count. I’m beginning to see why the rest of the Big 12 is saying good riddance to TA&M
2) The SEC putting Missouri in the EAST! What world class braniac thought this one up? Its blantantly unfair to Missouri (who gosh knows has suffered enough unfairness at the hands of UTex to last a lifetime) who will have to travel 1000’s of miles for everyone of its sports teams to compete. Not only that, every other SEC school had to lose annual rivalries when the SEC split into divisions. Why does the rest of the SEC give a flying fart what Alabama wants? Even though it would make the SEC E tougher and the W easier, Missouri belongs in the division it is geographically closer too and Auburn should be in the E, since its further E than Nashville and Lexington. What are we in the SEC going to be subject to next…changing the names of the divisions to the rednecks and the potheads or something similarly boneheaded?
Great win for the gators yesterday. Hopefully we can build on that. I’m baffled by our inability to adjust to half time adjustment by other teams. Several times this year we get off to a great first half, and then in second half we can’t do squat. It seems other teams make great half time adjustments and we don’t, or we can’t deal with their adjustments. What gives here.
I too think Auburn is logical team to move over. They could keep thier annual game with Bama, and their long term rivalries with Ga and UF would be in place.
JR
Alabama, Crusher, gets ‘whatever they want’ in the SEC…EXCEPT a ‘fair call’ by the Refs in ‘The Game of the Century’ (that was A CATCH)…UGA is GOING TO GET CRUSHED!!! I for one WILL ENJOY IT IMMENSELY!!! Even if the LUCKY & CHEAP-SHOT artists of THE BAYOU get the job, I WILL ENJOY watching those lil’ Red and Silver hairy DAWGS get their little BUTTS WHIPPED!!! GO GATORS!!! PAT, The SEC allowing Missouri to play in the EAST? Looking forward to hearing your THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS on THAT in the near future!
In the words of Ray Rotto, “And let’s be honest here, college sports administrators would put heroin dealers to shame for all the ethics they have shown in the conference realignment dog’n’pony.”
Auburn now visits the swamp once every twelve years. Thank you greed and avarice.
Well I hope that yesterday’s game will wipe out any whining we have done about bad calls against the Gators. Me thinks the refs made up for it in spades, and Vandy was the scapegoat.
Gators struggles continue, can’t defend the pass, can’t pressure the QB, can’t convert on 3rd down and can’t pass down field. I’m sorry, and I don’t intend to be a John Brantley basher, I mean I wish him well, but with his limited mobility, he just doesn’t give us the best chance to win at the QB position. At least JB was able to run away from trouble and pass down field. Still can’t understand why Jordan Reed isn’t utilized more, remember those Aaron Hernandez shuffle passes?
I fear a beat down at the hands of SC and FSU, unless we turn things around FAST.
“EXCEPT a ‘fair call’ by the Refs in ‘The Game of the Century’ (that was A CATCH)…”
They got a fair call. Williams had control of the ball initially, but the replay showed he started to lose control as he was going down and Reid ripped it away. A good call on the field and a good call on the replay.
If LSU goes on to win it all, that play is the equivalent of Jarvis Moss blocking the field goal on the last play of the South Carolina game in 2006.
There’s nothing like a bad win or a good loss. Where was the “pistol” against UGA when we had an entire off week to work on it? We finally get Hines involved and he fumbles the ball. Great run though. Does Harrison have a bad hand or is he used to snapping to the 6’5″ guys. Ha! Ha! Good move to bench him. I agree with the old ball coaches philosophy, if they’re not getting the job done put the next guy in. There is some hope against USC since Ark. beat them up pretty bad. Lots of guys limping for the sideline.
Kevin…how is anything you posted pertinent to the article at hand? Just asking? Have you even seen halfassu play? They haven’t even beaten a team with a winning record. Somehow, I don’t see them coming into our house and administering a “beat down” to use your words. I’d think our players would want that one pretty bad and might even jump up and kick some nole butt….We’ll see.
Will Florida return to relevance in SEC over the next four years?
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7198170
Crusher:
Why should the SEC give a flying whatever about what Mo wants? They are going to be grateful to travel just to be in the SEC East. In case you haven’t noticed, no one cares about Mo int he Big whatever it is now, nor will they care much here, but they will be havin mo money for being here. Besides, there is this new thing called jet airplanes, check it out.
As for the Gaggies: they crow about tradition bc they haven’t won anything worth talking about in years.
I for one was happy to see the LSU/’Bama game. Nothin’ but a man’s game with hits galore, smothering defense, and a spot light on what happens when a coach neglects special teams.
Hines: not a great run, ball protection, hello? A breakdown in fundamentals, or a player that cannot be coached?
Go gators!
BSJGator. . . I’m not a Noles fan, but they have beaten one team with a winning record, NC St., all 5 of the Gators wins this season have come against teams with losing records . . . I hate FSU, but their defense is good, one of the best the Gators will see outside of Bama and LSU, EJ Manual is playing with confidence and he’s healthy, I wish we could say the same for John Brantley.
Can’t believe what I read. On Vandy’s last TD drive, the Gator coaches were telling the defensive backs to play tight, and the players ignored that and played softer than a vanilla ice cream cone on a hot a summer day, allowing Vandy to go 80 yards in 50 some seconds. Interesting!!!! Will these same guys be allowed to play this week? Where is the coach?
Helmet stickers:
DEMPS, Floyd, Howard, Roby, Brissett, Reed, Sturgis, Gillislee, Powell, Weis.
Nice to win, but we can’t cry about the refs anymore. They made up for any bad calls vs Vandy. Even the announcers couldn’t believe some of the missed calls.
FSU’s offense is garbage, but I’m not sure we can score on that defense. Legit as legit can be. Their pass rush is one of the best in the country. Go Gators.