Games I watched this week:
Michigan vs. Utah
UGA vs. Georgia Southern
USC vs. Virginia
Florida vs. Hawaii
Missouri vs. Illinois (about 30 minutes of play, anyway)
LSU vs. App State
BAMA vs. Clemson
East Carolina vs. VT
UCLA vs. TENN
Best Game:
Probably UCLA vs. TENN for sheer watchability... probably BAMA vs. Clemson for seeing an SEC team upset a rival
UCLA vs. TENN:
I could see from early on in the game that TENN was weak. Craft threw how many interceptions in the first half (4?) and Tennessee failed to make them pay for it. TENN RBs seemed to eat up the yardage in the first half, too, with lots of 8+ yard carries. That all seemed to evaporate later on in the game. When Craft settled in, I was on the edge of my seat, hoping the Tennessee defense could hold it together. They couldn't-- not enough pressure on the QB, making it too easy for him to make some excellent tosses deep into the field. Lastly, this was easily the most physical football I saw this weekend. UCLA did not disappoint.
The OT was a heart-breaker. Missing an average kick... sucks, dude. UCLA clearly has a good coach and good coordinators now. I'd love to see them competitive in their conference, if for no other reason than to take some of Carroll's talent away (the bruins also sport one of my favorite uniforms
)
For Tenn, and the SEC hater parade, what Can I say. I have a soft spot in my heart for the round, lovable Fullmer. I hate Rocky Top, but I don't mind the guy. I hope UT's program doesn't decline any more than it has over the past few seasons. Crompton looks promising.
BAMA vs. Clemson:
I stand by my game of the week statement. Fantastic football from Sabin from a team that has a proud history. The ACC still appears to be weak in front of a team that-- more often than not in recent years-- has been mentioned in the same breath as Mississippi state and Vandy, than in the company of Florida and LSU. I look forward to a bama vs. UGA.
USC vs. Virginia:
I know UVA is a BCS school and all, but this one was a snoozer. Trojan's QB looks solid, but this game ranks as a cupcake. I will be watching the OSU vs. USC game with great interest.
UF vs. Hawaii:
Florida does what it does best: hang excessive points on chumps. No repeat for Tebow on the heisman this year, though. He's going to have too many sound options for scoring. Key players are going to have to get injured of UGA is going to beat them... that, or they'll actually have to play good football for 4 quarters
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
LSU vs. APP state:
Any of you big ten/pac ten people who were expecting another Appy upset are retarded. LSU isn't going to get handed many losses this year. The Harvard boy behind the center looks remarkably poised and competent.
Michigan vs. Utah:
Hilarious loss. Utah is becoming one of my favorite teams to watch (along with ECU) and I really hope their program develops, rather than resurgences from teams where the headlines are already written (Nebraska, Clemson-- the exception being SMU). This year, there's only one team in the Big Ten that's worth half a shit, and only complete fuckheads like them. Michigan still goes to a bowl game this season though.
ECU vs. VT:
I fell in love with Skip Holtz's team last year. They are hungry and they play a decent schedule. Beamer Ball takes on a whole new meaning when you use it with a derisive tone. This is exactly the kind of game "powerhouse" teams like VT should be opening their seasons with, rather than Georgia southern, or youngstown.
UGA vs. Georgia Southern:
Not a game I would suggest anybody watch who isn't interested in seeing what Uga VII looks like. Aside from being worried about
even more injuries, I was most worried about replacing our FG kicker with the golden toe. The new guy made one from 52 yards, so I'm temporarily satisfied. The Dawgs seem capable enough of winning against each team they play this year... but I have serious doubts about winning all, or even all but one of them. I also wish we were playing another BCS conference school this coming week, rather than suck-ass central michigan. The way things are at this moment, the dawgs could handle Michigan or Michigan state with as much effort. I can feel football in the slight chill of the air here, and my ass sure hurts from all the sitting its done, but my season doesnt really start until the UGA-south carolina game.
General thoughts:
I hope Beanie wells is out for the season just so I don't have to hear the name "beanie" any more than absolutely necessary. I feel like I'm browsing drug culture when I hear it.
USC deserves its current #1 ranking for playing a real opponent last Saturday. I know its about as pointless as wishing for a playoff system, but I
really wish fans could make it unprofitable for a school to play one or two cupcakes at the start of every season.
UGA does/does not deserve to lose its #1 ranking for refusing to absolutely bury Georgia southern the way UF did to Hawaii. I haven't made up my mind, but I like seeing coaches playing freshmen in the second half, and I don;t really like watching any blowout.
UCLA and TENN (especially TENN, as they've gotten their asses handed to them twice by PAC ten teams) deserve props and attention for their scheduling. I don't know who the SEC is supposed to have an inter conference rivalry with (big east shows promise and is history, i guess), but nothing is better than seeing two teams that don't outright suck, and who don't see each other very often, go at it. The UGA-ASU game should be fun to watch even if we bury them for similar reasons. I would happily kiss a conference rivalry game goodbye, or the obligatory thrashing of Georgia Tech, or next week's cupcake to see UGA play a strong team from a distant land (I'm looking at you, Mizzou, Oklahoma, Cal, OSU, USC, Texas)
LD said:
And that "rag tag of nancy boys" just beat an upper-tier SEC team with a 3rd string QB and 3 senior offensive starters out of the game...also consider UCLA was picked to finish in the bottom half of the Pac-10 this year...
This is what can happen when SEC teams actually take a chance in their non-conference rather than pad it with pushovers...Georgia may find out themselves in the coming weeks. I don't think they've made as far a trip to play a game like they're doing by going to Tempe in forever...can any Georgia fan tell me when the last time was?
UT vs. UCLA != UGA vs. ASU
I can assure you that UGA is taking ASU as seriously as cancer of the penis. I'm expecting a slaughter, since UGA is treating it as their media debut this year-- but...
me said:
UCLA's program is (in my estimation) still the same hot mess it was last season, Tennessee should win handily.
I've been wrong before
jim said:
honestly Ohio State fans just love their team unlike any other fans in the nation. the only fans that really resemble Buckeyes fans are Boston Red Sox fans in their undying love for the team
Wow, the two places you've lived. Coincidence? Maybe the Farely brothers will make a movie about living in Colombus, dressing like a douche on fall Saturdays, and call it
Fuck Nuts.
jim said:
semantics. to me "pretty well" is above average. I wouldn't quite put him on the level of Purdue. it is just strange how the media seems to glorify Phillip Fulmer and name drop him like some mediocre attention starved rapper on MTV. why do I even know his god damned name??
You know his name because he's a BCS championship winning coach that's been doing it for 15 years (at UT). Why the fuck should I know JoePa's name? Same reason. Moreover, I didn't hear anything out of the ordinary from the booth during the coverage of the UCLA/UT game.
regarding pretty well: Bowl records indicate that SEC teams last year did considerably better than Big Ten teams. Tenn squandered a lot of opportunities last Saturday, and last season, but it hardly follows that "pretty well" in the SEC means losing to Michigan and UCLA. UT is one of those places where not going to the conference championship is considered a bad year (whereas, at present, UGA is kinda used to it). Fullmer
will get shit canned if he fails to produce. The culture and the talent is still there, we will see how it plays out.
Seriously, though, look at the conferences this year, over the past few years, and aside from the undisputed conference kings (USC, OSU) needing to prop up their percieved weak schedules, whom do you see as a conference really stepping up and stepping out?