Revolving Back Door
That's been the theme with the bottom 15 in the polls. Five new teams enter the poll this week (all deserving in my humble opinion). Pretty exciting weekend if you got to watch some of these games. I am surprised to see the exclusion of Notre Dame. Not because I necessarily think they're deserving (more on this below), but more because they've won some "exciting" games and they're putting up some impressive offensive numbers. Of course it is true, at least I believe, that they were beat by the best team they played (Michigan). But hey, they're Notre Dame and that's what surprised me. In reality, they're just as close to being a 2 win team as they are to being a 4-win team.
Deserving teams certainly include Missouri and Auburn. I've said it before, but I'm impressed with Missouri and they'll get a good test this Thursday. By the way, sidebar, I did think that game was this Saturday which is why I put it in my preview edition, but alas, it's Thursday night. Anyway, regardless, I think Missouri is as deserving as any other team with similar credentials and as I've said, they have a decent road win. Auburn is for real. Period. To go into Knoxville, against a VERY good Tennessee defense is damn impressive. The Vols played a tough game too - they did what you should do against teams like that: make them kick field goals and keep it close. It was just too much of a deficit with too little time. Big statement win and huge conference road win. Something tells me the Iron Bowl will be very interesting this year.
With some significant games coming up next weekend I'm sure we'll see a continued to merry go at around 15 and above. Oh and speaking of revolving out - BRA-VO Houston Cougars. You go through that freaking non-conference schedule unscathed and get blown out by UTEP? Wow. Texas fans really know how bad this is. It's really crazy, I mean call Houston a fraud if you want to, but they still won at Oklahoma State and at home against Tech. That says something. Anyway, weird.
Tough weekend for the Big 12. First and foremost, there is no measure to how freaking bad Colorado is. They have zero talent and let me tell you something, Texas should beat them at home next weekend by 55 points without breaking a sweat. This *should* be like Big 12 championship game in '05 when Texas won 70-7....yeah, 70-7. They have no quarterback, no defense, no offensive line...they literally have nothing. And another stellar example of Texas dodging a "missed recruit" bullet yet again - Darryl Scott. 5-star running back chose Colorado at last minute over Texas. Remember Ryan Perilloux? Same thing. Anyway, the Buffs are simply terrible and they may not win a conference game this year.
So about those Aggies. They are a hard team to figure out for me. I mean, they put up some impressive offensive numbers and every time I looked up, they were running for 8 yards. And Jerrod Johnson is certainly a talented athlete, but there were a lot of times when I found myself questioning his decision making. He reminds me a lot of a young Vince Young. His throws look awful, but he's certainly *capable* of making any throw you need him to. His accuracy was pretty bad, but he's an athlete and he can make plays. However, one area that seems to be lacking is receiver. I know they had their number one guy go out, but man I was unimpressed with that.
I guess I could sum it up by saying the Aggies certainly have some talented players, but they aren't a great team. I think they're starting an unusually high number of freshman which certainly makes a huge difference, and it really does show. Once Johnson fumbled that ball on the Arkansas 10 and they ran it back for the score - that was it. It was halfway through the second quarter and they were moving the ball pretty well and could have easily made it 21-17 going into half, but that was it, they were done. They never recovered. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the bright lights of Jerry's Death Star and the fact it was a nationally televised game may have gotten to Mr. Johnson. It seemed he was putting the entire weight of his team on his shoulders...and maybe he needs to for them to win right now, but it clearly got to him. Like all Sickly athletic players like him, you have to learn to just move the chains and take the big plays when they give them to you. He tried way too hard way too many times. But he's definitely capable of making a 30+ yard play on any given snap.
I don't think Arkansas is very good...at all. But they were in the Aggie backfield the entire first half. Whatever A&M was doing in the first quarter, Arkansas figured it out because they made every single yard so tough to get after that. I'm not so sure though that part of it was A&M simply not being able to pull it together after that turning point. Tell me Aggie fan, where's your head on Coach Sherman? I have no idea what Aggie fan is thinking about their coach right now.
Tough break for the Sooners. Real tough break, but they are essentially out of the title picture. I know I'm sounding like a broken record here, but I wonder if Bradford will be a little more cautious now. I can see him really working to come back had they won that game and climbed back into the title picture, but that's not really in the cards so to speak. Of course let's not forget - neither of their 2 losses are conference losses so they can STILL win the Big 12. I've said this before and I'll say it again - Jermaine Gresham was a more crucial piece to this team than Sam Bradford. I know that sounds crazy, but I do think it's true. When you have the best tight end in the game go down, it's a very big blow, especially when you have a brand new offensive line. The Sooner defense is still pretty damn good, but they're susceptible to the big play - had Harris not under thrown his receiver on that second INT early in the game, it would have been a TD. Safety made a great play, but he was beat by a step or 2.
You gotta give it to Miami though - tough start to the game with everything going against them in the first half, but they came out, made a big play and turned it on. Big, big win for the Hurricanes. Very tough loss for the 2-2 Sooners (that just looks weird).
More College Football Thoughts...
Deserving teams certainly include Missouri and Auburn. I've said it before, but I'm impressed with Missouri and they'll get a good test this Thursday. By the way, sidebar, I did think that game was this Saturday which is why I put it in my preview edition, but alas, it's Thursday night. Anyway, regardless, I think Missouri is as deserving as any other team with similar credentials and as I've said, they have a decent road win. Auburn is for real. Period. To go into Knoxville, against a VERY good Tennessee defense is damn impressive. The Vols played a tough game too - they did what you should do against teams like that: make them kick field goals and keep it close. It was just too much of a deficit with too little time. Big statement win and huge conference road win. Something tells me the Iron Bowl will be very interesting this year.
With some significant games coming up next weekend I'm sure we'll see a continued to merry go at around 15 and above. Oh and speaking of revolving out - BRA-VO Houston Cougars. You go through that freaking non-conference schedule unscathed and get blown out by UTEP? Wow. Texas fans really know how bad this is. It's really crazy, I mean call Houston a fraud if you want to, but they still won at Oklahoma State and at home against Tech. That says something. Anyway, weird.
Tough weekend for the Big 12. First and foremost, there is no measure to how freaking bad Colorado is. They have zero talent and let me tell you something, Texas should beat them at home next weekend by 55 points without breaking a sweat. This *should* be like Big 12 championship game in '05 when Texas won 70-7....yeah, 70-7. They have no quarterback, no defense, no offensive line...they literally have nothing. And another stellar example of Texas dodging a "missed recruit" bullet yet again - Darryl Scott. 5-star running back chose Colorado at last minute over Texas. Remember Ryan Perilloux? Same thing. Anyway, the Buffs are simply terrible and they may not win a conference game this year.
So about those Aggies. They are a hard team to figure out for me. I mean, they put up some impressive offensive numbers and every time I looked up, they were running for 8 yards. And Jerrod Johnson is certainly a talented athlete, but there were a lot of times when I found myself questioning his decision making. He reminds me a lot of a young Vince Young. His throws look awful, but he's certainly *capable* of making any throw you need him to. His accuracy was pretty bad, but he's an athlete and he can make plays. However, one area that seems to be lacking is receiver. I know they had their number one guy go out, but man I was unimpressed with that.
I guess I could sum it up by saying the Aggies certainly have some talented players, but they aren't a great team. I think they're starting an unusually high number of freshman which certainly makes a huge difference, and it really does show. Once Johnson fumbled that ball on the Arkansas 10 and they ran it back for the score - that was it. It was halfway through the second quarter and they were moving the ball pretty well and could have easily made it 21-17 going into half, but that was it, they were done. They never recovered. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the bright lights of Jerry's Death Star and the fact it was a nationally televised game may have gotten to Mr. Johnson. It seemed he was putting the entire weight of his team on his shoulders...and maybe he needs to for them to win right now, but it clearly got to him. Like all Sickly athletic players like him, you have to learn to just move the chains and take the big plays when they give them to you. He tried way too hard way too many times. But he's definitely capable of making a 30+ yard play on any given snap.
I don't think Arkansas is very good...at all. But they were in the Aggie backfield the entire first half. Whatever A&M was doing in the first quarter, Arkansas figured it out because they made every single yard so tough to get after that. I'm not so sure though that part of it was A&M simply not being able to pull it together after that turning point. Tell me Aggie fan, where's your head on Coach Sherman? I have no idea what Aggie fan is thinking about their coach right now.
Tough break for the Sooners. Real tough break, but they are essentially out of the title picture. I know I'm sounding like a broken record here, but I wonder if Bradford will be a little more cautious now. I can see him really working to come back had they won that game and climbed back into the title picture, but that's not really in the cards so to speak. Of course let's not forget - neither of their 2 losses are conference losses so they can STILL win the Big 12. I've said this before and I'll say it again - Jermaine Gresham was a more crucial piece to this team than Sam Bradford. I know that sounds crazy, but I do think it's true. When you have the best tight end in the game go down, it's a very big blow, especially when you have a brand new offensive line. The Sooner defense is still pretty damn good, but they're susceptible to the big play - had Harris not under thrown his receiver on that second INT early in the game, it would have been a TD. Safety made a great play, but he was beat by a step or 2.
You gotta give it to Miami though - tough start to the game with everything going against them in the first half, but they came out, made a big play and turned it on. Big, big win for the Hurricanes. Very tough loss for the 2-2 Sooners (that just looks weird).
More College Football Thoughts...
- Alright LSU, you got your big match up next weekend. Was that a classic SEC game or what? Defense, defense, defense. One thing I will say about LSU is they shut out Georgia for 3 quarters on the road. That's impressive. However, when you hold your opponent to under 50 yards for the half, and only 1 first down, while you pile up 225+ ...and you're only up 6-0? That's not going to work. They won the game so no big deal, but your offense has to be able to give the defense more of a cushion than that. Charles Scott came back to life again which could be some very good news for LSU heading into next week's showdown against the Gators. I'll be honest, I'm still taking Florida here pretty big, not even wavering, but it's LSU and anything can happen. I do know this though - Les Miles ain't no Urban Meyer. LSU's offense is anemic and Florida's defense is the exact same crew they had last year....so there's that.
- Tough loss for Michigan. It's a rivalry game so you tend to throw everything out the window....nevertheless, Michigan State is not very good. I still think Forcier is a star in the making in the Big 10. Yet again he brings his team back in the final ticks of the 4th quarter. If you have a young QB who's making plays like that as a freshman, you're looking pretty good. Things are starting to turn around for Rich Rod and I think they're capable of beating most teams on any given Saturday.
- I mentioned Notre Dame's offensive numbers, and they are quite impressive, but I'm really anxious to see what Clausen does against USC. I noticed that they kicked 4 field goals from inside the 20 yard line. That's not going to cut it against better teams. And although they're exciting as hell to watch these days, these opponents that they are sneaking by are not that great. I don't know. I think they have a pretty mediocre defense and the loss of star receiver Floyd will hurt down the stretch. Luckily for them they get a bye week before facing the Trojans at home. Could be the statement game they need, but I doubt they're able to win that one.
- One more thing on Auburn and what they did against Tennessee's defense - they had over 450 yards of total offense. I would bet money that no other team comes close to doing that the rest of the way.
- Remember last week when I mentioned how I had no idea what kind of team Florida State is? I have a better idea now - they are a 2-3 team who played over the heads for a couple of games. They are not good.
- The Cincinnati offense is pretty wicked. Go read the box score and look how fast they score EVERY SINGLE TIME. It's nuts.
- This will get over looked because of Florida/LSU, but Bama travels to Ole Miss next Saturday afternoon. Jeavan Snead is really struggling this year, but there's no better way to reverse a stinky streak than with a big-time win in front of your home crowd. I'm doubting this....really doubting it, but it could happen.
- Nice Cal - I guess the Bears are the same team we've always known them to be. When they crash - they go down in flames. Talk about a complete 180 in just two short weeks. They put up a combined 6 points in their two biggest games....and this with one of the nation's top running backs. Keep an eye on this - if we get a slew of 1-loss teams, the strength of the Pac 10 could prove to be the difference for USC. For better or for worse.
- Will be interesting to see how the Sooners play over the next few weeks - if they continue to play with that same urgency that most title contenders play with. As I mentioned above, it's going to be next to impossible for them to make it to Pasadena this year, but it could happen - the only difference is they won't own their own destiny the rest of the way. That fact alone can destroy a team's drive. OU has been a mainstay in the top 5-8 over the past several years and they can climb back up there with a win over Texas...we'll see.
- Really Houston? 58 points to UTEP?
- FANTASY UPDATE: Let me just say this. I think I've got one player left tonight, but my wife is beating me by like 40 points. I'll just leave it at that for this week.
- And heeeeeeere comes Vince Young again. I don't know how long Fisher can keep Collins in there when it's clear he isn't going to repeat the success of last year. At 0-4, the Titans are all but out of the playoff hunt. I know that sounds crazy with 8 games left, but the Titans have dropped games against all of their division opponents except Indy....and do any of us have any illusions about how that's going to work out? I say you throw VY to the wolves and find out once and for all if there's any hope at all to make an NFL QB out of him. That was a really bad loss to a really bad Jags team. Let's go ahead and pencil the Titans into one of the playoff team last year to no playoffs this year slot. I mean, what in the world happened to their defense? And this goes way beyond the loss of Haynesworth and Jim Schwartz.
- Is it at all possible that Fisher may find himself on the hot seat? Seems inconceivable, but there could be some momentum here.
- Let's not sleep on New England just yet - 2 consecutive wins over Falcons and Ravens. Those are playoff teams right there.
- OUCH Dallas fan. That's one of those losses where afterwards, folks shake their heads and say, "yeah, I didn't think they were that good". I think we all agreed that although Denver was undefeated, they were still a little suspect. And when Dallas got up 10-0 you couldn't help but think, here we go - let the implosion begin. But nooo. Tough win by Dallas. And why-oh-why in the world would Dallas (and Romo at that) throw at Champ Bailey in the final 2 plays? Are you kidding me? With all of the alleged holes in this Denver defense, you go at Bailey? This game for Dallas was not unlike the Carolina game last Monday night - you just sometimes wonder what the hell they're doing. This is an 8-8 team...at best. And Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett are stealing money from Jones right now. They are both HORRIBLE.
- Is it me or does Romo just seem to lack "It"? I mean, I've never once seem any sense of fire or desire in him. I just don't know how much he really cares about winning. Look at players like Brady, Manning, Rivers, hell, even Jeff Garcia - you can literally see their desire to win games no matter what. Romo does not have that which is why he's a pretender and always will be. The playoff drought will continue for yet another year.
- Meanwhile, it warrants saying this again, but anyone else think maybe McDaniels knows exactly what he's doing?
- OUCH Chicago. So much for the great Oprah/Obama tandem - that really didn't work out too well now did it. In all reality, not really a big deal. Just funny that with all the hoopla that they didn't even make the initial cut. It was a good laugh for about 7 seconds.
- Quick note to GOPers out there who are bashing Obama: are you actually relishing in the fact that the Chicago DIDN'T get selected? You do realize that Chicago resides in the US and that the city was actually representing the US in this bid, right? I still don't understand how anyone, regardless of who you are, would actually WANT the President to fail. At any time. Regardless of who is in office, don't you *want* that person to succeed?
- So we braved through about 7.5 hours of ACL on Saturday - through rain and mud. Had a pretty good time. If it hadn't been raining, it would have been a whole other story. We were prepared with panchos, etc., but after standing in the rain for 3 straight hours, it kind of gets to you. Nevertheless, we made it work. Saturday's lineup was certainly not of the caliber of Friday or Sunday, but we saw a couple of really good shows. I've heard of them, but didn't really know their stuff, but I thoroughly enjoyed Flogging Molly. Even in the rain, went down as one of my top ACL shows I've seen. I'd definitely see them again - Irish rock with a hint of punk. The Scabs also put on a great show, but they always put on a great show.
- Speaking of my top ACL shows: Pixies, Gomez, Thievery Corporation, G. Love and Special Sauce, and the new edition, Flogging Molly.
posted by The Bearden Wonder at 10:41 PM
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