Alright, this one will be a pretty simple game day post.
Now - 7:30am: Get ready to go to work, and help get the baby ready for day care.
7:30am - 5:30pm: Work.
5:30pm - indeterminate: Watch pre-game, game, and post-game festivities.
I don't see any reason to think any team should be a prohibitive favorite in this one. Despite what you may have heard, Ohio State is a pretty solid team. So are we. Neither of us are pretenders, and neither of us are unstoppable. Of course, one of us may prove to be unstoppable, but it can't be reliably predicted ahead of time.
Win or lose, this has been a very successful season for LSU because we won our conference. Should we lose tonight, don't lose sight of the most important goal for any season: win the conference.
Anyway, keep reading the blog. There have been some really substantive posts lately, including an appearance by Poseur.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Deserving?
Gene Wojciechowski wrote a column for ESPN which, well, let's just quote him:
Well, I'm pretty damn sure it's THE National title Game. In fact, I'm 100% positive. Look, I hate the BCS. It's a stupid system. There's a reason the formula gets tweaked every year, and that's because the powers-that-be have no faith in the system itself. That said, the BCS is designed to pick two teams. That's the crappy system we have in place, and it picked two teams. LSU was the team selected among a whole bunch of flawed candidates. Had the BCS spit out another team, I wouldn't have been outraged, but LSU doesn't need to apologize for being the team selected. Is LSU perfect? Of course not. But all of the other contenders were flawed.
Wojo then claims Georgia and USC have a better claim because they are hotter right now. Well, LSU was the hottest team last year and know what that meant? Absolutely nothing. Also, his list is intellectually dishonest, as he leaves off Virginia Tech, who WAS the hottest team in the country until the Orange Bowl. Whoops.
As for USC, they have not lost since losing to Oregon. And that win over Oregon St was pretty darn impressive. Then they beat a Cal team in total collapse, an Arizona State team that was busy performing an epic choke not completed until getting waxed by Texas in the Holiday Bowl, and then a pretty average UCLA team. Sure, they won those games, but that's a pretty weak "hottest team in the country". Oh, and they pasted an overmatched Illinois team.
Georgia hasn't lost since October 6th, when they got absolutely crushed by Tennessee. And they even scored some big scalps: Florida, Auburn, and Kentucky (depending on who you ask if that's a big scalp). Hell, the only game they played decided by less than 10 points was against Vandy. And we saw what they did against Hawaii. So I think it is fair to call them "the hottest team in the country." Too bad they didn't win their conference. The same conference LSU plays in. It's not who had the best second half of the season, but who had the best total season. And that is LSU.
Hell, all of a sudden, Kansas has a better claim than either Georgia or USC. Or West Virginia, who did choke away the title in the Backyard Brawl. The thing is, every team in flawed. Someone had to get picked in our given system. That team was LSU. We don't have to apologize for that.
I hate to break this to the Buckeyes, and the Tigers, and that drunk dude with horse dung on his hands, but I'm not sure Monday night's matchup is really THE national title game. Just because it says so on the TV promos and the BCS crystal trophy doesn't necessarily make it true.
To begin with, are Ohio State and LSU even the two best teams in the country? I'm just asking.
Well, I'm pretty damn sure it's THE National title Game. In fact, I'm 100% positive. Look, I hate the BCS. It's a stupid system. There's a reason the formula gets tweaked every year, and that's because the powers-that-be have no faith in the system itself. That said, the BCS is designed to pick two teams. That's the crappy system we have in place, and it picked two teams. LSU was the team selected among a whole bunch of flawed candidates. Had the BCS spit out another team, I wouldn't have been outraged, but LSU doesn't need to apologize for being the team selected. Is LSU perfect? Of course not. But all of the other contenders were flawed.
Wojo then claims Georgia and USC have a better claim because they are hotter right now. Well, LSU was the hottest team last year and know what that meant? Absolutely nothing. Also, his list is intellectually dishonest, as he leaves off Virginia Tech, who WAS the hottest team in the country until the Orange Bowl. Whoops.
As for USC, they have not lost since losing to Oregon. And that win over Oregon St was pretty darn impressive. Then they beat a Cal team in total collapse, an Arizona State team that was busy performing an epic choke not completed until getting waxed by Texas in the Holiday Bowl, and then a pretty average UCLA team. Sure, they won those games, but that's a pretty weak "hottest team in the country". Oh, and they pasted an overmatched Illinois team.
Georgia hasn't lost since October 6th, when they got absolutely crushed by Tennessee. And they even scored some big scalps: Florida, Auburn, and Kentucky (depending on who you ask if that's a big scalp). Hell, the only game they played decided by less than 10 points was against Vandy. And we saw what they did against Hawaii. So I think it is fair to call them "the hottest team in the country." Too bad they didn't win their conference. The same conference LSU plays in. It's not who had the best second half of the season, but who had the best total season. And that is LSU.
Hell, all of a sudden, Kansas has a better claim than either Georgia or USC. Or West Virginia, who did choke away the title in the Backyard Brawl. The thing is, every team in flawed. Someone had to get picked in our given system. That team was LSU. We don't have to apologize for that.
Two Huge Commitments for the Tigers
Yesterday was the most newsworthy day of the year for LSU football recruiting. We picked up two very big commitments from two players who are very important to this program.
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This is tight end Tyler Edwards, who I previously listed as the #1 player still on our board. He's the younger brother of former LSU tight end Eric Edwards. He is currently just a little small for a tight end at 220#, but a summer in the weight room may change that.
He is, by most accounts, a very good pass catcher, and that is the skill that most likely translate quickly to the college game. He probably needs to work a bit on his blocking, but he'll have time to do that.
Edwards is the second person listed as a tight end to commit to LSU this year, but the other, Matt Branch, may be destined for the offensive line proper. Edwards will join a slew of tight end recruits who redshirted last year, and compete for playing time.
Edwards was the #1 recruit left on the board for the simple reason that he was a Louisiana kid that LSU wanted, really the last Louisiana kid left on the board who was a definite take. Getting Edwards means that Les Miles and the rest of the coaches cleaned up Louisiana this year, not losing a single kid they wanted. That's the most important thing that can happen in any recruiting class.
A couple of other Louisiana kids have committed to play for other big schools, particularly cornerback Robby Green and linebacker Michael Mauti, who are going to Bama and to Penn State respectively. Neither was heavily recruited by LSU (though I have suspicions that we will regret not paying more attention to Mauti) because, allegedly, Bo Pelini decided they didn't really fit his system, and weren't great enough athletes to try to wedge in.
Does this mean they're bums? No. I like to retell the story of DeMeco Ryans, who really wanted to play for Auburn after high school. Auburn decided he wasn't big enough or fast enough to be a linebacker for them and politely told him to take a hike. He wasn't getting a scholarship from them. He turned to Bama who, facing probation, decided to take a chance on him. Ryans got on the field quickly and eventually became the best player on the team. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2006 NFL Draft and won defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Before Ryans' last Iron Bowl, Tommy Tuberville (who I think is a great coach and who I think has a tremendous eye for talent) acknowledged his mistake in not plucking Ryans. It's one of those stories that you hear about and you ask, "How could someone pass up a guy like Demeco Ryans?" It's sort of (but admittedly not exactly) like Michael Jordan getting cut from his high school basketball team.
But, Tuberville had his reasons. Ryans was a little small for linebacker, and probably was not a particularly great athlete coming out of high school. In an environment where you have to make choices because of limited scholarships, you have to find your reasons for thinking a guy isn't a good enough risk. Sometimes, your decision, inevitably, backfire. But that doesn't mean you didn't have good reasons to make the decisions you made. The same may end up being true of LSU's decision not to heavily recruit Robby Green or Michael Mauti. Mauti would have been a tough get no matter what because of his family ties to Joe Paterno and Penn State, but Green was ours for the taking if we wanted him. We've made our decisions, and we will have to live with them.
Which brings us to commitment #2 of the day yesterday. This is 5-star cornerback Patrick Johnson out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Patrick Johnson has everything you want in a football player. He's a tremendous athlete (a close blood relative of Santana and Sinorice Moss), a very good student (he's graduating a semester early), and is football smart (a coach's son). Some of this information I learned after I ranked him #5 on my list at Christmas. If I was doing it over again, I would rank him #3, behind only Edwards and EJ Manuel.
This is a kid of whom it is being said that he can come into school in the Spring (and get a valuable Spring Practice session) and compete immediately for one of the two open cornerback starting positions or the nickel/dime back position. He could be like Eric Berry of Tennessee, an immediate impact player on a unit lacking in returning experience.
I'm always a little skeptical of claims that a true freshman can come in and make an immediate impact, especially at cornerback, which has one of the longest learning curves of any position on the field, arguably longer than any except quarterback (and roughly even with offensive line). Cornerback is not, as it may sometimes appear, just a position where your job is to run really fast. There is a lot of technique and a lot of recognition involved. Those things take time, but Johnson has the benefit of a) a Spring Practice, b) supposedly high level of intelligence, and c) being the son of a coach. If anyone is set up to transcend the inherent limitations of being a young cornerback, it is Patrick Johnson.
Of course, he'll also have to compete with a bunch of other young cornerbacks who've been in the system longer than he has. Guys like Phelon Jones (also a coach's son and a very intelligent young man), Jai Eugene, Chris Hawkins, John Williams, Ron Brooks, and possibly even Jared and/or Chris Mitchell, who are rumored to possibly be switching over to defensive back.
LSU has a wealth of talent among its young defensive backs. I venture to guess possibly the best young defensive back talent in the country with this incoming class being added to it. Add Patrick Johnson, Derrick Bryant, Karnell Hatcher and our other highly regarded 2008 recruits to a list of young defensive backs that includes Chad Jones, Stefoin Francois, Shomari Clemons, and the above-mentioned players, and you have a scary-good group of defensive backs for the next few years, all coming of age right at the time we need them.
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This is tight end Tyler Edwards, who I previously listed as the #1 player still on our board. He's the younger brother of former LSU tight end Eric Edwards. He is currently just a little small for a tight end at 220#, but a summer in the weight room may change that.He is, by most accounts, a very good pass catcher, and that is the skill that most likely translate quickly to the college game. He probably needs to work a bit on his blocking, but he'll have time to do that.
Edwards is the second person listed as a tight end to commit to LSU this year, but the other, Matt Branch, may be destined for the offensive line proper. Edwards will join a slew of tight end recruits who redshirted last year, and compete for playing time.
Edwards was the #1 recruit left on the board for the simple reason that he was a Louisiana kid that LSU wanted, really the last Louisiana kid left on the board who was a definite take. Getting Edwards means that Les Miles and the rest of the coaches cleaned up Louisiana this year, not losing a single kid they wanted. That's the most important thing that can happen in any recruiting class.
A couple of other Louisiana kids have committed to play for other big schools, particularly cornerback Robby Green and linebacker Michael Mauti, who are going to Bama and to Penn State respectively. Neither was heavily recruited by LSU (though I have suspicions that we will regret not paying more attention to Mauti) because, allegedly, Bo Pelini decided they didn't really fit his system, and weren't great enough athletes to try to wedge in.
Does this mean they're bums? No. I like to retell the story of DeMeco Ryans, who really wanted to play for Auburn after high school. Auburn decided he wasn't big enough or fast enough to be a linebacker for them and politely told him to take a hike. He wasn't getting a scholarship from them. He turned to Bama who, facing probation, decided to take a chance on him. Ryans got on the field quickly and eventually became the best player on the team. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2006 NFL Draft and won defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Before Ryans' last Iron Bowl, Tommy Tuberville (who I think is a great coach and who I think has a tremendous eye for talent) acknowledged his mistake in not plucking Ryans. It's one of those stories that you hear about and you ask, "How could someone pass up a guy like Demeco Ryans?" It's sort of (but admittedly not exactly) like Michael Jordan getting cut from his high school basketball team.
But, Tuberville had his reasons. Ryans was a little small for linebacker, and probably was not a particularly great athlete coming out of high school. In an environment where you have to make choices because of limited scholarships, you have to find your reasons for thinking a guy isn't a good enough risk. Sometimes, your decision, inevitably, backfire. But that doesn't mean you didn't have good reasons to make the decisions you made. The same may end up being true of LSU's decision not to heavily recruit Robby Green or Michael Mauti. Mauti would have been a tough get no matter what because of his family ties to Joe Paterno and Penn State, but Green was ours for the taking if we wanted him. We've made our decisions, and we will have to live with them.
Which brings us to commitment #2 of the day yesterday. This is 5-star cornerback Patrick Johnson out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Patrick Johnson has everything you want in a football player. He's a tremendous athlete (a close blood relative of Santana and Sinorice Moss), a very good student (he's graduating a semester early), and is football smart (a coach's son). Some of this information I learned after I ranked him #5 on my list at Christmas. If I was doing it over again, I would rank him #3, behind only Edwards and EJ Manuel.This is a kid of whom it is being said that he can come into school in the Spring (and get a valuable Spring Practice session) and compete immediately for one of the two open cornerback starting positions or the nickel/dime back position. He could be like Eric Berry of Tennessee, an immediate impact player on a unit lacking in returning experience.
I'm always a little skeptical of claims that a true freshman can come in and make an immediate impact, especially at cornerback, which has one of the longest learning curves of any position on the field, arguably longer than any except quarterback (and roughly even with offensive line). Cornerback is not, as it may sometimes appear, just a position where your job is to run really fast. There is a lot of technique and a lot of recognition involved. Those things take time, but Johnson has the benefit of a) a Spring Practice, b) supposedly high level of intelligence, and c) being the son of a coach. If anyone is set up to transcend the inherent limitations of being a young cornerback, it is Patrick Johnson.
Of course, he'll also have to compete with a bunch of other young cornerbacks who've been in the system longer than he has. Guys like Phelon Jones (also a coach's son and a very intelligent young man), Jai Eugene, Chris Hawkins, John Williams, Ron Brooks, and possibly even Jared and/or Chris Mitchell, who are rumored to possibly be switching over to defensive back.
LSU has a wealth of talent among its young defensive backs. I venture to guess possibly the best young defensive back talent in the country with this incoming class being added to it. Add Patrick Johnson, Derrick Bryant, Karnell Hatcher and our other highly regarded 2008 recruits to a list of young defensive backs that includes Chad Jones, Stefoin Francois, Shomari Clemons, and the above-mentioned players, and you have a scary-good group of defensive backs for the next few years, all coming of age right at the time we need them.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
OK So I Lied
I promised you more on Ohio State and I didn't deliver. The simple fact is, I don't have more on Ohio State. I know pretty much only what I told you on Thursday. They're a physical, talented team with a good running back, a good but not particularly variegated passing attack, a tremendous front 7 on the defensive side, but perhaps a vulnerable secondary.
That's about all I have. I will say this, though. I don't know why we're favored in this game. Well, I take that back. I know why we're favored, I just don't agree with it. We're favored because Florida waxed them last year, and made them look pretty bad in the process.
The thing is, the more I look at this, the more I think that was not representative of how good Ohio State was or is. I think they just had a bad game, for whatever reason. I don't think they genuinely are unable to stay on the field with the best of the SEC. I think they played their worst, and people are mistakenly believing that their worst was their average.
If you want evidence, just look at what Michigan did to Florida this year, and Michigan was not even a particularly good Big 10 team, while we've all said Florida is maybe the best team we've played this year.
I think, healthy, and with a lot of time to prepare, we are an excellent team. This may be LSU vs. Virginia Tech all over again. But it probably won't be. I'm not looking for a blowout. I'm just hoping we pull out a win.
Other News: It could be a big day in recruiting, as it looks like we will get two verbal commitments from the players listed in my Christmas Recruiting Update. Check out the US Army All America Game starting at noon on NBC.
In personal news, I am currently in Louisiana for my brother's wedding. We had the rehearsal dinner last night and had a lot of fun. Then we had to try to get the baby to sleep. That wasn't so much fun.
Now, I'm off to Cal's Bakery to get some donuts. It's a ritual.
That's about all I have. I will say this, though. I don't know why we're favored in this game. Well, I take that back. I know why we're favored, I just don't agree with it. We're favored because Florida waxed them last year, and made them look pretty bad in the process.
The thing is, the more I look at this, the more I think that was not representative of how good Ohio State was or is. I think they just had a bad game, for whatever reason. I don't think they genuinely are unable to stay on the field with the best of the SEC. I think they played their worst, and people are mistakenly believing that their worst was their average.
If you want evidence, just look at what Michigan did to Florida this year, and Michigan was not even a particularly good Big 10 team, while we've all said Florida is maybe the best team we've played this year.
I think, healthy, and with a lot of time to prepare, we are an excellent team. This may be LSU vs. Virginia Tech all over again. But it probably won't be. I'm not looking for a blowout. I'm just hoping we pull out a win.
Other News: It could be a big day in recruiting, as it looks like we will get two verbal commitments from the players listed in my Christmas Recruiting Update. Check out the US Army All America Game starting at noon on NBC.
In personal news, I am currently in Louisiana for my brother's wedding. We had the rehearsal dinner last night and had a lot of fun. Then we had to try to get the baby to sleep. That wasn't so much fun.
Now, I'm off to Cal's Bakery to get some donuts. It's a ritual.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
My First Real Post on the Buckeyes
Or at least, it's my first post on the Buckeyes in a while. I've spent some time studying the Ohio State vs. Illinois game, and I watched parts of the Ohio State vs. Michigan matchup as well. Plus, I've seen more of how the Big 10 plays here in bowl season.Here are my quick thoughts on Ohio State:
- Beanie Wells may be the 2nd best running back we've faced this year. He's not as good as Darren McFadden, but he is a big, strong guy with underrated speed. He's not a slow bruiser. He's got some wheels. He's not as fast or as versatile as McFadden, and he's certainly not as fast as Keiland Williams, but he's not a sloth like you may have heard. I bet he's probably got somewhere between 4.5 and 4.6 speed, which is pretty good considering he's not really a speed back.
- They don't have a particularly versatile offense, which I think bodes poorly for them. They occasionally run a 5 wide receiver set, but they pretty much just throw to 2 guys: Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline, who have collectively caught almost half of their completed passes on the season. They also throw to the tight end a little, but their 3rd, 4th, and 5th wideouts and their running backs aren't a big part of their passing game.
- On the same topic, they pretty much stick with two running backs, and their quarterback is not that big of a running threat. He's an opportunistic runner, and I saw him get a very nice running gain against Illinois (which accounted for half of his rushing total on the season), but this is not a wrinkle they throw into their offense often.
- The offensive line is big and physical. I think it's one of the best I've seen this season, if not the best. With our defensive line finally being healthy with the exception of Charles Alexander, this should be a great matchup, and it may be where the game is decided.
- Their defense is big, quick, and physical. I think, like a lot of defenses, they can be beaten by a creative offense with good execution, but they are legitimately very very good.
- I think their secondary can be beaten. I know statistically they are very good, but honestly how many really good passing teams have they faced this year? I saw them get beat by Illinois quite a few times, and Illinois is NOT a good passing team.
More tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Bonerama
My question is, how embarrassed was the announcer to have to announce Bonerama performing the national anthem?
OK, it wasn't that great of a day for the SEC. Arkansas thoroughly failed to show up to play against Missouri. Where was that cruddy team when we played them in November?
Even worse, the Fox broadcast team and the Fox picture and sound were not good at all. I hope this isn't a portent of things to come in next week's game. Granted, I think they pulled Pat Summerall out of retirement for this game, but that doesn't explain the poor picture and sound quality. As much as I complain about ESPN, they have a crisp picture and good sound.
Michigan controlled both lines of scrimmage in their win against Florida. It would have been a blowout if not for Michigan's uncharacteristic turnovers. It's not the Curse of the Heisman, because Tebow actually played decently. The Florida defense looked like they were still eating Christmas ham, and the Florida offensive line didn't give Tebow any time to maneuver.
The good news for SEC fans is that Tennessee was impressive against Wisconsin, and Georgia made Hawaii look like it didn't belong in the BCS, which it doesn't. I went to bed at halftime of the Sugar Bowl because I knew there was no chance Hawaii was coming back.
I agree with those who say that Georgia finished the season as one of the best teams in the country. But if you think that means Georgia should have gone to the National Championship Game, I have three words for you: "Win your conference." If you don't win your conference, you have no claim to the national championship. None.
Not that I have anything against Georgia. I don't. Among SEC teams, I actually find them to probably the most enjoyable and the most respectable outside of LSU, and I really don't blame them for trying to state their case. Of course they want to convince people they deserved a shot at the championship. I just find their case wholly unconvincing.
I hope LSU players pay attention to that Cap One Bowl. Florida was supposed to maul Michigan. Heck, even I said it. Nothing in the way this season played out indicated that Michigan was as good of a team as Florida. I think Florida's young players just didn't realize they were going to be in a fight. They thought the Big 10 team would roll over for them like OSU did last year.
Florida may have the speed advantage in the skill positions, but if you get dominated in the trenches, it won't do you any good. And Florida got thoroughly dominated in the trenches. The Michigan front seven looked a LOT more athletic than the Florida line.
Thank you, also, Michigan, for giving everyone the blueprint on how to beat Florida.
OK, it wasn't that great of a day for the SEC. Arkansas thoroughly failed to show up to play against Missouri. Where was that cruddy team when we played them in November?
Even worse, the Fox broadcast team and the Fox picture and sound were not good at all. I hope this isn't a portent of things to come in next week's game. Granted, I think they pulled Pat Summerall out of retirement for this game, but that doesn't explain the poor picture and sound quality. As much as I complain about ESPN, they have a crisp picture and good sound.
Michigan controlled both lines of scrimmage in their win against Florida. It would have been a blowout if not for Michigan's uncharacteristic turnovers. It's not the Curse of the Heisman, because Tebow actually played decently. The Florida defense looked like they were still eating Christmas ham, and the Florida offensive line didn't give Tebow any time to maneuver.
The good news for SEC fans is that Tennessee was impressive against Wisconsin, and Georgia made Hawaii look like it didn't belong in the BCS, which it doesn't. I went to bed at halftime of the Sugar Bowl because I knew there was no chance Hawaii was coming back.
I agree with those who say that Georgia finished the season as one of the best teams in the country. But if you think that means Georgia should have gone to the National Championship Game, I have three words for you: "Win your conference." If you don't win your conference, you have no claim to the national championship. None.
Not that I have anything against Georgia. I don't. Among SEC teams, I actually find them to probably the most enjoyable and the most respectable outside of LSU, and I really don't blame them for trying to state their case. Of course they want to convince people they deserved a shot at the championship. I just find their case wholly unconvincing.
I hope LSU players pay attention to that Cap One Bowl. Florida was supposed to maul Michigan. Heck, even I said it. Nothing in the way this season played out indicated that Michigan was as good of a team as Florida. I think Florida's young players just didn't realize they were going to be in a fight. They thought the Big 10 team would roll over for them like OSU did last year.
Florida may have the speed advantage in the skill positions, but if you get dominated in the trenches, it won't do you any good. And Florida got thoroughly dominated in the trenches. The Michigan front seven looked a LOT more athletic than the Florida line.
Thank you, also, Michigan, for giving everyone the blueprint on how to beat Florida.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Bittersweet Football Tuesday
Today is New Year's, historically the best college football day of the year. It's the day when all the biggest bowls were played.
Can you believe that in 1970, there were 11 bowl games? A few years earlier, there were only 9. No 6-6 teams made it those years. Now, there are 32 post season bowl games.
I'm not complaining about that. While I don't watch all the games, I appreciate that they're there, and I don't mind that mediocre teams get a bowl game.
What I definitely do not like, however, is the devaluation of the "minor" New Year's Day bowl games. There are 6 games today, and 4 of them start at noon or earlier, to make room for the supposedly sexier matchup of USC vs. Illinois at 3:30pm, without competition from other games. Fans of the SEC will have their day start with Tennessee vs. Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl at 10:00am, a start time that is sure to please those who resent Lincoln-Financial.
Worse though, Arkansas vs. Missouri in the Cotton Bowl will start a mere half-hour later at 10:30am. And then, in a final insult, Michigan vs. Florida in the Cap One Bowl will start at noon, while those other two games are near halftime. SEC fans will have to choose between watching the end of the Cotton Bowl, the end of the Outback Bowl, or the first half of the Cap One Bowl.
Let's hope neither the Cotton nor the Outback go to overtime.
The SEC is having a good bowl season, at 4-0. None of the games were blowouts, and none of the games were pretty, but we ended up winning all of them.
Yesterday, Kentucky beat FSU in 35-28 shootout. I have to tip my hat to Florida State. They could have given up on this game when they traveled without 36 of their players due to suspensions and injuries, but they didn't give up. They could have given up when they fell behind by 14 on two different occasions, but they didn't. Ultimately, they didn't have the personnel to win the game, but it may have been one of their best-played games of the season.
In the evening, Auburn took down Clemson in overtime, 23-20, showcasing their new spread offense. This Auburn team, spread or not, looks like they have the personnel to be a good team for the next couple years. They have an heir apparent sophomore quarterback who looks dangerous, 3 good running backs all returning next year, and an offensive line filled with freshmen. This offense will be formidable next year and beyond, especially if they can find a few wide receivers.
It was an ugly game, with neither team playing particularly well early, but it ended up being an exciting game. And yes, I always root for SEC against non-SEC.
As for today's games, I think Florida is significantly better than Michigan, and I would be shocked if Michigan can stay with them. I don't know what to think about Tennessee vs. Wisconsin, because Wisconsin is something of a mystery to me, and Tennessee has a history of underachieving in bowl games. The one I'm looking forward to seeing is Missouri vs. Arkansas in the Cotton. I think that this is a good matchup, and if Arkansas plays up to their ability and beats Missouri, it will be a huge boost to the SEC, because Arkansas is a big underdog to a team that arguably should have made a BCS bowl.
I fully expect Georgia to handle Hawaii tonight, but you never know. I've been surprised before. If the SEC can somehow end the night 8-0, that would be.. wait for it.. legendary!
After today, we really focus on the Ohio State vs. LSU game coming up. No more recruiting stuff unless I change my mind.
Can you believe that in 1970, there were 11 bowl games? A few years earlier, there were only 9. No 6-6 teams made it those years. Now, there are 32 post season bowl games.
I'm not complaining about that. While I don't watch all the games, I appreciate that they're there, and I don't mind that mediocre teams get a bowl game.
What I definitely do not like, however, is the devaluation of the "minor" New Year's Day bowl games. There are 6 games today, and 4 of them start at noon or earlier, to make room for the supposedly sexier matchup of USC vs. Illinois at 3:30pm, without competition from other games. Fans of the SEC will have their day start with Tennessee vs. Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl at 10:00am, a start time that is sure to please those who resent Lincoln-Financial.
Worse though, Arkansas vs. Missouri in the Cotton Bowl will start a mere half-hour later at 10:30am. And then, in a final insult, Michigan vs. Florida in the Cap One Bowl will start at noon, while those other two games are near halftime. SEC fans will have to choose between watching the end of the Cotton Bowl, the end of the Outback Bowl, or the first half of the Cap One Bowl.
Let's hope neither the Cotton nor the Outback go to overtime.
The SEC is having a good bowl season, at 4-0. None of the games were blowouts, and none of the games were pretty, but we ended up winning all of them.
Yesterday, Kentucky beat FSU in 35-28 shootout. I have to tip my hat to Florida State. They could have given up on this game when they traveled without 36 of their players due to suspensions and injuries, but they didn't give up. They could have given up when they fell behind by 14 on two different occasions, but they didn't. Ultimately, they didn't have the personnel to win the game, but it may have been one of their best-played games of the season.
In the evening, Auburn took down Clemson in overtime, 23-20, showcasing their new spread offense. This Auburn team, spread or not, looks like they have the personnel to be a good team for the next couple years. They have an heir apparent sophomore quarterback who looks dangerous, 3 good running backs all returning next year, and an offensive line filled with freshmen. This offense will be formidable next year and beyond, especially if they can find a few wide receivers.
It was an ugly game, with neither team playing particularly well early, but it ended up being an exciting game. And yes, I always root for SEC against non-SEC.
As for today's games, I think Florida is significantly better than Michigan, and I would be shocked if Michigan can stay with them. I don't know what to think about Tennessee vs. Wisconsin, because Wisconsin is something of a mystery to me, and Tennessee has a history of underachieving in bowl games. The one I'm looking forward to seeing is Missouri vs. Arkansas in the Cotton. I think that this is a good matchup, and if Arkansas plays up to their ability and beats Missouri, it will be a huge boost to the SEC, because Arkansas is a big underdog to a team that arguably should have made a BCS bowl.
I fully expect Georgia to handle Hawaii tonight, but you never know. I've been surprised before. If the SEC can somehow end the night 8-0, that would be.. wait for it.. legendary!After today, we really focus on the Ohio State vs. LSU game coming up. No more recruiting stuff unless I change my mind.
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