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....while awaiting 210's posting of a thread for this week's poll.
- I'm convinced that the toughest conference in football this year is the Big 10, followed by the ACC. The offenses in that league are the best in the country, and it provides the most competitive, interesting football each weekend. Only Illinois (and, maybe, Indiana) is an easy game. I'm now a convert to Penn State, and think they will run the table and win the conference. If Ohio State wins out, I think they become the at-large BCS team.
- This will offend many of the SEC snobs in this part of the country, but this is clearly a sub-par year for the SEC. USA Today posted the conference's record against other BCS conferences, and it was not good. But records notwithstanding, it's obvious from the play you see each week. The offenses in the league are average at best, and there's just not a lot of good teams in the league. At the bottom, Kentucky and Mississippi State are bad football teams. (Houston can go to Starkville and win?) Arkansas, South Carolina, Vandy and Mississippi are not much better. (Vandy was a feel good story at the beginning of the year but that was built on victories over Arkansas and Mississippi) Next up the rung are Tennessee and Florida, who have done less with more this year than just about anybody in the nation. Somebody better start paying attention to the Urban Meyer offense at Florida, because it ain't working right now, in large part because it needs a qb who can take a hit, and Chris Leak isn't that guy. Alabama is living a charmed life, but they've made their name on two wins: Florida and Tennessee - which isn't saying much. They should have lost to Ole Miss and Tennessee (that was a painful game to watch yesterday), and they will have their comeuppance when they play LSU or Auburn. Georgia may win the East because they have no real competition (even with DJ Shocklye hurt), but they should have lost two games already (South Carolina and Arkansas) and they just haven't impressed since Boise State. The best two teams in the conference played last night at LSU. LSU, because of its talent, is a team that could probably play with anybody in the country on any given night. But they seem to find a way shoot themselves in the foot every game they play, so they could as easily stumble and lose as win. I think LSU will play Georgia in the championship game and the Tigers will win.
- Believe it or not, I'm really interested in this year's Citrus/CapitalOne/whatever they're calling it this year bowl. I think there's a good chance that Alabama will be the SEC rep to that game. And I think Michigan or Ohio State will be the Big 10 rep (sorry Northwestern fans but I don't think you can send as many folks to Orlando as those other teams do) and I think they'll cream the Tide.
- Pet Peeve #1 about college football announcers: What is the purpose of telling me that a player has "good speed?" What, exactly, is "bad speed?" Why not prove to us that a college diploma is a good thing and use proper English by saying that a player is "fast" or "speedy"?
- UCLA, Cal and Fresno State are all going to give it the good college try and will test USC for some portion of their games with the Trojans, but USC is simply too good to lose those games. Texas will only get tested for a brief while by Colorado in the Big 12 championship game (sorry Mizzou fans, but the Buffs are going to be the North's rep in that game) and will win that by double digits. I'm beginnig to think that Texas is almost on par with USC, and that the Rose Bowl is going to be a true heavyweight fight. However, I still will take any team coached by Carroll when he has a month to prepare over one coached by Mack Brown. Plus, USC will be far more battle tested than Texas when they meet.
- While USC may now rule the roost, Texas is set to dominate the college football world for a while. Brown has always been a masterful recruiter and analysts are saying that his class this year is light years ahead of anybody else. Georgia is considered to have the second best set of signings so far.
- The Va. Tech - Miami game is setting up to be a great heavyweight bout that no one is really anticipating. I think that game determines the ACC champion, because Fla. State can't contain a mobile qb (which means Va. Tech would beat them in the ACC Championship game) and nobody believes that FSU was or is a better team than Miami in the event that the Canes beat VPI. I think VPI is for real, and will run the table. If they do, expect the usual "they've been screwed by the system" wailing to reach ear splitting levels. The Hokies may be good, but I don't think they've demonstrated that they are better than Texas or USC. I won't consider it a crime against humanity if they have to play a Penn State or Ohio State in a bowl game. In fact, I'd like to see that game to see if Vick can solve those defenses.
- If for no other reason than Houston Nutt can't develop a qb and can't come up with an original play call, as evidence so clearly yesterday against Georgia, Frank Broyles should fire him at season's end. Whomever might inherit that job will get the best then-sophomore running back tandem in the country. Felix Jones and Darren MacFadden are having incredible years as freshmen, and few people know of them. But MacFadden has already peeled off 70 yard td runs against supposed defensive stalwarts Georgia and Alabama in their houses.
- There are some teams in college football that I can't figure out. What's happened to Arizona State? For that matter, what's gotten into Stanford? Michigan State continues to be a team that shows incredible strength one weekend, and pussycat failures the next. I know Northwestern is now the feel good story of the year, but are they really that much better than the Spartans? How do you figure out which Louisville team shows up? Willl Tennessee lead college football in most nfl draft picks on a team that lost every big game it played? How in the world did TCU lose to SMU?
- I'm convinced that the toughest conference in football this year is the Big 10, followed by the ACC. The offenses in that league are the best in the country, and it provides the most competitive, interesting football each weekend. Only Illinois (and, maybe, Indiana) is an easy game. I'm now a convert to Penn State, and think they will run the table and win the conference. If Ohio State wins out, I think they become the at-large BCS team.
- This will offend many of the SEC snobs in this part of the country, but this is clearly a sub-par year for the SEC. USA Today posted the conference's record against other BCS conferences, and it was not good. But records notwithstanding, it's obvious from the play you see each week. The offenses in the league are average at best, and there's just not a lot of good teams in the league. At the bottom, Kentucky and Mississippi State are bad football teams. (Houston can go to Starkville and win?) Arkansas, South Carolina, Vandy and Mississippi are not much better. (Vandy was a feel good story at the beginning of the year but that was built on victories over Arkansas and Mississippi) Next up the rung are Tennessee and Florida, who have done less with more this year than just about anybody in the nation. Somebody better start paying attention to the Urban Meyer offense at Florida, because it ain't working right now, in large part because it needs a qb who can take a hit, and Chris Leak isn't that guy. Alabama is living a charmed life, but they've made their name on two wins: Florida and Tennessee - which isn't saying much. They should have lost to Ole Miss and Tennessee (that was a painful game to watch yesterday), and they will have their comeuppance when they play LSU or Auburn. Georgia may win the East because they have no real competition (even with DJ Shocklye hurt), but they should have lost two games already (South Carolina and Arkansas) and they just haven't impressed since Boise State. The best two teams in the conference played last night at LSU. LSU, because of its talent, is a team that could probably play with anybody in the country on any given night. But they seem to find a way shoot themselves in the foot every game they play, so they could as easily stumble and lose as win. I think LSU will play Georgia in the championship game and the Tigers will win.
- Believe it or not, I'm really interested in this year's Citrus/CapitalOne/whatever they're calling it this year bowl. I think there's a good chance that Alabama will be the SEC rep to that game. And I think Michigan or Ohio State will be the Big 10 rep (sorry Northwestern fans but I don't think you can send as many folks to Orlando as those other teams do) and I think they'll cream the Tide.
- Pet Peeve #1 about college football announcers: What is the purpose of telling me that a player has "good speed?" What, exactly, is "bad speed?" Why not prove to us that a college diploma is a good thing and use proper English by saying that a player is "fast" or "speedy"?
- UCLA, Cal and Fresno State are all going to give it the good college try and will test USC for some portion of their games with the Trojans, but USC is simply too good to lose those games. Texas will only get tested for a brief while by Colorado in the Big 12 championship game (sorry Mizzou fans, but the Buffs are going to be the North's rep in that game) and will win that by double digits. I'm beginnig to think that Texas is almost on par with USC, and that the Rose Bowl is going to be a true heavyweight fight. However, I still will take any team coached by Carroll when he has a month to prepare over one coached by Mack Brown. Plus, USC will be far more battle tested than Texas when they meet.
- While USC may now rule the roost, Texas is set to dominate the college football world for a while. Brown has always been a masterful recruiter and analysts are saying that his class this year is light years ahead of anybody else. Georgia is considered to have the second best set of signings so far.
- The Va. Tech - Miami game is setting up to be a great heavyweight bout that no one is really anticipating. I think that game determines the ACC champion, because Fla. State can't contain a mobile qb (which means Va. Tech would beat them in the ACC Championship game) and nobody believes that FSU was or is a better team than Miami in the event that the Canes beat VPI. I think VPI is for real, and will run the table. If they do, expect the usual "they've been screwed by the system" wailing to reach ear splitting levels. The Hokies may be good, but I don't think they've demonstrated that they are better than Texas or USC. I won't consider it a crime against humanity if they have to play a Penn State or Ohio State in a bowl game. In fact, I'd like to see that game to see if Vick can solve those defenses.
- If for no other reason than Houston Nutt can't develop a qb and can't come up with an original play call, as evidence so clearly yesterday against Georgia, Frank Broyles should fire him at season's end. Whomever might inherit that job will get the best then-sophomore running back tandem in the country. Felix Jones and Darren MacFadden are having incredible years as freshmen, and few people know of them. But MacFadden has already peeled off 70 yard td runs against supposed defensive stalwarts Georgia and Alabama in their houses.
- There are some teams in college football that I can't figure out. What's happened to Arizona State? For that matter, what's gotten into Stanford? Michigan State continues to be a team that shows incredible strength one weekend, and pussycat failures the next. I know Northwestern is now the feel good story of the year, but are they really that much better than the Spartans? How do you figure out which Louisville team shows up? Willl Tennessee lead college football in most nfl draft picks on a team that lost every big game it played? How in the world did TCU lose to SMU?
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