Auburn...
- Is there any question now who the guy is we need to start on offense? Is there any question who our MVP is? Our spark? Our captain? Our leader?
- Emory Blake's return made Auburn's offense look new. He garnered so much attention from the Ole Miss secondary that it opened up the passing game for Lutz to catch touchdowns again and Carr to go deep. It made the offensive line's job easier run blocking which opened up Dyer and McCalebb to do their thing.
- I hope he stays healthy, and I really hope we can find more guys like him to play.
- Moseley had a great game. Some ducks were thrown, but 12/15 for 160 yards and 4 touchdowns is pretty stout.
- There was one big time positive with our defense reverting back to swiss cheese: Ted Roof is (hopefully) once again feeling the flame thrower.
- Eltoro Freeman is getting after it. He's the only guy on our defense that seems remotely mean. Where is the mean streak with our guys? Where's the relentless pursuit of not just the tackle but the big hit? Darren Bates wanted to be mean, but he couldn't really make it work. Everyone else seems to be playing football. Defense shouldn't play football. Defense should play kill the man with the ball or at least make his nose bleed for carrying it.
Florida...
- Florida might miss a bowl game.
- Florida has 4 wins this year and is currently experiencing a 4 game losing streak. How does Muschamp, a first year coach, regroup his team? He is very inexperienced. He is a passionate hot-head. Will his fiery tantrums get this team back on track?
Cut to Florida-Vanderbilt Next Week...
- Vanderbilt's next Saturday morning, and this Commodore team is fighting for more than a bowl game. James Franklin has the Fighting Nashvillians swinging for real SEC respect.
And this game in Gainesville is their Super Bowl.
- If they can muster a momentous victory over the Florida Gators in Gainesville, they can end the season with a win streak against Kentucky, Tennessee, and Wake Forest putting the Commodores at a very respectable 8-4.
Of course, one has to kick 27 yard field goals to get to 8-4.
Still though, this Vanderbilt team almost beat Georgia and almost beat Arkansas. It's incredibly impressive how in James Franklin's first year, he has people talking about how a few "What if's" could have put Vanderbilt in the SEC championship game.
Back to Florida...
- So Vanderbilt is coming in to town to get their biggest victory of the season, and Florida is on a four game losing streak.
- If Florida loses to Vanderbilt, they will have to manage two wins in their remaining three games (@South Carolina, Furman, and Florida State) to go to a bowl.
- May I be the first to throw up the Serbian Three-finger salute and say, "Go Dores!"
Georgia...
- Don't listen to em, Georgia. You are not in the driver's seat of the SEC East.
- You lost to South Carolina, who has only one loss to Auburn.
- Speaking of Auburn, we hate you. And we can't beat Alabama. So guess what? You're our Super Bowl. You're our Game of the Century in two weeks. We're coming to your city, and we plan to squash your SEC championship dreams.
- I hope you choke. Literally not figuratively as in lose a football game. I hope you choke and no one around you knows the Heimlich Maneuver.
THE ULTIMATE ALL-TIME GREAT SUPER BOWL SEC MATCH UP OF THE UNIVERSAL TIME LINE...
- Let me first say that I am excited about this game. I quietly have been waiting for these two weeks to end and the big game between LSU and Alabama to get here. I secretly want it to be a juggernaut, smashmouth football game that includes a lot of trash talking, big plays, and a crazy stadium of fans.
I love this game already because I'm a college football fan. If there's one area that college football dominates the NFL, it's with hype. A lot of times people try to create hype where it's not warranted, but this time, it's a good hype.
These are the two best teams in the SEC, and most likely, the winner of this game will win the national championship.
- So this is exciting and full of hype. But now that my excitement has been disclosed, let me offer something else:
These are the two most overrated teams in the last ten years and maybe even further back than that.
- It's not really either team's fault. It's the media's fault. The media couldn't let it be. They can't just let the games play out and talk about the excitement of the game.
It has to be "This is the greatest Alabama defense of all time!" "This LSU team could beat any team of the last twenty years!" "Both teams are solid at every position, and the coaches have made the absolutely perfect decision at every moment this entire season!"
- So the media has already ordained these teams to be legendary. They've refrained from discussing how their competition has been rather lackluster. I mean, that LSU defense that "takes what it wants" faced three teams in a row each containing a porous offensive line, a suspect defense, and a back up quarterback. Two of those three teams were in Tiger Stadium.
WVU passed for 400+ yards on this terrorizing secondary, and no, it didn't come in garbage time. West Virginia had a good comeback starting until they gave up the kickoff return.
- The legendary Alabama defense - which could of course beat the Miami Dolphins - has faced Kent St (dead last in offense), Ole Miss, (116th in offense), Arkansas (74th in rushing offense), Florida (91st in offense), Penn State (77th in offense), Vanderbilt (111th in offense), and Tennessee (92nd in offense).
- To clarify, I'm not trying to say these two teams aren't any good. They're doing exactly what a good team should do against inferior opponents.
But that's the issue with this "GAME OF THE ALL TIME CENTURIES OF ARMAGEDDON." They haven't faced very much competition. LSU hasn't since the West Virginia game. Alabama hasn't since the Arkansas game.
- But yet, because these two teams were fortunate enough to start high in the preseason polls, we are now forced to listen to and read about how nothing else matters this year. Not one game has any importance, significance, or fun.
It's all about LSU vs. Alabama.
No Repeats...
- If Boise St, Oklahoma St, and Stanford all lose, LSU-Alabama should not have a rematch.
- If LSU vs. Alabama ends with Alabama winning on a last second field goal and the game looked perfectly matched up, LSU-Alabama should not have a rematch.
- If every team in the top ten right now loses every game by fifty points from here on out, LSU-Alabama should not repeat.
- One reason why college football is so great is because it's different. The bowl system - while flawed - and the BCS rankings - while flawed - provide an entirely different atmosphere than the typical playoff systems you see in other sports.
- The bowls, rankings, and conference play make the regular season important. Every game is vital. If Auburn loses to Georgia, it impacts the team much differently than if the Saints lose to the Rams. The Saints losing to the Rams means they need to regroup in the film room and get ready for the next game.
Auburn losing to Georgia means that too. It also means tens of thousands of people have to alter their hotel reservations come December/January.
It also means other teams will have to alter their hotel reservations come December/January.
There's much more affected by a loss or win in college football. Another is the fact that conference championships are supposed to be lead-ins for the national championship.
- LSU-Alabama most likely are #1 and #2, and they most likely will look that way come December 10th. But if you really want to hold the notion that college football doesn't need a playoff because it would tarnish the importance of the regular season, then you don't want to see these two teams play again.
Final Thought...
- We need a shake up on the offensive line. We need one or two more receivers that can stretch the field consistently. We need a new defensive coordinator.
But that's old news. New news is that we can beat Georgia in Athens, and I think we need to understand just how sweet that victory would be.