First the Skybox Teams. 1. Fla picked up a win, an ugly win but a solid win no doubt, Tim Tebow didn't look like his usual Superman self but that's pretty understandable. But the UF defense looks extremely good even if the LSU offense is pretty average. Very big win for the Gators. They remain a solid #1. 2. Texas beat Colorado but they raised more questions than they answered with the win. Like what the hell happened to the running game? Greg Davis has not let Colt McCoy run this year and we haven't really had any RB step up and take control. This is very troubling going into the OU game. For OU this game is huge, it's their opportunity to salvage their season. I have to put in a plug for Jordan Shipley the kid had another outstanding night both catching the ball and returning kicks. There are a lot of great college WR's for sure and he's one of them. 3. Tenn. The VOLS!!! They made Tom/Cindy and Aquila's weekend with that huge offensive explosion against Georgia. Jonathon Unitas looked awesome throwing the ball and the defense looked tough. I wonder if the Vols have turned some sort of corner here. They do have Alabama coming up so we shall see. That game could be 6-3 with the Vol and Bama Defenses dominating. 4. Ohio State; Like Texas struggled on offense but shined on defense and special teams. Still some very big games left for the Bucks, but they will likely be favored to win them all and could end up in the top 5. Wisconsin played very tough though, they just don't have a big time QB to go with that OL and running game. If they did they'd be in the top 5. 5. Arizona: Didn't see the game but sounds like a tough loss on the road for the Wildcats. This weekend Washington is the team that got the close calls to go it's way. 6. Alabama: I was suprised at how tough Ole Miss played the Bama offense, many have been saying that Bama should be #1, but after watching that Ole Miss defense hold Alabama I know that UF can do even better. So I'm off the Bama is the real #1 team bandwagon. Jevan Snead? Man why did anybody think this kid was one of the best QB's in college football, maybe he was late last year but this is a new year and the last couple of games he looks very average. 7. Michigan: Tough loss for the Wolverines in Iowa City. Tate Forcier went from Hero to Zero in that game when he was benched for Denard Robinson in the crucial part of the game. RR must have chewed and ranted at Forcier at least 2 or 3 times when he sat him down. He was really pissed. I have to say that to have the kid whose signature is late game rally's on the bench for the last drive has to be questioned even though Forcier hadn't exactly had a great game. I wonder what is going to happen now? 8. A&M: Another tough loss game, A&M just too young on the OL and DL to win this type of game. I think they had 2 freshman starting on the OL. Against a veteran team that is good like OSU that's tough. But I liked their backs Gray and Michael maybe next year. 9. USC I see that they snuck ahead of Boise State in the polls, I wonder if Corey will see the injustice in that! Big game vs Irish this week. 10. ND snuck into top 25 in coaches poll but not in AP Big game vs USC this week. I can't emphasize how big this game is for the Irish, not just on the field but in recruiting. We have our biggest recruiting weekend of the year and if we get blown out it'll be ugly for Charlie and most of the recruits will cross us off their lists. 11. Texas Tech: Can you believe it they pulled a former walkon off the bench for Taylor Potts and the dude just flings the ball all over the place and scored 60 fantasy points for me. Unfortuneately for Bill Synder at Kansas State the return to glory is taking more time than he thought. 12. Neb: Cornhuskers come alive and hammer Mizzou in the rain at Columbia. That says something. Neb has heart. Mark my words Neb will win the B12N, I don't know if they'll win all the rest of their games but they will play in the B12 championship game. Those dudes never quit. 13. Cardinals....those dudes quit. 14. Ga.Tech another fun win to watch. You know that FSU has more talent when you add up the "recruiting stars" but Ga.Tech is a better coached football team. Just like last year those FSU studs on defense were just confused and demoralized. I don't think Ga. Tech ran more than 4 or 5 different plays but they couldn't stop them. I loved it. That said Ga. Tech defense isn't very good so I don't see them in the ACC Champ game or in a BCS bowl. Va.Tech up next should handle them. Beamer ball will slow the Johnson offense and Tyrod Taylor will kill them on offense. 15. Sam Bradford was back and OU rolled, Bradford from the little bit I watched him yesterday looks just fine and will be 100% for Texas. Big big big game for him. Big win and he jumps back into the Heisman race and Colt McCoy drops a few notches. Lot of big games this week starting on Thur with Cincy at So. Fla. USC/ND Texas/OU Iowa/Wisc Tech/Neb VaTech/GaTech SCAR/Bama Ark/UF That Ark/UF game might be a dozzy the HOGs offense is looking pretty potent.
1. Agree. 2. Texas and Ohio State. WOW. I was surprised at how easy both their opponents moved the ball. Bad red zone passes/reads and special teams play saved the Horns and Bucks. 3. I agree. The Vols team I watched last team (and I believe I commented about this) needed to stop bitching and start playing. All I heard about was how Crompton was killing this team. However, the team I saw play had an average QB surrounded by dudes dropping the ball and blaming the QB. That's bullsh*t. I guess UT's coaches ran some douchebags and the team seems to have received the message. 4. See #2 5. Stoops is in a tough spot. This school is still paying the karma back for the way Tomey was run out. 6. Alabama moved the ball at will against Ole Miss and then called some bizaare Bob Davie-esque crap in the red zone. Single WR plays in the red zone that allowed Ole Miss to easily double Jones. Even then, Alabama dropped probably 2 TDs that led to FGs. I am a big fan of Bama's OC but his sucked a fattie in this game. While I do agree with you that UF's defense could do better than Ole Miss did, lost in all of this is that Ole Miss couldn't move the ball AT ALL.... I am sure UF would do better than Ole Miss, but does that mean 2 FG instead of 1? I'm all about who has proven what ergo Alabama is #1 IMHO. Florida has played one team that has a good defense and no offense.. That's nothing compared to what's been proven by the Tide. 7. What was the drama between their QB and Dick Rod? The Forcier's are douchebags. I'm surprised the love affair lasted this long. 8. they are much, much improved. I think Sherman's a keeper. 9. You are damned right I do! I have a problem with all this. I would like to offer a cyber High5 to the writer Dan Wetzel who called this anti-Boise state media campaign back in week 2 or 3 of the season. What you're seeing now is inexcusable. People think that they will just 'ration out' Boise. That's not what will happen. You just dismiss them outright as a joke and then make excuses later. I told everyone in our office this would happen...they thought I was full of it.. but here we are. After week 1, everyone wrote off Oregon as this total joke of a football team but let me ask you this... Who else has beaten Oregon? Last night on the Florida-LSU broadcast, their idiot Danielson announced that its a given that a one loss SEC champ would play for the title. He even listed a pecking order of teams and conferences that would finish behind a 1 loss SEC champ. Once again, the results on the field don't back up the media claims but what does that matter.. the BCS is a fraud. If you haven't seen that by now, you'll never see it. 10. IDGAF about being ranked at the moment. I don't understand people who have been sniveling about this;. Beat SC and the rest takes care of itself. 11. Why did Tech pull Potts? 12. yup. 13. No, they got their man card pulled. big difference. 14. If GTech could build a defense, they could be scary. 15. the UF-Ark game will tell us a lot about Florida's defense. Alabama totally shut down and bumfuzzled and beat down the Hog offense. UF should be able to do the same. [/img]
Corey, Word out of Knoxville is that Brandon Warren was having problems with the coaching staff ever since half way through the first loss. I commend the coaching staff for keeping this quiet and trying to work out issues with the young man. Now it appears that what we saw on the field is the tip of the iceberg. We'll have to wait and see, but he could have been causing disharmony among several members of the team. Crompton's performance was due to one major factor: The coaches have him rolling out. He does not have time to telegraph his intentions. Defenses can't read his eyes like they do when he is in the pocket. We found something yesterday that will pay dividends until the opposition can find a way to prevent the play option roll out. With our running game, that may prove to be quite difficult.
Tom, I agree about Crompton getting out of the pocket, but still, in previous weeks he was still hitting WRs who dropped the ball. Honestly, I think your TE should be your #1 receiver if he throws from the pocket. He seems to find him just fine and Stocker appears to hold onto it.
Nice write up Terry. Corey, I sure don't have any problem with someone thinking that Bama deserves the number one ranking more than Florida. The great thing about it though is that it will likely be able to be proved on the field. If they both go the rest of the regular season then they meet again in Atlanta. On the other hand LSU is still in a position to screw up Bama's season and go to Atlanta themselves. Technically S. Carolina could still win the East but they would most likely have to beat Bama to get in that position. I'm rooting for another Bama - Gator match.
Corey, Potts was knocked out of the previous weeks game in the 2nd qtr against New Mexico. His backup Sheffield came in a lit the place up as is usual for a TT QB. Leach held Potts out of last nights game as well. The question will be who starts at Nebraska this week, and does it matter. With regard to Bama, maybe you're right but maybe the game the Bama OC called is not an abberration. So I'll give Bama has an excellent defense, but I'm tenative about their offense. It may be just too conservative to be able to cash the checks that the Bama defense writes. To me right now the edge is to the Gators. Also I do note that the Irish are in fact #25 in the AP and Coaches Poll, as well as that the Tide have jumped Texas....which I don't since it's not like Bama had a dominant win, they won that's it. So did Texas, but it doesn't really make any difference if Texas stays #3 Bama/UF will knock one another out and Longhorns if they get by OU will end up either #1 or #2. As far as Ga.Tech goes, having a good defense certainly would make a differenc. But historically the best players in Ga and Fla and the South East in general don't find their way to Ga.Tech were academics are taken more serously than many schools. So Johnson isn't likely to ever have the talent to be in a position to challenge the top SEC teams. Oh he'll win a lot of games for sure, maybe even an ACC title but a fast well disciplined defense will be able to handle his offense.
#12....They didn't have heart since '02. They were resusitated last year by a specialist from Ohio. Thanks for the compliment though. #13...Typical Larussa team, they learn how to lose at the worst times.
You couldn't have watched the same game. A 'dominant win' doesn't always have to mean 56-21. Alabama dominated that game from whistle to gun in every facet. Alabama moved the ball at will and left points on the field in the red zone. They whipped Ole Miss' ass from one end of the field back down the other. This is now the 2nd 'high powered' offense that Alabama has dismantled. If you want to toss in Virginia Tech, that would make 3. I don't know if you saw what Bama did to Arkansas and Ryan Mallett but it was profane. What they did to Ole Miss was just as bad. They held the Ole Miss offense to 0 for 9 on 3rd down conversions. They held Ole Miss to 72 Net yard rushing. Jevan Snead finished 11-34 for 140 yards and 4 (count them) 4 interceptions. A few of those INTs were balls that the Bama defensive player just took away from the Ole Miss player who caught the ball.. like candy from a baby. This was Ole Miss' 'circle game' going back to last year.. This was the biggest game in the history of Vaught-Hemingway stadium. This is the game that everyone in these parts 'just knew' would be the game to ruin Alabama and place Ole Miss into the upper tier of the SEC. Bama walked into all that mess and flat out took their man hood.
I guess living in Alabama might account for some of that Corey. Then of course Corey's natural bent to try and find a reason someone is better than the Gators might account for some of it also. Like I said if things keep going as they are it will be settled in Atlanta. Corey, I didn't see the Bama win as any more dominant than the Gator win. Just a personal opinion but like I said above the best team in the SEC will be determined in Atlanta. All Texas has to do is go the rest of the way and it doesn't matter who is ahead of them now because they will jump at least one of Florida and Bama. Right now I see it as Texas vs the SEC Champion.
Corey, I'm curious as to how Bama was more dominant over Ole Miss than Florida was over LSU. It was a wider margin on the score but as you say that isn't always what matters. Both teams won easily, just how was the Bama win more dominant. I have to go to bed so I can go fill those eager young minds tomorrow but will be looking forward to your analysis.
Bill, I guess you think you are onto something with this but let me assure you of two things: 1. Florida's win was every bit as dominant. I didn't suggest otherwise. You dominated that entire game. 2. LSU's offense is absolutely terrible compared to Ole Miss' offense. I am starting to wonder if Crowton will be the demise of Miles at LSU. The SEC is a 2 horse race with 2 teams being heads and tails better than the rest. All, It's not about being a Bama homer. It's about recognizing good football when you see it. Bama held McCluster to 15 yards on 6 carries and Bolden to 11 yards on 10 carries. If that isn't dominant, I don't what is.
I can't imagine that you think the Ole Miss QB is better than the LSU qB...they are both mediocre even if Jevan Snead was expected to be great this year. He's this years Chase Daniel, slips further every week.
T, I agree they are both overrated. I also think that Ole Miss has a much better offensive staff. It's hard to argue that LSU doesn't have better if not as good skill people, but what does that matter if the coaches don't know how to get them the ball?
Les Miles is a head scratcher. He wasn't a great coach at Ok State, just ask Scott. I think he's just fallen into so much talent that even he has a hard time screwing it up completely. Louisiana is a relatively small state, but for such a small state they produce a lot of really good players and LSU gets pretty much all of them. Plus a few from East Texas. Watch out for a freshman QB name Russell Shepard from Houston. The kid is electric.
Better be careful to rate a team based off of one game. If we do that, we can say that the Tennessee defense had the most dominating win of them all. Georgia never got past the Tennessee 36 yard line in the first half and never got past the Tennessee 40 in the second half. How many times have you seen a team held out of the red zone the full game? Georgia had one offensive score the whole game... a Field goal from 53 yards out. That was it! They scored 7 off of a pick 6, 7 off of a kick off return, and 2 off of a blocked punt for a safety to round out their 19 points.