Lane Kiffin shocked the college football world when he accepted the Head Coaching job at USC, after only ONE season as the University of Tennessee's Head Coach. My stance on this might surprise you. I'm not mad at him. First off, Kiffin is from the West Coast and has coached at USC in the past [2001-2006]. Secondly, with Monte Kiffin, Ed Orgeron and possibly even Norm Chow following Kiffin to USC, who can blame him? Even though USC will be facing sanctions in the near future for past violations, it still might be a better overall job currently than Tennessee. And also, UT's rap sheet isn't 100% clear either. PLUS, and maybe most importantly, would you rather live in Knoxville or LOS ANGELES??? Should be a no-brainer.
There are really no similarities between this situation and Saban's, even though both were pretty shocking. USC is in a different conference, on the other side of the country, almost guaranteed to not play Tennessee. And the major difference is that the majority of his former UT players are not mad with his decision. The real question should be "Why Kiffin??" He was only 7-6 during his time at UT and only 5-15 in the NFL. But I guess the argument against those records is that he didn't have enough time to make a difference. Either way, Tennessee is without a coach and probably wishing they hadn't fired Phillip Fulmer.
Oh well, Geaux Tigers.
[Note: I couldn't write post this without mentioning Lane Kiffin's wife. Py-YOW.]
Last week proved to be the most unpredictable week of college football so far this season. I'm not gonna post my percentage but it was far from my 97% the week before. Anyway, here are my picks for this week:
Game of the Week:
(4) LSU Tigers at (18) UGA - You already know. LSU's taking this one and I'm headed down to Athens tomorrow to see it in person. Any Tigers making the trip, hit me on the celly. [CBS, 3:30]
This Week's picks:
(3) Alabama over Kentucky - This one's gonna get ugly. Bama is looking like the best team in the country right now Kentucky's....not. Big game from Bama. [ESPN360, 12:21]
(6) Virginia Tech over Duke - Another ugly one. Tyrod's on a roll after dismantling Miami last week. And it's not basketball season. [ESPN360, 12:00]
(7) USC over (24) Cal - The Trojans had Jahvid Best's number last year and held him to under 40 yards for the game. He might get a few more this year but it still won't be enough. [ABC, 8:00]
Upset:
(17) Miami over (8) Oklahoma - The Canes are definitely going to bounce back after getting embarrassed by Tech last week. Plus, no Bradford for the Sooners. [ABC, 8:00]
Keep an eye on:
(21) Ole Miss at Vanderbilt - I'm looking forward to seeing how Ole Miss can respond to getting upset last week. I said they were hype and a second straight loss, to Vandy nonetheless, could solidify that. [ESPNU, 7:00]
(22) Michigan at Michigan State - This will be a good chance to see how real Michigan is. State's not necessarily a power in the Big 10 but they always play up for Michigan. Should be a good one that Michigan wins. [Big 10 Network, 12:00]
(25) Georgia Tech at South Carolina - Pretty intriguing middle season non-conference game. I'm not really convinced on USC, but I'm not convinced on Tech either. But their running game is official. We'll see. [ESPN360, 7:30]
Auburn at Tennessee - SEC matchup of teams that usually go at it. Chizik vs. Kiffin should be a good one. [ESPN, 7:45]
Washington at Notre Dame - Locker vs. Clausen. Two QBs on the rise in a game that not many people were looking forward to before the season started. Let's see if the defenses can keep up. [NBC, 3:30]
It might be hard to keep up with the scores this Saturday since I'll be in Athens with a lot of this mixed with this, but I'm pretty confident about this week. Bulldogs about to get the jealous.
I was 100% on last week's picks...except for USC getting jealous'd by Washington. We all knew that the Trojans would blow a game some time and I kinda figured after the Huskies played us so close that they were better than people thought. Anyway, on to the next one...
Game of the Week:
(9) Miami at (11) Virginia Tech - Jacory Harris vs. Tyrod Taylor. WOW. I'm goin with the Canes in this one. [ABC, 3:30]
This Week's Picks:
THE (7) LSU Tigers over Mississippi State - Duh. [ESPN 360/Peachtree TV, 12:00]
(1) Florida WAY over Kentucky. Even with a sick Tebow, the Gators are leagues ahead of UK. [ESPN2/ESPN 360, 6:00]
(2) Texas WAY over UTEP - Why elaborate??? [3:00]
(3) Bama over Arkansas - No McFadden or Felix to help the Hogs with this one. [CBS, 3:30]
(5) Penn State over Iowa - Sorry Web, payback's a bitch. [ABC, 8:00]
Upsets:
Oregon over (6) Cal - Cal barely squeeked by Minnesota last week while the Ducks are coming off a big win over (18) Utah. No LaGuerrette Brown, no problem. [ABC, 3:30]
Clemson over (15) TCU - I haven't seen much from TCU but Clemson is past due for a big game from CJ Spiller and Jacoby Ford. Plus, I don't think Kyle Parker can mess this up. [ESPN 360, 3:30]
Texas Tech over (17) Houston - Kinda weird that this is an upset, but Taylor Potts is about to go ham for Tech. [ESPN2, 9:15]
Keep an eye on:
Arizona State at (21) Georgia - I'm still not sold on Joe Cox and I don't think Mark Richt is either. He needs to perform. [ESPNU, 7:00]
Indiana at (23) Michigan - No chance for Indiana in this one, but the Wolverines are finally fun to watch again. [ESPN2, 12:00]
Notre Damn at Purdue - Tryin to see what Clausen talkin bout. [ESPN, 8:00]
McNeese State at Tulane - I might be the ONLY person that cares about this game. Shouts to Damion and Dustan
Man, I've been counting down since the Peach Bowl for today. College football is officially back in full effect and it's about DAM time. I'm gonna make this quick so I can go watch the Choke-hio State game and hit the Bama/V.Tech tailgate:
Today's picks are pretty easy:
My LSU Tigers (11) over Washington Huskies [Duh]
Alabama (5) over Virginia Tech (7)
Oklahoma State (9) over Georgia (13)
Oklahoma (3) over Brigham Young (20)
USC (4) over San Jose State
Ohio State (6) over Navy
Tennessee over Western Kentucky
Georgia Tech (15) over Jacksonville State [Damn Perriloux]
Boston College over Northeastern
This week was pretty self-explanatory. We all KNOW the Tigers are gonna work the Huskies. And I really feel like Jacksonville State would have had a shot against Tech had Ryan Perriloux been playing. The biggest question marks were the UGA/OK State and the Bama/Tech games. I'm not sure if UGA's new quarterback has the firepower to keep up with Zac Robinson and Dez Bryant today. And also, if Julio Jones and Mark Ingram would have remained suspended for today's game, they would have had a better chance. But they're not. So they don't.
Geaux Tigers.
[Note: Shouts to Greg Paulus is starting for Syracuse today. Wish him luck. He'll need it.]
So everything hasn't gone according to plan with my bracket.
Wake T'd me. I definitely had them going to the Sweet 16.
Duke actually decided to play against Texas which kills hurts my Elite 8. Oh well.
Pitt looked far from beastly in their game against Oklahoma State. Wtf. The only constants were Sam Young dropping 32 and DeJaun Blair's double-double. At least they should smash Xavier on Thursday.
But the one thing that went well was that my Tigers fought til the end against UNC. We started the game off straight but at the end, the bench for North Carolina was just too much. With eight minutes left, the game was tied at 63 but LSU couldn't withstand the 11-0 run by the Tar Heels. All-in-all, good season, boys: SEC Champs, Conference Player and Coach of the Year and a strong showing in the tourney. And I don't care what anyone says, Marcus Thornton should will be a frirst rounder. He gets buckets. And Trent Johnson might look like an ostrich but he really is a great coach.
Three hottest teams right now have to be UConn, 'Cuse and yeah, Duke. Big wins in the last round should give them momentum heading into and through the Sweet 16.
Oh yeah, and USC got beat by Michigan State yesterday. Did anybody peep Lil Romeo on the bench looking concerned towards the end of the game?? Classic.
It's been a crazy year for college football and now that the Tide has been ROLLED, it's time to get ready for the Bowl Game Series.
[Note: I'm not detailing all of the bowl games, just the major ones and the ones I'm watching. Owwww.]
December:
31: -MY LSU Tigers vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Chic-Fil-A Bowl. (7:30)
WTF?? How the hell did we land this one?? I know we had a disappointing year defending our 2007 National Championship, but does that deserve a pairing with Georgia Tech in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GEORGIA?! Damn. I guess us playing in all those Sugar Bowls (7) has come back to haunt us. Even though it's essentially a home game for the Jackets, I still feel like we can beat them in their home state city.
January:
1: -UGA Bulldogs vs. Michigan State Spartans in the Capital One Bowl. (1 pm)
I was probably one of the people least surprised by Georgia's mediocre season, but it's I still have faith in them against Michigan State. Don't get me wrong, Javon Ringer could cause some problems but I feel like Stafford x Moreno x Massaquoi are even more dangerous. Plus, with this being the possible last game for these three together, I'm looking for big numbers.
-Penn State Nittany Lions vs. USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl. (4:30)
Oh damn. This might be one of the games I'm really looking forward to. USC, who has arguably more talent than any other team in the nation, is going against a Penn State team who was one loss away from the National Championship. I have to go with USC on this one. Their roster is too deep (pause) for Penn State to match up with, plus they're looking to prove that this should have been their year. Should be pretty high scoring, for USC at least.
-Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Virginia Tech Hokies in the Orange Bowl. (8:30)
This should also be a good one because I'm a fan of Tyrod Taylor. [Especially after they tried to T him]. I know that a 9-4 record from Tech doesn't jump out at you but they lost those four to some really good teams. Also, I think that Cincy might be a little bit of hype. This is the one game that I'm choosing to go with the underdog even though I'm not too sure it's gonna happen.
2: -Ole Miss Rebels vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Cotton Bowl. (2 pm)
I usually go with the SEC team but...Texas Tech is gonna smash Ole Miss in this one. I could have easily seen Texas Tech in the National Championship while Ole Miss has more fluke wins than a little bit. Crabtree is about to go OFF on this overrated defense. Should be one of the more lopsided bowl games this year.
-Utah Utes vs. Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl. (8 pm)
This should be another one-sided game. Alabama is another team that could have been in the big dance, but fell short at the end. Utah was able to go undefeated but they really only beat two quality teams. It's hard for me to say it, but Bama fucking killed half of the [SEC] teams they played this year. Bama's gonna give Utah the business by at least 3 TD's. Yurp.
5: -Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Texas Longhorns in the Fiesta Bowl. (8 pm)
I'm not gonna miss one snap of this one. Ohio State has a lot to prove after a couple of trips to the Championship and the first year of a promising, young quarterback, a win over Texas would be huge. Texas, on the other hand, might have even more to prove. They were snubbed by the BCS and were unable to play in the Big 12 Championship, a game that would have allowed them to make it to the National Championship. Led by Heisman candidate Colt McCoy, they are one of the most dangerous teams in the country. This should be a legendary match-up of classic college football teams. But I'm taking Texas. [Sorry Wonderboy.]
8: -Florida Gators vs. Oklahoma Sooners in the FedEx National Championship. (8 pm)
The matchup of all matchups. A fast, quick striking offense facing a powerful and experienced defense. Oklahoma's record-setting offense has never seen a defense like Florida's but at the same time, Florida didn't face an offense like OU's this year. Percy Harvin should be at full strength and we've seen what happens when he is. I'm going with Florida off the strength of being an SEC team and I can't bet against Tim Tebow. I kind of wish it was Florida/Texas, but beggars can't be choosers. Hopefully after he cleans up the country a little bit, Barack will put his foot down and force a college football playoff. Only time will tell.
Should be a fucking awesome Bowl season. Bowlinnnnn'!!
Damn man. It was a big weekend for College Football...well, football in general. After USC got embarrassed by Oregon State, three of the top four teams in the nation lost as well. The most impressive of the upsets wasn't really much of an upset. #8 Alabama put up a HUGE [that'swhatshesaid] 31 unanswered first half against #3 Georgia en route to a 41-30 win...in Athens. [Note: The score doesn't really indicate how much Bama outplayed UGA.] Earlier Saturday, #4 Florida lost to an unranked Ole Miss team. The Rebels just looked better than Florida when it came down to it and even more noteworthy, the game was at the Swamp. Michigan rallied from a 19-0 deficit to upset #9 Wisconsin at home while Clemson got shocked (again) by Maryland [What up, Mook?!]. So much for a shot at the 'ship. After everything was said and done, nine of the top 25 teams lost and six of those losses were to unranked teams. Damn. This really shows that the level of talent in college football is growing and being spread out. There's no clear cut #1 for the second year in a row, which I think is best for college football.
At the end of the day, USC is now #9, Georgia fell to! #11, and Florida is at #12. Oh well. Oklahoma is the new #1, followed by LSU, Missouri, Alabama and Texas. [Note: I'm going by the Coaches' Poll because it has LSU the highest...]
Flicks from Saturday's games...
Hey USC, UGA, Florida, Wisconsin, Illinois, Wake Forest, Clemson, East Carolina and TCU....you loooooose!!
And speaking of upsets, how about Da Bears over the Eagles?! You loooooose!
Sorry LA. You go from being on top of the College football world and then a mere three hours later, you get beat by Oregon State. Oh well. The Beavers were led by true realassnigga freshman Jacquizz Rodgers and his 186 yard/2 touchdown performance. The 21-27 USC loss is the best thing to happen for many teams, including the Tigers. I expected the Trojans to blow a game at some point during the season but I don't think anyone expected it to happen in their first Pac-10 game. This also improves the chances of mad teams with championship hopes. If UGA can knock off Alabama tomorrow, then they should hope over Oklahoma at #2 be back at #1. Where an SEC team belongs. Yurp.
It's less than an hour to game time and I'm finally making my prediction: It's not gonna be a pretty one for Ohio State. Sorry Dre. While I don't think this is going to be a four touchdown win, I think that without Beanie Wells, Ohio State loses a lot of fire power. Terrelle Pryor might be able to make some kind of an impact but USC's just gonna be too good. Without Wells, I have USC winning by at least 14. [Note: It's probably going to be more like 21.] Sorry Columbus, you lose.
Ohio State - Beanie Wells = (Picture Below) You lose.
DC|Chicago|Baton Rouge|ATL
Music Enthusiast.
asamp was right + Clan Eclectic.
Always and forever wavy. On a never-ending quest for the snooks, brews and some [good] new tunes.
