Florida won on the road at Vanderbilt last week, but I'm not going to praise the team too much for it. I mean, let's be real...Temple won there this season. If Temple wins somewhere, Florida can undoubtedly win there. Anyway, one more win and we go to a bowl game. Can this Florida beat Spurrier in The Swamp? I certainly hope so.
Watching the UF-Vanderbilt game in NYC
I'm not really sure what happened to Michigan State last weekend, but I'm officially cheering for the Big Ten West. GO MINNESOTA - BEAT THE BUCKEYES! Baylor basically gave Stoops the message to start looking for a new job. Auburn looked like the New York Jets with those 2 fumbles to end the game. Terrible way to end a game. FSU looked bad against a bad team as usual. TCU is proving itself. Alabama got lucky. And Oregon didn't blink. The Ducks took care of business.
As for this week... I'm calling for Rutgers to beat Indiana. Attention Scarlet Knights: If you want to go to a bowl game, you may need to win this game. I am obviously picking Nebraska to win at Wisconsin and control its own destiny in the Big Ten West. But most importantly, I need the Big Ten West Winner to win the Big Ten Championship.
Wisconsin-Nebraska in 2012 (in Lincoln)
I'm picking Georgia Tech at home over Clemson. TCU will completely embarrass Kansas. I'm picking Mississippi State at Alabama. Auburn will rebound with a win over Georgia. Texas A&M will beat Missouri. My pick of an unranked team beating a ranked team this week should be painfully obvious: Miami over FSU. I don't say this often (for obvious reasons), but Go Canes.
And of course, I'll take my Gators at home to secure a bowl berth.
Today is Friday, November 14th: the official start of the Florida men's basketball season. Anyone who knows me knows that the start of basketball season (all college basketball, not just the Gators!) is like a holiday for me. I'm excited to see Florida beat William & Mary tonight - even though I'm disappointed I can't see Chris Walker's progress just yet. We will miss him Monday when we play ACC foe Miami. That looks like a trap game, but I'm obviously picking the Gators. Miami will be better this year with the transfers coming in, but come on...Gators got this.
Do people actually believe Minnesota has a chance to beat Louisville? Because they don't. But I'll pick Manhattan to win at FSU this weekend! I'll pick Gonzaga to beat #22 SMU and start the season overrated as usual, but I'm not too worried since the Zags will lose on December 6th at Arizona. The big game on November 18 is Kansas vs Kentucky (if you think Michigan State-Duke is bigger, you're wrong and you shouldn't talk about basketball). Florida plays both Kansas and Kentucky this year, so I'll definitely be watching that game. I'll take Kentucky (even though they're getting just a bit too much hype this season) - and I'll pick Duke to beat Michigan State. No, I don't show respect for Big Ten basketball. But I also just think Duke will be better than Michigan State this year. I think Utah will lose at San Diego State. Oklahoma needs to watch out at Creighton next week.
With all that said.... GO GATORS!! Beat the Tribe tonight, and beat the Gamecocks tomorrow!!
No, I'm not just referring to Driskel's performance of 11 of 23 for 59 yards and 3 interceptions. Or the fact that he's thrown 5 interceptions over the last 7 quarters. Sadly, I'm also talking about Treon Harris being at the center of a sexual assault/sexual battery investigation and Skyler Mornhingweg ending up in the hospital after a fight with his own teammate over some shoes. Sure, we don't know the facts of Harris's case. He may be innocent. He may be guilty. I don't know what happened, and neither do you. We know a complaint was made and later was withdrawn. People keep making comparisons between this case and Jameis Winston's case. Sure, both men were backup QBs at schools in Florida at the time they were accused of wrongdoing. But that's about where I stop at comparing similarities. People want to make jokes about having Tallahassee's PD investigate the situation. I get it - no one wants to see Driskel on the field (including me). The complaint has now been withdrawn, but UF did the right thing by taking this accusation seriously.
It was after I started writing this that I saw that the accuser withdrew her complaint, and I'm not sure what that means for Harris's future, but I'd still be surprised if he plays tomorrow considering he hasn't practiced all week, and I haven't heard any word on his reinstatement. I would ask that people put things in perspective with Harris, though. He came in for the end of a game and provided a spark that led to a field goal and a touchdown. I might credit Matt Jones a bit more than I'd credit Harris on those drives, but that's really not the point. The point is, everyone is so convinced that our QB problems were solved and that suddenly we'd be great at football again because Harris helped us score 10 points against a team that has just 2 wins this year and hasn't beaten the Gators since 2004. Bottom line: we beat an unranked team by one point. A little perspective, please.
When Tyler Murphy started his first game last year, many people (myself included) thought, "hey, this guy could be better than Driskel!" And maybe he was, I don't know. But he wasn't great, and he certainly wasn't up to par with the high standards set by Florida fans. He was not Spurrier. He was not Wuerffel. He certainly was not Tebow. And I'm sorry to put things in perspective for everyone out there, but neither is Treon Harris. He's short and he's inexperienced. He hasn't done anything to prove he's great. He's just proved he's better than Jeff Driskel, which I'm pretty sure I could do. Honestly, if you put me on a football field, I think I could complete 11 passes for 59 yards and throw 3 interceptions. I may even pass 60 yards. The point is, Harris's few successful drives against Eastern Michigan and Tennessee do not suddenly make him an elite QB. If none of this happened and he started against LSU, and UF lost, would everyone be screaming for Grier or - dare I say it - Mornhinweg?
Would I have preferred to see Harris play QB over Driskel? Absolutely. Do I think people are going nuts now with all the posts and tweets about starting Harris this weekend? Absolutely. He hasn't practiced all week. Are people forgetting that? Driskel will start, and he'll play most, if not all, of the game. I will add that I personally think Jeff Driskel should be on UF's baseball team rather than the football team. He seems like a hardworking guy, and he seems like he could actually be a good athlete. I just don't think football is the right fit for him. But I have respect for Muschamp (words I never thought I'd say) for suspending Harris amidst the serious allegations. Yes, I want my football team to win games. But do I want to win games so badly that I don't care at all about the character of the young men on the teams? Absolutely not. I lived on campus my first 2 years at UF. I've seen a lot of things. And honestly, I think they made the right choice.
I read Treon Harris's lawyer's statement about the situation, and one line in his statement seemed a little strange to me. He says that the accuser was the sexual aggressor with not just Treon that night, but also with another guy. I must be missing something. Why is it relevant if she was the sexual aggressor with another guy that night? If she had sex with five other guys that night, does that mean she's suddenly immune to rape for the rest of the evening? And no, I'm not looking for some pompous response to this from a legal perspective. I want to know why this lawyer felt the need to release a statement to the public telling us that this girl was somehow sexually involved with another guy that night. Whether she was lying, telling the truth or was simply confused when she made the complaint, I don't think an account of her consensual sexual activities with other men have any place here.
Yes, this is a sports blog, and yes, I'll make picks for this weekend. But with such a serious allegation made against someone on my alma mater's football team, I felt it was necessary to at least make mention of the matter.
Now, onto football.
Rutgers had a big win last week over Michigan - but I thought rushing the field was completely over the top and actually quite embarrassing. Nebraska didn't show up until late in the game last week, and it was too little, too late for the Huskers - especially when Armstrong sealed the game with a Geno Smith-type pass (read: he threw to the wrong team). But a lot of crazy stuff happened last week. TCU beat Oklahoma. UCLA lost to Utah. Alabama lost an October game. Mississippi State looked good, and I still think Dan Mullen is trying to get his resume together for a hopefully-soon-to-be-open head coaching job at UF. We'll see.
This week....
FSU has a conference game against the mighty Syracuse Orange... and I don't see any way Syracuse comes away with a home victory. Sorry, Orange faithful. I love Charlie Strong, but Oklahoma rebounds this week with a win. Georgia wins at Missouri. Wisconsin wins at home. Miami wins at home. Georgia Tech wins - but by 10 or less. Baylor beats TCU. UCLA beats Oregon. Alabama beats Arkansas. I want to believe Ole Miss will be prepared and beat Texas A&M, but they may still be flying high after last week. Something tells me Auburn will squeak past Mississippi State, but I'm honestly pulling for Mullen in this one. Auburn destroyed LSU last weekend. And that gave me hope for the Gators this week. It's a night game in the swamp, and LSU is not as lucky as in past years. But if last week taught us anything, it's that anything can happen. GO GATORS! Beat LSU!
So I must say - last weekend the Gators looked almost as good as they did Labor Day weekend. Gave up no yards, had no incomplete passes, no turnovers... Ah, the beauty of a bye week.
Jacoby Brissett...you came so close to being a hero to the Gator fan base. But alas, you and your team choked and disappointed football fans everywhere. However, you did expose FSU, and they are no longer ranked first in the coaches' poll. So thanks for that, I guess. Nebraska had no problem with Illinois (as expected). Rutgers looked good against Tulane (as expected). Honestly, I expected a bigger win from Texas A&M. I know Arkansas is supposedly an improved team, but I'm still not sold on the Razorbacks. Stanford pulled away from Washington in the 4th quarter and I was disappointed. Wisconsin did not look good in its victory over USF, and I'm honestly still not sure why Wisconsin is ranked - or why they're ranked ahead of undefeated Nebraska. (Yes, I'm biased - but aside from the cupcake games they've each played, I'd argue that beating Miami is more impressive than losing to LSU)
Georgia and Tennessee played yet another close game that came down to the end, and Georgia won again - but Tennessee does look better, which has me on edge for this weekend. And after seeing a breakdown of Jeff Driskel, I'm really not sure why Muschamp isn't giving Harris/Grier a chance.
At a certain point, Muschamp has to realize that if Driskel doesn't improve, Muschamp is going to lose his job. It's one thing to stand behind your QB and try to give him confidence. It's another thing to keep a guy on the field who just plain doesn't understand the game. I'd love to see Driskel improve and become the great QB analysts have said he could be. But honestly? I don't expect it. Hey Jeff, please surprise me. I'm begging you.
After seeing Tyler Murphy beat USC and after seeing Jacoby's stats vs FSU, I wonder how Driskel might perform at an ACC school. And I find myself wondering...Is our coaching really just that bad - or is the ACC just so awful that these guys suddenly look decent? Hmmmm....
The biggest upset this week may have already happened. Oregon, what happened?? Bear down...good win for Arizona. I only watched the beginning of the Houston game, but O'Korn looked pretty bad before being benched, so I'm not entirely surprised they lost to UCF.
I hope TCU beats Oklahoma, but I haven't seen enough of TCU to really say if I think it'll happen. TCU's best win in 3 games was over Minnesota. Given the quality of Big Ten football, I really can't make any guesses based on that. The Buckeyes travel to the state of Maryland for the second time this season, and I think this time they won't be so lucky. GO TERPS! I'll also call for Stanford to win at Notre Dame. No particular reason - I just think this one is a toss-up.
The SEC West is looking kinda crazy right now with 6 of 7 teams being ranked in the top 25. We'll get 3 ranked vs ranked games this weekend with Alabama @ Ole Miss, LSU @ Auburn and Texas A&M at Mississippi State. I'm picking Alabama and LSU on the road and Mississippi State at home. The LSU @ Auburn game will be close, but I think Les comes out on top. This Tigers vs Tigers matchup consists of the 2 luckiest teams in the SEC, so I expect something close with a strange ending. I think Ole Miss has looked decent so far, but I don't see Nick Saban losing this early in the season. Mississippi State seems focused to me. Texas A&M didn't impress me against Arkansas, so the Bulldogs get the edge this weekend in my eyes.
I think Rutgers will get back on track in conference this week with a home win over a very down Michigan team. I really hope Nebraska plays well enough to win on the road at Michigan State. This will likely be the hardest road test for the Huskers this season, and it would be nice if they could remain undefeated! But more importantly...
Florida hasn't lost to Tennessee since that awful ending in 2004. I won't tolerate a loss to the Volunteers. So come on Gators. Be prepared to play football, and be prepared to win. Let's go for ten wins in a row over Tennessee.
Many people saw the news over the weekend that Emmitt Smith took to Twitter to express his frustrations with Jeff Driskel: "Put Jeff Driskel on the bench please, I have seen enough." I don't know any Gator fans who disagreed. Unfortunately, he followed that up with a political move: he apologized. Emmitt, there is no need to apologize for saying what all of Gator Nation is thinking. We also saw Robinson retweet (and then un-retweet) a picture of Will Grier and Treon Harris that expressed his interest in seein a new QB on the field for Florida. Not for one second do I buy the "that was an accident" excuse. He just knew Muschamp would get on his case about bringing down team morale. But here's the bigger problem: Jeff Driskel is bringing down team morale by being absolutely terrible at football. And no, I'm not going to apologize for saying that. I'm sure the kid works hard and tries his best, but at the end of the day, Will Muschamp needs to recognize that Driskel is not a solution to Florida's woes. He's actually making things worse.
Which brings me to my next point...seriously, how many more games does Muschamp have to lose before Foley gives up? Foley has now said he will evaluate everything after this season. Hopefully that means after this season he'll realize how terrible Muschamp is and fire him - and hopefully Driskel will leave with Muschamp.
As we watched Florida embarrass itself in Tuscaloosa
Besides Driskel keeping his starting position, other surprises last weekend included Missouri managing to look worse than Florida, Lucky Les not being lucky enough to come back and beat Dan Mullen....and Clemson apparently being paid off to lose that game. No other explanation. To those of you thinking I should mention Utah-Michigan as a surprise, well, I wasn't surprised by a Big Ten team looking terrible. But Rutgers and Nebraska won! And I ended up winning 4 bets on the Nebraska-Miami game. Sweet, sweet victory!
As for this week: Florida can't lose! (Gators have a bye) So...Let's go NC State!!! Former Gator Jacoby Brissett has a chance to make all of Gator Nation smile by beating the tremendously overrated FSU. So please, Wolfpack, I'm begging you. Beat those gross Noles. I'll be watching Tennessee-Georgia to see what Florida is in for next week against the Vols. But I think Georgia wins today. A note about Thursday's game - I expected UCLA to win, but Arizona State...wow. That was rough. Wisconsin will win against the USF Bulls. Wisconsin played one SEC team to start the season (and lost) and now they play no one the rest of the season because they're in a joke of a conference. They could end up with 1-2 losses and have to play another SEC team in a bowl game. And guess who I'll pick.... I'm not sure why some people think Arkansas is "back" all of a sudden, but I think they're going to get blown out in Arlington. Rutgers will beat Tulane. Nebraska will beat Illinois. My upset special this week: Stanford loses at Washington.
And Driskel won't turn the ball over today. GO GATORS!
Jameis Winston, I'm looking at you. I may not know you personally, but I know enough to know you're an entitled moron. Rape accusations. Soda theft at Burger King. Crab leg theft. And now yelling vulgar nonsense while standing on a table in your student union? Clearly you don't get it. It has been made clear to you about a million times that you will be held to a higher standard - as you should be - than other students because you're a public figure at FSU. But here's the problem: Your corrupt football program/university let you get away with stupidity with seemingly little consequence. I have said before that I respect the FSU baseball team a lot more for not letting you play after the crab leg incident. But man. You're just an idiot. You personify the FSU culture that every Gator fan loves to make fun of. You're not invincible. You're not important. Get over yourself and grow up. I could go on and on about this. You deserve the suspension (took long enough for something to actually earn you a suspension), and I sincerely hope Clemson runs up the score in the first half. GO TIGERS.
On to other overrated things in the ACC...Virginia Tech! Thank you for proving that you're not good. It just makes the fact that you exposed Ohio State so much sweeter. No offense to the I still don't quite understand Arkansas State's distraction attempt against Miami.
So Rutgers disappointed me in its Big Ten home opener. Penn State just isn't good. But then again, neither is Gary Nova. At least it was a close game, I guess. Nebraska looked great on the road. Hopefully they snapped out of that funk that made them almost lose at home to McNeese State....but luckily in college football, almost doesn't count. USC proved to be way overrated, and Tyler Murphy actually showed some potential. It was surprising, but I did enjoy seeing the upset. Georgia was Georgia. Their kicker set a new SEC record for most consecutive field goals, and then he ended his streak.
The game I cared most about last weekend turned out to be much more dramatic than I had hoped. Kentucky may be improved, but there was no reason for that game to go to triple overtime in the swamp. Completely unacceptable. Muschamp better turn it around fast or Foley won't be supporting him much longer. But at least Jojo Kemp can shut his mouth now. 28 victories in a row for Florida over Kentucky.
Supporting the Gators during the Florida-Kentucky game 9-13-2014
Obviously this weekend is a huge game for the Gators. I only wish I were more excited. I think we have a lot of offensive talent on this team - including Jones, Taylor, Robinson, Dunbar, Debose - but I don't think it's being utilized well at all. I'm not sold on Roper just yet. Still definitely not sold on Muschamp, needless to say. Alabama is a 2 score favorite, and I actually wouldn't be surprised if Alabama is insulted by that after seeing our game. However, Alabama's game against West Virginia did expose vulnerabilities. Thought I think Saban has had a plan all along to confuse SEC opponents. I think Saban has known all along he wants Coker as QB. Sims will play, but only for specific plays that were designed for him or in games/situations where Saban feels no threat from the opponent. That said, we may see Sims this weekend if Alabama runs up the score early. But if you've ever watched a Lane Kiffin team play, you know Coker fits Kiffin's style of offense better than Sims does, so I think Alabama is just trying to throw off SEC opponents with this "we don't know which QB to play" nonsense. Florida, please surprise me. Please pull off a huge upset.
Some picks for this weekend...
Rutgers will redeem itself with an upset win at Navy. Missouri will beat Indiana - and it won't be close. Michigan State will beat Eastern Michigan by less than 65. Wisconsin will beat Bowling Green, but it will be closer than people expect, at least through the first half. Auburn will beat Kansas State. LSU will beat Mississippi State, but it won't be a blowout. Oklahoma will be challenged by West Virginia, but will win by no more than 10. Oregon will beat Washington State. Hoping for Clemson to beat FSU, though I haven't been impressed with either team. Of course I'm picking Nebraska over Miami. That's a given. Clearly this isn't a classic Miami-Nebraska matchup, though. Miami couldn't handle Louisville, and even though Nebraska had a momentary lapse against McNeese State, I still don't think Miami can win this game in Lincoln. People who know me love that I know to make bets on games. I have 3 bets riding on this Miami @ Nebraska game, so come on Huskers! Go Big Red!! I can't bring myself to pick against Florida, no matter what logic tells me. I'm sure Muschamp is checking the weather in Tuscaloosa hoping this game will be canceled. But come on Florida...shock the world! Beat Bama!
I know, I've been saying that for years. But now the media is FINALLY catching on! On Saturday night, all ESPN could talk about was how bad the conference is this year. I mean, that's nothing new. The conference hasn't been good in years. I've explained this a million ways, a million times already, so I have no need to go on a rant now. I'm just happy that the media caught on early this season. Now I won't have to hear these "experts" on tv talk about a potential Ohio State-Michigan State game in the final four. Because guess what? There's no way 2 Big Ten teams are making this playoff.
Shout out to the Hokies, by the way. SO HAPPY I got to see Ohio State lose in Columbus. Only wish I could have been there in a Gator shirt to rush the field...
I knew Michigan State would lose and I knew Michigan would lose (I thought it would at least be a game, though, since Notre Dame isn't good). Stanford disappointed me, and UCLA did not look too good. At least Houston won a game. Nebraska and Rutgers both won, but in less-than-impressive fashion. Come on - Howard and McNeese State? But Nebraska and Rutgers may still be 2 of the best teams in the Big Ten. The final score didn't show it, but Wisconsin had trouble moving the ball against Western Illinois. Purdue lost. Northwestern lost again. Just give up. The Big Ten is not very big at all. But don't worry, Buckeye fans. I think your team can beat 0-2 Kent State.
FSU did not look good. I repeat: they will not win the national championship this year. I'd actually be surprised if FSU makes the playoff this year. The ACC looks really bad (almost as bad as the Big Ten!), and the Seminoles may not even win the conference. If Florida had played the Citadel and won 37-12, everyone would be talking about how bad our offense is to only score 37 and how lazy our defense must be to give up 12 points to an opponent like the Citadel. Any FSU fan would have expected to win that game by at least 50 points. Face facts: FSU is way overrated. They're just lucky the ACC sucks. As for FSU's next game - let's go Clemson!!!!
Tonight we have the battle of the cougars - BYU vs Houston. I'd love to see Houston get its act together and win this. I do think it will be close, but I think BYU comes away with this one. Once again, not many high profile games this weekend. As much as I'd love to support the SEC, I don't see Tennessee winning on the road at Oklahoma. Missouri will beat UCF in a game that will be closer than it should be. Louisville wins at Virginia. I'll pick NC State on the road at USF. Overrated USC will beat Tyler Murphy and company. My upset of the weekend? UCLA loses to Texas. Best game of the weekend is probably Georgia-South Carolina. You know I've gotta go with Spurrier to beat the Bulldogs. Nebraska will get its act together and win at Fresno State. I see Rutgers winning its Big Ten opener at home vs the Nittany Lions - sorry Penn State fans!
So last week the Gators played Eastern Michigan and came away with a big win. 65-0. I was happy to see we were at least able to move the ball, but I won't get too excited about beating EMU because, well, it's EMU, not Alabama. I was happy to at least see a full game rather than a ten-second tease, though. But this week we play an SEC opponent....an SEC opponent who hasn't beaten Florida since 1986 (and UK hasn't won in Gainesville since 1979). The streak will stay alive this year - sorry Jojo Kemp. If you couldn't beat us last year in Lexington when we were arguably the worst we've ever been, you can't beat us now in Gainesville.
There were a few close calls and disappointments this weekend. Alabama didn't look as good as people expected on offense (I'll be very surprised if Sims starts all season) or defense. Ohio State sucked and Navy lost its momentum, which was hugely disappointing. Then of course Oklahoma State fumbled away a golden opportunity to beat a terribly overrated FSU team - but after seeing that game, I'm confident FSU will not go undefeated this year.
But one disappointment stood out above all the others. The biggest disappointment of the weekend was the Florida game being terminated after 10 seconds. Sure, Valdez Showers looked great for 10 seconds. And I mean, Jeff Driskel didn't turn the ball over. We didn't miss any field goals. Our defense didn't allow a first down - or even a yard - from Idaho's offense. We averaged 64 yards per return, and we're still undefeated. This all sounds great if you didn't see or hear about the game. But I really, really wanted to watch the Gators play. I sat in a Gator bar in Nashville with one of my best friends from college, and we were pretty disappointed. It didn't help that the rain in Nashville was almost as bad as the rain in Gainesville on Saturday! So I'm still waiting for Florida to really start its season. Ten seconds of football just didn't do it for me.
Florida vs Idaho (Complete Game)
So sometimes I'll write about some crazy things some of my friends say. One friend of mine has been telling me for months that the Miami Hurricanes will go undefeated in football this year. I actually thought they'd surprise people in the first game because Louisville lost an awesome coach, but I was wrong. So that friend of mine is very quiet now. Obviously we have a bet on the Miami-Nebraska game the end of the month. Hint: the Huskers aren't losing to Miami in Lincoln. I made a few accurate predictions based on my SEC bias. One such prediction I made about this past weekend was that LSU would win in the 4th quarter. Sure, I thought it would be decided later in the quarter, but I know many people thought Wisconsin had secured a victory in the 3rd. I knew better. I know Les gets Lucky, and I know LSU doesn't lose openers like that. Of course Georgia beat Clemson and of course Auburn beat Arkansas. No surprises there. And I guess for now it's safe for me to eat potatoes since Florida didn't lose to Idaho. I hope they reschedule the game.
On to week 2! Nebraska will blow out McNeese State. Rutgers will beat Howard and remain undefeated as a Big Ten team. I'll take Stanford at home over USC and I'll take Oregon at home over Michigan State. I'm already picking Nebraska and Rutgers - how many Big Ten teams can I really pick to win in one weekend? I think Michigan vs Notre Dame will be close, but I'll say Notre Dame wins by single digits. I'll pick Ole Miss on the road at Vandy. Just for my dad, I hope Houston can beat Grambling State. Houston looked terrible against UTSA.
Not many marquis games this weekend. There supposedly are more thunderstorms expected in Gainesville on Saturday. With any luck, I'll get to see Florida beat Eastern Michigan this weekend.
College football season is upon us! I have no more excuses. No more grad school, no more negligence. Yes, I'm finally updating my blog. So now that I'm a Big Ten alum - do I see things any differently?
My M.A. Graduation - University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Well, no. Of course I'm still biased toward the SEC. I'm a Gator first and foremost, and no additional degrees will change that. My belief that the SEC will be dominant may also be due to recent brainwashing from the recently launched SEC Network, though. It's my new favorite channel. I'm loving the classic SEC games. The last 3 things in my DVR are games from January 1997, January 2007 and January 2009. I'll give you 3 guesses what games they are.
I really do want to be excited for Gator football season this year, and I'm honestly trying to get hyped up, but I'd be lying if I said it's not difficult after that 4-8 meltdown last year. I refuse to set any type of comeback expectations. For now, I'm just concerned with the Idaho Vandals. Will Muschamp - if you lose to Idaho, I'm not eating potatoes for a year. Seriously. And French fries are one of my favorite things on this planet, so please don't do that to me. As far as I remember, Idaho went 1-11 last year. So just take this season one game at a time. Beat Idaho and start 1-0.
Beyond the Florida-Idaho game, I'm obviously also excited to see how Rutgers represents itself in a new conference (for the 2nd year in a row). This time, they're in the overrated Big Ten. Let's see how they fare in a non-conference road game against Washington State. The Cougars haven't impressed me (my mom went to Washington, so does it surprise you I'm not impressed by Washington State?) in recent years, so I think Rutgers has a shot to win this one on the road. Rutgers joining the Big Ten does complicate things for me a bit, though. I am a Husker alum, but Rutgers is my hometown team and has always been my #2. Make no mistake - I still want Nebraska to play well and win games, and I certainly won't be upset if Nebraska beats Rutgers, but this creates some conflict for me. For now let's just see how Rutgers looks against Washington State. And well, the Huskers are a lock over the FAU Owls.
My hopeful pick of the week is clearly Oklahoma State over those disgusting FSU Seminoles. I haven't heard much about the Cowboys for this season, but they typically have a decent offense, and with the game being in Texas, I feel like the crowd should favor Oklahoma State. Come on Cowboys. Please show up, and please beat FSU. Then there's that other game in Texas - LSU vs Wisconsin. I'm guessing this game will go down to the last minute or so based on how both teams usually like to play. I'll call for an LSU victory sealed in the last 90 seconds of the game (or OT). I'll be surprised if the game isn't close, but I think Lucky Les prevails in this one.
My upset special to start the season should be really obvious. LET'S GO NAVY. With Ohio State being forced to play a QB with no experience, and with the game being in Maryland, I really think Navy will show up with the confidence to win this game. I want to clarify that I do feel bad for Braxton Miller, though. That really sucks to be getting ready to play in your senior season only to be hurt in practice a few weeks before the season and have to wait another year to finish your college campaign. However, I don't feel sorry for Urban Liar at all, and I hope he is completely frazzled and loses every game this season. Let's go Midshipmen!!!
Other picks for the first week - I'll take South Carolina over Texas A&M. Spurrier knows how to win games, and as much as I like Sumlin, I think his team will need some time to adjust to playing without Johnny Football. I'll pick Georgia over Clemson, as much as it pains me. Another painful one for me to pick is Miami, but I'll take them over Louisville only because the Cardinals lost a great coach in Charlie Strong. If Strong were still there, make no mistake, I'd take Louisville in a heartbeat. And Auburn is going to embarrass awful Arkansas. West Virginia has absolutely no chance of beating Alabama. Nick Saban is gonna be out to prove something this year - even more so than usual.
We'll see if any teams really impress me this weekend. I'm not going to make some insane final four or Heisman pick before the season, because I honestly don't know what to expect this year. But at the end of the day, I really just have 2 words to say:
I know, I've been negligent. I've been too heartbroken to focus on football. Each day I'm reminded of the possibility of an Ohio State-FSU national championship game, which would send me on a drinking binge so intense that I might never fully recover. So for now, I say roll tide and go bears. Baylor should be ranked #3. I'm putting that out there. I know they haven't played Texas Tech or Oklahoma State yet, but guess what? Ohio State hasn't played anyone. I'm much more impressed with Baylor, and the Bears should 100% be ranked ahead of the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad buckeyes.
For this weekend, I'm a Wake Forest fan. The 2 "good" games outside of the SEC were last night, and Oregon was atrocious. Made me wonder how anyone thought they could contend for a national title. Just awful. Stanford got lucky, but they played smart and took advantage of Oregon's football team completely forgetting how to play football. The final score made it look much closer than it was. Oregon should be embarrassed by that display.
As for this weekend, let's go Huskers! Michigan is not good. If you can't beat them, you're not good. I'd also like to see Houston beat UCF. Alabama will beat LSU again. And Gators. This one would really help with bowl eligibility. South Carolina and FSU still loom....wins over Vandy and Georgia Southern may be necessary to make a bowl game. Regardless, I've never been on board with Will Muschamp. I've made that clear since the start. I wanted Kevin Sumlin as coach, and everyone said I was crazy. I don't know who I want now, but I do know I want Muschamp and Pease OUT. They've had their chances. They've done nothing. Muschamp is afraid to beat his alma mater, and I can't continue living in a world where Florida continues to lose to Georgia. Georgia sucks. I also need someone on the coaching staff who can recruit a decent quarterback! Brantley? Brissett? Driskel? Murphy? Chris Leak, can you maybe take on that responsibility? Clearly no one else can...I'm hereby assigning that job to you. Find UF a QB ASAP. Thanks.
Chris Doering will be serving as the "celebrity" Mr. Two Bits for homecoming. We could really use the Wuerffel/Doering pair on offense right now.
Ah, to have a quarterback...
Thankfully, today officially marks the start of the Florida basketball season. Our boys tip off at 3pm, playing the Ospreys of North Florida. Unfortunately, we'll be short-staffed "indefinitely." We'll beat UNF, though. I'm worried about who will be available Tuesday. I can't have us losing to an overrated Big Ten team - especially one my brother attended. Billy Donovan, please take a page out of the Ole Miss playbook and leave the remainder of the Harris/Finney-Smith suspensions for the start of SEC play. And if they can't play, let's just hope enough of our team is healthy enough to beat Wisconsin. I'll say it before anyone else says it, and I'll say it proudly as usual: THE BIG TEN WILL NOT WIN A MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP THIS SEASON. My brother has this pattern of making stupid bets with me. Usually he'll bet me something like "$20, 1,000:1 odds, Purdue goes undefeated." And I say, "Okay, easiest $20 I'll ever make." And I win. This year he bet me $1, 5000:1 odds, Wisconsin goes undefeated in basketball. Of course I took the bet. Can't make an easier dollar.
Also, I'm planning to go to two Gator basketball games next month, and I could not be more excited. Hopefully the team will be healthy by then!
All 3 of my teams are on the road this week. Nebraska's backup QB
will start on the road at Purdue, and that's the one I'm least worried
about (because it's Purdue...I mean, they're one of the worst teams in
one of the worst conferences). Nebraska should beat Purdue. But the other 2 games are cause for
concern.
Rutgers plays tonight in the biggest test of
the season for the Scarlet Knights: on the road at overrated
Louisville. Sure, Rutgers is only a successful 2-point conversion away
from an undefeated season, but that near meltdown at SMU was a bit
troubling. Props to SMU on that 2-point conversion in regulation
- though I'm still 100% sure the touchdown that brought you to that
point was a foot short. It doesn't matter now since the better team
won, but the officiating was quite poor. Start the video below at about 9:00. He didn't get in. But for tonight, let's go RU! Chop Louisville!
The Gators looked fine against Arkansas. But I mean, it was Arkansas. It was Bielema. I can't take them seriously right now. And I was satisfied with Nebraska's relatively easy win over Illinois, who is not good.
The most disappointingly overrated team of last weekend: Northwestern. Are you kidding me, Wildcats? Ohio State is not good!!!! How much did Urban pay you guys to lose that game? If Ohio State plays any team with so much as a hint of a defense, they're going to get slaughtered. Braxton Miller is not good, and Hyde only looks good because of his level of competition. And Kenny Guiton, who is clearly the best player on Ohio State, is back to riding the bench. Great coaching by Meyer...
While Northwestern clearly shouldn't be ranked, there was one team last weekend who shouldn't be anywhere near the top 25. In fact, I don't know if they belong in the top 100. You know who I'm talking about. The Maryland Terrapins. They just climbed inside their little shells for 4 quarters and let FSU have its way. That was just embarrassing - and not just for Maryland. It's embarrassing that the voters actually snuck Maryland into the top 25 to make it look like FSU destroyed a ranked team.
Washington played a close game with Stanford and I came away disappointed. That game pretty much came down to whoever had home advantage would win. I'm excited for Washington-Oregon this weekend, and I really hope the Huskies feed off the home crowd and can stop Oregon's explosive offense, which I think is far superior to Stanford's. Let's go Huskies!
As much as I despise Georgia, I see Missouri's undefeated run ending this Saturday in Athens. I don't think Oklahoma is that good this year, but I don't think Texas has a prayer in this year's Red River Rivalry. The Sooners will be eating Bevo for brunch. I actually think South Carolina is going to struggle at Arkansas after that pathetic display against Kentucky, which they only won by one score. I understand how important Clowney is to the team's success, but it still shouldn't have been so close at home against a team like Kentucky. I think South Carolina comes away with a victory at Arkansas, but not by much. And Northwestern loses at Wisconsin.
And then there's the big one. Florida goes on the road to LSU. Well, the good news is LSU's defense has looked sad in every game, and Florida's defense is arguably the best in the country once again. The bad news? Florida's offense has been far from impressive, and LSU is averaging more than 45 points per game. The Gators are only giving up about 12 point per game. So who wins out? Florida's defense or LSU's offense? I'm just happy it's not a night game in Death Valley. Don't let me down, Gators!!! BEAT LSU!!!
Thank you, USC. Thank you, thank you, thank you. FINALLY. No more Kiffin. Will anyone else want him? He's clearly not a good coach. Or a good person. All I know is he better not end up coaching the New York Jets.
From the Florida-Tennessee game in 2009. I flew down just to watch Lane Kiffin lose and cry.
The Gators beat Kentucky. I never get tired of saying that. Longest active win streak in an uninterrupted series - 27 in a row. GO GATORS!
But Wisconsin couldn't quite pull through for me, so I wasn't exactly satisfied. As usual, Wisconsin played a close game and lost at the end. Even with a new coach, they have the same approach to college football. I'm more interested in what Wisconsin's former coach is up to this weekend...
Bielema, you're not ready for THE SWAMP. You kept it close with the money badger, but they have no defense. Florida is has a fantastic defense. Arkansas does not have a fantastic defense. This is not the sorry Big Ten. This is REAL college football, Bielema...I wouldn't expect to make it to a bowl game this year. Earlier this year, someone told me they expected Arkansas to start 4-0 and lose every other game. I said Arkansas was losing at Rutgers. Sure, the Scarlet Knights took a while to get going. But they pulled off the win. The Swamp is a much more hostile environment than High Point Solutions Stadium.
Rutgers will beat Southern Methodist (sorry, June Jones!). Nebraska should beat Illinois. Really, really pulling for the Terps at FSU this weekend! Pulling for a big upset at Stanford too - let's go Huskies!! Is Northwestern actually any good? I'm thinking no, but I'm also thinking Ohio State is tremendously overrated. Also, they benched their better QB. SO LET'S GO WILDCATS!
Most importantly, Florida will beat Arkansas to improve to 3-0 in the SEC. GO GATORS!!!!
I know I've complained a lot about Driskel (because he's a turnover machine) and I have jokingly said I'd break his legs. I just want to be clear...I didn't actually want Driskel to break his leg. I just wanted him to sit on the bench and give someone else a chance. I wish Driskel a speedy recovery. At the same time, I hope Tyler Murphy can make the most of this opportunity and finally give the Gators a QB worth cheering for (for the first time since Tebow). Also wishing Easley a speedy recovery.
So Murphy stepped in and helped the Gators beat Tennessee for the 9th consecutive time. Nebraska (sans Martinez) beat South Dakota State, not surprisingly. And Rutgers had the best comeback of the week. Take that, Bielema! Rah Rah! A friend of mine who works for Arkansas texted me to gloat in the third quarter of the game. He spoke a little too soon. Way to finish, RU! (side note: the Gators men's basketball team could learn a thing or two from the Rutgers football team about how to close games...)
For those who haven't heard it directly from me, I'd like to reiterate: I think Ohio State is better with Guiton than Miller. I said this after the Purdue game last year and I stand by it. Don't get me wrong, they're not winning a championship this year with Guiton either. I just think they're so invested in the Miller hype that they're ignoring a better player. No surprise, though, given who Urban Meyer let play RB at Florida... Two words about their game this weekend: ON WISCONSIN.
Bucky the Badger at Nebraska's Homecoming Game in 2012
Picks this week:
If it wasn't clear, I'm picking Wisconsin to upset the tremendously overrated Buckeyes. Ole Miss, you've had a decent start, but Nick Saban will pay the refs whatever is necessary if this game gets close. I'm honestly still not impressed with Alabama, but they'll win this game. Oklahoma will beat Notre Dame - but who cares? Torn on LSU-Georgia....but I think I'm going with LSU. Georgia showed they don't play well against Tigers, so I'm picking cats over dogs. Rutgers and Nebraska are off this week, so that leaves me just one team to worry about: FLORIDA.
Ronald Reagan was President of the United States the last time Kentucky beat Florida in football. None of the players on either team were alive the last time it happened. They live in a world where Florida doesn't lose to Kentucky in football. And I think that stays the same.
Okay, so Alabama vs Texas A&M was good if you ignore the fact that neither team felt like showing up on defense. But really, where are all the good games?
Arizona State-Stanford COULD be good...but who knows. I'm not sold on either team. Arizona State arguably beat Wisconsin because the refs were confused.
Stanford's defense struggled with Army. I don't think there are any good teams in college football this year. But what I can tell you for sure in the Pac 12 is that Cal is absolutely awful. Ohio State plays no one, and I was really hoping Cal would come through with a big upset. Instead, they basically gave Ohio State a 6 minute head start in which the buckeyes scored 21 points. After that, Cal actually outscored Ohio State by 3 the rest of the game, but it was too little too late. Let's go FAMU Rattlers! Beat those silly, overrated Buckeyes!
Oregon's offense looked good as usual, but they'll slip up. Likely at Washington. Auburn, you had a nice start...but LSU wins this weekend.
Rutgers - you better beat Arkansas. Nebraska - I don't care who is injured, you better beat South Dakota State after that pathetic display last week. I mean really...did you just decide to only play for one half? Awful. Basically just proved how awful the Big Ten is. Don't even get me started on Michigan-Akron. Zips should have won....but I guess Hoke gave the refs just enough money to blow the game.
Let's be real...there's only one game I really care about this weekend. LET'S GO GATORS. BEAT THE VOLUNTEERS AGAIN!!!!!
Why does Tennessee have checkerboards in the end zones? ...Because they can't spell Tennessee.
I've had a really busy week, and I'm still trying to recover from that complete Jeff Driskel meltdown last week. What makes me sadder is knowing (as a life-long Jets fan) that the Jets will probably draft Driskel. Driskel, you are now Brantley 2.0. Congratulations, you failed. Maybe you should have stuck with baseball.
I'm going to pick Oregon over Tennessee. Tennessee just better lose next weekend, that's all I know. Nebraska, please get your revenge on UCLA today. You're at home - no repeat performance of what you did against Wyoming. I hope Ole Miss blows out Texas. Rutgers will beat Eastern Michigan. Louisville will beat the SEC's worst team. I'm also picking Arizona State to beat Wisconsin.
Cal SHOULD have beaten Ohio State last year in Columbus. I'm not buying this last-minute decision nonsense on Miller that Meyer is talking about. That's a bunch of garbage. He will play, and he'll play most of the game (unless of course he gets scared and has another "injury" ...he's like the Greg Oden of football). Hyde isn't playing though. And they gave up 20 points AT HOME to BUFFALO. I'm all about Cal in this game. LET'S GO GOLDEN BEARS!!
And of course...there's really only one game that counts for anything this week: Alabama @ Texas A&M. I think Johnny Manziel is kind of an ass. And I really don't like Nick Saban. You know, I really don't want an Alabama three-peat, but I am so sick of hearing about Johnny Football - so as much as it pains me to say these words: Roll Tide.
Most importantly, the Gators can't disappoint me this week. Thankfully. Last week they gave me enough disappointment for the entire season. I'm ready to see what Tyler Murphy is capable of....
GO GATORS. Big showdown in South Florida this weekend - but I'll get to that.
First, let me say that Oregon State, USF, Kansas State and Iowa are not good. Let me add that Georgia and Ohio State, two teams I loathe, are seriously lacking on defense and it makes me oh-so-happy.
Nebraska, get your act together. That was a pathetic win. And Rutgers? You broke my heart. I know it was late and you wanted to go to bed....but next time just kick the PAT.
Gators...you did what you had to do to beat Toledo. We still own the state of Ohio. I wasn't necessarily impressed, but I didn't expect to be. A smart team of coaches would hold something back for Miami and surprise them...so I'm hoping for a big win over that tropical depression. Also, FAU didn't even look that bad against Miami. I hope Miami wasn't holding much back - but we've all seen ACC defenses. (I'm thinking Georgia should consider joining the ACC after that performance against Clemson.)
Now, there aren't too many fantastic games this weekend, so I'm pretty disappointed in the scheduling. I mean, give me a break. Ohio State/San Diego State is (where I live) on ABC at 3:30pm. Umm, really? That's a more anticipated matchup than Florida-Miami?? Just because Ohio State is insanely overrated? Just another prime example of Big Ten bias. Apparently putting a MEANINGLESS Michigan-Notre Dame game in primetime wasn't enough. So now I have to watch the hungover Gators play at noon in the hot Miami sun. I don't care if Miami is unranked in the AP poll and ranked last in the USA Today poll. This is a rivalry game that is only played every 5 years, and well, it's just plain disrespectful to put it on the air that early. Yeah, I get it, Miami is a thing of the past. But the Gators are in the SEC! Not the always overrated Big Ten that hasn't won a championship since a questionable call more than a decade ago!
And with that mini rant, I give you some picks for this week:
Ohio State will beat SDSU - but not by as much as you think. They will lose on the west coast next weekend. I'm picking South Carolina over Georgia because a) I hate Georgia; b) I like Steve Spurrier; and c) Georgia has no defense, evidently. I'll pick Notre Dame (coin flip) in a game I don't care about at all. Oregon should slaughter Virginia. Houston beats Temple. Cincy beats Illinois Rutgers beats Norfolk State. Nebraska pulls it together and more impressively beats Southern Miss.
And come on. You already know.
GATOR NATION, BABY. Beat the Hurricanes. Eat some ibis for brunch. GO GATORS!!!
So, who will be good this year? I'm really not sure. Injuries and departures have me less than optimistic about the Gators, but I support my team unconditionally. Thursday night we'll see the SEC beat the ACC (battle of the Carolinas) and Rutgers beat Fresno State. Rah! Rah!
On Friday - Texas Tech and SMU could be interesting. I hope FAU is good and beats those Hurricanes...but I don't expect it.
As usual, not many good games the first weekend - but still, it's college football season, so I'm excited! I'm interested to see how good Mississippi State is this year, and I think Oklahoma State will be a good first test for them. I think Alabama will follow South Carolina's lead and beat an ACC team in Virginia Tech. That one could be ugly. I'm really not sure why Clemson is ranked so high, and as much as I hate Georgia, I'm predicting 3 SEC over ACC victories this weekend.
Side note: I hope Taylor Martinez has a good year. Nebraska will have no problem handling Wyoming.
Of course, I am very much a Buffalo Bulls fan on Saturday, but I won't be watching them play the evil Buckeyes because a much more important team plays 21 minutes after that game starts. The Gators own the state of Ohio, so I'm confident Florida will beat Toledo. GO GATORS!!!
Alligator at the American Museum of Natural History
Okay, I have to get this off my chest. These are my own personal views and do not reflect any school, company or organization with which I am affiliated. But this has to be said.
I am a longtime ESPN viewer, and I'm extremely disappointed with the dissipating quality of programming. When I watch games or game analysis on ESPN, I now feel the same way Mark May feels when he goes on the air with Lou Holtz: completely frustrated that I'm listening to someone who has no idea what he's saying. Every year Lou Holtz says the same thing "Notre Dame will win the national championship." It's like he doesn't even know we're not in the 1980s anymore. Maybe his world is some weird version of Groundhog Day, and every day is January 2, 1989. Fast forward to 2013, Notre Dame truly finds the luck of the Irish (Should have lost 2-3 games easily) and they'll play for a national championship. Do I think they'll win? Absolutely not. The SEC owns college football. I may not like Alabama, but I respect SEC football. But until they play next week, Lou Holtz looks slightly less out of his mind.
Today I sat through 2 BCS games, featuring Stanford and 3 BCS misfits (Wisconsin, Northern Illinois & FSU). I was actually happy to see Corso pick Northern Illinois, though I have a feeling he was told by his fellow FSU fans to do so because he's known for being wrong. But it was better than seeing his usual biased nonsense. Seriously, the 3 weeks this year that FSU's rival, Florida, was featured on GameDay, Corso picked 2 live dogs (for Texas A&M and Tennessee), and then when he was finally smart enough to pick the Gators, he had to be a jerk by doing the FSU chop while holding an alligator - in Gainesville. Nice, Corso. How'd it feel to see the Gators beat your precious Seminoles IN TALLAHASSEE? Yeah, you got that pick wrong too.
Anyway, ESPN has started saying a lot of things that just...irk me. Like how most announcers on ESPN obviously don't know the primary definition of "fortuitous." But I let that slide because most of them didn't go to school to develop their vocabularies, and I'm sure they've been hit in the head a lot. But because of those types of people, the meaning they have ascribed to the word is now acceptable in the English language. I guess this shouldn't surprise me in a world where "f-bomb" and "amazeballs" are in English dictionaries.
My linguistics background is hardly the main source of my frustration. But perhaps a lexicology review would help. For example, when someone on ESPN refers to FSU as a "national power," I get confused. In my vocabulary, "national power" means someone who actually plays and beats - or at least plays close games with - strong competitors. I think of a "national power" as someone who contends for a national title...or has won a national title in the last decade. ESPN's definition is..."losing to NC State, but beating Boston College and losing at home to best team on the schedule (Florida)." Agree to disagree?
According to ESPN, FSU has a "great defense" that is "a different animal." In my mind, this would be more along the lines of....Alabama's defense from last year. You know, holding quality opponents to low scores and shutting out LSU in a national championship game. ESPN's definition is apparently "holding Murray State to 3 points and shutting out Savannah State." Another difference of opinion?
Maybe ESPN is just excited about FSU because of Corso...or because Samantha Steele married an overrated former Seminole. Who knows. But that's another thing: replacing Erin Andrews with Samantha Steele. A Florida grad with a Liberty grad. Who do you think knows more about the college football experience? Just saying... Don't get me wrong - I don't think she's bad at her job, but she seems so nervous on camera, doesn't always seem to know about the stuff she's clearly reading, and well, Erin was just better.
So obviously I'm a Florida alum and I'm biased and I'll never credit FSU with anything other than it's clown college. And obviously I've stated in the past that I don't exactly have a fondness of the Big Ten....but my biggest pet peeve of all this year was the constant reminder - for at least 3 months before the season even started - that "the Big Ten is back." According to ESPN, being "back" means...the conference champion finished 8-6 as a BCS misfit. They went what, 2-5 in bowl games?
I can't get over this one. And all the hypothetical nonsense about Ohio State...and "what if they didn't impose the bowl ban?" I'll tell you what would have happened: they would have had to forfeit all wins later because they're cheaters. Plain and simple. Also, teams would have actually cared about beating them. I'm sorry, but a truly elite team does not need overtime AT HOME to beat Purdue. A 5-loss Oklahoma State team just beat Purdue on a neutral field 58-14. UCF made it a game with the Buckeyes. Cal completely outplayed Ohio State in Columbus. They barely beat Michigan State (by 1 point), who finished with only 3 conference wins. Needed overtime to beat Wisconsin - who went to the Rose Bowl by default because 1/3 of the Big Ten Leaders division was ineligible. Let's be real. If Ohio State had any postseason hope, teams would have cared to beat them.
Go ahead. Say I'm biased and uninformed. But what I'm saying is true. ESPN should have asked for a dictionary for Christmas. And now that it's basketball season....see my post from last year about Joe Lunardi's true accuracy. But judging by all the Big Ten football hype, I can't say I'm surprised that ESPN gives credit and praise where it's not due. If I say to someone "Duke will make the field of 68," that person will stare blankly and maybe even throw something at me. But when Lunardi says such blatantly obvious things, he probably gets a raise.
::SIGH::
Anyway, it's officially January 2nd (after 2 in the morning now) and I'm too excited to sleep because the Sugar Bowl is today, which means GATOR TIME!
Sorry, Charlie (Strong), but I'm all about the orange and blue.
Normality is restored: Florida beat Florida State in Tallahassee. Gators drink Gatorade. Seminoles drink Seminole fluid. YES!
I'm sad Notre Dame won, but at least the Gators took care of business...should be in a BCS bowl game. Nebraska won to secure its spot in Indianapolis. I was disappointed in Rutgers, but as long as they win Thursday, no harm done. I was more disappointed in Michigan. AP voters better not name them #1 after Notre Dame loses to Alabama...the Buckeyes played no one, and they played close games with all of those no ones - Cal? Purdue? Ugh. LAME!
Picks - RUTGERS beats Louisville at home. Kent State beats Northern Illinois to keep things interesting in the BCS. UCLA definitely lost the first game to Stanford on purpose to avoid playing Oregon, but I'm not sure they can beat Stanford anyway. I think they'll play a closer game this weekend, but I still think the Bruins will lose. Texas loses at Kansas State and the Wildcats secure their BCS bid. Alabama will beat Georgia.
The question is...if Kent State wins and UCLA loses, does Kent State move into the top 16 - and will they be ahead of a BCS conference winner? Hmm...we may still have a BCS buster in the mix. And if Kent State goes to a bowl game, does that mean the Sugar Bowl will pick the Big East winner? Because I don't want to see Florida-Rutgers.
On to basketball...Gators have a big one Thursday against Marquette...a rematch from the Sweet 16. Other games I'm looking forward to this week:
11/27 - UNC/Indiana & NC State Indiana
11/28 - Duke/Ohio Stte
11/29 - Notre Dame/Kentucky
12/1 - Baylor/Kentucky & San Diego State/UCLA
No basketball teams stand out as dominant....could be an interesting basketball season with many surprises!
Or maybe we eat Pop-Tarts, I'm not sure. But last night the Gators sure feasted on Bo Ryan's squad. Erik Murphy was fantastic. Rosario looked a lot more comfortable. It was a reassuring game for me considering the Gators don't typically play very well at the start of season. But I'm pleased so far with the 2.5-0 start. Yes, I'm giving us .5 for the half we won against Georgetown - don't judge me.
Breakfast of Champions
As for football....Gators, seriously, what's wrong with you? You have to show up for EVERY game. That was completely pathetic. Louisiana-Lafayette probably considers that a victory. You better plan on blowing out Jacksonville State...even with Brissett. Driskel may not be the best QB in the world, but he's a million times better than Brantley, and I think has proved to be better than Brissett. Get well soon, Jeff. As for Rutgers, it was a slow start, but they won the game, even though I maintain that the game effectively did not matter. Now that Louisville lost, Rutgers can lose a conference game before beating Louisville tand still get its bid to a BCS bowl game. Rah Rah! I posed a question about ice cream last week. It's been more than a decade since I've had ice cream at Penn State (that's scary), so I'm giving the edge to Nebraska's Dairy Store...based on the fact that I was there this year - and I'm somewhat swayed by Nebraska beating Penn State on the football field.
Yes, Nebraska has Sweet Corn Ice Cream
Alabama looked awful against Texas A&M. Nothing else surprised me. On to this weekend...not many good games. I'll pick UCLA over USC. FSU is looking ahead to Florida and plays a closer than expected game with Maryland, but wins. Oregon beats Stanford. Oklahoma State edges Texas Tech due to home field advantage. Wisconsin beats Ohio State - Over/under on how many hours it takes Meyer to fake a heart attack after that one? Rutgers wins a close one at Cincinnati. Nebraska beats Minnesota. Florida better destroy Jacksonville state.
Basketball...all I can say so far is Kentucky, Kansas and Michigan State are all overrated. Also, FSU sucks. We once again have a situation where no teams appear to be dominant. Could make for a fun postseason, but I'm now afraid of losing a talented player like Patric Young to the NBA early...I don't think he'll be quite ready at the end of the season, but with lack of talent in the draft, we may see No. 4 leave Gainesville.
Well, Florida vs. Missouri wasn't the greatest Gator game of all time, but I sure did miss being in The Swamp. It was great to make my return - even if the nightlife scene in Gainesville got a little weird. The Gators won though, and I had a wonderful weekend in sunny Florida after Hurricane Sandy hit New York. Now we're dealing with a snowstorm.
I didn't watch too many games this past weekend, but I will make a few points: Alabama is better than LSU (I'm glad Alabama won - they need to win out and Georgia needs to beat Auburn despite what most casual fans seem to think. I'd rather play in the Sugar Bowl than lose in the SEC Championship....see my last blog post.) Pittsburgh is terrible/Notre Dame is the luckiest team ever. USC is not good. Nebraska likes to scare me with these last-minute comebacks.
Just a few picks this week for football...Stanford beats Oregon State. Picking Virginia to beat Miami (really don't know why). Alabama rolls. TCU plays a close one...would love to see an upset there. LSU beats Miss State. Oregon will struggle at Cal but win. You'll see. Rutgers will beat Army. Nebraska will beat Penn State (bigger question here - which school has the better ice cream?). Florida will win its homecoming game over Louisiana-Lafayette.
And now...I must mention that my favorite time of year begins Friday: COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEASON!!!!!!!!!! So excited to see NCAA hoops. I'm not sure if the Gators will be as good as last year, but I can't wait to find out. Some games I'm looking forward to in the next week....
Of course, the Nov 14 game has special significance to me because my brother went to Wisconsin. I will have to DVR the game of course....and not just because I won't be home to watch it, but mostly because I know I'll fall asleep trying to watch Wisconsin play basketball, and I'll need to be able to resume the game when I wake up. Final score? 64-42 Gators. I know what you're thinking: the Gators have too much offense to score only 64 points! But I'm accounting for the Gators taking a nap on the court the last 15 minutes of the game. Besides, the Gators never have their chemistry set early in the season. It takes a couple months for them to really warm up.
