Kicked in the Nuts

Hello All,

Let’s just get right in to it. Back in the Sports Den for the first time since the Oklahoma game, here comes the running diary for the Clemson game. As always, this is taken from notes I made as the game went along, and unless otherwise noted I have recopied them as they were taken.

PRE GAME• Well, at Noon all three pickers on College Gameday picked us to win. Not a great start to the day. Really, that’s always a no-win situation. If they pick against us, I get mad that we get no respect. If they pick us, I get mad and think that they jinxed us. It really is a terrible way to go through life.
• From my friend who knows things: “Coop says he is feeling 100%.” We shall see…
• And on the call today, Dave Lamont and Brian Griese. Wait, Brian Griese?!?!? When did this happen. Also, he literally sounds exactly like his dad. If they did the Pepsi Challenge with those two voices, I honestly would not be able to tell them apart at all. It is almost creepy.

1st QTR• Miami manages to avoid disaster on the kickoff, where Jacoby Ford and C.J. Spiller, the final two legs of Clemson’s 4x100 relay team, await. Exhales all around.
• And Clemson marches right on down the field, aided by Miami’s refusal to blitz. Again. This is getting to the point of being ridiculous. Let’s go through this logically. John Lovett and Randy Shannon probably think that it is too risky to blitz because our corners cannot be trusted to cover on an island. Ok, fine. That means that you believe your front four can get pressure on its own. In fact, for this to work, the front four HAS to get pressure on their own. Otherwise, the quarterback sits back for as long as he wants and the corners, who are not on an island, have to cover a receiver for 4-8 seconds. Without drawing a pass interference call. The problem: OUR FRONT FOUR DOESN’T GENERATE PRESSURE. EVER. Both coaches should have to write this on the blackboard 100 times before every game. It is the most inherently flawed defensive strategy I have ever seen. One of the basic tenets of football is that in order to win defensively, you have to pressure the quarterback. Look at the FSU game, where Christian Ponder dissected us for 59 minutes, until we sent three straight blitzes on the goal line and he couldn’t complete the game winning pass. Or the UCF game, where every time we sent a blitz we got a sack or forced an incompletion (with one exception). Kyle Parker is a good quarterback, but he is a freakin’ first year starter. Remember how lost Marve and Jacory looked last year against the blitz? Well, I don’t think that this kid is too much better than either of those guys. And yet, he looks like John Bleepin’ Elway with five seconds to sit in the pocket on every play. This is going to bite us in the ass. Big time.
• Clemson finishes the drive with a missed field goal. My excitement over this is immediately quelled when ABC announces Daryl Sharpton as an impact player for Miami. Really? This guy is too slow to do anything but play up in the box against the run. He can’t cover. He doesn’t go sideline to sideline well. And yet, he is an impact player? I am so confused it hurts. That’s not to say he isn’t very good in his role. But I just can’t fathom choosing him as an impact player over Allen Bailey, Colin Mccarthy, Sean Spence or even Joe Joseph.
• Miami starts with the ball and Leonard Hankerson makes a spectacular one handed catch. That is three highlight reel catches for him so far this season. Who’d have thunk it? Hankerson then makes a big catch to convert a third down. Jacory goes back to Hank on another third down, only the pass is off target, Hank tips it, and Clemson picks it off. Well, so much for all that momentum.
• Miami goes offside twice on the same drive, and probably three times (Olivier Vernon got away with one at one point). However, they rebound, and a series of penalties and bad plays puts Clemson in to 3rd and 49.
• Miami gets the ball back and Thearon Collier sets up a Bosher field goal. (3-0 UM)

2nd QTR• Clemson starts marching again, except Colin McCarthy (the defensive MVP of the first half) rips through the line, destroys Spiller and seperates him from the ball, which Andrew Smith recovers. First down ‘Canes!
• Miami goes 3 and out, and Clemson responds by marching down the field and scoring a touchdown on a pass to their tight end. (7-3 Clemson)
• Miami then gets the ball back and drives down the field, highlighted by a big Hankerson catch on 3rd down which then sets the ‘Canes up to score moments later on a Damien Berry run. (10-7 UM)
• Two notes on this. First, I love that they are recognizing Berry’s talents and making him the short yardage go-to back. He has a burst unlike that of Cooper and James, and he has a nose for the end zone. Second, this is when I should have gotten the feeling that this was going to be a bumpy, roller coaster ride. But I didn’t. It took me until after the following play…
• C.J. Spiller returns the kickoff, which was supposed to be squibbed, for a touchdown. (14-10 Clemson) That makes every game this season that Spiller has had a play of at least 55 yards. And that’s who we let beat us. The one guy that we couldn’t let beat us. And the frustrating part. After the game, we learned that Shannon had actually called the squib and Alex Uribe just forgot to squib it. YOU FORGOT?!?! Excuse me? Your one job is KICKOFF specialist. How do you forget to squib it??????
• Inside of a minute in the half, Coop rips off a long run and puts Miami in field goal range. Now, Miami can spike the ball, take a couple shots at the touchdown and still kick the field goal if worst comes to worst, all because they have a timeout left…
• Which Whipple promptly takes. This was a bad enough timeout call that Shannon, king of the bad timeout, has words with him on the sideline. Yikes.
• Jacory misses Jimmy Graham in the end zone, then, on the last shot before the field goal try, does the unthinkable and throws a terrible interception. Snarl.

HALFTIME
• Up to this point, the offense has been very blah. I have to imagine that this is Whipple lulling everyone to sleep so that he can hit ‘em hard in the second half. I hope.
• The defense, as I have said, is fine except for the lack of blitz. It is ridiculous how much better this d is when we send one extra guy. It goes from 0% effective to about 90% effective with one blitzer. ONE.
• Special teams…well…not very special.

3rd QTR• Miami gets the ball to start the second half and begins driving. Two big plays by Epps set up a Hankerson TD! (17-14 UM) Now that’s more like it. Miami looks like they are going to come out and stomp on Clemson’s throat early. Bring it on.
• Sharpton makes a big play on D (just to make me look dumb). Miami then gets the ball back and punts. On Clemson’s drive, the refs miss a terrible block in the back on a reverse before Parker finds Spiller WIDE OPEN down the sideline for a 60 yard touchdown. (21-17 Clemson) Spiller beat Sean Spence on the play, who was injured early in the game and limping on this play. Well, that’s twice their stud has beaten us for long scores. And Spence looks like he’s hurt pretty good. What a Shit Burger of a play that was.
• Miami gets the ball back, and Thearon Collier makes another nice play before trying to do too much and fumbling it back to Clemson. Fantastic stuff.
• Clemson is driving when Allen Bailey busts through the line for something like the 147th time this game and forces a fumble…which Marcus Robinson scoops up…and returns for a TOUCHDOWN! (24-21 UM)
• That was the play of the game. It had to be. There is no way Clemson bounces back from that. Oh, and this is interesting. Randy Phillips got flagged for taking his helmet off. Fifty yards behind the play. As he walked on to the sideline. Think that would happen to Major Wright? I say nay.
• Clemson then marches right back down the field and nearly goes back ahead, only a wide open running back drops a pass near the goal line. Clemson kicks a field goal after a big pass breakup by Brandon Harris. (24-24)

4th QTR• Miami starts with the ball and converts a 3rd and 14 on a great route by Laron Byrd for 15 yards. He is easily Miami’s best receiver. Easily. And yet that is his only catch of the day. I have given up on figuring this team out.
• Baby J then rips off a 45 yard run. However, the drive fizzles and Bosher kicks a field goal from 51 yards out. (27-24 UM)
• I officially am ready to be done with this game. I have had more ups and downs than the Lohan family up to this point. Seriously. Stop the ride, I want off.
• Arthur Brown makes a great play in kick coverage to pin Clemson at about the 15 yard line.
• Clemson hits a screen to their tight end, who then gets crushed on the play. Seriously, Sharpton hit him so hard while he was airborne that his body went completely rigid mid air. This is the type of hit that makes you forget how good a game it is and just pray the kid is able to function the next day. Also, it is a mark of just how good the game is that his teammates, huddled around him on the ground, are watching the JumboTron to make sure that he was down before the ball popped out (which he was).
• Miami gets called for their 4th offside penalty of the game before making a big stand and forcing the punt.
• Jacory decides it would be too easy to actually put some distance between the two teams and throws a Pick 6. (31-27 Clemson)
• My stomach is angry with me for picking this team to root on. Very angry.
• Jacory comes back out for the next drive and immediately hits Travis Benjamin for a 69 YARD TOUCHDOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (34-31 UM) And this is why we love this kid… it’s like he thrives on this. Also, this is something like the 34th lead change of the game.
• Spiller rips off a 48 yard run. Stein on the Sidelines sees his house of cards crumbling.
• DVD makes a big hit (what?!) and then Randy Phillips does the unthinkable and picks off Parker in the end zone!!!
• Clemson only has one timeout left. All Miami has to do is pick up one first down and this thing is essentially over. So what does Miami do? Obviously, they pull Patrick Nix out of the unemployment line for this drive and run up the gut to minimal effect three straight times. Great. Almost no time off the clock, no first down, and punting back too an offense that has moved the ball at will. Where was Berry on this drive? If you’re going to run, don’t you think you should be running with the most explosive guy on your roster this late?
• Clemson predictably marches down the field, converts a 4th and 1 and kicks the field goal to send it in to overtime. I am actually relieved that they didn’t score a touchdown. (34-34)

OVERTIME
• Clemson wins the toss and elects to go on defense. Literal reaction in the Sports Den: “F#################KKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!”
• Coop rips off a 19 yard run on the first play of overtime. First and Goal on the 6. This is exactly what we wanted. Whipple is made for this.
• Two terrible run plays and a dangerous, “what was Jacory thinking” pass later, Bosher kicks a field goal. (37-34 UM)
• The defense valiantly puts Clemson in 3rd and 11…before Parker finds Ford (from Belle Glade) for the winning touchdown on a slant route into the gaping hole in the middle of the field. Marcus Robinson is held on the play, but it isn’t called. Clemson wins, 40-37

The Day After• Yep, it still hurt when I woke up. This was the ultimate “kicked in the balls” loss. I can’t even begin to describe how spent I am, mostly emotionally. so many times this game should have been won, and yet Clemson kept sticking around. And just when it looked like Miami might claw their way out of this thing...boom, right in the nuts.
• This game was lost by the coaches, and I rarely say that. They played not to lose, as opposed to playing for the win. The lack of blitzing is the reason Clemson stuck around, as they were able to continually march on the defense. Listen, the D showed a lot of heart and made some huge stops. But they were on the field for entirely too long, and they were forced to sit back and react to what was happening as opposed to forcing the issue, which is what this defense really excels at.
• The specific point where Miami lost was after the Phillips interception, when Whipple called a run play on 3rd and short that got stuffed. No play action? No roll out? No misdirection? No anything? That was the point where you put the ball in the hands of your best player, Jacory, and tell him to go win. And Whipple choked.
• The players actually seemed like they could have done more if the staff had let them; they played with a lot of heart. McCarthy was everywhere, yet we rarely blitzed him. Jacory had time to throw all day, mostly because the o-line was great. And yet, we chose to run both late in regulation and in overtime. Again, this one goes on the coaching staff.
• This was especially tough because it was the first game of its kind all season: Miami expected to win against a good team. It’s the type of game that elite teams find a way to win. At the beginning of the season, I thought Miami was a 3 or 4 loss team. But I guess I got sucked in by the early success and raised my expectations. This is both a good and bad thing. It’s good because Miami should be expected to contend for titles every year. It is bad because it makes you lose sight of the fact that this is still a young, thing, injury-ridden team. There were a lot of positives in this game, but it is hard to recognize that when you should have won the game and didn’t. Miami now has two options. Win out, play in a decent bowl game against a decent opponent and prepare for a big run next season. Or, they can do what most ACC teams do and play mediocre football, play in a mediocre bowl and have mediocre expectations for next season. Honestly, I am not sure what will happen. The overreaction is that this team is terrible and Randy Shannon should be fired. There will be plenty of that. The under reaction is that everything is just fine and Clemson just got the better of us. There will be plenty of this as well. Personally, I think that this is still a good team with good coaches who have some adjustments to make. Winning out is totally doable, with some tough road tests left along the way that will test the young team’s mettle. There is a lot of talent here, and eventually the coaches will figure out how to best use it game in and game out. However, the players cannot lose sight of the fact that every week is a test, and they have no time to stay down about this loss because next week Wake Forest is going to be ready for a dogfight. As Shannon said today, it is up to the coaches to pick the team back up from the aftermath of this game and get them re-focused on the task at hand.

Other Games I Watched- UTEP vs. Tulsa: This just made Boise look pretty bad. Not as bad as UTEP’s uniforms, however.
- UNC vs. FSU: Great finish for FSU, let’s hope they can build on it, save Bowden’s job and beat Florida.
- Rutgers vs. Army: Army has a 6’10”, 285 lb receiver. Let me repeat: Army has a 6’10”, 285 lb receiver. Is it any wonder the lose?
- Ohio State vs. Minnesota: I feel like I have watched every Minnesota game this season. Thanks ESPN!
- Ole Miss vs. Arkansas: To reiterate a previous point: Arkansas blows. They are terrible. Their receivers suck. Their quarterback sucks. Their coach sucks. They just suck. Also, reverse jinx accomplished.
- Virginia vs. Georgia Tech: Well, at least Tech keeps making us look good for beating them.
Best Game: Miami vs. Clemson

Best Uniform: LSU white on yellow.

Game Ball Goes To: C.J. Spiller.

Worst Uniform: Mississippi State. All maroon. Yikes.On a related note, I saw "Milk" for the first time this weekend. Brilliant movie about a brilliant man. And Anita Bryant? Scary. That was only thirty years ago. REALLY scary.

Trojan Enz © Boner of the Week Award: Mark Whipple

Brian Rolle “Should’ve Been a ‘Cane” Award: Jacoby Ford. Need I say more?

Non-BCS Name You Should Know: The 6’10”, 285 lb. ARMY RECEIVER! If only I could remember his name…

And, as always, remember to guard the inbound passer.

Clemson: Kind of Like That Chick From Entourage

Hello All,

Welcome to what is possibly the most confusing week of any team’s season: the week they play Clemson.

Clemson is kind of like the Alexis Dziena of the college football world. Every time I see Alexis on the screen, I have an internal debate. I know she is supposed to be hot; otherwise, she wouldn’t be on screen. Half the time she is gorgeous. However, the other half the time she is debatably attractive; some might say categorically unattractive. Sometimes, she looks like the freshman in high school who has potential but hasn’t realized her potential yet so she dates down to raise her self esteem. That, in a nutshell, is Clemson: Great one week, unfulfilled and kind of trashy the next.

Example: Clemson struggled to beat Middle Tennessee State, fell behind three early scores to Georgia Tech only to rally for the near-win, beat Boston College, lost a close game to TCU, lost to Maryland, and then beat Wake Forest.

In their two marquee games, they played well but lost. They beat BC and Wake, but there’s also the loss to Maryland. That makes them 2-1 in the games they were supposed to win and 0-2 in the ones they weren’t supposed to. They are more unpredictable than Zeta Tau Alpha.

Why is this confusing? Because I have watched them play and they are undeniably talented. They hit big plays and have two of the nation’s elite playmakers in Jacoby Ford and C.J. Spiller. They are the underdog in this one, and they have not won in that role yet; however, they have acquitted themselves well by keeping it close with Top 15 programs. They always play Miami tough; Miami, however, has responded remarkably well in the spotlight this season.

Miami is 2-0 in the games they were supposed to win and 3-1 as an underdog. However, they have played every game under the lights but the Virginia Tech game, and we all know how that turned out.

Like I said, confusing.

The game plan to beat the Tigers seems to be to force quarterback Kyle Parker to beat you. He is completing less than 50% of his passes, and as many have said, is overly reliant on the big play. Further, Clemson has struggled to get Ford and Spiller the ball at times, and that cannot happen if they want to win.

On defense, their front seven is fast and physical. Here is another area of confusion: Miami stood up very well to Oklahoma’s vaunted front 7 but struggled last week with UCF’s blitz. Clemson is closer to Oklahoma, but HAD to have seen the Knights tape. Again, I am absolutely at a loss as to my expectations.

And, as we seem to say every week, the game could come down to special teams, where the Tigers have Ford and Spiller lurking and the ‘Canes have struggled in coverage.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Clemson Week!

BREAKDOWNS:

QB: Jacory has been great, but cannot turn the ball over here. He will be seeing man coverage, which will be easier to pick apart than the zones he has struggled at times to beat. Parker is struggling for Clemson, and if John Lovett is smart, Miami will be blitzing early and often. EDGE: Miami

RB: Stats may not say it, but Javarris James, Graig Cooper and Damien Berry have taken turns as highly effective runners for Miami. Clemson features the duo of Spiller and Ellington, both of whom are explosive. They also have former Miami recruit Jamie Harper in reserve. Spiller reminds me a lot of Michael Goodson from the 2007 and 2008 Texas A&M teams, who Miami was able to contain reasonably well. EDGE: Even

Receivers: Ford is explosive, but Parker is erratic. The ‘Canes, on the other hand, will have all hands on deck and ready to go with the return of Aldarious Johnson. EDGE: Miami

Offensive Line: Matt Pipho will struggle for the ‘Canes against the Clemson front, so the key will be helping by chipping with either a tight end or a fullback when the ‘Canes pass. Again, just like Oklahoma, the ‘Canes should be in max protect, as the receiving corps will be able to get open against man coverage (meaning the use of three receivers instead of five is just fine). EDGE: Clemson

Defensive Line: The Tigers feature DeQuan Bowers and Ricky Sapp, two elite defensive ends. The Hurricanes have plenty of good players but have been hit by the injury bug and have not been as productive as might be hoped. EDGE: Clemson

Linebacker: Both teams have solid units. Sean Spence and Colin McCarthy are playing like men on a mission for the ‘Canes, and Clemson is lead by Brandon Maye. EDGE: Even

Secondary: Miami is at an advantage because Parker struggles, but look for Ford to make a big play or two (unless Brandon Harris plays the best game of his career). Meanwhile, the Tigers are taking their man coverage against a quarterback with deadly accuracy and an arsenal of receivers. EDGE: Miami

Special Teams: Ford and Spiller have the Tigers in the Top 10 in the nation in both kick and punt returns. ‘Nuff said. EDGE: Clemson

Coaching: Shannon and crew actually have a pretty solid edge over Dabo Swinney and staff. EDGE: Miami

THIS WEEK’S GUEST

After Rachel broke the streak last week, I present to you Trent Mullins, born and bred Southerner who will try and keep the ball rollin’:

"As one of the 6 people who read this blog, let me just first and foremost express what an honor it is to be selected to make the celebrity pick this week for Stein on the Sidelines. I know he typically calls it a “guest” pick, but not this week.

Not many great matchups on the slate this week in CFB. College GameDay is in Provo for the TCU Horned Ladainian Tomlinson Went Heres vs. the BYU Big Love Morman Weirdo Cougars….Herbstreit could/should have 6 new wives by the time he leaves.

Needless to say, I think that Auburn v. LSU may actually be the best matchup of the week. I have been a resident in SEC country my entire life, and it is by far the best football conference in America. From the tailgates all the way to the radio shows. It’s not even close. Seriously. Sorry Stein on the Sidelines.

Before I make a pick and throw a score out there, let’s take a look at the recent history of the matchup and some fun facts
• Both schools share the Tiger as their mascot. Auburn for some reason also has a “War Eagle” as their mascot. It’s been explained to me as “Dude, the Tiger is our mascot but ‘War Eagle’ is our battle cry”….I guess that makes sense to them.

• Either Auburn or LSU has won at least a share of the SEC Western Division championship for five of the last six years

• The home team won every game from 2000-2007, until LSU beat Auburn on the road last year

• This has been one of the best games in the SEC the last 2 years. With both being decided by game-winning TDs in the waning seconds. Both by LSU.

• LSU had won 4,367 consecutive home night games before losing a tough one to Florida two weeks ago, and they should have lost to UGA the week before had the referees not intervened in one of the most heinously bad/unnecessary/WTF were they thinking calls I have ever seen.

• Auburn hadn’t had an impressive road W since 2007 until it beat Tennessee and Lane Kiffin (and his boner inducing wife) in Neyland Stadium 3 weeks ago…They have since lost 2 in a row, but they always play well in Baton Rouge.

I think the game is going to come down to QB play (like most games do). Jordan Jefferson and LSU certainly have more offensive weapons, but Jordan Jefferson is terrible. He is another perfect example of college coaches searching for the next Vince Young. This applies to Senator Tressel in Columbus as well. Just being big, black, athletic, and quick DOES NOT instantly make you a good quarterback. I’m sure Jefferson will have a fine career in Baton Rouge. He is still young. But as of now, I have to give the QB edge to Auburn and Chris Todd. 12 TDs v. 2 INTs. A certain upgrade from Brandon Cox and Kodi Burns. Auburn’s RB, Ben Tate, is no slouch either.

Now I’m going to completely contradict everything I just said and predict LSU the winner. And here’s why:
• Some of my friends (who happened to go to Auburn) made the journey to Baton Rouge in 2007 for the game. They are girls so they wouldn’t be able to tell me anything about the actual game itself, but they didn’t need to. I had heard enough. A 65 year old woman sitting in front of them, spent the entire game turned around in her seat heckling these poor girls with incoherent, Cajun, expletive laced tirades, all while throwing popcorn on them every few minutes. These are the grown-up LSU fans.
• Upon leaving the stadium after LSU’s late come-from-behind victory, they witnessed what is either the most hilarious or most horrifying thing I have ever heard of. I’ll let you be the judge. An LSU young fraternity man (Lets call him Jimbo), clearly excited about the game’s outcome, spots a 60-70 year old Auburn fan, holding hands with his wife, walking towards him. Clearly irate at the disrespect this old man was showing him by quietly walking to the car with his wife, Jimbo proceeds to walk in front of this couple take his Solo cup full of beer and chuck it at the elderly AU fans, striking the man upper chest/neck area, spilling beer all over them and yelling “F*** You!”….

4,367 consecutive home night games. Look it up if you don’t believe me. I think Jimbo’s a 7th year Senior this year. This one kicks at 7:30 PM…

LSU 17 – Auburn 10

EDITOR’S NOTE: Thanks Trent. However, here is where I have to disagree. I know the SEC is probably the best conference, but the fact that everyone considers it a foregone conclusion is ridiculous this season. I say this mostly because of the referees, which have completely taken away most of the conference’s credibility for this season.

Shall we take a look?

Warning, this will get lengthy.

Today the SEC suspended a referee crew based on their glaring miscues in two games. The two games were the matchups between Georgia and LSU and Florida and Arkansas.

In the Georgia/LSU game, the referees called a phantom celebration personal foul late with about a minute left on Georgia’s go-ahead score. The resulting longer kickoff meant LSU started with the ball at about midfield. Of course, LSU scored, won the game and preserved their undefeated record to set up a Top 5, marquee showdown with Florida 2 weeks later.

This was a bad call that changes the shape of the season for both teams. But it never had me questioning the legitimacy of the conference. Until I thought about it yesterday, after the SEC apologized for the SAME CREW’s mistake in the UF/Arkansas game I made fun of last column.

There were two bad penalties back to back, a personal foul called on an Arkansas lineman who was bracing himself from the charge a Gator lineman made at him (the one the conference apologized for) and a pass interference call which essentially hand delivered the Gators the score (admittedly, pass interference is the worst called penalty in sports and seems to always be made at the worst time, no matter the conference). This, coupled with the fact that Arkansas was called for 10 penalties compared to the Gators’ 3 (in a fast, physical SEC game) really got me thinking though.

Doesn’t it make sense for the SEC to have a bias toward their top 3 programs, which this year are Alabama, Florida and LSU? Don’t you think that the SEC officials probably are told ahead of time “if it’s close, lean toward the big guys”? This is the most corrupt conference in football at other levels, featuring pay-for-play scandals, street agents and felons playing for just about every team. The LSU win set up the marquee matchup two weeks later, and the Florida win kept the Gators the #1 team in the country.

Now think about this: what if those two borderline at best judgment calls don’t get made? Georgia and Arkansas both realistically win the games, as they had all the momentum to those points. After the LSU game, you would have Florida at 1, Alabama at 2 and the next best team, Georgia, right around 10th (assuming they would have moved up 7 spots, which seems to be the typical move for a win like that). Then, two weeks later Florida beats an LSU team probably ranked 11th or 12th, but a 10 point margin probably is not enough to keep them ahead of Alabama, who crushed Ole Miss, a Top 20 team at the time. Now you have Alabama #1, Florida #2 and the third ranked team as LSU, who is now probably right around #10 (remember, Georgia gets drilled by Tennessee…it wasn’t even close enough to think they might have won with the confidence built from the LSU win). Then, after Florida loses to Arkansas, they probably drop to right around 9 or 10. So you have Alabama as #1 (and rightfully so), LSU at #8 and Florida at #9. That is still the best conference in football, but how much better is it than, say, the ACC (a terrible conference in my opinion), who has Miami at #7 in this scenario, Georgia Tech at #10 and Virginia Tech at #14?

The scary thing is to think of all the close games in the SEC that may have been influenced one way or the other by questionable calls. The SEC is the best conference in the country, but if they use the referees to manipulate that ranking, will we ever know? The problem with conferences like the ACC and the Big East is that the teams cannibalize each other, and no one is immune. Well, if the refs in the ACC (who are terrible in every game anyway and usually err against Miami at the worst time possible) started protecting the interest of Miami, Florida State and Virginia Tech (the three traditional ACC powers) in every close game, don’t you think they would be Top 10 teams every season?

I’m not trying to say that there is a conspiracy; merely, I am stating that it seems rather convenient the way things have played out in what has so far been a mediocre season of college football, even for the SEC. And maybe the SEC isn’t as great as everyone thinks.

MY PICKS

Last week was better, as I went 5-3 to improve to 16-23 (ouch). I also went to 0-5 in upset specials. Here is this week’s carnage:

Alabama over Tennessee: This will be closer than you would think, like the UF-UT game. But Alabama is just too much football team for anyone right now.

Florida State over North Carolina: On Thursday night, the ‘Noles finally will show up and win an ACC game. On the road. Against a better team. I have no rhyme nor reason for saying this. Is this a mercy pick? This might be a mercy pick. It feels like it is…is FSU really that bad? I’m not even upset. I feel bad for them. Wow. Well, at least I will want to murder every student at their school again next season. It’s the little things…

Georgia Tech over Virginia: In what has actually become an important game. I think the annual Al Groh “Listen guys, we need to win a lot of games or I am getting canned and don’t think that means that you will keep your scholarship because you probably won’t” Campaign stalls here. By the way, is the ACC the 2nd best conference right now (knock on wood knock on wood knock on wood knock on wood knock on wood)? The Big 12 sucks outside of Texas and the hard luck Sooners, the Big 10 always sucks, the Pac 10 is really only USC and Oregon, and the Big East is Cincinnati and a bunch of interchangeable parts. Who saw that coming? I still think the ACC champion, whoever it might be, will lose at least once more. But this is a weird season.

Arkansas over Ole Miss: Sorry Bill (a little reverse jinx perhaps?).

Boston College Over Notre Dame: They said more Hail Marys this week…ba dum cha!

Oklahoma over Kansas: In the least upsetting upset ever. I don’t like this Oklahoma team and don’t even feel bad for them for losing Bradford for the season (who I like). But does anyone really think they’re losing this game? Also, I just picked four straight road teams. I noticed this as I was typing. Maybe I should be the one saying the Hail Marys…

USC over Oregon State: They got their token loss to a weakling out of their system already.

Texas over Missouri: Because their defense is just too good to justify the upset special pick. But don’t worry, it’s coming.

USF over Pitt: Again, no clue why, I’m just going with my gut.

Wake over Navy: Because I know you all care. Wake wins just to make Stein on the Sidelines more nervous about next week’s game.

UPSET SPECIAL: BYU over TCU

Yes, it’s a cop out. Not that big an upset. Picking the home team. But I need to break the five game losing streak for my upset special, and I am sick of everyone talking about TCU and Boise State. So why not kill 1.5 birds with 1 stone?

Always guard the inbound passer.