Posted on 09/24/2009 2:43:43 AM PDT by GOP_Raider
Do you ever stop and wonder what it is about this great game of college football that keeps you watching, that keeps you going to games and reading this, the FR College Football Live Thread every week? Surely I can allow my own ego to run amok here and say that certainly you must come back here every single Saturday because you're wondering who I'll make fun of each week, and let's face it. Anytime you have the opportunity to have a few laughs at Joe Biden's expense, you're doing your fellow man a wonderful service that no government program could possibly provide.
But aside from school pride, civic pride, even state pride (or you simply couldn't stand your coworker's constant crowing about his beloved school so you decided to wager a case of beer on his team's fall from grace), I pose a thought to you as we go into the fourth week of the season. Aside from the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, what is more unique to America than the game of college football? Ponder that for a moment. A marching band at Wembley Stadium doesn't dot an "i" in "Great Britan. The ChiComs produce a lot of things in this economy on the cheap, but they're probably not going to produce an SEC champion and you can't go between the hedges in Norway--though you can go between some fjords, so score one for the Norweigans. No other nation on this spherical creation has the Red River Shootout or the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Yes, there are things you and I probably might get annoyed with certain aspects of the game, above all, it's a truly American phenomenon and it's ours.
Now to the business at hand. We have nearly completed one month of the season and already we've had amazing array of compelling games, upsets galore, and a few teams that are on their way back to restoring their former glory. Let's get to this week's games:
Ole Miss vs. South Carolina (Tonight, 7:30 pm) Both the Rebels and the Gamecocks had an easy time in their victories last week, but I don't believe that's the story here. If there's any sort of evidence that the schools in the SEC do indeed play a treacherous conference slate (thereby justifying their much weaker nonconference opponents), this game might be Exhibit A in that justification. Just when you think that it's going to be a cakewalk for the Rebels going 5-0 into their epic showdown against Alabama in a few weeks, there's a resurgent Steven Garcia and a Carolina team ready for ambush in Williams-Brice Stadium. By the way, you Clemson fans are going to hate me for doing this, but I still happen to think this is one of the more intense team entrances in all of sport.
Missouri vs. Nevada (Friday, 9:00 pm) While the Tigers may not have had people thinking that the Big XII champion might actually come out of the North division this year, a lot of prognosticators amateur and professional in my half of the country did think that the Wolf Pack would be able to pick off a nonconference win here and there and possibly challenge Boise State for the WAC crown. Thus far, that hasn't happened. Even though this one is being played at the friendly confines of Mackay Stadium, it doesn't get any easier for the Pack as the Tigers appeared to have rebounded after a embarrassing near defeat two weeks ago to Bowling Green.
LSU vs. Mississippi State (High Noon)Hey do you ever wonder how good the Bulldogs could have been if their offense had been just a little bit better? Would Sylvester Croom still be employed? Would we still hear the whines from the state run media about their affirmative action in stealth concerning this burning desire for "African-American" coaches? But at least MSU can still run the ball, albeit against a gritty Vanderbilt squad last week. That may not be the case this week against the Bayou Bengals, who have the kind of defense to make this look more like a score that could be for a birth in the College World Series than an SEC football game.
Fresno State vs. Cincinnati (High Noon) We here at GOP_Raider are fully aware of the fact that it's not everyday we get to say nice things about the Big East. Your status as a BCS conference has been called into question on numerous occasions and we often wonder if the folks at the BCS forgot that Miami is now in the ACC instead of the Big East. But all of the sudden, there's the defending Big East champion Bearcats sitting pretty at 3-0 after escaping Corvallis with a solid win against Oregon State. The Bearcats also held a talented Jacquizz Rodgers to under 100 yards last week and this week they'll get the Official FR Hometown Team. The Dogs threw just about everything they had at nationally ranked Boise State last week and it wasn't enough. The question surrounding FSU just might be "what will it take for Pat Hill to still be employed by year's end?"
Southern Miss vs. Kansas (High Noon) You all will note that last week I had to forcibly restrain myself from making the comment that "Coach K and the Blue Devils go into Allen Fieldhouse to take on the Jayhawks", because that's the easy wisecrack. I do have some comedic integrity, I mean I don't write for the Daily Show so I have that going for me. Anyway, the debate over whether the Jayhawks are overrated or underrated at this point in the season rages on, but in the interim, KU keeps winning football games. After the Blue Devils went up 7-0 last week, Todd Reesing and Jake Sharp took over and it was a laugher from there. The Golden Eagles are next and they also happen to be at 3-0 after beating Virginia last Saturday. Does USM have enough of a pass rush to pressure Reesing and keep KU's electric offense grounded? (See, this is why I don't go for the easy jokes on this thread. Anybody can write about going to Lawrence and seeing a basketball game break out. When you're coming up with keeping an electric offense grounded, that's when you know you're in the zone. You come to this thread for the analysis, but stay for the jokes!)
Indiana vs. Michigan (High Noon) Consider if you will a possible scenario for the Maize and Blue. Sandwiched in between home dates against Indiana and Delaware State are Iowa in Iowa City and the annual slugfest against Michigan State in East Lansing. Are you looking at that slate of games and saying "I say that's a team that should be 7-0 after those particular games?" Oh, sure, Tate Forcier probably could have really lit up Eastern Michigan, but I suppose some people always need something to worry over. And by either sheer coincidence--or the fact that they've played Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan, and Akron--the Hoosiers also storm into Ann Arbor at a spotless 3-0. Sadly for IU however, I don't think there's much a possibility for them to be 7-0 by the time the middle of October rolls around.
(For Biggirl and Man50D) Rhode Island vs. UConn (High Noon) Former Texas head coach Darrell Royal was once quoted as having said "three things can happen when you pass and two of them are bad". (Unless you're like me and remember Todd Marinovich's professional career where ten things could happen and every single one of them was bad). Given Royal's advice, sometimes it's simply better to run the ball and give the defense some rest, and that was enough for a win in Waco last week against Baylor. Jordan Todman and Andre Dixon both ran for over 100 yards each, and Baylor QB Robert Griffin was by and large held in check. This week, Rhode Island comes into beautiful Rentschler Field, which is the very last tuneup before Big East play begins in earnest in two weeks.
(For Bat_Chemist) South Florida vs. Florida State (High Noon) I never thought I would have the opportunity to quote the late Chris Farley, but I will do so here. "I've seen a lot of things in my day, but that...was...awesome!" With that out of the way, FSU hasn't really hasn't made a whole lot of genuine statements in the past several seasons, but this is surely one of the better ways to make one. Christian Ponder keeps humming right along and I don't think I've seen a Seminole defense play with that kind of speed and tenacity since I was in middle school. The Bulls of USF come into Doak Campbell Stadium, but they'll do so without the services of Matt Grothe, who I once referred to a few years ago as "the best QB in the State of Florida not named Tim Tebow".
UTEP vs. Texas (3:30 pm) Last week, the Longhorns didn't look like a team that has a chance to win a national championship. But then again, you don't necessarily have to look like a team that could win a national championship in order simply win a game, even if it is a conference game. But, Jordan Shipley got things rolling for UT with his punt return for a TD and Tre Newton ran 20 times and scored once. That along with enough plays and pressure defensively on Taylor Potts would be enough for the win and all is right with the world once again in the state capital. This week the UTEP Miners come to Austin and if you were curious about where exactly Mike Price ended up, well, he's still the fearless leader of Miner football. This will be a brutal two game stretch for UTEP, as they'll face the Longhorns this week and then take on nationally ranked Houston in El Paso next week.
Arkansas vs. Alabama (3:30 pm) In case you were wondering, no it was not my idea to sneak film of old WAC games of the 1980s throughout the film rooms of the SEC. Because that's what it seems like is going on. Despite the loss to Georgia, Razorback QB Ryan Mallett racked up 408 yards and 5 TDs of passing offense. No offense intended to UGA, but I do think the defense for the Tide might be able to contain this all of the sudden high octane offensive attack of the Hogs. Bama on the other hand has a pretty good offense of their own, with QB Greg McElroy now calling the signals and Mark Ingram coming out of the backfield. And if you're still wanting to argue with me about Ingram being the best RB in the country and not Jahvid Best, send me some FReepmail and I'll get back to you by Monday.
Cal vs. Oregon (3:30 pm) You thought the Ducks had been shot out of the water by week one, didn't you? (And shooting ducks while they're sitting on the water is illegal in most states, so don't do that.) Despite the four turnovers last week against UTAH, the Ducks have had a resurgence of sorts lead by RB LaMichael James and his 152 yards worth of rushing offense last week serving as the understudy to LeGarrette Blount. Now, Cal comes into Autzen to open up Pac-10 play. With the loss USC suffered last week (more on the Men or Troy later), this can go a long way as to finding out who has the best chance to take down the Trojans from their lofty pedestal. If Jeremiah Masoli can find a way to be a little more on target with his passes, this could be an offensive showcase for the ages.
(For Palmetto) TCU vs. Clemson (3:30 pm) Provided the good folks in Death Valley aren't asked to collect two of every animal for this one, we might see one of the better games of the ACC slate of games in this contest. Given the conditions and all, we'll forgive the Tigers for the underwhelming win last week against Boston College, with RB C.J. Spiller only running for 77 yards--in Spiller's defense, he did have a nice kickoff return and returned a punt for a score. Meanwhile, the Horned Frogs currently represent the final hope for the Mountain West to represent the conference in a BCS game this year. Even though the Frogs gave up 21 to their FCS opponent Texas State last week, that was the first time in nearly a full calendar year that the TCU gave up more than 20 points in a game (the last team to do that against the Frogs was Oklahoma). You Tigers out there will also want to keep an eye on All-American DE Jerry Hughes. Contain him and you are well on your way to a victory.
Florida vs. Kentucky (6:00 pm) Do you ever wonder what it is exactly that could get the Gators to run the table and repeat this year? Well, I don't because the reasons should be patently obvious, but I do happen to think the Gator D will rule the day more often than not this year. I've seen a lot of commentary from the state-run media out there calling this a moral victory for the Vols last week, but the relative competitiveness of last week's game reminded me of a game back in 2003, Urban's first year at UTAH...
It's November 22, and the Utes had a chance to clinch their first outright conference title in 46 seasons against the hated bastages from byU. Going into this game, the Cougs had the NCAA record for the most consecutive games without being shut out, a streak they were unusually proud of. Many throughout the state and this part of the country thought this game would be a blowout of mythic proportions. Well, before the game, it starts snowing. It continues to snow until about late in the 2nd quarter, when Ute kicker Bryan Borreson kicks a field goal to put the Utes ahead 3-0. Neither offense is really moving the ball all that well and with about 1 minute left, Ute running back Brandon Warfield (who was hurt earlier in the year against New Mexico) runs for a first down inside the Cougar 10 yard line. Rather than tack on another score, Urban decides to have Alex Smith kneel on the ball and win the game. Final score: Utes 3, Cougs 0. The moral of this story is that often it's more fun to give your hated rival a sense of hope after you don't play your best game and still win.
Colorado State vs. byU (6:00 pm) It's often a shame that much of America can't see Mountain West Conference games (unless you have DirecTV). Last season, the Cougars and Rams played a game that most would describe as a sterotypical "old" WAC/current MWC kind of game. Max Hall was hitting Dennis Pitta and Austin Collie and Rams RB Gartrelle Johnson scored early in the 4th quarter and got a celebratory chest bump from Miami Dolphin LB (and former CSU Ram) Joey Porter. It was sort of similar to what the Mad Stork, Ted Hendricks, said to Jim Plunkett during the 1980 AFC Championship Game: "Keep scoring, we can't stop 'em." This season the Rams are off to a pretty good 3-0 start, behind new Ram starting QB Grant Stucker and while RB John Mosure isn't going to remind a lot of people of Gartrelle Johnson, this is still a solid team. It won't be easy for the Cougars after getting beat rather soundly last week at home, but a good win against an up and coming opponent in CSU will restore some confidence.
Boise State vs. Bowling Green (7:00 pm) Sometimes when a team loses a player such as a top running back, it's a devastating blow to the offense. In the case of the Broncos and D.J. Harper however, it really doesn't matter. Jeremy Avery did a more than serviceable job last week in the big victory at Fresno State and at this stage of the season, it's as good of a time as any to look at these games for Boise State being mere formalities. Who will be their toughest remaining opponent? Some may look at Tulsa on October 14, others may point to the road trip to scenic Ruston, Louisiana on the 6th of November against Louisiana Tech. But as long as there aren't any major slipups or the Yellowstone caldera doesn't erupt, I think we may end up seeing the 2009 version of the Boise State Broncos play your favorite school in a BCS game of someone's choosing.
Grambling vs. Oklahoma State (7:00 pm) Is the sky starting to fall in Stillwater? It's sort of difficult to say that after getting a win against Rice last week. But allowing the Owls to come back on the Pokes to make it a little closer probably doesn't sit all that well. While some schools would give up several scholarships to have a QB like Zac Robinson (Tennessee is a school that comes immediately to mind), didn't most of us think that we'd see Robinson's name frequently mentioned with the McCoy's and Bradford's of the Big XII? The bright side to all of this is that if there's one team that you don't mind seeing in a slump, it's an FCS opponent. (And who is going to be the first person to post the "That's Racist!" .jpeg in regards to that last sentence?)
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Nebraska (7:00 pm) One way to look at the bright side of things for the Huskers would be to ask yourself this: would Bill Callahan have even had Big Red in this game at all if he were still around? It's hard to do that however when the defense gives up a game winning drive to the Hokies and Zac Lee struggles throwing the ball, but there were a few things to be positive about. Among them was the monster game of Roy Helu, who ran for 169 yards against VT. This week features an ideal opponent for the Huskers as it might give their offense a sense of balance and Lee should have a much better time throwing the football. It's also a golden opportunity to work out some kinks that were exposed last week against the Ragin' Cajuns this week and the big battle against The Bye next week.
Arizona State vs. Georgia (7:00 pm) In their two contests so far, the Sun Devils have limited opponents from the Big Sky and Sun Belt to just 17 total points. Why are you laughing, that wasn't a joke? Speaking of not laughing, no one is laughing at the UGA offense now, are they? After losing Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno from last year's team and only managing ten measly points against Oklahoma State, the Dawgs explode for 41 against South Carolina and 52 more last week against Arkansas. They'll welcome Arizona State into town who, and let's face it, if somebody puts the phrase "past his prime" in urbandictionary.com, they'll use the name "Dennis Erickson" as a possible definition.
Iowa vs. Penn State (8:00 pm) It's probably not that likely that the Nittany Lions want to seek revenge on the Hawkeyes that Texas did last week against Texas Tech, but even if they did, you sure couldn't blame them. 9-0 last year going into the big showdown in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes upended them at Kinnick Stadium, ending Penn State's national title hopes. Both teams are going into the game after comfortable victories, and the key matchup in this game might be how the Hawkeye run D can do against Lions RB Evan Royster. Keeping in mind that stopping Arizona and stopping Penn State are, in a manner of speaking, two different animals, I have some doubt as to whether PSU will take Iowa lightly this time.
(for kevkrom) Notre Dame vs. Purdue (8:00 pm) Some credit, in my opinion, does need to be given to Northern Illinois for their win last week in West Lafayette. After nearly knocking off Wisconsin in a late 4th quarter rally in week 1, UNI won more decisively than even the score might have indicated. Boilermaker RB Ralph Bolden managed a mere 64 yards rushing and Purdue held onto the ball for roughly 20 minutes. This week, the Fighting Irish invade Ross-Ade Stadium and it has to be nice to get a victory even though Michael Floyd and Jimmy Clausen did get hurt, the former much more severely. One thing I did want to correct from last week's thread was the fact that I was dumbfounded at how Armando Allen scored a TD for the Irish. It turns out it was via the wildcat formation. Because as well know by now, all the cool kids are doing it, so I suppose it's time for the Irish to do it, too.
Washington vs. Stanford (9:00 pm) Current Cardinal head coach Jim Harbaugh has never lost to San Jose State in this his third season at Stanford. You may laugh now, but that's more than a few of his predecessors have been able to say. The Huskies are coming off a genuine watershed moment. The Dawgs held the perpetually mighty USC offense to a grand total of ten points in cash and prizes and a case can be made that Jake Locker might be the best QB in the entire conference. The thing to ask yourself about "U-Dub" has to be what are they truly capable of now? Getting to a bowl game? 8 or 9 wins? Maybe being in the thick of the conference title race late into November? So for all the Oregons and Cals and UCLAs of the world, you can all thank the Huskies for making this year a true Pac-10 instead of the "Pac-1".
(For our FR TTU Contingent) Texas Tech vs. Houston (9:15 pm) Call me crazy---
You're crazy!
Wow, wasn't expecting that to be so unanimous. At any rate, call me crazy but I kind of miss the old Southwest Conference. Many states have great football programs from several schools. Not every state can say that for a time, all of the members of a single conference resided in their state. Most of us are expecting a good ol' fashioned offensive showdown between UH and Tech, and for good and obvious reasons. Red Raider QB Taylor Potts has done a remarkable job taking the reigns of Mike Leach's football machine, and the Cougars were able to pull off one of the more stunning upsets of the year so far in going into Stillwater and knocking off previously top 5 ranked Oklahoma State. UH does have the offense to play with nearly anyone in the country, and if they can get this one, along with a possible slip up from either Boise State or TCU, we may be witnessing the first team from Conference USA to make it to a BCS football game.
(for sean327) New Mexico State vs. New Mexico (10:00 pm) You have to love a rivalry. Well, you might not, but I sure do. With all of the struggles for the Lobos, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, this week features a team in New Mexico State isn't doing a hell of a lot better. In a somewhat unrelated story, NMSU had to cut a few million dollars in their athletic budget thanks to the BHO economy. I didn't think there was that much money available for them to cut, but regardless, New Mexico State had no way of feeding their players after practices, so a few boosters in Las Cruces decided to pitch in and make the Aggie players sandwiches and if memory serves, some of those Carpi-Sun juice pouches. So in other words, program by program, Barry is destroying college football too. What a swell guy!
Washington State vs. USC (10:15 pm) As someone who likes to write as well as someone who loves the game of college football, it's bad form to utilize trite phrases. One that I abhor is "today is the first day of the rest of your life." Always grated on me, too hopey-changey for lack of a better term. So I hope I'm forgiven when I say "USC, today is the first game in the rest of your season." And why not? They certainly have the talent and the playmakers to still win the Pac-10 and go to the Rose Bowl and have for this entire century. If there is one thing I know besides "if you get the chance to marry a USC Song girl, you better do it" it's that the Trojans play better as the season goes along and there's no reason why that can't happen again this season, too. Talk about an ideal opponent to start this rally, too, as the Cougs at this point might be lucky to finish 3rd or 4th in the Big Sky this year.
...and now, the Game of the Week.
Miami vs. Virgina Tech (3:30 pm) Do you remember when the ACC was expanded to include the Canes and games like this were supposed to be one of if not the marquee matchups of each season? Well, that has come to fruition this year. Maybe Tyrod Taylor has another ace up his sleeve and the Hokies can pull this one out from the fire the same way they pulled themselves from the abyss last week against Nebraska, but stop and think about what a Miami win might mean. Oklahoma goes to Miami next Saturday and assuming that "The U"'s perennial mastery of opponents at home still holds, all of the sudden you have an unblemished Miami squad that has the toughest part of their schedule out of the way. Could we see a redux of 1983 with the Canes?
Enjoy your games this weekend and stand by for a special message in post #1.
Yep. The “U” is back......NOT!!!!
Gee whiz, no kidding. Where’s the UF-FSU game this year? The Swamp?
Yup.
I hope they're happy now. ;)
For anyone who cares (ACC or Big East fans):
NCSU - 38
Pitt - 31
Final. Go ‘Pack! Exceptional defense on Pitt’s last possession from the 8 yard line!
Yep...so you guys might have a chance after all.
How does it feel to be the fourth best team in the State? Ouch!
BTW, if you guys are looking for a good replacement for Bowden, look no further than today’s opposing sideline.
WOW!!!! Now that was about a dominant a quarter as you will ever see.
It’s just one game! The season is young.
“Kentucky has been victimized by penalties”?!?!
HolyMoly, college football has been obama’d.....
No kidding. Jimbo Fisher sure doesn’t seem to be able to consistently motivate the team! I think, though, that Leavitt has a sweet deal playing in the Big Easy...er...East.
-PJ
Go Ducks!
I expect if he had the flu, he may have passed it on to a few fans on the way in. He was shown shaking hands coming in, then, discretely using the approved “wipe your nose with your sleeve method” prescribed by Kathleen Sebelius, Tebow went on his way.
-PJ
CAL a bit overrated???
Just a wee little bit. Now USC probably destroys them next week!!!!
-PJ
Ya think they have shown the hit enough times? That drives me nuts.
Sure am glad Tim is looking a little perkier, but I am glad they are keeping him out as well.
Clearly we found the off switch too...
I do think this may be a good thing long term. I thought this team was a year away from being great. After getting their heads full the past 10 days, maybe they will learn as the kids from 2000-2002 did that you have to play your heart out and be prepared every week. Dorsey’s loss at Washington made him a much better QB, and ended up rallying the team. If this loss does the same, I’ll take it. Especially at this stage of the season.
Tebow blowing chunks. Hydrate that boy stat.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.