Week 4 NCAA Ruminations

In this episode:
1) Danny Hope vs. Rock: Who has the Higher IQ?
2) BCS Busters
3) Poll Madness

Danny Hope vs. Rock: Who has the Higher IQ
Oh what a beautiful Saturday it was shaping up to be...Virginia Tech dominated Miami in all facets of the game on the way to a HUGE conference and division win over the suddenly dangerous Miami Hurricanes. Florida went up 31-0 on Kentucky and never looked back. They did, however, look up and around and saw stars when Tebow went down with a concussion. That having been said, the alma maters of the Sorenson household were taking care of business. Onto the night game and the last alma mater - Purdue. Now, I am not going to pretend to be a HUGE Boiler fan. I am also not going to pretend that they've been much to watch on the gridiron since back whence I and some of the other pool players graced West Lafayette and a young gun named Drew Brees was flinging the ball all the way to Pasadena. That said, Purdue was teeing up against the much despised Fighting Irish and had the green and gold on the ropes!!! Could it be - the tri-fecta? Were the Irish going to get a second nick in the loss column and get out of serious BCS consideration for real? Here we had the Irish, and their uber-QB Clausen hurting with turf-toe and they were down 4 points with little time left. This was it!!!

Well, that is until Purdue gifted the Irish, oh about 80 yards in 20 seconds and we get to this in the play by play:

2nd-4, Purd4 0:42 R. Hughes rushed to the left for 2 yard gain

Yep, the Irish, with no timeouts, run the ball in the middle on second down with 42 seconds. The back gets a yard or two...AWESOME shouts I - the clock will ru.....WHY ISN'T THE CLOCK RUNNING!!! WHAT'S GOIN ON WITH THE CLOCK??? SOMETHING'S WRONG!!! Wait...what's this? DANNY HOPE CALLED TIME OUT???????? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?

So, the end of the play - and I mean barely before the knee was down, at 38 seconds - Purdue calls for the TO (God Forbid an extra second tick off). Now had they not, Notre Dame with only two more downs would surely have rushed play three (they wouldn't spike the ball to stop the clock with only two downs). They throw an incomplete pass. And on 4th, Clausen connected with Kyle Rudolph for the win. This despite the fact that EVERYONE, including my dogs, knew that was were the pass was going.

But back to the rock...I mean Danny Hope - what on Earth would incent him to call TO? Oh wait, I know - the Irish live to haunt my dreams. Last week, Michigan State's QB Kirk Cousins missed a WIDE open (and I mean no one within a zip code) receiver for the go ahead score, only to throw a ridiculous interception on the next play.

Yes, the Irish are winning and I give credit where due - Clausen has a cannon for an arm and he will win games for them this year. BUT if the Irish would face a remotely stiff defense once this year (and USC is coming to town), Clausen isn't going to be able to to this.

So, sorry Danny Hope - I guess your ill-advised Time Out was the result of the hex upon me - and good Irish fortune.

BCS Busters
The BCS buster conversation goes like this in the early stages of this very strange season: The BCS busters this year are shaping up to be BYU...OOPS they got thumped in Provo by the schizo Seminoles...so that leaves Houston, TCU, and Boise State as the real contenders to break up the BCS party. Let's take a look shall we:

Houston: Currently sitting at #12 with wins over Oklahoma State and Texas Tech on their resume (give them the Big 12 title!). Remaining is Mississippi State in Starkville and then the Conference USA line-up that includes 3-1 Tulsa and 3-1 Southern Miss.

TCU: Currently sitting at #11 with wins over Virginia (no biggie) and Clemson (a little bigger biggie), both on the road (Give them the ACC title!). The rest of the Horned Frogs Mountain West slate includes: #19 BYU (at 3-1), 3-1 Air Force, 3-1 Utah, and 3-1 Colorado State.

Boise State: Currently sitting at #5 with a win over Oregon at home. After Oregon the Broncos dispatched 0-4 Miami OH, 1-3 Fresno State, and 1-3 Bowling Green (give them the MAC title!). The rest of the schedule includes a DII Cal-Davis, one more decent OOC in 3-1 Tulsa, and WAC tests that include only Idaho and Hawaii as the only conference teams that have a winning record after week 4.

Now the fact remains a non-BCS has to remain unbeaten to even get in the BCS much less the title game - that's just how it is and that's why BYU is gone. So let's look at these contenders. All have good chances of going unbeaten with TCU probably facing the toughest challenge over Houston given the Mountain Wests stronger in conference teams. Boise isn't even close in terms of difficulty - in all likelihood Boise will cruise to an undefeated season.

What will that leave us - I'm guessing Houston and TCU will slip somewhere along the way which is going to leave us with an undefeated Boise sitting at or better than it's current #5 rank - a rank they achieved by beating Oregon and 3 teams with a combined 2-10 record. This of course happened primarily because Boise started the season at #9. Does this make any sense? Prepare yourself now because as the season progresses and Boise's resume looks more and more suspect against teams that have faced MUCH tougher challenges - the bluster and fluster of the BCS will be huge. And Boise will once again be sitting on a perfect season and looking from the outside at the title game against two BCS biggies. That's the truth and truthfully, given Boise's schedule - that doesn't bother me. Give them a big bowl and let them test themselves against a Big 12 team as they did when the tested and proved against Oklahoma.

NOW, TCU or Houston makes it and Houston, we have a problem. If either of those teams make it I would argue their season will stand up to any BCS biggie. And if BOTH make it - well lookout - the universe will likely implode on itself.

Poll Madness
Well, if you follow college ball at all you know some strange things are afoot in the polls this year. Of course, most of the strangeness results from the long and tired tradition of starting polls in the pre-season and the even more tired tradition of voters never being able to admit they are wrong and ONLY moving a team down if it loses. Here's my list of the wacky after week four (this focuses on the coaches and Harris polls since they actually matter):

Florida at #1 and Bama at #3 What exactly, outside of the first quarter against Kentucky, has Florida done to merit a #1 ranking? Not much as far as I can see. The Gators struggled with a pedestrian Tennessee squad in the Swamp and played two other cream puffs. On the other hand Alabama opened with a huge win against Virginia Tech and absolutely annihilated the Arkansas Razorbacks last Saturday. No one is playing better than the Tide - right now. Flip the Gators and the Tide and keep Texas at #2 and you've got a good top three.

LSU is at #4. Granted the closer-than-thought-should-be win at Washington is looking good, the should -have-lost win at Mississippi State leaves some question marks about a team that is coming off an 8-5 season and is having serious QB trouble. 4 is WAY too high given the season to date.

Boise is at #5. See BCS Busters section

Virginia Tech is at #6. Granted, I wear Orange and Maroon glasses and losing to Alabama is no shame at all and it could be argued that VT has faced the toughest schedule to date of any team but still. A loss is a loss and does it make sense to have a one loss team at #6 when there are some very solid undefeated teams out there?

USC is at #7. See the reservation about Virginia Tech, only substitute a more damaging loss at Washington.

Oklahoma at #8 and #9 and Ohio State at #9 and #8 Again, both one loss teams. Both lost at home. I guess Oklahoma gets a pass because every just knows Bradford would've beat BYU??? (I guess they forgot BYU was doing just fine when Bradford was in the game?) Ohio State lost at home to USC and dropped about 10 places behind the Trojans in the poll. Now they are back to one spot behind? Why?

TCU at #10 and #11 Any reason TCU, sitting undefeated should not be ranked ahead of those one loss teams above - especially if Boise State gets to be?

Concinnatti at #11 and #10 See TCU and understand the Bearcats beat Oregon State on the and Rutgers (currently 3-1) on the road.

Do the Games Matter at All??? In the coaches poll, they've ranked Oklahoma State ahead of Houston AND Penn State ahead of Iowa, despite the fact Houston beat Oklahoma State and Iowa beat Penn State (both came as road victories). Now one could argue there could be a case for that if the victors had any losses themselves BUT THEY DON'T. Ridiculous. Oh, the Harris poll did see fit to rank Houston ahead of Oklahoma State but Penn State is ranked ahead of both of those AND Iowa.

Do My Eyes Deceive Me Four weeks of action have passed and Michigan, THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES, are undefeated and only merit a 20 ranking in both polls. Really?

Sign of the Apocolypse? You know it is bad when Bill Sorenson thinks it a travesty that Notre Dame, at 3-1 doesn't merit at least a 25 rank.

Wrong Tigers? You saw my concerns about LSU. Now look at Auburn; not in either poll yet is almost averaging 50 points a game and already has wins against Mississippi State (with whom there was no struggle) and West Virginia (which is going to prove to be a pretty solid win). Seriously, not even the top 25?

Kick Them Out of Polling Forever Kansas State earned 2 points in the latest coaches poll. This means either one coach voted them 24 or two voted them 25. This based on the Wildcats' 2-2 record with the two wins coming against Massachusetts and Tennessee Tech. BE GONE FOREVER!

Sad but true folks....sad but true.

Main Pool Update: Week 4

Missing Wanting Needing Bill breaks his unlucky streak of 3 straight weeks of 13 correct picks with a week best 14 straight picks. Unlike the nightmare inducing follies he experiences weekly on a certain Par 3 hole in central Connecticutt, Missing Wanting Needing Bill is cruising in the main pool. A two time past champion, he takes a two point lead in week 4. Will the rest real him in?

At the opposite end of the spectrum, 20 points below Missing, we find a pool veteran, The Ugly Mutt, wallowing in the dregs. With but one double digit week in his resume, the Mutt is struggling to find rhythm. Is the fishing that good in the Gulf this fall?

As for the rest of us, five of us remain within five points of our leader and twenty nine within ten. As Miami found out this weekend, the season is still young. On a side note, Sunny the Conquerer, who according to her FaceBook post "Doesn't like spreads", had a nice little 13 point week!

Best Picks
Booking Houses nail on again with a one point spread on Houston over Texas Tech (final score 29-28). THose plucky few that went with South Florida and, of course, all of you who chose the Hokies.

Worst Pick
A few, that shall not be named took Louisiana Lafayette - bad move. A larger few took USC to cover a bamillion on Washington State. Also a bad move.

Head to Yahoo! to see the results

Elimination Pool Week 4

This week made me SO proud of my little BUCFPites. Not only did all the remaining players get their picks in BEFORE Saturday, they ALL picked the Oklahoma State Cowboys in a no-line laugher against Grambling. It was the only off-line game but let's just say I was waiting for someone to pick something different. Well done! And for your excellence I award you ALL the opportunity to play again next week...

VT/Nebraska: The Roller Coaster of Love

Yes, my friends, I've been a little slow in providing extra material this week. Julie and I travelled to take Connor to see his Great Grandmother over the weekend. A wonderful experience also proved to be fortuitous because had I stayed in the Jacksonville area, I would have been treated to Iowa/Arizona instead of VT/Nebraska, which the Georgia broadcasters chose (thus rendering the very real possibility of my storming Jacksonville media outlets at 3:30 PM Saturday unnecessary). As such, I was treated to one of the most miraculous wins in Virginia Tech history. You may have missed the moment if you were wrapped up in any of the other drama unfolding at the time - in particular USC pulling its annual choke job against Washington. For those not familiar, view this YouTube clip which captures the moment nicely...



Quite a story huh? Well, if you ever wanted to glimpse into the mind of your fearless pool administrator, here's your chance. I present to you...Ultimate Bill's life over the last 5 minutes of the Virginia Tech/Nebraska game...

Here is the play by play summary as provided by Yahoo! sports from minute 4:40 - when Nebraska scored a field goal to make the score 15-10.
4th-6, VT21, 4:40
A. Henery kicked a 38-yard field goal

Nebraska - 4:33
Neb kicked off, touchback

1st-10, VT20, 4:33
T. Taylor rushed to the right for 4 yard gain

2nd-6, VT24, 4:05
T. Taylor passed to R. Williams down the middle for 2 yard gain

3rd-4, VT26, 3:30
T. Taylor passed to G. Boone to the right for 5 yard gain

1st-10, VT31, 3:05
T. Taylor passed to J. Boykin down the middle for 14 yard gain

1st-10, VT45, 2:45
R. Williams rushed up the middle for 1 yard gain

2nd-9, VT46, 2:20
T. Taylor incomplete pass down the middle

3rd-9, VT46, 2:16
T. Taylor incomplete pass to the left

4th-9, VT46, 2:12
T. Taylor incomplete pass to the right

1st-10, VT46, 2:07
R. Helu rushed up the middle for 2 yard gain

2nd-8, VT44, 2:03
Z. Lee rushed to the right for 3 yard gain

3rd-5, VT41, 1:56
Z. Lee rushed to the right for 4 yard gain

4th-1, VT37, 1:51
A. Henery punt, no return

1st-10, VT12, 1:44
Neb committed 5 yard penalty

1st-5, VT17, 1:44
T. Taylor sacked by J. Crick

2nd-6, VT16, 1:20
T. Taylor passed to D. Coale to the right for 81 yard gain

1st-3, Neb3, 1:11
T. Taylor sacked by M. O'Hanlon

2nd-11, Neb11, 0:35
T. Taylor incomplete pass to the right

3rd-11, Neb11, 0:33
T. Taylor passed to D. Roberts to the right for 11 yard touchdown.

Off-Topic: Proud Father Moment

We've learned that Connor has a new skill...

Elimination Pool Week 3

We had one more no show this week and thus our third elimination. Everyone but one brave soul went with either Ole Miss or TCU - our no-line games this week. Hot Rats, took the less traveled path and chose Alabama to cover 38 points on North Texas, which it did - impressive!

Main Pool Update: Week 3

BigOrange makes the biggest waves over the weeekend with a blistering 17 correct picks to jump into a tie for first with sports chief (who has yet to relinquish the top spot all season) and Missing Wanting Needing Bill who was anything but unlucky with his third straight 13. In second, is yours truly with 38 total correct points. Only 5 points separate the first 17 spots so this is still a close race.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Ugly Mutt - perhaps still suffering jet lag from his west coast excursion, is throwing some serious stank out there! The Mutt only scored 7 points this week and that was with being spotted to two gimme no-line games! Come on Mutt - you gotta do better than this!

Best Pick
The bookies with a push on Cal/Minnesota. Thos of you that took Washington because, doggonit, that was just too cool!

Worst Pick
Besides Red Terror's and Penn Wager's blank entries, those of us (myself included) that too Louisiana-Lafayette.
Head to Yahoo! to see the results

I Hear Ghost Sentences

That's right my little BUCFPites, Ultimate Bill has a Sixth Sense!

Does that mean I won't tell Bruce Willis that he's deep-sixed, even though I know it but I want to score free psychiatric help? No, of course not, that would be cruel. No, in fact, I don't see dead people. My sixth sense is that I can hear ghost sentences...yeah, that's right, ghost sentences. And what, pray tell, is a ghost sentence?

Well, we've all heard of coach speak right? Coach speak is a requirement of any head coach position. A head coach must be able to spin any reality into a nice press bite. Let's say, for example, that Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions just thumped Eastern South Pennsylvania Tech by 78 points. He must be diplomatic and gracious, so you get something like, "That score didn't really show the grit and determination those ESPT players brought today."

Coach speak is what allows us to remain civilized. Now, don't get me wrong. These coaches mean it when they say the "grit and determination" line, it's just that they, and most of you, don't hear the ghost sentence. That's the sentence that follows coach speak. See these guys say ghost sentences, and they don't even KNOW they say them. Take the example above with JoePa. After that line, the ghost sentence is, "My God that team set back football 40 years!"

So there you have my confession. I know this sixth sense is a gift and I don't want to abuse it. I typically use this to dig up gold nuggets for my top-level analysis week-in and week-out, but this week, I'm giving you, the BUCFP faithful, this exclusive look into my world. Here goes the Top Ten Ghost Sentences of last weekend:

1) Charlie Weis tells the media what he said to his players after the loss to Michigan:

"I said, 'Are you going to sit there and pout and say we should have won the game? Is it going to be that kind of attitude? Or are you going to use this to not be feeling like this again?"' he said. "I think the No. 1 thing they have to do if they don't want to be feeling like this again is do something about it."

Ghost Sentence: "In the meantime, I'm going to go home to my palace in South Bend, dip my man-pooch into my diamond encrusted hot tub, order up 3 dozen jelly doughnuts and a case of Bud lite, flip on ESPN to watch Ohio State lose, and use the bank app on my iPhone to look at the $750,000 I just got paid for the 18th loss of the last 29 games I've coached."

2) Bobby Bowden on his Seminoles close call with Jacksonville St.:

"It throws a lot more question marks about where you are, no doubt about that. … And it also says, if you execute like that again, you might not win another game."

Ghost Sentence: "Back when I actually coached this team, I'd have had 50 hung on those clowns by the end of the 1st quarter."

3) Jim Tressel, reflecting on his team's loss to USC at home

"You need to score more than five points in the second half," Tressel said. "They came up with plays on that last drive they needed to and so they go home with the spoils."

Ghost Sentence: "Why the ______ do we keep playing these games?"

4) Frank Beamer, on Virginia Tech's 52-10 victory over Marshall

"I think we really needed this," Beamer said. "I know we needed this."

Ghost Sentence: "I still need a new offensive coordinator."

5) Al Groh, on UVA's loss to TCU

"We understood it was going to be rugged moving the ball."

Ghost Sentence: "I'm an over-paid ___hole."

6) Ralph Friedgen on his Maryland Terrapins overtime victory over James Madison

"We were up 21-6 and I think our defense kind of relaxed," Friedgen said. "Once they [the Dukes] continued to compete as hard as they did, it turned into one heck of a football game. I thought our defense really played well in the overtime..."

Ghost Sentence: "Is anybody buying this crap?"

7) Pete Carroll on Matt Barkley, the Trojan's true freshman starter

"He's not 19," ... "He's our quarterback. I'm not worried about how old he is. Numbers mean nothing"

Ghost Sentence: "I won't use his age as an excuse until after we lose at Oregon."

8) Boise State Coach, Chris Petersen, on his team's upcoming game with Fresno State

"I'm anxious to play (Friday) just because I think we are going to be tested in a much different way," Petersen said. "From what I've seen of Fresno, they are a power run team. This will be a nice test coming up."

Ghost Sentence: "If I keep using the word 'test' all season, maybe people won't notice we don't play anyone."

9) Michigan Coach , Rich Rodriguez, on the Wolverines entering the polls for the first time this year

"I'm not dismissing the polls, that's fun," ... "It's a lot of fun for people to follow it. But from a coaching standpoint, from a player's standpoint, big deal"

Ghost Sentence: "Yes. We are still going to lose to Ohio State."

10) Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio on his team's loss to Central Michigan

"Even after the onside kick, we still had a chance," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "All we had to do was not jump offside. But there are no excuses here. We got beat today. They were better than us."

Ghost Sentence: "I just said Central Michigan is better than Michigan State. If I were in charge, I'd can my butt for saying that."

And there you have it...don't let it scare you. I only use this power for good.

Main Pool Update: Week 2

A never say die example comes from this week's performance by RICH RODRIGUEZ IS THE DEVIL who came in late. He also came in last with jsut 5 correct picks but he didn't get a shot at the first half of the games. I noticed that this year, unlike year's past, you can only see the picks of other players of games that had kicked off. I found out that's because Yahoo! will aloow you to pick any game up to kick-off, the deadline isn't just the first game (fine by me). RICHROD took advantage and at least got some picks in.

As for those of us that got all of them in, sports chief goes big with his second consecutive big (and best) week. Going 14 for a two week total of 28. Missing Wanting Needing Bill holds onto second place by repeating his last week's 13 for a season total 26. Four players are nipping at their heels in third place with 25.

Best Pick
Red Velvet, Holy Mackeral, and beauxboygueax with UConn to cover on UNC.

Worst Pick
Kiffin and TBWOTG with Troy.

Head to Yahoo! to see the results

Elimination Pool Week 2

Well, we had some eliminations this week. Despite the do-over, we still had two players not get a pick in: Penn Wagers and Sick 'em Dawgs were eliminated with blanks. One valiant player went with USC and as a result, RICH RODRIGUEZ MAY BE THE DEVIL, but he is eliminated. THe rest survive onto Week 3...

Pick Set Name	2	3
Augusta DayStrippers	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
Back Again	Cal	SURVIVED
Beach Bum	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
BigOrange	Cal	SURVIVED
BigTenChamps	Oklahoma	SURVIVED
Colt For President	Cal	SURVIVED
Dem Beagles	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
Eagles	Cal	SURVIVED
geauxboygeaux	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
Goblue	Cal	SURVIVED
HolyMackerel	Cal	SURVIVED
Hot Rats	Cal	SURVIVED
Kiffin	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
Missing Wanting Needing Bill	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
MRWTerps	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
Penn Wagers		ELIMINATED
randomaxe	Oklahoma	SURVIVED
Red Terror	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
Red Velvet Revenge 2009	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
RICH RODRIGUEZ IS THE DEVIL	USC	ELIMINATED
Show Me the Money	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
Sick 'em Dawgs		ELIMINATED
sport chief	Oklahoma	SURVIVED
Springfield Atoms	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
Swing And Swear	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
TBWOTG	Cal	SURVIVED
The Ugly Mutt	Oklahoma	SURVIVED
Ultimate Bill	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
Vol Nation	Cal	SURVIVED
Wahoowa	Cal	SURVIVED
wreckandtide	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
WyoKat71	Cincinnati	SURVIVED
32	0	3
Odds for Survivors	3.1%	3.4%

Clemson: A Study in Buffoonery

A couple of items to note about Clemson University before we get into last nights evidence of buffoonery:

1. Clemson is an SEC program that's been forever stuck in the ACC.
2. Problem for Clemson is it is about as good as South Carolina is in the SEC.
3. Clemson dominated the ACC right up until the time Florida State joined the league in 1992 and brought with it higher level quality SEC-like play (and has not won a league title since).
4. Clemson's SEC-like credentials can be traced to the Danny Ford era, which brought with it an actual national championship, via a squad produced by recruiting violations that would make even the shadiest SEC program blush.
5. That lone national title in 1981 makes every Clemson booster forget that Clemson hasn't, ever since the sanctions that resulted from the aforementioned recruiting violations, ever been a national title contender again - not even close.
6. Because Clemson boosters think they are title contenders, they've assumed the best and brightest coaches would joyfully leap at the opportunity to coach the Tigers.
7. This assumption has led to multiple coaching blunders, the most significant of which was hiring and keeping, for nearly a decade, Tommy Bowden, hired simply because the Tiger faithful assumed the name "Bowden" alone generated ACC titles. Tommy's tenure was marked by increasingly underachieving and soft teams.
8. Once the administration accepted the fact Bowden's baby was NOT the answer, they fired him mid-season and bumbled and stumbled through a search that included the desperation move for the hottest coaching prospect going, Lane Kiffin. They failed.
9. So what do they do - put one of Bowden's assistants in the head coaching spot and hope the quality improves.

This leads us to last nights game against Georgia Tech....

If you watched this game, the first quarter demonstrated, in one neat little package, everything that is wrong with Clemson. At the end of it, they were down 21-0 and looking like they hadn't the first clue about football. Granted, they fought back and even took the lead in the 4th. But once Georgia Tech stopped playing around and decided to simply run the ball, they took the lead and eeked out a win. Now back to two plays that demonstrate how bad Clemson has become.

Clemson, down 7-0 courtesy of an 82 yard run by Anthony Allen, finds itself on the Yellow Jackets 38 yard line, staring at a fourth down. The call? A fake field goal to pooch punt that was promptly returned 85 yards for a touchdown. A couple of things:

1. Why are you making this call Dabo? You are on your 38 yard line. Can't you simply poochj kick without mucking it all up with a fake field goal? What would GT do if they knew you were going to punt? I'll tell you what - since you were on the 38, the GT coaches likely would have told their receiver to let the ball go. But since they had a man back for the field goal attempt, that wasn't the case. What is the logic in this? How about just punting? At worst they get the ball at the 20 if your kid can't drop the lob shot in there. Heck, even if you simply try the field goal, at worst, GT gets the ball at the 45. No, you call for the fake.
2. Further enhancing Dabo's buffoon image, he's was seen getting in the grill of his kicker right after the play? Why - YOU made the call coach? He was simply doing what you told him to do? What could you possibly have been upset about? That he didn't kick it out of bounds? If that's what you wanted, then JUST PUNT AND KICK IT OUT OF BOUNDS! Did you not want him to kick it to the GT return man? He didn't. The GT return man was working with a short field and simply ran to the ball. What exactly was the kicker supposed to do with a direct snap.
3. Furthermore, why didn't you, Coach Dabo, get in the grill of number 68, who blew his coverage by not staying in his lane. He overpursued and thusly, GT's return man blasted through THREE Clemson players on his way to TD glory. Why didn't you get in his face because if HE keeps his lane, there is no TD. Well...
4. Even if he had, as evidence by the three Tigers that did touch the return man, arm tackles wouldn't get it done anyway. I see that Clemson, perhaps in a vengeful act upon the Volunteers, nabbed the Tennessee's defensive line coach after Kiffin-gate. Yes, Tennessee's line coach - one of the guys that designed a defense that was, for the most part, abused like Ned Beatty in Deliverance over the last couple of years.

Now, let's move a little later in the quarter. GT has the ball AGAIN (thanks to Clemson's offensive plan which could easily be defined as "Let's sling the ball all over like Chris Rix era Florida State). GT is facing fourth down after a long delay - one of the many excruciatingly long reviews by the ACC officiating crew. Seems that Clemson's interception of a 3rd down endzone pass was not actually an interception. After the 5 minute review, during which Clemson apparently talked about the upcoming season of "Dances With The Stars", Georgia Tech brought in the offensive unit to try to conve....NO WAIT - they are going field goal! They JUST CHANGED THEIR MINDS!!! Gee whiz, they only had five minutes to decide - I wonder what made them change their min...NO WAIT - IT'S AN INCREDIBLY EASY AND EMBARRASSING FAKE! TOUCHDOWN YELLOW JACKETS!!!

How did that work? Because Debo is a moron. PS - THAT's a fake field goal attempt that makes sense. To wit...

Onto the trainwreck that is the ACC season...

Your Week 2 Viewing Guide from Ultimate Bill

One week down and lots of story lines to go. As usual action for the NCAA kicks off Thursday night. Our pool action doesn't not start until Saturday at noon so you can relax and simply enjoy the early action. BUT GET YOUR PICK DONE ON TIME AND YOUR ELIMINATION PICK IN ON TIME!!! Now, onto the viewing guide...

Clemson at Georgia Tech
Is there anything better than a Thursday night with at least one ranked team and some fairly big names? How about #15 Georgia Tech playing host to Clemson? Coming into the game, Georgia Tech fumbled its way (5 of 'em) to a victory over Jacksonville St. while Clemson bumbled its way to a victory over Middle Tennessee. This game features the ACC's 2008 rushing leader in GT's Jonathan Dwyer and the ACC's 2008 all purpose yards leader in the Tiger's CJ Spiller. Clemson also features a coach named Dabo, not to be confused with Deebo...



This game is in Atlanta. Clemson is notoriously soft at home and unpredictable on the road. Dwyer and Spiller will get their yards. Something tells me that Clemson will squeak by with a win - thereby muddying the ACC picture THAT much sooner than any typical year (and, let's face it, you KNOW the Tigers will lose to Coastal Carolina in Death Valley on October 31 - because they are Clemson after all).

Onto the weekend (thereby skipping Dan Hawkin's second nail in his Colorado coffin when his Buffs lose to Toledo on Friday night with his son at the helm at QB)

Penn State vs. Syracuse
Granted, Paulus was bedeviled (get it?) by an OT interception but you better believe JoePa and crew took notice last week when Syracuse did not pull the typical el foldo against Minnesota. In the second of three consecutive games against Big 10 teams, the Orangemen travel to Happy Valley to test the untested Nittany Lions. This game is a great noon-time start. What looked like a cakewalk initially is looking better. The difference will be defense and Penn State will likely pull away late - but there will be enough excitement to get you through your sandwich and first coupla beers.

UNC at Connecticutt
Right in the backyard of Eagles and Missing Wanting Needing Bill will be this contest between a resurgent UNC and the consistent UConn program of Randy Edsall. This also is the next opportunity for an ACC gaffe. That said, I think Butch Davis will have his Heels ready and UNC should win this one fairly easily. For TV purposes, just switch to this one during commercials of the Cuse/State game.

Troy at Florida
I think my son Connor sums this one up best when he...




Marshall at Virginia Tech
This one isn't on the tube, thus sparing me from the agonizing, excruciatingly painful exercise of watching Virginia Tech's offense try to snatch victory from defense and special teams.

Notre Dame at Michigan
As far as I am concerned, this is THE game of the weekend (not USC/Ohio State - to be addressed later). In honor of this matchup, I offer this haiku:

Rich Rod says he cares,
Clausen connects with passes
Weiss will cry at end

TCU at Virginia
The Hoos look to recover from a loss to Bill & Mary. TCU looks to be taken seriously. A win over the Hoos won't accomplish that.

Georgia at South Carolina
This kicks off your evening viewing. Get some grub after the Michigan game and settle in with this 7 o'clock lead in to the 8 o'clock marquee game. This one could be interesting with a fired up Cock crowd and a still shaky Joe Cox under center for the Dawgs.

USC at Ohio State
True, Ohio State has a tendency to play to the level of it's competition - hence the close call with Navy. And true, USC tends to do the same. The difference is that USC tends to come MUCH bigger when the stakes are high. Give this one to USC and it's fantastic Frosh QB.

Utah @ San Jose State
Why not? It's a late night snack. All Utah though.

Observations from Florida State vs Miami

Well, a deliciously long weekend of college ball came to a close right at midnight last night as Miami outlasted FSU and it's last second crack at the endzone to win 38-34. (Other action yesterday, Cincinnati pasted Rutgers in Piscataway - "Oh where have you gone, Greg Schiano? Big programs no longer look to you - woo-wooo-wooo."

Back to the biggie:
1) This FINALLY looked like the glory days of the rivalry that once determined the national title. Both defenses looked solid but more importantly, the offenses were effective and nasty. Christian Ponder is going to make FSU fans forget about Weatherford, Rix, the gambling kid, etc. etc. Ponder is like an old school FSU QB with serious wheels. And under center for the orange and green was Jacory Harris - who threw two picks (one the result of getting tattooed as he released the ball) but more importantly made some HUGE plays by staying calm and finding receivers (Tyrod Taylor - pay attention!). Total offensive output Miami 476 yards - FSU 406 yards.
2) On a related note - I saw three ACC teams in action this weekend. Preseason #7 VT, preseason #18 FSU, and unranked Miami. Totally reverse the order. Miami with a slight edge over FSU with a large gap to the VT. The Hokies are in big trouble when Miami comes to Blacksburg at the end of September.
3) Brad Nessler and Tood Blackledge are, by far, the best team in college football broadcasting.
4) The Todd Blackledge "Where did Todd eat?" bit has got to go. Let me shortcut it for you: If Todd is at a southern game, the restaurant review goes like this "They had good fried food."; a northeast game? "They had good seafood."; a mid-west game? "They had good steak."; a west coast game? "They had good sushi." Done. Seriously, this bit almost ALWAYS cuts into game time. Stop.
5) Dear Erin Andrews, Please, for the love of all that's holy, eat a sandwich or two. Love, Ultimate Bill
6) As much as we all know Bobby Bowden doesn't do anything much on the sideline anymore, it is important for Jimbo Fisher to remember there is still an "in-waiting" tag on his head coach title. Prior to the last play, a failed pass attempt in the endzone, Jimbo was scouring his playsheet and the old man came by to make a suggestion. It seriously looked as though Jimbo ignored him. Jimbo - Bobby Bowden has forgotten more football than you know. Listen to the man.
7) Back to coaching - I know FSU and Miami's coaches get paid a lot of money to make important decisions. Furthermore, I know these people know far more about football than I ever will. But could SOMEONE explain to me the following decisions for each team:
a) 4:25 left to play. FSU just went up by a field goal 34-31. What do they do? Squib kick. Miami fields the ball at their 37 and return it 4 yards to the 41 yard line. So, when you are up a field goal, and playing a team that's moving the ball, AND has a kicker with a 50 yard range, you squib kick? I don't care how dangerous the Miami return man is (and he was effectively handled most of the night), you just gave them the ball at the 37 - which is about 32 yards that the return man would have had to earn with his legs if you had simply let your golden-toed frosh kicker blast one to the 5. Of course, Miami went on to score a TD after an unbelievable play by Harris, but even still, the Canes only needed to go about 25 yards to get in range of their kicker to tie. Onto an even MORE perplexing call...
b) 1:53 left. Miami up by 4. Kicking off. What do they do? Squib kick. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? FSU fields it at the 29 (about 24 yards ahead of a normal boot) and returns it 20 yards to get to their own 49. FSU MUCH score a TD and you give them 25 yards right off the bat? This goes on top of Miami's insistence on hitting fly ball kicks all night and giving the ball to FSU at the 35 at least on almost every kick-off possession.
The only thing I can think of is that coaches have a tendency to overthink some situations. These two squib kicks made absolutely NO sense.
8) If one needs to understand the Hokies woes, one need look no further than Donna Shalala's comment in regards to last night's game. The Miami U president had this to say, "What’s not to enjoy? We’ve got an offense.”

The Recruitment of Connor

My son Connor had his two month appointment on Friday. He weighted 15 pounds 1 oz. putting him in the top 4% for total weight for his age. Additionally, he was 24.5 inches long, putting him in the top 10% for height. Florida law requires that all physical information for males be sent to the major state institutions of higher learning to ensure that the deep talent pool for football talent remains in the Sunshine State by giving the coaches of said institutions first dibs. If Connor maintains pace, he will be 6' 9" and 345 lbs by his junior year of high school. Needless to say, the coaches came a running. On Sunday, we entertained the coaches of the four biggest state programs for lunch. Urban Meyer and George O'Leary look well rested after their teams posted easy wins on Saturday. Randy Shannon and Bobby Bowden seemed a little testy - given they are meeting tonight, the tension was understandable. What follows is the transcript of our discussion.




The setting: The Sorenson living room. Julie and I seated on the couch, with Connor in the middle of us. I gave each coach a folding chair on which to sit. Both Urban Meyer and Randy Shannon chose to stand behind their chairs and stare intently at Connor - sizing up his HUGE thighs. George O'Leary quietly took his seat. Bobby Bowden came in last. Connor was crying at this point. Bobby made me slide over, grabbed my son, sat him in his lap, and said "Now what's all this fussin' dadgummit?" Connor immediately quieted down. Bowden gave a knowing glance at the other three, as they all winced, knowing they ceded the first point to the grandaddy of college ball. Onto the dialogue:

Bill: Coach O'Leary. UCF has the facilities and the location, but just can't seem to catch up to the big boys. Can you tell me what steps you are taking to bring the program up to speed?

Coach O'Leary: Well Mr. Sorenson, the ACC wanted to invite us but I didn't want my offense to suffer. (O'Leary follows this with a laugh, slapping his knee, and elbowing Shannon and Meyer - neither of whom would react.)

Bill: (With a glance over to Bowden. Stands up and pulls off his shirt to reveal his Virginia Tech undershirt) GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!

Coach O 'Leary flees for the door, with Molly and Maggie dog nipping at his heels. As he runs out he is heard to ask "Can I put this on my resume?"

Bill: Any other comedians among us?

All three coached shake their heads no.

Bill: Very well. Now, Coach Shannon. We want to be sure Connor is given a structured environment in which he can grow to be a responsible young man. Tell me what Miami has to offer.

Coach Shannon: Well Mr. Sorenson, at the U, we take our program seriously. Our young men are brought up in the program expecting to be champions. Discipline is the key.

Bill: Could you give me some examples of past champions coach?

Coach Shannon: Well, you have Ray Lewis, Michael Irvin, Warren. Sa...ummm...KEN DORSEY! KEN DORSEY! You've never heard nothing about him!!! Oh, and the Rock went here too. Everyone likes the Rock!!! Right???

Bill: I see. Coach Meyer, you've really become THE program in a state known for football. How do you plan on maintaining this level of excellence?


Coach Meyer: Mr. Sorenson, that's a great question. We plan on maintaning our level of excellence by doing what we do now. Building a foundation of excellence on great young men like Connor coming into our program.

Bill: Is that all coach?

Coach Meyer: Well, we have done a few DNA swabs of Tebow's saliva and we are creating a small army of mini-Tebows.

Bill: Interesting. Coach Bowd...Julie, wake up the coach.

Both Coach Bowden and Connor are fast asleep on the coach. Connor is sacked out on the coach's belly. Bowden, with his brim pulled over his eyes.

Julie: Coach (tapping his shoulder) Coach.

Coach Bowden: (mumbling) Dadgum JoePa! Huh! What? Huh! Who's this kid?

Bill: Coach! Coach! That's Connor.

Coach Bowden: Oh yeah! Dadgummit I like him. Bill, you see it's like this son. These coaches over here - now they're real good - don't get me wrong. But over in Tallahassee we do thing a different way. We do it my way and my way means - there are rules, and then there are rules. You know what I mean son? And what I mean by that is there are rules. Ya see, what we do at Florida State is we get creative son - you know? That creativity is something these Play Station coaches don't know. We don't just pick plays from one of those fancy dangled computers, we make the plays. Dadgummit that's just how it is done nowadays.

Bill looks over at Meyer and Shannon with a perplexed look. Each looks back at Bill with a shoulder shrug.

Coach Bowden: Now Bill let's not make this complicated. Connor can come to Florida State - we'll take care of him real good. Now tell these nice young men over here to run along.

Bill: Coach Bowden, how long are you gonna be coaching?

Coach Bowden: As long as I want to son.

Bill: Coach Meyer, what do you have to say?

Coach Meyer: Mr. Sorenson, in Gainesville we don't consider ourselves a "program". We are a machine. A machine of champions! We like titles down there. That's just the way we do it.

Coach Shannon: Be that as it may Mr. Sorenson, down at the U we had swagger, we had the titles - more than either of these two schools over the last couple of years. Now we need young men like Connor to get back to those days. Back to the glory days of Michael Irvin, Ray Lew... KEN DORSEY! Did I mention Ken Dorsey???

Coach Meyer: Mr. Sorenson. There are other benefits to Gainesville. I don't have to tell you about Florida girls do I? (Meyer winks and looks over to Julie)

Bill: No, that's true Coach.

Coach Bowden: Girls. Girls? If that's what you want Connor we got 'em all over Tallahassee! Remember them cowgirls? They seemed like nice young ladies...



Julie: (grabbing Connor) Excuse me?

Coach Shannon: Mr. and Mrs. Sorenson, there are fine ladies down in Coral Gables. Fine upstanding women. Just let me call Michael Irvin - he said he could hook me up anytime. (starts to dial his cell)

Bill: GENTLEMEN! It isn't about the girls! It isn't about YOUR programs. It is about what you can do for Connor. Now, I know all I need to know about the football played at your schools. What really matters is academics. Now if you will all follow Mrs. Sorenson to our office, she has a few hundred questions she would like to ask.

Coach Meyer: Gosh - look at the time. The lab said it would have the first mini-Tebows ready for review this afternoon so I have to run. Don't forget...Connor is a legacy. GO GATORS!

Coach Shannon: Now, Miami is a fine academic institution. Sometimes, they even let our football players in the classes. This really isn't a concern Mrs. Sorenson. Besides, I have to get ready for the FSU game tomorrow night. Remember Ken Dorsey and GO CANES!!!

(Bowden is asleep on the couch again)

Bill: Coach Bowden? Coach?

Julie: Awww! Just leave him there.

Bill: Now can I call Beamer?

Julie: Just remember the conditions they must meet?

Bill: I know I know - STINEY MUST GO!

Ultimate Bill's NCAA Ruminations for Week 1

All Things Said and Done, the Most Glorious Time of the Year is Here

Here we are...Monday morning - Labor Day weekend. The absolute PERFECT sporting weekend. All College Football without the NFL mucking it up - that comes next weekend. And the weekend isn't even over - tonight we get FSU and Miami - a classic that has been not so classic lately - but it is STILL FSU/Miami.

So, what do we know of what has transpired to date:

1) The ACC isn't any better - in fact, it might be worse than last year. Yes, the league sent 10 teams to bowl games last year but that was because they performed at "just the right" level to qualify that many teams in a bloated bowl season. The ACC lost all the marquee out of conference games with Bama blasting the Hokies in the 4th quarter (see BigOrange's write-up) , NC State embarrassing itself at home against South Carolina, and Maryland getting absolutely PASTED by California on the road.

Furthermore, two of the gimme games were horrible black-marks on the league. The Colonial Conference dominated ACC play by beating Duke and Virginia. Virginia lost to William & Mary - if I were associated with the University of Virginia, I'd HAVE to make the call - the Al Groh experiment is a complete and utter failure. AL Groh took a program from one of the best coaches of the last 20 years, George Welsh, and just destroyed it. He should be fired immediately.

2) Boise State will be a ridiculous thorn in the BCS side. To Touchdown Tim's insistence, Boise should have the same opportunity as anyone in D1A. I guess. Here's the thing - now that Boise beat the CLEARLY over-rated Oregon Ducks and it's Tyson-like banned running back, they have to merely do the following for an undefeated season: beat Miami (Ohio), Fresno State, Bowling Green, UC Davis (Div II), Tulsa, Hawaii, San Jose State, Louisiana Tech, Idaho, Utah State, Nevada, and New Mexico State. That's it. They get through that slate unscathed (a VERY good possibility) and they are in the mix. Sorry, that schedule is a complete joke. Say what you will about the unfair edge the BCS conference teams have. Even add that the WAC conference has had great success against the BCS teams. But be fair and consider this - when the ONLY real test is one game per year, you are likely to have success in that test. Oregon, for example, will continue on and face a number of big games this year. USC? has Ohio State, ND on the road, plus all the Pac 10 biggies. Even ACC teams have considerable in-league contests throughout the year. There is a reason for the virtual lock-out from the title game - those teams just don't stand up to the same full season test as the others. (Cue Touchdown Tim rant now!)

3) Sam Bradford was critical to Oklahoma's success - yes, BYU was holding it's own at the time Bradford was knocked out. But who here thinks Bradford wouldn't have done a little better down the stretch?

4) Tyrod Taylor is not the QB people were hoping he'd be. Tyrod was totally outclassed by a QB that had taken all of 20 snaps in college.

5) 5 star QB recruits are ready for the big-time. USC started a TRUE FRESHMAN under center this week. The result? Matt Barkley went 15-19 for 233 yards 1 TD and no INTs. This is a kid that was taking snaps in high school 7 months ago.

6) The Jimmy Clausen hype train has left the station. Get ready. 15 for 18, 4 TDs, 315 yards. Never ye mind he faced a defense that ranked DEAD LAST in pass defense for the 2008 season. Now, he did do well - I don't take that from him. But relative to the hype say, a Matt Barkley, will get, I'm guessing Clausen is a few ticks away from being hailed as the second coming of Joe Montana. Let's let him get through Michigan and Michigan State over the next two weeks first.

7) Max Hall is the perfect Quarterback name.

8) Since I did address scheduling - Florida does deserve some shaming. Charleston Southern, Troy, and Florida International. In the part they can't control, they don't see Ole Miss or Bama during the regular season. The ONLY road test is at LSU. This isn't exactly the stuff of title games. It is possible a monster SEC title game between Bama and UF is shaping up and, if so, that's quite a feather in the cap to the victor. Still, Florida? You can do better than that.

9) Florida's first REAL game will be against Tennessee in Gainesville. Tennessee made it's Lane Kifflin debut. To read the reviews, you'd think Kifflin took Fulmer's ghost and wrung him by the neck in front of his team who was apparently scared into playing as though their very lives depended on it. 600 YARDS OF OFFENSE!!! TENNESSEE HASN'T BEEN FIRED UP LIKE THAT IN YEARS!!!! Maybe so, but just remember, this was Western Kentucky. Lane's mouth wrote a few checks during the offseason. Florida needs a statement game. Let's hold off on the Kifflin accolades for a few weeks.

10) Greg Paulus threw a critical interception in overtime that sealed a victory for visiting Minnesota. We might forgive Paulus for being a little rusty - he hasn't played for 5 years. Not a bad debut for the scrappy little Blue Devil. But, as I observed in a weekend blog, he still works the refs - gotta love the Coach K influence there.

Main Pool Update

The Main Pool kicked off with great success. All 36 players made their picks and we've got a great start to a competitive season.

AugustaDayStrippers - one of last year's co-champs, and sportschief - a BUCFP veteran, tied for the top spot with 14 correct picks. randomaxe (a cool name) and Missing Wanting Needing Bill are tied for 3rd with 13. randomaxe is a newbie and made a great debut. Missing Wanting Needing Bill is an oldie but goodie - and no, it is not a past significant other - it is none other than Touchdown Tim.

On the downside, two long-time veterans occupy the week 1 basement. The Ugly Mutt, perhaps distracted by his west coast jaunt, crept in with 8 picks as did Sunny the Conqueror - the eternal BUCFP optimist - who initiated her conquering campaign with a few suspect picks - including the Citadel straight up against UNC.

Best Pick
A handful of folks took Akron and Navy against lop-sided spreads against Big 10 behemoths Penn State and Ohio State, respectfully. The real test their was with Ohio State that went to the wire with the Middies.

Worst Pick
Sorry Sunny - the aforementioned Citadel pick take the cake.

Head to Yahoo! to see the results

Elimination Pool Update

The first week's elimination pool brought some confusion and our first elimination. And, as I strive to create the perfect pool environment I am going to do something I haven't done before - a do-over. Here's why:

Perhaps due to the late finalization (is that a word?) of the pool participants - 36 this year! I didn't get all of the entries for elimination picks before the deadline. Three people didn't get their picks in, a fourth seemed a bit confused as to the concept and didn't get my clarifying answer until it was too late.

As the pool administrator, having a do-over week - starting with a clean-slate, gives me no heartburn. Here's how it will work: 1) All the picks from last week are considered null and void, therefore, you may pick that same team again. 2) This is it - if you don't get your elimination pick in by this weekend's deadline - you are eliminated. 3) Furthermore, I won't be sending any reminder emails - if you signed up, you have to remember to send in your pick. 4) Trust me, we still probably won't get past 10 weeks.

Finally, let me clarify the rules, and dispense a tip or two:

1) You must pick from one of the Yahoo! (top 25 games) each week.

2) Your selection must be a RANKED team that you believe will cover the spread (ie, you cannot pick the unranked team that you believe will cover)

3) If the ranked team is the underdog and you believe it will cover, you may select that team (the key is your selection must be ranked among the top 25 for that week)

4) Once a team is slected you cannot pick that team again in the following weeks

5) If your selction does not cover, you are eliminated.

HINT:

In Yahoo! world, games that are not picked up by a booking house are played as straight up (example, when a FBS team plays a sub FBS team, there is never a line). In our elimination pool, we use the same rule. So you may select the favored ranked team straight up when they play the sisters of the poor. (THAT IS A MAJOR HINT PEOPLE!)

So, all that said, week 2 is the official start of the elimination pool.

Musings from BigOrange

BUCFP veteran BigOrange sent me an email after his impressive two game Saturday. Remember, ANY BUCFP player is welcome to submit material! (UglyMutt I'm looking for a Cajun's in the NorthWest Pacific write-up!) HEre's what BigOrange has to say...

After ten years of living in New England, I have returned south last week and set up residence in Atlanta with my fiancée. Among the many benefits of living in the south (the lack of sub-zero weather comes to mind), is the common appreciation of the beauty that is college football. Not that there isn’t CFB in New England, it’s just that it ranks in popularity somewhere between professional lacrosse and high school womens hockey. My native New Englander wife-to-be is a pretty good example: Wahoowa (Jason W) was witness when she once asked “What’s Auburn?”… gulp. She’s a little shocked to be living in a place where a friend’s grandmother got fired up about Urban Meyer. I love it.

So, how to celebrate my arrival in Georgia and the beginning of the season? Why, take in a couple of live games:

Georgia Tech vs. Jacksonville State
It’s hard for me to explain why, but this was also the only live game I saw last season. My friend (GT alum) has free tickets, so I guess the price was right for both us and Jacksonville St to come to Bobby Dodd for a trouncing. Some thoughts:

- Bloody marys and vodka tonics at 11 AM are a great way to start the day
- I was looking forward to again watching Ryan Perrilloux, the former LSU quarterback who was kicked out for cheating and was a man among boys for JSU last year. Oops, he was suspended by the team for their biggest game of the season. I don’t feel good about his future.
- Jacksonville State is in Alabama. Who knew?
- The score was 10-0 before we even made it in. Not much football commentary needed for this game.

Alabama vs. Virginia Tech
After watching the glorious introduction of the Griffin era and Georgia not live up to high expectations for the 35th time in six years, my friend, Jessica, and I took off for the Georgia Dome to watch the marquee matchup of the weekend (#5 v #7, SEC v ACC, etc.) We managed to get some pretty decent scalped tickets. More random thoughts:

- The crowd was louder before kickoff from outside the dome than the earlier game. Once inside, it was awesome. Packed house. Kind of felt like the SEC Championship – which is the only time more tickets have been sold to the Dome.
- One benefit to going to the game with a girl: she could sneak in 12 Jim Beam nips in her monstrous bag. Tasty and economical.
- Big question: who am I rooting for? As a Tennessee fan, the idea of cheering for Bama makes me taste bile. Still, I have no love for the Hokies, and I’d prefer an SEC team - one that we get to face later - win. The devil you know and all that. So Bama it is. Dear Lord. Fortunately, we were surrounded by about 20 Tide fans on the VT half of the stadium. There would be too much irony if I got in a fight because I was cheering for a rival.
- Bama sloppily dominates for most of the first quarter. Well, except for the red zone. That area is pretty important. Good defenses, but I didn’t think field goals would win the game.
- VT runback for a touchdown. I’ve never understood how Beamer can own the special teams category. I’m sure Bill can answer this, but does Beamer recruit specifically for special teams, like a task force? Or does he go the other way and keep his star players in for all kicks, injuries be damned? I just don’t see how other D-1 teams can’t replicate it.
- Scratch that last thought, two VT kick return turnovers ended up being the biggest difference in the game.
- Jessica says that she could tell the difference between VT and Bama girls, even if they weren’t wearing team colors. Some combination of the words “Tech”, “redneck”, and “trashy”. She said it, not me.
- Watch the last few minutes of the BYU/Oklahoma game while getting more mixers. Wow. I always thought that USC and Sooner QBs got too much credit when surrounded by great teammates. Might have to rethink that after what happened to the Sooners without Bradford.
- Also overheard the UVA’s troubles. William & Mary did beat Temple in 1998, so they can’t be that bad. Better luck next team, Al Groh.
- Somehow VT was winning going into the second half, despite Bama having three times as many yards.
- In the 4th quarter, it looked like Alabama’s offensive line just wore the Hokies down. It still could have been a close game, but a VT fumble on a kick return on the 20 pretty much sealed the deal. Frankly, I didn’t think either team looked like a championship contender (lots of stupid Tide penalties, which I bet Saban will punish accordingly). But you have to lower the bar for the first game – and I credit both teams for not setting up pansies for the usual opening week demolishing.
- Again, not much pure football analysis. Things are a little fuzzy after halftime – my all-day drinking stamina is not what it once was. Though I do have to say that both fan groups gave a good showing, and were friendly all around. Oddly, the average age seemed to be around 50.

All in all, a good day. I’m glad to be back.