A GREAT DAY OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL :)

First, a response to comments left to my most recent post:
My dislike for Auburn goes back to my college days in Montgomery. Alabama fans were a little arrogant, but hey, they have earned it on the field with so many championships. Auburn fans were just as loud and obnoxious, but really had/haven't won much at all. I'm not saying there is anything rational to my dislike :)
I hear that the allegations around Cam Newton are just the tip of the iceberg of problems that the Feds are going to expose, not just the NCAA. That would be sad for college football.

Prattville, Hoover and Daphne have owned 6A in Alabama for a long time, so good for Wetumpka! Nothing like a crisp cool night of high school football :)

OK, almost every game went my way yesterday. FSU beat the Gators for the first time in 7 years! Josh was home, so we watched it a JJ Fins with Dirk, Ryan and Mark Nichols. Maybe with Jimbo in charge it can be a rivalry again. Maryland came through and beat NC State, so the Noles backed into the ACC Championship game. Va Tech will be formidable, but hey, in sports all you want is a shot right?

South Florida beat Miami and so the Canes fired Randy Shannon. He didn't win championships, but he did clean up that program. Oklahoma vs OK State was a thrilling shootout that kept me up too late. Notre Dame beat USC (I used to root the other way in this game, but I don't like LAME and I do like the Irish now).

UCF will host the CUSA Championship game against SMU on Saturday. The Knights are really good! Georgia Southern took care of business and now move on to the 2nd round of the FCS playoffs. Abilene Christian fell in the 2nd round of D2...bummer.

Navarre upset Pine Forest and will play Lincoln in Tallahassee on Friday night. I may be up that way, so that game is a possibility - but so is Cocoa at Madison and famed Boot Hill stadium. The south Georgia power houses all got beat! Lowndes, Cairo, Valdosta, etc. But not Starr's Mill :)

One last thing - I say again that the offense Florida runs will always be a disadvantage if/when they fall behind. Urban is a smart coach, but give me a pro style attack, when you are at a school like UF, where you have every advantage under the sun - no gimmicks required!

Go South Carolina!

Feast of Football

Thanksgiving is hard to beat. Before I get to the rivalry games, LATE last night Boise State lost to Nevada. So, no more Boise St. in the BCS crud from anyone, OK? I like Boise by the way.

I picked Alabama to beat Auburn and early on it looked like a spanking. But give the warbeagles credit for quite a turn around. Momentum did the fickle switch and once Auburn got it, everybody was faster and stronger and more energetic. Alabama looked just the opposite. Great game and even though I don't like Auburn at all, that was strong. Now I'll have to pull for South Carolina and the old ball coach to knock off the beagles. Oh and go Arkansas today, no way I want Lester Miles and LSU to sneak into anything significant :)

Florida has beaten FSU 6 times in a row and today in Tallahassee, the NOLES have their best chance in a long time to beat the Gators. Both teams are hard to predict, but at least FSU has a clue about who there are offensively. Go Noles, by 4. Maybe. Oh yes, if Maryland could somehow beat NC State, FSU would play Va Tech in the ACC Championship game with a BCS bowl berth on the line. An undeserved one...

High school playoffs are still going strong. Next weekend I expect to be in Cairo/Tally on Friday night, so I may go see Navarre @ Lincoln OR Cocoa at Madison...strong.

Yesterday, while my daughter was "conditioning" at the big park in Umatilla, my son Josh and pal Malcolm and I, played football and soccer and worked out too. We did the football Pass, Punt and Kick challenge that I witnessed at Abilene Christian Universtity's half time a few years ago (ACU is 11-0 and #2 in D2 by the way). The idea is to move the ball 120 yards with the pass, punt and field goal. We cheated in that we did the 110 yard version. All 3 of us were successful on the first try ( we did have a nice breeze behind us) with Josh clearly the stronger competitor (his kick would have been good for 45 plus). So, we did the noble thing and tried again at full distance. OH for 3 :), although we did have distance, just not direction on the kicks. Fun stuff.

Georgia Southern hosts South Carolina St today in the first round of the FCS division. Go Eagles!

Thursday before Thanksgiving

So Cam Newton is a pretty amazing college football player right now. You all know the story of how he is from Atlanta and went to play for the Gators out of high school. Got in mucho trouble in Gville and eventually left. He did not show the same dazzle when he was a Gator by the way. On to junior college and then the "pay for play" sweepstakes that took him to Auburn. From what I read today, Auburn is about to be in the biggest bunch of trouble any college football team has ever been in before. Cam Newton is just one little needle in the haystack of corruption that is being uncovered by both the NCAA and the United States government. It will be ugly for college football, especially "down south" and the SEC. By the way, Cam's father is the ultimate bad word. A preacher who shopped his son like a pimp and hides behind his church. Yuck.

Got a little UCLA vs Washington tonight and the Bears are at Miami for the NFL alternative.

They are trying to make a big deal that a couple of lame big 10 teams are playing at Wrigly Field. Who cares? I've been a Cubs game there and that was cool, but the big 10 is overrated and so is playing a game in a stadium that really doesn't fit a football field.

Florida get Appalachian State on Saturday. The Gators BETTER score some points or look out.

FSU gets another prime time Saturday night game, at Maryland. FSU has to beat Maryland and hope that NC State loses to either the Tar Heels this week or Maryland next, IF they want to play in the ACC championship game.

Nebraska @ Texas A&M could be interesting. I sure hope Iowa beats Ohio State so I don't have to hear that "best 1 loss team" crap.

Quick side note, in addition to the football tonite, UCF is beat USF in basketball and in the men's soccer playoffs. Cool :)

One more bball note. I do not like Ohio State, but they have a freshman center (Sulligan?) who is an absolute beast. He manhandled the Gators in a big way the other night.

Oregon had a nail biter at Cal the other night, but with OSU folding, the Ducks are cake walking into the BCS title game. The question will be who gets to play them. I expect Auburn's luck to run out, either in the Iron Bowl or the SEC title game, or even both. Then Boise St, TCU, LSU, Stanford, Big 12 winner all start fussing and campaigning. Stanford is tough, but the Pac 10 may be a bit weak overall. Please just don't put some big 10 team in there...

I should have mentioned how good EJ Manuel played last week while Ponder was out. EJ may be the best back up QB in the country!

High school playoffs all around the country tomorrow night! :)

Outlaw

Kicker Comes Thru for FSU!

Dustin Hopkins nailed a 55 yard walk off FG to beat Clemson late last night. How nice it was to have the Noles win one with a kicker for a change. It also helped going to bed after suffering through the Gator beat down by South Carolina. Where are you Tim Tebow???

Georgia Southern won again, on a big roll just in time for post season selection, and Nate's prep team Starr's Mill is still undefeated after the 1st round of playoff in the Peach state.

The high school playoffs start this week in Florida. Round one match ups can be lopsided but sometimes there are some gems out there for me to witness.

Back to the pain that is UF football right now. Marcus Lattimore torched the Swamp and the Gator D for 212 yards! South Carolina just pounded and ground out a physical smash mouth statement to win the East. Florida's defense is being asked to stay on the field too much and they are playing a lot of very young kids on defense. No such excuses for the soap opera on offense. Horrible play calling. No consistent identity. One week they are a running team, the next all passing. People pick on Brantley, but he has no protection and shares snaps with two other QB's. Some plays the leave Brantley in the game and just "waste" him out at receiver. Terrible idea, because you play 10 against 11 and foot absolutely NOBODY. Urban has won 2 national championships down in Gainesville, so he is no dummy. His coaching prowess and success, at least a good chunk of it may reside in Starkeville, Mississippi now...I don't get a vote, but I very much prefer a pro style offense. It allows you to come from behind if you find yourself in that situation, but more importantly it allows you to recruit pro style and caliber players. I really like what Stanford has done under Harbaugh.

FSU is oh so close to being 9-1 instead of 7-3. They have to beat Maryland on Saturday night, and hope that NC State loses to either Carolina or Maryland, IF they want to play in the ACC championship game, most likely against Va Tech.

The Dolphins lost both Chad QB's for the season today. Both! The Cowboys whipped the Giants in their first game under Jason Garrett.

The UFL is a bad idea and I LOVE football.

Colorado won big under their new/interrim coach.

Crestview plays Pine Forest Friday night and watch out for Navarre against Niceville. I am looking forward to a rematch in round 2 between Apopka and Dr Philips in 6A.

Cal gave Oregon all they wanted, and TCU survived San Diego State. The Big 10 is way over rated. Bedlam - the rivalry game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State should decide the Big 12 North. The ACC and the Big East should donate their automatic BCS bids to TCU and Boise State this year.

UCF was ranked in the top 25 for the first time last week and promptly lost to Souther Miss at home on Saturday...bummer.

see ya.

Dad Gum Kickers!

Wide Right are a couple of dirty words to fans of the Seminoles. It made another appearance this weekend when kick Hopkins missed TWO field goals in the 4th Qtr, to let another ACC win slip away. North Carolina played great, as did NC State the previous week, but FSU should have won both games. As frustrating as it is, I'll be switching back and forth this Saturday night between their game with Clemson, and the Florida - South Carolina showdown for the SEC East title.

To continue my lament on kickers breaking my heart, my old high school out played the Niceville fishheads on Friday night in the district championship game, but missed TWO kicks, a PAT AND a short FG and lost by 1... to quote Joe Paterno's boy Bobby "dad gum it" :)

A week after going to Statesboro to watch Georgia Southern, the Eagles beat the #1 team in the nation; Appalachian State. Hugh victory for Nate Baker and the GSU bunch!

Who thought Iowa State would take Nebraska to OT, or that Texas A&M would beat Oklahoma, OR that LSU would beat Alabama. TCU opened a can on Utah. Oregon and Stanford could beat just about anybody and probably run the score up a bit. The SEC West has FIVE ranked teams and NOBODY would want any of Arkansas about now. The ACC and the Big East should forgo their auto BCS bids and give Boise and TCU a better chance at significant bowl matchups and paydays.

Now, FSU is no longer ranked. Miami is not ranked and the Gators have climbed back into the polls at 24 or 25. The Central Florida (aka UCF) Knights are the highest ranked team in Florida. Let that sink in. If UCF beats Southern Miss on Saturday, they will go 10-2 and be in the CUSA Championship game. Possible to win 11 or 12 games...Big East better take notice of the 2nd largest university in the country.

I watched Mt Dora Bible play for a while on Friday night. They lost in OT, but are a better football team than they they have been. The new coach must be doing something right.

Georgia Southern Football

My nephew Nate is a undergrad assistant coach at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. I have long been aware of the Eagles and their success, but this weekend I finally made the trip and experienced it first hand.

If you are only a casual fan of football, you will not be able to appreciate the PASSION that Nate brings to the game. He is actually younger than some of the guys on the team, but you could tell that they all respect Nate and his understanding of what GSU is trying to do with their offense and specifically the O line.

Last year I was fortunate enough to go to a Notre Dame game in South Bend. I have also been to Tuscaloosa, Auburn, Oklahoma, Tally, Gainesville, the Cocktail Party, etc., but the GSU experience ranks right up there. Smaller, no doubt. But from the fans on blankets on the hills, to the bald eagle taking flight, it was one of my favorite college football atmospheres. I look forward to going back.

I'm also excited about watching Nate progress through his career. If there was ever anyone in his zone, it is this young man coaching football. So stoked!

We left Statesboro with the Florida - Georgia game underway and me listening on the radio. The 21-7 UF lead at halftime was about as solid as FSU's lead over NC State the other night. When the Dawgs made their run in the 2nd half, we stopped in Brunswick (south on I95) to get some grub and watch the exciting finish of the Cocktail Party :) By the way, the Gator helmets sans stripe threw me off! It took overtime, but that is now 18 our of the last 21 :) A good 50th birthday present for my old pal Duane (today).

I'd like to see the Rangers keep the World Series going a bit longer. Nothing wrong with a 7th game...nah...

Crestview beat Leon. Wow. On to a showdown with the highly favored FISHHEADS :)

November means it is time to start separating the pretenders and the contenders! By the way, I'm not so sure that UCF isn't the best football team in the state I know, the Noles and the Gators would beg to difer, but the Knights are playing well. Unlike the Canes :) :) Oh joy!

Coming up, Noles vs Tarheels, Gators and Vandy. Alabama & LSU. TCU at Utah will be a good one. Sweet!

Out