Bowling

Apathy is the word of the month for college football, at least as far as my attitude goes. The Bowls were announced tonight and I have to express my thoughts...

First, the mess at Penn State just stinks. I hate it for the good people up there and for the current team. Joe Pa is a legend, but this certainly puts an ugly stain on all he accomplished...

Bowls: I did not want to see a LSU vs Alabama rematch. Yes they may be the 2 best teams, but Bama already had their shot and in Tuscaloosa for crying out loud! Oklahoma State would have been my choice.

RG3 is the best player in college football but I hope Andrew Luck gets the trophy.

Here are a couple of the WORST travesties in the college bowl system. First, Va Tech beat NOBODY, and were runners up in the very weak ACC yet they get a BCS bid. Michigan had a nice season but didn't even make it their championship game, but they get a BCS pay day. Boise State again gets hosed. Clearly this is an unfair system that as much as I hate to say it, needs government intervention. It is unAmerican to the core (IMO).

As far as hobbies go, football, especially college football is my fav vice, but the money involved in this BUSINESS these days has corrupted it to the max. Yes I'm cranky about the dismal seasons of ALL the Florida teams, but the situation with NCAA football is getting worse, not better.

Hopefully by August I'll have a renewed enthusiasm for football again!

OUTLAW

Posting Blah's

Maybe, just maybe the fact that both the Noles and Gators have 3 losses, contributes to my lack of zeal to convey my thoughts about this football season. Or, maybe the obsession is cooling off a bit, perhaps some of both. It is true that my daughter's volleyball season has kept me running. It is also true that spend most of my day on a computer already...I don't know. Lack of inspiration or something like that. I haven't even gone to a college game this season, even though I had seat to FSU/Oklahoma...

Conference realignment is stupid, at least when we start looking at West Virginia joining the Big 12. College football is supposed to have some geographic sacredness (a word, really?). Border battles are what make it so special. Now college football is just one more obvious step closer to the NFL, where the Cowboys have been in the East for a long time.

I'm cranky about the Gators and the Noles. I'm cranky about UCF and USF choking. I"m cranky about my Crestview Bulldogs and I'm even cranky that Eustis is pretty weak (I have to be a Panther fan the next 4 years, the least they could do is make it exciting). I'm also cranky that fantasy football is difficult. Hard to figure out, maybe it all comes down to luck - yuck.

I really like Mark Richt, but I sure hope the Gators beat Georgia in Jacksonville!

At least Georgia Southern is kicking some butt. Gonna do a road trip up there next weekend!

Outlaw

There's always tomorrow for dreams to come true

A song by the little female rain deer in the classic Rudolph. A good anthem for Florida State football about now. Losing to Oklahoma was understandable. Losing at Clemson was questionable, but give Dabo's boys credit. Losing today to Wake Forest is just pitiful. Don't get me wrong, I have long said that Grobe is the most under rated coach in football. No way however, is FSU "back" after today. Yes EJ was a bit rusty, but where was the DEFENSE? 35 points to Wake?

Here is how bad I am feeling today (Noles and Gators lose). I went and looked up the FSU schedule for NEXT YEAR! It's October 8th...

By the way, they play West Va, USF, Murray State and the Gators. More formidable than most teams non conference slate. At least no OKLAHOMA :) AND just in case you are wondering, the Gators play patsies and FSU in their non SEC scheduel

Georgia Southern beat Tenn Chattanooga to keep there season spotless :)

Florida got beat down by LSU. The Gators are not as good as I thought and Auburn is better, so next week "on the plains" could be very painful for me to watch...

TO end this post with positive news, CRESTVIEW squeaked by the FWB Vikings last night, so the weekend is not a total loss. Also, we have two young men from Germany staying with us this week and it is FUN.

Outlaw

Monday evening Quarterback

Greg Reid was arrested in Tallahassee. That is the topping on the weekend of grief for FSU. Clemson looked like the Patriots against the Noles Defense that gave Oklahoma fits...Noles have no good game until Nov 12 when they play the Canes. Too bad that Clemson was so early in the season. Hopefully FSU will be better 6 weeks from now. Clemson by the way, has the worst ACC schedule. They must play Va Tech this weekend, plus Georgia Tech and North Carolina from the other side of the ACC, while FSU plays NONE of those big boys...So, FSU might still get to the ACC title game, by virtue of the easier schedule.

Florida host Alabama this Saturday night. Tide is awesome, but Gators have a shot!

Wisconsin will smoke Nebraska.

My top 10 at the end of Sept:

LSU
Oklahoma
Alabama
Oklahoma State
Stanford
Wisconsin
Boise State
Clemson
Oregon
Va / Ga Tech?

GO GATORS, BEAT ALABAMA!

Georgia Southern is ranked #1 in the country in the FCS division of college football, the one with a PLAYOFF to determine the champion…With the ACC expanding to include Syracuse and Pitt, the mega conference evolution will heat up again this week. I don’t mind expansion of conferences, but it should be geographically sound. That is what makes college football rivalries so fun, they are border battles, fans can go to away games. Alignment where TCU is in the Big Least, is bad, very bad.

Its early, but Oklahoma, LSU and Alabama look like the best teams in the country because they have serious DEFENSES. Oklahoma also has an elite offense, that is why I think they are #1. Of course as good as the Sooners are, they are prone to laying an egg each season so we will see.

Florida State played well at times. Turnovers and penalties will doom you in big games and that was the case on Saturday night. When EJ got hurt, the Noles still played inspired football, but I didn’t expect them to pull it out. Clint Trickett did his part, he just can’t run like EJ so FSU becomes less of an offensive threat. The hit Kenny Shaw took scared me. I thought they might have killed him… glad he was just knocked out.

As much fun as the Oklahoma game was with Game Day in Tally, this week’s game with Climpsin is a far bigger game for the Noles season. Clemson just beat Auburn and Death Valley will be nasty. The Tigers are not only an ACC foe, but in the same division…must win for Jimbo and the boys and it sounds like they will have to play without EJ…uh oh…

Florida’s win over Tennessee was very encouraging . Their RUN DEFENSE was stellar and that is what they will need against Alabama in 2 weeks and LSU in 3. Neither of those monsters throw the ball around like the Vols (which resulted in SEVEN pass interference penalties). So, while the Gators will be underdogs in both of those games, I think the UF run defense gives them a fighting chance.

I drove up to Jacksonville on Friday night and watched Crestview play Bolles. The Bolles facility looks kind of like Pepperdine – cream of the crop nice. A field turf surface for a 4A high school, not bad. Bolles is ranked NATIONALY and while the Dawgs kept it close in the 1st half, Bolles pulled away. Their starting tackles are 6’7 285 and 6’6 300 respectively, with the shorter being the top recruit in the state but signing with Georgia. Crestview gets to play Godby this season, who is also ranked NATIONALY by Rivals.

Wow, what a Saturday!

Auburn & Mississippi State was a classic game. Fantastic tackle by the war beagle db on the big Chris Relf at the goal line! However, if Relf pitched the ball, MSU walks in for the tying TD.

Georgia vs South Carolina was a shootout, with the Ole Ball Coach stealing one between the hedges...Michigan & Notre Dame had an wild 4th quarter with both teams scoring almost at will.

UCF pounded ACC member Boston College 30-3. The Knights are a very good and physical football team and with Godfrey at QB, they can have a special season. A trip to FIU this weekend could be tricky, as FIU just went to Louisville and beat the Cards...

Miss State and LSU start next weekend off with a Thursday night battle. Saturday afternoon will have Tennessee in the Swamp, and the BIG ONE, Oklahoma invades Tallahassee for a top 5 showdown! WHOOO WHEEE :)

Football Friday

A football Friday is here! One of my new fav blog is OutKick the Coverage - http://www.outkickthecoverage.com/index.php
Even the gals who contribute are funny and know their stuff, including Meridith the Alabama fan.

This weekend is highlighted by Alabama going to Penn St and whoopin the lions. Texas gets BYU, UCF can make some noise with Boston College invading Brighhouse stadium, and the biggie - South Carolina at Georgia. Gamecocks win and the heat intensifies on Mark Richt. Utah @ So Cal might be interesting, as is the Mizzu vs Arizona State.

Like the Fonz, I was wwrroonngg!

OK, LSU is pretty darn strong and maybe Oregon is NOT the # 1 team in the nation. It is not fun to eat crow (duck) the first weekend of the season :)

Gotta run, but had to get that out of my system.

Opening Weekend :)

Wow, after all the waiting the season is finally here! I'll be a Sonquest this weekend instead of in front of my 50" HDTV. However, I'm really interested in 4 games. First, BYU goes to Ole Miss. This one could go either way, but I think the power of the SEC prevails in THIS one. USF and Skip Holtz to go South Bend to face the Irish. I think Notre Dame has a monster season, but the Bulls are no lay up. Should be a dog fight. Speaking of Dawgs, I don't see how Georgia beats Boise State. I say the Bronco's whip the puppies in Hotlanta. AND as much of an SEC homer as I am, I think Oregon will beat LSU. Unless Lucky Les gets lucky again.

Some more good prep games too, Bradenton Manatee plays a team from Maryland (Good Counsel). Crestview vs Milton!

Happy days are here again!

Outlaw

Game Week

College football finally opens up the season later this week!

Here is my summary take on who will do well across the board. I have already provided my take on the premier conference, the SEC. South Carolina and Alabama will duke it out in Atlanta in early December if my picks prevail.

I think FSU and Va Tech get a rematch in the ACC title game, but that is not very daring, as most folks think that is how it will play out.

A lot of love for Nebraska to win the big 10 (can't count) but I am not buying the Huskers. Some good teams with Mich State, Wisconsin, Iowa and Ohio State, and none of them impress me as top 5. IF OSU had not sunk into all the crud that saw Pryor bolt and Tressel fired, they would probably be top 5. Now, not so much.

I think Oregon has a very good chance to get back to the BCS Championship game. I also think that if Oklahoma beats FSU in Tallahassee, the Sooners will probably run the table. Alabama has to get love, because it is a rule that the best SEC team should always be in the discussion. Again, I like South Carolina's chance to be special this season. Florida State could have a special season if they somehow beat Oklahoma, but I am not expecting that to happen. Virginia Tech will have a great season, partly because they have a cupcake schedule. Beamer is a terrific coach and I would really like the Hokies to keep playing good non conference teams (they played Alabama last year) even if they don't win them. NOTRE DAME will probably be in a BCS bowl game come January.

My Top 25

1. Oregon
2. Oklahoma
3. South Carolina
4. Alabama
5. Florida State
6. Stanford
7. Oklahoma State
8. Virginia Tech
9. Notre Dame
10. Arkansas
11. Mississippi State
12. West Virginia
13. Ohio State
14. Nebraska
15. Wisconsin
16. Missouri
17. Florida
18. LSU
19. Georgia
20. Boise State
21. UCF
22. Auburn
23. South Florida
24. Southern Cal
25. Clemson
Iowa

Teams like Southern Miss, Houston and BYU could make some noise. Maybe Utah or Arizona State.

Toe meets leather or composite this weekend!

High school football is ON! Tonight ESPN viewers get to watch Armwood play Nevada power Gorman out in Vegas - 9:00 pm Eastern time. It is the first of a sweet weekend of interstate match ups. On Saturday at Noon, Ft Lauderdale St Thomas Aquinas plays Prattville, Alabama at Noon. The 2nd game in thae twin bill is Hoover AL, vs South Panola, Mississippi. All four teams are juggernauts. Should be fun and some serious D1 recruits on the field. There are some more out of state games, but another one I'm really interested in is little Cocoa High playing in Cincinnati power Colerain. On paper Cocoa has no chance, but on paper they should not have beat 3 OOS teams last year.

Back home, Crestview plays their KO Classic against panhandle power Pace. It will be interesting to see how new coach Kevin Pettis has in store for my Bulldogs.

Closer to now home, my daughter had her varsity volleyball debut last night and she was awesome. I'm biased I know, but the 3 frosh on Eustis were some of the better players on the floor.

In addition to the big prep football this weekend, the Little League World series has the International and USA championships on Saturday, followed by the big enchilada on Sunday. How can anybody not pull for Montana?

In the coming days I'll finish my college football preview, highlighting FLORIDA STATE of course. Low lighting LSU and Miami :)

Oh yes, lest I forget. Tomorrow morning, my son Josh, Captain Hopkins and pal Malcolm will join me in the SAVAGE RACE. A prayer on my behalf would be AOK with me!

Outlaw

UF Fan Day and the SEC West

I took my daughter and 3 of her friends to the Gator Fan Day on Saturday. Turns out that they were far more interested in the UF volleyball team than interacting with the football gators. Who knew?



So, in a previous post I chronicled why I think the South Carolina Gamecocks will win the SEC East. Even with all the props the West is getting I would not be surprised to see USC win in Atlanta.

That said, the West is loaded. Until Knile Davis got hurt last week, I was ready to take Arkansas over both Alabama and LSU. But as Lee Corso says, "not so fast my friend". LSU is sick talented. But LSU has Les Miles as their coach. They will choke at least 2 times, if not 3. Oregon next Saturday night just might crack the invincible SEC code. Jordan Jefferson is a really good athlete, but not a great QB. LSU wins in spite of mediocre QB play. That is impressive.
I guess I have to pile on the band wagon and go with Alabama to win the West. They are not wreaking of NFL talent at the skill positions, but are like 4 deep on the line and at every defensive spot. Nick Saban is quite simply the best college coach going. I'm not a huge fan of his, but he wins and he recruits. I don't expect Auburn to be as bad as a lot of people think. And, I think Dan Mullen at Mississippi State does more with less, than any coach in the SEC.

So, my predicted order of finish:

Alabama
Arkansas
Mississippi State
Auburn
LSU
Ole Miss

I know that is pretty disrespectful of LSU, but I just keep thinking that Les Miles' luck has to run out eventually!

Mega conferences?

I'm just getting started on my pre season take on the upcoming college football season and it appears the cfb world is about to end as we know it. IF Texas A&M goes to the SEC, it will be the trigger for mega conference alignment. The mighty SEC will not sit back and get left out of the money (I mean team) grab. A&M going SEC would require at least one more team, probably 3 more. Florida State is being mentioned, as are Clemson and Mizzu. The Noles had a chance back in the early 90's and went to the ACC. The amazing 14 year run of dominance (all top 4 finishes) would not have happened if WE had been in the SEC. Beating the ACC back then was good, but not near the caliber of the SEC, which wasn't as dominating then, as it is now.

I don't know how this plays out, of whether or not I like it (that is not a factor now is it). I do know that college football is only amateur by the strictest of definitions. The billions being generated are hard to fathom, and with that much money, there is little innocence left standing.

I'll try to get back to my take on the season tomorrow, and start talking some high school football as well!

First post of the 2011 Season - SEC East

My first post of the season, as I watch Florida play Georgia in the SouthEast Little League final. A trip to Williamsport on the line!

On to college football. IT IS ABOUT TIME!

The West is probably the toughest "league" in college football this year, but I'll start with the SEC East because I'm partial to the reptiles down Gainesville way.


SEC EAST
Let’s start out with the assumption that South Carolina, Florida and Georgia are the top 3 teams in the East. Tennessee and Kentucky should be decent, but poor Vandy just can’t compete in the SEC (in football) YET. Vandy’s new coach is strong and they are making some noise in recruiting already.
The Gamecocks won the East last year and lost to Auburn in the SEC Championship game. They return 7 starters on Offense and 7 on Defense. They return some big time play makers, including Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffery.
Florida returns 6 starters on Offense and only 3 on Defense.
Georgia was 6-7 last season and lost to UCF in their bowl game. For some reason, a lot of “experts” are picking them to win the East. How could that be you ask? The Dawg’s return 4 Offensive and 7 Defensive starters. The numbers are similar to the Gators, but neither of the Cocktail party participants won the East last season or return as many starters as the Cocks.
Their respective Schedules are the key to understanding how the East might play out.
I say USC goes first as they are the defending “champs”. They open with East Carolina in Charlotte and then in week 2 they go “between the hedges” for the showdown with Georgia. It is safe to say that it is a big game. Home games follow against Navy, Vandy and Auburn. Auburn only returns 5 starters from their BCS championship team. War Beagles should be good, but not great. Kentucky comes to town next and then 3 straight road games at Miss State, Tennessee and Arkansas. The Gators will come calling on 11/12 and by then the SEC East will be decided. The schedule has a “breather” against the Citadel before cross state rival Clemson comes to Columbia on Thanksgiving Saturday. USC DOES NOT play Alabama or LSU, both of whom are expected to be top 5 nationally.
Florida opens with FAU and UAB, and then starts conference play with Rocky Top before a roadie to Kentucky. Those 4 look “winnable” and they better be, because a gauntlet follows. The Crimson Tide rolls into the Swamp on 10/1 and the following Saturday has the Gators in Death Valley against LSU. UF gets to follow up two top 5 battles with a trip to Auburn, the defending national champs. A week to heal comes before the Cocktail Party. Vandy opens the November slate and then it’s off to Columbia for the showdown with South Carolina. The East will be settled by that night. Furman and a rejuvenated Florida State round out the dance card for the Mighty Gators.
Georgia’s schedule looks like this: Boise State in Atlanta to get things going. Boise is good, but Boise is NOT playing in the SEC. Week 2 is the biggie vs South Carolina! After that UGA plays Coastal Carolina (they have a football team?) before a trip to the Grove and Ole Miss. Mississippi State comes to Athens on 10/1 and then a roadie to Knoxville and the Vol navy. Another trip to Tennessee the following week to play Vandy and then a bye to get ready for the Cocktail Party and the Gators! November brings in the New Mexico St patsy, followed by Auburn and Kentucky and finally in state rival Ga Tech.
Schedule wise, the Gators have to play both Alabama and LSU, while Georgia and South Carolina miss both of the giants from the West. A lot of folks have Arkansas as the 3rd best team in the SEC (I’m not on that band wagon) and only South Carolina has to tangle with the Hogs. So, from an SEC schedule it is obvious Georgia has the easiest path, then USC, and Florida the nastiest by far. So, THAT is how Florida may have a great team, but not be able to win the East. Let’s imagine that Florida loses two SEC games and beats both Georgia and South Carolina. If USC wins all their other conference games, they win the East even though they lost head to head against UF.
It is way too early to do this, but here is how I see it playing out for these 3.

Georgia:
Beats Boise State, although it would not shock me for Boise to prevail (the puppies lost to UCF last outing…)
Loses to South Carolina
Beats Coastal
Beats Ole Miss
Loses to Miss State at home
Beats Tennessee (maybe)
Beats Vandy
Loses to Florida (again) like death and taxes, some things you can count on ! 
Beats NMSt
Loses to Auburn
Beats Kentucky
Beats Ga Tech to finish 8-4, 5-3 in the SEC

FLORIDA:
Beats FAU
Beats UAB
Beats Tennessee
Beats Kentucky
Loses to Alabama
Beats LSU
Beats Auburn
Beats Georgia
Beats Vandy
Loses to South Carolina
Beats Furman
Loses to FSU to finish 9-3 and 6-2

SOUTH CAROLINA
W East Carolina
W Georgia
W Navy
W Vandy
L Auburn
W Kentucky
L Miss St
W Tennessee
W Arkansas – this one could be a trap for the old ball coach.
W Florida
W Citidel
W Clemson to finish 10-2 and 6-2 but the win vs UF carries them back to the SEC CG

Slacker blogger returns

Well, my last post was in 2010 and it is now February so a lot has happened in the football world.

First, congrats to Auburn, they kept the SEC on top of the college football world. Arkansas ALMOST beat Ohio State, but alas the buckies are now 1-10 against the SEC in bowl games.

The SuperBowl is this Sunday, with the Packer and Steelers squaring off. The Steelers have a first rate organization and a killer defense. Green Bay has a QB on fire in Aaron Rogers. No emotional investment on my part, but I think the Packers prevail in a good one.

My high school up on the central time zone part of Florida (LA - lower Alabama) has hired Kevin Pettis away from Deland. This is very encouraging, as Pettis can flat out coach!

Wednesday was national signing day for college football. FLORIDA STATE had a great day, with their best recruiting class in a long long time. Whether they or Alabama or Auburn "won" the battle is not really the key, as the next step is to see how many of these young thug athletes will qualify academically, AND manage to stay out of jail between now and August.

During the football off season, I will devote much of my time to my daughter's tournament volleyball team. We will go all over the state to play the best 14 year olds around (we / the Juice).

Short attention span, so I'm out for now.

Outlaw