Saturday November 29th will be really weird as a Vol fan

I realize few will read this but I think the following is almost more therapeutic for me than anything else.  Tomorrow/today depending on your time zone will be the last time that Coach Fulmer takes the field as Head Coach of the Tennessee Volunteers.  As an alum and rapid UT fan the whole thing just feels wrong.  I concede I am one of the people who thought it was time for a change and still think UT made the right move for the long term future of the program by deciding to make a change.  But it just doesn't seem like it should be this way.  For a man who gave so much to his players and to the University, it just sucks.  It's a shame that this is the season that will be Fulmer's last.  A season that began with such promise quickly fell apart and the cracks that had been appearing in the program became gaping holes.  Like many in the world of sports, Fulmer held on a little too long.  His run in the late 90's of 45 - 5 is something that few teams are able to do in the SEC and really put Tennessee on the map as a national power.  Ever since the beginning of the decade though the SEC landscape has changed and Fulmer has struggled to adapt.  The once recruiting fertile ground of the Southeast has dried up as Urban Meyer, Mark Richt, and Nick Saban were keeping top players close to home.  These new coaches always gave Fulmer fits but he always had the domination of Alabama in his back pocket.  In the last couple of years that has also disappeared and with it the Ace up Fulmer's sleeve.  

To Fulmer's credit the man always rallied with his back to the wall.  Just when you thought things were going to fall apart, the team would pull an upset and the critics would go quiet again.  I remember thinking after last season that it would be a perfect time for Fulmer to ride off into a Smokey Mountain sunset.  It was painfully obvious that Florida and Alabama had passed us but in typical Fulmer fashion we somehow ended up in Atlanta as SEC East champs.  To make it even crazier we almost pulled one of the bigger upsets in SEC title game history by knocking off eventual National Champion LSU.  We rallied to end the season with a nice win over Wisconsin and the stage was set for Fulmer to move on.  Instead he came back and made a disastrous hire in Dave Clawson to run the offense.  To be perfectly honest, if Fulmer goes a different direction with that hire things may have never gotten this far.  So here we are now running the second winningest coach in school history out of town.  I know Fulmer has made his enemies around CFB over the years but it's the nature of the business.  Through it all though the man has been fiercely loyal to his players and to the University of Tennessee.  

None of this feels right though in the back of my mind I just don't know how it could have gone any different.  I truly hope that this season does not affect his legacy.  With over 150 wins, 5 SEC title appearances with 2 titles, and last but not least a national title the man left his mark on Tennessee.  I would love to be at the game tomorrow and I hope that Neyland is packed and rocking tomorrow.  Fulmer deserves to go out on a high note and I hope the fans send him out well.  

Coach, thanks for the memories.  Thanks for 1998.  Thanks for "Pounding the Rock" in Gainesville and an end around in Miami.  Thanks for 35 first quarter points against Arkansas and 52 total against Georgia.  Thanks for 45 - 14 over Michigan and 38 - 7 over A&M.  Thanks for Eric Berry.  Thanks for all you've done for Tennessee.  

Week 13 top 25

1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. Oklahoma
4. Texas
5. Utah
6. Penn State
7. Boise State
8. Texas Tech
9. Southern Cal
10. Ohio State
11. Oklahoma State
12. Ball State
13. Missouri
14. Georgia
15. TCU
16. Cincinnati
17. Oregon State
18. Boston college
19. Florida State
20. Oregon
21. Georgia Tech
22. Northwestern
23. BYU
24. West Virginia
25. Mississippi
Iowa 20,
Pittsburgh 19,
Michigan State 12,
Tulsa 8,
Western Michigan 4,
Central Michigan 3,
Nebraska 2,
Houston 1

Week 12 Top 25

1. Texas Tech 394
2. Alabama 386
3. Florida 360
4. Texas 345
5. Oklahoma 334
6. Utah 300
7. Southern Cal 299
8. Boise State 292
9. Penn State 285
10. Oklahoma State 230
11. BYU 204
12. Missouri 202
13. Ohio State 201
14. Georgia 199
15. Michigan State 175
16. Ball State 174
17. Cincinnati 134
18. Oregon State 127
19. Pittsburgh 124
20. TCU 78
21. Miami 64
22. North Carolina 49
23. Oregon 47
24. Maryland 41
25. Northwestern 36

Others receiving votes: Boston college 31 Florida State 28 LSU 25 Georgia Tech 15 Central Michigan 5 West Virginia 4 Western Michigan 4 Tulsa 3 Iowa 2 Connecticut 2

Week 11 Top 25

1. Texas Tech
2. Alabama
3. Florida
4. Texas
5. Oklahoma
6. Southern Cal
7. Penn State
8. Utah
9. Boise State
10. Missouri
11. Ohio State
12. Georgia
13. Ball State
14. Oklahoma State
15. Michigan State
16. North Carolina
17. BYU
18. Florida State
19. TCU
20. Tulsa
21. LSU
22. Cal
23. Oregon
24. South Carolina
25. Virginia Tech

others receiving votes West Virginia 12, Miami 11, Maryland 8, Oregon State 6, Western Michigan 2, South Florida 2, Army 1, Wake Forest 1,

Week 10 Top 25

1. Penn State
2. Alabama
3. Texas Tech
4. Florida
5. Texas
6. Oklahoma
7. Southern Cal
8. Oklahoma State
9. Utah
10. Boise State
11. TCU
12. Ohio State
13. Missouri
14. Georgia
15. LSU
16. Ball State
17. Michigan State
18. West Virginia
19. Georgia Tech
20. BYU
21. North Carolina
22. Cal
23. Florida State
24. Maryland
25. Tulsa

Others receiving votes Minnesota 12, Oregon 8, Pittsburgh 8 Kansas 7, Miami 5, Notre Dame 1,

Wekk 9 Top 25

1. Texas
2. Penn State
3. Alabama
4. Texas Tech
5. Oklahoma
6. Florida
7. Oklahoma State
8. Georgia
9. Southern Cal
10. Boise State
11. Utah
12. TCU
13. Florida State
14. Tulsa
15. Ball State
16. Missouri
17. Minnesota
18. Ohio State
19. BYU
20. North Carolina
21. Michigan State
22. LSU
23. Virginia Tech
24. Maryland
25. Cal

Others receiving votes South Florida 22, West Virginia 15, West Virginia 15, Kansas 10, Virginia 8, Miami 5, Boston College 3, Louisville 3, Georgia Tech 1

And so it begins...

Coaching victim #1 has been announced and five years late it turns out to be Tommy Bowden. Clemson has always had talent and they always manage to find ways to lose games. It finally caught up to Bowden as Clemson entered this season with higher expectations than ever in his tenure as coach. The early season blowout loss to Bama put the writing on the wall and losses to Maryland and Wake Forest were the final nails in the coffin. By making this move first Clemson does put themselves in the best position to find a top of the line replacement. With other top programs (Tennessee and Auburn) potentially looking for new coaches this might be a huge advantage. Ultimately this will cost Clemson a ton of money as Bowden signed a huge extension prior to this season. It appears they should have let him go to Arky and started fresh. There are some definite top candidates out there this year and the market will be very competitive.

Week 7 Games of the Week

It's nut cutting time in college football. Out of conference fluff has ended, and most teams had an easy opening week of conference play last week. But now, the first of about three Separation Saturdays is upon us. The Big XII and SEC picture will be shaped this week, with somebody left scrambling to stay in the NC hunt (or in Florida's case, a loss eliminates them). So let's look into the crystal football and see how things play out this week.

ACC
Clemson at # 20 Wake Forest (-2.5): While I was never high on Clemson, the fact remains they still have a shot at winning the ACC and getting to a BCS bowl. If they lose tonight however, that dream is all but over. The Tigers can't afford to fall into a 1-2 hole in ACC play. This game will most likely decide the ACC Atlantic division. Clemson's plan is simple: feed Spiller and Davis. But they have no always executed that plan effectively with shaky O-Line play. Wake's run D is #15 in the nation so it's been solid, and is good enough to make Clemson pass. And this is where the game will be won or lost. The Wake pass D has been spotty so expect Clemson QB Cullen Harper to make enough plays to keep Wake off balance. Plus the Clemson D is second in the ACC in total D, so expect them to give a Wake team that only averages 27 points a game a few problems. Clemson 24, Wake Forest 20

Big XII
#6 Texas vs. #1 Oklahoma (-7) at Dallas: This is the most anticipated Red River Shootout since 2002. Both teams come in crushing the competition at a pace of 35.8 points per game, both teams have outstanding quarterback play, and both teams are hungry to stay in the Big XII and national title chase. The winner of this game has played in 10 of the 12 Big XII title games, and appeared 3 of the last 5 BCS title games. In other words, the stakes are high. So who wins? On paper OU has more talent. Quarterback Sam Bradford has an abundance of weapons at his disposal including RB DeMarco Murray, WRs Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson, and TE Jermaine Gresham. The defense, particularly in the secondary, has been stronger than even most OU fans expected. Under DC Will Mushchamp, the same can be said about the Longhorn D. They are leading the nation in sacks, and DL Brian Orakpo is 3rd nationally in sack. Offensively, Colt McCoy is have a Heisman worthy season. He is 4th in the nation in passing efficiency, and is Texas' leading rusher. The biggest advantage between the teams appears in the air. The Horns pass defence ranks 100 nationally, and they have not seen anything near the passing attack OU provides. Expect Sam Bradford to have a big day, and the Sooners to stay atop the polls. OU 35, TX 24

Big East
Rutgers (+7.5) at Cincinnati: Slow weekend in the Big East, but their weekend will come. Only intrigue here is will Cincy win it's conference opener to set up some key matchups against UCONN, USF, and WVU in the next 3 weeks? Expect the Bearcats to stay focused on this matchup, and beat a Rutgers team that is hurting in all aspects. CB Mike Mickens and the Cincinnati D will cause QB Mike Teel and Rutgers all kinds of problems. Cincinnati 30, Rutgers 14

Big Ten
#21 Michigan State (-1.5) at #23 Northwestern: I know everybody is all excited about Penn State at Wisconsin, but at this point MSU at NW has more impact on the Big 10 race. Both teams are undefeated in conference, so more is on the line in this one. NW has been surprisingly stingy on defense, giving up only 12 points per game. The Spartans have been good defensively as well, giving up 16 per game but have struggled against the better passing teams on their schedule (Cal and Indiana). This where Northwestern QB CJ Bacher can make or break this game. If he limits his turnovers, he gives his team a very good chance to win. The Wildcat D is good enough to at least contain Spartan RB Javon Ringer. He's going to get 40 touches no matter what, but if they limit his yards per touch they have a good shot because Brian Hoyer has not shown much through the air. So can Bacher throw the ball to the guys in the purple jerseys? I'm going to say he can, and the NW spread is effective enough to get a close home win. NW 23, MSU 21

Pac 10
Arizona (-7) at Stanford: Another game with slightly more importance that the game most are excited about (Arizona State at USC). Both teams have two conference wins (AZ 2-0; Stanford 2-1). A Cardinal upset puts the Pac 10 in chaos with a bunch of 1 loss teams; a 'Zona win puts the Wildcats in the driver's seat. I don't expect the upset here. Matter of fact, I think Mike Stoops is finally making his mark on the Wildcat program and has his team in a position to expect to win. Arizona QB Willie Tuitama is playing like a senior quarterback should, and the Arizon D has been stingy (15.2 PPG). The Cardinal D on the other hand is horrendous (27.7 PPG), and the offense isn't lighting it up either (23 PPG). The 'Cats roll, setting up a big matchup versus Cal (the other Pac undefeated team; idle this week) next week. Arizona 35, Stanford 17

SEC
#4 LSU (+6) at #12 Florida: Hate, thy name is LSU/Florida. As if there wasn't enough bad blood between these teams after last year (remember the Tebow cell phone incident) we now have LSU planning to take Tebow out. Ahhh, nothing like ESSSSSS EEEEEEE SSSEEEEEEE football. The Tigers will rely on the strong running game led by Charles Scott (133 YPG, 6TDs) to take the pressure of QB Jarrett Lee. Expect the Gators to load the box to apply pressure on the run game and Lee. Well all know about the Gators "O" led by Tebow and Percy Harvin, but the key will be the Gators D. The Gators D is third in the nation in turnover margin, and only gives up 11 points per game. If the Gator D plays up to snuff, don't expect Jarrett Lee to pass his second big road test. Florida 24 LSU 17

Mid Major
TCU (-15.5) at Colorado State: Two undefeated teams in MWC play look to stay in the race with Utah and BYU. The Horned Frogs bring the nations #1 defense to Hughes Stadium, and they'll need it against a pass happy Rams attack. The Rams however give up 30 points a game and TCU averages 246 yards rushing per game. So expect the Rams passing game to be a moot point, as TCU will keep them off the field and stuff them when necessary. TCU 31, CSU 14

Week 7 Top 25

1. Oklahoma
2. Missouri
3. Alabama
4. Penn State
4. LSU
6. Texas
7. Texas Tech
8. BYU
9. Southern Cal
10. Oklahoma State
11. Vanderbilt
12. Florida
13. Georgia
14. Utah
15. Boise State
16. Ohio State
17. Kansas
18. Virginia Tech
19. North Carolina
20. Wake Forest
21. Michigan State
22. Tulsa
23. Northwestern
24. Ball State
25. Illinois

Games of the Week, Week 6

Let's take a look at each "Game of the Week" in each BCS conference, and the best mid major game, and see how this national championship picture will continue to shape itself.

ACC
Florida State (+2) at Miami: Remember when this was the game of the year, with all sorts of NC implications on the line? Now it's just a battle of two teams hoping to get back in the wide open ACC race. Miami has shown flashes on offense behind QB Robert Marve, but not near enough consistency. FSU should be 4-0 as the defense has been fantastic and downright dominant at times. A 7 turnover performance against Wake is all holding the Noles back at this point. I'll take the better D in a game with so many QB questions. FSU 17 Miami 10

Big XII
#7 Texas Tech (-7) at Kansas State: Conference opener week in the Big XII, and strange things can happen. Especially with the big week in Big XII play coming up next week. Will teams be looking ahead? TTech has played absolutely nobody and while KSU isn't exactly the example of elite OOC scheduling, they did manage to squeeze in a BCS foe (38-29 loss to LVille). But at least TTech stopped some people, as KSU couldn't even do that against cupcake city. Still, TTech just tends to play poorly in these types of games, in North venues. Expect an upset and a ton of points. KSU 43 TTech 38

Big East
The best game the BE had to offer already happened, as Pitt upset South Florida at home. But since I didn't get anything up early enough Thursday Rutgers at West Virginia (-13.5) seems to be what's left. Both teams have struggled after losing key players from last year's teams, and in the case of WVU a coach to boot. The Rutgers pass offense has been way too interception prone, and the run game is simply not good enough to take the pressure off. WVU is at home and they have Pat White. Expect WVU to be ready to roll for the conference opener. WVU 35 Rutgers 20

Big Ten
#14 Ohio State (-1) at #18 Wisconsin: After blowing a 19 point lead in Ann Arbor last week, the Badgers have to be feeling a bit disappointed. The Wolverine D turned up the heat in the second half and held PJ Hill to 70 yards rushing, and the Wisconsin passing game couldn't step up. Ohio State on the other hand appears to be finding it's groove behind freshman QB Terrell Pryor and the return of RB Beanie Wells. I expect the OSU D to keep Hill and the Wisconsin O in check much like Michigan was able to (for a half anyway), and get the victory in Camp Randall. OSU 28 Wisconsin 17

Pac 10
#23 Oregon (+16) at #8 USC: Despite being down to 4th string QB Justin Roper, the Ducks have been explosive on offense managing 47 points and 532 yards per game. The Trojans are reeling after being dominated at the line of scrimmage (on both sides of the ball) by Oregon State just 8 days ago, and the run game looks inconsistent. The Trojan defense in still capable of stopping anybody, but has been susceptible to good spread offenses in recent years. Of note, USC is 10-5 in their last 15 Pac 10 games. It appears the fear factor may be wearing off in Southern California. I don't expect the Ducks to win, but they'll make in interesting. USC 31 UO 27

SEC
#13 Auburn (-4) at #19 Vanderbilt: Yep you read that right, the best game in the SEC this week involves Lionel Richie's former band. Vandy sits atop the SEC East with a 2-0 record, and a playmaking QB in Chris Nickson. But don't be fooled, Vandy has been outgained in 3 of the 4 games they have played. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, I guess. As for Auburn, where to begin. My pre-season #3 team is lost on "O" and still unsettled at QB after 4 games. But they can pretty much get a stop whenever, which doesn't spell good news for a young vandy O-Line. Auburn 23 Vandy 9

Mid Major
Rice at Tulsa (-15.5): A Conference USA battle against two of the highest scoring teams in the country. Lost in all the BYU and Utah hype is a Tulsa team that is quietly 4-0 and can score on anybody. This Tulsa team just may be the last mid major standing when the BCS bids are passed out. Quarterback David Johnson has already accounted for 20 TDs and leads the nation in passer rating. Rice has a deadly QB-WR combo themselves, with QB Chase Clement tossing the rock to WR Jarrett Dillard. Dillard has caught 10 of Clements' 14 TD passes this season. Expect a real barn burner in this one with Tulsa staying on the BCS path. Tulsa 52 Rice 44

Upset Alert
#3 Mizzou (-10.5) at Nebraska: You may want to keep your eye on this one. Mizzou hasn't won at NU in over 30 years, and the Huskers are coming off a home loss to VaTech. So expect NU to be pretty pumped up to make a statement after blowing a chance to do so last week. Mizzou hasn't seen anything resembling a defense all year, and while NU isn't the 1985 Bears they have better athletes than anything Mizzou has faced and a coach in Bo Pelini that has stopped a few people in his day. It's been a loooong time since Mizzou played a team with a pulse (Illinois where they gave up 42 points), and they're coming off a bye so expect some dulness from the Tigers. This just looks like the perfect storm for another top 25 team to drop. NU 41 MU 31

The impact of last weekend...

What a weekend in college football. We'll see the ripple effects of last weekend throughout the rest of the season. A USC loss kicked things off and a dismantling of Georgia wrapped things up. In between all that happening a number of Top 10 teams fell as well.

Teams who benefited the most:

1) Alabama and LSU - The game in Baton Rogue between these two rivals looms large as the winner will be poised for a shot at a national title if they can remain unbeaten in conference. Even the loser of this game will still have a shot if no one goes undefeated this year. It's not inconceivable that a one loss SEC team end up in the big game.

2) Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri - A regular season triangle of games sets up a Big 12 title game in Kansas City. Texas plays both opponents but OU and Missouri dodge each other on the regular season slate this year. The OU/Texas winner will likely see Missouri in Kansas City with the winner of that game likley moving on the national title game as well.

3) USC - Ironically, USC losing first might have helped them. The Trojans will have a shot to play their way back in it, especially with the other struggles in the Top 10. If some other teams struggle then they could move back up.

The biggest loser of the weekend was by far Georgia. Voters will have a hard time erasing the memories of a 31 - 0 deficit at home out of their heads. It will take a miracle at this point for UGA to move back into serious conversations involving the national title game.

Coaching Shake Ups:

1) Syracuse - All signs are pointing that Greg Robinson is gone with Lane Kiffin's name being tossed around.

2) Washington - It looks like Willingham is out as well and Kiffin's name is being linked to this one also.

3) Tennessee - Fulmer won't be fired but he might resign at the end of this year. No names really tied to this one yet.

Top Coaching Candidates:

Bronco Mendenhall - BYU HC
Randy Edsell - UConn HC
Ron English - Louisville DC
Lane Kiffin - Former USC OC
Kevin Stelle - FSU Staff

Week 6 Top 25

1. Oklahoma (18)
2. Alabama
3. LSU
4. Penn State
5. Texas
6. Missouri
7. BYU
8. Texas Tech
9. South Florida
10. Southern Cal
11. Utah
12. Georgia
13. Florida
14. Auburn
15. Ohio State
16. Oklahoma State
17. Connecticut
18. Kansas
19. Vanderbilt
20. Boise State
21. Wisconsin
22. Oregon
22. Northwestern
24. Ball State
25. Kentucky

Others receiving votes: Tulsa 40, Michigan State 21, Wake Forest 16, Maryland 14, Arizona 8, Boston College 5, North Carolina 3, Cal 2, Notre Dame 1

And we have our first major stumble of the season

It was has long since become a trend, USC has gone on the road and stumbled in conference to a vastly inferior team. USC was outplayed, out hustled, and over matched last night by a struggling Oregon State team. Pete Carroll continues to be one of the best big game coaches in college football but his lack of ability to keep USC focused throughout the entire season is a problem. College's post-season system doesn't allow for slip ups and you don't play in the big games unless you win the small ones.

The team lacked fire from the get go falling behind 21 - 0 during the first half. The offense was tentative and the line play on both sides of the ball was a disappointment. It wasn't until they were down by 3 touchdowns that USC began to stretch OSU down the field. USC appeared ready to tie the game when they got the ball back early in the 4th quarter, but a resiliant OSU defense was able to keep them out of the endzone. Oregon State controlled field position and kept USC pinned down deep in their own end. A late USC touchdown gave them the opportunity to win the game if they recovered the onside kick but it wasn't in the cards last night.

So what happens now? UGA has lost ground in the Top 25 polls a couple times this year after winning games. Ohio State dropped to #14 after their loss 2 weeks ago to USC. In my opinion, USC has to drop out of the Top 10. A loss to an unranked team that got embarrassed by Penn State must carry some weight. We'll see how the media responds to this one. USC is regarded as one of the media darlings and that will definitely help them after this one. With some powerhouses in the SEC and Big 12 this year, USC's National title hopes look to be all but gone. Despite this loss, USC should still win the Pac 10 and be headed back to the Rose Bowl again.

Big game in the SEC this week

CBS has to be kicking itself for passing on the Georgia vs Alabama game this week and letting their rivals have the game after choosing to go with Tennessee and Auburn. Alabama and Georgia both enter this game with something to prove. Alabama has for years been trying to become an elite program again and a win over the Bulldogs would go a long way to letting everyone in college football know that Alabama was back. Georgia, despite their recent success, is still fighting the image that they are not truly one of CFB's top programs. In recent seasons setbacks against WVU and Tennessee have gone a long way to establishing that reputation.

To be completely honest, this looks like a trap game for Georgia. The program has everything to lose and not a ton to gain in this one which is generally a bad place for Georgia. Over the years Mark Richt has found ways to lose these games and keep Georgia from being firmly entrenched in the national title discussion. A win would help the program but Alabama is still ahead of schedule and one year removed from a rough season. A loss on the other hand knocks them out of the national title hunt and cements the Richt legacy of struggling in big games.

Alabama has been playing lights out this year. Their offensive line has been dominating games and providing Wilson the time he needs to pick defenses apart. Saban always focuses on defense and the Tide appear to be greatly improved on defense this season. The Georgia offense has not been running on all cylinders yet this season and if UGA is going to win they need the offense to step up.

Georgia will look to control the clock and dictate the tempo of this game. Stafford must protect the football and not give Alabama any easy touchdowns. Like his coach, Stafford has had mixed success on the big stages. You can't argue his arm strength but his decision making still gets him in trouble. In the end, I like Bama to pull off the upset in this one. It will be close and it will be a punishing game but Bama should come out on top.

Final Score: Alabama 17 Georgia 14

Week 5 Top 25 Poll

1. Southern Cal (9)
2. Oklahoma (3)
3. Missouri
4. LSU
5. Georgia
6. Florida
6. Penn State
8. Texas
9. Alabama
10. Wisconsin
11. BYU
12. Wake Forest
13. South Florida
14. Texas Tech
15. Boise State
16. Auburn
17. Utah
18. Colorado
19. Ohio State
20. TCU
21. Vanderbilt
22. Nebraska
23. Oklahoma State
24. Ball State
25. Clemson

Others receiving votes: East Carolina 24, Kansas 19, Connecticut 16, Oregon 16, Tulsa 16, Illinois 15, Kentucky 4, Miami 4, Michigan State 1

Week 4 Sunday Morning Thoughts

All right, I got my lamenting out of the way.  On to the week that was....

1) LSU makes a statement this week by going on the road and winning a big game over Auburn.  In a game that had much more offense than I expected it would (which I will be paying for this week by the way) LSU proved it can win a big road game with a young QB.  As this team continues to mature, watch out.  They still have some big games on the schedule and the SEC title game in Atlanta is always an extra hurdle but LSU established themselves as a team deserving of being in the national title hunt.  

2) Missouri struggled some this weekend and coach Pinkel is hoping it's due to Missouri looking ahead to Big 12 play.  The sloppy play let Buffalo hang around but Chase Daniel continued adding to his Heisman resume with another amazing performance.  In what appears to be a competitive Big 12, Missouri will need to make sure they don't perform like this against more talented competition or the end result might be a little different. 

3) The Pac 1 + 9 rears it's ugly head for the second week in a row.  With USC having the week off, the remaining PAC 10 teams were in full display this weekend.  ASU falls to Georgia in a game that was never competitive and Boise State knocked off Oregon in Eugene.  Throw in a 21 point loss by UCLA to Arizona and Stanford having to rally to beat San Jose State and it was another rough week for the PAC 10.  No other team appears to be even be on the same continent as USC right now and it could impact the Trojans national title chances.  At this point, there are teams in the SEC and the Big 12 who could go undefeated with tougher schedules.  The BCS formula will again cause a huge mess if that is the case.  

4) The Mid-Major BSC effort took a stumble this week as East Carolina lost to a banged up NC State team.  The previous wins over WVU and VT had already taken a hit with both schools struggling but the signs were on the wall last week when ECU struggled to beat Tulane.  Boise State and Utah both seem to be the two best candidates and a late season matchup between those two is looming large at this point.  

It's a Sad Day for a UT alum

I have to apologize if I seem out of this week as for the second consecutive year I've had to watch my beloved Vols get embarrassed on national TV by Florida.  With Auburn next week and Georgia and Alabama looming on the horizon it won't get any easier in Knoxville.  Barring a miracle and UT discovering some sense of offensive stability this might be Fulmer's last year in Knoxville.  Ten years removed from a national title is a long time in college football and as each day passes UT becomes less relevant in the SEC and nationally.  I've been saying for years that the writing was on the wall with this program.  UT has won the SEC East three times since 2000 yet not won the SEC since 1998.  In UT's defense they were only favored in one of those 3 games yet Tennessee fans don't view an SEC East title as the goal for a season.  Even when UT has won the East it has generally been because of other teams knocking off Florida or UGA.  Those SEC East titles have gotten Fulmer an extension through 2014 and have put everyone in an awkward position.  Fulmer is an alum of the school and did lead the program to a national title.  You can't question his passion for UT.  The biggest question about the coaching change at the program is who will be the new coach.  Looking around the college football landscape I don't see any coach that jumps out at me that I would like to coach UT who would actually leave their program to do it.  My ideal candidate would be Jim Grobe but I don't see him going anywhere.  The luster has come off Skip Holtz after struggling to beat Tulane and falling to NC State yesterday.  The rest of the season will be interesting as UT will likely struggle to break .500 for the second time in the last 4 seasons.  Wow, there's something I never thought I would be typing.  

Poll #1

Here's our first poll of the season. We haven't polled since the pre-season because we like to wait a few weeks, and see what teams are made of. It can be argued the out of conference schedules of most teams still don't tell us much, but at least holding our poll back a few weeks allows us to see the teams play.

I missed you guys last week as this little thing called Hurricane Ike swept through my home. All is well, and I'll be back on the scene with picks and insight this Thursday.

1. Southern Cal
2. Oklahoma
3. Missouri
4. LSU
5. Florida
6. Georgia
7. Penn State
8. Texas
9. Wisconsin
10. BYU
11. East Carolina
11. Alabama
13. Oregon
13. South Florida
15. Texas Tech
16. Ohio State
17. Auburn
18. Wake Forest
19. Utah
20. Kansas
21. Oklahoma State
22. Vanderbilt
23. TCU
24. Florida State
25. North Carolina

Others receiving votes: Nebraska 23, Boise State 23, Illinois 20, West Virginia 18, Air Force 18, Connecticut 13, Kentucky 3, Iowa 3, Indiana 2

Week 3 Sunday Morning Thoughts

Wow, is USC that good or OSU that bad?  The Trojans started a little slow but quickly turned up the volume as they cruised to an easy win.  Tressel once known as one of the best big game coaches in the land is now treading dangerously close to Bob Stoops territory.  For the third consecutive time, OSU has looked completely unprepared and overmatched in a big game.  Beanie Wells playing changes the game some but he wasn't good for 33 points so that turned out to be a non-factor.  Boeckman is not the answer at QB and Tressel would be best to look long term and go with Pryor.  OSU can still win the Big 10 with him at QB and the experience he would gain this year would serve him and the program well.  

As for USC, they appear to be running on all cylinders.  At this point, I see no major cracks in them on either side of the ball and as long as they stay focused (an annual issue for USC) then they will be playing for the Crystal ball come January.  

Oklahoma and Missouri appear to be the two most likely candidates to be joining them in the National Title game.  Both teams offenses are nothing short of remarkable and while OU has a better defense, both have the offensive firepower to outscore anyone.  

Georgia is a fraud and I still think the same about Florida.  Both are solid teams but the grind of their schedules will wear on them and keep them from playing in the big game.  The SEC's best chance for a National Title contender is the team no one is talking about, the LSU Tigers.  Outside of quarterback, LSU is on the same level of talent as USC.  With all those playmakers, the QB (whoever it ends up being) will just need to let others make plays and manage the game.  The LSU defense is phenomenal and will keep every game close.  

Your Top 4 teams to this point are USC, Oklahoma, Missouri, and LSU.  At this point, I don't see anyone making a serious run at those teams but they will all be playing with targets on their backs.  Should make for some great games in the coming weeks as everyone moves into their conference schedules.  

Week 2 Sunday Thoughts

This past weekend's slate of games looked dull but Saturday turned out to be an exciting day.  Washington and BYU, Ole Miss and Wake Forest, ECU and WVU, and Miami and Florida.  

Since I've already talked about the Wash/BYU game, I want to start with Ole Miss and Wake Forest.  Jim Grobe is one of the best, if not the best coaches in America but he came very close to costing Wake the game about midway through the 4th quarter.  Down by 1, Wake Forest scored a TD to go up by 5 points.  Grobe chose to kick the PAT instead of going for 2 and putting his team up by 7.  You have to go for 2 at this point as being up by 5 or 6 does you no good.  A touchdown by Ole Miss still beats you and you have to kick a FG to win either way.  Sure enough, Ole Miss drove down the field and scored a TD with 1:02 left on the clock.  Riley Skinner led Wake down the field and talented kicker Sam Swank drilled a 47 yarder to win it, but he should have kicking for the win or OT instead of a win or a loss.  Grobe did realize his mistake and acknowledged after the game, "I was really down, my heart kind of sunk."  As for the game, Wake appears to be the clear cut team to beat in the ACC and Ole Miss is headed the right direction under the leadership of Houston Nutt.

East Carolina continues their winning ways and they didn't need any drama to get it done this time.  This game was never really in doubt and it appears that Bill Russell is in way over his head at WVU.  ECU controlled the clock and shut down Pat White and the WVU offense.  People are already wondering how much longer Skip Holtz will remain in Greenville.  His dad was known as a job hopper and if it runs in the family then this might be Skip's last year at ECU.  

In what has been a rough start to the year for the ACC, they did have a few bright spots this weekend.  Wake held serve at home and Miami did the same as well.  The final score of 26 - 3 is misleading as the game was much closer than that.  Randy Shannon's defense did a great job of containing the potent UF offense, but they just don't have the horses to run with Florida for a full game yet.  If Miami continues to play defense like that and the young QB's develop, Miami might start getting re-established in the conference.