College Football's First Weekend: SEC Arrogance Takes A Hit
Listed in:Scattered thoughts from the first week of college football...
- If rival Big Ten schools don't give Michigan grief for losing to Appalachian State, they're missing out on a big opportunity. Here's my proposal: Play the App State fight song before every Michigan road game. It's only right.
- SEC arrogance was at its peak this weekend. Just take a look at what the Tennessee blogs and media were posting. There was derision for not playing "tough football". YouTube videos showing the pageantry of an SEC football game. That's right. YouTube videos... showing... the bands. Proving the Vols would beat the Bears. In that light, reading the shock in Vols fans' tones as the game progressed is kind of fascinating.
During the game, Musburger and Herbstreit (more on Herbie next) talked about what a victory would mean for Cal on the national stage, especially since it was against an SEC team. You know, the conference that has the best non-conference record in the past ten years? The problem, though, is that the SEC is notorious for scheduling cupcake non-conference schedules. Eastern Carolina, yeah! "But, but, but," say the SEC boosters, "We play the toughest conference schedule in the land!" Horse crap.
LSU and FLA are at the top.
Then there's another tier that includes ARK, TEN, AUB, and GA.
ALA straddles that tier and the next one down to SC and VANDY.
And then finally we get to Ole Miss, Miss St, and UK.
Compare to:
USC (far and away the most talented team in the nation)
CAL, UCLA
ORE
ORST, AZST
AZ, WASU, WAS
STAN
Hey, I see tiers! Argue what you will about who belongs in which tier, but the idea is that the likes of Oregon State and Arizona State match up roughly with South Carolina and Vandy. Oregon is in the Alabama straddling state. Cal and UCLA are a notch below the nation's elite, as we speak, but they have legitimate national title hopes, same as the second tier of SEC schools. This also holds in the Big East and Big Ten and Big Twelve and ACC. Every freaking conference has tiers. Quit perpetuating some myth that nine SEC teams could win the Big East.
- Kirk Herbstreit has become my favorite color announcer in college football. He doesn't dumb down his commentary, he doesn't talk down to the listener, and he obviously loves what he's doing. Add in that he does EA's NCAA video game series very well, and it's a lock. Describing DeSean Jackson's punt return touchdown, he actually used the phrase "that's R-1, bounces outside" to describe one of the jukes. Awesome.
- Is there really anything to be lost by playing Jimmy Clausen? We know that Charlie Weis doesn't want to do options and play "amateur ball", but that's what his other quarterbacks do. He'd be a fool not to play the game best suited to the talent on hand, unless he throws Clausen into the fire and lets him make a bunch of mistakes that will cost the Irish more games. With a shaky defense to boot, aiming for 5-6 with an eye toward learning for next year might already be the best choice. Of course, all this is moot if they decide to redshirt Clausen and let his elbow heal.
- Bring on Tyrod. If you have to ask, there's always Google.
- Pat Slaton will win the Heisman and the national championship. You read that right. PAT SLATON.
