Hang on a second. I need to load this Chuck Mangione CD and put "Feels So Good" on repeat.
Auburn...
- Cam Newton Express? Cam Newton Can? Yes We Cam? We've got to eventually come up with some kind of nickname for this demigod. He only deserves it.
- This is the difference between last season and this season. Kentucky is one of the most difficult opponents in the SEC. Blasphemy, you say? Well think of it this way - who really cares about playing Kentucky? It's like playing Vanderbilt or Mississippi State. It should be an easy win. It should be a chance to play younger guys and try out a few new plays. But Kentucky right now is a pretty good football team, and in order to beat them, you have to go in with the same energy and emotions as if you were playing Arkansas or South Carolina.
- And that's where we made the jump. Both last year and this year, our team had blank faces plagued by yawns and itchy eyes. Our team wanted to be anywhere but Lexington last night, and just like last year, Kentucky burned us for it. But last year, we didn't have the talent or testicular fortitude to get the W. This year, however, we did. We reached down deep and put together a beautiful drive led by Cam Newton and kicked the game winning field goal.
- Let me ask you this - did our team run around crazy with big smiles after the game winning field goal last night? It almost looked like they said, "Whew. Alright. Let's get on the plane."
- As for the actual game plan, it looked decent on offense. I still feel like we run Cam Newton too much. We're not in position to have a running back by committee. I think even though Dyer is young and will have a few mistakes, it's important to take the risk and give him the ball consistently throughout the game.
- Defensively, what else would you expect? And before we crucify Ted Roof and the poor tackling and that ridiculous Randall Cobb run, we all must realize that we experienced what all of our opponents experience when facing Cam Newton. Randall Cobb is an incredible football player, and he burned us.
- This team is still on the up and up. I think we have a good shot to beat Arkansas at home this weekend and head into the LSU game undefeated.
Alabama...
- Oh how the mighty has fallen. It wasn't enough for South Carolina to just beat you. They beat you at your own game.
- Saban's baby, the "NFL ready" secondary? Made silly by Stephen Garcia.
- The front 7 which is dubbed one of the best in college football? No sacks. Lattimore got 93 yards. His back up churned out yards. Even Garcia got to the next level.
- The Heisman trophy winner and his more talented back up? Held to 36 yards.
- If only Lattimore had gotten 7 more yards. That would have toppled everything Alabama has stood on for the past few years.
- This is a precarious moment for the Alabama season. In order to regroup and really get back into the NC race, Alabama has to find the right leadership from the right people. How did the leadership respond?
- Nick Saban (it starts with him) was completely inappropriate if you ask me. His post game comments nearly...just nearly... threw his team under the bus. Maybe I missed the context and the exact words, but "This team will learn a lesson from this," and "these guys have to understand how to prepare and understand what it is we're trying to do" sounds an awful lot like, "the players didn't get the job done because we had a good game plan." But I understand, Coach. It's all about the process. And the process has nothing to do with giving the other team credit for beating your ass for 60 minutes.
- Mark Ingram. McElroy may be the real leader of this team, but when you're the Heisman trophy winner, everyone on your team is watching you. When you sprinted off the field without shaking anyone's hand, it definitely conveyed poor sportsmanship. Maybe you needed to take a big dump. I don't know. But it definitely looked like you were being a crybaby bitch, and I promise that kind of behavior doesn't help turn around a football team.
- Is McElroy committed to getting better? I heard him call out his team after the game. I hear he challenged them to either commit to making this team better or to leave. That's good leadership, but there's an issue here.
- Even though McElroy had the best statistical game of his career, I feel like he greatly contributed to this loss. He's played with a high level of arrogance his last 8 or 9 games. He's made a lot of great plays. He does it with a smile on his face. He buys time in the pocket. He scampers for a few extra yards. And he acts like the biggest badass for doing it. The rest of us realize that it's Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson making it happen. The rest of us understand that it's Saban's defense that really shuts down the other team and gives McElroy the chance to make a few cute plays while saying, "I'm fine" with a smile on his face even though he just suffered a mild concussion (see Florida game last week).
- McElroy has developed into a pretty good quarterback. But like I've said, he's not all that great. He missed a few open receivers early in the game, but his worst mistake was taking too many sacks. He holds onto the ball hoping to make a play, and when you're solely in charge of winning a game, you have to be perfect. Sometimes, you have to drop back, make your reads, and then throw the ball away. McElwain put this game on McElroy's shoulders, and McElroy gave South Carolina a lot of momentum by taking those sacks.
- And the real culprit was McElwain. How do you not run Ingram and Richardson more than 17 times? That's a horrible game plan. But I really dislike McElroy, so I'll just pick on him.
- Here's the kicker - it doesn't get easier from here. Ole Miss is dangerous. They still have a few talented guys on defense, and Masoli could be coming around at just the right time. It will be interesting to see how Alabama responds against an opponent they may want to overlook.
LSU...
- It looked so dumb. I laughed a lot when it happened. My wife said, "That was stupid!" But it was genius.
- That LSU kicker wasn't going to make a 54(ish) yard field goal in Gainesville to clinch the win against Florida. Calling the fake and it working is genius. It always is. But only if it works
- Lucky Les gets it done again. The Mad Hatter is the real River Boat Gambler.
- Now, LSU gets to continue to get better on offense as McNeese St travels to Baton Rouge next week. Just great. LSU will now be a really tough game for Auburn in two weeks.
Florida...
- Is Urban Meyer ok? I mean, can his heart handle that kind of an ending?
- Florida has a lot of work to do. Their offense is horrible, and it's not going to be all that easy to get by an emerging Miss State team next week.
South Carolina...
- This team is the real deal. Honestly, I'm surprised we beat them. They have all the tools to run through the rest of their schedule and compete for the SEC title.
- As long as Stephen Garcia continues to play well, this team really could be an NC contender. A strong, tough defense with a solid running game and big play receivers. What more do you need?
- I'd like to point out, once again, that we beat this team. And honestly, besides a few mistakes that gave them great field position early in the game, we beat their ass. But that's a bit homerish of me because the score was only 35-27 with Auburn earning 338 rushing yards.
Ohio State...
- Yawn. What's it like being an Ohio State fan? It has to be boring.
- New #1. Whooossoavoagb.
Oregon...
- You can't lose your quarterback and win...oh wait. Maybe you can. And he's a white guy that can run fast? Is there something in the water up there?
- I see Lache Seastrunk on the sideline every time I turn on an Oregon game. Why isn't he at least returning punts or kicks or taking an end around? The guy was a huge recruit with Olympic speed. Is he a bust? Did he get hurt? Seriously, I'm asking.
USC...
- You're right. Lane Kiffin really did win that game. The players lost it at the end. He won't hurt your program at all. Sanctions? Please. You eat sanctions for breakfast.
Stanford...
- My buddy is getting his doctorate from Stanford. Yesterday, he watched Alabama get beat. Then he watched Auburn win. Then he sprinted over to Stanford's stadium and watched USC put together an impressive drive to take the lead. And then he watched Stanford drive down and kick the game winning field goal. Then he rushed the field and slapped hands with Andrew Luck.
- Not a bad day of football for him.
Tennessee...
- Before everyone laughs at them, their roster is about 50% freshmen.
Michigan...
- Michigan causes me to have nightmares. They are very similar to us. Not so strong defense. A do-it-all quarterback with some surrounding talent. When Michigan State shut down Denard Robinson, Michigan couldn't keep up. Nightmares....
Boise State...
- You let Toledo get 14 points? Damn. That's horrible. Who would ever vote you in the top 15? Not me.
Final Thought...
- Expect anger this afternoon. The rankings won't make sense. How could they? So many different people each with their own justifications and most of them probably didn't watch any football besides what they saw on Gameday Final.
- How could one objectively rank each team when the season now looks a little like this:
1. Alabama lost to South Carolina who lost to Auburn. But Alabama started #1 and we don't like to drop #1's too far down no matter what, so they probably won't drop out of the top 5.
2. Auburn defeated South Carolina, who at the time was a top 12 team, who defeated the #1 team Alabama. But Auburn is #8 right now, and no one else lost in the top 7 besides Alabama and we already know Alabama isn't dropping too far, so Alabama, who lost to South Carolina, who lost to Auburn, will still be ranked ahead of Auburn.
3. LSU, who had to get extremely lucky to defeat Tennessee, who was blown out by Georgia, who was only 1-4 at the time, will still move up into the top ten because #9 Arizona lost and LSU will get credit for narrowly defeating #14 Florida, who has looked terrible all season.
4. Nebraska, who has played absolutely no one of note (Washington is BY FAR their toughest opponent), is getting NC type respect and will most likely remain ahead of Auburn despite Auburn facing some stiff competition. Nebraska only beat South Dakota State 17-3. People seem to be overlooking that. And why not? Nebraska looked great on Thursday night against Kansas State, who was technically undefeated.
5. Ohio State will move up to #1 despite having one quality win on their schedule against Miami, who was blown out by Florida State, who was blown out by Oklahoma.
6. Since Oklahoma didn't play yesterday, no one cares, and no one will move them anywhere.
- Angry yet?
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