Around the SEC:
- So, ahm, Buffalo managed to score a TD on Auburn. Why the hell couldn't we? Argh. And that game was 10-0 until late in the third. Acknowledging they were without Kenny Irons today, I am still surprised that Auburn hasn't exactly come out of the gates firing in their games this year; reminiscent of LSU last year. They're a great team, but sooner or later this first half sloppiness will come back to haunt them.
- Something's in the water in Alabama. Wonder what condolences Auburn kicker John Vauhgn will be sending Bama kicker Leigh Tiffin after that horrific showing in Fayetteville? At least he's splitting the ire of that state now.
- And what is it with Arkansas and OT games? Wins in 7 OTs in both 01 and 03 and a 6 OT win in '02. Double OT must be a yawner for the Hogs these days.
- Our hopes of Auburn losing two games this season gets slimmer and slimmer. What the heck was that display put on by Georgia? A last second TD to eke out a win at home over a Colorado team that lost its opener to a I-AA squad? Apparently Dan Hawkins learned something about UGA when he took his Boise State kids down there to get rocked last year. But looks like Matt Stafford was not up to the task. Will be interested to see what DawgSports' take on the game is. I'm still keeping the fingers crossed that the Bulldogs can go into Auburn and pull one off.
- Speaking of Georgia, they get a great chance to get back on track next week by rolling Ole Miss, which got rolled 27-3 by a surprisingly solid Wake Forest squad. Add this 24-point loss to 17 and 27-point losses the prior two weeks, and...well, I'm just so pumped for the Egg Bowl!
- Speaking of the Egg Bowl, Mississippi State not only covered the spread, they WON TOO!!!! Cheers all around for the Croomster.
- Florida need a kicker too? Aside from two extra points, the general early malaise against Kentucky was just more sloppiness from an elite SEC team. I'm just finding it more and more difficult to believe any out of Florida, Georgia, and Auburn will make it through the year (and then the SEC title game) unscathed. Luckily, there was plenty of sloppiness to go around among the top teams this week (which I'll touch on below), so maybe the Ohio State-Michigan winner winds up being the only undefeated team at year's end anyway, and a one-loss team gets to Glendale.
- The Ole Ball Coach is back! 492 yards of total offense! 5 TDs receiving for Sidney Rice! Steve Spurrier isn't as fun to hate anymore, but hopefully that's changing.
Around the nation:
- Given USC's ugly showing at Arizona (up by just one score late in the 4th despite the final of 20-3), and Cal's dominant performance over Arizona State, it looks like the Pac-10 conference's title just might be up for grabs after all.
- Nothing against UCLA, but after beating the Bruins, Ty Willingham just might have a winning team on his hands this year, and that's great to see. The Huskies are not normal cellar-dwellers; perhaps the Seahawks aren't the only game in town anymore. Good for a city that's about to lose the Sonics.
- Notre Dame is clearly not a title contender. After getting shredded last week by giving up 34 points in the first half, I figured they'd come out a little better this week, and they did - they only gave up 31! Good times. Kudos to them on the amazing comeback, but they didn't exactly prove to me that last week was an aberration. They ought to coast all the way to USC with this schedule, but then I never thought they'd lose by thirty to Michigan and need a miracle comeback to beat Michigan State, either.
- All this talk about Chuck D'Amato's impending demise and he goes out and beats #20 Boston College on a last-second TD. Wonder if Wolfpack fans are even happy about that? Does this extend his stay a bit? I can't imagine it would, but who knows. I'm just glad we get to hear his voice in some more press conferences.
- Clemson is putting together a mighty impressive resume, after shellacking North Carolina 52-7 today. But for that OT loss by a blocked extra point at BC, they'd be undefeated and likely to stay that way all the way to the matchup with Georgia Tech in mid-October (check out their schedule). The ACC may not be all bad after all.
- Talk about a day of divergence in the Big 12 - Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech won their three games by an average score of 59-0, over Troy, Middle Tennessee State, and Southeast Louisiana, respectively. Meanwhile, Baylor lost to Army and Oklahoma State lost to Houston, though Houston actually might be a pretty decent team.
And with that, friends are here, time to drink.