It looks like today will be bullet-point day, as I will piggy-back on Purple Reign's post and add my own bullet points, though not necessarily specifically related to last night's games.
- I ended up watching the majority of the South Carolina vs. NC State game last night. Congrats to USC on the big win. I agree with PR that the defense is still good, as far as we can tell, and the offense is still struggling. Stephen Garcia had an ATVSQBPI of 4.46 y/play.
- I did not watch the Oregon vs. Boise State matchup, which is too bad because I heard it was quite a show of Pac-10 incompetence.
- I'm still looking forward to seeing Tulane take on Tulsa.
- There have been so many little stories this offseason that, when added together, points to a conclusion that LSU may not have had a good offseason before the disastrous 2008 season. How many players have said they were a little too heavy last year? Jai Eugene, Al Woods, Charles Scott have all talked about the weight they dropped this offseason and how they were a little too heavy last year. Then yesterday, Jim Kleinpeter at nola.com said in a chat that Keiland Williams dropped weight and got quicker. My first thought is, "One more reason to think we'll be better this year." My second thought is, "What the hell was going on last year?"
- Unlike most of you, I always liked the morning SEC game on Jefferson-Pilot/Lincoln Financial/Raycom. Unlike most drunken college students, I am usually awake very early on a Saturday, often at 6:00am or before, and I am almost never asleep past 8:00am. If there wasn't morning football, I wouldn't have any football to watch until the afternoon. I even liked the Daves. I thought they knew the conference inside and out, and while the broadcast had production values that fell a little short of that seen in your average humorous YouTube short film, it was a good way to start my day. I'm glad the game is still there, and I hope the production values improve, but I hope it's too ESPNified. I already know they've screwed up the broadcasting team by failing to pair Dave Neal with anyone who knows the SEC. I'm always mystified by people who resent the morning game. Would you rather there not be a game for you to watch? Would you rather your team not get on television?
- I'm very excited for this team. I think that if we get some good fortune with injuries, and if one or two players on defense emerge as playmakers, this could be an outstanding team. If you agree with that, and want to be dissuaded from your optimism, check out Scott Hotard's piece telling us just how young our starting QB is, and how few teams with such young QBs win very much.
And last but not least, a poll: