I call it SEC-austion. Every year the college football season starts in earnest, only to have ESPN blow up coverage for every single SEC team that could sweep the Sun Belt. If you need an example, cast your mind back to Week 1-- Vanderbilt was receiving all kinds of upset potential and hype-- or just a few weeks later, when Texas-Ole Miss was supposedly a marquee game. (Texas won 66-31).
Such is the case this seventh week of the college football season, as South Carolina prepares to take on LSU.
Let's cut the bullshit. LSU is not an elite team. LSU is ranked where they are because their coach eats grass and they spit out first round draft picks like China spits out lead-poisoning law suits. And LSU has no business winning, even in Death Valley, against a team like South Carolina.
The reason I respect guys like Dari Nowkhah (other than the fact that he gives handies in the bathroom to WVU on a daily basis on national TV) is that they understand polls should be fluid. When LSU beat Auburn 12-10 and then struggled to put away reigning Colonial champion Towson, Nowkhah had NO problem dropping LSU in the polls. And why shouldn't he? It's Towson. They're a great team, but have no business hanging around in Baton Rouge. If in fact LSU is a truly elite team, that is.
It's annoying that teams get coverage like this when there are so many other better games. No, I'm not talking about WVU-Texas Tech, because I think that might be a blowout. But the Red River Rivalry as an elimination game, rather than a de facto Big 12 Championship game? What about the Farmageddon upset special, K-State at Iowa State? Louisville at Pittsburgh?! Or my personal favorite, Texas A&M at Louisiana Tech?
Here's all you need to know about LSU, and why I expect South Carolina to win by 7-10 in the hardest night environment in college football. When I was at the JMU-Towson press conference last week, Towson head coach Rob Ambrose (who reminds me a lot of Dabo Swinney) remarked the following:
"I don't wanna slight the previous team we just played, but given the choice between the two [JMU and LSU], I don't wanna play the Dukes again."
Games to Watch
Texas vs Oklahoma
The Red River Rivalry is the premiere game of the Big 12. So why is nobody talking about it? Well, it's because they're all too busy assaulting stubhub, trying to figure out if there's an airport anywhere near Manhattan, Kansas and if Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings is a work of fiction or a non-fictional documentary.
As reported on this blog a LONG time ago, Oklahoma is... what was the term? Crazy overrated. That being said, there is something to be said for A) rivalry games and B) playing with a chip on your shoulder. That Oklahoma lost so early in the season might actually be good for Sooner fans- it gives you motivation to play harder for the rest of the season because of the doubters, rather than turning you into a late-season also-ran.
All that being said, I still think Oklahoma's offensive line resembles swiss cheese, and just as they did last week in a loss, the Texas Manchild Defensive Line (capitalized out of respect) is going to tear that mess UP. Landry Jones' mom needs to get the Tide to go ready.
West Virginia at Texas Tech
A couple weeks ago, this game scared the hell out of me. A second straight ticket to Texas, nudged in between top 15 showdowns with Texas and Kansas State. Then the Sooners blew Tech out of the water, and I'm not terribly concerned anymore.
Alas, I won't actually get to watch it because I'll be in the Bridgeforth press box. Sad day. Maybe somebody will hook me up with an ABC look in from time to time... one can dream.
Dirty little WVU secret of the week:
Baylor averages 4.54ypc and 185 rushing ypg. Against the Mountaineers? 2.64 and 119.
Texas averaged 4.92 ypc and 209.4 rushing
ypg. Against the Mountaineers? 3.46 and 132.
Texas Tech? Off to a great start, averaging 6.05ypc and 230 ypg in non-con play. But against conference opponents? Those numbers have dipped to 2.45ypc
and 76ypg.
Bad news, Red Raiders. I think it's about to get worse. One-dimensional game? Probably. Blowout? By my count, likely.
Louisville at Pittsburgh
I have no idea what to expect from this game. Pittsburgh, with its dynamic running game, was my pick to win the Big East. Alas, their explosiveness seems to only show up against castrated turkeys and other terrible teams. But I still maintain it's a dangerous team capable of upsetting any team in the conference.
Louisville, though? I've been high on them since Teddy Bridgewater stepped onto campus last year. The kid is a nice dual threat quarterback, not terribly flashy, and suffering from the everything-is-smaller-in-the-big-east effect, but still a quality quarterback.
Tab this one as the best game nobody is going to watch this weekend.
North Carolina at Miami
Through some cruel twist of fate, this game actually has huge implications in the ACC Coastal Division. I guess this is what happens when Virginia Tech falls off the wagon.
Miami has looked straight up TERRIBLE playing out of conference this year, highlighting the huge gap between the ACC and other top conferences like the Big 12. I like a shootout, and though North Carolina has a nice, emerging run game, I like the Canes to win at home after a strong fourth quarter.
Stanford at Notre Dame
The thing I hate about this game is that it's another overrated team that Notre Dame is likely to beat. Stanford, in my mind, is really the best-of-the-rest team of the Pac-12, head and shoulders above 8 or 9 teams out west but still markedly less talented than teams like Oregon and USC. Now, Stanford beats SoCal because it's a great matchup, but I still think USC is a better team, and the Cardinals had no business shooting into the top 10 rankings after beating the Trojans. (Conversely, I think Oregon is a better team than USC, but because USC overrecruits safeties to turn them into speedy linebackers, the Trojans are likely to have a favorably matchup against the Ducks, too.)
Back to Notre Dame, they're likely to beat Stanford in a trench warfare type of game at home, and continue to get hype like they haven't had since the 80's. When they play a team that will attack the secondary, though-- Oklahoma, USC-- the Irish WILL lose. It's going to happen.
Pick Against the Breeze
After a 4-2 outing last week, I'm one win ahead of opinion editor Nick Phillips.
JMU vs William & Mary
Rutgers vs Syracuse
Texas A&M vs Louisiana Tech
Giants vs 49ers
Lions vs Eagles
Patriots vs Seahawks
Last Week's Record: 4-2
Season Record: 21-9
Top 25 Forecast
1 Alabama at Missouri
3 South Carolina at 9 LSU
4 Florida at Vanderbilt
5 West Virginia at Texas Tech
6 Kansas State at Iowa State
17 Stanford at 7 Notre Dame
8 Ohio State at Indiana
10 Oregon State at BYU
11 USC at Washington
Boston College at 12 Florida State
15 Texas vs 13 Oklahoma
18 Louisville at Pittsburgh
Tennessee at 19 Mississippi State
Syracuse at 20 Rutgers
Fordham at 21 Cincinatti
22 Texas A&M at 23 Louisiana Tech
Fresno State at 24 Boise State
Illinois at 25 Michigan
Get your expensive cheese ready, Dukes fans. William & Mary is taking a study break and trekking down 64 for some pigskin. I like JMU by a couple touchdowns.
Let's just hope I can get some more of that Mac & Cheese up in the press box. The athletic department really outkicked their coverage last week.
See you all Monday.
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