Ole Miss Overrated

What happened this week?  Was it just a bad week for the Rebels or were they overrated to start with?  I think overrated.  The only real victory they had was over Alabama.  Boise State isn't what they were a few years ago and the rest of the schedule has been weak.

Defeating Alabama sprang the Rebels the top 5.  Alabama was having a bad couple of weeks on the road.  You could even say that Ole Miss didn't beat Alabama but that Alabama beat Alabama.  Mistakes all through the game, penalties that aren't usual for Nick Saban's squad and bad decisions on that last drive.  The Rebels offense is not that impressive, if Alabama wouldn't have given Ole Miss such good field position most of the time the Rebels would have lost that day.

Ole Miss beat Texas A&M 35-20.  This is the same team that Alabama hung 59 points on and Mississippi State scored 48 on.  The Rebels are relying on their defense to win for them and it worked until they ran into LSU.  We've heard about good Bo and bad Bo all season long.  It's time for Bo to figure out what he wants to be and score some points.  Auburn is coming to town this week and its going to be hard to keep them off the scoreboard.  Even with that great Landshark defense Auburn has too many weapons.  The good news for Ole Miss is that Auburn hasn't shown the ability to stop anyone from scoring so the Rebels can get some points on the board.

Blitz Top 25

1. Mississippi State

2. Florida State

3. Alabama

4. Oregon

5. Auburn

6. Ole Miss

7. Michigan State

8. Notre Dame

9. Georgia

10. TCU

11. Baylor

12. Kansas State

13. Ohio State

14. Arizona

15. Arizona State

16. LSU

17. Nebraska

18. West Virginia

19. Oklahoma

20. Utah

21. East Carolina

22. Clemson

23. UCLA

24. Duke

25. Marshall

LSU Fans Regressing

LSU took a step backwards Saturday night.  More accurately their fans took a step back.  Someone posted on Twitter Saturday that if LSU were to upset Ole Miss and the fans rushed the field then he would lose all respect for them.  I don't remember who posted it but I thought there's no way they would do that.  Well they did. As soon as the clock hit 0:00 the LSU faithful stormed the field celebrating the win.  You would think they've never seen the Bengal Tigers win a big game. 

When Ole Miss defeated Alabama a few weeks ago the fans did the same thing. They stormed the field even tearing down the goal posts.  While it is still stupid to destroy your team's field to celebrate, it was a little more understandable.  Alabama was ranked number one at the time, they've won three of the last five national championships.  Ole Miss hasn't been a national contender since the 1960's.  Defeating Alabama was a huge win for the Rebels.

LSU has been a top team for about 15 years.  This year they lose a couple games and its like they've never been there before.  If they react this way to beating Ole Miss there's no telling what they would do if they were to beat Alabama.  They would probably riot and burn Baton Rouge to the ground.  I realize that Tiger Stadium for a night game is a unique atmosphere.  After tailgating and drinking all day the crowd can get a little rowdy.  Just don't act like you don't know what it's like to win a game, stay in the stands where you belong.

Tide, Tigers still a lot to Prove

Everyone is so worried today about who are the two one loss teams that will make it into the inaugural college football playoff.  Things should clear up before seasons end or they could get more cloudy.  Mississippi State still plays Alabama and Ole Miss.  If they win out then Bama and the Rebels will both have two losses.  Auburn also plays Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss.  Somebody has to lose these games so things will sort themselves out.

Auburn managed to escape Saturday night with a 7 point win over South Carolina.  Escaped is a good word because they got away with one on the last play of the game.  South Carolina was lining up for a hail mary pass to tie things up, Auburn lines up with two players wearing number one on the field at the same time.  Should have been a 15 yard penalty but the officials didn't notice.  Auburn doesn't play defense anymore, if they have trouble moving the ball against Ole Miss or Alabama they will end up being a three loss team.

When Alabama is clicking they are the best team in the country.  Alabama has had troubles on the road this year, losing at Ole Miss and struggling to win at Arkansas.  They started firing on all cylinders at Tennessee last night going up 27-0 quick.  In the second quarter Bama seemed to relax and let Tennessee back in the game.  If the Crimson Tide doesn't learn to play four quarters they will blow their chances to make the four team college football playoff.  Games against LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn loom on the horizon, it's time for the Tide to prove they deserve their #3 AP ranking.

Coaching Rumors

We are a little more than halfway through the college football regular season and there has been one head coach relieved of his duties already.  Kansas fired Charlie Weis earlier in the season and there will be more coaches let go as the season progresses.

There is trouble in Florida, Will Muschamp is fighting to save his job.  Barring a miracle, Muschamp will be let go at seasons end.  Already there is speculation who his successor will be.  I have already speculated that Florida will go after Dan Mullen after the season he is having at Mississippi State. 

Two other names I have seen this week are Chip Kelly and Rich Rodriguez.  Either would be a good fit, both recognized for their offenses which is an area Florida has been lacking.  Chip Kelly is currently coaching the Philadelphia Eagles and unless they are wanting to part ways I don't see Kelly coming. 

Rich Rodriguez would be a possibility.  Currently coaching at Arizona is enjoying success and will challenge for the Pac-12 south this year.  Rodriguez may be happy in Arizona plus he would knew that there will be more pressure to win in Gainesville.

The job at SMU is open after June Jones stepped down earlier this year.  There is a rumor that they are willing to offer Mack Brown four million dollars to come coach.  That is a crazy number for a school in the American Athletic Conference.  The Mustangs are 0-6 this year I suppose they may be looking for a big turnaround.  It is far fetched but maybe Brown is bored working for ESPN.

College Football Week 9 Picks

No. 1 Mississippi State over Kentucky

No. 3 Mississippi over No. 23 LSU

No. 4 Alabama over Tennessee

Michigan over No. 5 Michigan State

No. 6 Auburn over South Carolina

No. 7 Oregon over California

No. 10 TCU over Texas Tech

Texas over No. 11 Kansas State

No. 12 Ohio State over Penn State

No. 14 Arizona State over Washington

No. 15 Arizona over Washington State

No. 16 Nebraska over Rutgers

No. 17 East Carolina vs. Connecticut

No. 21 USC over No. 19 Utah

No. 20 Clemson over Syracuse

No. 22 Marshall over Florida Atlantic

No. 24 Minnesota over Illinois

No. 25 West Virginia over Oklahoma State

Overconfident Tigers

Auburn fans probably will not like this but I think they may follow the same pattern as Alabama.  The next game after Alabama lost to Ole Miss they traveled to Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks.  In a game that most everyone thought the Crimson Tide would dominate, they made mistake after mistake and tried their best to give the game away.  Interceptions, muffed punts, penalties and just stupid mistakes almost cost Bama the game.  They managed to leave Arkansas with a one point victory.

If Auburn makes some of the same mistakes like they did against Mississippi State then they won't be as lucky as their cross state rivals.  Unlike Arkansas, South Carolina is a team that knows how to win in the SEC.  They will capitalize on those kind of mistakes and they'll defeat the Tigers. 

Auburn also could be looking ahead to Ole Miss next week.  I'm starting to think that Auburn will go into this game over confident thinking they just have to show up to win.  They'll do just like Alabama did a couple weeks ago.  Auburn has the ability to score lots of points but they make lots of mistakes too.  They did against Mississippi State, they did against Kansas State.  There is a good chance they do against South Carolina and they lose another game.

Will Auburn Bounce Back?

This week's college football game between Auburn and South Carolina is a gave between two preseason top ten teams.  However Auburn is the only one still there and they're coming off a loss to Mississippi State almost two weeks ago.  Auburn will be looking to rebound this week in what we'll be a battle between two offensive minded coaches.  Much had been made this week about the mutual respect between Gus Malzahn and Steve Spurrier.

"He's a great competitor," Malzahn said this week.  "He's one of the better coaches to ever come through the SEC. You know he'll have his team ready. I told our players this the other day, like I said, they were ranked in the top 10 to start the season for a reason. They've won 11 games, what, two or three years straight. They've got good players. We expect to get their best."

Malzahn has looked up to Spurrier for years.  He wears a visor because of him.  They play golf together in the off season.  Malzahn wishes his golf game was as good as Spurrier's.  "He's better than I am," Malzahn told reporters Tuesday. "I don't like that."

South Carolina is a 17.5-point underdog going into the game Saturday.  They are coming off of a bye week after losing two straight games to Kentucky and Missouri.  They are currently 4-3 on the year.

"We've got to play our A-game, bring our A-game and see if we can get break or two," Spurrier said during his Tuesday press conference in Columbia. "And see what happens at Auburn on Saturday night."

Auburn needs to bounce back from the loss to Mississippi State if they want to play for a conference and national title.  Auburn started that game by spotting the Bulldogs 21 points.  The Tigers actually lost the ball on each of their first two plays from scrimmage – an interception that was tipped at the line of scrimmage and a fumble by Duke Williams after a short screen pass – miscues that were quickly turned into 14 points. 

If Auburn is to bounce back and have a chance to be in the inaugural college football playoff they have to avoid the kind of mistakes they made against Mississippi State.  They're chances are good,  South Carolina is 89th nationally in run defense allowing 181.7 yards per game.   The Gamecocks defense well have a hard time against Auburn's read-option running game. The Tigers are averaging 262 yards to rank 13th in country in rushing.  On paper it looks like the Tigers will get back on track this week.

Lane Kiffin's Tennessee Homecoming

This weekend is the Alabama vs. Tennessee game and a homecoming of sorts for Lane Kiffin. 

It is well known that Kiffin is not the most popular person in Knoxville.  He was Tennessee's head coach in 2009, led the Vols to a 7-6 record which by the way was the last time they had a winning season.  He was working on a top 5 recruiting class when he bolted to take over at USC in January 2010.  The night it was revealed he was leaving, Tennessee fans were ready to riot.  Someone even burned a mattress in the street. 

Quote from Kiffin the night he resigned:  "This was not an easy decision," he said Tuesday night, reading a brief statement on Tennessee's campus. "This is something that happens very quick. We've been here 14 months, and the support has been unbelievable here. I really believe the only place I would have left here to go was ... Southern California."

I'm sure the Volunteer faithful will be ecstatic to see Kiffin back in Neyland Stadium.  A couple weeks ago during the Florida game the student section broke out in a 'F*** you Florida'chant.  University of Tennessee chancellor Jimmy Cheek admonished students in an email but they'll probably ignore that this weekend.  I'm sure there will be some colorful things shouted in Kiffin's direction Saturday.  However if Alabama plays like they did this past Saturday against Texas A&M then things will quiet down quickly. 

Kiffin has even been inserted into a political dirt slinging campaign.  In a  Tennessee State House race pitting incumbent Gloria Johnson against challenger Eddie Smith.  Kiffin is so unpopular in this East Tennessee district that he's being used in a direct mail ad that compares him to Johnson. 
 
Kiffin apparently still owes his Knoxville barber.  Rusty Manis, the owner of the Western Plaza Barber Shop says that Kiffin skipped town in January 2010 before paying a $14 haircut debt. 

One funny thing about this, I want back and read articles from 2010 and found some interesting quotes. 
Tennessee will now make a run at Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp to replace Kiffin, a source close to the situation told ESPN.com's Chris Low late Tuesday. Texas has said that Muschamp will succeed Mack Brown as Longhorns head coach, but no timetable has been set for that transition. The source says that Muschamp is Tennessee's No. 1 target.

Will Muschamp at Tennessee, how would that have turned out?

Muschamp's Mess

It looks like Will Muschamp is safe for now.  Athletic Director Jeremy Foley had the following to say today.

"No decision will be made regarding the future of the Florida football program, perhaps until after the season.  At the beginning of the season we said we would evaluate the season as it plays out," Foley said. "We will continue to do so. Our sole focus right now is supporting our coaching staff and players as they prepare for Georgia."

After Florida's 42-13 loss to Missouri, on homecoming weekend none the less, the home crowd was chanting for the coach's firing. 

Florida held Missouri to 119 yards of offense on Saturday.  Maty Mauk completed just six of 18 passes for 20 yards while Missouri combined to rush 31 times for 99 yards, barely a three-yards-per-carry average.  All those great defensive stats and they still lose by 29 points.  The Gators turned the ball over six times and allowed four return touchdowns in the game.  One on a punt, one on a kickoff, one on an interception and another on a fumble.  Florida held the ball for almost 33 minutes and managed to get 287 yards of offense.  However, six turnovers,  three fumbles and three interceptions will do almost anyone in. 

Florida is in a position as a team where they can't win.  The defense can hold the opposition but then the offense will shoot themselves in the foot.  Jeff Driskel has been given chance after chance and hasn't stepped up to lead the team.  Instead he's one of the main ones bringing them down.  Of course there's comes back to the head coach.  Muschamp is a great defensive coach but maybe he just wasn't ready to be head coach.  The outcome is inevitable.  Muschamp will not be the coach next year but it remains to be seen how long he will last this year.  If he holds on till the end then the rest of the season will be miserable for the fans.  Unless by some miracle the Gators can win out then maybe Muschamp can save his job.

The Official Decision

Needless to say Brian Kelly is unhappy about the penalty call that cost his team a victory Saturday night.  Notre Dame had fourth and goal on the Florida State 2 yard line, Corey Robinson caught what would be the game winning pass but an offensive pass interference call negated it.  It was a pick play.  Three receivers bunched, two receivers, Will Fuller and C.J. Prosise push into the end zone leaving Robinson wide open.  The play looks very similar to Notre Dames first touchdown pass, including Robinson catching the pass.  No penalty was called on that one just on the same play that decides the game. 

Kelly doesn't seem to be optimistic about getting an explanation.  "We'll have our conversations with the supervisor of officials for the ACC here a little bit later this afternoon and I'm sure we'll get even less clarification." 

Why not call the penalty in the first quarter bit then call it when the game is on the line?  Was it the ACC officials taking care of one of their own teams?  Would they have thrown the flag if it was FSU running the play?  Probably not.  They let the pushing and shoving go when the game isn't on the line and change the outcome when it is.  Officials shouldn't directly change the outcome of a game.  If they wanted to do things by the book why wasn't a penalty called on FSU cornerback P.J. Williams who took his helmet off right after the catch was waved off.  Taking your helmet off in the field of play should draw a flag.  I suppose they just missed that one. 

"There's great disappointment, but they know that," Kelly said of his players. "You never want to let a game be decided by a referee. You want to control the game yourself, and what happened at the end was out of our control. We feel like we did the things necessary and we've got to be able to control finishes, and that means make a couple more plays.

Brian Kelly quotes from ESPN.com

Free Gurley

Here we go more autograph talk.  Todd Gurley is still suspended and Jameis Winston is still playing.  It's quite possible Winston has been doing more signing than Gurley.  Darren Rovell of ESPN.com had the following:

An in-depth search of the verification page on the James Spence Authentication website reveals the company has authenticated more than 2,000 signatures by Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, up from the more than 900 signatures that were found on the site's database earlier this week.

James Spence, the authentication company's owner, told ESPN on Thursday he will not reveal the identity or identities of the customers who submitted the signed Winston items for authentication. Spence also won't verify the number of items because he says his database is not searchable by name.

FSU doesn't seem to be pushing the issue either.  James Spence has been quoted as saying that as of noon Thursday, no officials from Florida State had called to inquire how Spence's company authenticated as many signatures as it did.  In an official statement from Athletic Director Stan Wilcox he states that the "compliance staff is reviewing issues raised by the media related to autographed items attributed to Jameis Winston.  At this time we have no information indicating that he accepted payment for items reported to bear his signature, thereby compromising his athletics eligibility."

  Is the issue that FSU hasn't received information or that they don't want to know the information?  According to a New York Times article it doesn't appear that they did too good of a job of dealing with information received when Winston was accused of rape.  What makes anyone think they're really looking into this?  I mean this is just about autographs nothing major.

Georgia didn't waste any time suspending Gurley when the story broke about him.  Was there that much evidence against him?  I haven't heard of any other than a alleged video of him signing a helmet in a car.  If Winston is allowed to play than Gurley should be allowed to play.  If you read my posts last week about Gurley you would know I'm not a fan.  I'm not a Georgia fan, I have no 'dawg' in this fight but what's fair is fair.  Free Gurley!

Mullen on the Move?

What are the odds that Dan Mullen is in Starkville next year?  Mississippi State is in the middle of their best season ever and Mullen's stock is rising.  By the time the season ends there will be quite a few positions open.  Maybe even some at high profile, traditional powerhouses. 

Will Muschamp is on the hot seat at Florida.  It he were to be relieved of his duties Mullen's name will be mentioned.  Mullen was the offensive coordinator at Florida from 2005-2008 under Urban Meyer so he knows the territory.  There are already a couple of fan run websites, like this one at hiredanmullen.com gathering supporters to hire Mullen.  He would definitely be welcomed in Gainesville.

Brady Hoke is almost certainly done at Michigan and its one of the most storied programs in history.  The storylines would write themselves with Mullen's former boss and mentor Urban Meyer at Ohio State. However it seems that they will be looking for someone named Harbaugh or possibly Les Miles. 

Both of these schools would be seen as a step up from Mississippi State and there will be other openings. There is also a good chance quarterback.Dak Prescott will declare for the draft so it may be a good time to get out.  Starkville or Gainesville, where would you rather live?

Can I Have Your Autograph?

The autograph controversy is getting out of hand.  In less than a week, two top players, last year's Heisman trophy winner and a front runner for this year's award, are both linked to an autograph authenticator.  James Spence Authentication has verified over 500 Todd Gurley autographs and over 900 Jameis Winston autographs.  Gurley supposedly received $400-500 to sign on one occasion.  One unnamed source on the internet claims that Gurley was paid thousands for autographs and game equipment.  No one has come forward with evidence of Winston being paid yet.

Here is the major problem.  Even though these guys know the rules and know that taking any money puts their eligibility at risk they shouldn't take all the blame.  These dealers and brokers hand these guys money to sign stuff knowing they're not going to turn it down.  The players take all the risk and the dealers get all the rewards.  There should be some way to hold these people accountable but there isn't.  It's a great business plan, as popular as college football is they know the memorabilia will sell.  The only thing that truly makes sense is for the NCAA to loosen their grip on these players so they can reap some rewards for their popularity. 

I do still believe that the players should have the sense to stay out of trouble.  Maybe it is time for the rules to change.

Robert Nkemdiche

Robert Nkemdiche supposedly taking a hit off of a bong.

Monday's Drama

Another day another mess of drama in the world of college football.  Jameis Winston's name is in the news again.  Not only is he facing an inquiry from FSU about sexual misconduct now he is linked to an autograph authenticator.  Coach Jimbo Fisher confronted him after the Seminoles victory over Syracuse Saturday.  Winston denied accepting money for autographs and Fisher claims to believe him.  No matter what the truth is in this matter, Winston's name is becoming more tainted every day.  The more trouble he finds himself in it is only going to hurt him when NFL teams start looking his way.  With all the publicity surrounding Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson and their off field issues some teams may not want to take the risk with Winston. 

Late yesterday an anonymous Tennessee fan released a photo supposedly of Robert Nkemdiche hitting a bong.  Personally I don't care if he's smoking some grass, the problem is that it's illegal.  When are these guys going to learn?  They're in the public eye, anywhere they go, anything they do someone is waiting to take a picture or a video.  Don't think you can trust someone you meet in class or at a party.  If they can make a few bucks of a picture of you then they're going to do it.  Once again you're one of the best players on one of the best teams in the country ask you have to do is stay out of trouble.  Is that really too much to ask? 

 

Hail State and Sunday Rambling

Mississippi State is the number one team in the land and they are deserving of it.  I think most people will agree, three victories over three top ten teams puts them on top of the pile.  Although its becoming clear that two of those teams didn't belong in the top ten at all.  LSU has a lot of talent on their team but they are young and just not there yet.  They'll be in this conversation again next year.  Texas A&M has been beaten down two weeks in a row but the losses to Ole Miss and Miss State may be somewhat forgivable.  They should have lost the game against Arkansas though.  Arkansas had them beat and blew a late lead, I think A&M is lucky to still be in the top 25.  What matters is where that team was ranked when you got beat.  I don't know how many Auburn fans I saw on facebook and twitter saying that their loss wasn't as bad as Alabamas because it was to the number three team and Alabama lost to the number twelve team.  Its funny that last week both teams were tied at three.

Going back to Arkansas, once again they should have beaten Alabama on Saturday but they just can't find a way to win.  Even when their opponent is doing everything to hand them the game they still manage to lose.  Alabama and their muffed punts, the interceptions and the bad penalties at bad times they still held on for the victory. That is the difference between teams that win championships and teams that don't.  As bad as Alabama played they still managed to find a way to win.  It's a little easier to overcome the mistakes against Arkansas, a team that apparently doesn't know how to win in the SEC than against Ole Miss.  Alabama can still be in playoff contention at the end of the year, their defense is looking like a championship caliber defense but the offense has been horrible the last two games.  If Blake Sims and company can get back to playing like they did against Florida then they will be back on top again.

Auburn may not be as good as everyone has thought either.  Granted they made a lot of mistakes Saturday and there was that controversial pass interference call but I think they still would have lost.  They probably should have lost to Kansas State in that Thursday night game.  There are more tests to come we'll see how they fare against the rest of their schedule, they still have road trips to Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama.

Picks 10/11/14

 Saturday, October 11, 2014
Picks

 1. Florida State over Syracuse

2. Auburn over 3.Mississippi St

14.Texas A&M over 3. Ole Miss  

5. Baylor over  9.TCU

6. Notre Dame over North Carolina

7. Alabama over Arkansas

8. Michigan State over Purdue

USC over 10. Arizona

Texas over 11. Oklahoma

12. Oregon over 18. UCLA

23.Missouri over 13.Georgia

1.6Oklahoma State over Kansas

19. East Carolina over South Florida

22.Georgia Tech over Duke

9-5 for the week

Todd Gurley's Greed

According to georgiadogs.com Todd Gurley has been suspended indefinitely.  Speculation is already running rampant across the internet that it could be from accepting money for memorabilia and autographs. We've heard this story before,  Johnny Football last year and of course the Ohio State players a couple years back.  It's another example of one players greed screwing things up for the rest of their team.  Gurley is a heisman front runner and a virtual lock for a high first round draft pick. Now if he remains suspended the heisman chances are gone and the chances are that the Bulldogs won't be as good without him. If he could only wait a few months he will get paid millions but he couldn't wait.  He was greedy and he was stupid.  Did he not think that this would get out?  Did he not think that someone would talk.  He was greedy enough to sell his autograph or whatever for money so of course someone will gladly sell the story of what they saw.  It'll be ok though he'll still get drafted, he'll still get paid so why should he worry about his teammates or his fans?

Jump that Bandwagon

Bandwagon jumping fans are annoying.  I was speaking with someone earlier this week about this past weekends football games.  He is a Michigan fan which makes sense as he is originally from Detroit.  He's also a Lions, Tigers and Pistons fan, we've never spoken about hockey but he would probably be a Red Wings fan too.  All of this makes sense as he's from Michigan, but the conversation started with him bashing Alabama after their loss this past weekend.  I commented that he didn't have much room to talk because his Wolverines haven't looked too hot this year.  He goes on to say that "his" Michigan State Spartans were going to win the Big 10 and that "his" Georgia Bulldogs were going to win the SEC.  It looks like whoever is winning that particular week is going to be "his" team.  I know most fans are always going to cheer against their rival, that is normal.  I will be pulling for Mississippi State this weekend but they're not "my" bulldogs.  I wanted Clemson to beat Florida State a few weeks ago but they were not "my" Tigers.  Enjoy the games, if you're team isn't winning it's ok, everybody is going to have their good days and bad days.  Just stick with your team, you don't have to get a new favorite just because you want to be behind a winning team.  It is just football but there is something to be said for loyalty.  Not many people seem to know what that is anymore in football or in life either.

Gameday in Starkville

What is the world coming to?  ESPN's College Gameday is live from Starkville Mississippi this Saturday.  I know is is a game between two top 5 teams but it just doesn't seem right. It is a clear sign that in this day in college football anyone that puts together the right combination of coach, players and game plan can win.   Coach Dan Mullen hasn't had the most successful run at Mississippi State but this year behind quarterback Dak Prescott the Bulldogs have climbed to #3.  This past week against Texas A&M Prescott went 19 of 25 for 259 yards and two touchdowns through the air while adding 77 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground.  This may turn out to be a high scoring affair going up against Auburn's high powered offense that just hung 41 on LSU.

 I will reluctantly pick the Tigers but I think I'm going to pull for Mississippi State anyway.  Anybody have a cowbell I can borrow?