Five Things We Learned This Weekend

2008-10-08T12:34:16-04:00

2008-10-05T16:59:05-04:00

271

2008-10-05T16:59:05-04:00

2008-10-08T12:34:16-04:00

chattyvol

Clinton 169185

275 Is it basketball season yet? My Tennessee Vols have ruined this football season for me so far. =0( 3003918

2008-10-06T18:49:13-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/183/869/thumb/team-logo-miss.gif 44 CA

sfprman

San Francisco 184169

184 KingFootball Mizzou did win, by a bazillion. But, LSU -- the SEC and national champs -- didn't. THEY LOST TO THE HOGS AT HOME. The same players that Mizzou whupped. And speaking of defenses...how many pts and yds. did LSU give up to Ark last year? In fact, LSU had more trouble with Ole Miss than Mizzou did, too. In fact, Chase Daniel and the Tigers are 3-0 vs. the SEC since 2007. 2989069

2008-10-08T01:17:31-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/551/110/thumb/smiling_bob2.jpg 243 FL

Red_Queen_Race

Dunnellon 551590

KingFootballMizzou did win, by a bazillion. But, LSU -- the SEC and national champs -- didn't. THEY LOST TO THE HOGS AT HOME. The same players that Mizzou whupped. And speaking of defenses...how many pts and yds. did LSU give up to Ark last year? In fact, LSU had more trouble with Ole Miss than Mizzou did, too. In fact, Chase Daniel and the Tigers are 3-0 vs. the SEC since 2007.

274 These comparison arguments come up over and over again and they simply aren't proof of anything. The results of football games each week are a result of things like: 1) matchups - offensive and defensive styles 2) timing - point in the season when the game is played, whether a team is coming off an emotional win/loss, short week, one week off, etc. 3) location - home/away/neutral 4) injuries/suspensions 5) officiating - what they see, what they don't see, what they *think* they see, how they interpret the action (e.g., is what he doing holding?) There is other stuff that can be added to the list. But the idea should be clear. Healthwise, the LSU team that played OSU in the NCG was not the same LSU team that lost to Arkansas. Two deductions related to your argument that can be made from the above are: 1) Football results are not transitive. A > B, B > C does not necessarily imply A > C. Likewise A > C, B much > C does not imply B > A. 2) How many yards/points team A puts/gives up against team C in week X cannot be compared to the same categories when team B plays team C in week Y. I'm not picking on you as you are by no means the only one to do this. But I see this a lot and it is not a valid way to compare teams. 2999977

2008-10-06T23:09:12-04:00

ACC

Alpharetta 576368

269 You're a punk, Finish the Drill. I'd finish you if I saw you. 2990199

2008-10-07T18:20:39-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/449/996/thumb/S4020811.jpg 3583 FL

KingFootball

450436

You're a punk, Finish the Drill. I'd finish you if I saw you.

273 Mighty tough of you to threaten someone online. 2998324

2008-10-07T00:25:14-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/198/456/thumb/Tims_Car.jpg 174 OK

toe slide 360

Tulsa 198756

271 Why don't you two Georgia boys meet up in a field somewhere and beat the crap out of each other. If you do, please put it on youtube so we can all enjoy you banging your empty heads together. 2990537

2008-10-07T07:36:07-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/449/996/thumb/S4020811.jpg 3583 FL

KingFootball

450436

Why don't you two Georgia boys meet up in a field somewhere and beat the crap out of each other. If you do, please put it on youtube so we can all enjoy you banging your empty heads together.

272 Wow, that ACC prick is really bitter about being the JV team in Georgia. I know that must be hard. He really has some issues. 2991015

2008-10-07T00:25:14-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/198/456/thumb/Tims_Car.jpg 174 OK

toe slide 360

Tulsa 198756

2008-10-06T23:12:53-04:00

Finish the Drill

Marietta 499584

270 Sniffing jock straps doesn't count as playing football boy. Finish some spell check next time. 2990289

2008-10-06T23:06:07-04:00

ACC

Alpharetta 576368

268 I played football at Tech, moron. So yeah I've talked to a few players in my time- and graduated with a MGT degree.(oooh, how awful I'm not an engineer!) Go put on your black jersey and search the AJC archives for all of the UGA arrests over the last 10 years. Be advised that your system will lock up because of system overload- there are too many to cite here. Irrespective of the transgression they are all given 1-2 game suspensions againsts Ga. Southern or Western KY. (Saint Richt and his harsh discipline) So are you surprised that some of GT's players smoke? Are you serious? What planet do you live on? I'm sure nothing like that goes on under Richt's watch- he is such a good person, really. And I'm impressed by those complete sentences and perfect annunciation used by UGA's players, really. They are so eloquent and well spoken.. Put up or shut up, I'll choose for the latter- for you to shut up. ACC signing off for the evening.. 2990284

2008-10-06T23:02:55-04:00

Finish the Drill

Marietta 499584

267 You lost a game to UGA because Reggie Ball couldn't even count to four. If Tech is such a peak of academic fortitude why is it easier to get accepted there than in Athens? Brainless wonders such as yourself are hardly worth the effort to debate. You have no solid ground on which to stand. 2990283

2008-10-06T22:54:56-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/491/882/thumb/OSU_Wells.jpg 401 OH

etc_04

Athens 492322

266 There is nothing "SEC-caliber" about Mississippi State. Although Beanie ran for 140-something against a real SEC defense, LSU. 2990214

2008-10-06T22:53:42-04:00

Finish the Drill

Marietta 499584

265 ACC the All Crap Conference. How hillarious it is to see a Techie talk about academic integrity. Have you ever met the players on your team. Which one is the helluva engineer? Not only are they several verbs short of complete sentences, they seem to have a helluva time engineering a victory against any UGA sports program. Talk about character when you have coaches driving drunk with drugs while plowing into innocent people and property. Your players got caught in a drug ring bust. Your former head coach got caught fudging his resume. The majority of the Techie football players don't even go to class. All of these allegations are supported by widely reported facts. Check the AJC archive. The ACC is the laughing stock of Southern football. Put up or shut up. 2990235

271

<div class="photo_container image_center"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/sweep.adams.ap.jpg" alt="Sweep" width="614" height="350" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes">Just how far can McKenzie Adams and Vanderbilt take this historical start?  AP</div> </div> 1. That Vandy could win the SEC East. I know, I know. You're going to say I'm getting "caught up in the hype," perhaps hypnotized by what had to be the headiest set of signs in GameDay history ("What's worse: Auburn's offense or the economy?"). Yes, the Commodores barely squeaked by an Auburn squad with that aforementioned anemic offense. Yes, they only gained 263 yards of their own (albeit with their backup quarterback leading the way.) But have you seen the rest of Vandy's schedule? The 'Dores are 3-0 in the SEC and play at least two more teams -- Mississippi State and Tennessee -- they should beat (when's the last time you could say that?) The other three are Georgia, Florida and Kentucky. Vandy's probably not going to win in Athens -- but Georgia's probably going to lose another conference game. The Kentucky game is a toss-up. That leaves Florida in Nashville. The 'Dores nearly beat the Gators in both 2005 and '06, and this team, unlike those Vandy squads, doesn't fold, outscoring foes 58-10 in the second half. Anything's possible. 2. That the Big 12 is the new Pac-10. After shredding a host of overmatched early opponents, the Big 12's gaggle of star quarterbacks played their first conference foes Saturday -- and did more of the same. Texas Tech's Graham Harrell against Texas A&M: 38-of-51 for 454 yards and six TDs. Oklahoma's Sam Bradford against Baylor: 23-of-31 for 372 yards. Missouri's Chase Daniel against Nebraska: 18-of-23 for 253 yards and three TDs. Texas' Colt McCoy against Colorado: 23-of-30 for 262 yards. And so on and so on. Once these guys start playing each other, beginning with next week's Texas-OU showdown, we're likely to see a whole lot of aerial shootouts a la the Pac-10 of the late '90s, when, on any given week, Ryan Leaf would face Brock Huard or Cade McNown would face Akili Smith. Things may get a little tougher for the Big 12's passers, but Texas isn't going to suddenly shut down Bradford or Daniel, nor is Mizzou likely to shut down McCoy the following week. Get ready for a whole bunch of big games getting decided by scores like 44-41.    3. That Georgia Tech can, and will, pass. When Paul Johnson was named the Jackets' new head coach last winter, bringing his vaunted flexbone offense with him, several returning or incoming wide receivers bolted. Demaryius Thomas was not one of them, and Saturday against Duke, his patience paid off. QB Jaybow Shaw completed nine passes on the day, all of them to Thomas, who turned those catches into 230 yards and a touchdown in the Jackets' 27-0 win. Thomas caught seven balls in the previous four games. Tech (4-1) is exceeding all expectations in Johnson's first season, and we're seeing his offense evolve in front of our eyes. In their last game, the Jackets gashed Mississippi State to the tune of 438 rushing yards in a 38-7 win. With the Blue Devils stuffing as many as nine in the box to counter the run, Shaw went to the air and exploited Thomas' one-on-one matchups. And the defense bottled up Duke's previously productive offense. An early loss to Virginia Tech puts the Jackets in a hole in the ACC's Coastal Division, but they'll likely be in the race until the end. 4. That Oregon State is the best 2-3 team in America. A week after knocking off top-ranked USC, the Beavers went to Salt Lake City last Thursday and nearly did the same to 15th-ranked Utah before falling on Louie Sakoda's 37-yard field goal as time expired. Unlike the USC game, where Oregon State stormed out of the gate, then weathered a Trojans comeback attempt, the Beavers fell behind 20-9 then rallied to go ahead 28-20 in the final two minutes before succumbing to the Utes' remarkable last-second surge (11 points in 1:29). I don't know what happened against Stanford and Penn State, but these past two games we've seen an entirely different Oregon State offense. Freshman RB Jacquizz Rodgers had another big night, netting 101 yards rushing and 82 yards receiving, while QB Lyle Moevao was 21-of-31 for 313 yards and two TDs. Beavers fans can take heart in one thing: Their team started 2-3 the past two seasons as well and went on to a combined 15-2 mark after that. 5. That the Big East may have an unranked champion. The conference's last two unbeatens met humbling demises this weekend: USF lost at home to a Pittsburgh team that five days earlier trailed Syracuse into the fourth quarter while UConn got housed 38-12 at North Carolina. Meanwhile, Cincinnati is down to it third-string quarterback, and West Virginia needed a last-minute defensive stand to survive 1-4 Rutgers. In the latest coaches poll released Sunday, USF was the lone remaining Big East entrant at 20th, but I can't imagine the Bulls, nor any other conference team, is going to make it through the rest of their schedule unscathed. It's anyone's best guess who will earn the league's automatic BCS berth (could be West Virginia, could be Cincy, could be Pitt, could be USF, could be UConn), but unless that team goes at least 10-2, there's a very good chance it will finish the regular season unranked. Who's ready for a Virginia Tech-UConn Orange Bowl? 11321 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/940/61/thumb/mandel_stewart.jpg 2 NY

Stewart Mandel

New York 94361