How does Florida's loss change our view of USC?

2008-10-02T22:53:25-04:00

2008-09-27T17:10:18-04:00

2008-10-02T22:53:25-04:00

155

BlakCass

Charlotte 377354

95 I'm gonna put myself out on a limb here, but I think people should still be high on Florida (if you are a fan of that team). It doesn't matter how many plays they have. Look at Auburn. Auburn doesn't have any plays at all, let alone an offense. Yet the continue to win and I don't see that slowing down anytime soon. I will happily eat my words if by mid-season I am proven wrong, but I think that Florida and Auburn will both continue to be elite teams in the SEC and country. Besides, I'm sure one of you guys will let me know about it as soon as either starts to seriously sink. 2965922

2008-09-29T14:06:25-04:00

MEANGENE

SHREVEPORT 489115

94 I DONT KNOW WHY EVERYONE IS SO HIGH ON THE FLORIDA GATORS? THEY HAVE 2 PLAYS ON OFFENSE. TEBOW UP THE MIDDLE AND TOSS SWEEP TO HARVIN. WHAT ELSE DO THEY HAVE? OH YEAH, JAMES ON A PUNT OR KICKOFF RETURN. OTHER THAN THOSE OPTIONS, FLORIDA DOESNT HAVE A VERY BALANCED OFFENSIVE ATTACK. I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR FLORIDA. 2933484

2008-09-29T13:01:24-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/472/209/thumb/Brutus-small.jpg 2 GA

BrutusBuckeye

Milton 472649

93 Hey UtahFannatic - I doubt that person you met in the grocery store had anything to do with The Ohio State University... other than living in Columbus with you. I guess that puts you both in the same category. Most alumni of OSU are gracious and curtious fans - albeit passionate about their Buckeyes. The Buckeyes absolutely should be ranked higher than they are... and as the weeks go on, they will be. they are just being punished for not putting up the fight they should have in the big games. Believe me, all REAL OSU fans are disappointed... not agree. We all need to remember these are just kids - who knows what will happen next week! 2932519

2008-09-28T21:17:38-04:00

253

UTAHFANNATIC

Columbus 569156

92 Hey ROCKHOUND I live in Columbus I don't have to check online all I have to do is watch the 6 o'clock news read the paper or go shopping. I actually went grocery shopping today with my Utah shirt ion and someone told me it was B.S. that we were ranked above them. I wasn't even trying to talk to him. Trust me they are in denial and are very upset they are not in the top 6 today. Every person in this town believes the refs cost them the LSU game and Beanie cost them the USC game, and it they played here they would have crush them I apologize I didn't know you live in Columbus and could speak on this in a first hand bases. I am stationed in the Army here and have been in Alabama and Florida. I actually liked the Florida fans they were real honest when they lost. 2928337

2008-09-28T20:29:05-04:00

155

BlakCass

Charlotte 377354

91 I agree with you, Rockhound, as to what you posted on post 88. It's way too early to write off Florida or USC. But I still think that USC should have fallen out of the top 10. Not because of the loss to Oregon State (that's only a fraction of the reason), but because the media are so biased towards them. The media didn't hesitate to punish Auburn for losing to a better LSU team, but they keep USC around "just because". 2928115

2008-09-28T17:05:24-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/108/002/thumb/Script_Ohio_at_the_Penn_State_Game.jpg 428 OH

Rockhound

Powell 108341

90 To Georgia and Bama fans: Thanks for the great game last night; it was a great one to watch. Both of these teams are clearly going to be in the hunt at the end of the season. And while he threw into serious coverage a number of times, man oh man does Stafford have an arm! 2927299

2008-09-28T16:59:55-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/108/002/thumb/Script_Ohio_at_the_Penn_State_Game.jpg 428 OH

Rockhound

Powell 108341

89 Hey UtahFan: You're evidently hanging around with the wrong people; most OSU fans I know are rational, reasonable people who love their Buckeyes but also acknowledge we've had our challenges...but maybe you can point to the blog comments lately where we're still talking smack. The overwhelming majority of comments from B10 and OSU fans are at least as rational and objective as any out there. In any case, I hope you feel better commenting "P.S.: OSU Sucks!!!!!" and "PS: The BIG TEN SUCKS AND PENN STATE IS OVERRATED". It certainly speaks to your credibility. "You know what you got, Mr. Melon? You got CLASS!". P.S.: That was sarcasm. 2927315

2008-09-28T16:47:58-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/108/002/thumb/Script_Ohio_at_the_Penn_State_Game.jpg 428 OH

Rockhound

Powell 108341

88 It's funny that on the one hand so many people talk about how inaccurate preseason ratings are (which is true for lots of reasons, including "media darling" effects) but then they use those same ratings to make all kinds of statements about relative team worth (e.g., Michigan beating Wisconsin means the Big 10 stinks) AND they assume that teams don't change (either positively or negatively) over the season. If there is ANY time that I'd expect some improvement in a team, it would be after the first few games...it gives them some time in the packed stadiums, in the pressure situations, and time to reflect and learn from it. It IS possible, you know, that teams CAN improve quickly (especially when they're pretty much brand new, e.g., Michigan) AND that teams that are really strong just have an off day, which DOESN'T mean they stink (e.g., USC and Florida), and that some teams play the game of their year and pull off the upset (e.g., Oregon State and Ole Miss). Make all the statements you want, use all the "logic" at your disposal, make all the blanket statements you want (e.g., no Mountain West teams "deserve" to be in a BCS bowl) but it still comes down to a simple truth...teams are constantly learning and changing, and it's way too early to even bother to predict anything at this point. Parity is here to stay, my friends, and all it's going to do is make for more unpredictability and a VERY wild ride (both in the games and in the blogosphere). 2927303

2008-09-28T13:32:59-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/239/81/thumb/USPAwings.bmp 3649 GA

Tin Man

Norcross 24021

87 M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I! SPELL IT OUT AT A SHOUT! M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I! It doesn't matter who's colors you wear!* Give it up! That was one fine performance by a visiting team in a stadium so threatening, that they had to invent a sports drink so that athletes can survive four quarters of football within its confines! M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I! *Gators fans, you're excused. 2926638

2008-09-28T09:40:13-04:00

1725

CharMit

Las Vegas 24671

86 for Stew Mandel - Two things we have definitely learned this weekend 1. A Michigan team overcoming a 19-0 deficit against a top flight Big 10 team suggests the Big 10 is in a worse state than presumed. 2. TCU, one of three top teams from the MTN West, shows that none of those top teams belongs in a BCS bowl, nor does Boise St. 2926152

<div class="photo_container image_center"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/t1_snead.jpg" alt="T1_snead" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes">Jevan Snead threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for an additional score in Ole Miss' 31-30 win in The Swamp.<br />AP</div> <div class="photo_attributes"><br /></div> </div> <p>ATHENS, Ga. -- <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/scoreboards/2008/09/27/38648_viewcast_recap.html" target="_blank">Florida's 31-30 loss</a> at home to unranked Ole Miss raises two questions:<br /><br />1. Did the Gators make a mistake by attempting a <strong>Tim Tebow</strong> run on fourth-and-inches instead of a field goal just shy of 50 yards?<br /><br />2. How does Florida's loss Saturday change the way we view USC's defeat Thursday at Oregon State?<br /><br />The answer to the first question is no. After West Virginia's loss at Colorado nine days ago, I wrote that the Mountaineers <a href="/si_blogs/the_sweep/posts/6041" target="_blank">should have run their best play with their best player</a> at the moment of truth. I still believe that. Tebow is Florida's best player, and his history suggests that he is nearly automatic on fourth-and-short. Florida dared Ole Miss to beat its best play, and the Rebels were up to the challenge.<br /><br />The answer to the second question is more complicated. What <em>should</em> happen is that USC and Florida fall an equal amount because each team lost a game it shouldn't have against an inferior opponent. What probably will happen is that USC will be punished more severely for losing to a team in what is perceived as a relatively weak Pac-10. Florida, by virtue of its membership in the SEC, won't take as much of a hit because, as we sportswriter-types always tell you, anybody can beat anybody in the SEC.<br /><br />While the SEC is the better conference top-to-bottom, it isn't so much better that it deserves a double standard. USC lost on the road to a program that has won three bowl games in the past four seasons. Florida lost at home to a program that hasn't played in a bowl game since <strong>Eli Manning</strong>'s senior season in 2003. Had Florida lost to LSU or Georgia, that defeat probably wouldn't have killed the Gators' national-title hopes provided they could win out. The Ole Miss loss should. National champs should not lose at home to three-touchdown underdogs. <br /><br />Of course, last year's national champ lost a pair of regular-season games, so none of this may matter by November. But I get the sneaking suspicion that pollsters will end up deciding who plays in the national title game by quality of losses, not quality of wins. Instead of style points, teams will be judged on who beat them. If the SEC champ has a loss to Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Alabama or Florida, <em>bienvenido a Miami</em>. If the Big 12 champ has a loss to Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri or Texas Tech, come on down. So where does that leave USC? We'll have to wait and see how Oregon State performs the rest of the season before passing judgment.</p> 8901 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/245/899/thumb/staples_andy2.jpg 34

Andy Staples

246219