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SUNDAY EVENING, October 12, 2008
October 12 Football
Magazine
Golden Conference Rankings
LSU-Florida Analysis
My Week 7 Picks
October 9 Baseball Magazine
College Tidbits [10/9] | NFL Tidbits [10/9]
Note: The first Golden Rankings will be published October 19.
Saints-Raiders Pre-Game [POST-GAME] Comments
I'm worried about this game. So many factors favor the visitors.
- Raiders have had two weeks to prepare. Saints have short week after the Monday night game – really unfair scheduling by the NFL. SAINTS DID GOOD JOB OF BOUNCING BACK.
- New coach has had two weeks to install new O and D schemes that Saints can't prepare for. Raiders supposedly revising offense to make it more compatible for JaMarcus Russell. HE'S STILL A ROOKIE AND HE MADE ROOKIE MISTAKES.
- Saints continue to be banged up. Now promising rookie CB Tracy Porter out for the season. Colston may play some but Schockey won't. NO COLSTON BUT NO PROBLEM; BREES MAKES WHATEVER RECEIVERS HE HAS TO WORK WITH LOOK GREAT.
- Our new kicker is untested. Can we rely on him to make the key kick like the ones Gramatica missed against Denver and Minnesota? AFTER A MULLIGAN ON HIS FIRST FG TRY, HE SETTLED DOWN.
- Saints strike me as an undisciplined team. Payton may be the "young genius" as an offensive mind, but the jury's still out on whether he can create a team with the discipline and toughness to win consistently in the NFL. Yet Benson already gave him a long extension. ENCOURAGING TODAY; TWO STRAIGHT HOLDING PENALTIES ON BROWN BUT OVERALL, A GOOD GAME DISCIPLINE-WISE.
Thursday comment
The Saints kicker has gone from Gramatica to Automatica to Erratica to Sciatica. And the fans want him sent to Attica.
Let's analyze in terms of the problems each team faces.
LSU's problems
- The secondary has not been tested yet. Auburn has one of the worst offenses in the country. MSU isn't much better (as evidenced by the 3-2 pitchers' duel the two played). Will the young Tiger CBs be up to the challenge of Tebow and the UF receivers? NO
- LBs play an important role in any D scheme but particularly against a spread O, where they must cover receivers, yet help on the run. Will Beckwith be at full speed? Will OLBs Riley and Sheppard survive their baptism by fire? 265 YARDS RUSHING - FRONT 7 ALL INADEQUATE
- Will the starting DTs be at full strength? If not, will the D compensate better than they did against MSU, which began to move the ball after Jean-Francois and Alexander went out? LATE-BREAKING NEWS: JEAN-FRANCOIS DIDN'T MAKE THE TRIP TO GAINESVILLE BECAUSE OF INJURY. DIDN'T GENERATE ENOUGH OF A RUSH
- Can LSU hold UF to the 314 yd they gave up last year? 475 THIS YEAR That would seem unlikely as this game is on the road and many starters from last year are now in the NFL. A number of players on D have to grow up quickly in a hostile environment.
- Will the special teams win their game-within-a-game? LSU 168-108 BUT TIGERS GOT MORE CHANCES TO RETURN KICKOFFS Holliday has run back punts for TDs and also fumbled several. It may take a punt or KO return TD for LSU to win this game. Gator Percy Harvin is every bit as capable as Holliday of going the distance on any kick or play from scrimmage.
- The QB matchup seems no contest. IT WAS NO CONTEST. Can Jarret Lee reprise his second half performance at Auburn? If he or Hatch make mistakes against a pass D ranked 18th nationally, will they be the gift TD type mistake of the Auburn game or will they not hurt so much? FIRST INT. DIDN'T LEAD TO POINTS; SECOND RETURNED FOR TD; CRUCIAL MISTHROW CAME IN Q3 WHEN FLORIDA HAD SCORED TO LEAD 27-14; LEE THREW BEHIND WIDE-OPEN LEFELL FOR FIRST DOWN. PUNT AND UF SCORED AGAIN TO RESTORE 20 PT. LEAD
- I had hoped that Florida would be undefeated when we played them. Can LSU play as the higher-ranked team? It helps that UF is favored. Miles can use the lack-of-respect approach. Florida already has the revenge factor on its side. Will Jean-Francois' comment about "taking out" Tebow give the Gators even more of a psychological advantage? UF HAD ALL THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE; OLE MISS LOSS GAVE THEM OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES AND SHORE UP THEIR INADEQUACIES - SAME PROCESS LSU NEEDS TO FOLLOW NOW
- Will Scott get 100yd against the #20 rush defense, which allows 99.6yd per game? LSU needs the running game to lessen the pressure on the rookie QBs. Can Scott get the crucial yards the way Hester did in last year's game? NO; OUR VAUNTED O-LINE HAD A BAD NIGHT ALTHOUGH PART OF INABILITY TO RUN DUE TO UF'S STACKING THE BOX TO DARE LEE TO BEAT THEM - RECIPE ALL REMAINING OPPONENTS WILL ADOPT
- Will the off week give LSU an edge in terms of team health and preparation? NO; CONSIDERING THEY HAD TWO WEEKS TO PREPARE, LSU STAFF DID POOR JOB - UNDOUBTEDLY POOREST JOB OF MILES' TENURE
Comments
- If QBs play poorly and Gators seize the momentum, this could get ugly. YOU READ IT HERE FIRST SATURDAY MORNING.
- I agree with my friend Carroll. "If LSU wins, it'll be because of Miles."
Florida's problems
- Which D will show up? The one that gave up 31 to Ole Miss or the one that hasn't yielded more than 10 points in any other game? THE LATTER
- If LSU prevents big plays, will UF be able to sustain drives for TDs? YES; UF SCORED ON BIG PLAYS AND SUSTAINED DRIVES
- How will the Gator lines compete against the team that many feel has the best combination of lines in the nation? Specifically, will LSU stop the rush and make UF one-dimensional? Will LSU's deep D-line wear down UF's O-line late in the game as they did at Auburn? RESOUNDING "NO" ON ALL COUNTS; UF WON BOTH SIDES OF LINE OF SCRIMMAGE FROM BEGINNING TO END
- Will LSU execute Ole Miss's game plan of making Tebow be a conventional QB who must make crucial throws when his run lanes are blocked? NO
- Will the UF special teams outduel their Tiger counterparts? Ole Miss blocked the tying PAT and then Meyer eschewed a try at a game-winning FG from the 32, preferring to go for it on 4th and one. Was that more confidence in Tebow's ability to make a yard or lack of confidence in his kicking game? WHEN YOU MOVE THE BALL AT WILL, DOESN'T MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE HOW SPECIAL TEAMS COMPETE.
- Will Florida feel pressure because one more loss probably knocks them out of the national championship picture and hurts their chance of winning the SEC? THEY PLAYED LIKE A HUNGRY TEAM, LSU LIKE A SMUG TEAM.
- Is Florida's D still too young to prevail in high-profile games like this? In particular, can the young secondary handle LSU's receivers? UF GAVE UP 241 YARDS PASSING; SO THEY STILL HAVE PROBLEMS THAT MAY HAUNT THEM IN FUTURE GAMES.
- Can the offense expose LSU's young CBs and OLBs, exploiting some one-on-one matchups? RESOUNDING YES!
Read Scouts, Inc. analysis of the game and prediction on espn.com. THEIR ANALYSIS STRUCK ME AS STRANGE BEFORE THE GAME AND EVEN MORE SO AFTERWARDS; IT BASICALLY SAYS UF HAS THE ADVANTAGES BUT LSU WILL WIN BECAUSE THEY HAD AN EXTRA WEEK TO PREPARE.
For my prediction, see below.
Another bad week: 6-9-2
- Oklahoma over Texas +6.5 X
Bradford feasts on Longhorns #95 pass D- KANSAS over Colorado +14
Jayhawks bounce back from turnover-filled squeaker at Iowa State- Utah over WYOMING +23.5
Wyoming can't score enough to cover this spread- Vanderbilt over MISSISSIPPI STATE +2.5 X
Bulldogs haven't impressed me even with open week- Nebraska +20.5 over TEXAS TECH
Pelini gets a better effort from his D this week- OHIO STATE over Purdue +19 X
Pryor continues to improve
- USC over Arizona State +28 PUSH
Rudy Carpenter injured; Trojans determined not to stumble again
- NORTHWESTERN +1.5 over Michigan State X
Wildcats #34 run D blunts Ringer at home- NORTH CAROLINA over Notre Dame +7.5 X
Not impressed with ND's victories- Tennessee +12 over GEORGIA PUSH
Two good D's keep margin closer than 12- Arkansas +18.5 over AUBURN
Tigers in disarray; will win but not cover- BYU over New Mexico +23 X
Cougars bounce back from lackluster performance- WESTERN KENTUCKY +15.5 over Ball State X
WKU has competed well against stronger teams- MISSOURI over Oklahoma State +14 X
Tigers cover in high-scoring affair- PENN STATE over Wisconsin +5.5
Badgers in free-fall; even band won't help.- SOUTHERN MISS +10.5 over Boise State X
New USM coach makes this his signature game; that .5 may win this one for me- FLORIDA over LSU +6
LSU squeezed out win last year thanks to Hester's heroics; he and QB are gone and Gainesville is not BR. I've been right on all four Tiger games so far vs. spread; hope my streak ends here.
Golden Conference Rankings [10/12]
The Big 12 maintains its large lead. ACC, with non-conference victories over Notre Dame and East Carolina, swaps places with the Mountain West and has nearly caught the Big Ten.
Conference Rankings after Week 7 |
|||
| Conference | Avg. |
Best Wins |
Last week |
| Big 12 | 0.85 |
Illinois, Cincinnati, Washington, West Virginia, TCU |
1 |
| SEC | 0.63 |
Clemson, Miami, NC State, Louisville, Ariz. St. |
2 |
| Big 10 | 0.43 |
Oregon St., Iowa State, Fresno State, Notre Dame |
3 |
| ACC | 0.42 |
Cal, Ole Miss, Colorado, Miss.St., Nebraska, ND |
5 |
| Mountain West | 0.33 |
Michigan, UCLA, Ariz.St., Wash., Arizona, Iowa St. |
4 |
| Big East | 0.15 |
Kansas, Central Florida, Virginia, Iowa, Kansas St. |
6 |
| PAC 10 | -0.03 |
Ohio State, Tennessee, Purdue, Mich. St. |
7 |
| WAC | -0.42 |
Rutgers, Bowling Green, San Diego State, Oregon |
8 |
| MAC | -0.60 |
Pittsburgh, Navy, Syracuse, Indiana, Michigan |
9 |
| CUSA | -0.74 |
Virginia Tech, West Virginia, New Mexico |
10 |
| Sun Belt | -1.02 |
Texas A&M, Maryland, UAB, Toledo |
11 |
Facts from team rankings:
- Texas moves up from #2 after Vanderbilt falls.
- Toughest schedule so far: Washington; easiest: ULL
- Biggest jump from last week: Mississippi State (108 to 77)
- Biggest drop from last week: Michigan (65 to 93)
Compare with Maize and Blue's rankings.
- By the Numbers
- 1 – LSU's rank in kickoff return coverage
- 18 – longest punt return against Florida in Urban Meyer's four seasons
- 104 – Auburn's rank in total offense among 120 Div IA teams
- 2 – number of coaches Auburn is paying not to call plays as O coordinator (Al Borges and Tony Franklin)
- 5 – number of O coordinators Tommy Tuberville has had in ten years at Auburn
- 1962 – last season that Northwestern began 6-0
- 0 – number of times Notre Dame has started 4-1 and not been ranked before this season
- 1928 – last year that Vanderbilt started 6-0
- 0 – number of times that Vanderbilt has started its SEC schedule 4-0
- 12 – number of consecutive home wins by Kansas
- 53 – number of years since Nebraska suffered as bad a defeat at home as last week's 52-17 shellacking by Missouri
- 1968 – last year Nebraska started 0-2 in conference play
- 0 – number of times Missouri has gone 3-and-out in 48 possessions this season
- 16 – number of consecutive defeats to ranked opponents by Purdue
- 0 – number of games that Ball State has played as a ranked team, a streak that will end Saturday
- James or Holliday may decide Florida-LSU
- Is Tuberville in trouble? [Go past the opening ad in the video.]
- Tony Barnhart: Reason SEC better than Big 12 [Hint: The word starts with "D."]
- Auburn-Arkansas this Saturday recalls how Petrino was earmarked to replace Tuberville five years ago
- Is Wisconsin in danger of collapse after two tough losses?
- Did You Know? The Wisconsin marching band was suspended indefinitely by the director the day before last week's home game against Ohio State. The loss ended UW's 16-game home winning streak. The director said a small percentage of the 300-member band had engaged in drinking and "inappropriate sexual behavior." The band will not perform again until the school's investigation is complete.
- Quotes
- "[The] no-huddle attack ... has been made more potent by the NCAA's new 40-second play clock. How so? 'The old rule was that, when the play stopped, the ball was spotted and referee stood over it' until play was whistled to begin, says Oklahoma State co-offensive coordinator Gunter Brewer. 'Sometimes it could take 12, 14 seconds for that to happen. Now, they set the ball down and it's off to the races.'"
- "New Washington AD Scott Woodward's pledge to wait until after the season to determine coach Tyrone Willingham's fate seems more cruel than fair. Playing without injured QB Jake Locker, the Huskies lost to Arizona 48-14 last Saturday to fall to 0-5. Willingham's ouster is inevitable.' [The new coach will open his career with LSU in 2009.] Mark Beech, Sports Illlustrated
- By the Numbers
- 1 – Saints' rank in passing yards per game in the NFL.
- 0 – the number of interceptions thrown by the Redskins through six games; Washington finally fumbled in game 6.
- 5 – number of coaches Al Davis has fired in seven years
- 2010 – year when the Raiders' lease at "decrepit" McAfee Coliseum expires
- 79 – age of Raiders' owner Al Davis
- 31 – ranking among 32 NFL teams of the Oakland Raiders in Forbes list of most valuable franchises ($861 million)
- Quotes
- David Sabino on Early Doucet in "Inside Fantasy Football" in SI: "With Anquan Boldin injured, the third-round pick from LSU looked sharp while catching six passes for 42 yards in his debut on Sunday against Buffalo. Kurt Warner is throwing at a manic pace – 99 times in the last two games combined – which makes Doucet an intriguing option next week going against Dallas's vulnerable secondary."
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About This Site
This site is devoted to sports in general and, especially during the fall and early winter, college football and – to a lesser extent – pro football. The unique feature of this site is the publication of the author's rankings of all Division IA college football teams and similar rankings for the NFL. I live in New Orleans and am a graduate of LSU and FSU. So I will present a Southern and particularly an SEC point of view but one that is reasonably objective. We will delve into the history of college and pro football and have a weekly quiz. We will also have similar features for baseball and basketball.
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College Tidbits [10/10]
NFL Tidbits [10/9]
About This Site
SITE CONTENTS
Biased Football Opinions Archive
Football Magazine [10/12]
A Weekend in Time
Streak Buster
Interesting Story
Did You Know?
Football Quiz
Dazzling Debut
Baseball Magazine [10/9]
Baseball Tidbits
Fantastic Finishes
Most Over/Underrated Players
Baseball Vignette
Bits of Baseball Lore
How Would You Rule?
Did You Know?
Baseball Quiz
One Great Year
Even the Greats Have Bad Days
Basketball Page [7/11]
Basketball Tidbits
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Interesting Basketball Facts
Did You Know?
Basketball Quiz
Final Golden College Rankings
Explanation of the Ranking System
Potential for a College Playoff – Parts I-IV
Golden Moments in Sports History Archive
THIS
PAGE
College Tidbits [10/10]
NFL Tidbits [10/9]
About This Site
SITE CONTENTS
Biased Football Opinions Archive
Football Magazine [10/12]
A Weekend in Time
Streak Buster
Interesting Story
Did You Know?
Football Quiz
Dazzling Debut
Baseball Magazine [10/9]
Baseball Tidbits
Fantastic Finishes
Most Over/Underrated Players
Baseball Vignette
Bits of Baseball Lore
How Would You Rule?
Did You Know?
Baseball Quiz
One Great Year
Even the Greats Have Bad Days
Basketball Page [7/11]
Basketball Tidbits
Basketball Snapshot
Interesting Basketball Facts
Did You Know?
Basketball Quiz
Final Golden College Rankings
Explanation of the Ranking System
Potential for a College Playoff – Parts I-IV
Golden Moments in Sports History Archive
THIS
PAGE
College Tidbits [10/10]
NFL Tidbits [10/9]
About This Site
SITE CONTENTS
Biased Football Opinions Archive
Football Magazine [10/12]
A Weekend in Time
Streak Buster
Interesting Story
Did You Know?
Football Quiz
Dazzling Debut
Baseball Magazine [10/9]
Baseball Tidbits
Fantastic Finishes
Most Over/Underrated Players
Baseball Vignette
Bits of Baseball Lore
How Would You Rule?
Did You Know?
Baseball Quiz
One Great Year
Even the Greats Have Bad Days
Basketball Page [7/11]
Basketball Tidbits
Basketball Snapshot
Interesting Basketball Facts
Did You Know?
Basketball Quiz
Final Golden College Rankings
Explanation of the Ranking System
Potential for a College Playoff – Parts I-IV
Golden Moments in Sports History Archive
THIS
PAGE
College Tidbits [10/10]
NFL Tidbits [10/9]
About This Site
SITE CONTENTS
Biased Football Opinions Archive
Football Magazine [10/12]
A Weekend in Time
Streak Buster
Interesting Story
Did You Know?
Football Quiz
Dazzling Debut
Baseball Magazine [10/9]
Baseball Tidbits
Fantastic Finishes
Most Over/Underrated Players
Baseball Vignette
Bits of Baseball Lore
How Would You Rule?
Did You Know?
Baseball Quiz
One Great Year
Even the Greats Have Bad Days
Basketball Page [7/11]
Basketball Tidbits
Basketball Snapshot
Interesting Basketball Facts
Did You Know?
Basketball Quiz
Final Golden College Rankings
Explanation of the Ranking System
Potential for a College Playoff – Parts I-IV