Week 6 in Review: Down goes Saban! Down goes Saban!

36 Yards Rushing
Because CBS's broadcast was completely screwed up in the northern Florida area, I couldn't see any of the South Carolina upset of the assumed-to-be unbeatable Crimson Tide. Before I took a look at any stats, I couldn't decide if I was more impressed by the fact that the Gamecocks beat Alabama or by the fact that they did so with Stephen Garcia. Let's face it, coaching Garcia has to be like the equivalent of coaching a discarded apple core, in terms of intelligence. Still, when you look at the stats and see that Bama, with the returning Heisman winner and the arguably-better-than-the-returning-Heisman-winner Trent Richardson in the backfield, only mustered 36 total yards, you understand that this game was won by the Gamecock defense. It's the smart way to play Alabama because McElroy is simply in there to keep from losing games, not win them. By pinning the Bama running game down, the Gamecocks put the Bama game in McElroy's hands, and he couldn't pull it off.

Call the Waaaambulance
Minnesota coach Tim Brewster whined about Wisconsin going for two when the Badgers were up 41-16 with 6 minutes left. Coach Brewster, your team is 1-5, with two of those losses coming at the hands of Northern Illinois and South Dakota at home. The difference between you and Wisconsin coach Brett Biliema is that HE will be coaching a Big Ten team next year, while you will probably still be whining about the least significant two points scored against you in what amounts to one of the sorriest season in your program's history.

Psssst...Urban
Couple of things you should know. 1) Your flag prone team needs some discipline. Case in point: Janoris Jenkins returns a kick almost to midfield late in the first half and proceeds to spike the ball in front of the LSU bench. Personal foul. This was tacked onto the block in the back penalty and your Gators were backed up to the three yard line - from the 50. What happens when Jenkins returns to the sideline? Nothing. Not one coach says one thing to him. Not one. That kid fears no one on your staff. It defines the whole mood of your sloppy team. And another thing Urban, 2) Moody sucks. Not sure why you can't figure this out.

The Ducks "Struggle"
Sure, it was Washington State but a down game for the Ducks and they still score 43 points.

Truths in the ACC
1) Virginia Tech will always lose in September.
2) Clemson will always lose in October.
3) Virginia will lose in September, October, and November

Mancrush Update
Denard threw 3 interceptions in the loss to the Spartans. I might have to find a new mancrush. Sorry D, love's a fickle thing.

In Happy Valley?
A 20 point loss at home...to Illinois? Could be a rough year for a young squad.

Californication
The Golden Bears get pasted by Nevada two weeks ago and then blast UCLA right after the Bruins blitzed Texas in Austin. Saturday, November 6, mark it down. The Bears will lose to Washington State by about 20.

Other ACC News
Wake is back to sucking. All is right in the universe again.

The not-so-big boys...
Take your pick: Boise St., TCU, or Utah. Is there one that couldn't win the SEC East? Take the ACC or Big East title? Dominate the Big 12 South (yes, I'm counting Oklahoma in that mix and I said dominate)? Compete for the Pac-10 title?

They don't take the same week-in/week-out beatings that some of the bigger conference teams do but those are three legit teams.

Joe Cox Syndrome
John Brantley reminds me of the Georgia quarterback who preceded Stafford at Georgia. Remember him? He was about 5'3" and 45% of the balls he threw were tipped at the line. Brantley is apparently afraid of heights because he suffers from the same affliction, even if he's a heck of a lot taller.

Upset? Not exactly.
Oregon State, as of press time, was two scores up on #9 Arizona and got the "Upset Alert" on the ESPN ticker. Oregon State was unranked, with two losses on its resume. Those two losses were to TCU and Boise State, currently sitting at #6 and #3. Arizona made #9 largely on the strength of its win against Iowa, which was #9 at the time and a one point win over California. Outside of that, there isn't a whole lot on the resume. That said, by week six, Oregon State has faced three Top Ten teams, all on the road. I'm just not comfortable calling that an upset. If Oregon keeps rolling like they are, Oregon State will certainly face another top ten team, this time at home. The Uncivil War could be epic this year.

Again, I'm writing this while Watching Florida LSU
Les Miles just went for two after a touchdown to go up by 12 with 14 minutes left in the fourth quarter? Why? Why would you EVER do that? What logic is there to be sure you go up by 14 with that much time? As I typed this Dubose took back the kick off for six. Florida kicks the extra point and low and behold Florida is only down by five. So now, thanks to Les Miles' brilliance, the Gators can take the lead and not even have to tag on an extra point. Seriously, HOW does Les Miles have a national title? HOW HOW HOW can a man who makes such stupid decisions with clock management and rudimentary decision making have a title? How? How? How?

It just occurred to me...
As Florida is clawing back and Les Miles is stupiding himself to a loss, Kentucky is giving Auburn fits in Lexington. If both Tiger teams go down tonight, there won't be a single undefeated SEC team after week 6. Wow. Also, Todd Blackledge is talking about Satchel's Pizza in Gainesville. I'm here to tell you people, if you ever find yourself there, get you some Satchels. That IS good pie. Real good. (Sunday morning QB here. Obviously the SEC still has two undefeated team. Satchels remains very good.)

Don't you forget about me...no. no. no. noooo!
Why that deliciously 80s lyric? Because Miami and FSU are going at it tonight. For those of us who can remember (which is most of us), that was THE game back in the day. Well tonight, it doesn't have its luster. In fact, I'm watching the much more closely contested Florida game. Checking the score, I see Miami is way down. Surprisingly, Jacory Harris has NOT thrown an interception...yet. Will these programs ever be back to the day when this contest included two rosters with about 22 NFLers between them?

Saban vs. Spurrier Revisited
Is it just me or could the soundtrack for this game be the Charlie Daniel's Band classic "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". Geographically, it doesn't fit but how many of you can see the Ole Ball Coach looking across the field and sayin' "Now sit right down in that chair right there and let me show you how it's done!"

Florida - Denouement
Florida has a secondary full of speedy little guys that can't tackle. And that is why they lost this game. The model against the Gators is clear. Get the ball to you big receivers and tight ends and watch them chew up yards.

What Might Have Been?
THIS was the weekend that Virginia Tech was originally scheduled to play Boise State.