Man, if you can't get amped up for Saturday, or if you start overlooking Saturday, then you're just an idiot. This is the biggest game on the schedule...for now.
How important is it that we handle LSU? Georgia and Florida both handled this team with ease. Those risks that Miles takes have backfired in a big way. Their undisciplined play has bit them in the rear end by giving up half a hundy in 2 ballgames this year. A loss to this team would look terrible.
And then, of course, there's the Saban factor. I think he's been waiting for this game for a loooooooong time. He wants to rub every LSU fan's nose in what he's doing. It's absolutely perfect. The setup is more than great - Saban's team is #1 in the country for his first return to Tiger Stadium. Their fans want this more than EVER. The biggest thing to remember is that Saban doesn't have any players left out there that played under him. There are a few who were redshirted in 2004, that are now redshirt seniors...but there's not many.
I guess I can touch on the fact that Phillip Fulmer is out at Tennessee. I mean, really...who didn't see that coming? I think they should have kept him around, but the biggest problem was the lack of fan support. Same thing happened with Shula. When fans stop coming to the games (i.e. Shula's game against Mississippi State in '06 - stadium was about 65 or 70% full), it starts to hit the university in the pocketbook, and that's when it's time to make a change.
I think they're gonna have a HUUUUGE problem getting somebody to come there without opening the bank. Roy Adams apparently says that UT is in a budget crunch right now, and they aren't going to spend big. Which would mean what...Todd Graham from Tulsa? Gary Patterson from TCU? Really? Yeah. Amazing hire, brah.
The Tommy Tubbs rumors are swirling that he'll be stepping down at the end of the year. I had an interesting conversation over the weekend with several people that think that maybe he is tanking games on purpose, just so he can get out of Auburn after his 10 years (since he'll be fully vested in the Alabama education system, along with all of his assistants) and still get his huge buyout money. That way he can still go coach somewhere else in a couple of years without any kinda penalty.
Finally, keep an eye on the Redskins and Steelers. It is almost a lock (has been for years) that if the Redskins win, the party already in office will be re-elected, but if they lose, the opposing party will take over the White House. Keep an eye on it.
Oh yeah, and another interesting fact. I'm pretty sure I said this earlier this year - every year that the Giants have won the Super Bowl, the Redskins have won it the year after. It's like clockwork. Think that'll happen again? The Skins are 6-2 so far.
¶ 3:49 PM
Comments:
patterson may not be a flashy hire, but the dude is one of the most underrated coaches around. i'm not sure if he's an sec level recruiter, but he's an sec level coach. # posted by Anonymous : 6:16 PM
I agree about Patterson. He's what made Fran tick at TCU in the past. However, there's a difference between getting athletes to compete with Utah, BYU, Wyoming, etc, and getting athletes to compete with Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, etc.
Bottom line is this - Tennessee has very little instate talent. Hence why their recruiting budget has forever been the highest in the country. They can't compete with the players they have instate. Patterson won't be able to change that. # posted by Memphis Tider : 10:06 PM
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