With 14:45 left in the first quarter and Alabama holding a 7-0 lead against South Carolina, Coach Jim McElwain put up his playbook. They put QB Greg McElroy in some awful positions all night to see how he would react to them. Didn't fare so well, but the ballgame was never in doubt. Watching that game, did anybody think that the Gamecocks would ever get into the endzone? Yeah, I didn't think so. If you don't think that they went vanilla, you're out of your mind. Coach Saban and the rest of the team have had the upcoming Tennessee game circled since January when Lance Thompson decided to bolt for Knoxville. Don't get too worried about how the offense played because when they needed yards, they could hand off the ball.
2) If it wasn't for Mark Ingram...
You know that if it wasn't Mark Ingram running the rock like he has, we'd have Trent back there doing it. If it wasn't Trent, it'd be Roy. If it wasn't Roy, it'd be Eddie Lacy. We have a stable FILLED with running backs, and they all could be starting for about 85% of other college football teams. What Mark Ingram has done is incredible, but don't forget about the other guys that are on his level as well. You'll see a lot more of them this weekend, and I'd almost guarantee it.
3) Florida looks...pedestrian?
The almighty Gators have looked very average lately. A home win over Arkansas on a last second field goal? And the only reason you were in the position is because Arky missed two chipshot field goals? Riiight. From what I'm reading about Brandon Spikes, he may not come back this year. And if that's the case, this team is in trouble. Lucky for them, they only play one decent football team for the rest of the season, and that's South Carolina. Biggest deal about that game? It's in Columbia... I think we could see an upset that weekend if they don't start clicking. Of course...I would much rather them be undefeated and still ranked #1 when they get to the Georgia Dome.
4) What the hell, Ohio St?
Ohio St was 5-1 against the spread this year. Purdue was 1-5 overall and just got shellacked by Northwestern at home. So of course I pick Ohio St -14 for this game. And of course, Ohio St responds by getting waxed by maybe the worst team in the Big Ten. Screw you, Senator Sweatervest.
5) Is it a classic if the two teams just ain't that good?
For those people that said USC vs. Notre Dame was an instant classic, ask yourself this question - if it had been UConn vs Louisville in the exact same game, would anybody give a damn? Didn't think so. USC and Notre Dame are not very good football teams this year. It was a fun game, if you like ping pong. Neither defense played worth a crap, and the fact that it came down to Little Jimmy making awful throws into coverage in the endzone only proves how bad these teams are. Count me as not impressed.
6) Auburn's officially out of gas
If you get a chance, go back and watch the 4th quarter of Auburn's game against Kentucky. Wow. Those players look like they're absolutely just worn out. Their conditioning must be awful. Kentucky did anything they wanted to in the 4th quarter, and used that to their advantage by scoring 14 points to win 21-14 on the plains. Chizik is now showing exactly what kinda coach he is, and now that people are catching on to Malzahn's offense, this team is in a lot of trouble. They've got LSU, Ole Miss, UGA, and Bama still left on the schedule...along with Furman. They'll get to 6 wins...but man. Who woulda thought after that Tennessee game that this team would look so bad. As Dennis Green would say - "They are who we thought they were."
¶ 9:44 AM
