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Role
Reversal A funny thing happened this past weekend, in the Palmetto state...South Carolina and Clemson did a complete college football swap. This is supposed to be the year that South Carolina takes it to a new level and returns to the SEC Championship with some unfinished business. With superstars Marcus Lattimore, Alshon Jeffery and a loaded defense, the Ball Coach has put together the best team USC has ever seen. Pre-season rankings had the Cocks in the Top 10 and a sexy national championship contender. While all this was taking place, their in-state rivals were trying to put the pieces together coming off their first losing season this century and a team with a brutal schedule, a ton of freshmen and a coach on the hot seat. A crazy thing happened on Saturday, that has changed the entire college football landscape...at least for the short-term. South Carolina lost at home to Auburn....and the Clemson Tigers ambushed Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. That is the same Auburn team that gave up over 600 yards of total offense in a blowout loss to Clemson a few weeks ago. The Gamecocks managed a mere 13 points against a team that had no clue how to stop Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins. While the Cocks watched their stranglehold on the SEC East weaken....their rivals were headed to Blacksburg, where the Hokies have feasted on ACC prey. Clemson won 23-3...snapped every Hokie winning streak imaginable, and in the process made history by becoming the first ACC team to defeat three consecutive ranked teams. It was an impressive showing, as Clemson delivered the 2nd worst loss Virginia Tech has suffered at Lane Stadium in the last 30 years. What is going on, here? I never saw it coming....on either front. Today, the TIgers are ranked 8th in the country, one of 15 unbeaten teams in college football and riding an amazing wave of confidence. Today, the Gamecocks are asking questions about their embattled quarterback and anemic offense as they find themselves still ranked....but now fighting for control of a suddenly wide-open SEC East. All it took was one crazy weekend.....it's exactly the reason why college football is so much fun and unpredictable. Something tells me that this is the first curve in a winding road.....and I can't wait to see the rest of the trip. I was really impressed, watching Wisconsin and Bama on Saturday night. I have no idea who will make it to the BCS national title game, but for argument's sake, can you imagine a Wisconsin-Alabama match-up? The Badgers' bad-ass offensive line against the Tide's unbelievable defensive scheme and talent? Wow.....it would be incredible. It's hard not to get carried away about the game looming in Tuscaloosa on November 5th.....LSU at Bama has the potential to be insane. I normally don't care who wins games....I just want to be entertained. But in this case, I hope both Bama and LSU find a way to win and stay healthy for this showdown. College football fans want to see it, too. Fans made too much of a big deal about the top of the rankings last week.....it really doesn't matter who is higher in the polls between Oklahoma, LSU and Alabama. All three teams control their own destiny, so there's no reason to get too geeked up over their position in the top 3 of the polls. The next big question will be how many teams can stay hot and unbeaten the rest of the way:
It's too early to spend time on the subject, but I do catch myself thinking about the possibilities. If only we had a playoff? Two teams need some love this week.....Notre Dame and Georgia. Three weeks ago, I was slammed with calls from Georgia fans that wanted Mark Richt fired ASAP. How dare he lose to Boise State and South Carolina? "Enough is enough", in Athens. Now, here we are and the Dawgs have a three-game winning streak and they are alive and well in the SEC East. You can even throw in the fact that Georgia doesn't have to worry about LSU, Bama or Arkansas on the schedule. All of a sudden, it looks a light brighter in Athens.....and the calls for his dismissal have completely disappeared. Georgia heads to Knoxville this weekend...the pressure is back on Richt and the Dawgs. Notre Dame fans had seen enough, too. A pair of turnover-prone losses to South Florida and Michigan had the Golden Domers completely upset. "Get rid of Brian Kelly"...fans were pissed. Kelly is the perfect coach for Notre Dame.....give him time, and he'll get them back to being relevant in college football. The Irish are now 3-2, and face a manageable schedule that has only a couple of potential hiccups. Of course, I haven't had many calls lately looking for the Irish to make a change. Just give him time.....and he'll wake up the echoes. The Carolina Panthers gained over 500 yards of total offense on the road against the Chicago Bears and still lost. The Panthers made mistakes in every facet of the game...you name it. They gave up an INT for a touchdown. They gave up over 200 yards rushing to a single back. They had a field goal blocked. They gave up a punt return for a touchdown. They had a TD called back because of an offensive penalty. It was ugly.....and it makes the hometown team 1-3, as they prepare for Drew Brees and the wide-open New Orleans Saints. The team might be back to their losing ways, but at least they are entertaining....and that's more than you could say about them last year. I still contend they are in the 5-win range.....which isn't good.....but it's much better than the dismal garbage we had to endure last season. |
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