Tennessee @ UCLA

[artplumber]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Apparently the coaches and API have a different opinion. It's still way to early in the season, anything can happen and probably will.

word (but you know our mule, only the SEC plays football, everybody else is tiddlywinks)

[MOMO3.2]

Mule:

I posted seconds after the UCLA victory. I was pumped because I was about the only person that recognized the instant impact Neuheisel and Chow should have on the UCLA Program. Tennessee's coaching staff certainly had their big orange hats handed to them!

So forgive me for being ecstatic about the local SoCal boys over achieving.

Now as far as the "The West frickin ruling", they certainly did their job against teams from the East:

USC def Virginia
UCLA def Tennessee
Cal def Michigan State
Fresno State def Rutgers
Utah def Michigan


What ACC or SEC team played a team from the West and won this weekend? And, what does your statement: "...nor does Oregon falling to Utah St." mean? Oregon played Washington and won.

Anyway, please excuse my blissful response to UCLA overcoming huge diversity and defeating Tennessee. But, accept the fact that the West did rule Eastern teams on opening day 2008!

Good luck next week!

Mike

[Mule]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Apparently the coaches and API have a different opinion. It's still way to early in the season, anything can happen and probably will.

Maybe not completely. The ESPN poll has 5 of the top 11 teams from the SEC. The Big 12 has 3. They apparently didn't get the memo. But the real question is, how was anybody, ever, ranked above the mighty Trojans? I just don't understand.

[the]

Originally Posted by MOMO3.2

Anyway, please excuse my blissful response to UCLA overcoming huge diversity and defeating Tennessee.

They overcame huge diversity when they finally fired Dorrell.

[MOMO3.2]

Mule:

Sometimes I really fail to communicate my thoughts accurately or completely on the Internet. I honestly DON'T think the Trojans or Bruins are SUPERIOR. I really do appreciate all College Football. So, please don't think I am itching for a pissing contest. I am not.

What I AM guilty of is rooting for the local athletes that account for a large percentage of players in the PAC 10 and WAC. This is what makes College Football so exciting to me. There is actually an allegiance or connection to the teams for which they compete (unlike professional sports).

No doubt SC will lose a game this year. After all, they are in the PAC 10.

Mike

[MOMO3.2]

The:

I thought Dorrell was a standout player at UCLA. I also imagine he is a good person. But, he has always seemed out of place as a coach (too soft spoken and low key). His record at UCLA clearly supports that thought.

UCLA deserves a top notch staff. It looks as though they are back on track.

Mike

[Mule]

Originally Posted by MOMO3.2

Mule:

I posted seconds after the UCLA victory. I was pumped because I was about the only person that recognized the instant impact Neuheisel and Chow should have on the UCLA Program. Tennessee's coaching staff certainly had their big orange hats handed to them!

So forgive me for being ecstatic about the local SoCal boys over achieving.

Now as far as the "The West frickin ruling", they certainly did their job against teams from the East:

USC def Virginia
UCLA def Tennessee
Cal def Michigan State
Fresno State def Rutgers
Utah def Michigan


What ACC or SEC team played a team from the West and won this weekend? And, what does your statement: "...nor does Oregon falling to Utah St." mean? Oregon played Washington and won.

Anyway, please excuse my blissful response to UCLA overcoming huge diversity and defeating Tennessee. But, accept the fact that the West did rule Eastern teams on opening day 2008!

Good luck next week!

Mike

My guess is that you looked at ESPN to get those results. So you already know the results of other significant games. As to the "East vs West" aspect of your post, I never have given any thought to such a rivalry. I'm pretty much an SEC guy. Other than the TN loss, the SEC looked pretty strong. Nobody but AL beat a significant opponent. But that's not far away. When it happens, the press will still be talking of USC & OSU like they talk about Obama. And again this year, the best division 1 football will be getting played in the SEC.

There's no better conference than the SEC. None. Let me count the ways: 1) Georgia has more talent than anyone in the nation. 2) Florida is the ultimate points machine, and Gators MLB Brandon Spikes would be my first pick to build a defense around. 3) LSU's D-line, with DT Ricky Jean-François and DE Tyson Jackson, is flat-out frightening. 4) Three second-tier teams—Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee—would contend in the other BCS conferences. 5) Both Ole Miss and Bama have the talent to pick off a fave on the right week. Like I said, there's no better conference. —KIRK HERBSTREIT

[the]

I agree 100%. Dorrell was a heck of a player, and was and is a heck of person and Bruin.

He wasn't cut out to be a high D1 head coach, though. Maybe if he starts at a lower level somewhere as a head coach, and legitimately proves himself and works his way up, he could possibly be in the future.

I think the UC schools have a lot of internal conflict over their sports programs, I know at Cal a lot of the admin and staff aren't really on board with having big national sports teams, with multi-million dollar coaches, multimillion dollar sports facilities, etc. I think there is the same conflict at UCLA.

Other schools, like USC or LSU, need the programs for advertising.

[Red Baron]

Anyone who thinksUSC's victory over Virginia is a huge win must not realize they are a shell of the team that palyed New Year's Day.

From a guy who gets paid for what we do for free;

Ranking the conferences

Monday, September 1, 2008 | Feedback | Print Entry


Posted by Bruce Feldman

Thanks to an intriguing group of out-of-league matchups, the opening weekend provided a pretty good window into taking stock of the conference pecking order, so that'll serve as this week's top 10 list:

1. SEC: Those of you who believed the gap was closing at the top (that's probably just folks in the Southwest and out here on the Left Coast) had it backward. The distance between the SEC and everyone else has expanded. Sure, the league is still sorting through a bunch of QB inexperience, but an influx of top newcomers has made these teams only that much tougher. Thanks to Alabama's dominant performance over the ACC's supposed top dog, Clemson, it sure looks as if the league has another top-15 program to boast. Though Bama doesn't have a ton of experience on D, it still mauled a Tigers offense that features three Heisman hopefuls.

South Carolina also showed off a fierce defense by shutting out NC State on national television. Kentucky made a nice statement on defense Sunday when it hammered Louisville and QB Hunter Cantwell, a guy some mock drafts have anointed as a possible first-rounder. More good stuff: Ole Miss finally has a QB in Jevan Snead; LSU thumped the FCS powerhouse (Appalachian State) that the Big Ten powerhouse (Michigan) couldn't handle; and Florida's offense, even without Percy Harvin, displayed speed to rival the Jamaican 4x100 relay team in the Beijing Olympics.

The bad news: Mississippi State lost to La. Tech, and Arkansas barely squeaked past FCS Western Illinois in Bobby Petrino's debut. Georgia's title hopes took another big hit on the injury front when standout DT Jeff Owens was lost for the season with a knee injury.


2. Big 12: A slate of games heavy on FCS and Sun Belt competition provided a chance for some big numbers, and the Big 12 took advantage of that opportunity. Mizzou's hanging 52 on Rose Bowl team Illinois showed how potent the Tigers' offense is, and it showcased a bunch of playmakers beyond Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin. Oklahoma State also beat Washington State by 26 on the road.

The bad news: Mike Sherman's debut was even worse than Petrino's, as Texas A&M lost to Arkansas State. Baylor got blown out at home by Wake Forest, while the Mizzou defense -- at times -- made Juice Williams look like Dan Fouts.


3. Pac-10: Alabama might've been the only team with a more impressive opener than USC. The Trojans were scarily dominant against Virginia, although the Cavs probably aren't more than a five-win team while Clemson should at least be a bowl team. As expected, USC's defense looked nasty, but the eye-opener was how sharp Mark Sanchez and the Trojans' offense looked. Then again, after facing the defense he sees every day at practice, UVa's D probably looked like it was made of high schoolers. Cal beat a solid Big Ten team (Michigan State), and the Bears showed that Jeff Tedford indeed picked the right QB in Kevin Riley.

The bad news: Washington State looked horrible, essentially losing a home game to a mid-level Big 12 team.


4. Big Ten: This was actually a pretty rotten weekend for the Big Ten when you consider that the best thing that happened for the league was Northwestern's crushing Syracuse at home, 30-10. Other than that, a lot of beating up on FCS and MAC teams is all we can label as good news.

The bad news: Beanie Wells gets carted off the field and might not be able to play or at least be 100 percent in the momentous Ohio State-USC game. Illinois' defense was picked apart in a loss to Missouri, while Michigan State lost at Cal and Michigan fell to Utah in the Big House.

5. Big East: It's not as if the Big East narrowed the gap between itself and the top four, and if Rutgers loses at home to Fresno State (ESPN, 4 p.m. ET) on Monday, you could make a case the league could slide out of the top five. Best thing we can say is Pat White's Heisman chances still look pretty good after he impressed in the passing game (25 of 33, 208 yards, 5 TDs) in a rout of Villanova.

The bad news: Louisville is in serious trouble if it is getting thumped at home by Kentucky. Syracuse showed it is still dismal in its three-touchdown loss to Northwestern, while the worst news of all is that Pitt wilted under lofty expectations and was upset at home by Bowling Green. WVU must win next week against East Carolina.

6. Mountain West: This was almost a perfect weekend for the MWC, which actually has a chance to leapfrog two BCS conferences in the rankings. Utah's win at Michigan was impressive, especially how QB Brian Johnson moved the ball against a formidable Wolverine D.

The bad news: Now Chuck Long is really on the hot seat. San Diego State just can't lose at home to Cal-Poly, but that's what happened to the Aztecs. In perhaps the most amazing stat of the first week, State got outrushed by the FCS school, 263-27. Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, desperate to establish a "pound-it" mentality, must be drooling about getting the Aztecs as the Irish's home opener.

7. ACC: What a nightmare! If it wasn't for Wake Forest, things would really be bleak here. The Demon Deacons opened Thursday night and just carved up Baylor, showing that the ACC probably has at least one Top 25 team. And, since there wasn't much else to pick from, Duke blew out a good FCS team in James Madison, and Georgia Tech looked surprisingly crisp in coach Paul Johnson's debut with the big shift in offensive style. It also contained Jacksonville State's Ryan Perrilloux. Of course, Tech is supposed to beat up on the FCS schools.

The bad news: Where to begin? Preseason favorite Clemson was embarrassed by Alabama, which is supposedly only the third-best team in its division. The Tigers looked completely flat and played with absolutely no passion on the prime-time stage. They could run the table after this and no one will care because they'd only be beating The Citadel and other suspect ACC squads. Virginia Tech lost a lead when it was upset by ECU, and the Hokies have a QB mess on their hands. NC State's offense looked dreadful when it was blanked on national TV by South Carolina.

Virginia got destroyed by USC at home, Maryland struggled mightily with Delaware and UNC almost got knocked off by McNeese State. Oh, and there was that botched parachutist thing, when the game ball was delivered to the wrong ACC stadium. Luckily for them, another bad ACC football team was just a few miles away. Unless Miami pulls off a shocker in Gainesville this weekend, it's hard to see the ACC's jumping up much higher next week.

8. Conference USA: Few people have touted East Carolina as a possible BCS buster, but the Pirates took a big step in that direction by knocking off Va. Tech. Now, if only they can beat West Virginia this weekend.

The bad news: UTEP got drilled by Buffalo, and Memphis lost, again, to Ole Miss.

9. MAC: Thanks to Bowling Green's win at Pitt, maybe the MAC should be ahead of C-USA. Then again, beating a Frank Beamer team should count for more than beating one coached by Dave Wannstedt. Other MAC goodness: Temple was impressive in beating Army on Friday night. It showed that Al Golden's team is at least decent now. Meanwhile, Buffalo pounded UTEP, proving Turner Gill has really elevated that UB profile.

The bad news: Miami (Ohio) got drilled at home by Vandy.

10. WAC: Maybe Fresno State can come through and win at Rutgers to salvage a shaky opening week that really had only one highlight: La. Tech's beating a bowl team from the SEC (Mississippi State).

The bad news: Idaho lost by 70 to Arizona. San Jose State barely survived UC Davis, 13-10. Hawaii gave up 56 to Florida, although that one probably could've looked a lot worse.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by artplumber

word (but you know our mule, only the SEC plays football, everybody else is tiddlywinks)

I was not trying to start another pissing match, just the opposite. We'll have plenty of time to do that after the season is over. Besides, I have no dog in this fight except that I am a moderate fan.
Not fanatic, just fan.
If USC eats crap and dies it doesn't change my life and only bothers me for a minute until I go on to something else. If I watch a USC game and they win I enjoy it more, if they lose I still enjoy watching the game.
it just isn't that important.

Like I said before, the season just started. Anything can happen. The top team can go to the bottom, the bottom team can rise to the top. Bragging or making predictions now is just empty noise unless someone has a better crystal ball than I do.

[MOMO3.2]

Mule:

I was fortunate enough to watch part of the Utah & Cal games, but all of the USC, Fresno State, and UCLA games. I form my opinions the old fashioned way, by what I see, not by what some "expert" claims.

Since I was a young boy I have loved Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, and South Carolina's football teams. Those teams certainly make up one hell of a conference!

As a 3rd generation, Southern Californian I have really come to appreciate and embrace the impact that SoCal players have on college football and thus become a fan of the "local kids". LSU has been GREAT in recent years. I salute and often root for LSU.

I DO find it interesting that you think the sporting press is biased in favor of USC. Most PAC 10 fans think PAC 10 teams get shorted by the sporting press.

Finally, I agree the press is out of control with this election and I likely share some of your political views in general. But, it is really lame to equate College Football coverage to slanted election coverage. Dang, I thought my crusty, old, RAGING conservative father-in-law that listened to Rush Limbaugh for literally 6 hours a day was the only person obsessed enough to equate political injustices in the media to sports, or food, or cars, or computers, or music... Bring it back to reality Mule.

Mike

[MOMO3.2]

sammyG2:

I agree--no crystal ball here. I am just pumped about seeing a favorite team of mine overcome huge odds to pull off a win. I guess I took the bait and got a little over excited about how well some of the "local" teams fared in week 1.

Mike

[DavidB911]

Originally Posted by MOMO3.2

I DO find it interesting that you think the sporting press is biased in favor of USC. Most PAC 10 fans think PAC 10 teams get shorted by the sporting press.
Mike

I think every fan of a sports team feels this way because you have a hard time judging how much coverage your team is getting. I've learned to ignore it and go to a message board for my team when I need a fix.

[Mule]

Originally Posted by MOMO3.2

I DO find it interesting that you think the sporting press is biased in favor of USC. Most PAC 10 fans think PAC 10 teams get shorted by the sporting press.

Finally, I agree the press is out of control with this election and I likely share some of your political views in general. But, it is really lame to equate College Football coverage to slanted election coverage. Dang, I thought my crusty, old, RAGING conservative father-in-law that listened to Rush Limbaugh for literally 6 hours a day was the only person obsessed enough to equate political injustices in the media to sports, or food, or cars, or computers, or music... Bring it back to reality Mule.

Mike

Last year as USC was enjoying yet another #1 ranking by the sports press I heard them referred to as the greatest college football team EVER, the greatest team ever to lace up cleats. At this point USC was 6 or so weeks into the year and as usual, had played basically nobody, whereas LSU, a somewhat distant #2 had destroyed #9 VT, had beat #12 SC and was facing #9 FL. LSU continued to beat TOP RANKED competition, facing #'s 9,12,9,17,17 and 12, before destroying #1 OSU. At the end of the year, after the whipping by that buzz saw at Stanford, I was still hearing sports press saying that USC was REALLY the best team in the country.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I'm a fan of the Big 12, first and foremost. This weekend I'm headed to Manhattan to watch KSU beat up on some high school team. But only a fool would deny that the SEC is the most powerful conference in the nation. Look at the schedule of the average SEC team, it's the schedule from hell. That's why a 2-loss LSU team made it to the BCS title game. That's why they dominated an over-hyped Ohio State. It's a trial by fire.

Nearly every week in the SEC, you're playing a formidible foe, often ranked in the Top 25. Sure it happens in the other conferences, but to a lesser extent. Not to mention, you have to face the next best SEC team (often in the top 10) in the title game. Contrast that with Ohio State, which has a fairly average Big 10 schedule, and NO TITLE GAME (which chaps my ass). So unless they schedule a tough non-conference opponent (like USC), they cruise through the season, meet their first real challenge in the BCS title game, and get spanked. I'll give USC more credit, at least they have a title game.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Mule

Last year as USC was enjoying yet another #1 ranking by the sports press I heard them referred to as the greatest college football team EVER, the greatest team ever to lace up cleats. At this point USC was 6 or so weeks into the year and as usual, had played basically nobody, whereas LSU, a somewhat distant #2 had destroyed #9 VT, had beat #12 SC and was facing #9 FL. LSU continued to beat TOP RANKED competition, facing #'s 9,12,9,17,17 and 12, before destroying #1 OSU. At the end of the year, after the whipping by that buzz saw at Stanford, I was still hearing sports press saying that USC was REALLY the best team in the country.

Yes, they were ranked #1. Until their starting QB broke his hand and wouldn't leave the game and threw three interceptions. Until they lost 3 out of the starting 5 offensive linemen to injury. Until they put Mark Sanchez in to play when he wasn't ready.
During that time they simply weren't very good. At the end of the season they were closer to being healthy and I believe at the end they could have beaten any college team in the country. Unfortunately that will have to remain just my opinion.

I think that the USC defense has no match and the offense is much better than I expected. If they remain healthy I don't believe anyone will stop them.

Notice that I said that is what I think, an opinion. I did not state it as fact. that's important. Stating opinion as fact isn't cool, it's closer to bar room bragging and just ends up in internet fighting.
I will watch the games this season and enjoy them and we'll just have to see how it turns out.

Oh, and if we want to keep bringing up how easy or difficult a team's schedule is, LSU's non-conference schedule this year has been called by ESPN sportswriters "the easiest non-conference schedule in div. 1". Good luck with North Texas, Troy and Tulane. Do they even have helmets? Hillbilly state was a real powerhouse too.

maybe we don't want to go there.

Besides, the schedule doesn't really matter in the end (unless a team with two losses gets invited to the BCS championship game which was BS in my opinion) , it's who wins the big games.

[Mule]

Sammy, if they weren't CONSTANTLY proclaiming USC as the best of the best, it might be a little easier to take. They have been ranked #1 more than any other team. The facts are that in the BCS era, USC, OSU, FSU & Oklahoma have 6 appearances, the weak schedules of USC, OSU & FSU contributing to much of that. ONLY the Fightin' Tigers of LSU are undefeated at 4-0. The SEC also leads the group with 11 appearances, followed by 8ea from the PAC10 & Big10. SEC leads in win percentage as well with .733 percent. For BCS Championships, the SEC leads with 4 of 10. No other conference has more than half as many.

As far as the non-conference schedule red herring, as usual LSU has one of the toughest schedules in the nation, facing 2, that's right 2 TOP 5 powerhouses away, and 2 top 10 teams at home. USC doesn't face this many top 10 teams in a decade. I will close with a repeat of the words of perennial SEC detractor, Kirk Herbstreet.

There's no better conference than the SEC. None. Let me count the ways: 1) Georgia has more talent than anyone in the nation. 2) Florida is the ultimate points machine, and Gators MLB Brandon Spikes would be my first pick to build a defense around. 3) LSU's D-line, with DT Ricky Jean-François and DE Tyson Jackson, is flat-out frightening. 4) Three second-tier teams—Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee—would contend in the other BCS conferences. 5) Both Ole Miss and Bama have the talent to pick off a fave on the right week. Like I said, there's no better conference. —KIRK HERBSTREIT

[onewhippedpuppy]

Sammy, you really shouldn't go talking schedule when you're trying to support the Trojans vs LSU.

USC ranked opponents:
September 13 No. 3 Ohio State
October 4 No. 18 Oregon
October 11 No. 15 Arizona State
December 6 at No. 23 UCLA

LSU ranked opponents:
September 20 at No. 9 Auburn
October 11 at No. 5 Florida
October 25 No. 2 Georgia
November 8 No. 13 Alabama

Hell, even my Wildcats have a tougher go of things:
October 4 No. 12 Texas Tech
October 25 No. 4 Oklahoma
November 1 at No. 14 Kansas
November 8 at No. 6 Missouri

Not to mention that the "average" PAC10 team can't hold a candle to the "average" SEC team. I do, however, give USC credit for the OSU game, and early in the season.

[onewhippedpuppy]

By the way Mule, looks like LSU is postponing this weeks game due to hurricane damage to the stadium and surrounding area.

[Mule]

I saw that.