Week 14 Meanderings

[donovan]

Meanderings of Week 14

1. Boise State: No one cares. 12 straight years going to a bowl.
2. Hawaii: They won, even if it was against Army which always seems so unpatriotic.
3. Fresno State: Everyone cares, especially the BCS sub rosa committee.
4. Utah State: If they beat Fresno State next week for MWC title they are again a dog in the small college fight.
5. Northern Illinois: The last chance for the children of a lesser god.
6. Michigan: Other than take out multiple ads on Monster dot com, what can they do?
7. Florida: Will have extra weeks for recruiting.
8. Nebraska: They should have taken Pelni’s offer and fired him. A new definition of immature.
9. Duke: Has played very well, unfortunately, the title game is against FSU.
10. Washington State: Would be nice for a bowl game, but unlikely.
11. Oregon State: See number 11. One heck of a game against Oregon.
12. Oregon: After Stanford lost, was impossible to figure them out. That is the fault of inexperienced coaching.
13. Arkansas: At some time the Athletic Director has to go. How do they even recruit now?
14. Alabama: Coaches want credit for wins, they get them for loses too.
15. Auburn: Malzahn should be coach of the year; and why Arkansas AD should be fired.
16. Ohio State: Another win and they are in.
17. Florida State: Benjamin was stellar. Winston lit him up. Hard to think they will not be NC.
18. Georgia: Derrick may be right; this may mask the need for changes.
19. Arizona State: Coaching makes a difference.
20. USC: Players got what they deserved, as loss. Orgeron name is scratched from the list.

[Spence]

14. Alabama: Coaches want credit for wins, they get them for loses too.
Saban did after the game. He took full responsibility

15. Auburn: Malzahn should be coach of the year; and why Arkansas AD should be fired.

Absolutely right. Now they have a former Alvarez puppet as coach because of that AD. He doesn't know what he is doing.

16. Ohio State: Another win and they are in.

We should be careful what we wish for.

[billybud]

I'd vote Cutcliffe COY...

With the recruiting restrictions of a Duke, the relalative talent differential, etc...He has done a stellar job with the Dukies this year.

[Eric]

I'd vote Cutcliffe COY...

With the recruiting restrictions of a Duke, the relalative talent differential, etc...He has done a stellar job with the Dukies this year.

It definitely has to be between Cutcliffe and Malzahn. I think if Malzahn wins the SEC it will be tough to not give it to him. As a left-field candidate, Larry Coker's job at UTSA is absolutely amazing. UTSA lost to a Division III team two years ago and a lot of the underclassmen who were starting on that team went 7-5 this year with a 6-2 C-USA record. I think they beat the spread multiple times this year since people kept assuming they would crash to Earth. This is a rising program with Coker at the helm.

[Brian Roastbeef]

Syracuse: New conference and without the coach that revitalized the team but still manages 6-6. I pegged them for a 3, maybe 4 win season. Instead they're firmly in the ACC's middle tier, which is fine for this year. In a sense, the jury's still out as to whether Shafer is managing the transition well or if the last vestiges of the short Marrone era are still paying off and will soon be gone. Our ground game is solid and our defense is okay. If only we had a passing game that was merely okay instead of crap, that could become 9-3 or 8-4 and make us kings of that middle tier. As is, only the loss to Pitt and the margin of the loss against Ga. Tech really sting - weird as it is hard to argue that we're in the weaker half of the conference. If Duke stuns next week, maybe that is a possibility. Overall, I'm content for now, and it's hard not to root for a talented journeyman like Shafer to find a good place to stick around. (By which I preferably mean Syracuse, not whatever team that snipes him after he has success here and the administrative dipsticks refuse to show him the money.)

Ohio State: Yet already the pressure to leapfrog Auburn begins, because how dare we not have an SEC team as #1 or #2?! Yet again the path goes through that state to the north. Not the particularly hated ones up there, but gotta crush them just the same.

Auburn: Griping above aside, they earned a place in consideration, as long as Missouri doesn't spoil that for them. Ohio State is still #2 unless they lose IMO.

Alabama: The general reaction on Twitter shows how much casual football fans were just plain sick of them. Jimmie Johnson effect maybe - yeah they've probably been the most consistently strong out there over the past decade but we're tired of every year being the same and we're wary of the ever-changing and occasionally sketchy way of determining champions. (Sadly that didn't help my man Matt Kenseth...) Either that or I follow an inordinate number of schadenfreuding LSU fans, but other than Bobby Jindal, I'm guessing not.

Missouri: The potential championship contender nobody is talking about... Have them stun Auburn and that will change. Or maybe the BCS will just put Alabama back in there because that's what they know how to do.

[billybud]

Florida just announced the firing of their Offensice Coordinator, Pease.

I had hoped that they would give Pease a chance...hee hee.

[Cane from the Bend]

I'd vote Cutcliffe COY...

With the recruiting restrictions of a Duke, the relalative talent differential, etc...He has done a stellar job with the Dukies this year.

It definitely has to be between Cutcliffe and Malzahn. I think if Malzahn wins the SEC it will be tough to not give it to him. As a left-field candidate, Larry Coker's job at UTSA is absolutely amazing. UTSA lost to a Division III team two years ago and a lot of the underclassmen who were starting on that team went 7-5 this year with a 6-2 C-USA record. I think they beat the spread multiple times this year since people kept assuming they would crash to Earth. This is a rising program with Coker at the helm.

I have to give the nod to Muschamp ... I mean; I can't remember enjoying watching a gator's season as did I this one.

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[armchairqb]

I'm most impressed that Auburn won on mostly scheme versus Alabama. It's not that Auburn doesn't have athleticism; but they don't have a Cam Newton caliber guy. From an X's and O's standpoint, that was "mad scientist good" by Malzahn.

I never believed that Cutcliffe would be integral in orchestrating a positive sea change in culture in football...at Duke. Duke will be poleaxed by FSU this week, but what a great job Cutcliffe has done this year.

[Derek]

I'm most impressed that Auburn won on mostly scheme versus Alabama. It's not that Auburn doesn't have athleticism; but they don't have a Cam Newton caliber guy. From an X's and O's standpoint, that was "mad scientist good" by Malzahn.

I never believed that Cutcliffe would be integral in orchestrating a positive sea change in culture in football...at Duke. Duke will be poleaxed by FSU this week, but what a great job Cutcliffe has done this year.

Cutcliffe is a good coach all around. He did great at Ole Miss, and they fired him WAY too quick. And it's only the last 2 years that Ole Miss has had any kind of team.

[RazorHawk]

I'm most impressed that Auburn won on mostly scheme versus Alabama. It's not that Auburn doesn't have athleticism; but they don't have a Cam Newton caliber guy. From an X's and O's standpoint, that was "mad scientist good" by Malzahn.

I never believed that Cutcliffe would be integral in orchestrating a positive sea change in culture in football...at Duke. Duke will be poleaxed by FSU this week, but what a great job Cutcliffe has done this year.

Cutcliffe is a good coach all around. He did great at Ole Miss, and they fired him WAY too quick. And it's only the last 2 years that Ole Miss has had any kind of team.

Actually, I believe Nutt had a very good year at Ole Miss, his first year with Oregeron's players. Nutt has done well, with other people's recruits, not so much with his own players.