In my last post, I basically said "oh yeah, this week is going to be a bit of a snooze, don't bother looking for any upsets."
But just about everyone was upset yesterday. And the team I picked to upset, didn't.
I should be pissed. I look like an idiot all over the internet, eating my words the way I usually drink anything alcohol. But I'm not. I love this shit. This is what college football is all about. This is what makes it fun.
Here's the rundown. Syracuse upset #15 West Virginia, Texas Tech upset # 3Oklahoma, #16 Michigan State upset #6 Wisconsin, Miami (Florida) upset #22 Georgia Tech, and Purdue upset #23 Illinois.
This is truly a week to remember. Oklahoma was thought to be invincible. Michigan State pulled off one of the greatest upset OF ALL TIME, on one of the most exciting plays EVER. Wisconsin rallied behind stud QB Russell Wilson but couldn't quite hold on. This is Doug Flutie-esque. Beautiful. A work of art. Watch it right here...
If you heard me last night, you'd think I was an eight year old girl squealing over a new Barbie.
What's going to be most interesting is seeing the BCS standings tomorrow after this monumental shake-up. Stanford and Boise State are probably going to benefit the most from this. Both teams will shoot up the ladder. Novembers game of #1 LSU and #2 Alabama is going to have ridiculous implications for these two BCS little guys. I can't wait. WOOO.
#20 Auburn's playing at #1 LSU, #9 Arkansas' playing at Ole Miss, #4 Oklahoma State.'s playing at Missouri, and #6 Wisconsin's playing at # 16 Michigan State.
The two marquee matchups are between Auburn and LSU, and Wisconsin and Michigan state. If this were week 2 or 3, I would put both LSU and Michigan State on upset alert.
But I just don't see it this week. While Auburn has already upset a couple of teams thus far, they're playing too inconsistently to be considered the David to LSU's Goliath. Plus, they're playing in Baton Rouge, so it seems like a hopeless contest for the Tigers of Auburn.
Though Wisconsin is traveling to East Lansing to take on the Spartans, I don't see them pulling out an upset win over the Badgers. Wisconsin is too good. Top to bottom. From brick wall-like offensive line to Heisman hopeful QB, the Badgers are too dominant to be tripped up by a team that lost to Notre Dame. Even with last weeks convincing fourth-in-a-row victory over instate rival Michigan, MSU doesn't have the horses to keep up with Wisconsin. Even though I'm for the Spartans on this one.
Northwestern QB Dan Persa
(don't mind the cheesy Eminem background music)
The upset I am foreseeing, though, is a game a lot less touted. #21 is traveling to Evanston, IL to take on the Wildcats of Northwestern. And they're going to lose. Despite being 6th in the nation in points against defense, Penn State is going up against a fierce competitor in Northwestern QB Dan Persa, and an able coach in Pat Fitzgerald. Northwestern is 0-3 in conference play and riding a 4-game losing streak. But I have complete faith in Persa. This guy is tough. TOUGH. He can take his team on his shoulders and let them ride him to a ardent victory. I love his style of play, instilled in him no doubt by Fitzgerald. Look for Northwestern to snap their losing streak and chalk up their first Big 10 victory of the year over the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Now for the booze. I have to drink while watching college football. If I didn't, it'd be like burning the American flag. It's just not patriotic. So this week, I'm opening up my palette to you eager readers. What do you suggest for drinking this weekend? Anything from shots to, mixed drinks, to beers, to wines, to anything you can think of that's original and delicious. Post your suggestions in the comment box and I'll review the one that sounds most appealing.
Yeah, I'm going to drink a little bit on a Monday.
I deserve it. I need it.
Rather than thinking of it as a means to getting a little drunk after a pretty rough whiskey weekend, I consider it a means of easing into the tensions of a new school week.
Black and Blues are delicious and perfect for the looming Fall weather. All you need is a hearty Guinness and a zesty Sea Dog Blueberry Ale and you have your self a Black and Blue.
Mix half and half.
You get the creamy and slight mocha taste of the Guinness with a hint of blueberries. What more can you ask for? It's like a chocolate covered fruit desert. In liquid form. With alcohol.
While I sip my luscious beverage, I finally found time today to check out the latest BCS rankings. While the other rankings (namely the AP poll and USA Today Coach's poll) are factors in deciding how high or low a team ends their season, the BCS is the king. It determines who plays for a National Championship and which team plays in which major bowl.
Congratulations to those teams. Woo hoo. Do I have concerns with this poll? Not really. LSU, despite my constant hatred towards them, is deserving of the number 1 spot. For this week anyways. All of the other teams seem to fall in line well. Aside from Oregon, everyone is undefeated and has played for some tough wins. Which is why other genius-level aficionados (like myself) will surely be voicing their concerns. If they haven't already.
Wisconsin fans are probably the biggest haters. In every other poll, they sit stoically at number 4. I'll be the first to admit they have a great team. They beat my boys Nebraska, whom I picked to win the conference. But Wisconsin has strength of schedule working against them. I'll explain.
The BCS rankings are computer generated based on the other major polls, strength of schedule, and a Borda count system to arrive at their result. Now, there are five major BCS bowl games that each automatic qualifying conference winner plays for: The Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and National Championship. The winners ACC, Pac-12, Big-12, Big-10, SEC, and Big East all play for the rights to a major bowl game. These conferences were determined by some bureaucratic money-generated television-exposure ideal. Also, Notre Dame gets an automatic bid if they break the top 8 because they are Notre Dame. Special treatment. Lame.
So for a team like Wisconsin, if they were to go undefeated (hypothetically) they get shunned to a bowl game thats NOT the national championship. Sucks for them. They win their conference, out of schedule play, and don't get to hold up that diamond-clad trophy at the end of the season. I'd be pissed to.
A team like Boise State, however, is probably ecstatic. They represent a non-BCS qualifying conference but they can't be ignored by the pollsters if they climb up to number 2 or even 1.
Thus is the flaw of the BCS system. This is why I think simply bracket system like they use in March Madness would work. Playoffs. We shall see with this impending chaos ahead.
Anyway, I love Oklahoma State this high. They have been commanding in a tough conference. Their last season game against rival Oklahoma will have enormous implications on both teams vying to be the champs. Clemson has proved to be tough to put away, pulling out victories when people haven't given them credit. They're a tough team playing with a chip on their shoulder, and will continue to want to prove themselves to the country.
I can't say I like Stanford this low, though. QB Andrew Luck is the best overall player in the nation leading an undefeated team. How they play against Oregon, last year's only loss, will prove consequential.
Tough to get your head around, I know. So much politics, so many statistics. That's why I choose to drink, not only when watching games, but when talking about them too.
I suggest you do the same.
Great Moments in College Football National Championship History
This was a pretty decent week for college football. While the upsets were few, the teams that were supposed to win ultimately did. And, I took advantage of the poetic symmetry in drinking 7&7's during week 7.
Let me start by talking about my favorite drink. It's perfect in its simplicity. Technically, you need Seagrams 7 whiskey and 7 up, but there's plenty of room for change. You can pretty much just mix any whiskey with any lemon-lime flavored drink. Boom. Its so simple and so delicious. However, I can tell you that my experience with my favorite indulgence holds true to the old proverb: Too much of any good thing, is a bad thing. Whiskey hangovers are not friendly. Sure, they're not as bad as rum hangovers but it still hurts. Its 2:45 p.m. and I'm ready for another nap.
But before I rest my eyes for an hour or two, lets talk about yesterday's games.
The biggest upset was Michigan State beating rival University of Michigan. I'm not happy about this-I'm maize and blue, through and through- but would you believe me if I said I called this one? True, there's no proof and I didn't write it down but take my word for it, I saw this one coming. I'll tell you why. First of all, the success of Brady Hoke's inaugural season as head coach for the Wolverines had to slow down eventually. His team doesn't possess the talent that Mike Stoops did in his national championship first year at Oklahoma, or Larry Coker did at Miami. Still, he's turned his team around significantly. Second of all, it was a home game for Michigan State. Playing at home is the single defining edge when two relatively equal teams are lined up. Michigan State took advantage.
Besides this game, pretty much all of the teams that won were the ones that were supposed to. Unranked Ohio State beat number 16 Illinois, but I haven't been sold on Illinois all year. They play in a conference that isn't quite as strong as it used to be. And despite Ohio State's lack of overall leadership and a strong head coach, they still have talent.
I'm interested to see how the first BCS poll look tomorrow, as all of the top 10 teams won. There are whispers going around that the BCS is in for its most chaotic year, as all of the top 8 teams are undefeated. It might simply come down to strength of schedule, and that will give an edge to all SEC conference teams.
Sure, I only went 2/4 on my picks in my last blog.
But I am a college football aficionado.
I'm not a wine connoisseur.
I'm not the guy who insightfully analyzes a wine's bittersweet savor, its wholesome red body, and the dexterous aroma that can only wafted after a couple swirls of the glass while.
The wine I'm currently sipping is called Red Guitar.
Awesome name.
It's not too bitter, not too sweet.
Yum.
That's the extent of my wine knowledge and interpretation. You want a wine with a cool name and mediocre taste? Get Red Guitar.
This is probably the last time I'll be featuring wine on this blog but its mediocrity is very reflective of the Associated Press' (AP) job ranking the Top 25 teams (I'll just be correcting the Top 10) for the beginning of week 6. Same goes for those updating the early Heisman Trophy race.
Just some quick background on the rankings. The BCS ranking system, the one that counts for playing in bowl games, is made up of the AP poll, the USA Today Coaches poll, and a bunch of other useless stats and formulas. So when the AP poll gets it wrong, it could ruin a team's season.
Here is the current AP (left) and Coahes (right) poll 1. LSU 1. Oklahoma
2. Alabama 2. LSU
3. Oklahoma 3. Alabama 4. Wisconsin 4. Stanford 5. Boise State 5. Wisconsin 6. Oklahoma State 6. Boise State 7. Stanford 7. Oklahoma State 8. Clemson 8. Clemson 9. Oregon 9. Oregon 10. Arkansas 10. Texas
The coaches have a more realistic view of how the polls should look. Come on AP, get with it. Stop conforming to what all the longwinded "experts" on TV have to say. Open your eyes and watch a game once in a while. If you're reading this post then I'll assume you've read the previous one explaining how much LSU doesn't deserve the number 1 spot. This is how the polls should look at this moment, right now.
I'll explain quickly. Alabama is flawless on offense and defense with the best head coach in the nation. Oklahoma would be but their QB is overrated, though he still gets the job done. LSU is lucky to get this spot but I will give them props for beating three ranked opponents in their first five games. Boise State has a top three QB in the country with the most creative coach; they reload every year and will silence the critics this season. Oklahoma State's offense fires on all cylinders. Brandon Weeden is my Heisman favorite (we'll get to this later) and is also a top three QB, though he's been the consensus number 1 the last two games. Wisconsin beat my Big 10 pick Nebraska and has the meanest offensive line in the game. Stanford has the third of the top QB trifecta. Andrew Luck is a hall of fame player-in-the-making and his first real test won't come until the Cardinal host the Oregon Ducks on 11/12. Clemson is also a big winner thus far in the season beating back-to-back-to-back ranked opponents in Auburn, Florida State, and Virginia Tech. Wild card picks Georgia Tech and Michigan round out my top 10 because their respective offensives are the most explosive in the country. GT runs the exciting triple option game and cannot be stopped. They have the top rushing offense and second highest scoring total in the land. Michgan's defense has surprisingly allowed the second least amount of points. On offense, QB Denard Robinson is another Heisman hopefull racking up 1,396 total yards so far.
Hey, AP writers and various coaches. Learn from this.
The Heisman watch is also mediocre. Do your homework ESPN. Watch a game. There is no official ranking system for early Heisman candidates, so I'm using ESPN's picks as my frame of reference. Up to and including week 5, here is their list (L) compared to my accurate list (R).
1. Andrew Luck~ Stanford QB 1. Andrew Luck 2. Russell Wilson~ Wisconsin QB 2. Kellen Moore 3. Kellen Moore~ Boise State QB 3. Brandon Weeden~ Oklahoma St QB 4. Trent Richardson~ Alabama RB 4. Robert Griffin III 5. Robert Griffin III~ Baylor QB 5. Marcus Lattimore 6. Landry Jones~ Oklahoma QB 6. Denard Robinson 7. Marcus Lattimore~ South Carolina RB 7. Michael Dyer~ Auburn RB 8. Tyrann Mathieu~ LSU CB 8. Russell Wilson 9. Denard Robinson~ Michigan QB 9. LaMichael James~ Oregon RB
As you can see, the professionally done poll contains players from 6/10 top ten teams. For all you noobs, this is because the Heisman is subtly a team award as much as it is for individual achievement. Bluntly, you have to be on a winning team to win it. That's part of what the voters use as criteria (voters consist of past winners, AP writers, and various coaches). I don't look at stats or records like ESPN is doing. I turn to something more valuable; instinct. I look for explosion and intangibles. I'm looking for a guy who's going to carry his team across the goal line. My numbers 1,2,3,5,6,7 do exactly that. They are the above and beyond players who might not win, but have distinguished themselves physically and mentally. Numbers 4,8,9 are almost there, but their stats are off the charts. Oh, and I'm calling it now. Michael Dyer and Marcus Lattimore are going to be next year's top two Heisman contenders throughout the entire season.
