Saturday, November 04, 2006

Random Posts Pre Week #11

Self-explanatory.

46 comments:

  1. UT player obviously touched the ball. That replay review is a joke.

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  2. Does not matter the boys are coming to Atlanta.

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  3. From the Orlando Sentinal:

    Richard Burnoski, who the former head coach at Jacksonville's Mandarin High, said he spoke with Thomas after the Gators' 25-19 victory Saturday at Vanderbilt. Thomas told him that repeated missed curfews and an unauthorized trip to Universal Studios' "Halloween Horror Nights" led to the dismissal.


    ...

    The conditions included the 11 p.m. curfew, a nightly check-in with a UF football coach, and prohibition on unapproved out-of-town trips. The committee mandated that a teammate moved into Thomas' apartment with him and that Thomas off-campus drug awareness and counseling classes five days per week in Gainesville.

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  4. Rich said...
    Does not matter the boys are coming to Atlanta.


    Yeah, so are the replay officials.

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  5. What is the process for getting tix for the SEC game. I will be going for sure.

    Please advise.

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  6. Just looked at Western Carolina's record.

    Not only are they D-IAA, but they are 2-7, having lost 7 straight.

    This will surely help us in the cpu polls.

    Blah.

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  7. Georgia has lost 4 of 5 after starting the season undefeated and their only win during that span was by 3 pts. over Miss. State.

    Lonely.

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  8. 7,8 and 6 pts.

    1,2 and 4 BCS ranked team victory margin.

    At least we weren't the only ones with a close game this week.

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  9. I just ordered 2 for me and Veena.

    As always, it looks like boosters max ticket order is limited by their number of their season ticket seats.

    I'm guessing the Bull Gators will screw me out of my 2 like they have for many other games this year.

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  10. SEC Sports on SEC Football Championship Game Waiting List

    ebay is overpriced, we have always been able to scalp for under $100.

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  11. Boy, I don't know if we could stop Arkansas. They are running all over USC.

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  12. From a GatorCountry post:

    Major kudos to Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema for finding a loophole in the new clock rules that may just force the NCAA to scrap the darn things. After scoring a touchdown to go up 10-3 against Penn State with 23 seconds left in the first half, the Badgers intentionally lined up offsides on consecutive kickoffs. Because the clock starts at the kick, and because they were technically free plays for the Nittany Lions, Wisconsin was able to whittle the clock down to four seconds before kicking off for real. Needless to say, Joe Paterno was not happy.

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  13. I will also need a ticket for the SECCG. I look forward to seeing everyone, I cant wait.

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  14. There is always someone left out. I understand the Wilbur Marshall deal, eventhough I never saw him play.

    There will always be someone left out. The thing that was most ridiculous in that article is Foley saying that he didn't know who would be inducted.

    That is just a flat-out lie. I'd say the chances of that being true are less than 1/2%.

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  15. Jim, is that fan tightened downstairs?

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  16. CFN:

    The 2006 season has no clothes

    By Pete Fiutak
    2. Considering I spend my entire life around a game a bunch of 18-to-22-year old kids play, I’m supposed to be ultra-geek college football boy no matter what happens, and I am, but it’s time to point out the obvious: this season sucks ... so far.

    It was asking a lot for a good year after 2005, when there were epic USC and Texas teams, a fantastic Heisman battle among all-time talents, the resurgence of Notre Dame, Penn State and Alabama, and classic game after classic game, but after this week, this season is going down a quick path to becoming a forgettable throwaway.

    Sure there are some exciting finishes and some wonderful stories, but there’s flat-out bad football being played all over America week after week after week. Sorry, but the number one team in the nation shouldn’t be shut down by Illinois after the opening drive. The number two team in the country shouldn’t have to hang on at home against Ball freakin’ State. Who’s the best one-loss team? Who cares? They’re all no big whoop. If you want to sell me on Arkansas, Wisconsin, or Cal rising up to be among the strongest one-loss teams, at the moment, to throw some new ideas and new blood into the mix, I’ll listen, but I’m sick of Florida and Auburn playing mediocre football week in and week out and being considered national title contenders. I’m tired of the ACC, where Virginia Tech and Miami can stink up the joint in a 17-10 game that set the idea of the forward pass back 25 years. Texas is certainly turning into something special, and it played a great game against Oklahoma State, but that secondary was getting bombed on way too often before this week.

    And then there’s the yawner of a Heisman race. Outside of the Illinois game, Troy Smith is certainly playing well, but come on. Is anyone really doing backflips to vote for him, and is he the main man only because there’s absolutely no one else out there? A vote by default is hardly a vote of confidence. I have half a mind to vote for Vince Young just to ease my inner guilt for voting for Reggie Bush last year.

    Here we go 2006 season, you have three more weeks to dazzle us. Michigan – Ohio State, Cal – USC, Notre Dame – USC, and LSU – Arkansas have the potential to be special. Heck, Louisville – Rutgers should be fun. Troy, it's all yours, baby, just do what you do every year against Michigan and it's all good as far as my vote. Many of the one loss teams should be over the lull of a long 12-game season and be ready to kick it into overdrive. Everyone has to start playing well soon, don’t they? We’re all ready for some good football

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  17. CFN:

    The SEC's top teams have markedly inconsistent offenses, independent of the good defenses that league has to offer. When the fourth-ranked team in America (Florida) puts its fans through the mental meat-grinder in the fourth quarter each week, you know that high-level football isn't on display.

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  18. CFN:

    So with that out of the way, let's now focus on the teams chasing Ohio State for a berth in Glendale. What emerges is a series of matchups that, quite frankly, would be more entertaining than an eventual national title game.

    Michigan, Florida, and the newly-triumphant Louisville Cardinals are now front and center in the chase for a ticket to the Desert Southwest on January 8. Naturally, these three programs want to hear the mariachi bands and soak up the rays in the Valley of the Sun, but from a football lover's standpoint, it would be more attractive to see them play each other... and not Ohio State.

    Michigan and Florida would make for a very interesting football game. Both of these teams rely on defense first, and they both have veteran quarterbacks who, while being respected team leaders, are nevertheless beset by inconsistencies. What would ultimately make a Wolverine-Gator showdown so special is the fact that these two teams--with similar philosophies on the surface--flesh out their goals and desires in noticeably different ways. Michigan runs the ball in the classic smashmouth style familiar to the Big Ten and its Upper Midwest slobberknocker heritage. Florida tries to run the ball with an element of surprise, a greater reliance on angled blocking, and the more frequent use of wideouts... not to mention a quarterback shuffle. Even while some folks would view this hypothetical matchup as a battle of like-minded teams, it would still be--in many respects--a contrast of largely opposed styles. That makes for a fascinating football study.

    But if you want contrasts in styles on a football field, Louisville would satisfy your craving to a much larger degree, and this is where the discussion gets particularly interesting.

    It's pretty undeniable that in a battle of defenses, Michigan and Florida would swamp Louisville, hands down. There's absolutely no question that Louisville's defense would put the Cards at a huge disadvantage against Michigan or Florida. The physicality of a Big Ten or SEC front line would challenge Bobby Petrino's team and tax the extent of its manpower. Louisville's offense--which had virtually unlimited freedom against West Virginia's swiss cheese defense--would get punched in the mouth on some occasions by the defenses residing in Ann Arbor and Gainesville. If Michigan and Florida were to play Louisville, those old-money schools would know where their advantage would exist: up front, in the trenches, and especially on defense.

    This point of comparison--however striking it may be--does not mean, though, that Louisville would not be able to compete with Michigan or Florida. Anything but.

    While the Wolverines and Gators have the superior defenses, Louisville possesses something that's lacking at almost all of the 119 programs who have played Division I-A football this season: truly elite quarterbacking. Not just good, decent or competent field generalship, but awesome, off-the-charts excellence under center. This is where the Cards (and, had they won, the Mountaineers of West Virginia) could make a very loud argument about their credentials as a team worthy of playing for a national championship.

    Given the fact that so much mediocre college football is being played in the United States this year, it's more than a little significant if a team has a quarterback with broad shoulders who can carry the load while making game-changing plays. Brian Brohm is one of those few signal callers who can make a huge difference in a game. Knock the West Virginia defense all you want (you should--just not too much), but Brohm made noticeably good plays against the Mountaineers. In a high-stakes game, Brohm came up with unusually exceptional displays of quality at football's most pressure-packed position. Brohm's footwork is better than Troy Smith's...not in terms of pure running ability, of course, but in terms of moving around in the pocket and sensing pressure. Against West Virginia, Brohm regularly made those slight and instantaneous baby steps that enabled him to get squared up for his throws, which were consistently on target. While Smith is a master of making something out of a broken play, and spinning out of pressure with his superb athleticism and speed, Brohm--much more of an old-school quarterback--has the best pocket presence of any signal caller in America. He rarely if ever left the pocket against the Mountaineers, but even when his protective cup was on the brink of caving, Brohm re-aligned his feet with short but telling movements to prepare his whole body for the specific throw he needed to make in a given situation. And on the few occasions when a West Virginia pass rusher got to him, Brohm was sometimes able to use his upper-body strength to shrug off the pursuit and then calmly fire a dart to one of his able (though sometimes wrong-footed) pass catchers. Brohm put on a clinic, and even if he had to face a defense of Michigan's or Florida's quality, the Louisville quarterback would make his share of plays. Brohm's defense would endanger his team's chances in a hypothetical matchup against the Wolverines or Gators. Brohm's own abilities would enable Louisville to play those two teams on very even terms.

    If Louisville played Michigan or Florida, the contrast in styles would be delicious. In either matchup, you'd have a world-class quarterback against an elite defense. You'd have Bobby Petrino's blackboard mastery against the speed and power of the English Majors or Florida's ballhawking outfit. Cards-Wolverines and Cards-Gators are two matchups that would be much more intriguing and revealing than any matchup involving Ohio State. This isn't a knock on the Buckeyes; actually, it's just the opposite. Ohio State has too much balance, talent and quarterbacking quality--all of the ingredients we've been discussing here--to suffer in a comparison with Louisville, Michigan or Florida. It's the No. 2, 3 and 4 teams in America who would play the best and most entertaining games in college football this season.

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  19. If you saw Wilber Marshall play you would know that he should have been in the first induction.

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  20. Jasser, I did you a favor. You notice it?

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  21. Boateng stabbed in fight with woman. Developing.

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  22. Super. Let's make a bunch of headlines for deliquency.

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  23. Dennis Dodd - CBS:

    I don't want to hear about all these SEC "victims". Anthony Michael Hall in Sixteen Candles had an easier time scoring than Florida does now.

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  24. FYI:

    JAXBEACHGUY83 is Dustin.

    Is that the screenname you use to pic up chicks online?

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  25. Peacock said...
    Dennis Dodd - CBS:
    I don't want to hear about all these SEC "victims". Anthony Michael Hall in Sixteen Candles had an easier time scoring than Florida does now.
    11/06/2006 06:13:45 PM


    Mike Freeman - CBS:
    Louisville is the equivalent of the Detroit Tigers. They are impressive. Now. They look great. Now. They put beat-downs on teams like West Virginia, whose defense couldn't stop five chinchillas and a cocktail waitress.

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  26. I read both articles. Not that that is law, but I don't think I've ever read an article by Michael Freeman. His article seemed amateur.

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  27. Peacock said...
    I read both articles. Not that that is law, but I don't think I've ever read an article by Michael Freeman. His article seemed amateur.
    11/06/2006 07:25:33 PM


    Why? He had some good points.

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  28. From the JTU:

    Thomas, a former Mandarin High standout, told the Times-Union Saturday night that he broke curfew, went on an unapproved out-of-town trip and missed a mandatory drug-education class. He said he did not fail a third marijuana drug test.

    "I violated the rules they set up for me to play football," the 6-foot-3, 296-pound senior said. "I just couldn't keep on going through with it. I violated that and they had to dismiss me."

    ...

    Thomas was suspended for the season opener because he failed a marijuana test, and he was suspended indefinitely on Sept. 20 after he failed a second test. Thomas said he believed the second positive test result was related to the first, and he appealed. The school's drug committee reduced the suspension to two games, and Thomas returned for the Gators' 23-10 victory over LSU on Oct. 7.

    Meyer and the school, however, set certain conditions for Thomas to remain on the team. Thomas said he had to abide by a curfew, check in with the coaching staff daily, remain in Gainesville, participate in drug-education classes four nights a week and participate in a 12-step drug program on the weekend.

    Thomas said he does not have a problem with drugs, but that the conditions became overwhelming, especially the 12-step program.

    "I don't [have a problem with drugs]," Thomas said. "That was making it [going to the 12-step program] real hard on me.

    "The coaches did all they can to help me play. I didn't fulfill the goals and they let me go."

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  29. He makes is look like UF was mean for imposing restrictions on him.

    They did reinstate his eligiblity.

    If you get an olive branch and a free ride, don't abuse it.

    Selish stuff.

    Does he get an SEC ring, etc.. should the team go on to earn those now that he is dismissed from the team?

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  30. He is off the team and would not be eligible for a ring (I would think).

    ROH Criteria
    As far as Wilbur Marshall, I also think he should have been included in the ring of honor. But, they did set some strict criteria and he has not met that criteria yet. I believe he is a lock for the NFL Hall of Fame and as a result, will make the ring of honor.

    Danny is up there because of his Heisman.

    SOS, well there are a number of reasons.
    1. Heisman
    2. Coached a Nat. Champ Gator team
    3. Coach a Gator team to at least 3 SEC titles

    Jack Youngblood is up there because he is in the NFL HoF.

    Emmit is currently up there is because he leads the NFL in carreer rushing yards(Wondering if they would take his name down if someone surpassed him before he was inducted into the HoF).

    Wilbur Marshall was a dominant presence on the Gator defense and had a great NFL career. After all "Howd we ever win a game without Wilbur Marshall."

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  31. And if anyone actually thinks Marcus Thomas wrote that letter I have a bridge to sell you, although nice sentiment.

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  32. We are working on SEC tickets for everyone and have some leads but I want to make sure we know how many we need, so far this is the list:
    Chris and I- possibly need 2
    Jaime- needs 1
    Jamie and Veena- possibly need 2
    Donna and Jim- need 2
    Cassie- needs 1
    Bruce- needs 1???
    Mike- needs 3
    ChrisT- needs 2
    Aparna- needs 1
    Stephanie- needs 1
    Peacock- needs 1???

    If anyone doesn't need one or I forgot someone, please let me know. Tickets will be about $65, but I'll let you know for sure when we know more.

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  33. Yes, Peacock needs only 1. Please don't jump through hoops to get one for me. If you can swing it easily, go ahead, but if you have to call friends of friends, etc... I'll just see what I can do on my own.

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  34. YAY LOTB, you removed the poll!! Now I can see everyone's names :)

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  35. Phil ,Houston, Texas: Who do you like in the Louisville -Rutgers game and do you think a Big East team deserves a national title shot if they are undefeated? Thanks

    Mel Kiper: I'm a Big East guy, so it pains me to say this. When Greg Schiano took over, I thought he could turn the team around. I looked bad there for a few years. So it pains me to say, no, I don't think a Big East team deserves it over a one-loss SEC team. The schedules are just not the same. Rutgers, I don't see going undefeated. Louisville, if they're in the SEC, loses 2-3 football games. I've said all along, if you put a Florida, Auburn, LSU in the Big East, they'd be undefeated. Just because you're undefeated, that isn't enough. If that's the case, why isn't Boise State being mentioned? They're undefeated.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Marc Bronx: Mel. Were all waiting for this Thursday Game against Louisville and Rutgers. IF Louisville loses can we see Michigan Ohio State in the National Championship game?

    Mel Kiper: I think this, if Louisville loses, Florida jumps in and they win out, they would move into the national championship game. I don't see a rematch. You'd see the Michigan-Ohio State winner in the game. You'd also have Texas in the mix as well. You've got to keep in mind that Michigan-OSU benefitted from the Big 10 being a lackluster conference this year. What's saved them from being really scrutinized that Ohio State won at Texas and Michigan won at Notre Dame. But those were both early in the season. If they played now, it would be an entirely different game.
    -----------------------------------------------------------

    Ben Louisville: As a die hard Cards fan, I would love to see Louisville in the Champ game, but after we go 12-0 if we dont get the bid, I think this might be the last draw for the BS BCS system. You?

    Mel Kiper: My thoughts are this, is that it should have happened a long time ago when Auburn got shut out. They were undefeated and didn't get their shot. Even more frustrating would be Florida if they go 11-1 for the year and win the SEC championship to go 12-1 and if they're shut out of the national championship picture, that's more of a reason to scream about the BCS. For those of us who want a playoff, you need some controversy and if you get it maybe that will be more reason to get the playoff. I've said it for a long time that college football has the best regular season and the worst postseason.
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    James, Austin: Just to add fuel to the fire, who do you personally think is more deserving to play in the National Championship against the winner of Ohio St./Michigan? Louisville, Texas, or Florida?

    Beano Cook: Look, it doesn't matter what I think, it only matters what the computers will tell us. I don't think Michigan, Ohio State or Louisville would be undefeated in the SEC. I don't think the Indianapolis Colts would be either.
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    Ed (Baltimore): Yeah, its tough when playing in the SEC when facing MSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Alabama day in and out.

    Beano Cook: Funny how you didn't mention Florida, LSU, Arkansas, Tennessee and Auburn.

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