South Carolina Prediction

Sorry about not posting anything earlier, been a busy work week. I think South Carolina will be a tough test, but not on defense. Early’s out, Arnold’s out — time for some of the young bucks to step up. Prediction 27-10.

What to make of Middle Tennessee State.

Not sure what to even write about for the Middle Tennessee State game. Here’s what I do know:

- We scheduled them before they became a good team in the all-catholic girl’s conference known as the sun belt

- They won the Sun Belt conference last year

- Produced Vikings QB Kelly Holcomb

- Put up 41 points against a BCS quasi-contender defense, though it was on a suspect Louisville defense/

- But could only score 14 points against Florida Atlantic?

- Joe Craddock, the MTSU QB has been averaging 2 INT’s per game.  This statistic changes on Saturday.

Oh what the hey…..

When Middle Tennessee State has the ball: 

Look for them to spread the ball out, with a gameplan that slightly favors the run. This is the best offense we have seen against our defense, but I expect them to turn the ball over often.  I expect MTSU to score 14 7-10 points on us.

Advantage: LSU

When LSU has the ball: 

It will be interesting to see how much playing time Matt Flynn gets, as he has been injured and favoring his ankle much of the week. I think Ryan Perrilloux is more than capable of blowing the MTSU defense the fuck up. I expect to see Jimmy Welker at some point during this game.  As for the running game, I expect to see Hester, Murphy, and Scott get the majority of the reps, while Keiland rests up to destroy the Ole Ball Coach next week. I expect LSU to put up about 49 points, as Miles seems incapable of running the score up past 50.

Advantage: LSU

Prediction LSU 49-MTSU 10.

Other games we’re watching this week: 

Florida vs. Tennessee

Tennessee is the first team on Herban Meyer’s schedule that isn’t a regional school for retarded blind children. It is Tim Tebow’s first start against a team ranked in the top 150 of division I-A and I-AA schools. Seriously folks, Florida’s OOC schedule is fucking embarassing this year, and it’s made Tebow look like a heisman trophy winner. That ends on Saturday. With Caldwell out Florida is going to suffer. Combine that with Tebow’s fullback-as-a-quarterback style of play, and this being his first full game against any sort of competition, I expect bad things to happen to Florida.

Tennessee 25 – Florida 14.

Alabama vs. Arkansas

This is a matchup of whose team is going to have a meltdown first. With Nutt’s job on the line, I think ‘Bama fans will learn what it is to have Nick Saban coached team this weekend. ‘Bama will put up a good fight until the third quarter, when the Tide inexplicably give up against Nutt’s Arkansas team. It happened many times against LSU, and it’s going to happen many times at Alabama or anywhere else Nick Saban coaches.  You’ll have some very satisfying upsets, and some very upsetting games against teams you’re supposed to beat, and go .500 against evenly matched teams.

Notre Dame vs. Michigan

Notre Dame has the worst offensive line in NCAA division 1 football. They’ve given up 14 sacks.  Not even Michigan can fuck this up. The media will finally stop talking about Lloyd Carr getting fired after the Wolverines nail Claussen to the turf.

Ohio State vs. Washington

Notre Dame finds out what a mistake it was to fire Ty Willingham, as the Huskies go 3-0, upsetting the Buckeyes this weekend.

UCLA vs. Utah

Karl Dorrell goes 2-0.

USC vs. Nebraska

We find out how good Booty is — I suspect we find out that he’s really not that good. I think USC loses a close one.

Florida State vs. Colorado

Jimbo Fisher’s offense plays intermurals and takes another shit on the field, leaving Florida State fans to talk about how great they were 10 years ago.

Louisville vs. Kentucky

Andre Woodson and Rafael Little combine for 100 points against a Louisville defense that allowed 41 points to MTSU.

Hawaii vs. UNLV

Just kidding, we’re not watching. Nobody cares how many points Colt Brennan scores. Nobody.

Week 2 Recap: Apology to Brandon Lafell

I owe an apology to Brandon Lafell. Not for anything I’ve written or said, but just for thinking that one of the Mitchell’s, Dixon, Byrd, or that Tolliver would take his spot as the #2 receiver. Lafell clearly stepped up his game yesterday, averaging almost 18 yards per catch against the #1 ranked defense in the NCAA over the past two years. I was mostly right on my assumptions:

1) Virginia Tech’s defense is over-rated: Judging Virginia Tech’s defense based on a schedule of comprised of unimpressive ACC offenses (except Clemson) and a couple of non conference all-girls high schools is like judging Hawaii’s offense with their schedule. It’s great to be flashy, but it only matters when it’s against good teams. That’s why Reggie Bush looks awesome in college, but Joe Addai is better in the pros — it’s the schedule. I don’t give a fuck if former date rapist Colt Brennan throws for a 1000 yards in a game if it comes against Louisiana Tech. I just don’t. Throw for 195 yards against Texas and I’ll listen.

2) LSU’s Defense dominated because of their inexperience of VA Tech’s offensive line: Sean Glennon didn’t do VaTech any favors, but he wasn’t nearly as bad as Mike Henig, and Brandon Ore is a really really good running back. They’ve got a young O-line, and LSU has the best front 7 in college.

3) Virginia Tech averaged 13.41 yards per drive. I predicted 15. If you take away Virginia Tech’s 1 good drive, they averaged 8 yards. The coaching and the execution sucked.

4) LSU won in a blowout because Matt Flynn made the right decisions and Brandon Lafell emerged as a solid #2 receiver. I am happy for Lafell. The fact that he is still able to compete with all of the talent that Les Miles has brought into the program means that he’s worked really hard on improving his game. I’m proud that he’s a tiger.

Other than that, I’m really impressed with the way that LSU’s staff prepared our tigers, and extremely impressed with Gary Crowton. It’s amazing to see the difference between he and Jimbo Fisher. I’m also really happy with the play of Ryan Perrilloux. He is a solid backup, and will make huge contributions to the program as time goes on.

In other news around the NCAA:

Michigan lost to Oregon. I was convinced that Michigan would fire Lloyd Carr at halftime and would hire Mike Bellotti. I was unimpressed that Bellotti kept Dixon in the game so long, I thought that move lacked class. But as Spurrier would say, “If you don’t want me to score on ‘ya, play defense”.

Oklahoma beat the shit out of Miami. The ACC not looking so great this year, but while you can judge the ACC on Virginia Tech who is a great team and lost to an awesome team this week, you can’t really judge the ACC on the performance of Miami — it would be like judging the SEC based on Alabama.

Nebraska barely beat Wake Forest. You gotta feel for Wake’s coach losing the way he has the last 2 weeks.

UCLA beat BYU. Look out for the Bruins, they are going to surprise some people by the end of the year.

Cal beat Colorado State. I think Cal is the #1 team in the Pac 10. USC has shown me nothing by scheduling Idaho, while Cal has throttled two good teams.

Florida killed Troy. In another move that lacked class, Herban Meyer kept Tebow in the entire game. Herban has proved that he is the #1 asshole in coaching, and is inevitably going to learn the hard way that you need to put in your backups. I can’t wait to see him cry like a bitch after we pummel Florida this year.

South Carolina beat Georgia. Yawn. Why was Georgia even ranked? Or Favored? Never underestimate the Ole ball coach.

Hawaii needed overtime to beat La Tech. If they go undefeated they shouldn’t go to the MNC game. All of Colt Brennan’s statistics are irrelevant because he plays on a team that doesn’t play anybody.

Penn State beat Notre Dame. The Claussen children suck at football. It was fun to see Jimmy get jacked up a few times. How’s your 4 national championship prediction working out now Jimmy? You’re the Ryan Leaf of football.

Auburn lost to USF. Auburn is a major disappointment this year. It hurts the entire SEC when one of our teams loses to a Big East team.

Washington beat Cinderella. Notre Dame should have never let go of Ty Willingham.

Alabama beat Vandy. That’s too bad, I was hoping Bobby Johnson would go 2-0 against Bama in the last 2 years. I was hoping Bama would win because that helps our SOS.

Colorado lost to Arizona State. After starting the game 14-0, the Buffs let Arizona score 33 unanswered points. Hawkins was terrible. Oh well.

LSU vs. Virginia Tech: Poking the Hokies

ESPN hype coverage is never a bad thing, just ask heisman winner / 5th round draft pick Troy Smith. That said, I’m getting a little tired of ESPN’s 2 teams / 2 tragedies theme surrounding this weeks game. Yes, both communities had something very, very, very bad happen in recent history, but these incidents aren’t really comparable. This week the message boards were on fire about “treating visiting fans with respect”, more so than I’ve ever seen in the years that I’ve been an LSU fan. Other than the shootings, what makes Virginia Tech any different from Ole Miss, Florida, Auburn, or Alabama? That’s right — SEC teams don’t cancel return trips.

I’ve been to Tiger Stadium numerous times since I graduated, but after a few years of living in the northeast I’ve also been to many games in Gillete stadium, Giants stadium, and Soldier field. There’s a few assholes in every crowd, but for the most part the only difference is that LSU fans are actually more welcoming than their counterparts in the pros. There are going to be some assholes on Saturday night, but I’m guessing that if you’re reading this you’re probably not one of them, so get fired up and give ‘em hell!!!

On to the preview: if you know what’s going to happen in this game, you’re lying. Both teams have great defenses, and both teams have a few questions on offense.

When VT has the ball:

Sean Glennon said that he doesn’t like to play in loud noise. That’s your cue to start yelling. Don’t think, just yell. VT is currently rebuilding their offensive line, so you can’t really judge them based on last year’s numbers. Ore is a good running back, and Sam Wheeler and Eddie Royal are both solid when it comes to catching passes, but somebody’s got to block for them to be effective. Some fans think Sergio Render called out Glen Dorsey this week, but I think the kid is probably just not media savvy and his words probably just got twisted. All he said was that “I’m not afraid of him, anybody can be pancaked”. Sure, it’s cocky coming from a member of a unit that gave up 4 sacks against Eastern Carolina, but maybe he’s just not that bright — he’s an o-lineman for christ’s sake not a Rhodes scholar.

Given the losses on last year’s hokie offensive line, and looking at how Virginia tech did against tougher teams last year, I can’t really see them averaging more than 15 yards per drive.

Advantage: LSU

When LSU has the ball:

Our offensive line looked like shit against Mississippi State. I’m worried about the same thing this week given the high profile Hokie defense. The only thing I will say is that judging VT’s defense on statistics is like judging Hawaii’s offense — you have to take into account their schedule. That said, they have a solid group of linebackers and a good defensive line, which, with our offensive line, will inevitably force us to pass the ball. Matt Flynn will need to make quick decisions. If Matt makes the right decisions, and either Tolliver or Lafell can step up their play to be a #2 receiver, we will blow Virginia Tech out of the stadium. Our depth at running back will help us out in the second half of the game when Virginia Tech’s defense gets worn down.

Advantage: Slight edge to LSU

Game Prediction: This game will be close, very very very close at the end of the first half – probably tied at 10. LSU’s depth at running back will be the deciding factor in this game. IF Tolliver, Dickson, Dixon, and Lafell can emerge as solid receiving options, and IF Gary Crowton’s trick plays for Trindon Holliday don’t work and he is able to adjust his game plan accordingly, LSU will win 34-10. However, if we can’t get the passing game going and have to rely on our running backs, LSU wins a close one, 17-10.

IN OTHER NEWS: Louisville allows 41 points from Middle Tennessee State and we’re supposed to take the Big East seriously? Also, will someone take Lou Holtz out to a retirement home where he belongs?

Week 1 Recap

LSU fans, be happy that after week 1, we are 1-0 in the SEC West divisional race, with no injuries. Not only that, we scored 45 points, and forced 7 turnovers. I don’t understand why a lot of fans are downplaying LSU’s 45-0 victory over Mississippi State last Thursday, others are angry and upset about our performance last Thursday night. If y’all can’t be happy over a 45-0 shutout over a divisional conference rival, you should just stop watching football all together.

Yes, I know it’s Mississippi State. Yes, I know that their QB Mike Henig threw 7 interceptions. Yes, I too was surprised that our offensive line got rolled a couple of times by the Mississippi State defensive line, but for christ’s sake, we won 45-0. I wonder what Mississippi State’s record would be if they were a mid-major team, if we’d still be laughing at them if they only had to play against the Tulane’s, SMU’s, and the UL-L’s of the world. Before I get to the rest of the NCAA action, let’s get to the breakdown of the Mississippi State Game:

The good: Our defense was unstoppable. Any time you force 7 turnovers, you’re doing something right — Bo Pelini’s coverages tricked and confused young Henig. Early Doucet and Terrence Tolliver both looked pretty good (although Tolliver only had one catch), and Lafell looks like a hell of a blocker after game 1. Hopefully we’ll see more hits like that as the season progresses. Did anyone else think that Perrillouz looked pretty good?

The Bad: Our offensive line. What the fuck was that? Well, we’ve got a new o-line coach, and a MUCH more complex offensive scheme — I assure you that coach Miles and his staff will make some corrections before week 2 when Virginia Tech comes to visit.

The Ugly: Our trick plays didn’t work. I assume that part of this is due to the new offensive scheme, and part of this is due to an improved Mississipi State defense.

Key Takeaways: While the media pundits mock Les Miles (did anyone see the Cal – Tennesse game last week?) and diminish us by saying “LSU doesn’t look much like a #2 team”, we did an awesome job last weekend. I think we found out just how clutch Jamarcus Russell is. LSU had the widest margin of victory against any opponent from a BCS conference last weekend. It’s sickening that teams are allowed to feed on weaker teams like they do, at least most of them played their backups — I have no problem with running up the score so long as you have your #2 and #3 teams a shot at playing. Here’s how the other half lived:

USC Defeats Idaho by 28 points: What? The trojans didn’t cover the spread? No shit. And their Defense gave up 10 points to a non BCS team? Color me skeptical. By the way, I did catch that run by McKnight over the weekend. Let’s see him do that against a Pac-10, SEC, ACC, or Big 10 defense, then I’ll be convinced. I think we have all we need with Keiland Williams.

West Virginia, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Louisville, Alabama crush weaker opponents: Good job — call me when you stop playing high schools and crush a big boy team. Pussies.

Michigan loses to a weaker opponent, season ended: I hope the media keeps talking about Les Miles as if he is the worst coach ever so that we get to keep him.

Cal beats Tennessee: I was really impressed with Cal this week. There is no reason why they shouldn’t be ranked #1 going into week 2. But….that’s why we shouldn’t have rankings until week 6. By the way, Nick Saban wasn’t able to keep Lavelle Hawkins around – and you still think he’s a great recruiter? Have you seen what he left ‘ol Les with on the O-Line, a position that takes about four years to develop? Y’all are out of your fucking mind.

Florida State hires an all-star staff of coaches, constantly good at recruiting, and get rolled by Clemson: The more I look at the Jimbo Fisher situation, the more I think he was asked to leave by Miles. He was unimpressive at LSU with the talent we had, and looked terrible with all of the 5 star talent that FSU has.

First Week Practice Report Post-Scrimmage Update:

The results are in from the first scrimmage. Below are the statistics, but a few things to note:

- The defense was spectacular, led by the oft-injured Kirston Pittman with 5.5 tackles, 3 sacks, and one pass break-up. Of course, this is relative, the offense could have been inept, making the defense look good.

- Matt Flynn did play, going 5 of 9 for a touchdown and about 100 yards.

- Ryan Perrilloux, as much as I defend him, went 1 of 4. Maybe he’s been taking too many “gambles” on low-percentage / high-payoff options.

- Holiday scored on a 30 yard touchdown pass from Jarrett Lee.

- Stevan Ridley led running backs with 64 yards on 9 rushing attempts, but most of this came against the 3rd team defense. Still impressive, however.

None of this really matters much, and it’s hard to judge what the implications are for this team. I have a feeling that the offense is adjusting to a more complex playbook (Jimbo’s playbook had about 4 plays in it), and that the defense is more in synch than the offense. I like that two of the shining stars of both the offense and the defense are guys I had totally forgotten about. It should be noted that Stevan Ridley is a pretty good running back, he did rush for over 3,000 yards in his senior season. Here are the stats, have a good weekend:
Statistical Leaders

Rushing

Steven Ridley 9 att., 64 yards

Charles Scott 7 att., 24 yards

Keiland Williams 9 att., 20 yards

Jacob Hester 2 att., 6 yards

Passing

Matt Flynn 5 of 9, 97 yards, 1 TD

Jarrett Lee 4 of 6, 27 yards

Ryan Perrilloux 1 of 4, 5 yards

Receiving

Early Doucet 3 rec., 70 yards 1 TD

Trindon Holiday 1 rec., 30 yards, 1 TD

Terrance Toliver 1 rec., 21 yards

Richard Dickson 1 rec., 12 yards

Chris Mitchell 1 rec., 11 yards

J. D. Lott 1 rec., 12 yards

Punting

Patrick Fisher 6 punts for 45.8 yards

Josh Jasper 3 punts for 35.3 yards

Field Goals

Colt David 4 for 4 (made 37, 41, 47, 46)

Josh Jasper 1 for 1 (made 37)

Defensive Leaders

Kirston Pittman 5.5 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 PBU

Ali Highsmith 4 tackles

Charles Alexander 3 tackles

Luke Sanders 2 tackles

Steltz 2 tackles, 1 PBU

Jonathan Zenon 2 tackles, 1 PBU

Chevis Jackson 1 PBU

Week 1 Practice report

The first week of practice is over, and already people are gushing over Terrence Tolliver, writing off Demetrius Byrd, declaring Richard Murphy the next Reggie Bush, hating on Ryan Perrilloux, wondering about the ambiguity of Ricky Jean-Francois situation, and worried about the offensive line.

People forget that Flynn barely lost out to Russell for the starting job.

It’s the first week, and in reality, nobody outside the coaching staff will really know what type of team LSU has until 60 minutes have been played at Mississippi state. That being said, this is a time to see how the new guys are performing, and see if the older guys have improved or if they’re on the decline. If it’s one thing I can say about LSU fans, it’s that they tend to always be in crisis mode instead of enjoy the team we have. It’s pathetic that no LSU fan would publicly acknowledge that Jamarcus Russell has what it takes to be a #1 pick until about two weeks before the NFL draft, or that the message board dorks are worried about fucking punt formations, or whether or not Matt Flynn can fill in for Jamarcu. It’s the same motherfuckers that thought Flynn was better than Jamarcus at the start of the last three seasons. Get out of crisis mode bitches, this ain’t Mississippi State. Let’s get excited. Here is a clip of practice from week 1:

So far in the first week, it looks like Joseph Barksdale has been switched to the offensive line, the running backs are all looking good, in particular Keiland Williams and Charles Scott — not much of a surprise there. Supermidget Trindon Holiday has been moved to WR, and Richard Murphy looks like he’s got some sick moves, and will be spending time at both Running Back and Wide Receiver. Terrence Tolliver has been the standout rookie, running crisp routes and catching everything thrown to him. I was hoping that Demetrius Byrd would show some signs of life early on, but he has yet to make an impact.

The offensive players have nicknamed OC Gary Crowton, “The Wizard” — given his past offenses, I expect to see Holiday used in the offense more and matched up against slower defensive players. Given his 3.9 speed, everyone, by default, is slower. Since it is a new offense, and since tecmo bowl’s playbook that had 4 plays is more complex than Jimbo Fisher’s offense, I expect it to take a while for our guys to learn the new play books.

On defense, it looks like Chad Jones is going to officially be a Tiger, as he is practicing and has yet to sign with the Houston Astros. That’s good because the only real question on the Tiger defense is in the safety position, and it’s not even much of a question as Craig Steltz will be crucifying WR’s and QB’s for the rest of the season.

On the whole, things are looking good this week — the Tigers will be scrimmaging this afternoon, with Ryan Perrilloux and Jarrett Lee as the two quarterbacks, giving Matt Flynn some rest and preventing him from injury. This is ultra-important as all bets are off if Flynn gets hurt this season.

Here are my pre-season SEC Rankings:

1. LSU: Great coaching staff, unstoppable defense and solid running backs.
1. Alabama: Could this be Saban’s year? Probably not, but still can’t count him out.

1. Arkansas: Darren McFadden will single handedly win every game this season.

1. Auburn: Will Cox and Lester show up?
1. Florida: How bad was Chris Leak? We’ll know this season, won’t we?

1. Georgia: Matthew Stafford, Caleb King — this is a young impressive squad.

1. Kentucky: Rafael Little and Andre Woodson –Kentucky will kick the shit out of Lousiville this season.

1. Missisippi State: They will be a lunchpail team this season, don’t be surprised if they actually turn the corner.

1. Ole Miss: One can never count out the orgeron. He may line up at DT if Powe doesn’t show up.

1. South Carolina: TOBCU would have beat Florida last year if it weren’t for luck and Meyer’s lax player disciple policies.

1. Tennessee: Phil Fulmer is a fantastic recruiter, and a fantastic coach. It’s funny that people are calling for his resignation, the guy won a National Championship and two SEC titles, and plays every tough team close.

1. Vanderbilt: Bobby Johnson is an alchemist, creating gold out of nothing.

People and Teams We Like This Season. Others….not so much.

I want to come out now and tell you my biases for the season so that we can get it out of the way now, and so nobody has to call me out on it when they feel the need to disagree with what I say. If you’re going to call me out on it, you should at least have your facts straight about my biases. Here are the teams and people we like this season:

LSU: This should be obvious. It’s what this site is about. I love Miles and will defend him for the entire season, no matter what. He stuck by us during the hurricane, beats the teams he’s supposed to beat, and has got some fire in his belly.

Colorado: Not because they are talented (they sucked last year), but because Dan Hawkins doesn’t take any shit from anyone. The guy loves DIVISION IA FOOTBALL!  I don’t see why you would root against this guy. Unless you play intermurals.

UCLA: I like the underdog. I like the fact that everybody points to USC’s popularity is that they are “the only football team in town” in a goliath media market, and yet UCLA is right across town, getting 0 love from the media. I like it when the media is wrong. Like in the last game of the 2006 season. The media is a bunch of front running bitches whose predictions are often wrong, and whose post-game analysis is full of more holes than Al Capone’s body. A vote for UCLA is a vote for all that is good in the game of football. UCLA-produced running backs outrushed USC-produced running backs almost 2-1. They are a good program. They get no love. Think Karl Dorrell is tired of hearing about USC? I know I am.

 Georgia:  Another big media market team with absolutely no hype. Richt is a good coach, has had some solid recruiting classes, the SEC east is weaker than normal this year, and nobody is talking about them. Come back in December so I can tell you “I told you so”.

Texas:  Just because. Because? Because Mack Brown got 0 respect before the ‘horns won a title. Because I hate Bob Stoops. Because Mack Brown has a history of doing the ethical thing in a world full of shady motherfuckers.

Oregon: Have you seen their cheerleaders? HOTT.

Kentucky: The world forgot about Rich Brooks after he left the Pac-10. They will learn all about him this year; Kentucky is loaded on Offense, and could be in the mix for the SEC east at the end of the year.

Arkansas: What? An LSU SEC West opponent in the favorites column? All I hear from Arkansas fans is how much Houston Nutt sucks, and how a high school coach and some fucking prima donnas from Springdale were going to rule arkansas. Nobody ever mentions that the only reason why Mustain played last year was because Casey Dick got hurt, and that McFadden and Jamaal Anderson was the reason for their success last year. Take this Nutt and suck it charlie, Arkansas will be good next year.

Tennessee: Everybody’s written off Fulmer, the most consistant recruiter, and one hell of a coach. I would love to see people treat Saban in 5 years if he has a lot of success but 0 SEC titles and 0 National Championships. You know you would you fucking Saban loving douches.

People and Teams we Hate:

Hate is a strong word, but my blood boils when I hear about:

West Fuckin’ Virginia: Get a real conference. Noel Devine is tired of playing against high school competition. Too bad he can’t read.

Alabama / Nick Saban: Saban is the lipstick on the pig that is the 2007 Alabama Crimson Tide. He’s a good coach, but he’s not Jesus, and he is going to prove that he’s human this year. Actually, he proved it in the NFL, when he ran from the Dolphins like a little bitch. The guy prompted Mal Moore to fire Shula, who won 10 games in the previous season. Mal Moore, the tide faithful, and Saban will all get what’s coming to them from acting in such an unethical manner: massive failure.

Miami: Coker wasn’t a bad coach. How you go ahead and fire a coach that has never had a losing season, and won a national championship (no matter who recruited the players) is beyond me. Miami deserves failure just as much as Bama fans do.

USC: Because of the media and the fans.  I am tired of hearing ESPN comparing the loser of the national championship game to “the best teams of all time”, I’m tired of hearing about how great john david booty is (he’s average), and how great USC’s recruiting classes are (hey coach, how about some guys in the secondary, a kicker, or an o-lineman). Most of all, I’m tired of watching all of the hype behind a team that is so obviously breaking rules and not getting punished for it (see any non-football story about reggie bush in the last 2 years). Shit, Dwayne Jarret’s rent probably cost twice what Rhett Bomar took from a booster. Does it really matter where the money comes from? The NCAA rule book doesn’t think so — something is going on here. So that’s the media. Do I hate the fans because they are really insecure about the 2003 national championship, have no respect for UCLA, or any respect for anyone? While all this is true, I don’t hate the fans for that. I hate the fans because when Game Day comes to USC they can’t get more than 50 people to be near the camera. And they’re all sober.  

Auburn: They cheat at football more than Hugh Heffner on his wife. I’m tired of it.

Kirk Herbstreit:  You suck. You are a Big 10 homer with absolutely no credibility, telling Florida that they had no business being on the field with Ohio State. Your analysis sucks, you have nothing of value to say, and you only say good things about Ohio State the Big East, and mid major teams. You are the definition of terrible.

Counterpoint Counterpoint

Much has been said about Les Miles’ comments on other conferences. The further the commentor is from LSU and the SEC, the more out-of-context and more scathing the comments become. Double the hate if it’s a USC fan that is commenting.

First of all, what Miles did say:

1) I can tell you this, that they have a much easier road to travel…..They’re going to play real knockdown drag-outs with UCLA and Washington, Cal-Berk[e]ley, Stanford — some real juggernauts — and they’re going to end up, it would be my guess, in some position so if they win a game or two, that they’ll end up in the title (game). I would like that path for us.

2)  I think the SEC provides much stiffer competition.

3) The Big 12 is a conference that might have two really pretty good teams, maybe four.

4) I think the Pac-10 may have one or two really good ones.

5) The ACC certainly, arguably, has some quality teams.

6) I don’t think there’s any conference out there that has as many quality teams as ours.

 Ok, because of all the dickwads out there (I’m looking at you, Jim Rome) here’s what Miles did not say:

1) Miles did not say that USC is a bad football team.

2) Miles did not say that Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Michigan, Cal, Notre Dame, or [insert your favorite team here]  are bad football teams.

I’ll admit, his sarcastic comments were a little over the line, but he does have a point. If you look at last year’s conference winners, which tough teams did they have to play all year?

Florida: Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Florida State, Arkansas.
Wake Forest: Florida State
Louisville: West Virginia, Rutgers*
USC: Arkansas, Cal, Notre Dame*
Ohio State: Michigan, Texas
* Not that tough

Inferences from Miles:
1) If you look at the way he says it, he’s really calling out the media, not the schools involved.  Ok, so he sarcastically calls UCLA a juggernaut, which is kind of like calling Brent Shaffuh a heisman candidate, but that aside, what’s really at stake is the national championship, which is why you get coaches lobbying all the time for their causes. A fair system would have all of the conference champions play in a “playoff” which would result in a “no-bitching, no-lobbying, genuine-national-championship” instead of the beauty contest we have in place today.

The teams that play in the national championship. decided by the national press corps, which pretty much follows ESPN’s lead. Last year Florida didn’t deserve to be on the field with Ohio State, and the year before that, Texas couldn’t touch THE BEST FUCKING TEAM EVARRRRRR USC USC USC USC USC!  Guess what ESPN, you suck at predicting and ranking things. I can’t believe we entrust the media to choose our champions. ESPN’s #2 team, Michigan, got shelled by USC. Again — I don’t know how to emphasise enough how much the media sucks at evaluation of similary talented teams.

Miles is really taking a swipe at the way on-field talent and teams are evaluated by the media, a swipe which they richly deserve.

2) It was pretty immature of Les to do so — but isn’t that why we love him? I mean at halftime at the Tennessee game when he almost rips the sideline reporter’s throat out stating “we’re gonna play our asses off”, isn’t that what you want to see — a little fire out of your coach? For fucks sake people, we’re not entrusting Les Miles to write peace treaties, he’s supposed to instruct a bunch of kids how to hit and run and pass and catch.

By the way, all you Les haters, this is the exact thing you criticised him for in his first year — lack of passion for the game. Make up your mind, Les hater nation.

So on to the point, counterpoint, counterpoint to the counterpoint

Stewart Mandel (USC homer, back-up USC fluffer when GameDay crew, Will Farrell not available):  

“Forget for a moment the numerous, logical flaws in Miles’ diatribe (i.e., the fact the team he’s bashing beat SEC West champion Arkansas 50-14 last season). Forget for a moment the seemingly arbitrary shots at innocent bystanders Washington and Stanford. (Is Pete Carroll out there dissing Vanderbilt and Mississippi State at his booster functions?)”

Counterpoint:  Miles’ argument was against strength of schedule, Mandel attacks one of LSU’s weakest foes, and an SEC opponent not on the LSU schedule. Dick.

 ”Yet if you know anything about LSU fans, you know the only way Miles could have played to his audience any better is if he’d broken out a baseball bat and started busting open a Nick Saban piñata.”

Counterpoint: Actually the message boards have been on fire with Miles hate on this one. Good idea on the Nick Saban Pinata though. By the way this argument has nothing to do with SOS.

 ”This isn’t college football’s poll era and it probably won’t be the last. Just like with Michigan and Nebraska in 1997, or Miami and Washington six years before that, the Tigers and Trojans were both officially recognized as champions.

But apparently, one trophy was not enough for LSU fans. Instead of basking in the glory of their school’s first such championship since 1958, many Tigers zealots immediately began assuaging media outlets like this one, furious that USC was stealing their thunder. Theirs — as any LSU fan will tell you in excruciating detail — was the only trophy worthy of official recognition because it was earned through the agreed upon BCS structure.”

Counterpoint: Isn’t that why we have the BCS? Stewart, you’re a homer and an asshole.

 ”But like a bad Roadrunner cartoon, the Trojans keep finding ways to stick it to their wanna-be tormentors, most recently stealing coveted running back recruit Joe McKnight out of the Tigers’ own New Orleans backyard (and allegedly doing so with some illicit help from former USC-turned-Saints star Reggie Bush).”

Counterpoint: We all know USC got away with cheating on this one here. Maybe he would have gone to LSU, maybe he would have gone with Alabama or Ole Miss. There’s no gaurantee in recruiting, and we needed WR’s this year more than an RB. We kept Keiland Williams last year, so it’s a mute point. Good luck to McKnight, as stated earlier on this blog, the only way he sees meaningful playing time this year is if he learns how to punt. I hope his mom likes the new house one of the boosters is going to buy her in San Diego….well, not really new, previously lived in by Reggie’s parents. Wait a minute! This dig also has nothing to do with USC’s SOS.

“We’ve heard it. We get it. We’ve put it in bold type across the cover of Sports Illustrated: The SEC is the toughest conference. Florida proved that in the title game. But it’s not like the league is indisputably head and shoulders above everyone else. Perhaps Miles needs a reminder that two of his league’s best teams last year, Arkansas and Tennessee, lost to the third- (Wisconsin) and fourth-place (Penn State) teams from the Big Ten in their bowl games. Or that the year before that, the SEC’s champion (Georgia) lost its bowl game to the Big East’s champion (West Virginia).”

Counterpoint: Miles is referring to last year and this year’s perceived schedules. Georgia / West Virginia was two years ago. Fuck off Mandel.

“Such has become a common refrain since the Trojans’ rise to dominance under Carroll: If USC played in a “real” conference, they’d lose xxx number of games. Regardless of how you feel about the Pac-10, this is a pretty idiotic sentiment seeing as the Trojans have continually beaten upper-echelon foes from those conferences under Carroll (including a 4-0 record against the SEC).”

Counterpoint: Yeah…beat Arkansas twice in a row — and then remind me who else they’ve beaten from the SEC to make it 4-0?

Mandel totally misses the point by obscuring the argument, and comparing oranges to matchsticks. LSU is 9-0 against it’s last 9 PAC-10 opponents. The only way we will solve this is by a playoff. That being said, Mandel is pompous fat ass clown, however.

 Jim Rome (USC homer, part time douchebag): “Shouldn’t you win a conference title first before opening your mouth? USC is 4-0 against SEC opponents in their last four meetings”.

Counterpoint: Les was in a conference champoinship in 2004 but lost because Jamarcus Russell was injured. He didn’t make it in 2005 because Ref-gate at Auburn. LSU is 9-0 against Pac-10 opponents since 1979. Suck it, Rome.  LSU would certainly have won the Pac-10 in 2006 if USC and LSU swapped places. Judging from USC’s year last year, they would have lost more than 2 games with LSU’s schedule. I think that’s a fair statement.

T Kyle King of Dawgsports(Miles hater) (note: Kyle is a blogger I admire very much and NOT a dickwad): “Stop it. Stop that nonsense right now. If you want to say the S.E.C. is the toughest conference in college football, fine; if you want to say that, this year, the league is tougher at the top than any other, there’s a pretty good case to be made for that proposition, although these things change more rapidly than one might expect.

1) This business about there being one or two or four good teams in other B.C.S. conferences, though, is just dumb…. From 2000 to 2006, six different teams won or shared the Pac-10 title in a seven-year span.Meanwhile, six of the last seven Southeastern Conference championships have been won by the league’s three dominant teams: Georgia (2002 and 2005), Florida (2000 and 2006), and L.S.U. (2001 and 2003).”

Counterpoint: Actually Kyle, the PAC-10 has no conference championship game, and if they did it would be a safe bet that USC would win. In 5 of the last 7 years, USC has shared or won in that title, the other 2 years it was Oregon. In the SEC example you gave, there was 4 different teams, equaling the ACC for diversity.

King then goes on with an ad-hominem attack against Miles: Coach Miles, who played in the Big Ten and coached in the Big 12, did neither himself nor his newfound conference affiliation any favors by running his mouth and he needs to keep his trap shut until he learns how to sound more intelligent in an interview than he looks in a baseball cap.

Counterpoint: Isn’t this what makes the offseason interesting? Yes, Miles ran his mouth — but all coaches do — it’s called lobbying. Mack Brown did it in 2005, he won the MNC. LLoyd Carr, Pete Carroll, Tommy Tubberville and Urban Meyer all lobbied for their causes last year at different points during the season, and they do it because even if you win a difficult conference, you are likely to be shut out of the championship game because you have 1 or 2 losses.

I agree with those readers that say he should win the conference before running his mouth — absolutely, but he is highlighting a problem with the system. There is no consistent and strong methodology for ranking conferences — arguably the way the MNC is set up right now, you should have the top team from the top 2 conferences play each other. That isn’t necessarily the case — look at how Auburn got shut out in 2004. 

 This is what Miles is shouting out against. Can you blame him?

Ricky Jean-Francois!

Today’s advocate indicates that Ricky Jean-Francois will be eligible to play next season. He was had the 3rd highest tackle total on the team for defensive linemen, not bad for a first year player. Hopefully he teabags tebow this season.