The Weekend That Was: More SEC Domination in BCS, Heisman Favorites, Samford Homecoming

The season's first BCS rankings came out on Sunday, sending some of those outside of the South into a firestorm. The SEC has the top two teams, Alabama and Florida, and six of the top 12 (Alabama, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi State). Haters gonna hate.

There have been other impressive teams around the country and no doubt the bottom of the SEC is much further down than normal. There are five teams which legitimately pose a threat to dethroning the Crimson Tide from its seat as champion. It is much more likely to see a team like South Carolina or LSU (even if their offense has struggled), but it not outside the realm of possibility to see a team like Georgia win out and find themselves in the championship game, as the SEC champion has done for six consecutive seasons.

That said, watching Oregon's offense take on one of the SEC big-boy defenses, like I have said before, sounds like must-see television. Before you cry to me about Auburn-Oregon 2010, this is Ducks coach Chip Kelly' best team yet. Check the stats.

One-loss squads like Oklahoma, with their thrashing of Texas, and Southern Cal are also still alive. The great part is we are only halfway to anointing two teams worthy of playing for the championship, and if you think it will happen one way the system is bound to throw a kink in your thinking.

HEISMAN FAVORITES- I, like 99% of people who give you their Heisman hopefuls, do not have a vote. Regardless, here are my favorites for the award of the "Most Outstanding Player in College Football," not the country's most valuable player:

This Clowney character is one bad dude.

1) Geno Smith (West Virginia)- He had a bad game this week in their first loss, but Smith still has 25 TDs to his no interceptions and 2,271 yards through the air.

2) Jadaveon Clowney (South Carolina)- Like Smith, Clowney lost this week but still has a shot at the national championship game. With 12 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, he has made opponents look silly.

3) Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M)- The freshman leads the SEC in rushing (626 yards, 10 TD) and is third in passing (1,680 yards, 14 TD), and he still has prime time games on his schedule to display his talents.

4) A.J. McCarron (Alabama)- As long as he continues to not throw picks, manage the Tide to wins, and avoid getting hurt, his chances will increase.

SAMFORD ONE YARD TOO FEW- I was in Birmingham for the weekend to see my Bulldogs play the Moutaineers from Appalachian State. In typical "Samford-plays-in-a-big-game" form, the Bulldogs came up just short. This one was especially painful because it would have been the program's first win over national powerhouse, App State, but it was not meant to be.

Samford quarterback Andy Summerlin needed one
yard for the historic win.

With 2-and-1 on near midfield and less than two minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs only needed one yard in order to secure four more downs to run out the clock. Unable to get the 1 yard, Samford was forced to punt, leading to a Mountaineer drive which ended in a touchdown and win.

Though the game could have ended a little more pleasantly, it was one of the best atmospheres I have ever experienced in Birmingham. The quad was filled with tents, BBQ, and estimates of close to 10,000 people on the country's most beautiful campus.

Friends of mine who were not as fortunate to attend Samford, compared this tailgate to one at Georgia or Georgia Tech, saying it was small and not much to it. For those of us who were some of the first to set up tents on The Quad, it was a sight to see. Outsiders, think about it like this. Less than 5,000 people attend students and there were twice that number on campus on Saturday. If you take UGA's close to 50,000 students and compare it to the 100,000 or so who come to Athens for Saturdays, it puts it a little more into perspective.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

- Tommy Tuberville loves playing top-5 teams. Throughout his career, Tuberville has found a way to ignite passion within his ball clubs to go out and beat teams ranked in the top 5. He was the mastermind behind West Virginia's beat down this weak, as his Texas Tech squad held the potent Mountaineer offense to 14 points. The win pushed his record to 6-2 as the underdog against top 5 teams.

- I have been an Derek Dooley apologist before, but there is no getting around the fact that he is now 0-20 against ranked opponents. While Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, on the other hand, is having unprecedented success in Starkville. Both of these coaches will not be at their respective jobs too much longer but for totally different reasons

- Notre Dame escaped on Saturday. They won and you can not take that away from them but the more times you watch Stanford's Stephan Taylor give a second effort and hear no whistle the more convincing the Cardinal's case becomes.

The U.

The Weekend That Was: Irish and Seminoles Back?, Ducks Defense, Bulldogs 'Barking' for Love

Notre Dame's Manti Te'o

There both back. No doubt. Notre Dame and Florida State are back to their old form. Whip out your LA Gear light-up sneakers, Tamagotchis, and favorite boy band CD. It is like we have been sent back to the 90s.

In the words of former Seminole Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friends."

"Back" for both of these teams does not mean a perfect third of the season, if so both have already come "back" in the last decade. No. "Back" for these programs is an entire perfect season and a championship rings, hats and shirts adorning the players in January.

Notre Dame has played the tougher schedule, with wins over a top 10 team on the road (Michigan State) and a win against  No. 18 Michigan on Saturday. The Irish also has the more difficult schedule remaining, which will keep them from contending for one of the top two spots in the BCSNC. One of their biggest improvements since last season is turnover margin. Redshirt freshman Everett Golson has kept the ball from opposing defenses and the Irish defense is playing stingy. Notre Dame sits at No. 5 in turnover margin at plus-9. Four games into last season the Irish were ranked No. 118.

Florida State looked awfully good on Saturday though defeating No. 10 Clemson 49-37 at home with over 660 yards of total offense. E.J. Manuel is beginning to look like the player everyone thought he could be for the last two years, compiling over 1000 yards of offense, 8 touchdowns, and completing 73 percent of his passes this season. The Seminoles have the easiest schedule on paper of any true title contenders, but they must continue to improve and win games they should unlike they have done recently with such high expectations. Their most challenging game looks to be No. 11 Florida at home on the final week of the season.

DUCKS DEFENSE, RUN GAME IMPRESSIVE: Tell me if this makes any sense: Team A had 25 first downs, Team B had 19. Team A had 495 yards of total offense, Team B had almost 350. Yet, Team A beat Team B 47-0. Team A is Oregon, and Team B is Arizona.

The Wildcats had the ball six times in the Ducks red zone and came away with exactly zero points. With the way Arizona was moving the ball it is quite a testament to Oregon's defense to hold the shutout. In no way I am saying the Ducks' defense belongs in the same conversation as some of the SEC big boys but it is impressive nonetheless.

While it was slowed down a little in this game, even more impressive on the season has been the Oregon rushing attack. Lead by senior Kenjon Barner and the most electric player in college football, De'Anthony Thomas. The two have combined for more than 600 yards rushing and 10 scores through three games. Thomas would be the Heisman favorite if not for having to share the backfield with another potential contender. This means Thomas, who is scoring on every fifth offensive touch, is being underutilized.

I know that we have seen it before and I am not calling for the national championship right now, but it sure would be fun to see them play a top-tier SEC defense.

BULLDOG MAKING STRONG 'BARK' FOR HEISMAN: Speaking of Heisman contenders Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray has to start getting some love. If the Bulldogs are able to continue their winning ways, it can only help him. Against Vanderbilt on Saturday Murray was 18 for 24 for 250 yards, two passing scores and one rushing touchdown. He is on pace for more than 3,500 yards and 33 touchdowns for the regular season.

If gets enough support from the stout UGA defense to remain undefeated and can somehow beat Alabama or LSU in the SEC Championship, look for his name to be called at the Downtown Athletic Club during the second week of December.

Samford's Fabian Truss

BULLDOGS REMAIN UNBEATEN: It may not be hitting the national media, but there is another Bulldog team that is 4-0 and 2-0 in their conference, the Samford Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs scored 15 fourth quarter points for a 25-21 win at Southern Conference foe Western Carolina on Saturday. Running back Fabian Truss ran the ball 23 times for 173 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score.The win sets up a televised game at Georgia Southern this week (Being televised at this level is still a big deal.) Under the direction of Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan, the program is without a  doubt headed in the right direction, and the Bulldogs are ranked in the coaches poll for the first time since 1995.

I am going to an alumni event in Atlanta on Tuesday and for the first time ever I have a feeling the Bulldogs from Birmingham will be a conversation over dinner. I will proudly take part in the "It's Great, To Be, a Saaaamford Buuulldog!" chant.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST:

We sat so close I could feel the spit coming off of Tech's
defensive coordinator Al Groh's tongue. 

-Oregon State defeated another ranked team to take coach Mike Reily officially off the hot seat: Wisconsin two weeks ago and ULCA this week. To celebrate the win, Reily ordered 200 double-doubles with fries from In-and-Out for his team.

-Georgia Tech lost a strange game to Miami in which the Hurricanes scored 19 points to open the game. The Yellow Jackets followed with 26 straight points in response. Miami scored the final 23 points, including a touchdown in overtime, to win the game.

-Western Kentucky won again, pounding Southern Mississippi 42-17. The Hilltoppers have won 10 of their last 12. Their two losses? LSU and Alabama.

-Missouri hates grown man football, and has begun initial talks of a move back to Big XII.

The Weekend That Was: Historic Loss, Old Man Football, Season's New Crush

For those of you who have come to this site the past two weekends looking for picks of the week's biggest college football teams, let me say that I am sorry. I am still doing a similar weekly column::, but it is being published on a different site (ArkansasExpats.com- the Razorback blog for SBNation).

Now that my TWTWB columns are being posted to a different website, and because I feel like to post the same content in two places is writer's taboo, I am going to try and do something a little different.

Here in my "The Weekend That Was" posts, I will attempt to provide some insight and show you some of the things you may have missed on Saturday -- because you had better things to do than sit in front of the television for 12 hours.

HISTORIC LOSS: "Now what? What happens after a loss like that? Who's to blame?" These, along with many others, are questions being raised in the Arkansas, as the state's favorite team fell to the University of Louisiana-Monroe.

After a suspect performance against FBS Jacksonville State the week before, most Hog fans were looking forward to hopefully seeing their once high-flying offense rebound and take care of the Warhawks with ease. Worst case scenario? The Razorbacks leave Little Rock with a win and head into  this week full steam ahead preparing for Alabama. The actual scenario? The Razorbacks leave Little Rock with one of the worst losses in school history, lose four players to injury, show no level of BCS-worthy competence on offense or defense, lose ESPN's College Gameday coming to Fayetteville, and fans missing former coach Bobby Petrino.

Arkansas fans believed Bobby's little brother, Paul, would be able to run the offense maybe not quite at the level as big brother, but at least well enough to make it through the season. This is not the case. In utter disbelief, Hog fans watched as the their team was wary to run with the lead. Arkansas ran the ball only six times after going up 28-7 with 9:42 left in the third. Not smart.

With coach John L. Smith clearly not coming back next season, the pressure falls on the shoulders of Athletic Director Jeff Long. He fired Bobby Petrino and brought back Smith on a 10 month contract. Now he must find a hire which will not only energize the fan base, but one who will not let Arkansas fall back to the eight or nine win seasons rut. Problem is, there are few good coaches out there who are not already at destination jobs.

For my new favorite... keep reading.

Georgia's Christian Robinson and Aaron Murray

OLD MAN FOOTBALL (or at least Jarvis Jones) REIGNS SUPREME : In the midst of all the hype surrounding Missouri's first game in the SEC, Tiger linebacker Sheldon Richardson made comments comparing the Bulldogs style of play to the Big Ten and added that it looked like "old man football." A huge no-no in the SEC.

After being down early, Georgia responded with 32 straight points, while future first-round draft pick Jarvis Jones single-handedly stopped the Missouri offense. I know it is two weeks early, but his play reminds me of the same sorts of ways Tyrann Mathieu used to take over games for LSU last season. Jones has to be on the Heisman watchlist.

The Dawgs aptly welcomed Missouri with a statement win of their own and introduced the Tigers to GROWN man football -- or as we SEC fans call simply call it, your conference schedule.

BIG TEN EMBARRASSES AGAIN: The ultimate brand of "old man football" struck out this weekend, proving it is not a relevant football conference.

Purdue and Penn State lost close games in which they had plenty of opportunities to win to Notre Dame and Virginia, respectively. Nittany Lions kicker Sam Ficken missed and extra point and four field goals on Saturday alone.

Old man commissioner Jim Delany may never let his Big Ten schools travel west of the Mississippi again. Nebraska's defense gave up 653 yards of offense to UCLA in a loss. Wisconsin was physically dominated by Oregon State on both sides of the ball. And Illinois was blown out by Arizona State, which, luckily for the Big 10 was on late.

Michigan struggled to put away Air Force at home, while Ohio State did much of the same with UCF in the Horseshoe.

MY NEW CRUSH(es): Every season I try and find a team beyond the SEC that I can support. Whether it be because of a player, a coach, or usually a scheme, I pick a team that may not be the sexy pick to win the national title but is fun to watch and follow that team all season. Last season was Wisconsin. Since they are clearly not the same this year, I have taken fancy to a new team, West Virginia.

They put points on the board faster than the Mountaineer mascot can reload his musket with weapons like quarterback Geno Smith and all-purpose receiver Tavon Austin. Their coach, Dana Holgerson has proven to be an offensive mastermind. Just ask Clemson.  While a national championship this season is within reach if this team, if they lose or not you will no doubt be entertained watching the Mountaineers.

And for you readers who have made it this far -- or were smart enough to scroll...

My new crush for the soon-to-be open Arkansas head coaching position is Charlie Strong. He is, like Bobby Petrino once was, the head coach at Louisville. The once defensive coordinator of the Urban Meyer run at Florida is a native of Arkansas and understands the entire state's passion for their Hogs.

In other great news my Samford Bulldogs have started the season undefeated, with wins over conference rival Furman and West Alabama. The Dogs have looked strong in tight situations thus far and are serious contenders to capture their first FCS playoff berth since joining the Southern Conference.

Tailgating on the quad was never this good when I was at The U.

Inside Samford Baseball: The Birth of the Rightfield Rowdies

Some 300 hours ago, the nation's best Bulldog team was beginning their game with Florida State in Tallahassee with the daunting task of defeating the nation's third-ranked Seminoles. As Samford fans listened to the voice of the Bulldogs, Mark Grace, on WVSU and watched their computer screens closely as each pitch was tracked on CBS Gametracker, Cinderella's night came to an abrupt 5-2 end in the NCAA Regionals.

The Bulldogs put on a strong showing on the national stage

For a school and fan base that, until recently, has not experienced much athletic success on the national level, the 2012 Samford Bulldog baseball team was magical. Minus a couple bright spots with the Bowden family leading the football team and a two year stretch in Men's basketball (1999 & 2000), Samford has never been known to grab the front page of The Birmingham News Sports section, until the Academic Progress Rate comes out each year. Samford regularly competes against large, public institutions such as Alabama, Auburn and UAB to garner attention. They did take second place in 2012. The Dogs were the best college baseball team in the state, going 10-5 against in-state institutions and advancing further than any other in-state school in the NCAA tournament.

Remember when going to a Samford athletic event, let alone a boring baseball game, was not the most attractive option at Samford?

I went back through the archives of samfordsports.com and found the game where the success of Samford baseball began. April 3, 2009 at Joe Lee Griffin Field. A certain group of gentlemen decided to park their trucks and grill out behind the Pete Hanna Center near the rightfield wall. Samford came away with a 6-4 win over the Wildcats.

Some of the original Rowdies in their
traditional rightfield location

The following night the same group of trendsetters decided they would meet up for Saturday's game. Some had a previous engagement to an Alpha Delta Pi fundraiser. As soon as those boys had filled their commitment raising money for the Ronald McDonald House, they headed to join their friends at the same spot just to the left of the Bulldog bullpen. Although the Dogs afforded their newest fans a valiant and thrilling effort, scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning before dropping the contest, Samford's newest athletic tradition was born, the Rightfield Rowdies.

The Rowdies became a presence at home baseball games, inviting all to come and root for the Bulldogs, all the while becoming especially close with the opposing team's rightfielder. There was research on the unfortunate guy that stood in the No. 9 fielding position, down to becoming Facebook friends -- with him and his significant other if available -- and almost memorizing his biography on the team website.

As the numbers of Rowdies grew, so did the amount of research, heckling, and food, but all the while the jeers remained curse-free and family friendly because it was Samford after all. Printed reports were brought to each game on the opposition. Certain members of the Rowdies became quite good friends with the members of the Samford baseball team, who would hand out free official gear to their most faithful followers.

The new deck in centerfield

Over the next year and a half the relationship between the baseball team and their student following  grew so that the baseball coaches came to the idea of building a porch for the Rowdies. Under the instruction of coach Casey Dunn and other officials, a porch was built behind centerfield, which ultimately meant the Rowdies could begin to "make friends" with the other outfield positions.

That April night in 2009 was the start of Samford baseball's run to the 2012 SoCon Championship and an impressive run in the Tallahassee Regional two weeks ago, where the Bulldogs beat the Southeastern Conference Champion twice.

Was it actually the Rightfield Rowdies' intensity that brought about the rise in play of the Samford baseball team? While myself and a few of my friends would like to take credit, it probably had more to do with coach Dunn and the players. Here is a big thank you to them for the excitement they provided the Samford family. You made us proud.

And to you current students roaming around a beautiful campus in Homewood, Alabama... if you find yourself lucky enough to call the deck in centerfield home for a game, you're welcome. For a real old school experience, back your pick-ups behind the Pete Hanna Center, fire up the grill and give the opposing rightfielder something to remember.

The State of Samford Basketball

Early success was not enough for Tillette

Samford's recently fired coach, Jimmy Tillette after 15 seasons at the university. While at the helm, Coach T led the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament in 1999 and 2000, recoreded 229 wins, and by all accounts he ran a squeaky clean program.

Tillette experienced no problems with the NCAA in his recruiting or a pay-for-play scheme. He handled the death of one of his grittiest players--and the campus' favorite --three-year letterman Jim Griffin, with grace and class. His students graduated and served in the community. However, in the ever-competitive world of mid-major basketball, Coach T's good could not outweigh the program's decline on the court.

Along with his 229 wins, the school's winningest coach lost 219 games, a win percentage of 51 percent--the number 229 is not as impressive now. Those losses began to stack up towards the end of Tillette's tenure at Samford. This season included a 11-19 mark, the team's sixth straight year with a sub-.500 record. Mediocrity should not be tolerated in any profession. Ask former Illionois coach Bruce Weber who took his school to the national championship game in 2005 and, like Tillette was fired this year.

Luckily, the Samford athletic program has recently handed over management to the former head of basketball operations at the University of Kentucky, Martin Newton.  It is by no accident that Samford President Andrew Westmoreland hired the Samford alum, who has basketball knowledge and tremendous connections. Newton held most of the interviews for the new coach AT THE FINAL FOUR, for goodness sake!

Newton and Westmoreland are well aware that Samford possesses some of the finest facilities around for a small school. The basketball program will attempt to emulate the Gonzagas, Belmonts, and Davidsons of the world to get Samford back to the dance in March. The duo also knows that with a concentrated effort to raise the basketball standards will take a formidable effort, but it could return huge dividends for the school as a whole, not just the athletic department.

Martin (right) made history by hiring Seltzer, the
first black coach in any sport at Samford.

There is no doubt this will be a tough task. As any diehard Bulldog fan will tell you, academics are much more of a priority than athletics (though I have heard from current students this attitude is starting to change). There is a winning tradition, but alums my age were around to experience it. And finally... JanTerm: the bane of a rowdy basketball crowd, or any crowd to speak of, during the month of January.

Sure, as any school in the South dreams, it would be fun to have football as the staple of the athletic program, but the Bulldogs could become the fourth best football team in the state at best. The past three BCS National Championship teams have come not even two hours from Birmingham. Not to mention a UAB program which has seen its better days, but is a Division I school in all sports in Conference USA, nonetheless.

Lets be honest Bulldog fans, the football program is on the up-and-up with a former Heisman trophy winner leading the way. Now it is time focus our attention towards basketball.

Newton hired Bennie Seltzer who has served as the top assistant on Tom Crean's staff at the University of Indiana and Marquette University. Seltzer has learned from Crean how to build a program. Crean inherited a depleted Hoosier team coming off of NCAA sanctions in 2008, and led his team to the Sweet 16 before being bumped out in the most entertaining game of the tournament by eventual champion Kentucky.

I still dream of a packed Pete Hanna. Except in my dreams my
 favorite player makes the shot that would have sent the game to overtime.

Do any of you remember that magical Saturday afternoon when 5,116 of us joined in record fashion to watch our beloved Bulldogs take on Stephen Curry and Davison? The original White-Out game? What if that was real life and every basketball game was like that dream in 2010? Hopefully, thanks to foresight from Westmoreland and Newton, that day is soon.




NOTE: This is my 100th post. Thanks to all of you for reading my posts (or at least looking at the pictures) and providing feedback. Here's to 100 more. Cheers

National Signing Day

Throughout this world wide web, there is an abundance of places where you can find who "won" signing day. Was it Alabama, or was it Texas? Which university was able to lure that particular recruiting site's number one high school player to a certain school? Was it Missouri, or was it Florida State? Not here boys and girls. Here we will take a closer look at the fanfare that has become signing day and some schools successful days. But in no way am I declaring a winner or, even worse, as some claim a national championship. For you NFL junkies that do not understand a crazed college football fan's obsession, imagine the free agency period and the draft all in one day. Here are a few news and notes...

Let it be known that I try hard to not get entangled in the web of rankings built by sites such as Rivals.com, Scout.com, or 247sports.com about certain prospects. These sites try to project an 18 year-old's football abilities three years in advance. It is an inexact science and impossible to predict. This is not to say that I, just like many of you, do not drool over YouTube videos of their top prospects' skill levels (Johnathan Gray everyone) , but I know that just because a website gives a young man who is 6-foot-7, weighs in a 270, runs a 4.8 second forty-yard dash, and physically dominates top high school competition only  "two-stars" that not much stock can be taken their celestial rating system. Spend some time. Watch some film. And wait to see if the coach of your beloved team can do with the prospect's skills.

Saban "bought" a heinous diamond sweater,
but he can sell his program.

That being said, based on this star rating system, Alabama signed more four and five stars than I ever have in my dynasty on NCAA 2009. (I still play the 09 version because Darren McFadden adorns the cover). They signed more than twice as many prospects from ESPN's top 150 athletes than any other SEC school. With the talent accumulated during his tenure at LSU and now Alabama, the Crimson Tide's coach has shown why he has many changing the acronym NSD from National Signing Day to Nick Saban Day.

The University of Georgia was able to come away with the top player in four different states, thanks to a late fax from the nation's top outside linebacker and Valdosta, Georgia resident, Josh Harvey-Clemons. The poor kid came on national television to announce his intentions to become a Bulldog. His grandfather and legal guardian had other plans. With Valdosta being closer to Florida, most of Harvey-Clemons' family wished to see him as a Gator come fall. After a little embarrassment, the kid won out and will run out in Red and Black in August.

The famed "Chick-fil-a" recruit, McKinzy

In as much preparation he did for the day, calls, texts, emails, official and unofficial visits, in-home visits and more, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney could have done nothing more to convince Cassanova McKinzy to become a Tiger. Well, maybe Swinney could have done one more thing, built a Chick-fil-a on the Clemson campus. The best named recruit in the country said he chose Auburn over Clemson because, "they (Clemson) have no Chick-fil-A on campus."

Stanford signed three consensus five-star prospects to their offensive line. Andrew Luck's presence carries on though he will be in the NFL. However, if you are a big boy that wants a physical run game, where better to go than to block for Barry Sanders Jr., who also signed with the Cardinal.

Not to be confused with that above school out west, Samford added 18 new players for the 2012 team. Much praise was given to the Bulldogs in Southern Conference circles by guys that pay attention to recruiting much more closely than you and me. If you have not been paying attention to what coach Pat Sullivan, the 1972 Heisman trophy winner, has been doing with my alma mater in Birmingham, which chances are you haven't, you should. The Dogs are going places... hopefully.

Spurrier helps State, Remeber Richardson's Run, How 'bout them Dogs?

South Carolina was leading by four points with less than ten seconds left in the game against Mississippi State on Saturday. Instead of pulling a New York Giant-sized mistake, Steve Spurrier told quarterback Connor Shaw to run out the clock and take the safety to ensure victory. Confident Gamecock fans, more specifically USC bettors, may have been a little more upset with the Ol' Ball Coach's decision. Why you ask? With the two extra points given to the Bulldogs, Mississippi State covered the +3-point line. An estimated $30 million dollars was lost because Spurrier's decision. So betting Mississippi State fans kind of won, right?

USC's Marcus Lattimore

The bigger loss for South Carolina fans was that sophomore running back Marcus Lattimore went down with a season-ending knee injury. He had been the engine for a struggling Gamecock offense, and had over 800 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns through seven games

Now there is no question Alabama's Trent Richardson is the best running back in the league and possibly player in the country. Don't believe it? Watch this juke and try to tell me differently. Ole Miss' Senquez Golson's ankles are officially broken. This will be Richardson's equivalent to Cam Newton's run versus LSU when T-Rich collects his Heisman.

Speaking of Newton... A team I pull for finally has defeated this tremendous athlete, as the Atlanta Falcons finally scored some second-half points and put the Carolina Panthers away 31-17 on Sunday. That guy was unreal in college and is not far off from it in the pros.

Newton's former team, the Auburn Tigers, have a date with my alma mater, the Samford Bulldogs on Nov. 19. Watch out Plainsmen. My beloved Dogs are on a roll. They collected their third consecutive win on Saturday as they beat Elon for the first time in school history 43-31 on Saturday. It moves the Red and Blue to 4-2 on the season and to 2-2 in the Southern Conference. Embarrassingly, it was Samford's first back-to-back wins as a member of the SoCon. However, it is good to see coach Pat Sullivan has the program headed in the right direction.

Let it be noted I correctly picked all but one game in my weekly "The Weekend That Will Be." It only took me a year, but I am finally getting the hang of this whole picking winners thing.

April 27

Tomorrow is the last day of finals in my first year of occupational therapy school at Brenau University. Yes, I should be studying my pediatric material for my test tomorrow, but there is too much going on in the world to not make a few comments. Lame title I know. It gets challenging to name the "random thoughts" posts.

Congratulations to Cleveland Browns RB Peyton Hillis. He will be the cover athlete for the famous Madden football video game franchise in 2012. He beat out some of the most popular players in the league including Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rogers and former cover boy himself Michael Vick. I have been a Hillis fan since his days at the University of Arkansas. I still find it hard to believe he beat the other Peyton and his Arkansas running back mates Darren McFadden and Felix Jones to the cover of Madden. (McFadden was on the cover of NCAA Football 09).

Samford has a new recruit making a visit to campus. Justin Combs, son of rap mogul Sean "P. Diddy of Puffy" Combs. Can you imagine the atmosphere at Seibert Stadium next year? And talk about some serious street cred. I am one proud alumnus.

To the college game. I am proud of Florida Head Coach Will Muschamp for kicking his First Team All SEC cornerback Janoris Jenkins off of the team after Jenkins was arrested a third time since moving to Gainesville. Muschamp has talked often about the Florida way, and this is a great start to changing a culture.

In other college football news, I am beyond tired of Ohio State and their coach Jim Tressel. Get him out of the game.

On a little more serious note, please pray for those affected by the tornado ripping through the southeast as I type. It has already done tremendous damage in Tuscaloosa and communities around Birmingham, a place I luckily called home for four years. Now it is my hometown of Rome, Georgia. Please pray for safety and the recovery efforts that will be soon to follow.

Turner Field in November?

Yes. It is true. I had the pleasure to attend Lexie's senior formal this past weekend which was in no other place than THE Turner Field, home of your Atlanta Braves, and so many of my own sports memories. I do not want to brag too much, but it was pretty much our doing to have formal at the sight of our first date, more than two and a half years ago. The idea came from Ellen, who had her formal there a year ago. Seeing that I am past the days of Sigma Chi parties the next option was Lexie. She, of course, loved the idea and put the idea in the social chair's ear.

There is not a better backdrop to have at a party, one side with Turner Field and the other with the Atlanta skyline. I could not have been happier there, after eating all the salmon I could and dancing the night away. That move would come back later to haunt me in the form of a stomachache. Worth it? Yep.

When we got tired of dancing we looked over Turner Field with Hand Aaron smiling behind us. It was such a surreal sight to see a stadium I have grown accustomed to seeing full, with no one in the seats. Even waiting in line was fun. I dragged Lexie away from the line to let it die down and just chatted it up with the security guards who knew many of the players on my favorite professional sports team. I really was like a kid in a candy shop, prettiest and most fun date, all I could eat delicious food, with a view one of my favorite stadiums and cities.

Good Picks and Paint Covered

I want to apologize to those who have been waiting so anxiously to see my view on the past weekend, even if you are few and far between. I must also apologize to those looking for the most serious college football breakdown from the past weekend, most likely no one but Pops. I spent the weekend out of town and did not catch most of the football action but instead was restricted to getting scores via Pops and my phone.

For most of the day I was running around Birmingham trying to find all white clothing for a paint party I went to with Lexie. It was good to be back. I kept saying how nice it was to be able to drive around and know where things were. From the dinner-walk around The Summit- movie date through a lazy Sunday afternoon after church it was a great weekend in which I got to see some long missed familiar faces. My goal for the party was to make Lexie look like a smurf but we decided it would be best that we be on the same team and try to cover everyone else in paint. We may have lost...

The only scary part were the men coming up to us at the BP station needing a ride. They came up thinking they could just bum a ride easily, but left soon after they, like most, became intimidated of the NASCAR eagle on the front of my shirt. Best $6 shirt ever.

Back to the college game...

I had a great weekend picking winners. How could I not improve after last week's performance? The only one big one I missed was the number one team in the nation going down for the third straight week which I don't think that most experts saw that coming. Now comes the fun part of waiting to see if Auburn becomes the fourth after they jumped over Boise State and Oregon to take the number one spot. Speaking of Auburn, Cam Newton continues to impress and is literally running away with the Heisman votes as he now holds the SEC single season rushing record for QB's with 5 games to go! I have not looked forward to an Iron Bowl more and am hoping the two teams can remain undefeated heading into Tuscaloosa on the last week of the season.

Boise State plays tonight, yes I said on a Tuesday night. I think it should be in the BCS clauses that the national champion can not have played on a Tuesday night game. The country should be more excited and TV producers should want to pick up your games more on the weekend. Of course that is the one pick I have that is outstanding. Maybe my dreams can come true.

Quick Hits:

-Notre Dame is having a rough time this year but I do think Brian Kelley is the right man for the job. He just needs time to turn everything upside down in that program.

-Nebraska got back on track in a big way knocking off formerly undefeated Oklahoma State on Saturday. Taylor Martinez your big performance was one week too late and may have cost you a shot at the Heisman.

-Word on the street is that Mississippi State will have the cowbells taken away. Did SEC commissioner actually believe rowdy college kids would follow the rules and not ring the bells while the other team had the ball?

-There are still 7 undefeated teams in college football and we are just over halfway through the season, way too many. Here come the upsets

-Finally, it almost saddens me to watch the Dallas Cowboys play. I know Grannie you may not have quite given up yet but I have thrown in the towel. It is almost like even Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are sad Grandaddy is not able to sit in his recliner and watch them play, but let's be serious. He has much better things to do where he is.

 

*Energy to type this blog was provided by the BBQ chicken prepared in the newest kitchen appliance at the apartment (the crock pot). Thanks to you Ahnie and Gramps

Some picks for Saturday

Fall may be my favorite time of the year. It's a relief to be able to walk outside and not start sweating immediately. It's always fun to celebrate another year of life, but even better than these things is college football. Week to week, trying to predict what will happen and then watching the drama unfold is easily one of my favorite things. I thought about doing all of the SEC games but then I would have limited my blog. So I will dabble in all leagues. Where I am from and how I have been raised will influence which teams I write about. I know I will tend to talk more about the SEC. Here is how I see some of the games this weekend unfolding.

Arkansas vs. Auburn- One of the biggest games of the year in our household. The old man always says Arkasnas can lose every game but the Auburn one and he will be happy. It is the SEC game of the week for a reason. The game is almost as big as the pair of 6'6 quarterbacks matiching up. Ryan Mallet and Cam Newton could be deciding the SEC Offensive MVP this weekend on the plains. I don't see Auburn's secondary stopping Mallet. Arkansas has proved that they have a much improved defense from last year. Arkansas MUST be able to run the ball, block Auburn DT Nick Fairley to give Mallet time, and score some points in the 4th in order to win. To take a line from my Dad, I see the Hogs rumbling down from the Ozarks and spoiling the home teams party.

Alabama vs. Mississippi- This one could get very, very ugly. Julio Jones will not have to worry too much about his hand because Saban may not even pass the ball after what happened last week, running for less than 50 yards in the 2nd half. (And they tried to compare that RB tandem to McFadden and Jones... please) He is looking to take out his anger on somebody and poor somebody is Ole Miss. I don't see him taking out the starters until Alabama is up by 50. The black bear will not be roaring this week.

Florida vs. Mississippi State- Yet another Mississippi school at the wrong spot in the schedule. Florida misses Dan Mullen and his offensive creativity. State, on the other hand, is loving their new commander and chief. But he still does not have the players he had as the UF offensive coordinator. No way Urban Meyer loses three in a row and may show off some of his speed to Mullen. Look what you used to have. State might can hold it close but the Gators stop the bleeding and win one.

South Carolina vs. Kentucky- Upset special… Randal Cobb is one of the most fun players to watch in college ball and gets a chance to show off his skills again. After the emotional victory last week there is no way planning for Kentucky was the main focus. USC matched up great against Alabama because they stop everything that happens in the middle but Kentucky tries to spread everything wide. Cobb goes wild and comes away with the win.

Ohio State vs. Wisconsin- We’ll see how OSU handles being back in the number one spot. They will take care of a “What in the world happened to Wisconsin Badger” team. So much promise at the beginning of the year but a frustrating loss to a much improved Michigan State team has those in Madison wondering how the season will unfold. OSU knows they control whether or not they play for the ‘ship and will play like with fire. Defense is too good to let Wisconsin RB John Clay, a player scouts are drooling over (or at least I would be if I was one), do too much damage.

Furman vs. Samford- Rivalry game in the Magic City this week. The Bulldogs looked good in a game versus Western Carolina last week and look continue the momentum. Playoffs for the Dogs? As a proud alumnus I certainly hope so. Look for Chris Evans to continue to add to what is already the most rushing yards in school history in a little bit of an upset against the No. 26 team in FCS. Samford Bulldogs improve to .500 in the conference.

Other Winners (in bold)-

Boston College vs. Florida State

Georgia vs. Vanderbilt

Illinois vs. Michigan State

Southern Cal vs. California

Maryland vs. Clemson

Iowa vs. Michigan

Texas vs. Nebraska

Miami (FL) vs. Duke
Who ever Boise State plays vs. Boise State