Thoughts From The Valley

The Hangover

How I am feeling: Enthralled. I am actually writing this on Saturday night, instead of on Sunday afternoon, just because I am feeling somewhat inspired. It is 8:39 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, and I am sitting here, happily and contentedly, watching LSU-Alabama, an asbolutely entralling football game. I've got a nice fire going in the ole Hyland family hearth. My dog Eli is chilling out at my feet. Mrs. Your Editor is sitting over there, working away, pretending to not care about LSU-Alabama (but she is watching; I can tell). Young Jack and Baby Anna are tucked away snugly in bed. And the Nits beat Purdue earlier today to get to 7-3 on the season, with a New Year's Day bowl bid in their sights. Could be worse, folks. Could be worse.

What I am drinking: The College Football Kool-Aid. I have always been a believer, folks. Today, I feel reborn. Alabama just returned a punt for a touchdown. Tuscaloosa is going bonkers. There is not a better sport in the world than college football, folks. There is not. I don't care what you say. There simply is not.

What I am listening to: The crackling of my fire, the hiss of the early November wind just outside my window, and the voice of the SEC: Verne Lundquist. I am still not certain how the SEC has managed to get just one game each week on national television (as opposed to the Big Ten, which has EVERY game on television), but there is some good news for the Severely Exagerrated Conference: That one measly game they get each week is broadcast by The Great Verne Lundquist. Along with ABC's Brad Nessler, Lundquist is the most worthy successor to the throne vacated by The Legendary Keith Jackson. That throne? The Throne Of Greatest College Football Announcer Ever.

My thoughts on the weekend: I have been waiting all season for A Perfect Saturday.

I am pretty sure today was it.

Every once in a while, folks, we college football fans are treated to a day when the proverbial college football stars align, a day when our own individual teams win (the key to happiness on any college football Saturday, of course), and then we sit back and watch as one game after another proves to be The Stuff of Legend.

Today, that's exactly what happened.

The day began with the Nittany Lions gutting out a 26-19 win over Purdue. Not a pretty win, no. But a win. Nits now in third place in the Big Ten.  Now, I'm sure none of you care about that. But I certainly do. And once that game was in the books, things got interesting.

First the 3:30 games: Michigan-Michigan State. Notre Dame-Navy.

Good stuff. Michigan jumps out to an early lead. Notre Dame does the same. Navy battles back. Sparty makes a charge. Navy pulls away! Sparty in control!

Then disaster strikes: Sparty pulls a Sparty--giving up a late, miraculous touchdown pass to Mario Manningham (Sparty fans, no shame; I've been there). The Wolverines survive. Meanwhile, a few hundred miles away, Navy blows a chance, late in the fourth, to put the Domers away.

Notre Dame converts a miraculous 4th-and-long.

The Irish tie it up. No way Navy can pull this out.

Is there?

There is.

Navy coach Paul Johnson goes for the jugular in the third overtime. Navy scores. They hold Notre Dame. They win. Chaos. In the Hyland household, even Mrs. Your Editor is cheering. It is college football history. Right there. First win for Navy over the Domers in 43 years. Incredible.

But the day is not over. Not by a longshot.

We switch to 'Bama-LSU. And oh man what a football game.

Back and forth. Back and forth. 'Bama returns a punt for touchdown. They're up. In control. But then ...

Early Doucet scores an amazing touchdown, tying things up at 34-34, with just 2 minutes left. Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson are speechlees. My dog Eli is exhausted (well, I admit, he would be exhausted no matter what). And I just caught Mrs. Your Editor watching the game pretty intently.

Can it get any better? On this day? Yes.

'Bama gets the bal back. Still time to win this one. But the Tigers get a sack. And a fumble. And a late touchdown from that No. 18 guy, whose only job is to convert two-yard touchdowns runs.

Tuscaloosa silent. Tigers win.

Danielson sums it up: "Patriots-Colts might be a good game tomorrow. But it won't be as good as this."

And so now, with LSU-Bama in the books, with Notre Dame-Navy settled, with Michigan reigning supreme over Sparty again, Your Editor does not rest.

No, Your Editor soldiers on.

It is getting late here in The Beautiful Wissahickon Valley. But I just opened another Victory Storm King. I just put another log on the fire. And I just turned on Boston College-Florida State. We'll see what happens.

God I love this game.

Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust

Three ...: College football officating is really, really bad, folks. I have been complaining for years on this site about how horrible the Big Ten officials have been (and they are truly terrible) though I know other conferences have the same problems, as well. And though this past Saturday did not bring any calls so horrific that they changed the outcome of entire games (see UConn-South Florida earlier this year), there were enough really bad calls (Purdue got robbed of a timeout vs. Penn State; the Nits lost a fumble they shouldn't have; Notre Dame got a second chance to win when they shouldn't have; Alabama had a long pass stolen away for no good reason, etc.) to warrant a serious evaluation of the state of officiating in Our Great Sport. Otherwise, we risk become as big a joke as the NFL (snore).

 

Two ...: I don't care what you say, folks. Charlie Weis has not proven himself to be a good college football coach. The Alleged Offensive Genius just lost to Navy, becoming the first Irish coach to do so in 43 freaking years. The Domers cannot blame Ty Willingham for this. You just can't. Fact is, there is no proof that Charlie can actually coach. In college, I  mean. See, just because Weis worked for the Patriots does not mean he's a great college football coach. It only means he rode the coattails of That Classless, Angry Man Who Coaches Boston's Regional Professional (Snore) Football Team.

One ...: I suppose its time to for me weigh in on the Suzuki Heisman race. Well, here are my thoughts. First, I think ABC halftime host/moron John Saunders is, well, a moron, for stating late Saturday night that Ohio State linebacker James Laurinitis should be considered for the Heisman trophy. Yeah, that's a great idea, John. Especially since Laurinitis isn't even among the top 5 in tackles in his own conference. A great linebacker? Yes. So good that he should join Charles Woodson as the only defensive player to win the Suzuki Heisman in recent memory? No. OK, now here are some other thoughts: Tim Tebow, though awesome, is out of it. Todd Boeckman should be in it, but won't be, because of people like Saunders, who cannot, as they say, see the forest for the trees. Matt Ryan is going to fall by the wayside (maybe tonight). Mike Hart has missed too many games to win it. So where does that leave us? Simple: With Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon, who is scary good. He also looks a lot like Avon Barksdale, drug lord of Baltimore, as featured on The Wire, which is The Greatest Show Ever, and if you don't agree with that, then you are misguided and sadly unartistic.

Touchdown ...: There are only a few weeks left in this season and we are no closer to figuring out who will play Ohio State for the Mythical National Championship. Yes, I am saying the Buckeyes are going to make it, again, to the BCS Championship. Deal with it. The question, remains, however, who'll they'll play. Everyone seems to be assuming it will (somehow, someway) be LSU. But I'm sorry. That team has suffered too many close calls already; eventually, it's going to catch up with them. That leaves us with Kansas (not gonna happen) and a bunch of one-loss teams that look pretty similar. Oklahoma. West Virginia. Virginia. Etc. But there is only one truly impressive one-loss team out there, folks. It is the Oregon Ducks.