Thoughts From The Valley

The Hangover

How I am feeling: Relieved. The moment Oregon State knocked off USC on Thursday night, thereby lending some measure of credibility to Penn State's non-conference schedule, I knew the Nits' showdown with Illinois had become a so-called "must win." Then Florida lost. And Georgia got licked right out of the gate by 'Bama. And the "must win" became an "absolute must win." There was simply too much there for the taking. Thankfully, after a bit of a slow start, the Nits did end up winning it, thanks mostly to Derrick Williams, who had an absolutely astounding night.

What I am drinking: Yards Brewing Company Extra Special Ale. After splitting up with his former business partners, Philadelphia brewer Tom Kehoe set out on his own and re-launched Yards Brewing from a new brewhouse. But one thing hasn't changed: The Extra Special Ale remains outstanding. A truly unique taste among craft beers.

What I am listening to: Ryan Bingham's debut record, Mescalito. This dude has a voice that makes him sound like he's 60. But he's actually only 25. He apparently used to be a rodeo cowboy. Now he's putting out records that might best be described as "West Texas Americana." His "hit" single, "South Side of Heaven," is about as good a tune as you'll hear this year.

My thoughts on the weekend: OK, maybe you're wondering, "Is Your Editor surprised that Florida and Georgia lost?"

And if you are wondering that, well, here's the answer: No, I am not surprised Florida and Georgia lost.

For two very good reasons.

First, I am not surprised Georgia lost beacuse they were playing a really, really good football team. Second, I am not surprised Florida lost because the Gators weren't that good in the first place.

I'll start with Georgia. Because the news for the Dawgs is better than it is for the Gators.

While it must be noted that Georgia truly laid an egg on Saturday night, and while it's certainly fair to question whether Mark Richt adequately prepared his team for this game, I also don't think the loss is necessarily a death knell for the Dawgs' season. Nor is it indication that Georgia isn't a legitimate Top 15 squad.

Because the fact is, that Alabama team they were playing just might be the best team in the country.

As we should all know by now, Nick Saban can flat-out coach. He won a national championship at LSU. He turned Michigan State into a Top 10 team. And now he's turning 'Bama into the best team in the SEC. In just two years, Saban has transformed what was a truly bad program into a powerhouse. The Tide are loaded with budding stars and, despite the fact that they're playing six or seven true freshmen, have probably been the nation's most impressive team to date. That speaks both to the level of talent Saban has been able to bring in to Tuscaloosa and his coaching prowess. Those young players don't look young out there; they look confident. And that's to Saban's credit.

In short, Georgia fans, my message would be this: Don't dwell on this one too much. Because the SEC East is still there for the taking.

Which brings us to Florida.

Ahh, Florida.

There may be no more obvious symptom of ESPN's acute cause of SEC-Love-Fest-itis than the network's unyielding praise for Urban Meyer and the Gators.

In 2006, the Gators deserved the praise.

This year, they don't. Because while nobody seems to mention this, the truth is, the Gators haven't been that good this year and weren't that good in 2007, either.

Do you know what their record was last season?

It was 9-4.

Yes, 9-4. Not 11-1. Not even 10-2. They were 9-4. Among the other teams that were 9-4 last year? Michigan. Oregon State. Penn State.

And yet, if you listen to the college football talking heads, you might believe those Gators hadn't lost a game since 2004. But of course, they have. And they just lost to Ole Miss.

Unranked Ole Miss.

At home.

Look, Florida is not a bad team. They are a good team. But they are not Alabama. They are not LSU. They are not Georgia and they may not even truly belong in the Top 20.

Because they don't have a tailback. They don't have a defense (giving up an 86-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass? At home? To Ole Miss? Really?). And outside of Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin, they don't really have any players that scare anybody.

They are what they are: a 9-4 kind of team.

Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust

 

 

Three: In case you hadn't noticed, Duke, Vanderbilt and Northwestern are currently a combined 12-1. Vandy is 4-0 and ranked No. 19 in the USA Coaches Poll. Duke is 3-1 and just crushed Virginia, 31-3. And Northwestern is 5-0 for the first time in decades. Why does this matter? Well, this is why this matters: Duke, Vandy and Northwestern aren't in the business of enrolling dummies. These schools are hitting the field with true student athletes. And their collective success is a good thing for college football.

Two ...: If somebody has the time, I would appreciate them explaining to me how in the world Michigan ended up beating Wisconsin. Here's the thing: On Saturday morning, I predicted over here that Michigan had a legtimate shot of puling the upset. I even called my buddy Brian and informed him of my brave prognostication that Michgian would win. He mocked me. I stood my ground. Then the game started and Michigan looked just about as bad as a team could look. And when Wisky jumped ahead 19-0, I gave up and switched over to Auburn-Tennessee (which resembled an NFL game, in that it was horrificly boring) and the Phillies-Nationals game (Phils clinched the NL East, folks). Fast forward about 90 minutes. Mrs. Your Editor and Your Editor swing by our friends' place to pick them up for dinner. I take a look at the television, and Michigan was winning. I mean, seriously, what happened in those 90 minutes?

One ...: Penn State linebacker Navorro Bowman had another monster game for the Nits, racking up 10 tackles, breaking up countless plays and forcing a fumble that almost sealed the game for Penn State. Henceforth Navorro Bowman will only be referred to as "Lavarro Bowman."

Touchdown ...: Given all of the upsets we enjoyed in Week 5, I couldn't help but look ahead to the Week 6 schedule, just to try and figure which highly-ranked teams might go down next weekend. Just one game stood out: No. 5 Texas at Colorado. Keep your eye on that one, folks. Could. Get. Interesting.