Friday, December 05, 2008

Don't Believe the Hype

Depending on when we actually get around to posting this, we're less than two days away from the 2008 SEC Championship, which pits the nation's top two squads in a National Championship elimination game. Sort of a "playoff", if you will.

Mark's a Florida grad and a keen observer of Gator football. I spent a number of my formative years in Huntsville, AL and remain a Crimson Tide fan. I haven't been this nervous about a 'Bama game in years, and I hear from Mark that he's having a hard time sitting still for tattoos due to his own anxiety. The editors at G:TB caught up with both of us this week for our pregame "insights":

1. What scares you the most about Saturday’s game?

Rob: Speed, speed, speed and skill. Not a description of a Keanu Reeves trilogy and the thing that it lacks, but a nod to the fearsome jets on Percy Harvin, Jeff Demps, and Chris Rainey, and the way Urban Meyer deploys them. There’s nobody in college football more fun to watch than Harvin, with the possible exception of Brandon James, though I suspect it’ll be a lot less fun to watch them when they’re blazing around the field against my team. Betting guru Brandon Lang claimed this morning that Alabama can match Florida’s speed. And while he gets paid to watch football for a living and has seen a lot more games than I have this year, let’s just say I’m unconvinced.

Mark: If you know me, you know I stress out about an inordinate amount of things before a big Gator game. Is Percy Harvin’s ankle injury manageable? Will Florida’s current rash of injuries along the defensive line leave the Florida defense susceptible to the run? Do I have enough boom (ht: Greg) to get me through the game? All of these things, as well as plenty of others, will be running through my head over the next 24+ hours. However, the thing that scares me most about this game is how Nick Saban’s schemes and defensive gameplan will affect Tim Tebow. Though he’s had a remarkably efficient year, Tebow still has a long way to go as a QB when it comes to reading defenses and going through his progressions. He can be confused by well disguised coverages and defenses that change looks late in the play clock. At least once a game, Tebow will throw a pass that should be an easy interception. He did this early in the LSU game but the safety misjudged it and it went for a Harvin TD. He did it again early in the Georgia game and it was picked off in the red zone, only to be nullified by an “illegal hands to the face” penalty on the Bulldogs. Nobody in the SEC, possibly the country, is a better designer of defenses than Saban and nobody teaches their secondary to read routes better Saban does. Tebow’s going to make a questionable throw or two early in this game.

What scares me most is the prospect of one (or more) of these throws landing in the arms of an Alabama defender. Turnovers will allow the Alabama offense to play on a shorter field and that’s never a good thing. Florida has to prevent turnovers, thereby forcing Alabama’s somewhat limited offense to consistently have to drive the length of the field in order to score.

2. What single player would you drug like Gus the Kicking Mule in order to keep him from making it to kickoff?

Rob: No brainer. Tim Tebow. While I’m sure Florida has a backup quarterback, I’m equally sure his talents pale in comparison to the Heisman winner’s. I mean, there’s no chance their backup can circumcise orphans with one hand while curing AIDS and legalizing marijuana with the other, all the while having Mark surgically attached to his jockstrap. I suspect he also can’t run through a brick wall unscathed and throw the ball a country mile, either. Watch yourself, Tebow – as Whitney knows, rohyphnol has multiple uses.

Mark: There are a number of candidates for this honor. One could go with super frosh Julio Jones, as he’s the Tide’s one true difference maker in the passing game. Or John Parker Wilson since the Tide has no other signal caller with experience. Or even Andre Smith, as he’s probably the nation’s best O-lineman and the key to Alabama’s powerful and relentless rushing attack. All are fine candidates. However, none have the potential to be the difference maker in this game in the manner that Terrence Cody does. Have you seen this guy? He’s impossibly big (375 pounds), he’s extremely agile, and he plays with a mean streak. Perhaps even more importantly, his size and ability allow Saban to play the 3-4, which is his preferred defensive alignment.

Florida’s got to find a way to keep Cody from consistently disrupting things on the interior of the line if they want to continue to successfully run the ball the way they have over the last 6 weeks. If you want to watch a great matchup tomorrow, direct your attention to the middle of the Alabama defense, where one, or both, of Florida’s Pouncey twins will be smashing heads with Mr. Cody on a play-by play basis. (One note: Rashad Johnson is a beast at safety and if Saban can confuse Tebow, then Johnson's the likely recipient of any of the Heisman winner's errant passes...still though Cody gets the drugs...lots and lots of them.)


3. What do you hate the most about the other team?

Rob: I hate that it’s so much harder to hate Florida than it used to be. Back in the Spurrier days, I used to work up a righteous, seething anger when the Gators would ass-stomp some poor squad and enjoy doing it. But I liked Urban Meyer at Utah because his offense was fun – even if he does seem a bit of a prick (and even then, Nick Saban coaches my team, so it’d be a bit hypocritical for me to cast aspersions on Meyer). And it’s impossible to hate Tebow – even if he may actually be an alien.

All that notwithstanding, I feel pretty good about the likelihood of a visceral hatred boiling over as soon as I see those hideous metallic blue and orange costumes take the field in Atlanta. I also hate that Mark's answer to this question will contain more colorful uses of the word 'fuck'.

Mark: Besides Rob? Wow, this is tough. It would be easy to say the Alabama fans here. Everybody knows that they are, collectively, a bunch of arrogant, racist, self-entitled assholes who can’t accept the fact that college football can, and in fact has, existed without them (I’ve always been partial to Auburn fans). Think Notre Dame fans without the education, wealth or years of crippling Catholic guilt. Believe me, it’s a bad combination. With that said, its not the Alabama fans that I hate most but the manner of losses that the Tide has dealt Florida over the years. There’s the “Shaun Alexander game” in 1999 when the aforementioned Alexander whipped his dick out in the Swamp and carried a Tide team led by Andrew Zow to an improbable OT victory over a highly ranked Gators squad (which was being led by Doug Johnson…excuse me, I just threw up a little). Later that same year, the Tide completely took apart the Gators in a rematch at the 1999 SEC Championship game, erasing any thought that their win in Gainesville had been a fluke and dashing any hope of an SEC title for Florida.

The worst loss though, took place in Tuscaloosa in 2005. From the very start, Bama absolutely embarrassed Florida. The Tide were bigger, faster and just plain tougher than the Gators in this one and Mike Shula had no problem continually proving this as the game wore one, even calling for a deep throw to the end zone in the 4th quarter with the Tide up 31-3 (Tyrone Prothro, R.I.P.). It was, to put it simply, miserable. I’ve never been so disappointed in an Urban Meyer led Gator team in my life. I’ll never forget that game, that embarrassment and I sure hope Meyer hasn’t forgotten about it either.

(Rob: What, no 'fucks'? That's...surprising.)

4. What’s your prediction?

Rob: For weeks leading up to the game, I dreaded the spectre of a high-flying Florida team demolishing Alabama – the Gators are clicking on all cylinders offensively, and quietly playing excellent defense to boot. As the game draws closer, though, I’m starting to put stock in the quality of Alabama’s offensive and defensive lines, in the idea that John Parker Wilson – as average as he may be – doesn’t make a lot of mistakes (a lot like an unheralded quarterback who led an Alabama team to an unexpected national title in 1992), in Glen Coffee’s talent, and most importantly, in Nick Saban’s ability to scheme defensively.

All that, though, and there’s still a little part of me saying, “Put down the pipe, Mersh. Clinton is right here.” The Tide keeps it close, but can’t keep the Gators down for four quarters. Florida prevails, 31-20. And Mark gets a tattoo of the Pouncey twins on his junk.

Mark: I hate predicting Florida games. I don’t want to jinx anything and, honestly, I’d prefer to talk about the game and leave it at that. That way, I can still sound smart without ruining it all by predicting a result and being comically off the mark. However, Rob’s not letting me off the hook here, so here it is:

Alabama’s defense is going to give the Gators some problems early and force Florida to play the field position game for much of the first half. I think Florida actually goes into halftime down to Bama, something like 13-10. In the second half, Florida’s speed and depth will begin to wear the Tide down and allow for some big plays down the field in the passing game. Florida’s offense gets on track from there and the Gators get a big play out of their special teams as they pull away late and win. Final score: Gators 31- Alabama 20.

171 comments:

TR said...

The overall organization and maturity emanating from that post was both surprising and compelling.

Not sure if I'm happy about that or sad that there wasn't more of a catfight. I suppose you schmucks will have a cyber-spat about it over the next 28 hours...

Mark said...

I tried to stick to the game itself for the most part since my shots at Rob are both predictable and better suited for quick comments. However, I did work up a little intro that didn't fit with the style of the post. Enjoy:

As I’m sure you’re aware of at this point, the SEC Championship game is taking place in Atlanta tomorrow afternoon. As I’m also sure you are aware of, this game will feature the favorite college football teams of two of this sites shortest (and most esteemed) contributors. That’s right, at approximately 4 pm tomorrow afternoon, my alma mater (The University of Florida) will take on the team that Rob’s decided to like because they’re good and he’s a frontrunner, the University of Alabama Crimson Tide (Full disclosure: Rob says he has roots in the state of Alabama but I don’t really know the guy and he also likes the Red Sox and the Redskins, so either he’s got some sort of weird red fetish or he’s a pint sized douchebag who has extremely loose guidelines for choosing his favorite sports squadrons). Whatever the reason for Rob’s allegiance to the Tide, he’s all kinds of excited for this game. So much so, that he broke out his Lil’ Saban straw hat and demanded that I answer the following four questions as a means of providing you, the reader, with an SEC Championship game preview that could provide insight from within each of these schools’ fanbase.

rob said...

i'd like rhymo to be present at my next performance review. he's got a way with a phrase.

rest assured, my hirsute friend, that the level of immature rhetoric will amp up substantially in the next day.

apologies in advance to mark for using big words.

rob said...

it's a trick question: i'm a pint-sized douchebag and i have a weird red fetish.

rob said...

for the record, mark and i independently arrived at the 31-20 score. if you buy the wisdom of the crowds theory, go bet heavily on the gators.

Mark said...

Those aren't really big words, Rob. Fancy? Sure. Big? Hardly.

Though I guess even Brandon James looks big to you, Webster.

rob said...

that dude is huge.

rob said...

whoa. 15 years for oj. karma's a motherfucker. teejay's doing shots in celebration.

T.J. said...

Good luck to the Juice when (if) he hits the general population...

Marls said...

I don't know about that. The juice might be a hero to a bunch of the guys in the genearl population. Not sure if he is going to have it that bad on the inside. That is unless Boggs takes a liking to him.

Dennis said...

He'll be out in 6 years and 1 day.

T.J. said...

I say he gets killed in prison.

rob said...

my daughters won't ever date hockey players - i simply won't allow it. that said, how the hell does sean avery get 6 games for talking shit about his old girlfriend? no question it was crude and he's a douchebag, but that's absurd.

TR said...

Rob:

The way things are going for me at work, I may be free the day you have your next performance review. I would be willing to shine your shoes or wash your car for a small fee.

And, while I may have a proud pelt on my ballbag, I wouldn't qualify as "hirsute". Zoltan's armpits, on the other hand...

T.J. said...

Yep, Florida:

VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A Vero Beach man faces a domestic violence charge after authorities said he assaulted his girlfriend with a cheeseburger. An Indian River County Sheriff's Office arrest report said a 22-year-old man and his girlfriend got into an argument as they sat in a car in front of their home.

The report said the man would not let the woman out of the vehicle, so she threw his drink out of the car. In response, the man allegedly grabbed her arm and smashed the cheeseburger into her face. The pair got out of the car, and authorities say the man again took the McDonald's sandwich and put it on her face.

rob said...

mayor mccheese is gonna throw the book at that guy.

T.J. said...

McBad.

rob said...

24 hours, mark. feeling good?

zman said...

6 years and 1 day?!? 1 day?!? C'mon, you know better. He'll be in jail for 8 days longer than that.

My armpits are hairy like the disco mitts from Rhymenocerous' vintage Swedish porn collection. I look like I have Buckwheat in a headlock. As I get older and start to grey it will look like I have Don King in a headlock.

Mark said...

Are we sure that Ike Turner isn't hiding out in Vero under an assumed name? Its worth checking out.

And Rob, I'm feeling okay right now. Its tomorrow morning that will be the real test for me, as I won't be able to quell my anxiety with large quantities of booze at that hour.

Mark said...

Anybody notice that a large percentage of the sports media has changed their tune and begun to pick Alabama in tomorrow's game over the last day or so? I have and I hope Urban Meyer has as well.

Honestly, I can't blame them. Conventional wisdom says that stifling defense and power football on offense are the perfect recipe for beating an offensive juggernaut. Okay, I've got to stop. I'm getting nervous...again.

T.J. said...

Mark, I would be nervous...if tiny agreed with you and picked the Gators than you know he's always wrong.

rob said...

i'm enjoying these zephyrs togs.

rob said...

kobe just hit an absurd twisting bank shot to slow a 22-4 wizards run. this game got interesting in a hurry.

T.J. said...

Born on Xmas? Anwar Sadat.

Who knew.

T.J. said...

Tiny, Tats...nervous yet? Drunk yet?

I'm pretty sure Greg and I are both still drunk from last night's funtimes.

rob said...

i'm too busy piling up domestic brownie points to be nervous yet. just raked a shitload of leaves. i'm the king of the suburbs.

T.J. said...

Nicely done robert. I am preparing a breakfast casserole for my wife and her friends. I will then play DC tour guide.

T.J. said...

So, the Buffalo Bills will be playing the Fins in Toronto this weekend, and the Buffalo Turner Gills will be playing in the Intl Bowl in Toronto in a few weeks?

Hosers.

Mark said...

I have it on good authority that Jason Whitlock ate 10 pints of ice cream in mourning of Ball State last night.

And yeah, despite the fact that I woke up about 15 minutes ago, I'm nervous.

Mark said...

And Gameday's not helping. This next four hours may be the longest 4 hours of my adult life.

Also, I was really holding out hope that Percy would be able to go today, despite what I know about high ankle sprains. Seems confirmed he's out now...and, of course, that significantly increases my anxiety level.

T.J. said...

Mimosas and breakfast casserole. Excellent start to what may be a wild day.

rob said...

harvin's out? as strange as this may sound, i'm a little bummed by that.

T.J. said...

Did you guys mention the turf as a factor? For some reason, I feel the Georgia Dome is gonna make this game look like a video game track meet.

Mark said...

I understand that. You always want to win with the other team at 100%. However, I think you'll get over it once Florida runs a jet sweep or option play to someone other than Percy.

And, for the record, its not confirmed that he's out but all signs (Gameday, message boards, rumors) point in that direction. Like I said before, not all that surprising with a high ankle sprain.

Mark said...

No, neither of us mentioned the playing surface. Though, you may be right, that fast track could play a big role as the game wears on.

T.J. said...

And for the record, yes, if there was a Wii track meet game, it would be awesome. And I'd play it a lot.

Mark said...

And you'd tear a hamstring doing it...

T.J. said...

Wii Fit...where TJ goes to die.

rob said...

how long has army worn these camo uniforms? they're awesome.

T.J. said...

I know Army often blows, but shouldn't the media be falling over themselves to talk about how good Air Force and Navy are every year given there obvious obstacles?

T.J. said...

And Whitney, I sincerely apologize for spelling "their" wrong.

Mark said...

These army unis are pretty spiffy. I don't know what I like more Army's unis or the Zephyrs throwbacks that the Wiz wore last night.

T.J. said...

Well, on this day of discord, at least you and tiny agree on one thing.

T.J. said...

Does Tulsa run the Varsity Blues "we forced Jon Voight out at halftime" offense?

T.J. said...

UConn/Pitt - booooring.

Mark said...

I can't take watching football right now. I'm off to the gym to occupy myself for an hour or so.

rob said...

if the wiz plan to suck all season long, the least they could do is wear those zephyrs uniforms. they're very cool.

T.J. said...

Rob:

We plan to suck all year long.

Caron

rob said...

it generally takes me a lot less than an hour to 'occupy myself'. mark's ritual must be pretty elaborate.

Jerry said...

Wait? Teejay was on AM Ale this morning? This could be a long day. And screw Mayhugh for saying he was coming over to my place and then bailing like the homo that he is.

T.J. said...

No real AM Ale. More like AM top Chef.

rob said...

anyone getting de la hoya/pacquiao tonight? it's the first fight in some time i've had any interest in watching.

rob said...

also, we need to make some picks. i like washington +5.5 at baltimore and miami even at buffalo. if anyone else wants to step up, feel free.

Jerry said...

I tried watching the ACC game, but I just couldn't buy it. This CUSA game is pretty good though.

Mark said...

The shake club I'm going to after tonight's Xmas party will have the Pacquiao fight. I'm looking forward to Manny defying the odds and taking about the Golden Bitch.

Hey Rob! Fuck the fuck off!

T.J. said...

The Big East game got much better as well.

rob said...

hi mark! go fuck yourself! you, too, jerry!

i would love to see pacquiao destroy de la hoya.

rob said...

what's a shake club?

T.J. said...

I'm confused - is there some sort of athletic contest Mark and rob have a rooting interest in?

Geoff said...

Why are there 10,000 empty seats at the ACC championship game?

rob said...

because the game's being played with an oblong ball and not in greensboro.

Mark said...

I think the organizers of the ACC championship game are excited there's only 10,000 empty seats.

A shake club is a term for a strip club that a guy I played ball with in college frequently used. I thought it was brilliant and stole it.

Mark said...

And TJ's confused...right on schedule.

rob said...

awful uniforms on the gator marching band.

Mark said...

I'm a little tired of Rob talking shit about the Gators colors and unis and their bands' unis. I guess they'd be a lot cooler if they found a way to incorporate houndstooth.

Mark said...

Okay, its official, despite the point spread more "experts" are picking Bama at this point.

Also, I've got to admit that I'm pretty bitter about Percy being injured today.

rob said...

houndstooth would indeed be awesome.

rob said...

man, tebow terrifies me.

T.J. said...

I hope both your teams lose.

Jerry said...

Vern Lundquist seems to be collasping into a sphere. It's like his entire body is sucking itself into his core.

T.J. said...

Star Trek Voyager wormhole?

Jerry said...

No Puerto Rican people.

Mark said...

As far as I'm concerned, Verne can continue to announce SEC games even when he's nothing more than a severed head ala Ted Williams.

T.J. said...

Mizzou loses by 30 tonight?

Jerry said...

Nothing is more American than SEC football.

Too bad they're playing in a dome.

Jerry said...

Reminds me of when we were at Jay's wedding in Roanoke and there were no TVs and we got out to the bars and found out that Kansas State beat Oklahoma 35-7. I was really hammered and people kept on telling me and I was equally astounded each time I heard it.

Geoff said...

Verne's third chin is formidable. I find it terrifying....just like Rob does Tim Tebow's starture, athleticism and christian machismo.

Mark said...

Can we start this fucking game already?

Jerry said...

What the fuck is Zaxby's and how does David Gerrard have a national endorsement deal.

TEBOW! Best press conference of the year.

Jerry said...

Stat of the day -- this game features the worst QB haircuts of any #1 vs. #2 matchup of all time.

rob said...

not really the start i'd hoped for

rob said...

bama cannot afford to get behind early

rob said...

my daughter is angry with me because i'm 'being lazy'. this kid's got a lot to learn.

Jerry said...

Watching sports with the appropriate level of focus and intensity should not be labeled lazy.

rob said...

oddly, those were the exact words i used with her. i don't think she bought it.

Jerry said...

On 2nd thought, maybe I shouldn't be conducting a 2nd hand argument with a ~5 year old girl on a blog.

Jerry said...

The double home jersey setup in the LA derby looks great.

Mark said...

I'll say it, early on the Florida offense is hindered by the lack of Harvin, severely.

And Jerry, Zaxby's is like Guthrie's. Just not as good. And its more of a regional endorsement.

rob said...

lot of focus on uniforms here lately. we're veritable fashionistas.

rob said...

jpw's holding up his end of the bargain, too, though he hasn't had to make any really tough throws.

Mark said...

From what I've seen of Bama, thats the gameplan for JP. Keep it simple and get it to Jones and the big TE.

Florida has to find a way to open it up a bit with some passes downfield.

rob said...

james' burst is unfuckingbelievable.

Jerry said...

"Ball Friendly" New term. Like it. Also applies to Mayhugh.

rob said...

richmond representing the caa well - ends appy state's run. very torn.

rob said...

my decidedly inexpert eye tells me bama's o-line is getting it done thus far.

Jerry said...

CAA is just so ridiculously strong. If the committee ever sets things up the right way, it wouldn't be a stretch to see 4 CAA teams in the semi-finals.

rob said...

question the wisdom of that fake in that area of the field with that much to get.

T.J. said...

Did all three CAA teams win today?

Jerry said...

Villanofun and JMU are playing now. UNH @ UNI later. That will be a tough one, but I think UNH has won there before.

Mark said...

Bad call on the fake. Especially when you bring in your backup kicker to do it.

Tebow's gonna need 20 carries to win this game. Many of them are gonna have to be of the scrambling variety based on the way that Bama is defending Florida right now.

Jerry said...

The fake will get more attention than it should. At that point of the field, it doesn't really matter what you do -- go for it, fake, pun, FG -- none of them are great decisions.

rob said...

first big mistake there by arenas.

Jerry said...

I'll go with Gene Stallings and Steve Spurrier. Stupid question though.

rob said...

smith did some work on spikes there, especially with the quick first step spikes got.

rob said...

michigan up 7 on duke with a minute left. go beileins.

Jerry said...

Yeah, that was pretty impressive by Smith. I think Wilson expected Spikes to beat him, so the blitz worked for Florida, but Smith got him blocked even though Spikes had a head of steam built up.

Greg said...

Oh Jerry and his fake puns.

rob said...

this is a fun game thus far. the florida offense vs. bama defense matchup is awesome. two really good units playing pretty well.

Greg said...

That was a bullshit no-call on Walker.

Jerry said...

I like the decision to let time run out there for Florida. It's not like they've been cruising down the field against these guys.

Mark said...

Urban certainly know a lot more about football than I but I can't figure out why Florida didn't stop the clock and see if they could get in FG range to end the half. Oh well.

Jerry said...

Oh Greg and his no calls.

Mark said...

I get what you're saying Jerry, but I would've liked to take at least one shot down the middle of the field.

Mark said...

Well, this game certainly makes up for what I've labeled as "the least stressful season in the last decade of Florida football". I am damn near wiped already.

Jerry said...

Title 9 is destroying halftime novelty contests.

Geoff said...

Well if I'm so gay then why have my wife and I raised these three beautiful dogs...

Mark said...

Geoff, that's not a beauty mark. God pooped on your face.

Jerry said...

Putting the word science at the end of a degree name doesn't make it science.

rob said...

wow, julio jones.

TR said...

When you get down to brass tacks with this game, you've got to give the Gators the edge, if only because Tebow is the guy who will make the most big play(s) to lead them to win. I think Bama is just too young and Godless to win.

Jerry said...

Coffee is brewing up a pretty strong drive.

Jerry said...

Nova just scored to go up 3 over JMU with 7 minutes to go.

rob said...

game on.

Mark said...

Thats a really impressive drive. If Alabama can mix up their playcalling like that for the remainder of this game, well, I think Florida's got problems.

And, for the record, I hate the corner blitz by Haden on 3rd and long early in that drive. Why run a blitz with the corner manning up on Jones, especially if that leaves Major Wright in coverage on Jones.

Mark said...

Fuuuuuck.

rob said...

florida's special teams had been winning that battle until that miss.

Jerry said...

TD JMU. Landers is a beast.

rob said...

wilson's gonna get killed if he keeps pretending he's tebow.

rob said...

is landers a transfer?

Jerry said...

Wilson is a master at throwing the ball away.

Jerry said...

no, he's a 4 year JMU guy.

Nova just threw a pick - WR fell down. Game over. They might be the #2 team in the country.

rob said...

dagger penalty

Jerry said...

Fake option - shovel pass. Awesome call.

Jerry said...

The speed of the Bama defense has been impressive.

rob said...

tiny mistakes telling the story. that penalty just a killer.

Jerry said...

Yup. It's one of those games. Coffee's broken tackle on 3rd down earlier was worth 4 points.

Jerry said...

Stone Mountain, Georgia - home of Kenneth Parcell.

rob said...

tide d vs. gator o for the marbles here.

T.J. said...

Murph and the Magictones

rob said...

fuck. tebow's made some great throws in this game.

Jerry said...

By the way...your predictions...

rob said...

yeah, mark and i are supergeniuses.

Mark said...

Watching this game by myself has been fucking torture.

Jerry said...

If the game ends at this score, I'm prepared to designate this the most outstanding achievement in the history of the internet.

Mark said...

Tebow and Cooper...gay like Rob and Whitney?

Jerry said...

Did they swap Cunningham to the other side to avoid Smith?

T.J. said...

Even better than my 100 percent accurate prediction of the USC/Texas title game from a few yrs back?

Mark said...

SEC! SEC! SEC!

rob said...

crap. bama just made a few more mistakes.

rob said...

really wish i'd found a way to get those roofies to tebow.

rob said...

florida's gonna kick a field goal here to fuck up the prediction, too.

Jerry said...

People talk so much shit about the computers, but the human polls are 2/3 of the BCS and most of the voters either don't watch the games (coaches) or are morons (Harris).

rob said...

good on the gators. they played really well. lot to be proud of for bama, too - i can't be but so disappointed, especially since they'll be good again next year.

Jerry said...

After watching that game, I actually would like to see Alabama play Oklahoma. That might be more interesting from an observational standpoint.

Jerry said...

With the talent on that field and the state of the SEC, I think a rematch in this game next year would be posted at less than even odds.

Mark said...

Some postgame thoughts from a guy who spent nearly the entire 2nd half pacing in his living room:

- I've been as critical of Tebow as a passer as anybody but he made some great throws tonight. His short passing in the redzone was great and his touch along the sidelines was responsible for almost every big play the Gators had tonight.

- I knew Bama was good (thats why I was so worried) but they're better than even I thought. Physical. athletic and disciplined. They will be scary from here on out as long as Saban is in Tuscaloosa.

- In the absence of Harvin, the Florida WRs stepped up in a major way. Cooper, Murphy, Nelson (who's emerged in a big way over the last 3-4 games) and Hernandez were enormous tonight.

- Great game by both UF coordinators. Strong made some great adjustments mid 2nd half (As Jerry alluded to, moving Cunningham to the left side was big) and his stunt call on Cunningham's sack late in the 3rd was perfect. As for Mullen, I was concerned that he was taking the ball out of Tebow's hands a little too much at one point in the 2nd half. However, he kept Bama from being able to focus exclusively on Tebow (which they had begun to do early in the 2nd) half) and allowed Tebow the room to make things happen for the Gators.

- Finally, Tebow's stats on 3rd down: 4/8 passing for 3 TDs and 4 rushes for 1st downs.

Now, I'm off to get drunk and hit the shake club.

rob said...

i'll call ahead for you, mark - at least one lapper's on the house.

rob said...

not a good night for the tribe at home against vcu.

TR said...

If Mizzou beats Oklahoma, how is Texas more qualified to play for the national title than Alabama?

Texas had a loss to the 7th ranked BCS team, while Alabama lost to a team that will be in the top 2 or 3 of the BCS. You could make the case Florida still doesn't deserve to play for the national championship. Their loss to Ole Miss is the worst loss of all one-loss teams except USC.

rob said...

craig james and doug flutie just made exactly the same point. and then marcellus wiley performed some bizarre spoken word interpretive reading while emceeing the 'throw for cash' halftime show.

Mark said...

Dat Dude.

Jerry said...

The SEC is working on equity from the past few years. It's not good this year. And 2008 Penn State is getting screwed by 06/07 Ohio State. By the numbers, Texas has at least as good a case as Florida, and that's why the computers rank them higher. Regardless, the voters will manipulate the rankings to give us the game we're all expecting. And people will be happy. And people will complain. The same people.

T.J. said...

Oklahoma is the first team ever to score 60+ in 5 straight games?

Wow.

T.J. said...

Brad Edwards looks like a pedophile.

T.J. said...

This Cincy/Hawaii game is a lot of fun...especially since its basically 3am EST.

Whitney said...

Not a big enough deal (Jerry's hyperbole notwithstanding) has been made about the score predictions of our two Nostradami. I am wowed.

Jerry said...

I'm genuinely blown away.

Oddly enough, College Football News had this to say:


Line: Florida -9.5 ... CFN Prediction: Florida 31 … Alabama 20

T.J. said...

OK, I believe rob has taken the Skins and Fins. I'll tack on the Jets and Steelers for Team G:TB.

Someone can pick the MNF game tomorrow.

TR said...

I was all set to make post 169 until f-ing TJ stole my thunder...

Giants are now down 10-0 against the Iggles. This would be a totally understandable let-down loss for this team. I think they'll be fine if they finish 13-3.

Jets-San Fran makes me nervous. Mike Martz knows how to get things done in the air and the Jets' secondary is their biggest weakness. Other than their head coach's lack of a neck, that is.

Mark said...

I'll make a pick on the MNF game at some point since the Bucs are involved.