For a number of reasons, most people have decided that the Big 12 was the best conference this year, if only for one year. However, the early returns from the Big 12 thus far in the bowl season have been less than impressive. Especially on the defensive side of the ball. It's enough to make
somebody think the Big 12 might have been the softest overall conference for defense since...I don't know...the Pac-10 for each of the past 15 years? I'm just saying, there's no fucking excuse for a top tier team giving up 47 points to crazy ass Houston Nutt (My daddy coached blind kids!! Those kids had heart!! Show me your heart!!! Yeayeahyeapyapyap!!) and Ole Miss. I mean NO FUCKING EXCUSE. Shit, Samford held the Rebels to 34.So, what happens if Alabama goes out and stomps Utah tonight (mark it down, by the way)? Do people start to re-evaluate the Big 12-SEC debate? No probably not. Texas would have to lose to Ohio State (highly doubtful) and then Okla...you know what? Let's just stop right there. I really just started this post as a way to link to this fantastic photo journal of the SEC Championship Game (Hey Rob...who won that game anyway?) and to give Rob a proper forum in which to fawn over Julio Jones and Nick Saban. Seriously though, defense is supposed to be the great equalizer, right? So why do so few people realize this when evaluating teams? Missouri didn't exactly run Northwestern off the field either. I'm just saying...
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108 comments:
preach it, brother.
I hope this game tonight is close but I don't think it will be. Not even remotely.
i, of course, am allergic to that sort of statement and hope very much that you are correct.
also, nice 1-5 thus far by the big ten. they're in danger of being passed by the mountain west. i'm only kidding a little.
A Mormon? But I'm from Earth.
The problem I'm having with using bowl results to prove things is that the Pac-10 has such a good record in the bowls and had such a terrible OOC record in the season.
The Big 10 is digging themselves a huge equity hole for getting teams into the NC game in the future. I don't think they're terrible as a conference. They just don't have teams that can compete at the very highest level.
By the way, how nice is it to have the BCS games split by the weekend? It might ruin the flow a bit, but it's nearly impossible to stay up for 4 consecutive games.
Hmmm....ESPN hasn't broken into the coverage of the Libery Bowl to mention that the Sugar Bowl started. But they did alert us to the Syracuse basketball game coming up next. Can't really blame them though.
well, that was...something. alabama looks completely unprepared to play at utah's tempo.
this is starting to smell a lot like the wvu/uga sugar bowl i attended two years ago.
at least alabama's built to make big comebacks.
john parker wilson's not exactly covering himself in glory this evening.
His name was Stephen Garcia.
ok, that tickled me just right.
anyone care to explain 'dating burn book'?
A young lady who used to work at the cracker factory.
Ummm...so did Utah and Alabama switch unis or am I the biggest jackass ever? Wait, don't answer that.
i'm chalking it up to significant motivational inequity. this game means a shitload to utah and can't be anything but a minor disappointment for alabama.
I've heard that angle but I'm not buying it for Bama. When was the last time they played in the Sugar Bowl? You telling me they can't get up for that? Bullshit. Show some pride you fucking dicks.
There seems to be a disproportionate amount of assholes with AT&T phones.
Are you counting yourself TJ? What about me?
Javier (said with spanish flair)! Igniting the Tide.
that was a sick runback.
you should be right, mark, but they were one quarter away from playing in the national championship game. natural letdown against an opponent they probably figured they'd beat just by showing up.
i think the officials may have blown that call.
points here would be huuuuuuge.
Seems that way.
"Your new formations scare and frighten me."
Points are huge. And real.
jesus, jpw - you're a fucking senior. you can't make that throw.
JPW couldn't have fucked this drive up more if he were Doug Johnson. What a terrible lack of execution.
I see Devendorf.
Nick Saban and Billy Donovan do not approve.
right on
Ok-you know what pisses me off about those new GEICO ads?
The use of Rockwell. Why? Cause he's a no talent hack.
Guess why he's a Motown artist?
because he's berry gordy's son. nepotism is cool.
Has Syracuse turned into a questionably scummy program? Or have they always been that way? Or are they not that way at all?
I don't think they're unquestionably scummy. Boeheim doesn't mind taking a chance on guys. Sometimes multiple chances in recruiting classes. The Devendorf thing is highly questionable though. If I were a Syracuse fan I would feel like how I felt when Urban Meyer let Ronnie Wilson back on the Florida Football team.
That should read, "I don't think they're questionably scummy."
You know what's really surprising? Alabama's inability and apparent lack of confidence in their rushing attack.
I was thinking the same thing. I didn't see many Bama games this year, but they're supposed to be a running team. Stick with it.
Also, the "Glen, go run over there play" doesn't work that well when Wilson points it out pre-snap. That safety was all over it.
Right now, there are thousands of mystified Bama fans saying "What the fuck? We're fucking Alabama"
Well, this is going to make for a lot of boring playoff columns.
Anybody else have a problem with Chad Pennington finishing second in the MVP voting?
An enjoyable Saturday morning read of last night's comments. A few things:
1. Brian Johnson dominates the game and no mention of either AC/DC or The Breakfast Club?
2. That's not the original Rockwell song. It's either a cover or a totally remixed to crap version.
3. Is "Mormoms" an acutal term for Mormon moms or is Mark an innovator?
So Pitt's best 3 point shooter, Brad Wannamaker, is white?
i'm still a little bit flabbergasted by that result, but less so as i recall the result of the wvu/uga sugar bowl in atlanta i referenced. lots of similarities. my relative level of sobriety was not one of them.
tribe @ northeastern at 1:00. shame i have to stop watching gtown/pitt.
need some knowledge from the hip-hop contingent. what's the story with charles hamilton? 'brooklyn girls' is great - does he have anything else?
hoyas look totally discombobulated right now on offense.
Tribe down 12 with 6:47 to go.
MGL picked them to lose by 10. Seems he knows of which he types.
This sounds atrociously painful:
San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson has a detached tendon that connects one of his adductor (groin) muscles to his pubic bone, according to team sources.
horrendous timeout by Atlanta. They should've challenged the spot. Worst case is the TO they called. Best case is a first down. Announcers are clueless about it.
boldin and fitzgerald are not human.
Is Boldin a free agent after this year?
I can't believe Matt Millen is employed in football, even if it's only as a commentator.
I don't know about you guts, but I am fired up for the diet pepsi bridge show.
Boldin is not a FA. He might be traded - it would likely be a package similar to Roy Williams + signing him to a huge contract. He's great though. My favorite WR in the league.
that's just embarrassing for san diego. did they not think that manning would expose them?
Boldin is terrific. He's so damn tough. He and Fitzgerald both have very different skill sets but they are both absolutely fantastic WRs. Arizona would be crazy to break up that duo.
Cromartie looked like he was just standing around, reading Word Up magazine.
San Diego has an unlimited supply of pneumatic cheerleaders.
Indy can't block at all. They'd be fortunate to hold on tonight, but I don't see how they can beat PIT or TEN with this kind of pass pro.
Jerry...do you do a lot of reading whilst standing up?
The San Diego crowd is deafening. I couldn't understand a fucking thing Madden was saying leading up to the last 3rd Down.
None of the defensive backs on either team can catch a cold.
I'm just happy this game is going to end before midnight.
The only time I read standing up is at the supermarket, where I've learned that Jennifer is upset and I can lost 17 pounds in 10 days.
2009 - year of the punter.
Where once there was a yacht!!!!
Now there is NOT!!!!!!!!!
The Chargers' punter has braces? How old is he?
I stand and read when I defecate.
Wow. Indy can't run the entire season and they get 6 from their own 1. That's...something.
Dungy has no faith in the running game. They went play action on 4th-and-1 and had an empty backfield on 3rd-and-2 from tehir own 8.
Dancing Shaolin monks? What would the ODB have to say about that?
SD should try to score a TD, but they probably won't.
Indy should probably tackle people short of the first down...
I love how Norv Turner decided to put glasses on for the second half. Now he can actually see the game he's coaching.
This game is pretty awesome.
Chad Simpson is the worst KOR guy I've seen in the NFL this year. By some margin.
Just how they drew it up.
Someone at wikipedia thinks the Chargers already won this game:
Mike Scifres (born October 8, 1980 in Metairie, Louisiana) is a punter for the San Diego Chargers. He was selected with the 14th pick of the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft out of Western Illinois University. He has twice been an alternate for the Pro Bowl, most recently as a 1st Alternate for the 2007 Pro Bowl ahead of Shane Lechler. He hit a 66-yard punt in the 2008 divisional playoff game versus the Indianapolis Colts in the Colts' victory. Scifres hit an even more baller 67-yard punt, the longest in the NFL postseason since 1992, in the Chargers' 2009 playoff game versus the Indianapolis Colts. In this 2009 divisonal playoff game versus the Colts, Scifres was easly the most impressive player on the San Diego Chargers and was a key component in their win. He is also known as the only active NFL player with braces.
Two games into the playoffs and the NFL has already given us a better game than we've had in the entire bowl season.
Temporary wikipedia can be amusing. After the Knicks drafted Balkman, I think it said something about his name coming from the Balkman Islands and how he was generally considered the worst player in the draft.
i know a lot of people hate Phillip Rivers, but i'd like to have that dude on my team.
And Greg wanted me to do a power hour at the rugby house....
but not so much that i'd capitalize his name again.
Rivers throwing motion will always prevent him from being considered an elite QB.
sproles is one inch taller than me. wrap your head around that for a minute.
Nobody, and I mean nobody purposely throws the ball into the ground like Phillip Rivers.
I don't want to wrap my head around you or Darren Sproles.
10 more yards until a week of "we have to change the OT rules" shitstorm. I actually agree, but it's still boring.
mark's right - exquisite grounding there.
Insidious?
Uncatchable?!?
insidious?
jerry!
The Colts are shitting the bed as if they visited the all-you-can-eat KFC buffet on Richmond Road.
Boooo
those flags were all legit, but they took something away from the drama.
i really wouldn't want to play the chargers right now.
Yeah, they were legit. I'd just rather see the Colts in the playoffs. Peyton doesn't have a ton of years left near his peak level.
Why was Antonio your primary target tonight?
Uhh...he's good.
Harrison's done too. It sounds weird to say, but they probably need to grab another offensive weapon if they want to maximize his last few good/great years. Addai seems pretty fragile at this point too.
They're really not a very good team at this point. That's why Peyton won the MVP. They were incredibly fortunate to post 12 wins this year.
Dwyane Wade rejected a 2 handed Brook Lopez dunk in OT. That's ridiculous.
ed reed. jesus.
That was quite the insane finish to Louisville/Kentucky.
Someone put a fucking muzzle on Desean (sp?) Jackson please.
bc beat carolina? whoa.
If you timed it just right (and I did) you got to see the end of UK-Louisville while flipping back from Vikes-Eagles and then catch the end of BC-UNC after football had ended. I take no credit for accomplishing this (I literally saw 7 total points scored in the UK-Louisville game) but it was a pretty fantastic 45 minute period of sports viewing to be a part of.
I don't know where to start with Andy Reid's facial hair and black jumpsuit, but I guess it worked.
Giant fans have to be bummed out they're not getting Arizona next week. Philly is a tough match for them.
if you timed it wrong (and i did), you got to bathe your kids and put them to bed while your dvr cut off the last 5 minutes of the philly game and you forgot that kentucky and louisville were playing.
Rob - You need to extend the recording of any sports event on your DVR! Comcast defaults to a 30 minute extension for sports events. I make it 1 hour to be safe.
I had to hold off on Game 2 for a similar feed/bathe/put down the kid on Sunday afternoon. Thankfully, I was able to start the late game at 7:30 w/o seeing the score.
i just feel i should comment because there are so many comments.
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