| 02 October 2011
Some randomly scattered thoughts on this weekend’s games…
Alabama: So I’ve got a few quick points on Alabama.
The first, is that they’re really, really good. Obviously. I’m guessing you didn’t need me to tell you that, but I wanted to get it out of the way right up front.
Honestly, they’re not even just good at this point, but a straight freight train. Every single week I continue to look for flaws in this team, look for something, anything that might be a kink going forward, and I just don’t see it. Their defense is as good as any in college football, Trent Richardson is the single scariest offensive weapon in the sport that isn't a quarterback, and A.J. McCarron is getting better by the game. The fact that they’ve beaten two legitimate Top 15 teams in the last two weeks tells me everything I need to know. This team isn’t going away, and isn’t going to beat themselves. To get the better of the Tide, you’re going to have to take their best shot, and simply be better than them on that given day. Obviously from what we’ve seen so far, that won’t be easy.
But to the point about “they don’t beat themselves,” that was the one thing that I couldn’t help but think about the Crimson Tide as I watched them last night. They just…don’t…beat themselves. Alabama always shows up ready to play, focused and fully prepared. Really, that’s been the way things have been basically since Nick Saban got into town five years ago. After that first year, there hasn’t been a team better prepared week in and week out than these guys.
Think about it. Over the last four years, Alabama has gone a combined 41-5. Of those five losses, you could argue that in three of them, they lost to a team that was simply better than they were (Florida in 2008, LSU and Auburn in 2010). And like it or not, you do at times run into teams that are better than you. Only twice in the last few years (the 2008 Sugar Bowl and South Carolina last year) can you say that Alabama showed up simply unprepared to play. That’s 44 out of 46 games. And that’s a mark that no one in college football has over the same stretch.
But when you really think about it, and put the whole college football landscape into its proper context, it’s even more impressive. Week after week, year after year, we see teams that yo-yo up and down, play to their competition, or just not play hard at all. South Carolina came out flatter than a drum yesterday (although really, you could probably blame Stephen Garcia more than the Gamecocks as a whole). Auburn nearly lost to Utah State earlier this year, Arizona State can’t play two good games in a row, Maryland got smoked by Temple, and poor Texas A&M shrinks in every big game like they’ve just been swimming in cold water. Not to mention that Georgia got rolled by Boise, and then Boise showed up the next week unprepared to play Toledo. It happens to everyone. Except Alabama.
Plus, it’s not like they’re not playing good teams basically every week. Since the start of 2008, the Tide have beaten No. 1 ranked teams (Georgia in 2008, Florida in 2010), quality in conference foes like LSU, Auburn and Arkansas, good teams out of conference (Penn State, Virginia Tech and Clemson), pesky other ones (Tennessee, Mississippi State) won bowl games, and have done it on road, home and at neutral venues. Bama just keeps showing up focused, and just keeps winning.
Last night was no exception. If anything, it was really par for the course. It is unbelievable to see with your own two eyes.
As for their opponent…
Florida: Like Alabama, I couldn’t help but think one thing about Florida last night. That was, “As far as they’ve come, they’ve still got a long way to go.”
Understand, that’s not an insult to the Gators. I like them a lot, and really, they’ve been one of the pleasant surprises in college football this season. They’re playing hard under Will Muschamp than they ever did last year, and are also playing to their talents. They may have the talent of a Top 15 club last year, but definitely didn’t play like it. This year they are.
Still, it’s one thing to play hard when things are going well, when the breaks are bouncing your way, or when you’re simply the better team, like Florida has been the first four weeks of the season. But it’s quite another when things aren’t going well, when your opponent is looking you right in the eye, and challenging your manhood. And in that regard, Florida just wasn’t ready last night.
Again, in time, I think they’ll be fine. Looking across the board, the Gators are actually a very young team, especially on defense. The core of their team, guys like Ronald Powell, John Bostic, Andre DeBose, Matt Elam and Jeff Driskel still have a lot of time left in Gainesville.
And really, the more I think about these Gators, the more that I think back to last year’s Tennessee team. Derek Dooley repeatedly said all year that his toughest task was teaching that team how to win, how to play hard for 60 minutes, how to stand strong in the face of adversity. To Dooley’s credit, things worked out. After a tough first six or so weeks of the season, the Vols hit a soft patch in their schedule, gained some confidence, and rode it out to the Music City Bowl.
As for Florida? Well, things obviously don’t get any easier the rest of this month. There are back-to-back trips to LSU and Auburn, followed by a bye and a game against Georgia. Right now Muschamp’s toughest challenge as a coach is to keep his team playing hard, even if things keep going wrong. The fact that the Gators will likely be without John Brantley for the foreseeable future only makes things more difficult.
But things will get figured out. Maybe not this week, and maybe not even this year.
But when they do, watch out. Remember what I was saying about Alabama earlier? I fully expect to say the same about Florida in a year or two.
Staying in the SEC quickly, there’s…
Georgia: And really, I thought that Gary Danielson hit the nail on the head last night when he said that things are opening up very nicely for the Dawgs to make a run at the East title. Yes I know it’s early, and I know it sounds like pure blasphemy if you haven’t watched Georgia in a few weeks. But let’s think about this logically for a second.
Let’s start with the defending East champs, and say that for all intents and purposes, South Carolina is done. I’m sorry, Gamecock fans, but it’s true. Your quarterback is more emotionally unstable than the women of the Jersey Shore house, and I’m pretty sure watching yesterday it isn’t going to get better (Read my detailed opinions on Garcia here). Sadly, I feel like if Steve Spurrier had a better option than Garcia, at quarterback he’d have made the move by now. Much like a bad marriage, South Carolina and Garcia are stuck together for now. An end is obviously in sight, but by then it'll be too late.
Then there’s Florida and that brutal schedule. As I mentioned, they’ve still got road games at LSU, Auburn and South Carolina, with Georgia on a neutral field. What’s a best case scenario there? 2-2? If so, then Georgia could even afford a loss to the Gators in Jacksonville and still get to Atlanta. Assuming they beat Tennessee next weekend. The Vols will be at home, yes. But without Justin Hunter and a still shaky defense, I'm backing the Dawgs.
And really, I’m backing the Dawgs not just next week, but going forward. Starting with the schedule, well, it's pretty darn easy. After next week’s trip to Tennessee, their only remaining conference road game is at Vanderbilt, with Auburn and Kentucky at home. Other than Florida in Jacksonville, that's about as easy as it gets in this conference.
But really, the most important change has been on the field. If you’ve been watching the Dawgs the last few weeks, you know they’re a totally different team than they were even a month ago. It’s day and night. Black and white. The difference between Stephen Garcia and Tim Tebow.
As I’ve been saying the last two weeks in my weekend preview column, at the very least, these guys are playing hard for Mark Richt. Whatever they lack up for in talent, they’ve actually made up for in heart the last three weeks or so. I can honestly say that in all my years watching Georgia football, I can never remember this team being as emotional as it is right now.
Then there’s this: Isaiah Crowell is really good, and in actuality better than we all expected. The guy is fast, smart, has excellent vision, and seems to be getting better by the week. If you haven’t watched him since the South Carolina game, I absolutely promise you that you’ll be surprised next week at Tennessee (By the way, I've got to ask: Has anyone else been significantly more impressed with Georgia’s version of the “Dream Team,” than Philadelphia’s? Yep, me too).
And the scariest part with Georgia is that they’re playing well, even despite the fact that Aaron Murray has undoubtedly regressed since last year. And yes, if you're wondering, I know a lot of that had to do with losing A.J. Green to the NFL, but I don’t care. I know what I saw with my own two eyes, and the guy is nowhere near as confident as he once was. Maybe he’ll get there by the end of the year, I don’t know. Then again, with the way everyone else is playing though, it might not mater. This team is playing phenomenal football, and if they can get by Tennessee next week then the doors really open up for them (assuming of course that Florida loses to LSU and South Carolina keeps doing South Carolina-ish things).
Georgia is a flawed football team, but a good one still. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see them in Atlanta come the first weekend in December.
Now let’s get away from the SEC, and finally talk…
Russell Wilson: A few things here. The first, is that I’m almost never right with any prediction that I make…to the point that I should probably stop giving them out altogether (Really, wouldn’t America just be a better place without them?). Still, I did hit one yesterday when I said this: By the end of Saturday, Russell Wilson would be considered the Heisman favorite. Now I’ve got to ask, was I right? Or was I right? (You don’t need to answer. It’s rhetorical. Also, feel free to bring up the other 3,600 times in the last week that I actually wasn’t right at all.)
Anyway, the best analogy I can make to what Wilson is doing right now is the one I made on Twitter last night. At the time, I said that “Russell Wilson is like the 6'2 kid with a mustache in Little League: He's so much better than everyone else, it’s just not fair.” Honestly, it really isn’t.
Truth be told, I knew coming into the season that Wilson was good….but my God, I had no idea he’d be this good. The guy is quite literally one of the most flawless quarterbacks I’ve ever seen. Reflecting on it, I’m actually not sure I’ve seen him make a mistake all year. As I joked with my friend who is a huge Wisconsin fan, “I’m mad I don’t have a daughter, just because I'd want her to date Russell Wilson.” And oh by the way, that at deep touchdown pass to Nick Toon last night really was just about the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
Now to something interesting. Last night after Wisconsin finished their beat down of Nebraska, I looked at their schedule and I’ve got to admit it: The idea that they might run the table is not only inconceivable, if anything, it seems likely.
Seriously, look at who is left. Poor Ohio State can’t seem to get out of their own way on offense. Illinois is still coached by Ron Zook. And everyone else is an assortment of “not quite good enough” (I’m looking at you Penn State) mixed in with “wait, they still have a football team?” (Hey Minnesota!)The only real challenge remaining seems to be a visit to Michigan State on October 22.
I guess what I’m trying to say is this: When it’s the middle of December, don’t be surprised if Wisconsin, the SEC champ and the Big XII champ are all undefeated, and we’re all arguing over who belongs and who doesn’t. Hell, I can practically hear Skip Bayless and Rob Parker screaming about it as we speak.
Will that happen? I can’t say I know for sure. But if we don’t end up with three undefeated teams at the end of the year, it won’t be Wisconsin’s fault.
Mark my words, and write them in ink: The Badgers will finish the regular season undefeated. The question is, will anyone else?
Texas: The biggest reason that I think we might not have our three-way, ménage-a-No. 1 between Wisconsin, the SEC and Big XII champs, is because if anything, I’m not so sure that whoever wins the Big XII will be undefeated.
Why? Well, I think that across the board, this conference might have more quality teams than any other, including the SEC. Yes, we already know how good Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are, but behind them is a really intriguing group of teams. Baylor is capable of scoring points on anyone, Texas A&M has the talent of a Top 15 team (even if they’ve got the heart of a bottom five one), and Kansas State is undefeated and will be ranked come Monday morning. Missouri proved to be tough at Oklahoma a week ago too.
Then there’s Texas, who to me, is maybe the most terrifying team of all in this conference. That doesn’t mean they’re the best. But if I were Oklahoma or Oklahoma State, they are the group that I’d be most terrified to play.
Why? Because they’re young and talented, and don’t know any better but to play hard. The Longhorns are getting quality play from both quarterbacks (Case McCoy and David Ash), have bona-fide studs at wide receiver (Jaxon Shipley) and running back (Malcolm Brown), with a defense that is gaining confidence every time they step on the field. Iowa State didn’t score a single point until the fourth quarter yesterday, long after the final outcome was decided thanks to that unit.
Granted, this team might still be a year away from being a real contender going forward. But they’ve got just the right mix of naiveté and confidence to spring an upset on a team which isn’t expecting it.
If I were any of their opponents, I’d be very scared.
Starting next week with Oklahoma.
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