Genius

If you aren't reading EveryDayShouldBeSaturday on a regular basis, then you really should be. Auburn fans will find this UF site especially entertaining during "Bama Week."

Check out his latest gem here. Apparently scientist have unearthed the remains of one of the first Alabama fans.

A Look Ahead...week 5

Every Wednesday, I will look ahead to the upcoming weekend's schedule to predict the scores from all the SEC games and some of the bigger games from all over the nation as well.

Last week: 12-1
Season: 12-1

Auburn @ South Carolina
On paper, this should be a fairly easy game. On the other hand, any SEC fan knows that a Spurrier coached team is able to rise up on any given week and knock out any given opponent. This has the potential to be a trap game for the Tigers, but I don't think there is any way that Kenny Irons doesn't go for at least 150 against his former team. By the way, the Gamecocks gave up almost 300 rushing years to Wofford...
Auburn 38- South Carolina 6

Alabama @ Florida
I feel the same way about this game as I did about this game last year. I gave the Tide no chance of keeping it close against a Gator team that clearly looked superior heading into the game. The Tide defense is not terrible, and Parker-Wilson has proved to not be a huge step down from Brodie Croyle. Call me crazy, but I think this one is close. I'm still picking the Gators in the Swamp, though.
Florida 24- Alabama 21

Tennessee @ Memphis
Tennessee is not a great football team. This game should be a blowout, but I think Memphis keeps it somewhat close at home.
Tennessee 28- Memphis 17

And the blowouts...

Mississippi St. @ LSU- LSU 38- MSU 3


Central Michigan @ Kentucky- Kentucky 34- C. MI- 13


Temple @ Vanderbilt- Vandy 37- Temple 16


Georgia @ Ole Miss- Georgia 40- Ole Miss 6


Now for some scores from around the top 25...

Ohio St. @ Iowa
As one who thinks Iowa is better than Michigan, I say this is the toughest test of the year for the Buckeyes. I don't know if this is wishful thinking, but I'm feeling the HUGE upset for the Hawkeyes at home.
Iowa 27- OSU 24

Georgia Tech @ Virginia Tech
Is there any player more fun to watch than GT's Calvin Johnson. Still, he doesn't have the personnel on his team to take out the Hokies in Blacksburg.
VaTech 24- GaTech 13

Purdue @ Notre Dame
The unranked but unbeaten Boilermakes travel to South Bend to take on the struggling Irish. Expect the struggles to continue, but Irish will pull off a close win at home.
Notre Dame 17- Purdue 10

Paterno

Looks like Penn State coach Joe Paterno has a new endorsement deal....

Week 4 Top 10

With the egg that Georgia laid at home against Colorado, they were bound to be dropped in my top 10 a little. Other than that, most everything is the same as last week.

1. Ohio St. (4-0)
2. Auburn (4-0)
3. Southern Cal (3-0)
4. West Virginia (4-0)
5. Florida (4-0)
6. Michigan (4-0)
7. Texas (3-1)
8. Oregon (4-0)
9. Georgia (4-0)
10. Louisville (4-0)

A Look Behind

It's Monday, and that means it's time to see how I did on last weekend's predictions...


Alabama @ Arkansas-
Here's what I said:
This has all the makings of a great game. Alabama probably has a slight edge in talent, but the Fayettville faithful will surely put things on a level playing field. Both teams struggled to beat Vanderbilt, and both are starting quarterbacks with no real SEC experience. Will this be the first big win for John Parker Wilson or for Mitch Mustain? Look for the home team to win by a field goal. Arkansas 23- Alabama 20
I nailed this one-
Arkansas 24- Alabama 23

Kentucky @ Florida
Here's what I said:
I really think this game will be closer than you think. Florida is prone to making mistakes, and Kentucky has athletic an offense as anyone in the league. Eventually, the Wildcat defense will crumble and the Gators will get one step closer to a matchup of undefeated teams when they travel to Auburn. Florida 41- Kentucky 20
I'm taking credit for this one- a close game until late, just as I predicted.
Florida 26-Kentucky 7

Wake Forest @ Ole Miss
I said:
Wake is a surprising 3-0 heading into this game, but have they come far enough to go on the road and take out a decent SEC team? I wouldn't think so. Look for Schaeffer to have his first big game as the Ole Miss QB. Ole Miss 34- Wake Forest 17
When I'm wrong, I'm really wrong.
Wake 27- Ole Miss 3

Mississippi St. @ UAB
Here's what I said:
Is this the game that the Bulldogs will finally get their first win? I'd say that they have a good shot against a struggling UAB team. The Blazers looked decent in the opening loss at Oklahoma, and of course they were stomped by the Bulldogs of Georgia, but it's their win that tells me the most about them. They beat East Carolina by a score of 17-12. Not impressive by any standards. The Mississippi State defense could very well pitch a shutout in this game, and the offense should be able to move the ball just enough to get the victory. Mississippi St. 13- UAB 3.
Once again, I nailed it.
MSU 16- UAB 10

The following games should be blowouts that don't really need a paragraph to break them down:

Colorado @ Georgia- Georgia 51- Colorado 9
Um, yeah- I overshot this one a bit
Georgia 14- Colorado 13

Buffalo @ Auburn- Auburn 49- Buffalo 6
Slightly overshot, but still a stomping
Auburn 38- Buffalo 7

Marshall @ Tennessee- Tennessee 38- Marshall 13
As expected...
Tennessee 33- Marshall 7

Tennessee St. @ Vanderbilt- Vanderbilt 31- Tennessee St. 7
Once again, I'm on fire!
Vandy 38- Tn St.- 9

Florida Atlantic @ South Carolina- South Carolina 37- Fla. Atlantic 13
Another blowout...
SC 45 - FL Atlantic 6

Tulane @ LSU- LSU 48- Tulane 3
Another one I nailed
LSU 49- Tulane 7



Now for some scores from around the top 25...

Wisconsin @ Michigan
Here's what I said:
I just don't see a team that only put up 14 points on San Diego State beating a team that just took out Notre Dame in a big way. Michigan 31- Wisconsin 10
A close game early, but ends up as I predicted
Michigan 27- Wisconsin 13

Arizona St. @ California
Here's what I said:
If previous games indicate the strength of either team's defense, this should be a high scoring game. California 38- Arizona St. 28
A high scoring game, although not quite as close as I thought...
California 49- AZ St. 21

Penn St. @ Ohio St.
Here's what I said:
I'd love to see the upset here, but it's not gonna happen. This shouldn't even be a close game. Ohio St. 31- Penn St. 14
The score doesn't begin to tell how close this game really was.
Ohio St. 28- Penn St. 6



So in Week 4, I went 12-1. Not too shabby.
This week:12-1
Season: 12-1

A Look Ahead...

Every Wednesday, I will look ahead to the upcoming weekend's schedule to predict the scores from all the SEC games and some of the bigger games from all over the nation as well.

Alabama @ Arkansas
This has all the makings of a great game. Alabama probably has a slight edge in talent, but the Fayettville faithful will surely put things on a level playing field. Both teams struggled to beat Vanderbilt, and both are starting quarterbacks with no real SEC experience. Will this be the first big win for John Parker Wilson or for Mitch Mustain? Look for the home team to win by a field goal. Arkansas 23- Alabama 20

Kentucky @ Florida
I really think this game will be closer than you think. Florida is prone to making mistakes, and Kentucky has athletic an offense as anyone in the league. Eventually, the Wildcat defense will crumble and the Gators will get one step closer to a matchup of undefeated teams when they travel to Auburn. Florida 41- Kentucky 20

Wake Forest @ Ole Miss
Wake is a surprising 3-0 heading into this game, but have they come far enough to go on the road and take out a decent SEC team? I wouldn't think so. Look for Schaeffer to have his first big game as the Ole Miss QB. Ole Miss 34- Wake Forest 17

Mississippi St. @ UAB
Is this the game that the Bulldogs will finally get their first win? I'd say that they have a good shot against a struggling UAB team. The Blazers looked decent in the opening loss at Oklahoma, and of course they were stomped by the Bulldogs of Georgia, but it's their win that tells me the most about them. They beat East Carolina by a score of 17-12. Not impressive by any standards. The Mississippi State defense could very well pitch a shutout in this game, and the offense should be able to move the ball just enough to get the victory. Mississippi St. 13- UAB 3.

The following games should be blowouts that don't really need a paragraph to break them down:

Colorado @ Georgia- Georgia 51- Colorado 9

Buffalo @ Auburn- Auburn 49- Buffalo 6

Marshall @ Tennessee- Tennessee 38- Marshall 13

Tennessee St. @ Vanderbilt- Vanderbilt 31- Tennessee St. 7

Florida Atlantic @ South Carolina- South Carolina 37- Fla. Atlantic 13

Tulane @ LSU- LSU 48- Tulane 3



Now for some scores from around the top 25...

Wisconsin @ Michigan
I just don't see a team that only put up 14 points on San Diego State beating a team that just took out Notre Dame in a big way. Michigan 31- Wisconsin 10

Arizona St. @ California
If previous games indicate the strength of either team's defense, this should be a high scoring game. California 38- Arizona St. 28

Penn St. @ Ohio St.
I'd love to see the upset here, but it's not gonna happen. This shouldn't even be a close game. Ohio St. 31- Penn St. 14

The State of the SEC

Sure, it's only week 4 and most teams have only played cupcakes thus far, but it's never too early to grade where each SEC program is thus far. Each team's grade will be based on performance this season, and overall direction of the program.

Auburn- A+
There isn't a team in the conference that is in better hands and going in a better direction than Auburn. Not only do they have the best coaching staff in the league, they have also been reeling in some of the top recruiting classes in the country for several years running. The only thing that could hurt Auburn is having it's top-notch coaching staff bolt for full time positions elsewhere. Throw in an endorsement deal with UnderArmour, and you've got yourself an A+

LSU- A+
You can almost say the exact same things for LSU that we said for Auburn. Good coaching, great recruiting classes, and the scariest quarterback in the conference add up to an A+ for them as well. It is nice to see the shift of power from the East to the West divisions complete. LSU gets extra points for maintaining their program in the face of Katrina.

Georgia- A
Georgia is the picture of consistency. Year after year they go out, win their 10 games and go home. While Tennessee and Florida have had some rough spots over the past few years, Georgia has been the team left standing at or near the top of the division most consistently.

Florida- A-
You have to give Florida an A right now, if for no other reason because of their lofty ranking and recent victory over Tennessee. Chris Leak is still better know for having weird looking eyes than for being a great QB, but Tim Tebow looks like the future of the SEC. Let's see if they can plug the few holes that they have in time for a tilt at Auburn in October.

Tennessee- B+
Tennessee used to never lose at home. Ever. The Vols had a swagger, a confidence- and opposing teams knew it. Then came the Auburn game in 2004 that matched two top 10 teams. By halftime, Jason Campbell and his Tigers were up 31-3. Since then, Tennessee has lost game after game at Neyland- the most recent being a choke-job against Florida. The team has talent, but how much longer will Phil be allowed to huff and puff down the sidelines?

Arkansas- B-
Not in the same tier as the top 5 team in the SEC, but the Hogs seem to be on their way. Great recruiting classes, including QB Mitch Mustain promise to bring the Hogs back to national prominence sooner rather than later. Always physical, always plays tough- eventually those will turn into big W's for Arkansas.

South Carolina- C+
Welcome to the roller coaster that is South Carolina football. Is there a team in the conference that will consistently look scary one week and terrible the next? I have no clue how good or how bad this team is. The problem is, I dont think Spurrier does either. Any team with Steve Spurrier at the helm is going to be heading in the right direction, though. If he can win at Duke, he can win in Columbia.

Alabama- C
When I see the Crimson Tide football team, it reminds me of how I feel about Britney Spears. There used to be no hotter celebrity alive than Britney, but now she is an overweight, unappealing shadow of herself. The Tide used to be the class of the SEC, but now find themselves to be nothing more than a mediocre team. I don't know many fans that beleive Mike Shula is the long term coach- outside of a suprising win against Florida last year, what has he done? This seems awfully low for a team that won 10 games last season, but even then you knew that the bottom could fall out at any time. Alabama doesn't have the nasty defense that won over half their games last year, and that spells trouble.

Ole Miss- C-
Ole Miss could find itself rising up this list pretty quickly if coach Orgeron can get his players to buy into his system. For the first time since overrated Eli was in Oxford, the Rebels have a legitimate threat at QB to score a toughdown on every play. The main thing that may keep Ole Miss from progressing may be the brutal SEC schedule.

Vanderbilt- C-
Is there really anyone out there that doesn't secretly root for Vanderbilt? Jay Cutler was able to rid the 'Dores of their long-time reputation for being the worst team in the conference. Led by playmaking WR Earl Bennett, the Vandy team is now downright spunky. Ask Alabama and Arkansas if they think Vanderbilt is on the right track...

Kentucky- D
The fans in blue are once again already looking forward to basketball season. I must admit though, that this team is fun to watch with one of the most athletic QB's in the conference. A surprise win over a superior Ole Miss team went unnoticed, largely because it really has no bearing on the rest of the country whatsoever.

Mississippi St.- D-
Hey, remember when Jackie Sherrill was leading the Bulldogs to SEC crowns half a decade ago? Me neither. This team has one of the most atrocious offenses I've ever had the displeasure of witnessing. When Tulane takes you behind the woodshed, it's time to re-evaluate where you stand as a program. It's hard not to root for the class-act Sly Croom, but I feel like he is behind the eight ball at this point.

Bennett Out With Broken Ankle

Starting Tight End Cole Bennett suffered a broken ankle against LSU and will likely miss 6 weeks. This will be an oppurtune time for highly touted prospects Tommy Trott and Gabe McKenzie to step up and fill the void left by the veteran Bennett.

We all wish Bennett a speedy and full recovery. I know he would love nothing more than to come back and torch the Bulldogs from his home state of Georgia. Until then, check out Cole's interview with TheAuburner from last season.

Now Geaux Away!

The SEC makes an official statement about the Auburn-LSU game: The Refs got it right.

Hey LSU: Greaux Up!

Got 12?

Nope. And neither do you.

For as long as I can remember, I have endured Bama fans defending their recent dismal seasons by reminding anyone who will listen that they still have their 12 national championships to fall back on. Initially, I let the Bama fans rattle on. Honestly, if your current situation and/or future was this bleak, wouldn't you yearn for the "good ol days" as well?

While Alabama's past is impressive, it's still not quite as impressive as they would like you to believe. Let's have a look at their 12 national championships, shall we?

1925 National Championship- Alabama claims they share this one with Dartmouth. Who awarded the NC? Houlgate and Helms. Houlgate started his system in 1927. So Bama won their 1925 NC using a formula that didn't exist until 1927? Helms Athletic Foundation started in 1941. Another incredible retroactive NC.

1926 National Championship- Alabama claims they share this one with 3 other teams with equal or better records! Once again it is the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1941 that awards it!

1930 National Championship- The Davis poll says that Bama tied Notre Dame for NC this year. This was the only one to award it to Bama. Notre Dame was named NC in 6 polls! Parke Davis is another retroactive system! He (an individual, not an organization) did his in 1933!

1934 National Championship- Alabama says they share this with two other teams. The awarders are Dunkel, Williamson, and Football Thesaurus. Dunkel was an individual who came up with his own system. Williamson was a geologist who came up with his own system. Football Thesaurus first appeared in 1946!

1941 National Championship- This is a complete joke. The AP ranked Alabama 20th in the nation with 14 teams with better records in the top 20. Once again it is the Football Thesaurus that retroactively awards it. Alabama finished 3rd in the SEC that year.

1961 National Championship- Finally a legitimate NC. One poll didn't give it to Bama though.

1964 National Championship- While the AP did award the NC to Bama (10-1-0), Arkansas had the better record, 11-0. Alabama played Texas in their bowl and LOST. The AP final poll was before the bowl.

1965 National Championship- The AP gave this to Bama. That year there were three teams with better records than Bama. Bama 9-1-1, Michigan St 10-1-0, Arkansas 10-1-0, Nebraska 10-1-0.

1973 National Championship- AP puts Bama 4th after their bowl game loss. Bama claims a NC from the UPI poll that was taken before they met Notre Dame in the bowl game and lost. There were 3 teams with better records than Bama that year. The embarrassment of naming Alabama number one caused the UPI to name champions after bowl games.

1978 National Championship- AP gives this to Alabama(11-1-0) even though USC (12-1-0) had the better record Guess who Alabama lost to that year? USC!!!!!!!!!. UPI gave the NC to USC.

1979 National Championship- Their second legitimate NC. Their first Unanimous NC.

1992 National Championship- Their third legitimate NC. Their second Unanimous NC.


So, next time you grow weary of hearing a sidewalk alum harping about Bama's 12 titles- feel free to direct them to this site.



Note: Information for this post was taken directly from here.

University of Alabama- Shining Beacon of Discipline

I've got one word for you, Mike Shula.

Balls.

As in, grow a pair. The way you have handled the Juwan Simpson issue has been disgraceful, even by Alabama's standards.

Some of you may not know the details of what has been going on at our sister school up the road. Allow me to catch you up. In May of this year, the starting LB for the Crimson tide was arrested and charged with receiving stolen property, possession of marijuana and carrying a pistol without a license. To add a bit of irony to the story, a month before the incident Simpson was given the Derrick Thomas Community Award, named after the late ex-Alabama linebacker who was actively involved in charitable works. When later asked what he thought his punishment should be, Simpson replied that they should give him an ice cream cone. Not only does this show ignorance and poor judgment, it also shows a complete lack of remorse for his actions.

One would assume that such an infraction would merit some sort of harsh suspension to begin the season. The opener against Hawaii came, and Simpson was in the starting lineup and led the team in tackles. Next up was Vanderbilt. Once again, Simpson started, led the team in tackles, and had a game winning interception as time expired. This brings us to this past weekend's game against pushover Louisiana-Monroe. Suprising perhaps the most faithful of Tide fans, Simpson sat the game out as his punishment from his summer snafu.

This is the disciplinary message you want to send your team? Get arrested and you will be suspended as soon as we play a team that we can spare you for! Shula defended his actions, explaining that he didn't want to punish the entire team by suspending a star player for tough games. Excuse me, Mike- that's what being a part of a team is all about. If a player screws up, it affects the entire team, like it or not. The pressure of not wanting to let down your teammates is the most powerful tool that a coach has when it comes to disciplinary action. By picking a convenient game well into the season to punish his star player shows Coach Mike Shula for what he truly is- a coward.

For an example of how to handle that situation in a morally sound manner, check out Coach Tommy Tuberville (click clack). This off-season, two of his starting linebackers were involved in separate incidents were both were caught drinking, and in one case driving. Coach Tuberville did not hesitate to suspend both players for the first 3 games of the season, which included last weeks all-important tilt with LSU.

Tuberville gets it. You punish to teach a lesson, whether it is convenient or not. His actions made it quite clear that he truly felt strongly about the actions of his players, so much that he was willing to potentially have this season marred in order to show that certain actions will not be tolerated.

Shula does not. Three things were made clear by his actions. First of all, he only punishes is players for the sake of being able to say that he punished them. If he truly wanted them to learn a lesson, or if he truly wanted to send a message, he would suspend them no matter who the opponent is. The second thing is that Coach Shula does not have confidence in his team this year. If he did, he wouldn't have problems with suspending players against the likes of Hawaii and Vanderbilt- we aren't exactly talking about perennial powerhouses here. The final thing we learned about Coach Mike Shula from this situation is that he is a spineless man without control over his football team. That is a recipe for a downward spiral.

Sometimes we Auburn fans have to look hard to find a legitimate reason to criticize the Tide. Other times, it's almost too easy.

Auburn-LSU, Final Thoughts

Seeing how I love the Auburn Tigers, and seeing how it is my blog, we are going to go into a little more detail about the big game from last weekend. If you don't like it, read a blog about flowers or poetry.

This game was HUGE for Auburn. The Tigers took a page out of Stephen Colbert's playbook and put the rest of the SEC "on notice." Yes, we have huge games with Florida and Georgia still looming. I'm pretty sure everyone knew that LSU was going to be Auburn's toughest test, and vice versa. I'm not saying that we can't lose a game this year- I'm just saying that we lose a game this year. Florida was less than impressive against another overrated Tennessee team, leaving Georgia as the biggest hurdle between us and another undefeated season. Actually, I think Georgia will probably be our two biggest hurdles, assuming we see them again in Atlanta.

Our defense looked a lot better against LSU than it did against Washington St. and Mississippi St. In the first two games, team were able to run up the middle at will. It was when they tried to get to the outside corner when our speed would keep the run at bay. This worried me. That is, until I saw us jam the LSU running game. They ran left- we stopped them. They ran right- we stopped them. They ran up the gut- nothing. I'm beginning to develop a man-crush on Will Muschamp, although I'm still a sucker for short, overweight offensive coordinators with no hair.

Separation Saturday

Let me start this post by admitting that I now hate the phrase, "Separation Saturday." It's not that it's not catchy, because it is. It's not that it's a misnomer, because it really isn't. It's because ESPN, through it's television coverage and web presence, have used the phrase roughly 28 thousand times over the past week and a half. One reason I resent ESPN- they seem to feel the need to bastardize every good thing in sports. From this point on, I will refer to them as the WorldWide Leader in Bastardizing Sports (WWLBS). By the way, did you hear that a couple of guys who are related played some sort of football game against each other last Sunday?

I digress. Even the WWLBS could not taint the weekend that we just experienced across the spectrum of college football. Rivalries were renewed, championship dreams were kept alive by some, and seasons were essentially ruined for others. Needless to say, here are some recaps and my thoughts on the biggest games. Hopefully funny stuff to come later.

LSU @ Auburn
A lot of people looked at the final score of this game and assumed that both teams showed that they were lacking on the offensive side of the ball. A lot of people were wrong. This was simply the story of two physical defenses clashing, essentially rendering the opposing offenses impotent. LSU came into this game with hopes of a national title- and certainly they have the talent for such a conquest. They leave as a longshot to enter the BCS picture now. Auburn came into this game with the same aspirations and head into a relative off week (vs. Buffalo at home) in fantastic shape. Huge hurdles in the forms of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama still loom, but look for the Tigers in orange and blue to make another run similar to their dream 2004 season.

Michigan @ Notre Dame
We may as well dub this game the "Media loves to overplay our success" bowl. One could think of few matchups that could boast the prestiege and storied history that comes with these two programs. Having said that, Notre Dame and Charlie Weiss were severely overrated and were destined for a huge letdown game. With the press Notre Dame has gotten since last season, one would assume that is they who are the defending national champions of college football. The good offense of Michigan exposed the porous defense of the Irish in this one, and we can expect other teams to follow the same recipe this year. Michigan takes a huge step forward. The biggest danger for Michigan may not be the Big-10 competition, but perhaps looking too far ahead to what should be a huge game against the rival Buckeyes.

Florida @ Tennessee
One would probably look at this game and think, "Wow- what a matchup of evenly matched teams!" Even though Tennessee led for the majority of the game, it was obvious that Florida was fielding the better team. This doesn't bode well for either team. Obviously, Tennessee isn't quite back to their previous position as an elite SEC team. On the other side, it should worry Florida that they kept shooting themselves in the foot against an inferior team, and had to come from behind in the 4th quarter to win. This may be overly presumptuous, but the Fla-Tenn game may have shown that Georgia has the best shot to reach Atlanta this December.

Nebraska @ Southern Cal
Is there a team that the media wants to see succeed more than USC? By listening to the pundits, you would have thought that this was a clash between two of the elite teams in the nation. Southern Cal fits the bill, but Nebraska most certainly does not. Like every other Big-12 team, Nebraska is mediocre at best. Still, we are supposed to believe that USC did something amazing by defeating a mediocre team at home. Southern Cal is one of the top 5 teams in the country- let's just not go overboard trying to defend their exploits. By the way, Southern Cal won't lose this year- even though the game with Cal will be built up to be another "clash of the titans."

My Top 10 (week 3)
1. Ohio State (3-0)
2. Auburn (3-0)
3. Southern Cal (2-0)
4. West Virginia (3-0)
5. Michigan (3-0)
6. Georgia (3-0)
7. Florida (3-0)
8. Texas (2-1)
9. Oregon (3-0)
10. Louisville (3-0)

Welcome

This is the start of something. Something beautiful? Unlikely. Something intelligent? Sporadically. Something completely self-serving and opinionated? Well, it is a blog.

My desire is to offer the interweb a look at college football that is fresh, informed, and somewhat humorous at times. We'll just have to see how this thing goes.

Until then, fasten your safety belts and please return your tray to it's upright position- we have takeoff...