Is There a Media Bias??

For the second straight year a contraversial BCS Championship game involved a team from the SEC. The South, and particularly the SEC, have been very active in the National Title hunt. Some people complain that there is a bias in the media against the SEC, the South, or certain teams. Yet with these facts, some find it hard to find one.

But I still say that to some degree or another, there is a bias. When a team such as Ohio St. or USC get into the NC game it is considered hands down and no-two-ways-about-it that they will get in. People still complained when Florida got in, and some people do not think LSU should have got in this year. Of course, if LSU did not get in, then UGA from the SEC would have had a good argument (I think that they do anyway). UAT was given tough player restrictions when the players were found to have false use of textbooks, and the media talks much more about Big 12 or Pac 10 than they do the SEC. Of course, it was a given AU would be left out of the championship game in '04. The media rejects a playoff system to give perhaps up to three SEC teams a year a chance at the Big Show. Although the SEC has been present in the NC game now three years out of the past five, and all three of these years were contraversial, we should consider the strength of the SEC, and the negatives the media gives them compared to the positives the media gives other schools.

AU was left out in '04, and the media did not feel bad for AU. When USC was left out in '03, the media declared them the AP NC's, and rode them on #1 all through '04. When UF went in the NC game contraverisaly last year, the media complained it was not Michigan (even though they already lost to Ohio St., who was definetely in the game). UF wound up beating Ohio St. real bad. This year, it was a given Ohio St. would be in, and it was a toss-up between about six other teams, of which the SEC had two. LSU went in with Ohio St., and UGA got a no-win situation with a Hawaii team.

I also recently saw a TV special with the fifty greatest plays in college football. The only AU play was Punt Bama Punt. But I saw plenty of plays listed that were not as good as other AU plays. What about Bye Bye Bo, Go Crazy Cadallac, Kenny Irons breaking through ten players again LSU, the contraversial tip play against LSU in 06, Nix to Saners - '93 version or '94 version, etc. I wouldn't expect all of those on there, but I do believe that AU was deservant of more than one play, especially after seeing other plays they had on.

And so I won't be hypocritical, I admit that yes, I am biased too. But not many people see this blog, and those who do are probably SEC junkies anyway. And besides, I am not getting paid a living for writing these. It's just fun : )

What do you think?

War Eagle

December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas!!!

Ryan Hampton

College Football Now

Well...we are ALMOST to the end of a wacky season of college football. We still have the bowl games, which are up for grabs. Who's going where? Who will be in the NC game? It appears that it will be Ohio St. vs. LSU in the NC game, although that has not been announced officially yet. But my opinion is not always the opinion of the voters. I believe that if Ohio St. goes, then UGA should go. UGA does have two loses, and they did not play Saturday. LSU did and one their conference. But if Ohio St. moves from #3 to #1 with #1 & #2 both losing Saturday, then UGA should in theory, move from #4 to #2. Granted UGA has the extra loss, but so does LSU, and both LSU and UGA's schedule is harder than Ohio St's. Really, the top teams is opinionated, and so hard to tell. I would like to see a playoff, but I'm not sure if that will be happening any time soon or not. But still, it's a nice thought. Without further to do, I will give you my top 40.

1. Ohio St.
2. Georgia
3. LSU
4. Oklahoma
5. Virginia Tech

6. USC
7. Kansas
8. West Virginia
9. Missouri
10. Florida

11. Arizona St.
12. Hawaii
13. Illinois
14. Boston College
15. Clemson

16. Tennessee
17. Texas
18. Wisconsin
19. South Florida
20. Auburn

21. Virginia
22. Cincinatti
23. Arkansas
24. Bringham Young
25. Kentucky

26. Boise St.
27. UConn
28. Texas Tech
29. Penn St.
30. Mississippi St.

31. Oregon
32. Michigan
33. Troy
34. Air Force
35. Georgia Tech

36. Florida Atlantic
37. UCF
38. Oregon St.
39. Wake Forest
40. Utah

Bowl predictions (what I would like to see, not what I think will happen): Ohio St. vs. UGA; LSU vs. USC; Oklahoma vs. Virginia Tech; Kansas vs. Illinois; Missouri vs. West Virginia; Tennesse vs. Clemson; Florida vs. Hawaii; Auburn vs. Virginia. I could go on and on with bowl games but that is what I would really like to see, with Ohio St. vs. UGA in the big show.

So there's that. My polls may not be perfect, although I do not know if there is a perfect poll with this year's college football. It is similar to the main poll's, though slightly different. Anyway, let me know what you think about my posts. That's my word, and as always, I have the final word.

What do you think?

War Eagle!

Ryan

Recapping the Iron Bowl and the Rest of the Season

What a year of college football! And we still have a little bit left to go. Maybe this can be a sign of things to come - and that's not a bad thing. I want to see the unbelieveable, unpredictable, and games in which the honest and wise person will not in the least claim to know who will win.

What an Iron Bowl - well, sort of. Maybe it was dull for what we think of as the "classic Iron Bowl," but no Iron Bowl is really all that dull. Hey Auburn's Defensive player Jeraud Powers got bit by a security dog! And Auburn is at home! A sure TD for Alabama turned out to be an interception for Auburn. Overall, it was two mediocre teams playing pretty good ball for their standards. Not great, great football, but certainly some hard hitting, great effort, and not "too" many penalties - although the penalties that came proved costly.

In the mean time, LSU lost. Tennessee pulled out a win after Kentucky's impressive comeback. In the process, Tennessee clinched a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game, and LSU's Championship hopes are dashed. Georgia finished off their season great with another victory to Georgia Tech. Georgia won their last six games. Ohio St. without playing keeps their National Title hopes alive. West Virginia and Missouri, with their impressive win against high-powered Kansas, moves up to take over as the front-runners in the National Championship hunt. But they both play another game. Believe it or not, there is a *reasonable* chance that Ohio St. can play against Georgia in the National Title game. This would be yet another Big 10, SEC matchup, and Ohio St.'s second straight trip to the big show. Of course, this is a somewhat small chance, but a reasonable one, especially considering what has already happened this year.

So with all this and all of the other games in mind, may I give you my Top 40.

1. West Va.
2. Missouri
3. Ohio St.
4. Georgia
5. Kansas

6. LSU
7. Virginia Tech
8. U.S.C.
9. Oklahoma
10. Florida

11. Tennessee
12. Boston College
13. Arizona St.
14. Illinois
15. Clemson

16. Hawaii
17. Oregon
18. Wisconsin
19. Cincinnati
20. Texas

21. Auburn
22. Arkansas
23. Troy
24. Kentucky
25. South Florida

26. Virginia
27. BYU
28. Mississippi St.
29. Michigan
30. Texas A & M

31. Texas Tech
32. Conneticutt
33. Boise St.
34. Penn St.
35. Wake Forest

36. Kansas St.
37. Michigan St.
38. California
39. Oklahoma St.
40. Air Force

Well there you go. Some of it is just educated guesses, I admit. But hey, it's like that for most everyone, right?! Anyway, that's my word, and as always, I have The Final Word.

What do you think?

War Eagle!

November 25, 2007

Ryan Hampton

Just A Few Hours Away!

Just a few hours away until the Iron Bowl! Man, anything can happen this year, so I really can not tell you for sure who will win. But of course, I am a biased AU fan, and I think AU is playing a little better now, and should be rested up with the week off. I pick AU, as I did last blog. I believed I picked 24-14 AU, and I'll stay by that. What a game yesterday evening with LSU vs. Ark!! Oh, and Franchonie left on a good note from TAM with their win over Texas. Anyway, we'll have to find out what happens tonight with the AU vs. UAT game!

The difference in the Iron Bowl and the other games is this: With a loss to any other team, you can find redemption the next week. Against your arch-rival in the Iron Bowl, you have to wait until the next year.

War Eagle!!

Ryan

Iron Bowl, et al

Sorry I have not gotten back to my predictions, nor recap them. I have been fairly busy lately. I was sick, went on a campout, and have been trying to catch up school. I did not do so well on my latest predictions. I picked AU over UGA (but then again I'm biased and can't help it). I predicted UAT over MSU (and would have over LA MONROE!!!). I predicted Ohio St. over Illinois. I missed other games as well. But hey, I said Ohio St. was destined for a loss. I predicted MSU to give UAT a good game- and that they did. I got some of my games right, and in this year, getting over 50% is not real easy. I did have a hunch that La Monroe (La Monroe!!), would give UAT a scare...but a WIN??? You don't know- and that is something I have been saying for a while.

But what about the Iron Bowl?? I am biased, I admit, and I will pick AU. But I do not think that this will be easy, and I will not be surprised if UAT wins. It really depends on a few things: The coaching (could go either way, unpredictable), the quarterbacks (once again, defintely unpredictable), and the turnovers (which is based largely on the unpredictable quarterbacks and coaches. The winner of the turnover game may be the team with the best QB (in terms of least turnovers). And the team with the best QB may be the best coached team for Saturday. UAT could have been Saving (or Saban) up for AU as perhaps they did to UT, but there is a certain amount of talent level that must be present as well which is absolute for all games- and it doesn't take much talent at the level of UAT to beat a team like...say...LA MONROE!! But then again, just a few weeks ago, UAT was on top of their game it seemed. AU started slow, began looking strong, and then kind of went good but dry, and then got whipped against UGA. Could Tubberville had been distracted by TAM offers (if there were any)? He said that "That ain't got nothing to do with it," implying it must have something to do with it, because it doesn't has nothing to do with it.

Anyway, I don't have much time to write these things...so forgive this rambling on, and lack of writing skills. I just wanted to get back before the Iron Bowl game this Saturday. Oh yeah, Happy Thanksgiving!

AU: 24
UA: 14

What do you think?

War Eagle

November 21, 2007

Ryan Hampton

Predictions For This Weekend

Well we are almost to the end of the football season. It has flown by. Usually by this time of the year we know who the good teams are, who the so-so teams are, and who the bad teams are. This year, we're still not real sure. We can though, come up with educated guesses to the winners of games, and to the rankings. Well, with that in mind, here are my predictions:

Auburn vs. Georgia: This is shaping out to be a good game. Auburn plays in Athens, but they have been good their in the past as well. Auburn plays good on the road. But Georgia is playing hot, with a win against Florida, and then a win against an impressive Troy team. I think Auburn has a good defense, that should keep them in any game this season. But Auburn's offense is pretty dull. But a much safer Brandon Cox, and a talented and fresh running game may, just may, be enought. We'll have to find out on Saturday. My prediction...

Auburn: 20
Georgia: 10

USC vs. California: Wow! Who knows with this game! Both teams are somewhat struggling, but still have a lot of talent. I'm not a big Pac10 fan, admitably, being from Central Alabama, so this is somewhat of a guess. But as of now, I am leaning to USC. My prediction...

USC: 35
California: 24

Ohio St. vs. Illinois: Ohio St. is due for a defeat. But they are showing each week to be a good team, playing as if they deserve the number one ranking. I think that they will eventually lose, but I'm not sure as if it will be Saturday. My prediction...

Ohio St.: 38
Illinois: 17

Alabama vs. Mississippi St.: Mississippi St. beat Alabama last year, and is improved this year. But Alabama is improved too. I am not so sure Nick Saban is destined for an upset- at least not this Saturday. Look for Mississippi St. to play tough a while, and hang in a while, but Alabama to pull it off. My prediction...

Alabama: 31
Mississippi St.: 17

Virginia Tech vs. Florida St.: Wow! What a big ACC matchup this is turning out to be. Florida St. is playing hot, but Virginia Tech is not so bad themselves, ranked at number eleven in the nation (twelve in my poll). The question is, could Florida St. stay hot, or did the "over-prepare" for Boston College. I think that is a good and fair question. I think that they will play good. The question is, though, are they good enough for Virginia Tech. Expect a good game. I pick Virginia Tech in this game. My prediction...

Virginia Tech: 24
Florida St. 17

Michigan vs. Wisconsin: This should be yet another good game. But Michigan is playing hot now, where as Wisconsin is playing just "so-so." For some reason, my gut however is telling me Wisconsin. But I think that Michigan is a better team- at least playing better. My head tells me Michigan. I am tempted to make this my upset pick. But I don't think I will. I may regret this, but I predict Michigan to win this game. My prediction...

Michigan: 30
Wisconsin: 20

Florida vs. South Carolina: Another good SEC game here. South Carolina has not been so hot lately, but I keep thinking that they should come on strong. But Florida looked impressive last Saturday over Vanderbuilt. Expect a good game, but I pick Florida. My prediction...

Florida: 28
South Carolina: 14

Tennessee vs. Arkansas: Wow, what a big SEC game this should be. Tennessee is part of the wild, wild, and wacky SEC East. Both are looking great. McFadden looked unstopable last Saturday as he got back in the heisman race. But I think that Tennessee is the better team, with the SEC East to play for. My prediction...

Tennessee: 28
Arkansas: 21

And my upset of the week...I predict...Texas Tech over Texas. I don't know why I predict this, but I have a gut feeling going with Texas Tech this week. I think that they are hungry to beat Texas. The upset I mentally picked last week (I did not write this down so take my word for it!) was Florida St. over Boston College. I was right, so maybe I'll be right here.

Texas Teck: 27
Texas: 17

What do you think?

War Eagle!!

November 8, 2007

Ryan

Recapping the Weekend and My Predictions

Well it was another good weekend of college football. I was 5-1 on my predictions. I was right in predicting that LSU vs. UA would be close for a while, but LSU would pull it out. I did not expect UA to score 34 points on LSU, but then again, a struggling Auburn offense scored 24 on LSU on the road.

I was right by saying that Troy would play UGA closer than many thought. I predicted 35-21 UGA, and it turned out 44-34 UGA. I predicted Troy score at least 20 (I was right) and UGA score less than 40 (I was wrong). I think that Troy is not a bad team, and I think UGA is looking pretty good for the AU game this weekend at home.

I predicted Florida over Vanderbuilt, but I did expect Vanderbuilt to put up a better fight against the high-powered Gators. Still, I got the prediction right as far as who would win, but then again, most people probably did.

I was close on the Ohio St. vs. Wisconsin score. Ohio St. won as I predicted. I predicted 33-21 Ohio St. The final was 38-17 Ohio St. Okay, it was not real close, but it was reasonable close.

My prediction of Kansas over Nebraska was about right, as long as you multiply the score by about two! Seriosly, I predicted Kansas with 35 points, and they scored over double that! Still, just magnified by about two, I predicted the game pretty accurately. I predicted 35-21 Kansas, and it turned out 76-39 Kansas.

And finally, the only one I missed, as far as the winner goes at least, the South Carolina vs. Arkansas game. I predicted South Carolina to win it in a defensive struggle. Arkansas won in and offensive struggle. McFaddin was lights out, and perhaps put himself back into the heisman campaign.

Also, take my word for this or not, by my I mentally picked Florida St. to beat Boston College. Like I say, you don't have to take my word- I did not officially predict this, but it was my gut feeling.

So after this week, I need a top...25, 30, 35, 40, whatever...whatever I go to! So here it is...

1. Ohio St.
2. LSU
3. Oregon
4. Kansas
5. Oklahoma

6. West Virginia
7. Arizona St.
8. Missouri
9. Conneticutt
10. Georgia

11. Michigan
12. Virginia Tech
13. USC
14. Boston College
15. Florida

16. Texas
17. Auburn
18. Hawaii
19. Boise St.
20. Alabama

21. Clemson
22. Tennessee
23. Arkansas
24. Kentucky
25. Troy

26. Florida St.
27. Virginia
28. California
29. Wisconsin
30. Cincinatti

31. South Carolina
32. Wake Forest
33. South Florida
34. Kansas St.
35. Georgia Tech

Well there ya go. When I have more time, if I have more time, I'll try to put in my predictions for this weekend. So stay tuned! Thanks,

Ryan

Predictions For Tomorow

Well, well, we have a good lineup for tomorow's games. I'm going to attempt what many people attempt and fail at: succesfully predict the outcomes of certain college football games. It should be a great weekend, and we don't know what will happen, but I figure I can give it a try. Most of you will not see this until after Saturday (being that it is Friday evening), but I'll go ahead and predict...you can see later when you read this if I was right or not : )

Alabama vs. LSU: This is the big game. The winner of this game is in the certain drivers seat for the SEC West, although we still never know what could happen. I think that both teams will be fired up. I do think LSU has better talent than Alabama. If Alabama is both fired up and still poised, then they have a shot. But LSU's fire might be just enough to pull it off on the road- especially with Early Dorcet back. I give Alabama a decent chance. LSU is beatable- even with Dorcet. But having Dorcet back as they did against Auburn will be a big help. LSU scored 30 points against one of the best defenses in the SEC- possibly in the nation- Auburn. I predict that it will be just enough to beat Alabama- Saban and all. My prediction....
LSU: 34
Bama: 20

Georgia vs. Troy: This game may be closer than many people think. Troy is playing some good football. Georgia has played inconsistently. Still, Mark Richt is no idiot. He knows the task at hand. Don't be surprised if Troy scores about 20 on Georgia, and holds them to less than 40. Still, I think Georgia will pull it off. My prediction....
Georgia: 35
Troy: 21

Florida vs. Vanderbuilt: Vanderbuilt is playing some good ball. But don't underestimate the great-play ability of Florida, nor their great coaches. They are mad, and I think that they should win. Vanderbuilt may hang tough a while, but I think Florida will pull it off somewhat comftorably there at the end. My prediction....
Florida: 34
Vanderbuilt: 17

Ohio St. vs. Wisconsin: Wisconsin wants a win, and one over number-one-ranked team Ohio St. will be great. But Ohio St. is number one for a reason. They may lose eventually, but I'm not sure if it will be to Wisconsin. Maybe Michigan. My prediction...
Ohio St.: 33
Wisconsin: 21

Kansas vs. Nebraska: Nebraska is struggling. Kansas is playing great. If Nebraska has a "good" day and Kansas has an "off" day, then Kansas still may win. I can see this game being semi-close, but I think that Kansas will win. My prediction....
Kansas: 35
Nebraska: 21

South Carolina vs. Arkansas: South Carolina is a good team. Even despite recent losses. Arkansas is not a bad team themselves. They will have the home-field advantage. Still, I do think that South Carolina is better, and probably hungrier. Expect a good game, but I give it to South Carolina, on the road, in the end. My prediction....
South Carolina: 20
Arkansas: 10

My Top 40

Well...South Carolina made a nice comeback on Tennessee last night, but Tennessee pulled it out in overtime with a field goal. Now, here is my wacky Top...however far I go!

1. Ohio St.
2. Boston College
3. LSU
4. Oklahoma
5. West Virginia

6. Oregon
7. Arizona St.
8. Kansas
9. Missouri
10. Virginia Teck

11. USC
12. Hawaii
13. Texas
14. Georgia
15. Florida

16. UConn
17. South Florida
18. Michigan
19. Auburn
20. Alabama

21. Tennessee
22. South Carolina
23. Kentucky
24. Troy
25. Kansas St.

26. Virginia
27. California
28. Wisconsin
29. UCLA
30. Boise St.

31. Penn St.
32. Texas A & M
33. Mississippi St.
34. Vanderbuilt
35. Georgia Tech

36. Rutgers
37. Texas Tech
38. Arkansas
39. Bringham Young
40. Wake Forest

There you go. But don't take my word for it. It's hard- especially this year in the wacky world of college football. But I think it's fairly accurate. Key games this week: Alabama vs. LSU, Georgia vs. Troy (this could be closer than some think), and Ohio St. vs. Wisconsin. I'll write again soon.

What Do You Know?

Well what do you know? Saturday is not over and we already have another wacky week of college football. Not that it should be a surprise to anyone, but to some people, it probably is.

Not that it's a bad thing. If we knew who would win the games, then there would be basically no point in playing them. Last blog I wrote of how all the wacky things attracts people more to football than baseball. Granted, one does not know what will happen in baseball either- it is about as unpredictable as football. But football's upsets and wacky Saturday's are always more interesting. Stupid calls work for some coaches (Les Miles), and quick thinking coaches save their teams victories (Nick Saban over Ole Miss). Teams who lose to yesterday's nobodies could very possibly turn around and defeat the defending national champions (as did Auburn). Tennessee got hammered by Florida and Alabama, but yet hammered Georgia- who then beat Florida by twelve points. South Carolina was the first team to play LSU "reasonably" close, until the Florida game, but yet they lost to Vanderbuilt and are currently getting beat bad by Tennessee. South Carolina also beat Kentucky who is the only team to have beaten LSU. But did I mention that they lost today to Mississppi St. Need I say more?

Yes, this is an interesting year, and some would call it one for the ages. But I don't really think so. Not that it is not more interesting than other years, but that we should be seeing the same stuff happen in the years to come- for a good while. It's all part of the wonderful but yet wacky game of good ol' college football. Perhaps all we need now is a playoff, although that is still up for debate.

Stay tuned for upcoming blogs. I'll try to post some this week. Topics include: Was that a cheap-shot from Auburn on Ducet against LSU 10/20, or just a sloppy play with a bad ending, my college football rankings, and my college football predictions- although it is hard to predict games these days!

What do you think?

God bless you all!

War Eagle

October 27, 2007

Ryan Hampton

Who Cares Anymore?

I used to get into baseball a good bit. Then, after playing baseball, it kind of wore off, to where I was not "into" it until the postseason- and I would root for the braves in the post season, because like every year they would make it (although now they don't). But now, even with a game seven between the Red Sox and the Indians, I hardly find myself getting into it at all. I don't know exactly how it got to how it is now, and I'm not even sure exactly how it is now. Baseball is almost like nascar to me. There is nothing sinful about it- it's just boring until the very end of the game/race, and it is only exiting then if it is close. But honestly, I would probably rather watch the last five laps of racing then the last inning in a tied baseball game.

Baseball used to be America's sport and pastime. Baseball lovers today probably still say it is. But American's aren't showing it. SportsCenter seems to give baseball a fair amount of respect relative to the way the typical American. Baseball can be interesting. There are hidden strategies involved. It is detailed but yet organized and rational. But the only thing that seems like it would have much exitement in a play itself would be a 'play at the plate,' a grandslam, or something to that effect. Many American's would much rather see a stupid coaches stupid calls work (as with LSU), half of the top ten ranked teams losing to "mid-majors" on a given weekend (as is happening some this year), a quarterback who has struggled make an amazing fourth quarter drive only to see it go to naught by the opposing team's insuing drive (as with Auburn's Brandon Cox), a team wipe out a team who wiped out a team who beat the original team (Alabama, Tennessee, Geogia), an eighteen year old kid beat the defending national champions by the strength of his foot (Auburn's Wes Byrum over Florida), or simply hear Lee Corso say "Not so fast, my friend!" I am by all means in that crowd.

College football is played for honor, pride, and love. Proffessional athletics, particularly MLB, seems to be played for fortune and fame. In college football we ponder over the nagging question of who number one is. In MLB, we ponder over who has been on stereroids.

I do not write this to put down baseball fans, the game in general, or any particular MLB player. There is still a small part of me that enjoys the game of baseball, especially when it gets to the nitty gritty. But until baseball, particularly MLB shows me something more exiting than paint dry- well, okay, to be fair, more exiting than watching somebody paint- I will by all means care much more about the pride and glory of college football than the fortune and fame of MLB.

What Do You Think?

Ryan

Top 35 For the week of October 14

1. Ohio St.
2. South Florida
3. Boston College
4. Oklahoma
5. L.SU.

6. South Carolina
7. Kentucky
8. Florida
9. West Virginia
10. Oregon

11. California
12. Virginia Tech
13. Arizona St.
14. U.S.C.
15. Kansas

16. Texas
17. Auburn
18. Missouri
19. Hawaii
20. Cincinatti

21. Michigan
22. Kansas St.
23. Tennessee
24. Georgia
25. Texas Tech

26. Penn St.
27. Wisconsin
28. Wake Forest
29. Troy
30. Alabama

31. Georgia Tech
32. Rutgers
33. Florida St.
34. Boise St.
35. Maryland

My Top 35

Here is a look at the top 35 from my blog, The Final Word:

1. L.S.U
2. Ohio St.
3. California
4. Boston College
5. South Florida

6. West Virginia
7. Oklahoma
8. South Carolina
9. Florida
10. U.S.C.

11. Oregon
12. Kentucky
13. Virginia Tech
14. Missouri
15. Texas

16. Cincinnati
17. Hawaii
18. Illinois
19. Auburn
20. Wisconsin

21. Kansas
22. Arizona St.
23. Georgia
24. Tennessee
25. Florida St.

26. Purdue
27. Kansas St.
28. Michigan
29. Rutgers
30. Texas A & M

31. Alabama
32. Colorada
33. Penn St.
34. Mississippi St.
35. Clemson

What do you think?

War Eagle!

Ryan

One Turning Tide

This past weekend was a day of upsets in the world of college football. Five of the then top ten teams lost to teams they were not supposed to lose to. Auburn, who lost to Mississippi St., beat Florida Saturday night off of the foot of eighteen year old Wes Byrum. South Florida, who was hardly heard of ten years ago, is now number six in the nation after shocking West Virginia Friday night.

Of course, being from Alabama, it is inevitable that the Auburn and Alabama games gain the most attention in the local media, and even in this very blog. I find it somewhat funny that two weeks ago, folks from Alabama, and perhaps around the whole nation for that matter, was saying that the "Tide has turned." Bama is back to a power-house program, while Auburn is back to a mediocre level. But my oh my how the tide has quickly turned again.

But I’m not surprised. I didn’t necessarily pick Auburn to beat Florida, but I did not pick them to lose either. I am not surprised Auburn now looks better- a lot better- than they did two weeks ago.

And this is not just jargon I’m all of a sudden using to make me sound good either. I predicted that Auburn would get better- even after losing to Mississippi St., I gave hope for Auburn- or at least attempted to. I never said as a fact that the Tide has turned.

Now do not get me wrong. I am not saying that Auburn will win the rest of their games. I am not saying that Auburn will beat Alabama, although I almost predicted it in a blog once, but chose not to. But I did say that there is hope for Auburn. I implied that they would get better. I implied that Alabama, though perhaps improved, is not a great team. I made very clear in the last blog that the college football playing field amongst teams is being leveled. Fifteen years ago, as hard as it was then, predicting the outcome of college football games was much easier. Now we really do not know. Who would have thought that Kentucky would be number eight in the nation, and that South Florida would have been number six?! Who would have thought Notre Dame would still not have a win? Who would have thought Auburn would lose to Mississippi St., but then beat Florida, who romped all over Tennessee? Who would have thought that Appalachian St. would have beaten Michigan? Not many people would have thought many of these.

And after all of this, people still bet so much money on college football- not just the victors, but the margin of victory. Please. This past weekend attested to the fact that you really don’t know what will happen. That’s why we play the game. That’s why it’s interesting. That is why people lose money.

I find it interesting to predict games, and it is possible to know what you are talking about when doing so. I find it fun to have small bets of lunches, ten dollars, and the such with good friends. But I find it interesting to watch people play smash mouth football all to know that they won when the clock reaches zero. And this is much more interesting when we don’t know the outcome before the game. More and more, this is the way it is becoming, and that is good.
So it’s time we stop our immature ranting of a turning tide. If it turned two weeks ago, it turned Saturday night by the foot of an eighteen year old- Wes Byrum. And the chances are it’ll turn again soon.

What do you think?

War Eagle!

October 1, 2007

Ryan Hampton

Leveling The Playing Field

Leveling The Playing Field

After a sluggish first half, the tigers of Auburn went on to 55-20 win over New Mexico State Saturday night. But this only came after being upset the previous two Saturday’s. Auburn was expected to start off 4-0, but instead have just gone to 2-2. So far, despite winning moderately impressively Saturday night, Auburn has had a disappointing season.

But this is not just another blog about Auburn’s early season woes. Auburn is not the only team who has had early season woes, and is not the only team to be upset. Nor is South Florida and Mississippi State, the teams who upset Auburn this year, the only teams to cause an upset. Notre Dame, perhaps the school with the richest tradition in college football, is 0-4. Michigan is just 2-2, one of their loses being to Division IAA school, Appalachian State. However just this weekend they defeated top-ten ranked Penn State. Nebraska, another school with great tradition, beat the once push-over Ball State by only one point. Kentucky beat Louisville who was at the time ranked in the top ten, and then beat Arkansas, a team with high pre-season hopes. The combined records of what was at one time perhaps the two worst teams in the SEC, Mississippi State and Kentucky, is 7-1- the only loss being a Mississippi State loss to number two ranked LSU.

So what does all of this tell us? Well, for one it tells us that college football is unpredictable. But beyond just this, it is also telling us that the playing field, if you will, is being leveled. South Florida is now ranked in the top 25 and is doing good. Ten years ago they were hardly heard of. Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, and Florida St. are no longer the only teams competing for national titles. The BSC system does not really recognize it and adjust to help the little schools, but in all reality, the South Florida’s, Rutgers’, and Boise State’s are in some respect, taking the place of the Notre Dame’s and the like. This is not to say that all of these teams are right now competing for national titles, or that the schools listed above them never will again. This simply shows that the playing field is being leveled- similar to how it is in college basketball.

The reason for this is probably the recruiting rules which level the playing field itself, as well as make it harder to cheat and get away with it. And beyond this, the South Florida’s and the like of college football are doing many things in their power to raise money, get a better name for themselves, and gain media attention. The combined record of Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, and Florida State is 7-8. Out of these teams, the team with the best record is Alabama- perhaps the team with the least expectations. South Florida, Rutgers, Boise State, and Central Florida combine for a record of 10-2.

Still, despite these numbers and despite the general purpose of this blog, let us not over-state these facts. Notre Dame, despite their poor record of 0-4, is still Notre Dame. The first set of teams mentioned do play tougher schedules, and do play in tougher conferences. We can give, and I believe that last year was a good example, the "smaller" teams too much credit, at least in part of the human voting. Two things are obvious. For one, the playing field of college football, is, to some reasonable degree being leveled. But the once power-house teams will not go down for good without a fight. Alabama will still carry on its name for a while anyway, and because of that, they are more easily criticized when they do not live up to the name that they won under the days of Bear Bryant.

So what do we need in all of this? We need a system that gives the little teams a chance to prove themselves. Even if they fail the test, as they may, we need a system that does give them that chance. Voters should not be left guessing if their record is as good as it is because of their week schedule, or because of their great improvement, or somewhere in the middle. I feel it is obvious that it comes from both. But, the question then becomes where you draw the line. This is one more reason for some sort of playoff. It does not have to be long, and it does not have to have as many teams as the college basketball playoffs, or anywhere near it. We need some system that gives more than two teams a chance.

If we can adjust, this "leveling" can be a good thing. It makes college football much more exiting. Teams with one or two or possibly one day soon even three loses might be able to win the national title. It will also be very hard to go undefeated- making it something special as it is in the NFL. The college football field is being leveled- no pun intended.

What Do You Think?

September 24, 2007

Ryan Hampton

Is Bama Back?

Last Saturday Alabama pulled off a win against Arkansas with a final drive down the field in less than two minutes of game clock, and with no timeouts. Not only did Alabama defeat a respectable team in this, but John Parker Wilson showed signs of a great quarterback, and the team showed guts and effort in their final drive. Is this a sign that finally, now under Nick Saban, that Alabama is back?

Alabama did show signs of being a pretty good football team, but let’s not rush into calling them "back" whatever "back" is supposed to mean. Wasn’t this said after they defeated Florida in 2005? They then lost to LSU and arch-rival Auburn at the end of the year, and went 6-7 the following year. That was hardly back, if back is considered to being in national power and consistently contending for national championships, so should we call them back now?

We should not take anything away from Alabama- they did defeat Arkansas, who was a ranked team. But out of the little I have seen from Alabama, I’m not so sure if they have proven me a whole lot. Western Carolina was a push over. So what that they beat them big. That is expected, or at least, it should be. Vanderbuilt is Vanderbuilt. They may not be the push over that they were, but they are not a great team. Beating Vanderbuilt by 14 points should be expected. So, Arkansas was supposed to be the big test, to see if they were back.

Well they did win the test, if winning the test means winning the game. But there are still questions in both Alabama’s offence and defense, as well as their special teams. The win at the end might could give them confidence, but then again, we can’t assume that. Many times, a drive that Alabama makes will make the quarterbacks career. But there are plenty of times it does not. Cox hit an open man on fourth and fifteen against Georgia, on the road, in 2005, and Auburn went on to win 32-31. Cox is obviously not a great quarterback. He had the drive against Kansas St. just some two and a half weeks ago, but is obviously not a great quarterback. Not to take away the talent from Alabama, but they did catch brakes on that final drive- and they did blow a twenty-one point lead.

Now they have Georgia. Their schedule works good for them with how each game leads into another. They have a good chance at beating Georgia and a good chance at beating Florida St. They can win all the games left on their schedule, although LSU will be a really hard one. But there are several they can lose as well.

Is Alabama back? We really don’t know. We don’t know much more now than we did a week ago. If they lost, it would probably show that they weren’t. But they won. They showed potential, but they also showed some problems. Alabama does have talent- it is not as if they are 3-0 on a really young team. Talent is there. Only time will tell if they are, indeed, "back."

What do you think?

God Bless America

Pray For Our Troops

September 19, 2007

Ryan Hampton

So Should Auburn Worry?

Should Auburn Worry?

It seems Alabama is back, and it seems as if Auburn is back too- to being a mediocre program and that "other team in Alabama." After the tigers went on a 36-5 run, including an undefeated season, and going to bowl games the past seven years, and beating Alabama for five years straight, Auburn has now lost two straight games- both at home, and both to unranked teams. Brandon Cox is throwing as many interceptions as he is pass yardage it seems, and Joe Paterno could probably walk backwards faster than Cox can run. The stout defense can only be stout so long. As it was Saturday, they will eventually give up the touchdown. It does not take many points to beat Auburn.

And Alabama seems to be on their way to a sure Iron Bowl victory- to break Auburn’s streak of five in a row. Shouldn’t Auburn worry?

Maybe. I wrote a blog Friday, before Auburn’s upsetting loss to Mississippi St., that Auburn should not worry. But after the ugly defeat, isn’t this time to worry. After all, I said that if Auburn loses to Mississippi St. on Saturday, as they did, that there may be reason to worry.
But I still, to a degree, hold to my original premise that there is hope and potential in Auburn- even in their offense. The problem is that they are not showing it. We are now three games into the season for Auburn and most other teams, and Auburn is not showing off the potential that they have- at least not consistently.

But there is hope. There certainly, as Saturday showed, should be a sense of urgency on apart of the Auburn coaches to find out what they need to do in order to make their team effective. But it is not good for the players, coaches, or fans to worry. Auburn has three tight ends- all of whom are naturally good athletes. The problem is that they do not hold onto the ball good enough. This is a mental mistake that should be worked on in practice. Dropped passes are costing Auburn the games almost as much as Brandon Cox’s poor passes. The receivers are the same way.
The hope lies in that the tight ends and receivers would catch the football, and a young man named Kody Burns. Unless there is a major surprise on the plains, Kody Burns represents the future of Auburn quarterbacks through 2010. If he gets a lot of experience the next few weeks, it is possible he could win his place as the starter sometime this year. If nothing else, the threat could force Cox to play harder to keep his position.

There is still hope for Auburn. They won’t win a national championship, and it is very unlikely of winning an SEC championship. But they can beat Alabama. They can go to a bowl game. Furthermore, they could be back to how they have been the previous three years in just a year or two. They have young running backs. A young and talented quarterback. Good young tight ends. And a young offensive line that will only get better. All this not to mention a great and young kicking game, with a great defense with much depth, and all the recruiting that they will get through the next couple of years. There should be a sense of urgency to make changes for the better at Auburn- particularly on offense- but there should not be panic. There is still hope, and Auburn should remember that.

What do you think?

God bless America

Support our troops.

September 16, 2007

Ryan Hampton

Despite Loss, Auburn Should Not Worry

[This was written two days ago originally, and may seem irrelavent now, after Auburn's 19-14 loss to Mississippi St. A follow up blog will be issued sometime in the week].

Last Saturday Auburn was upset by South Florida in overtime by a score of 26-23. Since then, radio talk shows, television, and other forms of communication that carry sports news, have been talking about how poor Auburn seems to be this year. Whether they blame it on the coaching staff, the offensive line, or the former Hewitt Trussville Husky, Brandon Cox, they are constantly criticizing Auburn at some level. Alabama rejoice that now, not only is Alabama supposedly "back," but Auburn is too- to a mediocre level as "that other school in Alabama." Tiger fans are worried themselves that this could be true.

Although there is a lot of improvement Auburn can and should make, and although they are not what they were in 2004 or 2005, there is not too much reason to really worry if you’re an Auburn fan. Only time will tell for sure what will happen, but if the past of Tommy Tubberville is any indication, the Tigers should still have at least a decent team. Auburn started off 0-2 in 2003, going on to finish the year 8-5 (including those loses), and undefeated the next year. Auburn lost their home opener in 2005 to Georgia Tech, but went on to have the best SEC record in the SEC, at 7-1, and defeated SEC champions Georgia and arch-rival Alabama. In 2006, Auburn fought and clawed their way to win eleven games. Along the way, they played close to mediocre teams such as South Carolina, Ole Miss, and Alabama, and got whipped at home by Arkansas and Georgia. Still, this was the same Tiger team who defeated LSU, Nebraska, and as the only team to do so, national champions Florida.

So what should that tell us? It should tell us that Auburn lost some key points on their team, and have not found out exactly how to fill in those gaps yet. However, it usually starts coming at about this time of year that they do. All they need is to find themselves, and this Auburn team could be a dangerous team in the SEC and in the nation.And perhaps the Mississippi St. game could not come at a better time. This is a game that is more than just a scrimmage, unlike Western Carolina or Ball St., but is a game that they should win. If they do win, they get confidence, get back to a plus .500 record, and start off well in the SEC. But perhaps beyond all of that, if this game is not a nail-biter, they have a game in which they can find themselves- especially on offense.So far, the offense has clicked, but to the exception of one quarter, it has not clicked on all cylinders all at the same time. In the second quarter of the South Florida game, to the exception of a Brandon Cox interception, the offense looked like the offense of 2004. They could run and pass efficiently. All they need now is consistency.Auburn has an offensive line that will only get better. Auburn has two good running backs that will only get better. Mario Fannin shows problems with hanging onto the football, and Ben Tate shows signs of over running his blockers. They are both young running backs, and will only get better. Auburn has one of the best tight-end cores in the conference, and possibly the nation. Auburn does have talented wide receivers, they just show signs of mental mistakes that come at the beginning of the year.

Auburn’s biggest concern on offense is their quarterback. But this is the same quarterback who started off 20-5 as a starter. With the defense and special teams behind him, and an offense that will only get better, there is not reason why he can not lead Auburn to another seven or eight wins anyway, and to yet another bowl game, and possibly a sixth straight victory over arch-rival Alabama. If Auburn loses this Saturday to Mississippi St., then there is reason to worry. But as of now, I don’t think that there is too much reason to. Auburn has too much talent behind them to have a season with any less than eight wins- even with a tough schedule. Besides, they were only predicted to win eight or nine games anyway. For a fairly young team such as Auburn, losing to decent teams such as South Florida should be accepted perhaps even expected. Because of Auburn’s talent the past three years, though, it wasn’t.

But whatever the outcome of this season is, and the games Saturday are, may I leave you with a big War Eagle! Even if Auburn loses, no one can take away that Auburn spirit.

What do you think?

Pray for our Troops.

God Bless America

September 14,

2007Ryan Hampton