Some ramblings for week two of college football and week one of the NFL.
What a difference a week makes. Last week I said that Georgia looked like the best team in the SEC East after week one. With Georgia barely escaping with a win against Nicholls and Florida’s thumping of Kentucky, I now think Florida looks like the best team in the East. I have yet to think Tennessee looked like the best of the East.
Speaking of Florida, with eight minutes left in the game, the Gators had held Kentucky to just ten yards of passing offense. Ten yards! And this isn’t some triple option offense for the Wildcats, they claim to be a pro-style offense. Kentucky ended up completing six passes for the entire game. Three of them were to Wildcat players and three of them were to Gators. I’ve said it all summer long and I see nothing to convince me otherwise, Florida has the best defense in the SEC.
Georgia fans should refrain from jumping off the ledge just yet. It is not uncommon for teams to lack focus and intensity against an opponent they believe they have overmatched. And Jacob Eason is a true freshman. There are going to be bad days.
There has been a huge uproar about the Central Michigan-Oklahoma State game. Oklahoma State was called for an intentional grounding penalty on fourth down on what would have been the last play of the game. Central Michigan was allotted one untimed play which turned into a Hail Mary touchdown pass for the win. After various groups of officials pondered the game later, it turns out that the rules of the game do not allow for Central Michigan to get that play and the game should have been over with Oklahoma State winning. People are saying that Oklahoma State could be cheated out of a spot in the playoff because of this blunder. I say that the Cowboys should have never allowed the game to come down to that play and once it did, they should have prevented the touchdown. Simple really.
Arkansas beat overrated TCU in overtime in what I think was the best game so far this season. TCU barely squeaked by South Dakota State. Most people thought that game was a fluke. The Horned Frogs second game makes me think that it wasn’t. Either that or Arkansas is a lot better than I give them credit.
The NFL really needs to step in and put a stop to the protesting during the National Anthem. Yes, people have the right to take a stand for their beliefs but a business ALSO has the right to say not on my time if it hurts my business. And this has to be starting to hurt NFL ratings. I am a HUGE NFL fan but I have just about reached my limit with this nonsense and a few more disgusting displays during our National Anthem and I will just stop watching. It’s not like the Falcons are making it hard to turn it off. And if I’m considering turning off the NFL, I promise you that thousands (probably tens of thousands) already have and that number will grow. I happen to love my country and I believe it is the greatest nation on the planet. I also think you are misguided and misinformed if you think otherwise. You blatantly disrespecting OUR flag and OUR National Anthem is the equivalent of you hanging a bird in my face. I have a right to be disgusted with you for it, especially on the fifteenth anniversary of our nation being attacked by terrorists.
As for the Falcons, Sunday did not look good. Yes, Atlanta staged a comeback to make it look moderately respectable but the game was not as close as the final score suggests. I think the offensive scheme they are trying to run is horribly mismatched for their personnel and if they continue to force Matt Ryan to run this offense the results will continue to be the same. If you are stubborn enough to stick with this offense, you might want to change to Matt Schaub at quarterback.
You have to love the New England Patriots. Everyone was celebrating Tom Brady’s suspension. This would teach those hated Patriots. By the time Brady was available they would be too far behind to catch up and win their division, right? All the Patriots do is come out and win on opening day anyway. Love him or hate him, Bill Belichick is the best in the business.
I am looking forward to week three of college football and (for now) week two of the NFL. There are some interesting college games this week.
FSU-Louisville: FSU in a shootout.
Oklahoma-Ohio State: This one is hard to call. I’ll give Oklahoma the edge because they are playing at home.
Alabama-Ole Miss: Alabama makes a statement in a revenge game. The best team money can buy has left Oxford and moved to the NFL.
Michigan State-Notre Dame: Sparty all the way.