The Trophy Generation

There are currently 35, yes, 35 bowl games being played post-season which began on December 21^st and culminates in the BCS National Championship game on January 6, 2014 featuring Florida State versus Auburn.

There must be at least 27 bowls games in which both teams are embarrassed to be seen there.  Nothing says honor like playing in a bowl game sponsored by mini corndogs and beer battered onion rings.  I refer, of course, to the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl.

Two minutes after the game is over you can’t remember which team won.  You might as well name these contests between mediocre athletes/teams “The We Scraped Together (Pick A Number) Wins By Scheduling Cupcakes In Our Non-Conference Schedule Bowl.”  It’s got a nice ring to it and it rolls trippingly off the tongue to boot.

If you, like I, think that 35 bowl games is just a tad too many you would be wrong.  The BCS commissioners and ESPN/Disney (show me the money) decided to add three more bowl games in 2014:   The Camellia Bowl, The Miami Bowl and The Boca Raton Bowl.

Oh joy, the mediocrity is just too underwhelming.  I like football as much as the next person but, crikey, this is overkill.  I know the students, the players and their parents care about these lackluster contests, but the rest of us just care about the Top Ten teams.

Why can’t we just make it about recognizing the true champions instead of giving everybody who ever played on a field anywhere in America a cupcake trophy just for participating?

Absurd.

Tigers Crushed And Crawling Away From A 38-17 Loss To Bama

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was stuck at work as the big game between LSU and Bama kicked off at 8:00 PM Eastern.

I warned everybody not to get in my way when it was time to leave.  As I drove home all I could think about was the game.  When I bolted through the door hustling to turn on the TV, there were 8 minutes and 52 seconds left in the second quarter.  The score was Alabama 10 and LSU 7.

The oddsmakers had Bama as a 14-point favorite with an over/under of 55 total points.

I wasn’t confident that the Tide would win because the oddsmakers favored my guys.  I was sure of their determination.

With 5:17 left before the half QB A. J. McCarron threw a 9-yard pass to Kevin Norwood for a TD that gave Alabama a 17-7 lead.  With just 43 seconds before the clock ran out LSU’s Mettenberger tossed a 6-yard pass to Travin Dural that netted them a touchdown and the score was Alabama 17, LSU 14.

At the half, I changed into my PJs, fed and watered the dog, made myself a sammich and settled down for the second half.  I knew that I was in for a nail-biter.

Three minutes into the third quarter LSU moved the ball down the field, but failed to reach the end zone and settled for a field goal that knotted up the score at 17-17.

I was attempted to worry, but chose to hang in there believing that the Crimson Tide would prevail in this contest.

It was clear from the start that Alabama needed to convert on third downs, something they were struggling with up until Coach Saban called for a fake punt midway through the third quarter and it worked.  You could instantly feel the momentum of the game change.

The Alabama offense produced scoring drives of 79, 71 and 78 yards on their first three possessions of the second half, while the defense held LSU to 52 yards, and shut them out after the field goal.  Three more TDs followed effectively shutting down the Tigers.

At 4:10 left in the fourth quarter, LSU finally got the ball back.  That’s when the old-fashioned beat-down began.

Alabama sacked quarterback Zach Mettenberger four times in a row to take over on downs. Mettenberger, who finished the night 16 of 23 for 241 yards and a touchdown, first crawled and then limped off the field after his final play.

That image of Mettenberger literally pulling his body across the rain-dampened turf was the epitome of the “agony of defeat” and for Tiger fans an undeniable symbol of helplessness to stop the juggernaut known as the Crimson Tide.

Mettenberger limped off the field throwing his helmet down hard on the sideline—a demonstration of his frustration.

Taking over on downs with 1:55 left, QB McCarron simply took a knee to run out the clock and LSU’s hope of stopping Alabama.

I couldn’t have hoped for a better game.  LSU is an awesome opponent.  I wish them well as they finish out their season.

Titanic Tussle In Tuscaloosa

Saturday night’s alright for fighting and brother, let me tell ya, I’m jazzed about the brawl tonight between No. 13 LSU (7-2) and my beloved Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0).

The game kicks off at 8:00 PM Eastern.  I don’t get off work until 8:30 so I’m going to need that flux capacitor from Doc Brown’s time-traveling DeLorean in the flick “Back to the Future” to get home as quick as a bunny.  All that will be left will be flaming tire marks in the parking lot.  Hold on McFly.

I’ve already bet a buddy at work that the Tide will defeat the Tigers.  He’s gonna owe me a succulent plate of baby back ribs.

LSU’s QB Zach Mettenberger isn’t good at scrambling when the pressure is on and Bama is going to come at him with awesome aggression.

The game is being played at Bryant-Denny Stadium in front of 101,821 crimson-and-houndstooth-clad fans.

There’s a lot riding on this game for Bama.  Ranked No. 1 in the BCS standings, the Tide must whip the Tigers.  The Tide averages 210.8 yards rushing per game.  The offensive line is brutish enough to run-block and protect McCarron in the pocket.  The defense is built to stop the run and Alabama leads the nation in scoring defense and is fifth nationally in total defense.

I’d like to say the Tigers are doomed, but as we all know, a Southern Slobber-Knocker is anything but predictable.  I’m itching for a third consecutive national championship.  

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, baby!  Roll Tide!

UPDATE:  Should I get into a fight over boys with Pat of So It Goes In Shreveport and watch her yet again cheerfully donate to the Wounded Warrior Project when her boys, the Tigers, lose to my boys?

SEC Championship: Will The Dawgs Roll Over And Play Dead?

I can’t help but notice all the hype since Saturday’s arch rivalry games in which the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs emerged victorious against Auburn and Georgia Tech respectively.

I want to set the record straight.  I am a diehard Bama fan.  Have been all my life. 

My devotion to the Tide goes all the way back to the Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant years.  I can remember times when Alabama would overwhelmingly destroy an opponent and the sports media would describe the loss as a fluke.  A lot of that thinking had to do with their prejudice against any team from the South.

In recent years, they’ve scaled back some on their prejudice.  Don’t misunderstand me here.  It’s one thing for a Gator fan, a Tiger fan or a Bulldog fan to trash talk Bama.  It’s altogether different for some New York sportscaster to deliberately dis my boys.

What’s at stake this Saturday in Atlanta is the SEC Championship and the chance to go up against the vaunted Irish of Notre Dame for the national championship on January 7, 2013.

Call it bravado, call it blind faith, but I believe with all my heart that Alabama will best the Bulldogs Saturday in the SEC Championship Game.

Georgia has two national championships to their credit.  Alabama has 14.  Georgia won their first national title in 1942.  Their last was in 1980.  Alabama’s last national title was in 2011.

The Bulldogs are outmatched in rushing and kicking.  Georgia was the second-most penalized team in the conference.  The Tide finished their regular season with more sacks, more pass deflections and intercepted passes than the Dawgs. Alabama dominated Georgia in punt returns outgaining the Bulldogs 328-153.

Now, I want to be fair.  Aaron Murray has the advantage in touchdowns, but A. J. McCarron has thrown fewer interceptions.  Alabama hasn’t made the mistake of making McCarron a one-man team.  If Georgia expects Murray to carry the day, that would be a fatal game strategy.

 

I predict a crushing loss for Georgia and Alabama will advance to the BCS Championship against Notre Dame.

That’s a post for another day.  Meanwhile, Roll Tide Roll.

A House Divided

This is the final week of college football’s regular season.  Today’s lineup includes a few “house divided” matchups:

Georgia (3) Georgia Tech 12:00PM

Michigan (19) Ohio State 12:00PM

Oregon (5) Oregon St (15) 3:00PM

Florida (4) Florida State (10) 3:30PM

Alabama (2) Auburn 3:30PM

Stanford (8) UCLA (17) 6:30PM

South Carolina (12) Clemson (11) 7:00PM

Missouri Texas A&M (9) 7:00PM

Notre Dame (1) USC 8:00PM

I know I’m going to catch a lot guff for what I’m about to say, but here’s how I hope the day will end up.

I want Georgia to defeat Georgia Tech’s Rambling Wreck.  I’ll be pulling for the Gators to take down the ‘Noles of Florida State.  Naturally, I’m anxious to see the Crimson Tide roll past the Tigers of Auburn.  And finally, I’ve got my fingers crossed that the USC Trojans rout the Irish of Notre Dame.

Bama’s regular season schedule ends with the Iron Bowl at home at Bryant-Denny Stadium.  This is a must-win for the No. 2 Tide to advance to the SEC title game against No. 3 Georgia. 

Auburn is under investigation by the NCAA for its recruiting practices and Head Coach Gene Chizik has recently come under fire for Auburn’s dismal season.  These are factors that will serve to distract the Tigers today in what I predict will be a solid victory for Alabama.

If Alabama emerges victorious, they will be headed to Atlanta to face the Dawgs of Georgia for the SEC Championship.

Some say that Alabama is not the unstoppable team the Tide faithful claim because of its loss to Texas A & M, but let’s not forget that just last week Oregon and Kansas State suffered crushing defeats. 

Notre Dame is the only undefeated team going into this weekend.  Just a few weeks ago, the Fighting Irish were considered to be the weakest undefeated team in college football.  I’m not looking to make any enemies here, but I still think they are.

UPDATE I:  Dawgs wreck Tech 42-10, Tide destroys Tigers 49-0 and Gators chomp Noles 37-26.  Awaiting kickoff between USC and Notre Dame.

UPDATE II:  Aw geez. The Irish whipped the Trojans 22-13.  Now the rest of the nation’s college football fans have to listen to garbage like this from ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski:  “For the moment, Notre Dame is better than everyone. That's what the record says. That's what the BCS standings say. That's what the locker room celebration said.”

Fifty-One Seconds In Death Valley

Today, I will depart ever so briefly from politics and take a moment to gloat.

Last night my beloved Alabama Crimson Tide met the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.  The stadium, as any rival will tell you, is known as Death Valley.  And with good reason.

Over its storied past, news services have long proclaimed Tiger Stadium the most intimidating venue in college football.  Even famed Alabama Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant confessed, “Baton Rouge happens to be the worst place in the world for a visiting team.  It’s like being inside a drum.”

Tigers faithful say it’s where visiting teams go to die.

I was at work while the game was on.  I was nervous about the game because of the intense rivalry and getting alerts on my Smartphone weren't helping erase my anxiety.

My first alert told me LSU scored a field goal in the first quarter.  Not to worry I thought.  The second alert let me know that ‘Bama scored two TDs in the second quarter.  Alright, boys.  Way to go!

With 12:58 left in the fourth quarter, LSU scored a touchdown and was leading 17-14.

Knowing how tough the Tigers are, I got scared.  Bear in mind, I’m at work and can’t watch the game.  I can’t really get a sense of what’s going on.  All I knew was that LSU QB Zack Mettenberger had a 25 of 36 pass completion rate averaging 8.2 yards per throw.  He was besting ‘Bama QB A. J. McCarron who was 14 of 27.

I left work at 11:00 PM.  As I drove home, I waited and waited for another text alert.  I finally pulled up in my driveway, rushed inside and turned on my TV.  I was able to catch the final minute of the game.  OMG!

LSU was on the verge of putting the game away, driving into Alabama territory and forcing Coach Nick Saban to call his remaining timeout. But Drew Alleman missed a 38-yard field goal, and McCarron took over from there.

He completed three straight passes to put Alabama in scoring position. With 51 seconds left in the game, LSU brought a corner blitz and McCarron got the ball away quickly to T. J. Yeldon. The freshman running back broke one tackle and faked out another defender, racing to the end zone for the winning score.  Talk about a Saturday night stunner in Death Valley.

There was one curious thing I was yet to decipher as I stood there watching that final minute.  The cameras on the field were focusing on McCarron as he sat on the bench with a towel to his face.  I wondered what was going on.

Mystery solved via Cecil Hurt writing for the Tuscaloosa News: 

“On Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, the machine didn't function quite so well. Alabama was minus-two in turnovers, bereft of forward momentum, a team that looked young and rattled and, well, human. Which is what made the final few minutes, and the improbable win which emerged from Baton Rouge, an instant classic. Certainly, there was good execution—a final defensive stop that led to a missed LSU field goal, a dramatic two-minute drive. But what made it far more memorable was that Alabama, for the first time all year, felt human. Superman had been punched in the nose by an adversary just as big, just as strong, and it had drawn blood.” 

[SNIP] 

“This game humanized Alabama. LSU exposed weaknesses that the relentless hype machine had denied. Alabama may still be the best team in the country and may prove it in Miami, but it doesn't seem like such a foregone conclusion. That isn't all bad. Seeing Alabama in a different light, with AJ McCarron weeping for joy or Jesse Williams exulting after an exhausting evening, doesn't somehow make them a lesser team. It makes them more human, but that only makes them more memorable.”

Then, there’s Erin Andrew’s tweet:  “AJ McCarron's emotion has me a little choked up…this is why I love college fball so much…what a moment…awesome scene…goosebumps.”

Unbeatens Oregon, Kansas State and Notre Dame, all ranked 9-0 at the time of this post, were praying LSU would pull off college football’s upset of the year.  Request denied.

Oh, and Zack, you’ll want to stop taunting the Tide faithful with your “call me” gesture.  It’s not so funny now, is it man?

Finally, to my friend Pat who blogs at And So It Goes In Shreveport, we didn’t get into our annual chick fight. (NOTE:  I’m still having email problems.  If Pat tried to email me to trash talk and make our wager, I’m unaware of it.)

I’m going to assume that she would have done so and have contributed $100 to the Wounded Warrior Project to celebrate the Tide’s victory in Death Valley.

“If you want to walk the heavenly streets of gold, you gotta know the password, “Roll, Tide, Roll!”—Bear Bryant

The Best Headline Ever!

The front page of Tuesday’s Tuscaloosa News read “Zero Doubt.”  It was much more than eye candy to hard-nosed fans of SEC football.  Those two words unequivocally settled the question surrounding whether Alabama was better than LSU.

While Monday’s BCS National Championship Game served as a rematch between the Bayou Bengals of LSU and the Crimson Tide of Alabama, it certainly was not a rerun.

I know that LSU fans are still smarting from their loss, but I must tip my hat to Pat of And So It Goes In Shreveport.  She is such a good sport. 

She asked in early December of last year if I would be willing to wager a bet on who would emerge victorious in the BCS National Championship.  Of course, I was confident that my beloved Alabama would beat her Tigers.

We agreed to donate $100 to Wounded Warrior Project if our respective teams lost.  Pat is proud to support WWP and that makes me proud to call her a friend.

Trying to make lemonade out of lemons, Pat offered this pithy joke after LSU’s decisive loss to Bama:  “I heard that a bunch of LSU fans are stuck in New Orleans. An Alabama fan painted a 50-yard line across the interstate and they can't figure out how to cross it,” alluding to the fact that the Tigers were only able to cross mid-field once during the big game.

I am proud of LSU’s record and I’m proud to know Pat.  Next year there will be another “chick fight” and no matter who wins, Wounded Warrior Project will be the winner.  That’s because we’re going to continue our agreement to help out this worthy cause while enjoying the strong rivalry between our beloved SEC powerhouses.

The Brawl For It All

Jim Kleinpeter, writing for the New Orleans Times Picayune Monday afternoon opined, “If the Tigers contain running back Trent Richardson, get the ball in the hands of receiver Rueben Randle and showcase their talent on special teams, they'll have their best chance at winning their third national title in New Orleans.”

That turned out to be tall order that would not be filled.  So awful was QB Jordan Jefferson that LSU fans were chanting for Coach Les Miles to put Jarrett Lee in the game.  Jefferson fumbled three times and threw an ugly interception in the third quarter. He was sacked four times and finished with a pitiful 53 yards passing and 18 rushing on 14 carries.

Right tackle Alex Hurst was twice whistled for false-start penalties on first-and-10 and Senior Guard Will Blackwell did his share of whining after the game by claiming that Bama was calling out cadences.  He said, “…this is absolutely one of the worst officiated games I’ve seen in my career. I don’t know where the refs were from, what conference, but in my opinion, they did a poor job. Like I said, they called out a few cadences, which is, by the rules, illegal, and that got us a couple of false starts, put us in holes and really killed a couple of drives.”

If that were truly the case, wouldn’t Coach Miles have challenged the penalties?  Wouldn’t the broadcast commentators have called attention to it?  Maybe somebody needs to change little Will’s pampers.

The Crimson Tide rolled to victory with 384 total yards compared to the Tigers’ 53 total yards.  Bama had 21 first downs and LSU could only muster 5.  The Tigers crossed mid-field only once.

The cock-sure Tyrann Mathieu, known as the “Honey Badger”, was stopped cold throughout the game, but was particularly humiliated in the fourth quarter when Alabama stopped him when he caught the ball and was pushed back, back, back and summarily slammed hard into the turf.  It reminded me of the guy in the DirectTV commercial who is left in a roadside ditch.

Alabama now has won two national titles in three years and proved, at least to me, that they were far superior to LSU.  Critics agree that this has been the greatest season in SEC history.

And Pat, of And So It Goes In Shreveport, must donate $100 to Wounded Warrior Project to settle the bet we made in December.

I get to gloat.

Slobberknocker Redux

When you’ve been knocking around this life as long as I have you remember how the SEC, and Alabama in particular, used to be the whipping boy for all the other Division 1A football conferences.

The PAC 10, Big 10, Big 12 and WAC all had their little cliques and reviled the SEC.  Their teams would schedule a game with an SEC opponent because they viewed the game as an “easy” win.  Coaches like Paul “Bear” Bryant turned Alabama into a winner legitimizing their football program.

Following the Bear’s retirement in 1982, the Tide didn’t seem to be able to regain its former glory.  Enter ‘Bama Head Coach Nick Saban.  Alabama fans are fired up again.

A boatload of college football fans are howling because the 2012 BCS Championship Game will be a rematch of LSU and Alabama—both of which are SEC teams.  Oh, boo-freakin’-hoo.

I remember how my dad regaled me with a story about how the Rose Bowl stopped inviting Alabama to play in “The Granddaddy of Them All”.  It was a story I loved hearing every time he chose to share it.  His eyes would light up.

Born in 1919, the history of Alabama’s Rose Bowl appearances was a recounting of what he had been told by staunch Tide fans when he was a young boy. 

The 1926 Rose Bowl was Alabama’s first trip to Pasadena.  They defeated the Washington Huskies 20-19. It was referred to as “the game that changed the South” and it gave Alabama its very first national championship.

The 1927 Rose Bowl pitted Stanford against Alabama which ended in a 7-7 tie.  The 1931 Rose Bowl saw the Washington State Cougars go up against the Tide only to be crushed 24-0.

In 1935, Stanford played Bama for all the marbles; however they were defeated 29-13.  The 1938 Rose Bowl was Bama’s fifth trip to Pasadena.  This one would end in a loss to the California Golden Bears 13-0.

In 1941, after a 34-14 throttling Southern Cal took at the hands of The Crimson Tide, “the Pasadena moguls opted for an annual Big Ten-PAC 8 matchup.”  In that game, Alabama outgained USC 351 yards to 41. 

Alabama wouldn’t take the Rose Bowl field again until 2010 when they defeated the Texas Longhorns 37-21.

As I mentioned earlier, folks are all wrapped around the axle because the 2012 BCS Championship game will see the LSU Tigers play the Crimson Tide to determine who will be crowned No. 1.

The frustration stems from the fact that it boils down to two SEC teams doing battle and everyone is decrying the flaws in the BCS selection process since it means that the SEC is guaranteed  a sixth consecutive championship title.

In 2008, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive pitched a so-called “plus-one” plan that essentially was a four-team playoff using existing bowl games. Other than the ACC, the other conferences not only summarily rejected the plan; they refused to even discuss its details. 

Dan Wetzel, writing at Yahoo! Sports posits, “The decision to dismiss Slive’s plan in 2008 even had ramifications far beyond a single-season title chase; it changed the landscape of the sport.”

“Many conferences failed to see the increased access to the championship (four teams rather than two) and the additional revenue from the system as a lifeline for survival. They wound up nearly wiped out.”

“The vote all but assured the gutting of the Big East, where teams have jumped ship in fear of losing automatic qualifying status. Non-AQ leagues such as the Mountain West, Western Athletic and Conference USA have been butchered.”

“BCS-generated instability even played a part (along with distrust of Texas) in the Big 12 losing four schools and nearly blowing up for good courtesy of PAC-12 raids.”

“’I don’t think any of us are happy that the BCS is one of the contributing factors to conference realignment,’ BCS executive director Bill Hancock told The Associated Press.”

For those skeptics who are considering skipping the game between the Tigers and the Tide, ponder this:  Alabama has won 13 national championships, 22 SEC championships and made appearances in 59 Bowl games.  LSU can claim 3 national championships, 10 SEC championships and 43 Bowl appearances.

If you think this game won’t be a slobberknocker you must hail from some part of the country other than SEC country.

These two teams are evenly matched.  In Bama’s loss to the Tigers on November 5^th, the Tide had 17 first downs to LSU’s 15.  Alabama’s 3^rd down efficiency was 38% to LSU’s 27%.  Total yards:  Alabama 295, LSU 239.  A.J. McCarron went 16 of 29 passing while LSU’s Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee went 9 of 17.  Time of possession:  Alabama 30:06, LSU 29:54.

ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski is crying in his beer, “…Bama and LSU will play for the national championship, and one-loss teams Oklahoma State, Stanford, Boise State and Houston won’t.  So sad.”

Finally, my friend Pat who is proprietress of And So It Goes In Shreveport, is a H-U-G-E fan of LSU.  I think you’ve probably already pieced together the fact that I am a H-U-G-E Bama fan.

I am challenging Pat to a wager on the game.  If her Tigers win on January 9, 2012, I will donate $100 to the Wounded Warrior Project.  Hopefully, she will take me up on my bold challenge and do likewise when my beloved Tide opens up a can of whoopass on her Tigers.

No matter who loses, the Wounded Warrior Project will be the winner and that’s a good thing.

This is for you Pat, Rolleaux Tide Rolleaux!


UPDATE 12-05-11 8:47PM:  Pat has taken me up on my wager.  
UPDATE 12-05-11 10:57PM:  Let The Trash Talk Begin,  Chick Fight