And the news everyone has been waiting for (being sarcastic of course), Tebow is returning with Harvin "leaning toward coming back".  

I don't know if i should be happy because we get a chance at redemption (probably not likely though considering we'll have a revamped O-line and a new QB) or if i should be upset because the gators will be even better (although we'll have to what effect losing Dan Mullen has) and we'll have to endure another year of ESPN/ABC and CBS drooling over him.

well, hopefully we get some good news out of the recruiting front after the big weekend.

well...i just finished watching the Fiesta Bowl off my Tivo.  i have to say that was a great game to watch.  i have to feel for tOSU fans though.  what a heartbreaking loss.  it eases my pain just a bit.  not because i enjoy seeing other people suffer, but because i feel whatever pain we may feel as Bama fans is three times worse for tOSU fans.  and it'll be 5 times worse for Spooner fans after they lose their 5th BCS bowl in a row Thursday. 

but we've now seen 3 of the top 4 teams from the Big 12 South play and i have to say that it is confirmation once again that the Big 12 is more about having no defense rather than having explosive offenses.  Oklahoma State gives up 42 points to Oregon and Texas Tech gives up 47 points to Ole Miss.  and yes Texas only gave up 21 points to tOSU tonight, but that was more of OSU not having an explosive offense.  OSU didn't score any TD's against SUC or Penn St this year.  combine that with the fact that Texas (who averages 44 pts/game) only scored 24 on OSU's defense (we all know about OSU's "vaunted" defense) and the Big 12 is OVERRATED!

and SUC can cry all they want about deserving a title because the Pac-10 went 5-0 in bowl games, but we all know that doesn't prove anything.  for one, the Big East went 5-0 in '06-'07.  does that mean they were the best conference?  NO.  two, the 5-0 doesn't justify a conference that includes Washington and Washington State along with only having 5 of their teams make bowls.  not to mention, they were something like 1-4 against the Mountain West.  and third, all the Pac 10 bowl games excluding SUC's were tightly contested, being decided by 11 pts or less. 

S-E-C!

man...i am so distraught after yesterday that i just need an outlet.  i just need to vent and get some thoughts out.  like Todd mentioned on the front page, this was definitely a what if game.  but watching the SECCG and last night's BCS game, it makes me think about what we need to fix for next year.  i'm sure it's obvious to everyone here, but i just need to put it out there.  

starting with the offense, to simply put it, we need better pass protection and a more balanced, explosive offensive.  not just for situations in which we have to come from behind, but also for situations where we should be putting teams away early.  it's great when we have physical, time consuming drives that result in TD's.  but when they don't result in a TD or we only get a field goal, it kills us when we have to come from behind.  a lot of our games this season should have been blowouts or walks in the park if we just had more big, explosive plays that resulted in quick TD's.  obviously if we had better pass protection (and i'm not just talking about last night.  the pass protection has been sketchy all year even with the starting O-line), JPW would have more time to throw and would be less prone to mistakes.  but at the same time, if we had a QB that was better overall, less prone to mistakes and able to throw the long ball with more accuracy, the opposing teams' defenses wouldn't be able to take as much risks blitzing.  i guess they kind of go hand in hand. 

as for the defense, to simply put it, we need a better pass rush.  our run defense is great obviously. but Florida and Utah just killed us through the air.  our lack of sacks and lack of pressure on the QB is obviously a big part of it.  but we obviously need more depth or ability at CB (marquis johnson comes to mind.  i watched this guy get burned deep multiple times against both Florida and Utah).  but in the end, better pass rush improves secondary play.   

as heartbreaking as last night was, a 12-2 record, the SEC West title, a BCS bowl bid and being in contention for the MNC all year is still far beyond what was expected for this year.  i can't wait to see how much better we get when our overall ability, skill and depth improve.  it already started last year with a #1 recruiting class, and there's more coming this year and beyond.  ROLL TIDE!

i know there's a 24 hour rule, but i'm still reeling from that loss.  i'm sure many of you still are too.  it definitely was a "heavyweight fight" as people would like to call it.  i, like many of you, believe that if we played UF 10 times, we would win 5 out 10.  but this whole thing reminds me so much of the giants and patriots last year.  if there was a playoff system in college football, i see it playing out like the NFL did last year.  i don't know how many of you watch the NFL, but last year, the giants lost to the patriots (who were favored by more than a touchdown) in the last game of the regular season.   pretty much the same way we lost to the gators in the last game of the regular season.  the giants had the lead through the 3rd quarter only to lose in the 4th quarter (new england's offense was simply too much to handle with only 1 week to prepare.  i think you could say the same about the gator's offense simply being too much to handle with only a week to prepare).  but as many of you know, they met again in the super bowl with the patriots again being favored by more than a touchdown.  however, this time, both teams got extra time to prepare.

the patriots were very much like the gators.  they were considered the best team by everyone and their mom.  they had arguably the most prolific offense (which was a spread offense) in NFL history.  they had an MVP in tom brady (remember him from the orange bowl back in 2000?  i still can't believe we lost that game against michigan.  i'm sure if Chris Samuels played, it would have been a different story), very much like the gators have a heisman winner in tebow.  they also had a solid coach in belichick (like the gators have meyer), a solid defense and solid special teams.  the giants on the other hand were very strong on both the o-line and d-line.  they had a maligned qb in eli manning (very much like JPW), a tough hard-nosed coach in coughlin (very much like CNS), a solid running game and solid defense.  they were very much like bama except their offense was probably a bit more explosive.

anyways, all this to say...i still believe that the big games are won in the trenches and that defense wins championships.  in the rematch at the super bowl, the game was won in the trenches with the giants dominating at the line of scrimmage on both sides.  with the giants having extra time to prepare, they held the patriots to only 17 points and pressured brady all day.  i have no doubt that if there was a playoff system in college football, bama would meet florida in a rematch in the title game.  and this time, with CNS and the staff having extra time to prepare, bama would win in very much the same way.  dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides and containing tebow and that gator offense.  which is why it's so painful that bama doesn't get a rematch.

the competitor in me, in CNS, in our players and i'm sure in many of you wants a rematch more than anything else.  it kills me that bama goes undefeated the entire regular season, only to lose a tightly contested SECCG, and gets stuck with a sugar bowl against utah (no offense to utah, but they should have lost that game to tcu who is a significantly better team.  the mountain west is arguably the best non-BCS conference this year, and tcu is the best team in that conference.  tcu should handle boise st in their bowl game.  and with extra time to prepare for an inferior team, not to mention being pissed, bama should roll over utah.  that would mean that there would be no more undefeated teams left in Div 1-A or the FBS).  meanwhile OU and big game (if it's not a BCS bowl) bob stoops get to be in the title game with their one loss because their loss was earlier in the season and because everyone is so enamored with their offense. 

people forget how pathetic their defense is.  they give up almost 400 yards a game (359.08 ypg to be exact, 65th in the country) and they surrender over 3 TD's a game (24.54 ppg to be exact, 57th in the country).  not to mention, their special teams is very shaky as well.  they've also lost their last 4 bcs bowls (stoops is no where near the level of saban and meyer).  bradford will probably win the heisman much like jason white did back in '03.  but just like in '03 when they ran into a great LSU defense (that was coached by CNS and was #1 in the country in scoring defense), their heisman trophy qb and their "prolific" offense will get shut down by a solid gators defense.   and just like in '04 when they ran into an SUC team that had just as good an offense but a much better defense, they'll get blown out.  i have no doubt in my mind that OU will get throttled by the gators.  the gators' offense is just as explosive, but their defense and special teams is a notch above OU.  i'm sad for the nation that they have to witness the sooners lose their 5th straight BCS bowl and get blown out in a title game, again, instead of a true championship game - a rematch of Bama and Florida. 

anyways, i'm thankful to this Bama team and CNS for a great year.  my heart is still torn and i probably won't get over it until next year, but i definitely have lots to look forward to with this year just being the beginning.  ROLL TIDE!

So Dan LeBastard and Mike BonBon had the audacity to compare Bama to Ball State and Boise State on PTI the other day.  According to these geniuses, since Bama's schedule turned out to be weaker than expected, they said if you take away the tradition and the hype and consider that the SEC is in a down year, Bama's basically like Boise State and Ball State going undefeated.  Umm...last time I checked, Boise State and Ball State didn't have to play at Georgia, at Tennessee, at LSU and at Arkansas.  I mention Arkansas because they managed to knock off Tulsa who was one of those non-BCS schools that were undefeated.  Yes, Georgia, Tennessee and LSU weren't as good as expected.  But there's no way Boise State and Ball State beat all three of them on the road.  Throw in Clemson on a neutral field, and I'm sure they would still be undefeated.  Gimme a break.  These guys are douche bags.  I've lost all respect for them and PTI. 

just a thought, but along the lines of the Texas vs OU debate...if OU loses to OSU next week and TTU wins the tie-breaker over Texas for the Big 12 South by virtue of beating them on the field (at home), shouldn't the same be done if OU beats OSU and there's a three-way tie? 

i say this because in the case of a three-way tie, it's really a two-way tie between Texas and OU since no one including the polls and computers will be picking TTU or ranking TTU higher than the other two (given that they just got blown out and picked the worst time to surrender the most points in school history).  so if it's a head to head between Texas and OU, then shouldn't the tiebreaker go to Texas by virtue of beating OU on the field (at a neutral site)?

of course this doesn't always happen, as witnessed in '93 when Florida St was awarded the "mythical" national championship even though Notre Dame beat them on the field (at home) and finished with the same record.

i'm just saying, most college football fans want a playoff because they want things settled on the field.  but if beating someone on the field doesn't mean anything, to the point where pollers and voters (who are fickle and have no long-term memory) will vote a team ahead of another team that beat them on the field and has the same record, then what's the point in a playoff?

So Texas Tech plays their first TRUE road game and they get hammered/pounded/throttled or whatever else adjective you want to use.  What a bunch of frauds!  Utah beats BYU assuring themselves a BCS spot and Oregon St pulls out the win in Tucson to pretty much lock up their Rose Bowl berth (they SHOULD beat Oregon at home next week). 

It's looking like Oregon St vs Penn St in the Rose Bowl, a Big 12 team vs SUC in the Fiesta Bowl, and assuming the Orange Bowl takes the Big East and ACC champs, it's looking like the SEC championship loser will face Utah.  Hopefully the Fiesta Bowl takes Utah so SUC can face an SEC team in the Sugar Bowl.  If that happens and SUC loses, we won't have to hear the nat'l media constantly talk about how SUC can beat any team on a neutral field.  And we won't have to hear about how they always play well in the "BIG" games.  "BIG" games meaning going to the Rose Bowl and beating up on an inferior Big 10 teams.  Thank God for Oregon State and Mike Riley (Bama CB under the Bear from '71-'74).

So here is the new Las Vegas Sports Consultants' Poll. 

http://029eede.netsolhost.com/poll_cfb_week8.html

What the hell?  I thought these guys are supposed to be legit or supposedly are the ones that are objective and all they care about is money and the bottom line.  Aren't these the guys that many people want doing the polls, instead of the coaches or the media?  Then how is SUC at #1?  SUC is the college football equivalent of the Dallas Cowboys.  Loaded with talent, but soft.  Apparently, these guys care more about lickin Cheaty Petey's nuts, like the rest of the nat'l media.  That win over Arizona St. was nothing close to impressive.  And apparently, they think Georgia is still better than Bama.  That makes a lot of sense.  They might as well keep the Spooners ahead of Texas.   

How does this guy continue to fumble?  Does he not know the fundamentals or does he just have mental lapses?  Maybe the coaches are to blame?  He's absolutely killing us with his fumbles.  In the 4th quarter with momentum on our side no less.  Obviously if this continues he's not going to play.  But I'm hoping for a drastic turnaround a la Tiki Barber. 

Another frustrating year where we can't even buy a win.  The Bengals remind of the Los Angeles Clippers.  Doomed franchises with horrible management.  I'm beginning to believe that I'll never see this team win a Super Bowl. 

What a great win for Mike Riley (who played under Bear Bryant) and Oregon State.  I've always enjoyed watching Oregon State because of Mike Riley, and it's great to see them take down SUC.  He's definitely an underrated coach who is 4-0 in bowl games and always does more with less.  They always start off slow but finish strong.  I would say Mike Riley and Jim Grobe are the 2 most underrated coaches in college football.  Great win on national TV.  The door is wide open for the race to the BCS title game. 

Just want to add that watching Bama dominate at the LOS on both sides of the ball this year is awesome!  I love what the Nicktator has done and is continuing to do.  Hopefully it'll continue this week in Athens.  ROLL TIDE!!! 

well...looking ahead to next season, wanted to see what people's thoughts were on acquiring CC in free agency. sounds great at first, but looking at his career stats, his innings pitched kinda worries me. yes, he's only 28. but he's already pitched over 1500 innings. in comparison, other current "aces" like beckett, webb, and peavy have not even pitched over 1300 innings. not to mention, Milwaukee is going to ride him for all they can this year. combine that with the fact that he was horrible in the postseason last year. will he be worth all the money?

on the plus side, he's started 28 games or more since 2001. cy young award winner. he's been pretty dominant thus far against the NL. and he can hit.

if we do sign him, i hope it's not like fernando or orel, both of whom eventually got worn out from overuse and weren't the same again. they were still good, but not dominant.

Yes the Washington loss was bad.  But the Bruins are still 21-3.  Lets not forget, on the same day last year (February 10, 2007) the Bruins lost to an unranked team in West Virginia to go to 21-3.  As I recall, the Bruins still made it to the Final Four. The year before that, the Bruins finished the season at 27-6.  And still made the Final Four.  

We have a redemption game coming this Sunday against SUC and then Stanford at home.  Combine that with a strong showing in the Pac 10 tournament and a #1 seed is UCLA's to lose. Memphis and Tennessee will battle for one, Duke and North Carolina for one and Kansas will probably get the final #1 seed.  But honestly, none of those teams seem like a real threat.  They ain't Florida, that's for sure.

Memphis has played a relatively soft schedule, isn't even in the top 100 in free throw pct and always falter down the stretch in the tournament.  Tennessee plays in a football conference and in their only true test (Texas) got blown out.  Duke is a 3-pt shooting team (Can't stand watching teams that only shoot 3 pointers! But guess it's kind of necessary to even the playing field for mid major conference schools.  Almost like spread offenses do for college football)...but regardless that can only get you so far in the tournament.  North Carolina has absolutely no defense.  Both Duke and North Carolina play in a watered down ACC (at least this year).  And Kansas is a bit overrated IMO.  They've played 3 ranked teams (one of them being #24 SUC at the time) and have lost 2 of them, while barely beating SUC.  And they're annual chokers in the tournament.

Don't want to be too optimistic here, but I would love to see banner #12 this year.  Not saying it's going to happen, but I'd say with a healthy lineup, UCLA's chances are good.

BTW, classy move by our Bruins to not retaliate during the game on Sunday.  I know if that was me, I would have decked that classless POS.