From time to time, we talk about various issues and here, most take a very cerebral, objective, almost scientific view of the games. I think that's great, math was always my thing growing up. Love the stats, etc.

So, along those lines, when it comes to rematches, I think "this site" takes the view that in rematches, there is no advantage to the loser of the first game. I'm not a believer in that, personally, but I get the point. Point is, "best team should win."

Clemson absolutely murderized Va Tech in their first meeting. Clemson was coming off two straight huge, emotional wins for them. Game was in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech had every advantage imaginable and yet, Clemson beat them by three touchdowns.

Now we are looking at VPI vs. Clemson for the ACC title. Game is in Charlotte, probably within 100 miles of the majority of Clemson fans that go to the games. The Carolina Panthers actually played their home games in Clemson while their stadium was being built, it's "that close."

So, with all of that, Va Tech is favored by more than a TD in the game. And I think most believe Tech will cover that spread. I find the whole thing to be very interesting. Clearly, Clemson is in free fall at the moment. But I also think that their collapse, combined with, Tech losing to them earlier in the year, is why I believe Tech curb stomps them.

I like to think that teams will be their best, prepartion-wise, for a conference title game. But that doesn't always happen, i.e., Bama's beatdown of UF in the 1999 SEC title game, for example. Now, I think there's little chance of Tech not taking Clemson VERY SERIOUSLY! And that's bad news for Dabo. Again.

Then again, I'm the guy who told the Tech people in Charlotte last year, "enjoy it now, next year we're taking our conference back." My bad....

[Note by Bud Elliott: promoted to the front page]

Only FSU versus Miami, the only game that could possibly be "like that" on Saturday.  Saturday marked the 5th game in a row in the series where there was a defensive touchdown called, on the field anyway.  And the second consecutive where the TD was overturned by the replay dude.  That's bizarre.  Is there any other series out there that has had a defensive score in five straight games? 

Only an FSU/Miami game would have a player ejected for the best hit (although not a great form tackle) of the game.

Only an FSU/Miami game would have a team lead by 10 at the half with three first downs and yet, leave the field angry because they had left another ten points out on the field, at least.  Geez, don't get the first TD taken off the board, have the country's best kicker make the field goal at the end of the half, and assume all else stays the same, FSU is leading 27-7 at the break.

Only FSU/Miami brings out a great game from someone that nobody has ever heard of.  Clive Watford?  Is that the guy's name?  Sounds like some kind of onion?  And yet, at the biggest moments, he was the Cane receiver that ended up being the most effective.  I feel bad for Mike Harris in the locker room.  "Maaaaannnn, you got beat by a Jive, I mean a Chive, oops, a Clive."

Only in a Miami/FSU game does a guy get be both hero and goat, like Greg Reid, for example.  That was one strange game that he played, as well.

Maybe it's because I've seen so many of the games in this series, but there are some weird things that happen in it.  I'm glad another one's in the books.  I'm thankful for the win.  And speaking of strange things, for the first time EVER I left a game that we won, mad.  And it was against Miami?  I wasn't mad when we beat Jax State even, when we left.  Shocked?  Sure.  Disturbed?  Absolutely.  Relieved?  No doubt.  But I wasn't "mad."  I'm glad I'm over my anger now that I've watched the replay three times!

It's always interesting to hear different viewpoints on the importance of the conference versus beating uf.  I suspect that older folks, like me, place more import on beating them.  Especially if you "grew up" with FSU being an independent.

So, ask yourself this, "Would you rather FSU beat UF but NC State beats Maryland, OR, FSU lose to UF and a NC State loss, therefore putting FSU in the ACC game."

I know where I am on the issue.  Give me a win over uf this year and I"m ecstatic.  Nothing else will matter to me.

Historically, for FSU to beat uf, we have had to have had a championship quality team.  1978 team went 8-3, got shafted, no bowl and the 2002 Rix/McP/Rix QB mess team went 8-5 with wins over uf.

Those are the two "worst" teams that FSU has ever had that would beat uf.

There were a few things as I sat in the upper deck that I found ironic. 

1.  When Harris took off for the longest Cane run of the night on their first drive, I had to shake my head as I remembered saying that I thought that Harris "could run" and extend drives but that he didn't "like to run."  Later, he would use his feet to score their first TD.  His feet concerned me, that for one night, he might find the "gumption" that the Canes so often have found against us over the years that they don't seem to show against other teams.

2.  When Moody scored the TD, I jumped up and down and then remembered, "hey, the losing team has scored a defensive TD the last four games."  When they reversed the call and put it at the one, I think I was the only Nole around that was actually happy with that.  As I told people around me, "look, if we can't score a TD from their one on first and goal, we're not going to win anyway...." 

3.  Middle of the the third quarter, I got uneasy, as it felt like I was watching that damn horror movie that I've seen so many times in my life.  Then I remembered, this staff doesn't care about that stuff.  And it made me feel better....

4.  The Canes had a great pregame video display with Michael Irvin talking about the 1987 comeback against us.  That game, for them, is "the choke at Doak."  It still hurts me tremendously.  No matter what happens to me for literally the rest of my life in FSU football, that one will chap my ass until the day that I die.  We win that one, and history is changed, like in one of those time machine movies.  It was that significant.

That said, Irvin tells the story that win it's 19-3 us late in the 3rd quarter, Deion Sanders tells him to quit blocking so hard, the game is over.  Irvin tells him, "We're the Canes and the Canes never quit."

When Chris Thompson broke the 90 yarder, right after the 60 yard run, I just about fell out of the stands.  Because it appeared to me, that there was some "quit" in the Canes.

Sweet irony, for sure.  And a tremendous weekend in South Florida.

I was only able to watch a couple of plays from the BC vs. Weber State game so far.  But the opening kickoff, the BC returner looked a little slow.  Shocking, I know. But after the opening kickoff, BC gets hit with a delay of game penalty, on the first play!

From there, the QB, Shinskie, tries to take the snap from the right guard.  Now, they had the tight end to the right, there were in a three wide set, single back.  So, as I'm watching this and laughing at the guard who's swatting his hand away for playing with his fanny, it hits me, he doesn't know what side if the strong side.

Sure enough, they run slants and he he throws the slant to the tight side, where you usually don't want to, the strong safety and Sam are sitting in the lane.  First play, picked.

Just gives me some hope for when they come down our way.  More later once I've watched the entire game.