If you follow this blog at all, you probably know that I started writing these football posts last year. It is fun to do, and as long as I can find the time I will write at least one a week. Hopefully, someone out there is reading. I will of course continue to post real estate topics, but the football posts are just more fun. Having said that, let’s get to it. It is usually a given that the opening week of college football will be fun, but this year it was full of great games. Granted, it started off pretty sloppy on Thursday with the Tennessee and South Carolina games. But those went down to the wire, and while they were sloppy they were still fun. Then came Saturday which was simply stupendous. Of course, I was primarily focused on Georgia’s game against North Carolina. Regardless, the day was filled with great match ups. So let’s take a look back at the Georgia game, and then dissect some of the typical overreactions that occur during week one.
Georgia vs UNC– Well that sure was fun. The “Smart Era” is officially under way, and I couldn’t be happier. There were plenty of things in the game that I could harp on. For example, special teams, offensive line, and the absence of a sack on the Tarheel QB. But those are nowhere near as important as the positives. First of all, let me get the “I Told You So” out of the way. I said it two weeks ago, and then restated it later that Nick Chubb would go for 150 + yards with 2 scores, Lambert would start, and that Eason would come in and play meaningful minutes. I even predicted the score to be 34 to 31 which was wrong but close. Ok, ok, enough bragging. I am so very happy for Nick Chubb. He played very well, and deserves to have a great year. I just hope they improve in the passing game to help alleviate his load over the season. Jim Chaney is the new offensive coordinator, and I was impressed that he found ways to get Isaiah McKenzie more involved, and I think he handled Eason’s time in the game well. The defense did an excellent job too, and Georgia played a lot of guys on both sides of the ball. Most importantly, Georgia did not fold when they went down by 10 points. They played hard the whole game, and it was the other team that shot themselves in the foot…not Georgia. That was refreshing to see. I hate to say it, but I am not sure that the old coaching staff would have won the game. In the end, it was a great win for the new staff, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This team has a lot to improve on, and they are bound to lose some football games.
Tennessee Overrated? – Whew! These boys dodged a big bullet last week against Appalachian State. However, let’s not overreact. App. State is a good football team, and it is just week one. Tennessee was picked to win the SEC East which is almost a curse these days. I still think they will be fine, but I do see three SEC losses in the future. Butch Jones needs to add a few more of those so call “bricks” this year, but I am not sure that is going to happen.
Alabama & The Lane Kiffin Hashtag – Bama dominated USC last Saturday. It was an absolute boat race. But why do people seem so surprised? Did I miss something about USC? Are they good again? Because no one told me. So here is another example of an overreaction. Everybody is convinced that Bama is unbeatable. Well, they are good, but they are going to lose to someone because they always do. In other news, Lane Kiffin decided not to take the high road with the win over his old team. Whipping their A-S-S wasn’t enough. You may recall that Kiffin was fired at the airport in the middle of the night by USC. Obviously, he isn’t over it. Here is his hashtag on Twitter after the game.
Post-game w the game ball!!! #3:14AM-LAX(pic on right)
Texas Football is Back? – Texas opened up with Notre Dame, and pulled off a great win. They have a new freshman quarterback that looked good, and they also changed it up with a running quarterback. Charlie Strong’s job may be more secure than we think. On the other hand, maybe it is just week one, and there is a lot of football left to be played. Besides, the best team in Texas might be Houston, and not TCU, Baylor, A &M, or Texas. Regardless, college football in the state of Texas is better than it has been as a whole in a long, long time.
The SEC is Now Terrible? – Surely you jest? Well like it or not, the SEC had a pretty bad opening weekend. In fact, one might say it was cartoonish or even comical. For starters, Tennessee looked bad against App. State. South Carolina and Vanderbilt made us endure an epic pillow fight. And on Saturday, Miss State lost to South Alabama. But that isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. Florida struggled often against UMass, LSU lost to Wisconsin, Kentucky lost to Southern Miss, Arkansas barely pulled out a victory, and Missouri was embarrassed. The only bright spots all week were Alabama, Georgia, and Texas A & M. And now the rest of the country is salivating over the downfall of the SEC. I say let them salivate, and let them believe the SEC is down. First of all, several of these teams aren’t supposed to be good. Let’s be honest with ourselves, and admit that Vandy, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Miss State, Ole Miss, and Arkansas aren’t exactly perineal powers. Sure, these teams have had some good years, and a couple of them have been good recently. But when people think of the SEC conference, they think of Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, and Georgia. Granted, Ole Miss is good right now, but the NCAA is swarming in Oxford so their days are likely numbered. It is not realistic to think all the teams in the SEC will win. There just isn’t enough talent to go around. For example, if Tennessee gets better than another team has to get worse. If Texas A & M becomes a power than another team in the SEC west is losing ground. Mark Richt is coaching in Miami now because while he was at Georgia all the teams around him were improving and in many cases with recruits from the state of Georgia. Long and short, the SEC isn’t as bad as it looked, but don’t expect to see Seven 10 win teams either.