I think I need to go to the doctor.
On Saturday night, I went to bed with college football games on a half-dozen channels. There must be something wrong with me.
Actually, none of the games at that point were in doubt and it was a long weekend that included about four hours of sleep Friday night in Jacksonville. The good news is that I’m up early for Sunday blogging.
I don’t know what was more surreal this weekend — watching a half of a basketball game on a ship or watching Florida win a football game that appeared to be lost on Saturday. It was a weird weekend.
THE NOT-READY-FOR-PRIME-TIME
COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25.
1. Oregon: I almost typed Alabama because I’m so used to it.
2. Kansas State: The Wildcats recorded a methodical win Saturday.
3. Notre Dame: Irish hardly impressive against an awful Boston College team.
4. Alabama: So we’re saying there’s a chance (more later).
5. Georgia: Bulldogs seem to be peaking at the right time.
6. Florida: I can’t explain Saturday so I won’t try.
7. Ohio State: The best team that will have December off.
8. LSU: Tigers have now won 20 of last 21 vs. Mississippi State.
9. South Carolina: Gamecocks could have used win over Arkansas last season.
10. Florida State: Gutsy win at Lane Stadium Thursday night.
11. Clemson: Most under-the-radar one-loss team in America.
12. Stanford: Big win over Oregon State.
13. Texas A&M: Is Kevin Sumlin SEC coach of the year?
14. Oklahoma: Landry Jones keeps putting up the numbers.
15. UCLA: Bruins finish with toughies against USC and Stanford.
16. Nebraska: Big comeback win against Penn State.
17. Texas: Could Longhorns be the team that beats Kansas State?
18. Louisiana Tech: Whatever bowl game they end up in I’m watching.
19. Texas Tech: Red Raiders gave up 390 rushing yards to Kansas.
20. Louisville: I had a feeling Syracuse would be the team that ended the Cards’ run.
21. Rutgers: Needed that win over Army.
22. Oregon State: Played well enough to win against Stanford, but …
23. Michigan: Wolverines rising from the ashes. Well, kind of.
24. Central Florida: Hey, why not?
25. Northern Illinois: Big game against Toledo Wednesday night.
THE SEC FOUR-PACK
1. I don’t know about you but there was a lot of conflict in the Dooley Dome on Saturday evening. On the one hand, an Alabama win was good for the SEC and probably good for Florida’s hopes to land in a BCS bowl game. On the other hand, there was the possibility of BCS chaos. And who doesn’t root for the upset? My wife was rooting hard for Texas A&M until they went up by 12. Then she started rooting for Alabama. Then they scored and she started rooting for A&M again. It was high drama, for sure.
2. So, is this it for the SEC? Is the streak over? Not necessarily. I’ll be interested to see how the BCS standings look later today, but the league is going to need some help. Oregon still has to play Stanford and the league title game. Kansas State has Baylor and Texas. Notre Dame still has USC. It’s college football. Anything can happen. So don;t count the league out yet.
3. Tennessee is now 4-6 and will have to win its last two games against Vanderbilt and Kentucky to become bowl eligible. If I was a lower-tiered bowl game, I’d rather have Tennessee in my game than almost anybody else because I would be guaranteed fireworks. You know they are going to score a lot of points and you know they will play no defense. Don’t forget, the Missouri team that scored 51 Saturday (albeit in four overtimes) scored seven the week before in The Swamp and came into the game ranked 113th in total offense.
4. There were rumors surfacing last week in Alabama that the decision has already been made to let Gene Chizik go. Then the Tigers went out and played uninspired football in another numbing loss to Georgia. When you hear that Auburn had to hire a security firm to enforce curfews, it tells you the coaches have lost this team. Sometimes, recruiting is about more than athletic ability.
