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DEL.ICIO.USTony’s top Saturday storylines
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Vols aim at East
For the second consecutive week Tennessee (7-3, 4-2) faces an elimination game in the SEC East. This time it’s against Vanderbilt (5-5, 2-5), and the stakes are clear. If Tennessee loses Saturday at home, where it’s 6-0 this season, and Georgia beats Kentucky, the Bulldogs go to the SEC championship game. If Tennessee beats the Commodores, it would go to Atlanta with a win on Nov. 24 at Kentucky.
Coach Phillip Fulmer said he was unusually blunt with his players this week.
“I told them you can be smart or you can be stupid; you can be mature or you can be immature,” Fulmer said. “They have been a pretty good listening football team for most of the year.”
Croom happy but not satisfied
With wins over Auburn, Kentucky and Alabama this season, you might think that Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom is satisfied with his team (6-4, 3-3). You can think that, but you’d be wrong.
In his fourth season, Croom has turned a corner in Starkville. His team is knocking on the door to respectability. Now they want to kick the sucker down by beating Arkansas Saturday and Ole Miss on Friday in Starkville to finish 8-4.
“Nobody is going to give us anything. We have to work for it,” Croom said.
LSU aims to stay on top vs. Ole Miss
Once upon a time, the LSU-Ole Miss rivalry was one of the best in Southern college football. Billy Cannon’s 89-yard punt return against Ole Miss in 1959 is one of a handful of moments that define the sport.
There will be no such moment Saturday.
LSU (9-1, 5-1) is back at No. 1 in the BCS standings and has already locked up a spot in the SEC championship game. What’s at stake today against Ole Miss (3-7, 0-6) and Friday against Arkansas is the opportunity to play for the BCS national championship.
“We understand that we will get their best shot, and we look forward to that,” LSU coach Les Miles said.
Auburn looms for Crimson Tide
It’s been a tough two weeks for Alabama (6-4, 4-3). On Nov. 3, the Crimson Tide was playing for first place in the SEC West but lost a heartbreaker to No. 1 LSU (41-34). Last week, Alabama made too many mistakes and lost in an upset at Mississippi State (17-12). Saturday is Senior Day in Tuscaloosa as Alabama faces Louisiana-Monroe. But don’t kid yourself. Today’s game is merely the tuneup for the biggest game of the year next Saturday at Auburn.
“As a team, we need to look forward. We don’t need to look in the rearview mirror,” coach Nick Saban said. “We have a two-game season coming up with Louisiana-Monroe and our next game.”
Tebow back in Heisman hunt?
The only question about Saturday’s game between Florida (7-3, 5-3) and Florida Atlantic is this: At the end of the day, what will Tim Tebow’s numbers be?
The sophomore quarterback put himself right back into the Heisman Trophy race last week with seven touchdowns (five running, two passing) and 524 yards of offense in a 51-31 win over South Carolina.
Coach Urban Meyer said that he wouldn’t leave Tebow in the game to pad his stats and increase his Heisman chances.
Bowden back in familiar place
This summer Clemson coach Tommy Bowden joked about his perennial occupancy on college football’s hot seat.
“Been here nine years. On the hot seat about seven. That seems about right,” Bowden said.
Bowden was back on that hot seat when Clemson lost to Georgia Tech (13-3) and Virginia Tech (41-23) and were 2-2 in the ACC in mid-October.
But if Clemson (8-2, 5-2) can beat Boston College (8-2, 4-2) Saturday night at Death Valley, the Tigers will go to the ACC championship game.
“We’ve seen how quickly a season can change in your favor,” Bowden said. “It can turn back the other way just as quickly.”
Va. Tech says Miami is still Miami
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer knows that his team (8-2, 5-1) is in a weird place Saturday against Miami (5-5, 2-4) in Blacksburg. Miami is coming off one of the worst performances in school history — a 48-0 loss to Virginia. Even if Virginia Tech loses, it will still go to the ACC championship game if it beats Virginia (9-2, 6-1) next week.
Beamer said that despite last week’s game, Miami is still Miami.
“They are just a scary, talented football team,” Beamer said.
ND ghosts worry Duke’s coach
When you’re 1-9, you’ll take anything to salvage a season. That is what Duke (1-9, 0-7) is facing Saturday when it goes to Notre Dame (1-9).
Duke coach Ted Roof entered this season on a 20-game losing streak, so his future in Durham is anything but secure. But he would certainly like this group of players to have at least one good memory of the 2007 season.
“We certainly have a lot of respect for their program, but I don’t want their past history to make any tackles or score any touchdowns,” Roof said. “I want our guys to focus on their assignments, not their great tradition.”
Terps, recruiting Bowden’s focus
Just when it appeared Florida State (6-4, 3-4) was getting things turned around, the Seminoles got spanked by Virginia Tech (40-21) on Saturday. But coach Bobby Bowden says his team has a lot of play for Saturday when it hosts Maryland (5-5, 2-4) on Senior Day at Doak Campbell Stadium.
“We need to win the ballgame and finish the season up strong and go out and recruit and get some more players,” Bowden said.
Maryland has won two of its past three games with Florida State.
The Big One a battle for Rose
Needless to say, last Saturday’s losses by Ohio State and Michigan have taken the bloom off Saturday’s game in Ann Arbor.
But it’s still Ohio State-Michigan, and a Big Ten championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl are on the line. And for Michigan (8-3, 6-1 Big Ten), which started the season with a loss to Appalachian State, a trip to the Rose Bowl would be sweet.
“I’m very proud of the way this team has fought and competed,” Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. “They have put themselves into a position where they are not only playing for the greatest rivalry in sport, they’re playing for a championship. They’re playing for the Rose Bowl.”
Big 12 teams get help from Arizona
There’s no doubt Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops called his brother, Mike, late Thursday to say two things: Congratulations and thanks, Bro.
Arizona’s 34-24 upset of No. 2 Oregon marked the fifth No. 2 team in seven weeks to go down. It also opened the door for the Big 12 champion to reach the BCS championship game.
No. 3 Kansas (10-0) and No. 5 Missouri (9-1) will meet next Saturday in Kansas City. If No. 4 Oklahoma (9-1) wins at Texas Tech Saturday and clinches the South Division, the Sooners will play the Kansas-Missouri winner for the Big 12 championship on Dec. 1.
If LSU beats Ole Miss Saturday, those three Big 12 teams will be ranked 2-3-4 in the new BCS standings. The winner of their two-week round robin will likely be no worse than No. 2 when the BCS title game is set on Dec. 2.
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Comments
By josh
November 16, 2007 10:33 PM | Link to this
tennessee WILL lose 1 of its last 2 games…go dawgs! bring on ls..who??
By Xenophon
November 16, 2007 11:39 PM | Link to this
I’m a Dawg fan. Go Vols!!!!!!!!!
By Clete
November 17, 2007 12:01 AM | Link to this
No Dawg Fan would EVER say “Go Vols!!!!!!!!”……JERK.
By John
November 17, 2007 12:32 AM | Link to this
Tony, If Fulmer ever tires of having only one big game each year, I am sure Stoops can find him a spot as a line coach.
By 3volpaul
November 17, 2007 5:32 AM | Link to this
As a Vol fan, I can tell you we are nervous, 12 point fav or not! Phil has been known not to have them ready! Stumbling toward Atl!
By Mark Kelly
November 17, 2007 8:05 AM | Link to this
Alabama selecting Mike Shula as head coach over Sylvester Croom continues to be a mystery. And it always will/
By Mike
November 17, 2007 8:18 AM | Link to this
Who dat say dey goin’ to beat dem Tigers? WHO DAT?!?!
By byteback
November 17, 2007 8:34 AM | Link to this
SEC….bets teams money can buy.
By Exley DAWG
November 17, 2007 8:47 AM | Link to this
The scientific name for the feline family is Turdis. Does that mean the DAWGS will be playing the turds today?????
Go DAWGS!
By DWG
November 17, 2007 8:49 AM | Link to this
Xenophon warrior princess is scared of LSU. Dude, we want championships here. Not watch others play for them. Go dawgs!
By EverGator
November 17, 2007 9:23 AM | Link to this
Go Wildcats!
By Roswell Ed
November 17, 2007 9:30 AM | Link to this
This is a game Clemson finds a way to lose.
Miami is still Miami?
What does that mean?
1/2 of them are wearing ankle monitors?
The only thing that should scare you about ND is if you’re right behind Weis in the buffet line.
Big Game for the Big 10.
How sorry is this conference?
The winner of the conference could have losses to Ap St, Oregon and Wis.
It’s like winning the NFC South.
WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!! Look at me I’m the peanut in the poop!!
The Big 10- a tradition of SUCK.
By gtne80
November 17, 2007 10:57 AM | Link to this
Does anyone else see the humor in the fact that the Dawgie fans can’t trash talk their opponent this week because UK is their best hope of getting to the SEC Championship game by beating UT next week?
Hard to believe that UT will stumble this week at home against Vandy. That means that UGA’s best hope is to beat the Cats this week and become their biggest fans next week.
The irony is that if UT beats Vandy and UK, the SEC East will send their third best team to the championship game. UGA and UF are better teams at this point in the season. The Pups losses to UT and USC were before they got their offensive feet under them.
Bet that LSU would rather see the Vols in Atlanta than either UGA or UF (or UK for that matter).
By gtne80
November 17, 2007 11:03 AM | Link to this
Miami loses 48-0 to UVA and Beamer is poor mouthing? Shades of VD.
Game of the day: Duke against ND for rights to avoid being the worst team in 1A. Who’d have thought it?
Roswell Ed - Great line about UM and the ankle bracelets. They are and always will be a team of thugs. How else could a school that’s only a little larger than a community college compete on a national scale?
By VolMBAer
November 17, 2007 11:09 AM | Link to this
The fact that you Dog fans can say UGA is a better team than UT is just stunning and it shows your ignorance. Your not a better team. If we make it to Atlanta, we earned it. We didn’t back door in, we didn’t slide by or get lucky, we earned it. We got killed by Florida yes, but every other team in the East we would have beaten. You can’t tell me, honestly, that you deserve to go more than we do, considering how our little game went up in Knoxville.
By socaldawg
November 17, 2007 11:36 AM | Link to this
Roswell Ed,
I’d be more afraid standing in FRONT of Weiss at the buffet, than behind him. If’n your in front, you might find yourself ett up.
By jay
November 17, 2007 11:55 AM | Link to this
ESPN’s game day just spent 3/4 of the show talking about Mich/Ohio St. and 1/4 of the show talking about the rest of the country. I think it was maybe 10 minutes on the entire SEC.
They still don’t get it. College football is about the SEC. Period.
By Atlanta Gator
November 17, 2007 11:58 AM | Link to this
I suspect that the Volunteers will take care of business at home against the Commodores. The ‘Dores will be plenty motivated and well coached, but the Vols have superior talent. If I were Coach Fulmer, however, I would be loaded for bear when my team travels to Lexington Thanksgiving weekend. Kentucky may have a mediocre defense, but so does Tennessee, and the Wildcats have the offensive horses to outscore the Vols. Beware. Bombs away!
Mississippi State’s football program has flirted with “respectability,” first under Jackie Sherrill, now under Sylvester Croom, for most of the last 15 years. If Croom can get the Bulldogs to consistently winning 4 to 5 SEC games, and another 3 or 4 out-of-conference match-ups, then the corner will have been turned. He’s close, but not quite there yet, and now he will now have to contend with a rejuvenated program at his Tuscaloosa alma mater.
LSU vs. Ole Miss? Ole Miss may have kept it respectable against young UGA and UF teams, but this game will be over shortly after the start of the second half. Next.
If ‘Bama wins, Coach Saban takes a giant leap forward with his program (and Tide fans). If Auburn wins, Coach Tuberville and his team will make a powerful statement that they have no intention of quietly ceding control of the State of Alabama back to the Tide. This should be a fun game to watch.
Look, I’m a Gator alumnus and Gator fan, and I think Tim Tebow is the neatest thing since Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel and Chris Leak, but I hope that Coach Meyer does not over-hype Tebow too early. Tim is a true sophomore, and I suspect that he will be the pre-season Heisman favorite for the next two years. Winning now, with all of the potential this young Gators quarterback and team have, would be a curse, not a blessing.
Even if Clemson beats Boston College and plays for the ACC championship, this Clemson program has the air of mediocrity about it. Clemson has not been the same since Charlie Pell, Danny Ford, and IPTAY got caught with their hands in the cookie jar in the 1980’s. Does anyone seriously think that Clemson would be in the top 5 ACC football programs this year but for the down years of Miami and FSU? Clemson and Bowden may get an upset along the way, but they also always find a way to lose two or more games they should win. This coach is not going to take the Tigers to the Promised Land.
Virginia Tech may find a way to lose to Miami, but the ‘07 Hurricanes are NOT the Hurricanes of old. I hope Coach Shannon can build a new and better foundation for this program, but so much of Miami’s previous success was built on their bluster, swagger and bad-boy image (and overwhelming talent), that Shannon may not be able to pull them out of their death spiral.
It’s time for Saint Bobby to let it go. The Seminoles clearly need a better quarterback, but they also need new focus and drive that only a new coach can provide. Even at their present level of talent, FSU should be winning more games than they are.
If Michigan wins, I don’t want to hear a single Big Ten fan whining about how they got left out of the BCS. The winner of this game should count themselves lucky to be included in the Rose Bowl, with its usual over-sized pay-off. I couple of more seasons like this, and the rest of Division I can tell the Rose Bowl and the Big Ten to go get stuffed; we’re having an 8-team playoff with or WITHOUT them. The world clearly does not revolve around Big Ten football and the Rose Bowl anymore (if it ever did).
Yeah, something really funny would have to happen for a Big XII team not to make it into the BCS championship game now … how about war-gaming that one? I can’t imagine a scenario in which one of these three teams isn’t playing for all the marbles in January. If LSU wins out, it will be the Tigers vs. the Big XII survivor.
By Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker
November 17, 2007 12:59 PM | Link to this
I’ve got a great idea for the GT game after UGA scores the first TD:
Have CMR and his team wear thin BLACK jocks….Afterall, DAWGS and their DAWG fans (especially the females) love BONES and Sniffing Butts!!!
Can’t you just feel the intensity building….the players and fans have to be soo excited about what color JOCKS they will be wearing!!!
GOOOOOO DAWGSSSSSS!!! First a pile up in the End Zone…then Black jerseys….NOW BLACK THIN JOCKS!!!!!
By SW
November 17, 2007 2:31 PM | Link to this
I thought I’d seen it all but I’ve never seen a Miami player wearing an ankle monitor. If you have a non-Photoshopped picture, please post it. Otherwise, it’ll be evident why you’re targeting their program.
Auburn and UGA are in a competition to see who can give the most footjobs to Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker, respectively…by their menfolk!
Any data used to promote the argument that the SEC is the toughest conference actually contradicts itself upon further dissection. Please try me but remember that “they just are top to bottom” won’t cut it. Try me…
I’m not a fan of theirs but West Virginia would beat any team (SEC included) in a BCS bowl game.
Seriously, how is a quarterback’s success measured? Completions? (Harrell) Yards? (Harrell) Touchdowns? (Harrell) Or Won-loss record? (Pat White) Or hype? (Clausen)
By Tony is a Joke
November 17, 2007 7:00 PM | Link to this
HEY TONY, AREN’T YOU THE IDIOT THAT SAID SABAN HAS ALREADY EARNED HIS 4 MILLION? It looks like you clowns would learn to hold off before making such assinine statements early on in a season.
By TiderInsider
November 17, 2007 9:46 PM | Link to this
Hey Mark Kelly,
They hired the one they could fire.
By Tony is a Joke
November 17, 2007 11:20 PM | Link to this
Hey Tony, how many times did Shula apologize to Tide fans for a loss like Saban did today.
By Mark Kelly is drunk
November 17, 2007 11:33 PM | Link to this
Hey Mark Kelly,
What! What has Slyvester Croom done? Sure he beat Bama (by 5), but so did LA Monroe (by 7). Oh, by the way, ULM’s first win over an SEC team since 95, and only the 3rd time in 33 attempts.
By Eric1
November 18, 2007 7:40 AM | Link to this
This is SWEET!!! Give ‘em heck you UL Mo Warhawks! Wow! $4 mil a year seems a bit much for the over rated St Nick today. I’m thinking the bammers could’ve lost to Miss St and UL Mo with Mike Shula at the helm and saved themselves a boat load of green. Maybe it’s the Miami connection that has Tuscaloozer on it’s heels. Uh oh! Look out! Do I smell number 6? Yee haw!!! WDE !!!!!
By Steve
November 18, 2007 9:34 AM | Link to this
How does it work that “College football is about the SEC” and Alabama loses to a nobody… a NON-SEC nobody? That shouldn’t happen with a superior league, right?
Does that make the Sunbelt better than the SEC?
So there is no confusion, I graduated from Ohio State. Go Bucks!!
By jim
November 18, 2007 9:51 AM | Link to this
Vandy had it in the bag and let it slip away. A prime example of prevent defence and trying to sit on a lead. Then again UGA was really pulling for them to win but, You think Vandy may have remembered UGA beat them a couple weeks ago and next week Ky will remember UGA beat them yesterday.
Best of luck to Coach Croom. The man is a class act.
While LSU will remain at #1 they are not the best team. They still have a long row to hoe.
Well, it looked as Alabama’s tune-up game had a lot of fouled plugs. What was that I heard in the west wind last night; a lonesome cry that went like this: has anybody here seen ol Mikey Shula, could someone please tell us where he’s gone. We paid a lot of money for ol Nicky Saban, we did. Would someone please tell us where we went wrong?
By DWG
November 18, 2007 11:26 AM | Link to this
Yes JIM, vandy threw the game yesterday because they were still BITTER about the dawgs beating them. And Kentucky will throw the game a week from now TO GET REVENGE ON THE DAWGS! These stupid statements by a BAMA fan shed light on how your STUPID program could pay SABAN 4 MIL a year to EMBARRASS our confrence.
By Dog the Gator Catcher
November 18, 2007 3:14 PM | Link to this
Alabama has hit a new low under Nick Saban. Urban Meyer’s Florida team is good, but eliminated from the conference race with three losses. South Carolina appears to be going nowhere in Steve Spurrier’s third season. Tommy Tuberville’s Auburn team is a pedestrian 7-4. Fulmer’s Tennessee squad is a shaky 8-3 with one very tough road game left to play.
Yet the coach who never seems to get mentioned among the so-called brilliant coaches in the league, Mark Richt, just won his 70th game in his 7th season (for you non math majors, that’s an average of 10 a year), with two and possibly three games still left to play. He also stands a fair chance of winning the East for the 4th time and the conference for the 3rd time in his 7 seasons. Win at GT next week, and Georgia will probably be a lock to go to its 3rd BCS bowl and/or its 5th New Year’s Day Bowl in the Richt era, regardless of how the SECC shapes up.
It’s time to acknowledge that this man is an elite football coach. These things don’t happen consistently by luck or accident, especially in the brutal SEC.
By Mikey
November 18, 2007 3:26 PM | Link to this
Alabama is an embarrassment to the SEC. I never thought I’d say that after they plastered the Vols.
By Dog the Gator Hunter
November 18, 2007 3:29 PM | Link to this
I changed by handle slightly on that last post in honor of “Gator the Dog Catcher” or GTDC, who hasn’t been seen on this site much since a certain football game in late October…
If any sees him, give him a hearty hello from the victorious Georgia Nation.
By Bamadon
November 19, 2007 7:58 AM | Link to this
I have been on vacation and wanted to tell the bulldog nation THANK YOU for the beat down on the cow college!! As for my favorite team Alabama, they have packed it in and been on vacation for 2 weeks in a row. Bama let a sunbelt team beat them!! I used to say Vandy football was the laughing stock of the SEC, but the CRIMSON TIDE is the laughing stock of the SEC!!!