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Thursday, September 14, 2006
‘Shakeout’ in the Peach State?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The headline in today’s newspaper (you know, what you hold in your hand and get inky fingers from) says this is “Shakeout Saturday” in college football. So it must be true.
But for a couple of late touchdowns pulled off by Florida State last week, The Enemy Watchwoman avers that we could have had it already. And, no less from her alma mater, a mid-to-lower level state institution with virtually no academic standards whatsoever (thus prompting her unchallenged enrollment and, shockingly, the conferring of a diploma four years later) and close to nothing but the ground. And since its foolhardy rise from Division II mediocrity to I-AA national champ to I-A wanna-be, a program that usually pretends at being big-time in football.
For 54 minutes in Tallahassee, it actually was one. Troy University (sans the State, which disappeared without your humble blogger, Class of ‘82, knowing about it) has had only two major construction projects since her departure. One was the expansion of what is now Movie Gallery Stadium to 30K. This was a place that not long ago proudly flailed “Dixie” as its fight song, but now trumps up more universal lyrics.
Can the absurd become frighteningly real for Georgia Tech? Now that the Yellow Jackets have had some Bulldogs they can beat, you would think not. Yes, Samford was a crummy I-AA team. But Troy has two 5-foot-11 corners to go against Calvin Johnson. The Trojans are small, but very speedy, led by an elusive juco transfer quarterback who might have been able to steer a shocking upset, had he not gotten ill.
This is supposed to be the middle of a three-game pick-up-the-money-and-get-your-butt-kicked swing for Troy, which plays at Nebraska next week. Except the Trojans aren’t getting their butts kicked.
Perhaps looking ahead to the Bowden Bowl, FSU had only 45 rushing yards, seven fumbles, and heard something a whole lot stronger than “dadgum” from Bobby afterward. One ‘Nole said: “They’re a for-real team.”
The odds give Tech a 17-point advantage. That sounds about right. But with the Jackets having a quick turnaround into ACC play against Virginia next Thursday, this one could be intriguing. I say the Trojans cover, but Tech avoids the FSU pitfall (as well as N.C. State’s ridiculous loss to Akron) and comes away relatively unscathed.
The Athenians at UGA are no less settled about the prospect of playing a UAB team that fell only 13-10 back in 2003. This is Matt Stafford’s first game in charge as the starting QB, and this too could be a tricky encounter.
The Blazers pulled out a tough win over East Carolina last week in a win that earned some props from Mark Richt. A Georgia boy will start at QB for UAB in a contest apparently determined by his native son status.
Some Bulldogs who played in that 2003 game said they remember it well and are trying to avoid it being so tight again.
Some Dogs fans (and beat writer bloggers) might be bemoaning the lack of exciting non-conference games, but for those of us from the Troys and UABs of the college football world, this is our LSU-Auburn and Florida-Tennessee.
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