Bowl Preview: Advocare V100 Independence Bowl

Advocare V100 Independence Bowl
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, La.
Texas A&M vs. Georgia
Date: Dec. 28
Time: 5 p.m.
TV: ESPN (do I even have to type it anymore?)
Line: Georgia -6.5

About Texas A&M (6-6): In his second year at A&M Mike Sherman has brought the Aggies all the way to Shreveport, La. Many people seem to think the Aggies are on the way back, mostly because they played Texas close on national TV. Those people missed the 65-10 loss to Oklahoma and the 62-14 loss to Kansas State. Yikes. They better be on the way back or Sherman will be rooming with Dennis Franchione.

Intangibles:
12th man: +2
Home games one giant 'spin the bottle' makeout session: -2
The Wrecking Crew: +3


About Georgia (7-5): The 'Dawgs barely felt the losses of last year's first round draft picks Matthew Stafford and Knowshown Moreno...oh wait. Yes, they did. They did a lot. It was like they forgot how to play football. Criminy, has Mark Richt already turned into Bobby Bowden? yeesh. I guess they beat Georgia Tech, at least.

Intangibles:
New UGA (bulldog): +2
Buck Belue, possible best name ever: +4
Richt in bowl games: -4

Impact player: Georgia QB Joe Cox has not had an easy time replacing Stafford. When Cox plays well, UGA can at least score a lot of points. That hasn't been often.

Bowl slogan: "A&M? Even Richt can't screw this one up, right?"

Little Known Fact: In order to seem important, the Advocare V100 Independence Bowl has the ugliest, most confusing web site in the history of the Intarwebbers.

Watchability (1-5): 2

The Pick: Georgia 41, Texas A&M 31

Have a nice championship game, ACC...

Just when the ACC was under the impression that next week's ACC Championship game, held somewhere in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area (uh, home to which ACC school?), would be somewhat meaningful, the SEC showed up this weekend to return it to obscurity.

Georgia, whose season has resembled the Edmund Fitzgerald, ran the ball down Georgia Tech's throat and knocked the Yellow Jackets out the top 10 with a 30-24 win.

Earlier in the day, the other half of next week's title game, Clemson, got slobberknocked by a horrifically mediocre South Carolina team, 34-17. 34 points? To South Carolina?

Have fun in Tampa with all 1,437 fans that show up next week, ACC. Don't worry. They can't take their TV contract away from you - yet.

And just to rub it in, Florida kicked the bejeezus out of FSU, as Tebow finally earned his angel wings.
"Will heaven be playing H-back for the 49ers, Pa?"
"Yes, Timmy, I think it will be. But first you must continue the Lord's work by slaying the dark one - Saban."

Fingers of destiny

Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes (shown here discussing which finger can cause the most retinal damage) graciously, with all the negative attention "weighing heavily on his heart" asked, ASKED to have his one-half eye-gouge suspension increased to an entire game eye-gouge suspension.

Sniff, I can't believe the hell they've put you through, Brandon. Thank goodness you've stepped up to take the pressure off your teammates by sitting out an entire football game.

Hero or linebacker? I'm not sure.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your Houston Gamblers...

The Georgia Bulldogs showed up to the World's Largest Cocktail Party with black helmets and black pants. It didn't make much difference, of course, as the 'Dawgs seemed far more interested in seeing how much trash they could talk and how many penalties they could commit. I think they won both of those events.

But the unis? Ugh.

And tonight, Tennessee is wearing a black jersey with orange pants.


Listen up SEC, alternate jerseys are for NBA teams and college football teams with no sense of history. If you're a college football program that changes its uniforms every four or five years, it's because you suck.

This guy must be really disappointed in this UGA season

This Georgia fan is
A) Ric Flair's son
B) An expert in multi-layered body painting
C) absolutely correct about how stupid coaches in visors look
D) All of the Above

Bowl Prevew: Capital One Bowl

Capital One Bowl
Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Michigan State vs. Georgia
Date: Jan. 1
Time: 1 p.m.
TV: ABC
Line: Georgia –7.5

About Michigan State: The Spartans are always so cute. They play hard against good teams and think they’re relevant. Hey, that Javon Ringer is something. The rest of the team? Uh, that Javon Ringer sure is somethin’!

Intangibles:
Bobby Williams not coaching: +5
John L. Smith not coaching: +3
Blake Ezor: +2
T.J. Duckett to beat UM with no time on clock: hahahaha +4

About Georgia: After whipping up on a hilariously-poor Hawaii team in last year’s Sugar Bowl, the ‘Dawgs entered 2008 ranked No. 1. They proceeded to prove exactly how misguided that notion was by getting hammered at home by Bama and giving up 900 rushing yards to Georgia Tech to finish the season. Congrats on your national title, UGA!

Intangibles:
Savannah; +4
Rest of Georgia: -3
REM before 1995: +3
REM after 1995: -6

Impact Player: UGA quarterback Matthew Stafford will probably be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft if he comes out, just based on talent. Based on production and consistency he might be the first pick of the Arena League. Kid’s gotta gun, but if he’s scattershot, the Spartans have a chance.

Bowl slogan: “Steve Spurrier would kill to get to this bowl game now.”

Little known fact: MSU quarterback Brian Hoyer is even more inconsistent than Stafford.

Watchability (1-5): 4

The Pick: Georgia 31, Michigan State 27

Observations from Saturday's Games (Nov. 29)

While flipping between Notre Dame-USC and Oklahoma-Oklahoma State it's time for my weekly obligation. Here are some random observations from today's games.

1. Coaching purge is not over. Today we saw Sylvester Croom resign at Mississippi State and Shane Montgomery step down at Miami of Ohio after going 2-10. This is not the end. Who could be next? How about Marshall's Mark Snyder. He entered this season with a 12-23 record and this was supposed to be the year the Herd competed at the top levels of Conference USA. Instead Marshall finished 4-8. And let's not forget 5-7 Auburn. Tommy Tuberville is talking about sticking around to rebuild the Tigers, but the fans may not allow him any more time.

2. Georgia can never complain again. That goes for the president of UGA, fans, players, coaches, or the waterboy. The Bulldogs, who felt they were snubbed last year and should have played for the national title despite not making the SEC championship game, entered this season No. 1. Mark Richt's team didn't handle the pressure very well. Georgia's three losses were all embarrassing. Ripped by Alabama and Florida and they blowing a nice lead against rival Georgia Tech at home. Hey Georgia, win a big game and then we'll consider you an elite program again.

3. Enough with the pre-game squirmishes. I just don't get this. Teams are warming up before the game and they decide to start jawing at each other and pushing matches. Don't you know you get to hit each other, legally, when the game starts? This stupid 2008 trend happened again before the ND-USC game. We don't need this.

4. Crazy for Dabo. Maybe the interim coach at Clemson, Dabo Swinney, has earned a shot at having interim removed from his title. Look, I question some of his quirky ways, but he has managed to get the Tigers to 7-5 and bowl eligible. This team was in shambles under Tommy Bowden and things seem to be better.

5. Working on a payout. Notre Dame's Athletic Department or Development Office has people on the phone right now trying to figure out how to raise enough funds to buy out Charlie Weis. The Fighting Irish have no fight left in them. USC is so much more talented and is totally outplaying them. This is the worst 6-6 team ever. According to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette it will cost ND at least $12 million. Better work those phones.

6. Where was this Tennessee? The Vols played great the past two weeks. It was a nice send off for Phil Fulmer, and he was extremely emotional as it all came to an end. UT really took it to Kentucky and it was clear his players really like him.

7. SEC Championship. Not sure I have looked forward more to a game in the past few years (OK, I don't mention the Pitt-WVU game of last year). Florida and Alabama are playing as well as any two teams. Each have great players and it pits the two most egotistical coaches in the nation. This game could be an instant classic. Also, think how great the tailgating will be.

8. Deserving champ. Others around the nation can make fun of the Big East, but Cincinnati is a good football team and will represent the conference well in a BCS bowl game. Brian Kelly is an excellent coach, the Bearcats are 10-2 and won some emotional contests down the stretch. Don't be shocked if the Big East wins its fourth consecutive BCS bowl game.

9. Nice run. But it looks like Oregon State's outside run at the Rose Bowl will not happen as Oregon is outplaying the Beavers, who are without Jacquizz Rodgers. This is actually good news for Boise State, Ohio State and USC. I was kind of pulling for Oregon State because of the novelty of it, but USC is the best in a weak Pac-10.

10. Sorry Buckeyes. Tim Tebow is about to become the second person to win consecutive Heisman Trophys. I didn't think he deserved it last year. But after watching TT against Florida State it's hard to argue against his value and ability. Apologies also to Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford and Graham Harrell.

Quick notes

I'm about to head out to watch games with some friends, but a couple quick notes from the early games and events:

- A good start to today's action with Georgia Tech playing an unbelievable second half and knocking off Georgia in Athens, 45-42. Georgia just could not stop the option. If UGA continues to be an undisciplined defense incapable of playing its assignments, then this matchup with Tech is going to be a nightmare. While UGA jumped out to an early lead, Tech just kept grinding. Great win for Tech.

- Incredible finish in the Kansas-Mizzou game as the Jayhawks score with 27 seconds left and then Mizzou's 54-yard field goal attempt misses at the buzzer. Mizzou still goes to the Big 12 title game.

- Coaches continue to drop. Sylvester Croom resigned at Mississippi State although I'm sure the writing was on the wall after Friday's blowout loss to rival Ole Miss. MSU will be looking for a quick turnaround. Should be interesting to see if they'll come up with the money for a big name. Shane Montgomery resigned at Miami, Oh. after the Red Hawks got thumped by rival Ohio U yesterday. Montgomery was always a bit of a reach for that job and went 17-31 in four years. That's a good job, though and should draw interest from some talented assistants.

Bad news for Alabama

Watching Florida dance all over Georgia (from a bar stool in Columbus, Ohio) made me realize one simple thing. The Gators may be the best team in college football.

This is bad news for Alabama as the Tide will likely get the Gators in the SEC championship game. If Bama doesn't lose at LSU next weekend or at home with rival Auburn on Nov. 29, then the dream season will collapse in the conference title tilt on Dec. 6 in the Georgia Dome.

Seriously, did you see that performance by Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin? That's downright scary to try to stop, especially with both of them being healthy now. Equally impressive was the defensive performance turned in by Charlie Strong's unit.

The Gators have a few teams to jump still, but no one wants to face this team in the BCS Championship game.

Really Coach? This is old news?

As Florida and Georgia get ready to square off in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville, both Coach Urban Meyer and Coach Mark Richt claim the Bulldogs' touchdown celebration in last year's game is "old news."

"In terms of the celebration question, no matter how you phrase it, you can just refer to the SEC Media Days. I think that's really old news and I'm not going to comment on it," Richt has said this week.

Meyer added, "It's old news and it has no bearing on this year's game. Two teams battling for the SEC East. It has no bearing on it whatsoever."

Sure, the SEC East is on the line and a game against Alabama in the conference championship in December. But really? Georgia's mosh pit last year has no ramifications?

Nice try guys. It has everything to do with this week. Meyer probably has the video playing over and over during practice, in the locker room. Anywhere and everywhere.

What I want to know is will the Gators try to one up them this year or is Georgia planning another secret. Let's hope so.

Observations from Saturday's Games (Oct. 25)

The Big East and ACC were shaken up Saturday, while Michigan's "Little Brother" whipped up on it. Didn't get to see as many games as I would have liked (thank you ESPN 360) because of my own work requirements. But I'm watching Penn State-Ohio State right now and wanted to let everyone know what I observed this Saturday (besides a nice 30-22 victory by Marietta College over Muskingum College).

1. Nate the Great. I have been raving about Ball State's Nate Davis all season. I think everyone else is finally catching up. Davis did about everything in the No. 20 Cardinals 38-16 victory against Eastern Michigan. Not only did he throw for 241 yards and two scores, he also caught a TD pass. I'd like to say this BSU (not Boise State) could be a BCS buster at 8-0, but the Mid-American Conference is so disrespected I don't see them cracking the Top 12 of the BCS rankings.

2. LSU defense. Really! I'm supposed to take this team serious after giving up 50-plus points in two of the past three weeks? Well I'm not and I don't think too many other people are either. I should have listened to 'Eye when he kept saying that their early wins were against inferior teams. The only two tough opponents (Florida and Georgia) just attacked the vaunted Tiger defense and uncovered many weaknesses.

3. Give me Mo. It's not like anything Georgia's Knowshon Moreno does should surprise me. But his effort against LSU was more like a season highlight reel. He finished with 163 yards, but it was his 68-yard TD run in the third quarter that totally silenced the LSU crowd. It should be noted that LSU's Charles Scott was equally impressive as he gained 144 yards and scored two touchdowns.

4. Big 12 classic. No. 1 Texas did enough to remain on top of the rankings, especially after back-to-back tough weeks and possibly looking ahead to No. 8 Texas Tech. But give No. 6 Oklahoma State a lot of credit for giving the Longhorns more than most expected in Austin. Looks like T. Boone Pickens is getting his $168 million worth (or whatever the value of his gift is now after the stock market crash). Texas QB Colt McCoy looked almost human as he threw a critical interception, but the future Heisman Trophy winner still threw for almost 400 yards. Now can Texas get up again this week?

5. Leave it to Wannstache. Just when it looks like Pitt is finally turned a corner under Dave Wannstache, the Panthers blow a game (see Rutgers 54, Pittsburgh 34). I know QB Bill Stull had to be carried off the field after hitting his helmet with a teammate, but Pitt was already struggling with Rutgers. This was bad for the Big East. Pitt, despite a loss to Bowling Green, had established itself as a legitimate team for the conference. That seems to have fallen back to WVU after Thursday's impressive win over Auburn. Throw in South Florida's loss at Louisville and the Big East is having a bad year.

5. ACC shakeup. Think the Big East is confusing, well fans of the ACC are just as confused. Following another weird week the favorites to win the conference are Florida State, Maryland and Virginia. FSU isn't so crazy, but Maryland and Virginia were written off after the first or second week. Give Ralph Friedgen and Al Groh some props for the job they have done keeping their teams focused. Many credible sources have always told me what an excellent coach Friedgen is. However, I've never heard many positives about Groh. He's got my respect now.

6. More ACC wackiness. I keep telling folks to stay away from the ACC if your picking games. I tried it again this week since it was an SEC team (Vanderbilt) playing the ACC (Duke). This seemed like an easy one, but I should have know that David Cutcliffe would have the Dookies ready for the Commodores.

7. Taking notice now. I'm not on the bandwagon, but I'm not as anti-Texas Tech as I was just 24 hours ago. The Red Raiders 63-21 whipping of Kansas was a legitimate win. Kansas is a mid-level team in most conferences, but this is the kind of win Tech needed. The hype heading into this week's game with No. 1 Texas is going to be something the folks in Lubbock have never witnessed before.

8. What's bad about the Big 12. Missouri will still likely make the conference championship game because the North Division is so crappy. Great Missouri getting the crap kicked out of them. The most exciting part of this game will be at halftime when some 5-foot-8 white guy tries to win $1 million throwing footballs at moving Dr. Pepper bottles.

9. Bama fans. Alabama's game with Tennessee isn't even over yet, but I know they are having a good week. The Tide will finish off the Vols and the win could finish Phil Fulmer at Tennessee. That's a very good week for the folks in Tuscaloosa. But I also know they enjoyed Auburn's loss at West Virginia an awful lot also. My sister lives there and when she wore her WVU jacket the next day, a number of Bama fans responded very positively.

10. Herbstreit kids. Kirk Herbstreit has cute kids. But he needs to stop bringing them onto the Game Day set every time they are in Columbus. There always seems to be one of his genetically superior sons who breaks down like a little girl lost at the mall. Enough. Leave them at home with mom.

LSU fan gets defensive

Now if just the Tigers would play some this season. A lot of fans have felt this way. This dude got to express it to everyone watching.

Our Top 25 (Sept. 22)

Back by popular demand, the weekly rankings by the cast and crew of An 'Eye and an 'Eer. How did Ohio State get back in the Top 10?

1. USC (2-0)
2. Georgia (4-0)
3. Oklahoma (3-0)
4. Florida (3-0)
5. Missouri (4-0)
6. LSU (3-0)
7. Alabama (4-0)
8. Wisconsin (3-0)
9. Texas (3-0)
10. Ohio State (3-1)
11. South Florida (4-0)
12. Penn State (4-0)
13. BYU (4-0)
14. Wake Forest (3-0)
15. Texas Tech (4-0)
16. Utah (4-0)
17. Illinois (2-1)
18. Boise State (3-0)
19. Vanderbilt (4-0)
20. Kansas (3-1)
21. Auburn (3-1)
22. Colorado (3-0)
23. Clemson (3-1)
24. TCU (4-0)
25. Nebraska (3-0)

Others receiving votes: Miami (Fla.), Ball State, Fresno State, East Carolina, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech.

Saturday night games

Georgia at Arizona State - It's 14-3 and ASU is looking a little out of their element. The Devils can't run the ball at all. I'm not saying give up on the run, but I sure wouldn't run on any down that means anything like they just did on a third and one. One more UGA score and this one's over.

Wake Forest at Florida State - How long does Jimbo Fisher get to try and fix whatever is broken with the FSU offense? Looks like the same old, same old to me. Dumb penalties, turnovers, poor QB play, etc. Wake should be up more than 9-3 at this point, but has made some mistakes in the red zone.

LSU at Auburn - Auburn is playing inspired football and LSU has QB problems. Neither of these guys look real comfortable. Not sure LSU can score enough to overcome the 14-3 halftime deficit. Fun game to watch though as these teams are beating the crap out of each other.

OUR Top 25 (Sept. 15)

The guys from An 'Eye and an 'Eer are at it again with their Top 25 rankings. And yes, we believe it is more representative than any media or coaches poll. Not only do Phil and I vote, but our SEC and ACC correspondents have chipped in this week. Hopefully soon we'll have correspondents from other conferences.

1. USC (4)
2. Oklahoma
3. Georgia
4. Florida
5. Missouri
6. LSU
7. Wisconsin
8. Texas
9. Alabama
10. Ohio State
11. East Carolina
12. Penn State
13. Oregon
14. South Florida
15. BYU
16. Auburn
17. Wake Forest
18. Florida State
19. Illinois
20. Utah
21. Texas Tech
22. West Virginia
23. North Carolina
24. Kansas
25. Clemson

Others receiving votes: Connecticut, Ball State, Colorado, Oklahoma State, Fresno State, TCU

Observations from Saturday's games

Between diaper changes and playing in my daughter's kitchen, I managed to take in some college football action Saturday. I wish I could have taken in more games, but here are some interesting observations I made.

1. Georgia did exactly what it had to in Columbia, S.C. If the Bulldogs are to have any chance of playing for a national title this season, escaping with a narrow 14-7 road SEC victory won't hurt a bit. I don't care what the analysts say. This is one big victory down and only nine more to go. Up next? Ouch. A jaunt across the country to play an athletic Arizona State squad.

2. The Gamecocks (1-2, 0-2) showed plenty of grit against the No. 2 Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0). The Ol' Ball Coach still hasn't found any offense, but still a gallant effort after last week's shocking loss to Vandy.

3. With Lou Holtz in South Bend giving pep talks, kissing up to the Notre Dame faithful and unveiling a statue, watching halftime on ESPN games was bearable. Can someone else bring him to their campus next week?

4. Syracuse's Greg Robinson looks like a dead-man walking on the sidelines. He tries to pretend like he's still coaching, and that any of the players are actually listening. His assistants are networking with the opposing coaches for potential employment next year. 0-12 is looking like a reality.

5. I didn't see any of the East Carolina-Tulane game, but I was not shocked to see that they barely escaped New Orleans with a 28-24 victory. Following consecutive upsets of the ACC favorite (Virginia Tech) and Big East favorite (West Virginia), the No. 14 Pirates (3-0, 1-0) almost became the upset victim. Coach Skip Holtz' team needed a late TD pass in their Conference USA opener. Hey guys, I would get used to it. The rest of the conference is going to give you their best each week.

6. The Pac-10 just helped the Big East and ACC with their conference inferiority complexes (barring USC's performance against Ohio State). It took Cal about 2 1/2 hours to wake up at Maryland and didn't have enough magic and lost 35-27. Other embarrassing losses were Baylor over Washington State, BYU humiliating UCLA, and TCU over Stanford. Luckily Oregon rallied against Purdue and won on the road in OT.

7. Buffalo's Turner Gill will be coaching somewhere else next year. This former Nebraska standout has done an amazing job with the Bulls, who are now 2-1 after a 30-28 win over Temple. The last time Buffalo was over .500 and it not be Week 1 as a Division I-A team was back in 1969, when the Bulls finished 6-3.

8. This isn't the first time I have mentioned Ball State's Nate Davis, but many outside of the Mid-American Conference don't know who he is. He's easily the best quarterback that no one knows. He was lights out again on Saturday, completing 24-of-36 for two scores in a 41-24 win against Akron.

9. Could it be that David Cutcliffe has Duke fans not looking forward to basketball season already? The Dookies improved to 2-1 with a 41-31 victory over Navy at Wallace Wade Stadium. All right that's a stretch, but he's doing one impressive job. Probably the best since Spurrier roamed the sidelines back in the late 1980s.

10. Note to self (pick Missouri to score the most points each week in my College Picks league).

OUR Top 25 (Sept. 8)

You'll be glad to see that we have added a few more voters to OUR Top 25 poll this week. It strays a little from the "experts", but we believe it has some real value. So compare and let us know what you think. Our two new voters are from SEC land. They have special knowledge of Florida, Alabama, Auburn and Southern Mississippi. Phil and I are working on gaining a few more bloggers and podcasters who would like to be part of this poll.

Here are this week's rankings:

1. USC (3)
2. Georgia (1)
3. Florida
4. Oklahoma
5. Missouri
6. Ohio State
7. LSU
8. Texas
9. Wisconsin
10. Alabama
11. East Carolina
11. Arizona State
12. Kansas
13. Texas Tech
14. Auburn
15. Penn State
16. Oregon
17. South Florida
18. California
19. Wake Forest
20. BYU
21. UCLA
22. WVU
23. Utah
24. Illinois
25. Clemson

Others receiving votes: Fresno State, Kentucky, Arizona

OUR Top 25

Who says the media or coaches (we all know it's the SIDs who vote) know any more about ranking the best teams in college football than us. Phil and Tom watched way too many games this past week (but I love watching the games in HD). Starting with South Carolina-NC State and finishing late into the OT evening with UCLA-Tennessee, we now give you our first rankings of 2008.

An 'Eye and an 'Eer rankings

1. USC (2)
2. Ohio State
3. Florida
4. Oklahoma
5. Georgia
6. Missouri
7. LSU
8. West Virginia
9. Alabama
10. Wisconsin
11. Auburn
12. Texas
13. BYU
14. Oregon
15. South Florida
16. Wake Forest
17. Arizona State
18. Texas Tech
19. Penn State
20. Kansas
21. California
22. Utah
23. Fresno State
24. South Carolina
25. East Carolina

Others receiving votes: UCLA, Florida State, Kentucky

(We hope to get a few of our podcasting and blogging friends to join us in the future to bolster our rankings)