Ben Strikes Again

Another Nugget from Ben:

As another festive week of football flies by, let's take a look at what's already taken place and what may lie ahead.

1. I got caught behind a Marta bus this morning about a mile from work which made me a few minutes late into work. As I started to pound the steering wheel in anger, I paused for a moment and told myself "Hey it's not that bad... I could be Larry Coker at Miami". Supposedly a press conference for tomorrow at 3pm is scheduled from what rivals.com message boards are saying. And it ain't to announce the upcoming women's volleyball team schedule. I hope these reports pan out and he's ousted. I would look for Tuberville to be on a short list of possible replacements. He would fit the image well at Miami. I'd imagine CMR's name would be thrown around some but I wouldn't think it'd go very far from their end or CMR's end.

2. As I was telling some people earlier in a conversation, I think LSU is going down the same road Miami is currently. LSU is just a few steps behind at the moment as Les Miles hasn't had enough time to completely downgrade the program yet. I was able to attend the Aub/ LSU game Saturday and you just see nothing from the LSU players and coaches that shows fire to win and leadership in crunch time. In this league- that equates to losses against pretty good teams. Aub had no business winning that game but LSU cannot execute when it matters. LSU looks great coming off the bus, but rest assured they can't get the job done when they need to. If they keep him another two years, LSU will be a team consistently ranked in the 15-20 range. Nice team, a lot of talent, no clue what to do with it.

3. Same as above but insert Alabama instead of LSU. Shula is in over his head still, but all we keep hearing is "give him some time..." A coach who is incapable of leading a team to significant victories is nothing more than a coach who is incapable of leading his team to significant victories. We can wait till 2010 if they want- but it'll be the same ol' same ol'.

4. The ACC is now just decrepit. I hope ABC has a clause they can exercise to show Wild Kingdom repeats or maybe they can buy Fashion Runway from the Bravo network and show it on Saturdays at 3:30. There have been too many embarrassing losses already to even mention. That conference is WAY off this go round, at the top and at the bottom. Any time you hear a commentator say "GA Tech has a legitimate shot at winning their division" you know the conference is way off. How funny would it be to see Reggie Ball hoisting the division title trophy up in the air come November. He'd probably put a tattoo on the figurine or something. What a thug. But he's a whole other email.

5. TN left everything they have on the field Saturday against Fla. They came close but that's about it for them. I look for them to find another two or three losses this season. We should beat them (given Stafford starts of course), and just unplug the tv when Ala and SC play them. The US World Cup team may score more points than TN, Ala, and SC.

6. Auburn being # 2 is kind of funny. Top 10 for sure but they're not one of the elite teams by any stretch in my opinion. LSU handed them their lunch for the most part but a lack of leadership and focus spelled their downfall on the scoreboard. Aub is a solid team and really makes you work hard to beat them but a team that plays sound football and remains focused can do it. That team could very well be us if Joe T just keeps the head set on and carries the clipboard.

7. Very good chance for our third straight shutout this weekend against Colorado. They are nothing short of morbid. It'll be fun though to see their mascot Ralphie charge onto the field before the game. I believe it's the first time he's made an away trip they say. Which is exactly why I'm ending this one now, I'm talking about their mascot instead of a good matchup on the field. Dawgs by 27. Would be by 37 if we had some receivers (see any past email I've sent).

8. Notre Dame is an average team at best. If I hear another person talk about Brady Quinn, I may start doing Traci Goldman impersonations and throw up repeatedly. I just don't see it. Didn't see it last year either. The kid is not all that at least in my opinion. FINALLY I read this morning where several NFL scouts are starting to have serious concerns about his pro ability. Guess time will tell. He can always tell his kids though that he was better than Reggie Ball.

9. Sign in the Auburn student section during the game... "LSU BLEAUXS".

10. South Carolina is so bad it's funny. I was one of the folks picking them in a chic upset of UGA a couple weeks ago. What can transpire in two weeks time is astounding. I wouldn't have picked them in an upset though had I known Stafford would play the whole game pretty much for whatever it's worth. Wofford had a 3rd and goal with 30 seconds left to tie the game against them this past Saturday. Ouch. Maybe Spurrier would be interested in the Miami position when it becomes open.

That's all for now. I hate typing. Let's take care of business this week and next, then handle the Pumpkins when they come to town. We ought to build a tollbooth in Rockmart and charge a .50 cent toll for every Camaro that crosses into GA the weekend of Oct 7th. We could send many an underprivileged child to school for years with that revenue.

Ben