Looking Back...Looking Ahead

Definitive: having its fixed and final form; providing a solution or final answer; satisfying all criteria

- Dictionary.com

*Alabama is an excellent football team. But to say that they are definitively the #1 team in the country, as many media folks have done, is off base. I see a great deal of group think in the media’s evaluation of games and teams. Alabama is definitively better than LSU because what? They have beaten 3 teams with a combined record of 5-4? LSU has been just as suffocating on defense and offensively explosive. You may notice that I have Bama #1 in the Super 7. They are defending National Champs and will stay there until someone beats them. But given that LSU would only be a two point underdog should the teams play at a neutral site this weekend, I would hardly call the Tide the definitive best team in the country.

*Did you notice that the 63 points put up by the Tigers were the most in the Miles era? You think it was a coincidence that Alabama won by 52 while LSU won by 49? Expect the shadowboxing to continue all season.

* I am personally glad USC lost so we don’t have to listen to the “suckfest” on ESPN for the next few months. The Trojans are good, but not elite. They rank 95th in the country in rushing. If you cannot run the ball, you will not win the biggest prizes.

*Speaking of USC, Lane Kiffin continues to embarrass himself and his school. His most recent temper tantrum has him walking out of a post practice presser after 30 seconds because a reporter asked about an injured player. Nick Saban and Urban Meyer, with five national titles between them, can act an ass all day and get away with it. A second rate coach with a 27-14 career record, zero conference titles and zero bowl wins should be careful.

*The Big 10 is just awful this year. The best team in the league is on probation and any chance of a National Title contender went out the window with Sparty’s ugly loss to ND. Someone for the Big 10 will play in the Rose Bowl…and get thoroughly beaten by an excellent Pac-12 squad.

This Weekend:

Clemson at Florida State: I had this marked down as one of my biggest five games of the season. Winner has the inside track to the ACC Title game and keeps National Title hopes alive. Put up or shut up for Noles.

Michigan at Notre Dame: The Golden Doomers win this one and they will crack the Super 7. Michigan can erase some of the stigma from the opening game beat down with a win in South Bend.

Kansas State at Oklahoma: This was THE GAME in the Big 12 for a few years in the early ‘00’s. KSU is very good this year, but Oklahoma just doesn’t lose in Norman. Stoops is 77-3 at home since taking over in 1999.

LSU at Auburn: Since the inception of divisional play in 1992, LSU is only 3-7 when playing at Auburn, the wins coming in 1996, 1998 and 2008. The average margin of victory in those three games was 7 points. Since 2000, LSU has managed only 13 points per game on the Plains. Yet, LSU is an 18 point favorite going into Saturday. I think this is one of those games you can throw out the numbers. Miles wants to keep pace with Alabama so I expect his foot to stay on the gas all game.

LSU 38 – Auburn 10