6th Week Upcoming Games

The upcoming games this week for the principal blog participants are Saturday October 4:

• 12:00 PM ET Iowa at Michigan State. TV: ESPN2

• 12:30 PM ET No. 12 Florida at Arkansas. TV:Raycom (Check your local listing)

• 1:00PM ET Georgetown at Colgate. Follow on gametracker

• 7:05 PM ET Texas A&M at No. 21 Oklahoma State. No TV. Follow on gametracker.

• 8:00 PM ET (5PM Pacific) No. 23 Oregon at No. 9 USC. TV: ABC

• LSU is having a bye week getting ready for Florida next week.

Other games of note:

• 3:30 PM ET Kentucky at No. 2 Alabama. TV: CBS

• 9:00 PM ET No. 4 Missouri at Nebraska TV: ESPN

• No. 1 Oklahoma is playing Baylor. Sorry, Stoops, that's not of note and it's not televised.

As always, good luck to all our bloggers. May your team win! Remember to click the title to this post for a more complete schedule of games. And... Keep on blogging!!

Check Out Below & Fire Dan Mullen

Check out Jason's pictures below. They're pretty cool. Just click on the picture to enlarge. Unlike the kindly, restrained Hoyas, Gators, like the rest of the SEC, have no patience. Lose one game and you are done. Our National Championship winning "genius" Gator Offensive Coordinator Dan Mullen has incurred the wrath of the Gator Nation by losing to Ole Miss. Now there's a "Fire Dan Mullen Website" Check it out! If we lose this week to Arkansas look for the "fire urban meyer site." I'll post upcoming games soon!

There is a team wearing Gator Blue that is yet undefeated...

The Stetson University College of Law Intramural 7 on 7 Football League is overwhelmed by the boys in blue. We are 3-0 so far, having won by big margins, and we are looking to become immortalized by having our team picture hung in the stetson gym, which will happen if we win the championship down the road. We were the runner up last year, but this year we hope to win it all. Before you laugh, know that there are a significant number of D-1 and 2 athletes at stetson. We have a shooting guard from Wake Forest, A couple of O-Lineman (including the Center from Harvard), starting pitchers from the University of Miami, Campbell U (my teams quarterback), the place kicker from Wofford (also on my team - I should note that it is hilarious to watch this guy kickoff on our 60 yard field and send the ball into the condominiums across the street EVERY time)and several others. At any rate, Ashley has been at our last two games to document the carnage with her new camera and to cheer us on. The first picture below is the other teams running back trying to dance around me and taking comfort in the fact that we are not playing tackle football(even though there is a guy on the ground in the picture). The second picture is what happens when the other teams QB didn't realize that I play lock-down cornerback (my 1st of 3 picks on the day). The third picture is me after I put a double move on the corner, got behind the safety and caught a perfectly thrown 45 yard bomb over my shoulder for a TD before halftime of last weeks game.

Postscript

Dear Fellow Bloggers, As I was waxing philosophic about underdogs vs over confidence, I neglected to mention a problem I am suddenly, and inexplicably, experiencing because of this college football mania. It has been a heretofore unknown phenomenon and I need some advice from a more knowledgeable group of Saturday football watchers. Last night, peering over his glass of Pinot Noir, my husband, with a forlorn glance said, "You've been watching TV all day!" This after he had asked me if I wanted to go out to dinner. To that question, I looked at him incredulously and said, "During the Georgia/Alabama game? Are you thinking clearly?" Obviously not. How could anyone consider leaving the TV when the Bulldogs were being humiliated by the Crimson Tide? Therefore, I humbly ask your advice. How do you respond to AWS and will it work for AHS? I do not want to turn the blog into an advice column, but there are many Saturdays left and I am concerned. Does the syndrome diminish over time? Do the symptoms manifest themselves in some other ways besides looks of contempt? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

5th Week Recap

The sound of huge financial institutions crashing on Wall Street this past week was drowned out by the great noise of rolling thunder as highly ranked teams fell like giant redwoods coast-to-coast in the last 48 hours. Nora is right. Hubris, the usual suspect, played a large role. But courage was also a major part of the plot. The courage of the little teams who refused to be intimidated. The courage of the little-noticed 5'6" Oregon State true freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers who stood in front of the sword-wielding Cardinal and Gold Giant, looked him in the eye, and said, "I am not afraid." The courage of the underestimated Ole Miss Rebels who came out of the tunnel into one of the most intimidating venues in all of college football to the roar of over ninety thousand pairs of arms chomping in unison and the reverberating voice of the Gators, "Welcome to The Swamp where only Gators get out alive." The Rebels shook their fists at the crowd and yelled, "Not today! Not today!"

• Oregons State 27 USC 21 - It had been 41 years since Oregon State knocked off a No. 1 team. Freshman Jacquizz Rodgers helped the Beavers pull off another stunner -- and Southern California was the victim again. Rodgers ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and Oregon State built a 21-point first-half lead before capitalizing on a late turnover and upsetting the Trojans 27-21 on Thursday night. Beavers fans, clad in orange, rushed the field when the clock ran out after the 25-point underdogs shook up college football with a victory over the team that was expected to roll right through its conference straight to the national championship game."I think we made a statement, like we can come out and beat anybody on any given day. It's not always the best team that wins on a day. It's who plays hard," Rodgers said. Well said, Jacquizz.

• Northwestern 22 Iowa 17 - The University of Iowa fumbled a golden opportunity during the Big Ten Conference opener this afternoon, falling 22-17 inside Kinnick Stadium to a Northwestern squad that finds itself heading into the sixth week of the season with a 5-0 record. You would have a hard time convincing the 70,585 in attendance -- Iowa's 34th consecutive sellout -- that the Hawkeyes would be held scoreless over the final 32:11 of the game. In fact, a strange thing happened while Iowa was trying to extend a 17-3 lead with 1:14 left before halftime. Let the record show that too many turnovers will more than negate big plays. Iowa broke off 18 plays of more than 10 yards in the game and seven for more than 20, but the Hawkeyes couldn't overcome five turnovers, losing to Northwestern for the second consecutive time at home.

• Ole Miss 31 Florida 30 - Victor you asked for my take. My technical analysis. You will not read it in any publication east or west north or south. The take of most papers, including The Gainesville Sun, is doo doo. Fun reading but not true. My take, which is absolutely exclusive to our blog, and if you pardon my hubris, utterly right and all-encompassing is, drum roll please, The Gators lost as a result of one name. Two words. Jim Tartt. Number 63, LG Senior Jim Tart, one of the team captains, is the heart and soul of the offensive line. He was not at the game because of a shoulder injury which resulted in surgery. He was out the first two games recovering from surgery and it showed. He returned for Tennessee and it showed. Tebow had all day. When I saw that number 63 was not lining up yesterday my heart started beating wildly. Without Tartt our offensive line is confused and ineffective. With Jim Tartt they are a steel curtain protecting Tebow and pushing the D-Line back like a steamroller. Experience matters, leadership matters and we had none at the O-Line yesterday. Without an effective O-Line Tebow can not perform. Without Tebow performing the offense sputters. Without a powerful offense we can't win in the SEC. Yes, there were turnovers. Yes the Defense made some mistakes. Yes, the coaches called a lousy game. Yes Tebow missed some opportunities. Yes Ole Miss played very well and Houston Nutt and his assistants coached a brilliant game. But the naked truth is that with a healthy Jim Tartt we would have won. Without him we struggled. If he does not return healthy we will have a very difficult time plowing through the rest of our conference schedule because I do not see any viable substitutes. Marcus Gilbert looked very confused yesterday and failed to open holes or keep the rushers at bay. If Tartt comes back healthy we have a chance. Without him we are pretty much doomed. Note to Luisleon. On October 11, if you don't see number 63 lining up on the Gator O-Line, smile. If you see number 63, worry.

• Texas A&M 21 Army 17 - Texas A&M lost quarterback Stephen McGee again and still managed to get a much-needed win. Jerrod Johnson threw a touchdown pass after McGee re-injured his shoulder and the Aggies stopped Army on a late fourth down in a 21-17 win over the Black Knights on Saturday. McGee started at quarterback and threw a touchdown pass to Jeff Fuller before leaving in the second quarter. The senior first sprained the shoulder against New Mexico on Sept. 6 and sat out last week's 41-23 loss to Miami. Coach Mike Sherman said McGee's shoulder wasn't fully healed heading into Saturday's game. Sherman couldn't gauge McGee's status for next week's Big 12 opener at Oklahoma State. "McGee injured his shoulder exactly how he injured it the last time," Sherman said. "He landed right on it again."Johnson sprained his shoulder against Miami and Sherman said he didn't throw at all in practice this week. Sherman said he stopped calling pass plays when Johnson aggravated the injury on Saturday. Johnson finished 6-for-10 for 53 yards, but suggested that the shoulder injury was minor. "It shouldn't hold me back too much," he said. Army's triple-option offense flustered A&M all day, but the Aggies stopped Collin Mooney on a fourth-and-3 from the Army 47 with 3:58 left. A&M (2-2) ran out the clock from there to win for the first time in three home games this season. "We had to take a big step today," Sherman said. "It didn't matter if we were playing Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, the Dallas Cowboys. We had to take a big step." Congratulations Aggiepete!

• Holy Cross 38 Georgetown 14 - A highlight-reel day by sophomore Nick Parrish was not enough to hold off the Holy Cross Crusaders (1-2, 1-0 Patriot League), as the Georgetown University football team (1-3, 0-2 Patriot League) fell 38-14 on Saturday at the Multi-Sport Field. Parrish did the scoring at linebacker for the Hoyas, with two interception returns for touchdowns, including a 95-yard return and a 31-yard return.The Crusaders had a well-balanced attack that kept the Georgetown defense on the field for most of the game, as Holy Cross held the ball for 40:32, more than twice of the Hoyas 19:28 on offense.

• LSU 34 Miss State 24 - With the battering Charles Scott in LSU's backfield, Les Miles didn't have to resort to any tricks to avoid this week's upset bug. Miles did take one small gamble: A fourth-and-goal run from the 1 that Scott easily punched in for one of his two short touchdowns. Scott surpassed 100 yards rushing for a fourth straight game, leading No. 5 LSU to a 34-24 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday night. "We played a very physical defense and ... matched that physicality or exceeded it," Miles said. "I think we can run the football against any opponent." The Bulldogs turned in a feisty performance in a bid to add another surprising result to a week highlighted by upsets of No. 1 Southern California, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Florida. Congratulations Luisleon!

Take a deep breath bloggers. There's still a lot of football left!

Hubris and The gods of the Underdog

It has been an unbelievable and exciting last few days in the college football world. The gods have smiled on the lowliest and have rewarded the least among us with victory. Good! Being humbled levels the playing field and, by extension, us along with them. All the Davids of the world rejoice and, because of this, the world is a better place. Anyone can win as long as there is a big heart, passion and faith. Yesterday, I used the USC loss as an introduction to the concept of hubris. Excessive pride is no use to anyone (or any team). These games are a great real-life example of all things Shakespearean. Do not overreach, the Bard says, because the consequences may be dire. Complacency is the killer and these young football players will learn a valuable lesson for their future. The teams of USC, U of F, U of G, Wisconsin, et al, now see that all that is needed is a passionate embrace of the impossible to overcome the insurmountable. That is what I told my students on Friday. Monday, the discussion will continue. Congrats to the winners and sympathy for the losers. Fight on and continue to play. It is what makes life worth living.

Congratulations Luisleon & Aggiepete!

It looks like luisleon and aggiepete are the only bloggers to have survived the last 48 hours. Iowa went down. The mighty Hoyas went down. The Trojans crashed and burned in Beaver Country. The Gators drowned at the Swamp. I'll do a more complete recap tomorrow, when I quit throwing up... In the meantime, guys, carry the flag high for the blog. Geaux Tigers! Go Aggies! And... congratulations, Bear. Good to see you're back calling plays from your Big Box in The Sky!!!

Coast to Coast Empathy

Just after midnight Eastern Time this past Friday the Mighty Trojans fell to the Beavers of Oregon State at Corvallis, Oregon. Barely thirty-six hours later and 3,014 miles away the Mighty Gators were defeated by the Rebels of Ole Miss at The Swamp. Except for the names and a few other changes the story was the same at both venues. An unranked, under-appreciated team played passionate, inspired football way beyond expectations and a highly ranked, highly skilled, well coached team played uninspired, pedestrian football. Both teams were beat fairly and squarely. The war cry of the underdog at both places was the same, "We are not afraid of you!!!" The Rebels deserved it. They earned it. Like Oregon State deserved it and earned it. But it still hurts. It hurts like hell. Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; But there is no joy in Gainesville - mighty Tebow has struck out. As I write this Alabama is beating #3 Georgia 31-0. Bear Bryant is calling a heck of a game. It looks like The Mighty 'Dawgs wore black to attend their own funeral. Don't you just love college football?

Coast to Coast Blog Rocked By Another Big Upset

Gang, It is still in the middle of Saturday afternoon (2:45 p.m. PDT) and another one of our teams has fallen to defeat in a big upset: Ol' Miss 31, Florida 30! SC was a 25 point favorite to unranked Oregon State and lost. Now, Florida, a 21 point favorite, loses to Mississippi. Unbelievable. Condolences to all my Gator cousins. Joaq was right in his blog post from yesterday when he said the game's outcome was far from a foregone conclusion. Boy, was he right. I saw some of the highlights and this Snead kid was all your secondary could handle, and then some. They were tested and failed the test. We are 2 hours shy of the Georgia-Alabama. If the Tide can pull the upset (although it is #8 vs. #4, so it would not be that much of an upset), 3 of the top 4 would have gone down to defeat in the same weekend. Should Oklahoma be worried about this dangerous trend when they face off against #24 TCU? Imagine...the top 4 toppled? Is this possible? Anyways, even though your hearts are heavy after the defeat, we need the take from our primos as the Swamp and what really happened. Take care and we feel for you. Victor

Gators staying humble and focused after 3-0 start

Click on the title to this blog for an interesting article in the Gainesville Sun. Humility and poise are the by words for tomorrow's game against Ole Miss at The Swamp. We've learned a thing or two in the last 24 hours. As I told Victor on the phone today, Ole Miss is a good team with a great QB out of Texas (Snead) who was highly recruited around the country and actually orally committed to UF and then de-committed after Tebow signed on. He is a terrific passer with a "Rocket arm" according to Meyer and a really good kid. Ole Miss has the deadly "Wild Rebel" formation, a version of which was used last Sunday by the Dolphins to destroy New England. This is a serious game and far from a foregone conclusion. Gators will take the field with all seriousness and hopefully girded for serious battle. Our defensive secondary will be tested like it has not been tested this year and Tebow is going to have to stop by a phone booth (do they still exist?) and remove his Clark Kent suit before the game. Go Gators!