Penn State at Alabama (September 11th) – Where to start? You have Joe Pa, the only active coach to actually coach against Bear Bryant, versus Nick Saban who is rapidly achieving legendary status himself. You cannot hear these two teams without thinking of the 1979 Sugar Bowl and the famous goal line stand. This year Bama may not have to rely so heavily on its defense with Heisman winner Mark Ingram leading a potent Alabama offense, but still expect a game for the ages.

Miami at Ohio State (September 11th) – This game brings allot to the table. Potential national title implications – Check.   Two of the most exciting and dynamic quarterbacks in the country –  Check.   Controversy in the form of one of the worst calls ever in the 2003 BCS championship game with Chris Gamble – Check.

Florida State at Oklahoma (September 11th) – Lets just call this the question mark game? Can Landry Jones perform better in 2010 than he did in 2009 while Bradford was injured? Can Jimbo Fisher finally breathe some life into the FSU offense? Are these two teams that are on the verge to a return to glory or both on their way out? Time will tell, but this game is a must win for both programs on the path to old glory restored.

Boise State at Virginia Tech (September 9th) – Yeah, yeah, we are all sick of Boise. The smurfs who were robbed. If only they had a chance they could beat anyone, right? Well, their continued attempt at national respect continues with games against Tech and Oregon State. Expect this game to have a bowl game type atmosphere as the entire state of Idaho shows up to support their little team that could.

Oregon at Tennessee (September 11th) – Neon Green versus fluorescent orange. What could go wrong? Seriously, have there been two teams in the country with more negative press than these two programs over the last year? Between the arrests, the NCAA violations, the interesting characters, these two programs may not be the best but they are the toughest kids on the block.   Just be sure if you go to the game you set your LoJack and carry traveler’s checks.

Clemson at Auburn (September 18th) – Much like Aretha Franklin, Clemson is looking for some R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Playing Auburn is a good start but without their superman C.J. Spiller they may struggle with a rapidly improving Auburn. Still, scheduling Auburn is a good start.

West Virginia at LSU (September 25th) – Great Matchup. Both programs are ranked right next to each other in many preseason polls and both have a lot to prove. A loss here could be the beginning of the end for Les.

Notre Dame versus Army (November 20th) - Granted this particular matchup is no more unexpected than USC/Notre Dame or Michigan/Notre Dame. What makes this one unique is it will be played at Yankee stadium.  That increases its must see factor.

According to Urban Meyer they do not mean much.  He stated in the Chattanooga Free Press “Spring games are awful. So if you came out to see a well-executed SEC football game in the spring, you’re not going to see that.”  As the games become more and more televised coaches are more reluctant to show any new or unique formations, some coaches even choosing to close their games to the public.   Phil Fulmer closed spring practice and was fired the next year.   I am not suggesting those events are related but considering Tennessee routinely averaged around 40,000 people at eight dollars and up a ticket it was a bold financial decision.   Financially speaking, all the programs will be forced to open the practices and even sell the television rights.

All this still does not mean the games themselves are useless.  They can serve a multitude of services.   First, it allows the fans who pay most of the bills to see those new recruits they invested so much time reading about before signing day.   It also allows those new recruits the opportunity to perform in front of a large crowd, something they may not be used to in high school.   If you look real hard the games provide some useful information.  Questions like who the starters will be in the fall and if players have recovered from injuries or off-season surgeries are oftentimes answered.   Not to mention the financial boost to not only the university but the surrounding businesses as well.

I imagine not only will spring games continue to gain in popularity but envision a time when teams actually scrimmage other programs similar to spring training in baseball.   It would be a great time for inter conference play to not only establish BCS pecking order but bragging rights for the regular season.   Since the game would have no bearing on rankings you would be more likely to see schools willing to play mid major programs that are avoided during the regular season as a loss could be devastating.   It would be a win/win for everyone involved.  The fans would get a real game, the players get real game experience and the programs would make ridiculous profits.

If you are interested in your teams’ spring game here is a list of all the dates:  http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=514366

Proper:  To attach your teams flags to your car to show your support on game day.
Improper:  To show up to sunrise service Easter morning with aforementioned flags still attached.

Proper:  To be a young coed and wear cowboy hats, ripped, form-fitting t-shirts, and daisy duke shorts.
Improper:  To be a member of AARP wearing a tube top and standing on your own breast.

Proper: To pray for safety for your team’s players and the ability to make good decisions during a game.
Improper:  To pray that the star quarterback with Bible versus under his eyes breaks his femur.

Proper:  During a game, asking the person next to you to stand up during a break so you can exit to the restroom.
Improper:  Urinating on the person next to you.

Proper:  Taking a picture with your team’s mascot.
Improper:  Taking the opposing team’s mascot.

Proper:  Discreetly blowing one’s nose on a kerchief or napkin.
Improper:  Picking your nose while you are on the jumbo-tron.

Proper:  Asking someone to hold your drink while you urinate in the restroom.
Improper:  Asking someone to hold anything else while in the restroom.

Proper:  Chanting SEC! SEC! SEC!  while observing the Security Exchange Commission bust another billionaire for fraud.
Improper:  Chanting SEC any other time.

Proper:  Allowing bright young Coeds to visit a potential recruit’s high school for encouragement.
Improper:  Dressing them only in whip cream.

Proper:  Painting your end zones to reflect your school colors.
Improper:  Painting the whole damn field smurf blue.

Proper:  Buying a vehicle that compliments your team’s colors so the magnets on game day match.
Improper:  Buying that vehicle if you are a Tennessee, Clemson, Texas, or Oregon State fan.

Proper:  Shouting encouragement to the university’s dance squad.
Improper:   Pointing to any part of your body while shouting the encouragements.

Proper:  Upon becoming head coach promising to be loyal until the end.
Improper:  Stating you are leaving for another school at the end of that speech.

Turner Gill has been promoted to a major program at Kansas. Former Florida assistant coach Charlie Strong is the head honcho at Louisville. Mike London is the head coach of Virginia. East Carolina has Ruffin McNeill and Joker Phillips is captain of the ship at Kentucky.  In less than a month the amount of black head coaches has more than doubled. Obviously more can be done but considering how long it has taken to see this type of progress it truly is remarkable.

Many will ask, “Why does it matter”?  Some may even question blog’s like this one saying that pointing out a person’s race is, in itself, racist. I would argue otherwise and give you an example why. It is crucial for people of all races to see black men and women in leadership roles.  This alone destroys negative stereotypes. As an example I will refer to comments I heard while living in Kentucky in 1997 after Tubby Smith was hired to take over the basketball program at UK. It was not uncommon to hear comments like “Adolph Rupp would be turning over in his grave”. Tubby was judged harshly and even his successes (including a national championship in 1998) where often attributed more to Rick Pitino’s recruiting than to Tubby’s coaching.

Sadly, one of the biggest detractors of Tubby was my own brother in law, and many of his comments where based solely on Tubby’s race which is why I found it ironic that while discussing Joker Philips he was almost giddy.  He discussed how Joker was the right man for the job and how much Rich Brooks had relied on him over the past few years.  Then he went on to discuss how concerned he was that Charlie Strong was taking over at Louisville, one of his bitter rivals, because he is a “helluva coach.” Not once in the conversation did race come up.  He was just an Eastern Kentucky boy judging a man based on the strength of his character and not the color of his skin, just as Martin Luther King Jr. requested so long ago.

Happy Black History Month everyone.

USC came out swinging in the 21st century.  Few could argue a few years back when they were declared the team of the century.  USC has won one national championship, tied for another, and almost won a third.   They have a startling 6-1 BCS record this decade, winning those by an average margin of 22 points.   They have won 101 games and are 14-4 against top 10 teams.  Prior to this year they won 7 straight consecutive Pac-10 titles and, by the way, won 3 Heisman trophies.  On paper, these statistics are just incredible, but as Paul Harvey says “Now it is time for the rest of the story.”   A bulk of those BCS wins where in the Rose Bowl, a bowl played in USC’s backyard versus the Big 10 conference which has been less than remarkable in bowl play for the past 5 years. Even compounding the ease of that bowl for USC is many of those years they were actually playing the Big 10 runner up as the Big 10 champion was competing in the national championship game.  I know it seems harsh to penalize USC for doing exactly what they were supposed to do but unfortunately over the past 5 years they always seemed to find a way to miss the “big game.”  Each season it seemed they would find the least competitive team on their schedule and find a way to lose that game.  Some argue east coast bias against Pac-10 but whatever the reason USC lost numerous opportunities to prove how good they really were, and in some ways that is tragic.

That leads us to Texas.  I wish I knew the score of the national championship game before writing this article because I may look really foolish after that game for picking Texas but, again, it is the consistency of that team which is impressive.  A win this year would give Texas 2 national championships, the same as USC, Florida, and LSU.   More impressively they have won 9 more games this decade than USC and finished with an impressive 7-2 bowl record including 5 straight wins.  A win over Bama would give them a 4-0 BCS record for the decade as well.  No matter what happens they will finish the decade with eight top 10 finishes.

So, in conclusion, in my mind a win over Bama makes Texas the best team of the new millennium, but without that second national championship ring the AP reporter in 2007 got one thing right, the most dominate team in the nation the past decade resided in California.  The real shame is how often they were passed over with a one loss season to really prove how good they were.

Also receiving votes:   Boise (7), Houston (2). All times are Eastern.

Kurt Cobain said it best:  “All that’s on the top is a bucket and a mop.”   It took a mop to wipe up the sweat from the top two team’s fans after a frightening weekend.  Florida seemed to take the bigger hit in respect as Mississippi State revealed how weak that offense really is.   Texas is creeping up on Alabama as well since McElroy has seemed to lost his way.   Georgia Tech and Oregon make their way on the list for the first time as Miami and Boise fall off.   I think the biggest surprise this week is LSU dropping despite an impressive win.   I think no one thinks they can win the SEC so they are putting other potential conference winners ahead of them.

To quote Elvis, this weeks poll is “all shook up.”  Despite Florida continuing to find ways to win, Alabama has finally surpassed the national champion Gators.    These two teams are quickly outpacing the rest of the field with Texas a distant third.  In all honesty it does not matter at this point who is #1 and who is #2 because these teams will face off if they remain undefeated to settle this themselves.   The rest of the top five most could have predicted but the names like Miami, Iowa, TCU and Boise State in the bottom five are interesting.   Miami probably the biggest surprise of all.  Congratulations to them for turning things around down there.

And here’s just a little bit more…

1. Alabama looked strong against South Carolina. Mark Ingram ran for 246 yards to boost the Tide to a 20-6 win against SEC matchup USCe. The Vols are coming off an open week, let’s hope they spent their time healing after that 45-19 whipping they put on Georgia.
2. Florida eventually came out on top of the Razorbacks 23-20, but in the fourth quarter the Gators were trailing 20-13. Tebow took charge with a five-play, 67 yard drive to tie at 20-20, then with 3:08 remaining on the clock Florida drove the ball down to the 10 to allow Sturgis the opportunity for the game winning field goal. The razorbacks did manage to get to Tebow 6 times for sacks. Is Arkansas tougher that we thought? The Gators travel to Starkville for a 7:30 pm ET kickoff.
3. Texas seems to be stuck in the 3 spot in this season’s ranks. The Longhorns broke a 13-13 tie with the Oklahoma Sooners early in the fourth quarter with a 32-yard field goal by Hunter Lawrence. OU quarterback Sam Bradford left the game in the first quarter with what looked like a re-injury of his right shoulder. Bradford said, “It’s hard to put into words the frustration I feel right now.” Texas quarter back and Bradford’s friend Colt McCoy visited him after the game to wish him well. The Longhorns meet Missouri who is coming off a 33-17 loss from 16^th ranked Oklahoma State.
4. USC moves up a couple of notches from 6^th place to 4^th. Matt Barkley went 19 of 29 for 380 yards and only had one whoopsie interception in the mix. Southern Cal ended the game with 501 yards total offense compared to Notre Dame’s 367 yards offense. The Trojans will host Oregon State at the LA Coliseum on the 24th.
5. LSU Tigers dropped one spot to number 5 this week and coming off an open week after the Oct 10^th 3-13 loss to Florida. This weeks Tiger-fight should be relatively east for LSU after Kentucky dropped a big fat “L” on Auburn down on the plains last Saturday.
6. Miami’s up from last week’s 9 spot to this week’s number 6. Miami had no trouble with UCF last week with a 27-7 win and should continue that streak against Clemson although last week the Clemson defense held the Demon Deacons of Wake Forrest to 81 yards rushing and a total of 178 yards offense.
7. Cincinnati moves up a spot to number 7 this week after a 34-17 smack-down of South Florida. The Bearcats face the Louisville Cardinals this week. I can’t think of anything to say about Louisville. If y’all think of something please let me know.
8. Iowa was in a three way tie for 10^th in last weeks College Football Voice Top Ten. Last week the Hawkeyes pulled out a 20-10 win against Wisconsin. This week Iowa is traveling to Michigan State who is coming off a 24-14 win against Northwestern.
9. TCU was another of those teams in last week’s 3-way tie for 10^th and this week they are coming off a convincing 44-6 win off of Colorado State (ouch). TCU faces BYU so don’t U miss it this week. Last week BYU got past San Diego State 38-28.
10. And rounding out the 10^th spot we are all spared the eye strain of the blue field as Boise State will travel to Hawaii. Last week Boise State gained 380 total yards in their 28-21 victory over Tulsa. There’s not much I can say about Hawaii right now, except for Aloha!

The third Saturday in October has been a recurring ritual since 1901.   It is an old tradition that still ends with the passing out of cigars to the winner (although this is now done privately as the NCAA has forbidden the use of tobacco products in collegiate athletics).   The Crimson Tide leads the series with a record of 45-38-7.

Few people understand the importance of this game to the fans.   After the SEC became divided and Alabama went through some probation years this game fell off of the national radar.  Replaced by the sportswriters over time with newer rivalries that for awhile had more national implications, to the fans this was always the big one.  The rest of the season was just the appetizer, this game was the main course.   To a Tennessee fan no game was bigger.   Johnny Majors lost his job because he could not beat Bama, Phil Fulmer hung around longer than most because he could.  In Major’s defense, the years he was competing against Bama may have been the best years any program has ever seen.  Under the Bear the Crimson Tide was formidable to say the least.

All this History brings us to the current game, the one played in just a few short days.  To say Saban has turned around Alabama may be the biggest understatement of the decade.  I doubt anyone thought he would take the Crimson Tide to an undefeated SEC record his second season.  Now in his third he is steamrolling opponents.   Our own poll on this blog has voters split over whether this Alabama team should be ranked above Florida.  A team with two of the last three National Championships.   It is fair to say this team under Saban is peaking.

Tennessee on the other hand is in chaos.   After almost two decades of dominating everyone except Florida, Tennessee has spent the last 5 years on a roller coaster of success and defeat.   This year brings in a  team coming off one of it’s worse seasons in history, a new coach, and a 5th year quarterback that has been ridiculed for his poor play.   This game is the Tide’s to win………..

Except, a funny thing has happened on the way to Bryant Denny Stadium.   What seemed highly improbable just a few weeks ago has many odds makers questioning their spreads.   The main difference over the past few games is it seems the quarterbacks for these two teams have changed uniforms.  Greg McElroy has gone from the next Joe Namath to an uncertain, impotent quarterback and Jonathan Crompton used the Georgia game to rise from the ashes of his terrible career like a phoenix and play some of the most inspired football of his life.   Considering Monte Kiffin has continued to tweak the UT defense into a NFL worthy unit,  if Crompton can continue to keep the Tennessee offense on the move, then UT has a chance.   A real chance.  A honest to God chance to upset the potentially #1 ranked Crimson Tide.  Just writing that gives me chills.

Reality Check:  McElroy is not the only player on offense.  Mark Ingram is coming off two games that have made him a legitimate Heisman contender and UT rushing defense is the weakest point of the UT defense.  So even if McElroy misses the bus all Bama has to do is keep running it up the middle and they will get yardage.   Still, this is a game of dreams and a man can dream, right?

Chizik’s season has been like something from a Disney movie.   The guy no one believed in taking his team 5-0 in the daunted SEC.   You almost expect the “slow clap” started by a single fan when he returns to Auburn.   Despite the score (26-22) Auburn dominated Tennessee in every way.  Auburn beat Tennessee in rushing yards, total yards and time of possession. The Tigers also won the noise battle, keeping the 102,941 fans in their seats for most of the game, and the UT band on its hands.  They also won over some doubters. Nationally. Regionally. Statewide.   Chizik has turned quarterback Chris Todd into an excellent game manager who, along with the running tandem of Ben Tate and Onterio McCalebb, have created a potent offense.  Just think, one more win and the Tiger’s are bowl eligible.  Anybody think they would hear that at week 5?

Kiffin on the other hand is facing a 2-3 record.   To put that in perspective over the past 16 years under Phil Fulmer UT only had 2 seasons where they lost more than 3 conference games.   In 25 games as a head coach, Kiffin is now 7-18 (5-15 with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and 2-3 with the Vols).  However, I do not think UT has buyer’s regret just yet.  Perusing the UT fan boards most fans lay the blame for this dismal season squarely at the feet of John Crompton.   Crompton was a Parade all American who left his best days in high school.   He single handily turned the UT Vol offense into the 117th ranked offense in the nation last year.  That is 117  out of 120 NCAA schools.   He was bad enough to get a head coach with a 152-53 record and a national championship ring fired.   Despite a great defense under Eric Berry and Monte Kiffin, Lane has stubbornly stuck with Crompton.  Following the belief that a team with two quarterbacks has no quarterback at all Kiffin alienated Spring game star BJ Coleman who eventually transferred to UT-Chattanooga.   Despite the fact true Freshman Nick Stephens has performed at least as well as Crompton, Lane has decided to stay with Crompton.   This stubbornness is bewildering, but should leave with Crompton.   The only optimism that UT fans have is the fact Kiffin has been a ferocious recruiter, in fact this freshman class is the highest ranked UT class in 5 years.  Still, UT fans have a short fuse and expectations for season 2 are going to be high.  Pete Carroll, Nick Saban, Bob Stoops, Urban Meyer, Mark Richt — every single one of those coaches had great second seasons. That’s when their teams made a seismic jump.   If Kiffin starts next season 2-3 you can expect some booing at Neyland.

Back to the original topic, with Bama no longer consuming talent like Rush Limbaugh at an all you can eat buffet, suddenly other programs rose to prominence.  After decades of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Crimson Tide, Tennessee rose to prominence in the 90’s with the highest winning percentage in the nation and a national title to boot.  With the hiring of Steve Spurrier in 1990 the University of Florida also began to see success in football.  A tradition that has yet to slow down with championships in 1996, 2006 and 2008.   LSU, which had not seen a national championship since 1958, suddenly found itself flush with division titles (’96,’97, ’01,’02,’03,’05, and ’07) and 2 national championships.   UGA, Auburn (until recently) and even Ole Miss have enjoyed an insurgence since Alabama’s domination has ended.  Again, it appears the best thing that happened to SEC football was the removal of its most dominant program.

What are the parallels today?   The Pac-10 is the most obvious parallel.  The University of Southern California is a great program.  Much has been made about some media claims that it is the most dominant program ever.  Similar claims where made about Bear Bryant’s program.   USC sits in one of the most talent rich locations in the entire country and Pete Carroll can take his pick from the cream of the crop.  What would happen to the Pac-10 if, for example, the Reggie Bush saga at USC results in a similar probation that so humbled Alabama.  I would propose it may be the best thing that ever happened to the Pac-10.   The immediate beneficiary would be UCLA but programs like Oregon, Washington State and Arizona would benefit as well.  As the conference reached better parity the level of competition would increase and much like the SEC you would see a depth and level of play unmatched across the country.

How about the Big 10?   The scenario is a little different.  If my theory is accurate then one could argue the fall of Michigan should have led to increase talent dispersion and increased parity in the Big 10.   I believe the reason this has not happened is OSU has become a USC, Bear Bryant Bama, kind of school and has taken the alpha role in the conference.  Also, Michigan has always been dependent on outside talent.  The state itself is not a recruiting Mecca and Michigan has never been able to hoard talent like Ohio State, USC and (now) Florida.

Anyway, an interesting hypothesis and one that hopefully promotes discussion.   Are programs like USC and OSU just too good?  Well, if you are a fan of the program I am sure you would argue no.   If you are a fan of the other schools in the conference then it may be time to start calling the NCAA with insider tips to get these schools on probation.