During turbulent times such as these, people tend to do a few things that help them cope better with the world around them.
They may drink more, or drink better. They will go to the movies to escape the horrors of the day. They will bury themselves in a good book or great music. Or they will escape to the world of sports.
Now, I used to be a damn good drinker but thats not a skillset that one should brag about. I would love to chat about movies but honestly, I haven’t seen a movie in the theater since Patton came out. Just kidding. And, you already know that I have some pretty definitive opinions about music so thats no surprise.
So todays column will be my first attempt at writing an article about sports.
College football to be precise.
Considering that there are roughly 133 Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision teams I know I can’t write about all of them. What I can do is give my totally unqualified opinion on the teams I have seen and throw a rough ranking of the top ten teams in the hunt for the College Football Division 1 National Championship.
Over the last 9 weeks I have watched a lot of college football. Not all 48 minutes of each game but enough to get a better sense of what these teams are about.
Did I think anything of Coach Prime and his Colorado Buffaloes? Is Alabama in a reset year? Is Georgia going to three peat? The biggest question of them all is how good is Michigan?
In time I will answer whatever questions anyone has but lets start with my personal rankings from what I have seen so far.
Michigan. Yup, they are that good. Excellent defense, Heisman worthy QB play and Jim Harbaugh, who has guided this team during scandal after scandal. It will all play out when THE Ohio State comes to play in the pig ( oops Big)House on Nov 25th. If your nice to me I will give you the winner.
Ohio State. Beating Penn State told me all I need to know and gauging how this year has gone, it’s no small feat to beat a top ten team.
Georgia. I guess they are great until someone says otherwise but I have seen them play three different times this year and they did not impress me much. They barely escape from games with lesser opponents and yes I do believe that you win the games the schedule makers put on your schedule. But, let’s face it, this year is a down year for the SEC and these guys are supposed to be number 1? Not in my eyes.
Washington. Don’t know why but after watching a good portion of the Oregon/ Washington game (one of the best in a very long time) I saw a fire in their eyes that represents a burning desire to prove everyone wrong and end the Pac 12 on a great note. Then they lay an egg against Arizona State, yet still won. Which is just how this year has gone.
Florida State. Beating nobody isn’t a great resume killer but they looked very impressive against a decent LSU team (even though they were greatly overrated). They have some very exciting players and I do believe that the Seminoles are back and thank God I don’t have to hear another thing about Dabo Swinney and Clemson. The ACC may not be the Big 10 or the SEC but they have gotten a lot better and they play an exciting brand of football.
Oklahoma. Only reason they are here is because they beat Texas. I would be very surprised if they end up in the Fantastic Four. My gut tells me Texas will.
Texas. Flip it any way you want. I still think Texas is better than Oklahoma but the Sooners did beat the Longhorns pretty convincingly so I will leave my rankings this way. Texas will win the rematch.
Alabama. Yeah they beat down a very pedestrian Tennessee team. The pain and tears I shed were minimal. Alabama is still Alabama and any fool that wants to count them out is just that, a fool. Saban may not have the talent on the field that he once had but he is a damn good coach and he figures things out on the fly.
Oregon. Come on. That game was a classic and it could have and should have gone Oregon’s way. But it didn’t and they have one loss on their record. Out of all the teams on my list, I think they may have the toughest road to the Pac 12 championship. Utah this week. Oregon State in a month and they play the most overrated team in the modern era, USC. They suck, and Oregon’s defense will finish off Caleb Williams Heisman aspirations once and for all.
Ole Miss. Yes, Ole Miss. I hate Sniflin’ Kiflin but the guy is a very good coach, a great recruiter and he will someday beat Saban. But as far as this year goes, they are an incredibly exciting team that can put up points. They beat that Division 9 powerhouse Mercer by 67 pts!
So there it is. Stop whining all you PennState alumni and every one in Corvallis can kiss my ass. PSU lost to THE Ohio State and they still are not back in that elite place they were accustomed to when Paterno was at the helm. Oregon State had one actually first class win against Utah and thats it. They have a good team but not an elite team. Beat Oregon and then we will talk.
So what do you think? Should I do this again sometime or not?
Maybe I will do it around Thanksgiving because that week has some of the best college football we will see all year and I may make some predictions.
BTW, whenever you hear me talking about betting, go the other way. I am literally the worst gambler on any sport ever.
But.......I like music Friday......better.