Random Weekend Thoughts

-Congrats to the St. Louis Cardinals, your 2006 World Series champs. At the outset of the playoffs, I was cheering for the Cards and the Tigers. As a Braves fan, I'm used to disappointment in October, so I was pleasantly surprised that the match-up I had hoped for actually materialized. The Series itself was pretty boring, as the best story was a brown smear on somebody's hand. I would have been happy to see the long suffering Tigers win, but St. Louis is a great baseball town and they've been due a clutch playoff performance for a while.

-Orson has already jumped all over the headline possibilities for the USC loss. I guess everyone figured USC was going to lose some time this year, but I wonder how many thought O St. would beat them. For a few minutes there, you thought they might pull it out somehow the way they did last year a few times.

-Last year, The New York Times started publishing a sports magazine every quarter. While I would imagine that almost no one buys the Times for its sports coverage, the magazine always has some interesting articles. This past Sunday was no exception. "Play," as the magazine is called, has a feature on Bill Parcells as its cover story. I haven't read it yet, but the author is Michael Lewis, so I feel quite safe in recommending it.

The most interesting article I saw in Play was an article on Rivals.com, a network of websites for college sports. I admit that I am a Rivals subscriber and relay on the UGA site for news on the Dawgs. Some Rivals sites are better than others, but the Georgia site is fantastic. I also think this article portends the future of sports media. As team specific sites grow, as general sports media declines, and as teams assert more control over their product, fans will become more and more focused on their team only. Why sit through three hours of the Dan Patrick show for a ten minute segment, at best, on your team while you can download a three hour podcast devoted solely to your team?

Of course, there is a powerful counterargument to my theory, fantasy sports. Since everybody plays a fantasy sport, one has to become a fan of a league not just a team. So here's the future of sports media: one big national sports outlet (ESPN) with a massively specialized secondary tier for team oriented fans (Rivals.com).

News Flash: Vols Are Pricks.

At last year's SEC Championship game in Atlanta, they honored an SEC legend from each member institution at halftime of the game. All of these former players received ovations from the UGA and LSU fans, except one. The representative from the University of Tennessee got booed. It wasn't because of his ability or anything about him personally. He got booed for the simple fact that he attended the University of Tennessee. Why, you ask? Here's one of the many, many reasons people hate the Vols.

Weekend (and Weeknight) Picks

Clemson at Virginia Tech. Tonight's game will tell us a lot about both these teams. If Clemson takes care of business and doesn't get too geeked up about a tough road game, it will tell me they have their heads on straight and are thinking big -- ACC championship big. This game shouldn't be the game of the year for Clemson. They should have the attitude that they expect to win and go execute like they're capable of doing. For the Hokies, this game might well be the game of the season. They need to man up and, as Chris Fowler discussed, get back to their "blue-collar" ways. My guess is that, instead, the Hokies have a bunch of thugs and punks on the team, and they will react poorly when Clemson smacks them in the mouth with that awesome running back combination. Tech's emotion and a great home crowd at Lane Stadium will keep it close, but the Tigers will pull away late. So, Clemson, 31-17.

Tennessee at South Carolina. Remember early this season when everyone was crying that "Gameday" was going to Los Angeles because ABC had the USC-Nebraska game, instead of going to the Auburn-LSU or Florida-Tennesse games being broadcast by CBS? Well, we're not hearing too much about that after they visited Auburn-Florida two weeks ago and now Columbia this week, are we? The Gamecocks finally got their offense going after some early-season woes, but I think Tennessee's defense will hold things down this week. And whatever they do give up, the Vol offense will more than match. After seeing what Tennessee is capable of hanging on the likes of Cal and Georgia, I think this one could get ugly. And Phil Fulmer certainly has no incentive to be kind to Steve Spurrier. So I'll say, Vols, 41-21.

Georgia vs. Florida. I think Georgia's best shot is to run the ball and win the time-of-possession battle by a wide margin. The Dawgs need to keep that Florida offense off the field. Once the Gators do get to run some plays, I expect to see Tim Tebow open things up a little more. Letting Tebow air things out could prove beneficial, because Georgia has to respect the run. Now, I'm not saying we'll hear the old high school chant, "Florida oranges, Texas cactus, we play Georgia just for practice!" But Tebow needs to run more of the offense, and I think he'll get a chance Saturday. I think Dallas Baker, Touchdown Maker will live up to his name again, too. So, the Georgia ball control and getting Tebow acclimated will keep it tight for a while, but Florida will get some turnovers and big plays to make the score look worse, something like Gators 28-10.

Oklahoma at Missouri, Texas A&M at Baylor, Miami at Georgia Tech. These were the best remaining games I could find. None of them are particularly appealing. I think Mizzou's QB Chase Daniels is very talented, and I think OU will struggle without Adrian Peterson, so I'll pick the Tigers, 24-14. A&M's nailbiter season will continue, and I think they'll pull this one out against a desperate Baylor team -- Aggies, 24-21. Georgia Tech won't beat anybody unless Calvin Johnson catches some passes (he was shut out last week and they got walloped by Clemson), but I think he'll catch a few balls this week. And Miami really seems like it's teetering on the edge -- they can still win the ACC even after all their troubles, but I'm not convinced they have the fortitude to do it, and won't pull through for Coker. This one could go either way, but I'll take the Jackets at home, 28-21.

Vanderbilt at Duke. My game of the week! The Commodores are favored by nine or ten, but that's practically a toss-up compared to most spreads against Duke. The Devils were agonizingly close last week, six yards away from beating Miami before throwing an interception on the last play of the game. Duke has been incapable of avoiding shooting itself in the foot this year. They're 0-7, but I'd have to say they're the best 0-7 team ever! (Inside joke for Kyle.) A last-second blocked field goal spoiled a great effort against 6-1 Wake Forest, they led Alabama 14-10 at the half and were within 16-14 until the Tide scored two touchdowns in the last four minutes, and they gave a terrible Virginia team some ridiculously good field position and some easy touchdowns. Anyway, my point is that Duke can win some games if it stops making dumb mistakes. And this week is as good a week as any to start a new streak. So I'm predicting that the Devils put the pieces together and end their fifteen-game losing skid. The Wallace Wade Stadium goalposts will be torn down by the Wade Wackos and end up in the pond in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens after Duke wins, 24-21.

Sports News Roundup

Sorry for the light blogging over here. Kyle has been out of town, and I have been sans internets due to home computer issues. We'll be back to normal soon. To help jump-start that effort, here are a few items that caught my eye today.

1. I'll have some picks later on, but first I'll have to figure out what to call the Georgia-Florida game now that they don't want us to call it a "cocktail party." I know that Georgia's struggles made the game an unlikely venue for ESPN's "College Gameday" this weekend, even with the dearth of good games. But reading Chris Fowler's column today, it doesn't seem like the gang enjoyed Jacksonville too much anyway. So they're probably not too upset, although back-to-back trips to the state of South Carolina sound like that old joke about first prize in some contest being a week-long trip to South Carolina and second prize being a two-week trip.

2. Keeping with the SEC rivalry theme, Alabama has accused the Tennessee mascot, Smokey the bluetick coonhound, of biting an Alabama player before last week's game. I hope Smokey's shots are up to date. And these things have a way of escalating. I would imagine that some Vol fans want to turn Big Al's tusks into false teeth by now. Or maybe cue balls to put on top of the gearshifts in their Camaros.

3. NBA Commissioner David Stern sings Johnny Cash: "Don't take your guns to town, son, leave your guns at home..."

4. I can't decide whether the riots in Detroit will be bigger if the Tigers lose in the World Series or if they win.

5. You could read this story a hundred times and still not have it make sense. A SWAT team in a small town in Virginia raided a house in search of illegal internet pornography. Not only did they have the wrong house, but Shaquille O'Neal was along on the raid. Kazaam!

The View From Baton Rouge and Apologies

It was a rainy tailgate in Baton Rouge. After three hours of incessant rain, a run in with a power hungry barricade attendant, and the constant fear of electrocution, either by lightning or short circuit of electronic devices, the wife and I enjoyed three hours of LSU football. As I've said many times before, LSU looks great against inferior competition. They lived up to that statement by dominating Fresno State in all facets. Now, if they can play like that in Knoxville ...

I also must apologize for my inactivity. I am at a conference this week and thus have limited time and resources for the Wishbone. I will be back posting more regularly next week. In the meantime, I should have a few choice entries later in the week. Thanks for your patience.

Weekend Picks - October 21

I'm in Baton Rouge today giving a speech at LSU Law, but I'm staying over for tomorrow's LSU game against Fresno State. It's another patsy that LSU should destroy at home. Fresno just isn't the same team that it has been in the past and LSU has crushed the pansies it has faced in Tiger Stadium.

Alabama at Tennessee - The Viles will beat up on Bama in Knoxville. Alabama has a decent enough team, but Tennessee is arguably BCS quality. Look for John Parker Wilson to have a decent game, but the Vols will win big. UT, 31-17.

Georgia Tech at Clemson - As a Georgia fan, this is the ACC version of a meteor game. Can both teams lose? Tech may look formidable on paper, but they always seem to lay an egg somewhere during the season. I think it's this week on the road. Clemson, 28-17.

I'm sorry to have so few picks, but I'm out of free wireless time.

Thanks for the Traffic, but ...

Paul was very kind in linking our meager site here to his considerable audience. However, the post he refers to is not neccesarily the post I want to start off with. In case I didn't make myself clear enough in my first post on the 'Bone, I'm an SEC hack. It's the only conference I really follow on a day-to-day basis. My post poking holes in the conference's supremacy is, however, an acknowledgement that the league may not be as strong as others think.

I want the SEC to be dominant, I just think there are legitimate arguments that counter that notion.

Also, the Wishbone is not an exclusive Georgia blog. I hope to cover other schools fairly, as well as the national sports scene.

Welcome, Dawg fans.

The SEC: Overhyped Cheaters or the Real Deal?

Inspired by this article on the strength of the SEC, I decided to examine the state of the mighty Southeastern conference. Forget the I-AA teams and the UL-Wherever games, let's take a look at the SEC's record against other BCS conference opponents. By my count, the SEC is 5-6 against the big boys. The SEC sports victories over Duke, Cal, Colorado, Washington State, and Arizona. The conference has suffered defeats against USC, Michigan, Louisville, West Virginia, Mizzou, and Wake Forest, all of whom are in the AP top 25. So, the SEC is 1-6 against nonconference top 25 opponents. That's not a good record.

"But, Kyle, the nonconference games pit the best of other conferences against the worst of the SEC." Last time I checked, Arkansas is leading the SEC West and they got run by USC in Arkansas, 50-14. USC, by the way, has not looked that impressive in their Pac 10 schedule. I guess that evens out UT whipping Cal in Knoxville. At the same time, all but one SEC victory over nonconference opponents was against the weak sisters of other conferences. Further, Colorado should have beaten Georgia and Duke lead Alabama at the half. Those two games did not demonstrate a significant difference in the Big 12 or ACC from the SEC. In addition, most of the SEC's nonconference games were played in the SEC team's stadium.

The SEC will have more chances to prove its worth later in the year, as Georgia hosts Georgia Tech, South Carolina plays Clemson, and UF gets FSU. The bowl season always provides helpful too. Right now, however, I will make the following statements:

1. The SEC is not a dominant conference. It is exactly what is should be, a good BCS conference with a few very good teams, several average teams, and a several stinkers.
2. The SEC may play more exciting, close conference games than other conferences and may have a deeper talent pool. This does not mean that the conference is superior to other conferences, though.
3. The SEC is marginally deeper than other conferences. The SEC has four teams that could win a BCS bowl this year. Everyone else has two. That's a feather in the SEC's cap, but it does not justify the over the top plaudits I've seen from captive southeastern media.

I guess I will update these thoughts as the season goes on, but I thought this topic would certainly inspire a few comments.

Turn on the 'Lights'!

This evening, NBC will air the third episode of its new series, "Friday Night Lights." It's of course based on the H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger book and Peter Berg movie of the same name. Unfortunately, the show isn't getting very good ratings. And that's just sorry, because the tv version of "Friday Night Lights" is as good as television drama gets.

So why are so few people watching? A few theories.

Been there, done that. Yes, the tv show is based on the book and movie. So maybe people think it's just a re-made rehash, something akin to the "Uncle Buck" tv show, starring the poor man's John Candy, Kevin Meany. But it isn't! The book/movie were the true story of the 1988 Odessa High football team, and while there were plenty of good stories in that community, the book/movie stayed tethered to what actually happened. Most notably, the team didn't win a rousing state championship, as probably would have happened in an original work. But the tv show is about the fictional "Dillon Panthers." Sure, there are similarities -- they're both set in a small Texas town where football is king, and the team's star suffers a devastating injury early in the season -- but the tv show's Dillon team has so much more potential for storylines. And, most notably, the tv team can play for more than one season, allowing us to get to know different players and allowing for different endings to the seasons. Plus, the tv show lasts many more hours than the book/movie, so even if it just told the same story, it could tell it at a much deeper level. Here's a nice story on some of the actors and a behind-the-scenes look at the production.

Football burnout. Maybe the desired audience is just tired of watching football after maybe going to a Friday night high school game, followed by college ball on Saturday and the pros on Sunday and Monday. By Tuesday, maybe they don't want any more football. I have my doubts about this one, and not just because I don't watch the pros and therefore like my mid-week amatuer gridiron fix. First, football is the most popular sport in America, and people watch games whenever they're on, as evidenced by ESPN's programming. Also, in the age of TiVo, viewers could sandwich "FNL" into their weekend football blitzes if they wanted.

Women think there's too much football. Maybe women or non-football fans are turned off by what they assume is a show that's just another football game. (I note that women make up a large percentage of NFL viewers, though, so I'm just talking about the other women.) But "FNL" is about so much more. Connie Britton, who plays the Coach's wife on the tv show and had the same role in the film, said on "Conan O'Brien" last week that she wouldn't have taken the tv role if it were just another bit-part supportive-wife character. Her role has been significantly beefed up in the tv series. And we get to see a lot more from the cheerleaders and girlfriends, the boosters, and the players' families, too. The show really paints a picture of how important football is in Dillon, the pressures facing the players and coaches, and what these lives are like. And while it's built around football, it's really about a lot of little human dramas, football being a big one but not the only one. (I loved the scene where the backup quarterback was trying to learn the plays while working at Dairy Queen.) Plus, there hasn't been a ton of football in the first two episodes: other than some practice scenes, the second episode only showed part of a kickoff. I think I can reliably say that you don't have to be a big football fan to enjoy "FNL." In fact, it might be worth watching just to puzzle over how damn important football is to these people, amidst all the other problems in a small town. Gossipy parent committees, the hell of teenagers, money woes, an absent-minded husband, etc. -- even non-football fans can identify with these themes.

Men think there's not enough football. I can see some football maniacs being wary of the show if they think it's just a bunch of heartwarming stories meant to draw in female viewers. But it isn't! One thing I've noted is that the show's writers don't dumb down the football. It wouldn't have been too surprising to see, say, a vapid cheerleader ask, "What's a cornerback?" so the show could have some exposition. But the football is sufficiently interesting and avoids all that crap. True, you don't have to know what a counter is to know that Dillon can't block one, or know what a skinny post is to know that Dillon's receiver can't run one. But a hardcore football fan would feel rewarded for knowing this minutiae, and understand things on a bit deeper level. True, not all the football action has been entirely logical (although you have to be watching pretty closely to catch a minor yardage discrepancy). But the game action we've seen has been pretty good, and more realistic than those stupid "Briscoe High" Nike commercials. And, as the season progresses, I'm sure we'll see more. Plus, football fans shouldn't worry -- the whole series is about football. Even if the show is something more than a game film, everything revolves around football. Hardcore fans can identify with that, and maybe see a little of themselves in the boosters and alumni holding up their old state title rings to remind everyone of their fading glory (or, if you prefer, the town's shining legacy).

I really hope that the reason people aren't watching "FNL" is the competition, ABC's celebrity-dancing show. But if it is, maybe the "FNL" ratings will pick up once that show has its finale next month. Still, what's a shame is that "FNL" is closer to a "reality" show than any Jerry Springer Does Disco train wreck. And that's what makes "FNL" such a wonderful show: it's the most authentic show about modern small town life out there. This essay discusses this a little more. But I noticed one telling example in the second episode. The town turns to prayer after the star player's injury. Leave aside the fact that "FNL" treats this religious aspect of Dillon's DNA more honestly than any other Hollywood show. The camera shows us a black congregation at prayer, and then the white church the coach's family attends. Way too many shows would have artificially integrated the churches, but "FNL" is too authentic for that. No one commented on it, but nor would they in real life. It's just the way things are in small towns like this. The white fullback and black halfback hate each other, but it's not about race, and that feels authentic, too.

I've gone on long enough that you'll probably think I'm on the show's payroll or something. And by now it should be pretty obvious that I think "Friday Night Lights" is the best show on television. So I really hope more people start watching, so I can see more episodes. You can catch up on the NBC website; the show airs Tuesdays at 8:00 eastern. And if you think mine is a gushing review, check out this one from the New York Times (link via Althouse):

Lord, is "Friday Night Lights" good. In fact, if the season is anything like the pilot, this new drama about high school football could be great -- and not just television great, but great in the way of a poem or painting, great in the way of art with a single obsessive creator who doesn't have to consult with a committee and has months or years to go back and agonize over line breaks and the color red; it could belong in a league with art that doesn't have to pause for commercials, or casually recap the post-commercial action, or sell viewers on the plot and characters in the first five minutes, or hew to a line-item budget, or answer to unions and studios, or avoid four-letter words and nudity...And the fact that Peter Berg wrote and directed the premiere of "Friday Night Lights" within the confines of television production -- network television production, at that -- means that it's certainly great...."Friday Night Lights" is a wonder.

Run the 31 SpongeBob, Coach

I draw your attention to Warren St. John's latest article for the New York Times. It documents the challenges of coaching a football team of 9 and 10 year olds these days. The article will both shock and amuse you.

In more grown up news, the Times has an article on how the Duke rape case has caused university administrators to crack down on derelict athlete behavior, including taking discipline decisions away from coaches. Mentioned in the article is UConn's recent decision to kick a few players off their football team because they were found with beer on a road trip. That seems a bit harsh to me. I'm not condoning the egregious behaviors of some college athletes (including rapes, assaults, and drug offenses), but beer seems a logical indiscretion for college kids, even high school kids. Get ready for more overly punitive penalties for what were once viewed as embarrassing, but mild episodes of athlete rowdiness. If it were up to me, there needs to be a middle ground in disciple decisions between coaches, who have an obvious conflict of interest as suspensions have a negative impact on team play, and university administrators, who are far more concerned with political correctness and their peers than having a positive impact on a kid who made a minor mistake.

Saturday Musings.

-My apologies to John Vaughn. After he whiffed the one I thought would win the game, Chris Leak gave him another shot and he converted. That game was bizarre. UF looked ridiculous, as Tebow and Percy Harvin sliced and diced the Aubs in the first half. Those guys were breathtaking, literally. I gasped as Harvin made cutback runs and Tebow pranced about untouched. I was (and still am) wincing again as I thought of Jacksonville. Then, suddenly, Auburn morphed into the '85 Bears and Chris Leak imploded in the final minutes. Tray Blackmon is going to be a filthy, killing machine in coming years. The amazing thing is that the Aubs didn't score an offensive touchdown and they still got 27. As much as I hate to give the jean shorts credit, they did a hell of a job with a brutal schedule. The smart money's still on them to win in Atlanta come December.

-If Adrian Peterson turns pro, he has to go down as one of the greatest college running backs ever. He was plagued by injuries during his career, but the guy is a horse. Every game I remember him playing in (except the Orange Bowl against USC), he dominated, despite not having much help.



-Miami and FIU got into the biggest brawl since Clemson and the Cocks rioted two years ago.
Is it me or have these things gotten much more violent than I remeber from childhood? Back then, it seemed that the two teams got in a line with their helmets on and just punched each other until the refs broke it all up. Now there are kicks, helmet swings, and lots of cops. I don't even want to be in the stadium when one of those things breaks out.

I may have a few more thoughts tomorrow.

A Swift Kick to the Guts.

List of things Georgia can't do:
1. Catch.
2. Block.
3. Play defense.
4. Beat Vanderbilt.

Yikes. The great thing about Richt was that he won the games we were supposed to win. This is the first really bad loss in his tenure. We need a win over Mississippi State (predicted score 2-0) or Kentucky (looking like a tight game) to get bowl eligible. On the bright side, I may not have to leave Shreveport to go to Georgia's bowl game. UGA had the second longest streak of consecutive weeks in the top 25. That's gone.

I can't say much more than Kyle King did in his excellent post on the state of the football program and some suggestions for improvement.

Weekend Picks - October 14

It's Homecoming at the McInnis household. I'm sticking around the house this weekend where I'll watch a lot of games, but am subject to a potential ordered garage clean out.

Michigan at Penn State - Michigan is missing Mario Manningham, a big cog in their surprising undefeated start. But they still have Chad Henne, Mike Hart, and a couple of good, but not spectacular receivers. If there's a good time to miss Manningham, it's against Penn State who has had a suspect pass defense this year. I like Michigan, 27-14.

Florida at Auburn - This could be, gasp, the last really competitve game that impacts the SEC East race. If the Gators win, it will be tough for anyone to derail the Gator train to Atlanta. Yes, UF has the greatest player since Red Grange. Yes, they have the greatest coach since Pop Warner. That being said, I think the Aubs will be fired up for this one. They've had all week to hear how Arkansas ran it down their throats, how the SEC West race is over, how they've struggled lately. I expect an big, loud, toilet paper packing crowd at Jordan-Hare. Can the Gators really beat Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, and Georgia in the same year with only one of those games at home? It's looking more and more likely. But tonight's game won't come without drama. Auburn will have this game at the end, but John Vaughn will miss a game winning field goal in the waning seconds. UF, 23-21.



Damon Duval may have gotten beaten up by the LSU band, but he could hit a clutch kick every once in a while (between quitting the team during the game and bleaching his hair). John Vaughn, on the other hand, misses clutch kicks, unless they are to beat my Bulldogs.

Texas Student Tries To Step On Aggie Tradition

It seems some Texas students are not satisfied with the current lofty ranking of their football program combined with the lowly state of arch-rival Texas A&M's team. One such UT student, Christian Deitering, filed an application to use the southern steps of the Texas State Capitol at midnight the night before the Texas-Texas A&M game. Why midnight you ask? Becasue those steps are where the Aggies have their traditional midnight yell practice the night before the Texas game when its played in Austin. The application now needs the support of a Texas legislator after Texas state senator Judith Zaffirini withdrew her support for the reservation. According to the news accounts, Sen. Zaffirini was informed of the conflict by the Texas Exes, UT's Alumni Association, who told her that it would not support the application or the rally.

I can only imagine the type of hell unleashed at the Texas Capitol grounds if the Aggies showed up for their traditional yell practice only to find it swarming with rowdy Texas fans. Fittingly, Mr. Deitering is the president of a group called the "Texas Hellraisers," who we can only assume are a roving band of stuntmen in the spirit of the Jackass crew. Well, if you want to be beaten, a sure way is to mess with Aggie tradition. The Ags may not have a competitive team, but that is likely to make them only more resolute to defend their hallowed traditions.

Cory Lidle Crashes Plane Into New York Building

If you haven't heard, Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle is assumed dead after his plane crashed into a Manhattan residential highrise. I guess that will tone down the Joe Torre, Alex Rodriguez Yankeefest on ESPN. That discussion could use this heavy dose of perspective. While I generally dislike the Yankees, my prayers go out to them and the Lidle family.

Kenny Irons Likes Candy

Remember the shock you felt when it was discovered that Auburn was in the top 10 in the NCAA's new academic progress rate? Well, allow me to provide balance to that story. Kenny Irons, the nastiest running back in America, granted the Auburn Athletic Department an interview on the issues of the day which may be accessed here. It is filled with insightful comments worthy of a scholar athlete, such as: 1) "I love candy." 2) "I like to draw." and 3) "I've never been to Europe or Paris."

The Auburn Sociology Department has just granted Kenny Irons 2 credits for his interview.

This story still doesn't top my favorite Auburn running back quote. When Carnell "Cadillac" Williams announced that he would return to Auburn for his senior season, a reporter asked him for the reasons behind his decision. One reason, Cadillac said, was because "I be close to graduating."

Adding Insult to Injury

Ouch. I like that the conference is getting some publicity, I just wish it came at the expense of the Vols rather than the Pups. I would write more, but I'm busy cancelling my subscription.

The View From Tuscaloosa

BAMA! I had a good time, maybe too much of a good time, this weekend in Tuscaloosa. The game atmosphere was fine, considering the opponent, King Bee's Dukies. I went to the Bear Museum, Dreamland, and tailgated in style with the Tiffin Motorhome Company (I did not mention kickers, but did root for Arkansas). The game was amusing as Bama struggled early. One Bama fan was often overheard screaming, "This is Duke, Duke for God's sakes." After trailing at the half, Bama took over and won 30-14.

The night took a dramatic turn for the worse when I left the Bama game and headed back to the RV for the Georgia game. When I arrived, the Dawgs were up 24-7. 24-7, ahead by 17 points. At that point the wheels officially came the hell off. Thanks to Georgia turnovers, special teams, inability to block, inability to cover, inability to apply pressure, etc., etc., etc. the Viles came back to hang 51 points on Georgia. 51 points. I'm mad just looking at that number. Actually, I want to throw up looking at it. The only guy to score more points on Georgia in Sanford Stadium was Mr. Shiny Pants on one of the worst days in the history of the universe. Disgusting.

I wanted to tell myself at the beginning of the year that this might not be a rebuilding year at UGA. Those hopes are dashed. We're 8-4 this year and are heading to Memphis, Tampa, Nashville, or Shreveport.

LSU - The LSU fans are despondent. One told me today that he will never step foot into Tiger Stadium again. They'll be back up after they beat Kentucky by 60 and then back down after Tennessee beats them by 10. I don't get this LSU team. They can't run. Their defense looks frightening at times and then stuff like this happens in big games. It's mystifying.

On a related subject, Tim Tebow is a witch. I woke up in a cold sweat last night thinking of Jacksonville.

Other random thoughts: Kudos to the University of Oregon for drawing attention to North Korea's imminent nuclear tests by wearing glow in the dark uniforms Saturday. Fittingly, the Ducks melted down against Cal. Tommy Tuberville tempted fate and fate bit. Georgia Tech came back big to beat Maryland. It must have been because of the intimidating atmosphere at Grant Field.

Weekend Picks - October 7

I'm heading to Tuscaloosa this weekend for a reunion with my law school buddies. We're going to the Bama-Duke game because one of the gang is a Bammer and another is King Bee, a loyal Duke alum. We went to UGA-Tennessee last year, so I can't complain when others want to see their teams too. I'll have a report from Tuscaloosa Monday hopefully.

Texas v. Oklahoma - The Texas state fairgrounds will be overrun with orange and red as the Sooners and Longhorns meet in their annual neutral site rivalry. According to Georgia logic, this neutral site game should be like a home game for Texas because it is in Dallas and therefore they should dominate the recent series history. Oops, or should I say Stoops! Texas finally got the monkey off their back last year in route to a national title, otherwise OU has owned Texas. This OU team, though, isn't as strong as recent vintages. Texas has too much talent at too many different positions. Peterson will get his yards, but the Horns win, 27-16.

Tennessee at Georgia - Ugh! Georgia's offense looks like all of its players just woke up from a long night out. Add to that the fact that UGA's All-American caliber kicker, Brandon Coutu is out for the season after attempting an unorthodox onside kick in Thursday's practice. That takes away Mark Richt's most used weapon, the field goal. Tennessee has returned in 2006 to show flashes of those Big Orange teams of the late nineties. They sport a physical, yet not spectacular defense. David Cutcliff has rejuvenated the plodding Randy Sanders attack into a real life offense, something missing from Knoxville recently. While my heart rests with the Dawgs, my head will ring with "How 'bout Them Vols!" Saturday night, 24-10.

LSU at Florida - This is the heavyweight match up of the weekend with two top notch SEC teams slugging it out in the Swamp. By a coincidence of timing, Marcus Thomas will return for the Gators after a board of university officials determined that Thomas had failed two drug tests based on the same night of smoking tree. Whatever. The Tigers don't want to hear that because they have trouble running on anybody, much less pot smoking Gators. LSU's offensive line must protect well, or at least long enough for JaMarcus Russell to unleash his laser beams to Bowe, Davis, and Doucet. Will Arnold's absence won't help. If you can't run block well, you have to protect.

On defense, LSU has looked like a destroyer of worlds. I think the LSU defense will contain the spread run options with their big, mean, fast linebackers. Plus, I think the Tiger DBs can cover UF's receivers, although Percy Harvin is a wild card. I predict that Tim Tebow will throw a pass in this game for a big gain. UF will make plays on LSU's defense, but not enough. I like LSU, 24-20.

Congress, Taxes, & the NCAA

It seems Congress wants in on the college sports business. Currently, college athletic departments enjoy tax-exempt status for federal tax purposes. This means that your athletic department doesn't pay income taxes and those "contributions" you make to secure your right to purchase season tickets are 80% deductible.

This week, however, Congress sent Myles Brand a letter asking him to justify the tax exemption of college athletics given multi-million dollar coaching salaries and huge TV contracts. You can read analysis from the bloggers here or here. The consensus from tax experts seems to be that this is going nowhere. Congress won't yank the NCAA's tax-exempt status because 1) it will make to many people upset, 2) it is generally against the tax law and IRS precedent, and 3) even if Brand says college sports is unrelated to an educational purpose, the NCAA has a back up exemption category as it promotes amateur athletics. I agree with this analysis.

To me, it may be difficult to show that the revenues from college athletics are somehow unrelated to higher education (this would subject sports income to the dreaded unrelated business income tax). The players attend the school, provide needed exposure to higher education, arguable increase admission applications and alumni giving, and provide a competitive outlet for the physical education department. If the football team isn't related to the educational purposes of the college, how is the glee club? In essence, it is a slippery slope that should not just include athletics. The blatant fact of this investigation is that Congress is attacking college sports because it now thinks college sports make too much money, which is also likely false (outside of the national powers, most schools lose money on athletics as the New York Times constantly reminds me).

The intent of the unrelated business income tax is to avoid an unfair competitive advantage by one business because it is attached to a tax-exempt entity, thereby avoiding income tax, while the competitor ponies up to Uncle Sam. But who does the NCAA (or even a single school) compete against? Either no one in the case of the NCAA or another tax exempt entity in the case of a single school. There is no competitive advantage as a result of the tax-exempt status.

Lastly (I could literally go on for a day on this), even if the NCAA says that college sports are not related to the purposes of higher education, they are certainly related to the fostering of amateur athletics for national competition, another tax-exempt purpose.

I've rattled off enough tax law to put a normal person to sleep, so I'll shut up now.

The View From Oxford

Well, all the myths are true. Oxford was a great place to go for a road game. The town square, the food, the coeds, the fans, the tailgating all lived up to the considerable hype. The wife and I had a great time before the game, attending the "Walk of Champions" and seeing the band belt out all the greatest hits of the '60s, the 1860's that is. Oxford is my favorite SEC West venue and I highly recommend the trip.

The game, however, was a different story. While I was among good people (Paul and Dawgnoxious sat in front of us), I was not among good football. The Dawgs have a ways to go before they are worthy of their ranking. Evidently, every college football writer agrees with me judging by the weekend wrap ups I've seen. Our offensive line struggles at times to open running lanes, our receivers can't catch, and our playcalling is sometimes unexplainable. There are some deep flaws to this Georgia team. Are they good enough to beat Tennessee this weekend? I say they are, but they will need to improve a great deal. The Vols look to be a complete team with a capable offense and a normal, stiff UT defense. If UGA doesn't play well, this game could get out of hand.