My last three posts have either been about college football, or mentioned college football in them. Well, make that my last four. I haven't posted in two weeks, partly because of a business trip to Chicago, and now that I am doing it again it just feels right to write about this topic.
It also feels wrong in the sense that after writing in September about Sarah missing what would have been her first two official cheerleading appearances, I have not written about the three appearances she has since made. However, we have not yet downloaded the pictures and videos from them, so I decided to hold off on until I can include the visuals.
Anyway, back to my thoughts on college football:
I am surprised that Michigan State (8th in the AP and 7th in the BCS) is not ranked higher.
I am also surprised that everyone has stopped talking about Stanford; and while I'm at it, I might as well say I'm surprised that everyone has also stopped talking about USC.
From a rival's perspective, I am thrilled that Alabama has been knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten and that Florida has been knocked from those ranks three times over. I have some good friends who are Florida fans, and I do not count some of them in what I am about to say, but -- generally speaking, Florida fans are the most obnoxious blowhards in America, have absolutely no sense of perspective, and constantly say things that show their relationship with reality to be superficial. In short, since I live in an area where I am surrounded by them and am usually forced to hear their high-decibel crowing from one end of autumn to the other, it is a fabulous feeling to have them silenced by mid-October.
Speaking about lack of perspective, allow me to look in the mirror and admit that I am sometimes guilty of that when it comes to Auburn, since I stew after each loss and tend to be overly critical of my alma matter's team. So I mean it when I say that Cam Newton is the real deal and probably the best quarterback in America. He is second in the nation in passing efficiency; fourth in rushing yards, including running backs; has 13 TD passes versus just 5 INT's; has 12 rushing TD's; and has led his team to an unbeaten record more than halfway through the season despite playing in the toughest conference in America. I am damn near ecstatic with the way he plays.
Also speaking as an Auburn man, I have to say (because nobody else will) that the poor officiating in Saturday's game went both ways. Looking at the write-ups in the national media, a lot is being said about two of Auburn's touchdowns being assisted by controversial calls...but nothing is being said about the bad call that led to an Arkansas touchdown. With Auburn ahead 30-21 in the third quarter, Arkansas went for it on 4th-and-6 and was stopped well short of the first-down marker, but a generous spot by the refs granted them a first down and they scored on the next play. In other words, that troika of calls netted the Tigers only 7 points in a game they won by 22, so for the media to focus on the two flags that benefited Auburn while completely ignoring the one that harmed them represents one more example of the anti-Auburn bias that has been evident for years. And I am not even including the pair of iffy pass interference calls that went against us, or the phantom holding call that wiped out a long reception by Darvin Adams. All I am saying is that Saturday's win was legit, not gift-wrapped, and media statements that disparage it should be ignored.
Finally, here is the Stanton's Space Top Twenty.
1. Oregon
3.
4. TCU
5. Oklahoma
6. Auburn
7. Utah
8. LSU
9. Wisconsin
10. Alabama
11. Ohio State
12. Stanford
13. Missouri
14. Iowa
15. Arkansas
16. Florida State
17. Oklahoma State
18. South Carolina
19. Mississippi State
20. Nebraska
Update, 10/21/10: Speaking of Cam Newton, as if his play wasn't enough, this article gives even more reasons to like him.
