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JonLP24

(29,322 posts)
Thu Sep 8, 2016, 03:02 PM Sep 2016

Bottom 10: Rough opening weekend for SEC

The Bottom 10 inspirational thought of the week:

Maybe it's been crazy and maybe I'm to blame
But I put my heart above my head
We've been through it all and you loved me just the same
And when you're not there I just need to hear...

Hello, my friend, hello
It's good to need you so
It's good to love you like I do
And to feel this way
When I hear you say, hello...


-- "Hello Again" by Neil Diamond

(Snip)

1. Huh-why-yuh (0-2)

Hawaii made a 10,000-mile round trip to lose to Cal 51-31. Then Hawaii made a 9,000-mile round trip to lose to Michigan 63-3. If my math is right -- and it rarely is -- the Rainbow Warriors have traveled 19,000 miles to become the nation's first 0-2 team. In related news, on Sunday I ran around my house 40 times in 100 degree heat and then had my wife hit me in the face with a shovel.

2. North Texas Forty (0-1)

For all of the talk of the Greatest Opening Weekend Ever and the pats on the backs of the folks in Atlanta, Green Bay and Arlington for putting together great early season matchups, we here at Bottom 10 HQ are feeling a little slighted. We worked hard to get this earliest-ever Pillow Fight of the Week on the calendar between North Texas and SMU, both of whom finished last year in the top bottom six of the Bottom 10. And while Jerry Jones and Chick-Fil-A may have offered up millions of dollars to book their teams, we simply offered a promise to the winner of our game that they would receive: (A) A free pass from our Week 1 rankings and (B) a sandwich bag full of tokens from Chuck-E-Cheese. So, if you need Chad Morris, he'll be at the Skee-Ball pit.

3. Charlotte 0and1'ers (0-1)

Speaking of great matchups, we here at Bottom HQ are already lobbying the producers of College Gameday to do their Week 3 show from Eastern Michigan at Charlotte. And by lobbying I mean being hung up on, having my Twitter blocked and having all emails from my address flagged as spam.

4. Warshington State (0-1)

What was it Crash Davis said to Nuke Laloosh? "Your shower shoes have fungus on them. You'll never make it to the bigs with fungus on your shower shoes. Think classy, you'll be classy. If you win 20 in the show, you can let the fungus grow back and the press'll think you're colorful. Until you win 20 in the show, however, it means you are a slob." Somewhere someone is saying to Mike Leach, "Your opening weekends have FCS losses on them. You'll never make it to the bigs with FCS losses on your opening weekends. Think classy, you'll be classy. If you beat an FCS team on opening weekend, you can talk like a pirate and quote Geronimo and the press will think you're colorful. Until you beat an FCS team on opening weekend, however, it means you are weird."

5. S-E-C! S-E-C!

Maybe you heard, but the conference had an interesting weekend. In all fairness, five of the seven teams that lost were arguably the five teams expected to be at the bottom of the league standings and the ones really locked down the year's first Covered Fifth Spot. But it wasn't so much that they lost. It was how they lost. Just like it wasn't so much that the other teams won. It was how they won. With the exception of Alabama, the victorious teams and their fans all looked like they were playing and watching their games after a colony of fire ants had been dumped into their pants.

6. Buffalo Bills, er Bulls (0-1)

Not only was this the first time that Albany defeated Buffalo in a non-Division II game, it had to be the only time that a Great Dane ever beat up a Bull.

7. New Mexico State (0-1)

The Other Aggies lost to former Bottom 10 stalwart UTEP. Now it's on to the game so awesome it has two nicknames, the Rio Grande Rivalry and the Battle of I-25. New Mexico State and New Mexico have been meeting on the football field since 1894. New Mexico was merely a U.S. territory until 1912. Little known fact: Back then they were known as New Mexico Not Yet A State Aggies.

8. UMess (0-1)

Heads up ... only 81 days until UMass visits Hawaii.

9. Northwestern (0-1)
I was honestly torn here. Which was the worst B1G outcome, Northwestern losing to Western Michigan or Rutgers being housed by Washington? In the search for an answer I took it the streets via the inaugural Bottom 10 Poll of the People on Twitter. The Wildcats were the overwhelming choice, 70 percent to 30 percent. So, hey at least they won something, right?

10. Kansas (1-0)
Yes, I am fully aware that in the intro I applauded the passion of Kansas fans and even compared them to Batman. Yes, I am aware that the Jayhawks are currently undefeated. But yes, I am also aware that when the small group of students who actually bothered to show up for the game decided to storm the field, the public address announcer publicly shamed them by declaring over the loudspeakers: "This is a new era of Kansas football, an era in which you should expect to win." He could have saved oxygen by just saying "Get off my lawn!"


Waiting list: Temple of Doom (0-1), Tulane to Turn Back Now (0-1), UVA (0-1), I-OW-uh State (0-1), Stuck in a Rutgers (0-1), FI(not A)U 0-1, Colora-DOH! State (0-1), replay delays so long you could go mow the lawn, cheap shot late hits when games are over.

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/page/bottom10090616/bottom-10-rough-opening-weekend-sec

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Bottom 10: Rough opening weekend for SEC (Original Post) JonLP24 Sep 2016 OP
The SEC also set a record -- first time ever a conference beat 3 Top 25 non-conference teams Elwood P Dowd Sep 2016 #1
I personally felt Tennessee didn't deserve to fall down JonLP24 Sep 2016 #2

Elwood P Dowd

(11,443 posts)
1. The SEC also set a record -- first time ever a conference beat 3 Top 25 non-conference teams
Thu Sep 8, 2016, 07:32 PM
Sep 2016

opening weekend. Also, the SEC played a total of 10 games against teams that went to bowls last year. Did any other conference do that?

Yep, the SEC bottom feeders that will probably lose 7-9 games and not play in a bowl all lost.

But, look at the 9 teams you will probably see come bowl season.

1 - Alabama, 2015 NC, beat ranked Sou Cal by 46.
2 - Auburn lost to 2d ranked Clemson by 6.
3 - Arkansas beat a 9-win team and bowl team from 2015, La Tech.
4 - Tennessee beat a 10-win team and bowl team from 2015 in Appy State. Appy State can be a tough out in opening games (ask Michigan).
5 - Florida beat UMass.
6 - LSU lost to ranked Wisconson in Green Bay, Wisconsin by 2.
7 - Texas A&M beat ranked UCLA.
8 - Georgia beat ranked North Carolina.
9 - Ole Miss lost to 3d ranked Florida State in Orlando, Florida.

Bottom line is the SEC played an extremely tough group of teams opening weekend, and the 9 teams that will probably play in bowl games went 6-3. Came within a couple of plays from going 8-1. Two of the losses were to the No.2 and No.3 teams in the nation. The SEC played a total of 10 bowl teams from 2015 last weekend. So, who really cares about the bottom feeders like Kentuckty, Vandy, and Missouri losing?

On the down side, the SEC is behind this year in one key area -- quarterback talent. That alone could allow other conferences to close the gap, even though the SEC will still probably put the most players at the other positions into the NFL next year just like they have for several years.

JonLP24

(29,322 posts)
2. I personally felt Tennessee didn't deserve to fall down
Fri Sep 9, 2016, 02:06 AM
Sep 2016

The rankings, if at all. I tuned into the game knowing ASU had a chance, they went 11 and 2 their first year in 1AA, they were 2 time national champions the years they beat Michigan.

I felt the analysts didn't give them enough credit, they tackled well got good pressure, held their QB to negative 4 rushing yards, and have experienced Qb and RB. Tennessee didn't deserve to fall for winning the game.

Im on a phone so its too many words to address your other points. BTW, It's good to see you.

On edit: The game was played in Knoxville, I watched it.

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