The Big Ten won the ACC/Big Ten Challenge for the first time ever, a 6-5 victory thanks to a second half meltdown by the Clemson Tigers which allowed Illinois to rally from 23 down to win.  The Tigers, for as good as they looked in the first half, went ice cold from the field in the second half and turned the ball over too much.  It was a big win for the Illini, but a bigger statement for the conference, which had lost to the ACC 12 straight years before winning the 2009 version.  Other big wins included Wisconsin upsetting Duke and Penn State escaping Virginia.

Here are this week’s picks from the staff:

As Winter Break and exams make their way across the University of South Carolina system, “Section 26 Sports” will kind of be on a moving target as to when it will be airing on WUSC.

Our next scheduled show is this upcoming Sunday (December 6th) from 3-6 pm on WUSC. That is 90.5 FM in the Columbia area and worldwide on wusc.sc.edu.

On this week’s show, we will look at how the BCS picture shapes out, where South Carolina will go, the USC Men’s Basketball program as they face Clemson on Sunday afternoon, and keeping you up-to-date on NFL action.

We will continue to post updates as to when upcoming airings will be as the month of December goes along.

For the most up-to-date information, become a fan of “Section 26 Sports” on Facebook.

A day after St. (Bobby) Bowden has decided to step down because of administrative, I’m still not feeling good about that. I wore one of my Seminoles shirts today, but was a bit ashamed about that. After building the FSU program from what was a formerly all girls school with no tradition to speak of except losing and making ‘FSU’ and ‘Seminoles’ synonymous with college football, Bowden is given the choice to retire or remain head coach with no decision making ability. That’s no choice given. As a longtime fan, it’s disappointing the way that Bowden has been unceremoniously treated.

I’m not blaming Jimbo or the Coach In Waiting disaster (and it has been if only from how it confuses the media), and if he fails to generate wins I don’t think anyone should be calling for his job so much as they should be calling for FSU President TK Wetherell’s job… And especially athletic director Randy Spetman.

Apparently, this is all that matters to Wetherell and Spetman.

I do think FSU will be better  next year with Ponder and 10 offensive starters back… And the defense  COULDN’T be any worse than it was this year (could it?). Even though, the offense seemed to be improved this year, there were several games where they still went into the tank, even against Division 2 competition, so Jimbo still has a lot to prove. They are still not anywhere near the model of consistency that FSU was during the late 80s and 90s. But, that’s all I’ll say about that. Hopefully, the FSU players will give Bowden a last game bowl win. He deserves to go out on a higher note than he is going out on. I for one am going to miss Coach Bowden, not because of the wins or anything to do with football; but because he has always been a class act.

Of course Charlie Wiess was fired from Notre Dame, also. I was surprised that he was canned, seeing as how he had such a huge buyout. Apparently Notre Dame has all the money….
Anyway. On to the picks….

Finally… ‘Bama vs Florida. Urban vs. Saban. Tebow vs Ingram… It should be a good one. I’m going with what I’ve thought was going to happen since the beginning of the college football season. ‘Bama will beat Florida in the SEC title game.
There are quite a few other ‘Great Games’, too…

#1 Florida vs #2 Alabama Crash Picks: ‘BAMA
#3 Texas vs #2 Nebraska Crash Picks: Texas (Big)
#5 Cincinnati @ #15 Pittsburgh Crash Picks: Cincinnati
#6 BSU vs New Mexico State Crash Picks: BSU
#7 Oregon vs #16 Oregon State Crash Picks: Oregon
#10 Georgia Tech vs Clemson Crash Picks: Georgia Tech
#18 USC vs Arizona Crash Picks: ‘Zona (Against The Gut)
#19 California @ Washington Crash Picks: Cal
#21 Houston @ East Carolina Crash Picks:Houston
#23 West Virginia @ Rutgers Crash Picks: Rutgers

Other Noteable Games:
South Florida @ UConn Crash Picks: UConn
Wisconsin @ Hawaii Crash Picks: Wisconsin

One of the more unique traditions associated with Clemson football is the Tiger Paw stamped $2 bill.

Clemson fans traveling to away games (bowl games especially), often leave their mark on the destination by using $2 bills…lots of $2 bills! Each bill features a stamped Tiger Paw, (yes, it is still spendable and legal) and is used to pay for everything from gas, food, souvenirs, and sometimes the entire hotel bill. This tradition let’s the destination city know CLEMSON IS IN TOWN! But why?

This tradition started one year back in the late 1970’s. Clemson and Georgia Tech had been playing each other for a good number of years now. For those of you that don’t know, Clemson and Georgia Tech are only about an hour and 45 minute drive away from one another. This made for a good little rivalry even though Clemson was in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and Georgia Tech was not.

   Before that game in the late 1970’s, Georgia Tech officials (who shall remain unnamed) decided that they no longer needed Clemson to come to Atlanta to play football. In fact, one of them said that if they stop playing Clemson, it would have no effect on the local economy. This made Clemson fans want to show the Georgia Tech officials, and the city of Atlanta, just how much of an economic impact that the Clemson fans have on the host city. Basically what it turned out to be was a challenge to keep the series alive. 

   Clemson wanted to show they would make an impact, but how? They decided that they would take all of their planned spending money, and get them in all $2 bills. They took the $2 bills and stamped tiger paws on them to show that they came from a Clemson fan. The Atlanta area became flooded with these $2 bills. This showed the Georgia Tech administration just how much money the Clemson fans were bringing into the local economy, and the series lived on. Later on that year, Clemson played in the Gator bowl, and fans decided to use the $2 bills again, and since then the tradition has stuck. This led to many people believing Clemson to be a school that “travels well.”

Simply put, the $2 bills display the economic impact of Clemson fans. We travel. We Eat. We Drink. We Sleep. We buy gas. We Tip.

Week 14 games, spreads, picks.  I said it couldn’t get any worse.  I was wrong.  The humans went a combined 5-35 last week.  U-G-L-Y.

Cliff brought a great message today about the amazing things that happened around Christ’s birth. The facts are so amazing in themselves, we need not look for anything else to get us excited for the season (or any day/week/month for that matter). Cliff also showed great character by not even mentioning the Clemson-USC game on stage. Thanks Cliff (I’m sure you know how it feels ).

After church today, we headed up the NC mountains for a Christmas Tree hunt.  We stopped off at the Huntin’ Club BBQ above TR on 25 for some good lunch.  We then headed up 178 off Hwy 11 (past Camp McCall)towards Cashiers and made it to Glenville after a few hours on the roads so windy they looked like a small intestine on the GPS.  We had a lot of fun finding the right tree and spending time goofing off in the Elf Village (we didn’t find Buddy, but my two boys were doing their best).  We went back through Cullowhee and Sylvia for a much easier ride.  It was a great Johnson Family day.  We will work on the tree tomorrow and get all the Christmas decorations up during the week.

A very disappointing day of football yesterday.  We got a beatdown by USC, plain and simple.  I hope we play much better against Georgia Tech on Saturday or the ACC championship game will be ugly.  Hats off to USC for a great game plan that they executed well.  I guess they have to win at least every now and then to keep it interesting.  Let’s hope next year is a tighter package for us at Death Valley.

I have jury duty starting on Wednesday this week.  Not sure how it’s gonna play out.  I am also heading to Atlanta on Thursday for the last Derek Trucks Band show  in Atlanta before they take at least 1 year off the road.  Should be an interesting week.

Go Tigers and see ya!

Christmas Tree Farm 2009

The South Carolina Gamecocks are known for having their late-season collapses and falling short in their rivalry with the Clemson Tigers.  This weekend’s win changed that as South Carolina defeated Clemson in Columbia for the first since 2001, with a final score of 34-17.

This victory is not only a big one for the Gamecock seniors, but a much needed confidence booster for one of the youngest teams in the FBS.  In addition to the intangible positives, this win also guarantees a bowl game for the Gamecocks, who finish the regular season with a 7-5 record.

As if the win over the rival Clemson Tigers was not enough, there is also the impressive defensive performance that can potentially end the Heisman campaign of Clemson running back CJ Spiller; he ended with 141 total yards – 18 rushing, 19 receiving and 104 on kick and punt returns.

The game did not start in the Gamecocks’ favor however.  The second opening kickoff, after an offside penalty on the Gamecocks, was returned 88 yards for a touchdown by CJ Spiller.

South Carolina’s first drive came with two scares and ended in disappointment.  Quarterback Stephen Garcia attempted a pass to wide receiver Moe Brown that was dropped by Clemson defensive back Chris Chancellor, which was followed by a fumble that South Carolina was fortunate to retain.  The drive ended with an interception by Clemson safety Rashard Hall.

The Gamecocks responded to their hard times later in the first quarter with a surprising drive which consisted mostly of the “Wild Cock” formation run by freshman cornerback Stephon Gilmore.  Stephen Garcia capped off the drive pitching the ball to running back Brian Maddox on an option for a one-yard touchdown run.

South Carolina scored one last time in the first half when Garcia threw a touchdown pass to tight end Weslye Saunders giving them a quick 14-7 lead over the fifteenth-ranked Clemson Tigers.

The scoring continued into the second half with a 14-yard strike from Garcia to wide receiver Tori Gurley to give the Gamecocks a 24-7 lead.  Clemson would, however add a field goal by kicker Richard Jackson as well as a touchdown pass from quarterback Kyle Parker to tight end Michael Palmer.

In the spirit of the heated rivalry, South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier attempted a fourth down conversion at Clemson’s one-yard line and scored a touchdown on a pass from Garcia to Weslye Saunders, their second scoring connection of the day.  This score became a possibility after a great return by wide receiver Alshon Jeffery on a failed onside kick attempt by Clemson.

That final touchdown gave South Carolina their 34-17 lead over Clemson, which ultimately would hold until the end.  In one early afternoon in Williams-Brice Stadium, the South Carolina Gamecocks got two monkeys off their backs by winning a late season game and getting a much needed victory over their in-state rivals.

Stephen Garcia finished the game completing ten of twenty-one passes for 126 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Clemson will travel to Tampa, Florida to play Georgia Tech for the ACC Championship and an automatic berth to the Orange Bowl.

South Carolina will have time before they hit the field.  At 7-5 they have earned a bid to a bowl game and are awaiting offers and a decision on which.  We will keep you posted on this development.

The gamecocks are giving clemson a heck of a fight to pull out the upset.

When I was a freshman at N.C. State, I quickly learned that I needed to know four words in the fight song above all others. I could be forgiven for not knowing the rest as long as I shouted “Go to Hell, Carolina!” at the top of my lungs. (The actual words to the song are “Come over the hill, Caroline,” but really, what fun is that?)

For Wolfpack fans, it’s crystal clear that North Carolina is their rival. But Sports Illustrated has a survey out that shows every fan base in the ACC doesn’t have the same clarity, at least when it comes to figuring out who’s their main in-conference rival.

The SI survey covered every I-A conference in the country. Andy Staples wrote a summary of its results, including this description of how it came about:

In October, we asked college football fans of all stripes to tell us about themselves. We received 33,144 responses to questions such as “What is your favorite team?” and “How closely do you follow recruiting?” We received responses from fans of all 120 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and everyone’s answers counted the same — whether they came from Ohio State fans (the most, with 2,004 responses) or Florida Atlantic fans (the fewest, with four responses).

That last sentence tells me this wasn’t the most scientific survey, but that doesn’t make the data for the ACC any less interesting. Here’s how fans from each school answered the question “What is your biggest conference rival?”:

Boston College	61.0%	12.9%	10.1%
Clemson	57.2%	37.5%
Duke	92.2%
Florida State	97.1%
Georgia Tech	64.0%	20.2%	8.2%
Maryland	60.6%	15.5%	7.3%
Miami	88.9%	9.4%
N.C. State	99.5%
North Carolina	52.6%	41.8%
Virginia	88.0%	10.0%
Virginia Tech	53.0%	38.8%
Wake Forest	49.0%	20.6%	8.8%

Before digging too deep into this, it’s worth pointing out a couple of things. First of all, the question is limited to conference rivals. Based on their team’s opponent this weekend, Clemson fans likely would have answered this question overwhelmingly with South Carolina if they’d had the choice. Same for Georgia Tech fans and Georgia.

The other caveat is that the question focused specifically on college football. My guess is the answers would have been a bit different had this been about college basketball. For example, Carolina fans probably would have gone much more for Duke than N.C. State instead of splitting 52-41 for the Pack.

With that out of the way, here are a few things about this poll that stuck out for me:

• Among the four North Carolina teams, UNC is the one everyone else wants to beat. The Tar Heels came in first among fans of Duke, N.C. State and Wake Forest, although it wasn’t anywhere close to unanimous for Demon Decaon fans.
• Florida State-Miami was the rivalry both fan bases involved were surest about. Among FSU fans, 97.1 percent picked the Hurricanes, while 88.9 percent of Miami fans went with the Seminoles.
• Unlike Miami and Virginia Tech, Boston College didn’t come into the ACC with a built-in in-state rivalry. So it’s not all that surprising that the Eagles’ fellow Big East expatriates (61 percent for VT, 12.9 percent for Miami) came in first and second on their list of major conference rivals.
• The ties between the former Big East schools also run strong for Virginia Tech fans. Miami (38.8 percent) came in a relatively close second to Virginia (53 percent) among Hokies fans.
• While Duke fans largely picked Carolina, Florida State (1.7 percent) came in second place on their list, ahead of the Blue Devils’ in-state rivals Wake Forest (0.9 percent) and N.C. State (0.9 percent). Somehow, I don’t think Seminole fans see the relationship between the two teams the same way.
• Maryland only broke 1 percent with fans of their “primary crossover” opponent, Virginia. But don’t think the rest of the ACC just completely dismisses Terrapin football. When asked, “Which school has the rudest fans for visitors?” 15.6 percent named Maryland, putting the Terps’ fan base second in the conference behind Miami.
• Speaking of Maryland, I’d wager most of the 15.5 percent of Terps fans who called Duke their primary conference rival were thinking of basketball.

As is often the case with the holiday season, the last weekend of regular season ACC football seems a little anti-climactic.

Clemson clinched a spot in the conference title game last week, joining Georgia Tech for a rematch of their highly competitive game from week 2. Georgia Tech won the first half of that game, 24-0. Clemson took the second half, 27-6. The comeback wasn’t enough in a contest we’ll be revisiting next week.

Tech and Clemson take two final stabs at defending the ACC’s honor this week. The Yellow Jackets host nemesis Georgia, while Clemson travels to Columbia to play arch-rival South Carolina.

Elsewhere, the intraconference games largely match bottom- and middle-feeders. Duke and Wake Forest will meet in a matchup of two of the conference’s most prolific quarterbacks, eighth-year seniors Riley Skinner and Thaddeus Lewis. Maybe it only seems as though they’ve been playing college football that long.

Boston College seeks its second road win against Maryland.Virginia Tech seems likely to give Al Groh a rousing sendoff in what will probably be his last game coaching Virginia. Miami plays at South Florida in what may be the best matchup of the weekend.

Finally, we have the rotting husks of two rivalries: North Carolina plays at N.C. State, while Florida State travels to Gainesville to play Florida.

Closer to home, my lead in the IoT season standings is officially insurmountable. Jeremy and I differ on two games this week; sweeping them would only get Jeremy to within three games of me. I’d like to thank Boston College for nailing this one down for me by mailing in the Carolina game last week. At this time (midday) next week (Dec. 4), I’ll be getting ready to eat a steak in New York, courtesy of Jeremy. Or, chicken on a stick from a street vendor. Depends on my mood.

Onward:

It’s Thanksgiving week, which is also Rivalry Week. We’ll be light on commentary this week, because most of these games speak for themselves. Many of these rivalries are sullied this year with dominant teams facing off against their historic opponents in rebuilding years. However, for those teams with nothing else to play for, these match-ups will be their “championship” because it would bring a team – like Auburn or Texas A&M – no greater pleasure than to spoil the BCS title hopes of their nemeses. So, don’t be surprised to emotional play lead to some surprising upsets this weekend.

Remember to check the TV coverage maps, and note that all rankings are the current BCS standings. Enjoy your leftovers and save room to indulge in your week 13 viewing guide.

Thursday
8:00 PM ET
#3 Texas 49 v. Texas A&M 39
This was…unusually close. Despite the loss, the Aggies might have played their best game of the year – at least offensively. QB Jerrod Johnson looked fantastic, and will continue to be a threat to Texas in the next couple of years. Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will be irate after the way the defense played Thursday night, but my guess is that emotion and momentum kept the Aggies in the game much longer than expected because the ‘Horns offense clicked most of the game. If you’re running behind on Eyes Of TX content, the in-depth game preview can be found here. There is no asterisk as division champs this year, as Texas has plowed their way to the Big 12 Championship game against Nebraska on December 5th.

Friday
11:00 AM ET
Rutgers at Louisville, ESPN2
Exciting! Not. But, football season’s almost over….let’s feast while we still can.

12:00 PM ET
Illinois at #5 Cincinnati, ABC
One final test for the Bearcats. Rumor has it former starting QB Pike will make the start this week. Eyes Of TX says, “why mess with a good thing?” Hope that doesn’t backfire for Cincinnati, but an upset sure would make the BCS happy.

2:30 PM ET
#2 Alabama at Auburn, CBS
Can ‘Bama overcome their biggest rival to give themselves a shot at #1 Florida, the SEC championship and the national championship? We’ll see how Auburn gets up for this game after a killer start, but a late season let-down. If head coach Gene Chizik pulls off the upset, sadly, he will be enshrined as the best coach ever at Auburn.

3:30 PM ET
Nebraska at Colorado, ABC
Nebraska has clinched the Big 12’s North division and will face #3 Texas on December 5th for the Big 12 conference title. This will be the last opportunity to see what Bo Pelini’s squad has to offer, in particular his offense, and while most thought it will be Colorado’s last chance to help head coach Dan Hawkins keep is job, the university confirmed that he would be coaching in Boulder again next season. The NCAA might as well give CU the “death penalty” because they’ve definitely rolled over this year.

7:00 PM ET
#9 Pittsburgh at West Virginia, ESPN2
Does anyone else think Pittsburgh head coach Dave Wannstedt has a funny mustache?

10:00 PM ET
Nevada at #6 Boise State, ESPN2
Close out the night with this late game. Boise State could be shut out of the BCS this year despite being #6 and undefeated. It’s too bad their weak schedule didn’t allow us to see just how good they can be, and perhaps Oregon helped them look better than they actually are… With #5 Cincinnati and #4 TCU as mid-major schools ahead of them in the BCS, it will be a disappointment for the home of the blue turf.

Saturday
12:00 PM ET
Both of these games are intriguing for the in-state bragging rights implications. Neither matchup is particularly compelling but in the context of Rivalry Week, they’re definitely worth watching.

#18 Clemson at South Carolina, ESPN
The ‘ol Ball Coach tries to make a stand in Columbia against a ranked opponent. Win or lose, they could keep Clemson RB C.J. Spiller from winning some post-season awards if they can hold him to a sub-par performance.

North Carolina at North Carolina State, ESPN2
If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around, does it make a sound? In the shadows of the Appalachian mountains, its basketball season folks.

12:21 PM ET
#25 Mississippi at Mississippi State, check local listings
If you can find this, see the same reasons as above. If anything, Texas fans can relish in the fact that when the pressure was on to deliver a big year for Ole Miss, former Longhorn back-up quarterback Jevan Snead fell flat in 2009.

12:30 PM ET
#12 Oklahoma State at oklahoma, Comcast Sports Net
Another one that will be hard to find, unfortunately, because it’s always nice to watch ou struggle. With this year’s ‘Pokes team rolling to a potential BCS at-large bid, it’s hard to imagine them dropping this one, even though they’re away from home.

3:30 PM ET
Florida State at #1 Florida, CBS
Florida’s won the last 21 games of this series, if memory serves. For Seminoles head coach Bobby Bowden, the good thing is he’s old enough to forget each game. Florida wins big, and sets up the ultimate SEC Championship match-up of #1 v. #2 Alabama for the right to play in the national championship.

#14 Virginia Tech at Virginia, ESPN
Virginia is an absolute debacle this year. Expect the Hokies to roll the ‘Roos at home.

#17 Miami at South Florida, ABC
This might actually be interesting, as South Florida started out the year strong, as did Miami. We’ll see what the ACC has to offer up the bowl committees besides a surprising Georgia Tech. Can Miami step up?

(Also in this slot on ABC is Arizona at Arizona State, and Missouri at Kansas.)

5:00 PM ET
#21 Utah at #19 BYU, CBS College Sports
A great in-state matchup between two of the best non-BCS conference teams.

7:00 PM ET
Arkansas at #15 LSU, ESPN
LSU has found out they weren’t quite as good as they thought, in part due to horrible coaching by Les Miles last week. Arkansas has been inconsistent, but could pull off the upset. Unfortunately, Death Valley isn’t an easy place to play, especially the week after an LSU loss.

8:00 PM ET
Georgia at #7 Georgia Tech, ABC
Who would have thought the best team in Georgia would be out of Atlanta? Georgia Tech’s triple-option has proven surprisingly successful this year. Go Yellowjackets!

Notre Dame at Stanford, ABC
What could be head coach Charlie Weis’ last game at Notre Dame will be shown in most of the country. Meanwhile, Stanford will try to stamp their ticket with another win against a big-time program.

Thanks again to LilPete for his 2009 season viewing guides.

✩

Crap! Forgot to post these. I’m going to fudge on the Texas game. Wasn’t posted before the game started (There’s 12:04 left in the 4th), but since I picked them in the national championship game, I wouldn’t have picked A&M to beat them. Yup. I’m fudgin’ it. Week 13!

So #3 Texas over A&M.

#2 ‘Bama over Auburn in the Iron Bowl (IMO, the most fierce rivalry in all of sports… and I’m a ‘Nole fan) .

#5 Cincinnati over Illinois

#6 BSU over Nevada

#9 Pitt over West Virginia

I’ll save the FSU game for last…

#4 TCU over New Mexico

#7 Georgia Tech over Georgia

#12 Okie State over Oklahoma (unless Zac Robinson doesn’t play)

#14 Va. Tech over Virginia

#15 LSU over Arkansas

#17 Miami over South Florida

South Carolina upsets #18 Clemson

#19 BYU over #21 Utah

#20 USC over UCLA

#23 Houston over Rice

#24 North Crolina over NC State

#25 Ole Miss over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl…

Other Noteable Games:

Boston College over Maryland

Wake Forest over Duke

‘Zona over ‘Zona State

The Fighting Manginos over Missouri  (The players rally around the coach and get to a bowl game… Against the gut on this one…)

Texas Tech over Baylor

Washington over Washington State

Stanford over Notre Dame (Dan Hawkins is coming back at Colorado just like I said he would… because of the contract. Charlie’s deal is even better than Hawkins’ deal… I don’t know if the Irish will pull the trigger on firing him. It’ll cost them 18 Mil to do that).

Navy over Hawaii

And… The Big One:Florida State at the Swamp. Tim Tebow’s last game. Spikes’ last game. Heck, maybe even Urban’s (Don’t believe that crap about him staying at UF ‘as long as they’ll have him’. If the Irish pony up, he’s leavin’). FSU’s Defense has been awful this year. Christian Ponder’s out for the rest of the way. FSU’s Redshirt Freshman EJ Manuel is running the show. Urban Meyer is undefeated against FSU since arriving at UF. Florida has a national title shot on the line. FSU is turnover prone… All that adds up to:…………………………………………..I can’t do it! I won’t do it! I won’t pick the Gators over the ‘Noles! Somehow, yes, some WAY… FSU is going to pull this one out! AS AGAINST THE GUT AS IT WILL EVER BE (short of  me playing QB for the ‘Noles).

The ‘NOLES beta Florida in the upset of the year! EJ Manuel becomes an instant FSU legend!

Okay… No. I’m not insane. I’m holding out hope, but Florida’s going to win this one. Saint Bowden WILL be back next year and so will Ponder. They’re going to have a great year next year and Tebow will have finally moved on after being the Florida QB for the last 12 years. This year, though, as have the last few seasons, will belong to the Gators. I said it. Now I’m going to find the bag to put over my head. Forgive me, Saint Bobby!

(And Texas has won with Colt McCoy having a pedestrianly MONSTER game. Give him the Heisman so we can have a repeat of the Heisman versus Heisman from last year… And this SHOULD be a rematch on both accounts…)

What a great weekend. The climb/hike on Friday really set a high bar for weekends. I am still amazed at how clear the sky was for us on Friday. Great hike!

We had a blast hanging out with Frankie and Mandy (and the kids) on Friday on their way to the beach for the Thanksgiving week. Check out the zip line fun in the album below:

Uncle Frankie and Family visit

Frankie and Mandy left after going to Miles’ karate practice. I stayed home and started working on the deer sausage chili. There was some football to be watched too! We got to watch UNC beat BC, that put us in the championship game before we even played Virginia. We took care of business against Virginia and now we are headed to the ACC Championship game vs. Ga Tech. It should be a great game for the Tigers as we attempt to avenge the early season loss against Ga Tech, the only Coastal division team we play every year. December 5th at 8pm is the game time. Next Saturday will be a trip down to Columbia to take on our arch-rivals, the South Carolina Gamecocks. That game is never overlooked and should be another classic battle. We are going to be heading over to Michelle and Jason Collins’ place for the game. I think chicken wings should be on the lunch menu .

Saturday night, we had friends and family over for a drop-in party celebrating my birthday. I am blessed to have such great friends. Mom and Pete came up with Amy (in her new Chevy Equinox). We had “make your own pizza” with the chili. Tricia also had an awesome coconut cake per my request ready. Served with some ice cream, it was the best! The funniest thing was we had candles for the cake other than a “5″ and a “8″. Good thing 5×8= 40! Worked out fine. We all had some laughs playing Catchphrase, the ladies beat the men 7-4. Good job ladies, even if you did cheat .

Today, everyone piled in the van for worship with Freedom Fellowship. Hannah and Nathan Harvell came down from North Greenville University to join us for worship and lunch at Fatz Cafe afterwards. It was good to spend time with them. We have been planning a Sunday to get together with them and it worked out that Mom and Pete were here too. Hannah and Nathan’s parents have been missionaries in the Philippines for almost 20 years. Their Mom, Jill, grew up across the street from our family back in Sumter. Her parents are like Grandparents to me. Glad we could take them out for a lunch treat. The shrimp and grits were perfect today!

After Fatz, we went to downtown Greenville for a quick Mast General Store trip. Amy and Susan chipped in very nicely on a new pair of Merrell brown leather shoes for me. Clearance price and their gift left me with only $29 to pay for a $120 pair of shoes. Thank you, thank you!

This afternoon, I went to a meeting at Freedom Fellowship to discuss being called as an Elder for the church. We have a great group of men prepared to serve and lead the church. Please pray for me as I start this service, pray for our church and our community. It was a very meaningful meeting and I was honored to share a small bit of my testimony with the men. I am honored to be called to serve God’s church and look forward to what God has in store for Freedom Fellowship. I end this weekend with a sense of purpose, a sense of pride (my Tigers) and some sore knees and leg muscles (the climb). But, I enjoyed every minute of it! Thank you God!

See ya!

Today is all about 1 game and a chance for the Tiger football team to play for an ACC championship- something they haven’t done since I was a senior at Clemson, 1991.

We have friends and family coming over tonight for a drop-in party celebrating my 40th. It’s gonna be a ton o’fun. I have had the deer sausage chili in the croc pot since 0800.
Cornbread to follow soon! Go Tigers! See ya!

The IoT team had a bit of a long week, so we haven’t had much time to post. We’re planning to pick up the pace next week, but we couldn’t let this Saturday go by without getting our picks in.

Like the ACC Coastal Division, the IoT picks league is all over but the crying (for me, at least). Jimmy widened his lead by correctly picking North Carolina and Boston College last Saturday. My chances of catching up have gotten a lot slimmer, especially since we agree on just about everything this week, except the UNC-BC game. I get the feeling I’m going to hear a lot of gloating at the IoT summit in New York in two weeks.

A little late this week, but be assured that Colorado at #12 Oklahoma State was on the watch list. The ‘Pokes deserve more recognition for their season and are threatening to steal an at-large BCS bid, and more good stuff is in store on Saturday so settle in for one of the final weeks in college football. Remember to check the TV coverage maps, and note all rankings are the current BCS standings. For this week, the viewing guide is your huckleberry.

Saturday
12:00 PM ET
#10 Ohio State at Michigan, ABC
Ohio State is already a lock as the Big 10‘s representative for the Rose Bowl, but there’s no chance they don’t get up for this game. A few years ago, this rivalry game was billed as the de facto national championship, but oh how far we’ve come. Still, anything can happen in a rivalry game, and it would be worth watching Big 10 football just to see Rich Rod and Michigan pull off the upset against The Sweater.

Minnesota at #13 Iowa, ESPN
A Big 10 alternative, Iowa is playing for pride now as there’s no chance they make it into a BCS game. Minnesota could make their season with a win.

12:30 PM ET
oklahoma at Texas Tech, FSN
A little Big 12 South division action if you’re interested. These teams are playing for 3rd place in the division, and with a little help, ou could weasel their way into 2nd. It’s always nice to watch ou lose and Tech’s offense (no matter which QB plays) is a lot of fun to watch, as long as Texas isn’t on the field with them.

3:30 PM ET
#8 LSU at Mississippi, CBS
Can’t think of any reason to watch this other than CBS has the best college football coverage, and the other options aren’t any more enticing. LSU will likely be shut out of the BCS race, unless Alabama or Florida suffer a major catastrophe, despite their high ranking. Ole Miss could certainly make things interesting with a win that would put them in 2nd place in their division.

#14 Penn State at Michigan State, ABC/ESPN
If you don’t care for the SEC matchup, ABC has a couple of options with more teams who don’t matter.

(Also in this slot on ABC or ESPN is Virginia at #23 Clemson)

7:30 PM ET
#25 California at #17 Stanford, Versus
Who would have thought these two teams in the Pac-10 would actually be a compelling game? California had high hopes coming into this season, but somewhere along the way, the wheels came off. Now, they’re missing star RB Jahvid Best for their trip to Stanford, where they’ll match up against the hottest team in the country.

7:45 PM ET
Kansas State at Nebraska, ESPN
This game should decide the Big 12 Conference’s North division champion, so it’s worth paying attention to – if anything, to scout Texas’ Big 12 conference championship opponent.

8:00 PM ET
Kansas at #3 Texas, ABC (regional)
If you were prepared for an “off week” for Texas football, you will be surprised to find this gem on the calendar. It’s like finding a twenty dollar bill in an old jacket. When was the last time Texas played a game the week before Thanksgiving? Kansas coach Mark Mangino is suddenly under criticism by current and former players for the way he’s run his program in Lawrence, and the Jayhawks might have reason to come out with some fight, so the Longhorns can’t let up. This is the final tune-up before the ‘Horns head to College Station to wrap up the regular season. Note: This game is regional coverage, and most of the country will be watch #11 Oregon at Arizona.

Thanks to LilPete for his ongoing viewing guide contributions to Eyes Of TX.

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Well, I’ve taken my lumps the last two weeks going 6-14 in the process but we’ll see if I have something to be thankful for next Thursday after the games this weekend.  It’s a funky week with a lot of big spreads and almost no home underdogs so I tried, as I normally do, to pick the games that I find most compelling for one reason or another. As always, here are the picks…

No. 10 Ohio State at Michigan (+11 ½)—“The Game” does not have much to hype up about it other than your typical border war; Ohio State is already Rose Bowl-bound and Michigan is trying to avoid losing seven straight Big Ten games. Ohio State has knocked off two consecutive ranked opponents and will use their tenacious defense (ranked 6^th in scoring defense in FBS) to shut down Michigan’s spread attack. The Wolverines need this game to somewhat salvage another miserable season. Coaching change rumors and last-place standings are far away from where they thought they would be this season but a win over their hated rival would cure what ails them. No chance but it’s closer than some might expect. Ohio State 27, Michigan 20.

North Carolina at Boston College (-3 ½)—The Tar Heels come to Chestnut Hill with a chance to end the Eagles’ bid for a third consecutive ACC Championship Game appearance. North Carolina has been an up-and down team but are on a three-game roll that resulted most recently in an upset of No. 14 Miami last weekend; their 13^th ranked defense has been their biggest asset. BC has had similar issues staying consistent but they are 6-0 at home and will play at noon not knowing the result of the Clemson game; the Tigers need to lose for BC to have a shot at the ACC Title. BC struggled badly against the good defenses in Clemson and Virginia Tech but you can never count the Eagles out of a must win game. BC 21, UNC 20.

Connecticut at Notre Dame (-6)—UConn has lost their five games this year by a combined 15 points and have been in every game to the last minute. The Huskies can become bowl-eligible with a little late-season run starting with this one at South Bend. Notre Dame comes in besieged by rumors of head coach Charlie Weis’ imminent departure but will try to salvage these last two games, run their record to 8-4, and let the chips fall. While it’s possible to think that ND has checked out during another disappointing season, keep in mind Clausen, Tate, and others are still showcasing for the NFL. Notre Dame 30, UConn 20.

No. 8 LSU at Mississippi (-4)—One of the eye-opening spreads of the week has Ole Miss as a favorite against the LSU Tigers who lost their only two games in hard fought contests versus the nation’s top two teams in Florida and ‘Bama. The Tigers allow less than 14 points a game (10^th in FBS) but have struggled throughout the season on offense (107^th in yardage in FBS). Mississippi’s lethal combo of QB Jevan Snead and RB Dexter McCluster can punish any time as Tennessee learned last week in a 42-17 blowout. A win here would give Ole Miss a second place finish behind Florida and I think they will get it in a close one in a strange upset-but-not-an-upset showdown. Ole Miss 24, LSU 21.

Virginia at No. 23 Clemson (-20 ½)—Clemson comes into this game with a chance to close out the ACC Atlantic Division which would put them in the ACC Championship Game for the first time. The Tigers are averaging 42 points per game during a five-game winning streak and will host the struggling Cavaliers in order to advance and try to win their first ACC title since 1991. Virginia ranks 118th in the nation with 266.7 yards per game and 106th in scoring offense, averaging 19.8 points and will try to move the ball against Clemson’s 20^th ranked defense that leads the nation in INTs. This should be a blowout as the wheels came off the wagon for UVA over a month ago and they will play only the role of spoiler on Saturday. But, I think Clemson calls off the dogs in the second half after the game is in hand – back door cover. Clemson 37, UVA 17

Southern Methodist at Marshall (-4)—In another amazing (and under-the-radar) turnaround job by head coach June Jones, SMU can actually lock up a bowl with a win over Marshall this Saturday. The Mustangs sit in first place in their division in C-USA and will try to hang on to it for their last two games. Marshall will also be looking to become bowl-eligible despite being banged up and sporting an offense that ranks in the 100s in the scoring department. I think SMU finally gets noticed after this win. SMU 27, Marshall 24.

Gerhart has dominated in recent wins over Oregon and USC

No. 25 California at No. 17 Stanford (-7)—Generally, one would not expect that Stanford would become a weekly entry regarding the “hot” games on the college gridiron but here we are again chatting about the Cardinal. Stanford is now bowl-eligible for the first time since 2001 thanks to Heisman candidate RB Toby Gerhart who leads the way for the 10^th-ranked offense in the country. Cal will be without star RB Jahvid Best when they take on their biggest rival. Points should be abundant in this contest and the PAC-10 has been tricky this season but Stanford should take care of business at home. Stanford 35, Cal 27.

No. 11 Oregon at Arizona (+6)—Oregon needs to practice the mantra “Win and advance” which is usually reserved for basketball teams in March. As the only one-loss team remaining in the PAC-10, the Ducks control their road to the Rose Bowl and will take their ninth-ranked offense to Tucson and try to waddle past the Wildcats. Arizona fell from the rankings after a loss to Cal last week but actually control their own destiny for the Rose Bowl if they can win their last three games. Zona was gashed last week by Cal which was a terrible way to enter the game against Oregon whuch has the most powerful offense in the conference. Ducks take it and cover…Oregon 41, Arizona 30.

Louisiana-Monroe at Louisiana-Lafayette (+2 ½)—Louisiana-Monroe (their nickname is the Warhawks for all those keeping score) is looking to become bowl-eligible for the first time in school history. The Ragin’ Cajuns will also be looking to go bowling if they can win their last two. The reality is not many of us have seen these teams play this year but it is a HUGE game for both teams determining potential bowl games and definite bragging rights for a year at least. This is my one chance to take the home underdog this week, so I will. ULL 28, ULM 24.

Kansas at No. 3 Texas (-27 ½)—The Longhorns have the opportunity to put away their division against Kansas and continue their run toward the BCS Championship Game in Pasadena on Jan 7^th. With an offense that is as prolific as the defense is fierce, Texas is on a mission right now and the Jayhawks are simply in their way. Adding to this mix is Kansas’ inability to keep teams out of the end zone and a dark cloud hanging over head coach Mark Mangino’s head. Allegations of mistreatment of his players, both present and former, have hit the news and will only serve as further distraction. Texas’ second stringers should see some time on Saturday. Texas 52, Kansas 21.

Last week: 4-6

Season: 46-45

Getting harder and harder to find 10 games.

Week 12 games, spreads, picks

South Carolina entered Williams-Brice Stadium with an upset in their minds, and things were heading in that direction for a while.  But it would not last.

For the first time in South Carolina history, the nation’s top-ranked team visited Williams-Brice.  These Florida Gators narrowly escaped the clutches of the Head Ball Coach Steve Spurrier with a 24-14 victory.

The battle was hard-fought by both teams.  Quarterbacks Tim Tebow of Florida and Stephen Garcia entered the game as two of the top players at their position in the SEC.  Tebow got on the scoreboard first with a 68-yard pass to wide receiver Riley Cooper, who dashed his way past the secondary.

Garcia helped his offense return the favor with two key passes on the following drive, a 24-yard to freshman wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and a 17-yard to wide receiver Jason Barnes, the latter of which brought the Gamecocks to the one-yard line.  Junior running back Brian Maddox capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run.

Florida continued the scoring with a 32-yard field goal from Caleb Sturgis and a 17-yard touchdown from by running back Emmanuel Moody.  This ten-point lead would last until late in the second quarter when Stephen Garcia, evading a sack, rolled out of the pocket and tossed a beautiful pass in the back corner of the end zone to tight end Weslye Saunders.

The scoring would come to a halt until the fourth quarter when Tim Tebow got a rushing touchdown from one yard out.  This touchdown matched Kevin Faulk’s SEC record of 53 career touchdowns.

South Carolina fought hard and took the top-ranked team and defending national champions to the brink of an upset.  But once again, the slippery hands and unfortunate mishaps would keep the Gamecocks from victory.  The offense put the ball on the ground four times, losing just one.  After the game, Spurrier said “I’m proud of a lot of guys.  A lot of guys played their hearts out.  Unfortunately we didn’t play great and had a bunch of turnovers.”

Florida solidified the momentum and eventually the win was a deflected pass that was intercepted by defensive end Justin Trattou.

Even after a loss, the Gamecocks have many bright spots to look back on, including the youth of the team stepping up when they needed to.  Freshman cornerback Stephon Gilmore led the Gamecocks in tackles with ten, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery had six receptions for 57 yards, and kick returner Bryce Sherman provided a spark on special teams that the team desperately needed.

South Carolina also seems to have answered their red zone woes scoring on both drives that entered the troubled area.  They also controlled the ball for most of the game which gives the offense the confidence they will need to go into the rivalry game with Clemson and hope for a win.

In the end, no matter how many bright spots their may be for the future of the South Carolina Gamecocks, Florida still escaped Columbia with a win, finishing a perfect season in the SEC.  The game was close, but getting close does not get you that desired ‘W’.

The undefeated Florida Gators host Florida International next week before the annual battle with Florida State.

South Carolina is now 6-5 and will have their bye week before hosting the rivalry with Clemson.

Read the arguments from Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer about which game they believe is the best of this weekend.

It appears there is an attempt to change the guard in the Mountain West Conference. A conference dominated for so many years by the impressive Utah Utes program, complete with an undefeated run and unfair BCS treatment last season, is now being challenged by fellow strong MWC program TCU.

TCU is not just another non-BCS school spoiling the party. TCU is a legitimately talented team complete with plenty of professional prospects. But, this matchup is the weekends best for many more reasons than the obvious “check out the pro prospects.”

Utah is in the unfamiliar role of the spoiler. What makes this game so compelling, however, is that the teams matchup extremely well on the field.

Utah boasts a balanced offense which is ranked third in the conference. Balance, if not sexy certainly is effective. Effective, in fact, is an excellent word to describe Utah’s team this season. Utah has converted an effective 42 percent on third down. Utah has been effective in controlling the ball, keeping it for nearly 32 minutes per game. Utah’s 411 plus yards per game on offense is excellent – even effective – though it does not lead the conference or factor nationally.

TCU features an exceptional duel threat running attack this season with Joseph Turner and Edward Wesley. Turner has amassed 560 yards on the ground while Wesley accounts for 461 nine games into the 2009 season. The two have 12 touchdowns on the ground between them. The running attack is also balance with outstanding quarterback Anthony Dalton. Dalton has thrown 16 touchdowns in 2009 against just three interceptions while completing nearly 64 percent of his passes. Dalton has also completed passes to 13 different receivers, with eight of those receivers having caught touchdowns.

What is the point of providing a quick offensive breakdown of the Horned Frogs? The Horned Frogs are known as one of the strongest defensive teams in the NCAA year after year. In fact, TCU ranks fifth nationally in points allowed per game and ranks third nationally in yards allowed per game in 2009. This is the first season where it appears as though TCU has put an entire team together, with a balanced and effective offensive attack complementing the always strong defense. TCU is a legitimate BCS contender.

TCU may have a matchup advantage over Utah in the running game. While TCU has the second best rushing attack in the conference (behind the always interesting veer triple option from Air Force), Utah allows opponents 130 yards per game on the ground. It is a good thing games are not played on paper.

A key factor in TCU’s continued climb that few seem to have noticed nationally is that the Clemson Tigers, a team TCU defeated 14-10 in September, has played well since the loss to TCU. The Tigers have played so well that the team now controls its own destiny in the ACC. Win out, and the Tigers are ACC champions. TCU would love nothing more than a scenario where both schools win out. TCU’s strength of schedule continues to get stronger and stronger. Any slip up by the two leading SEC teams, Florida and Alabama, or a slip up from Texas, locks the Horned Frogs into the BCS title game. And, TCU deserves a shot.

If TCU wins on Saturday, a changing of the guard is complete and TCU will deservedly take its perch atop the conference, and gains deserved notice across the nation. Utah has the opportunity to fight off the challenger and, though the program’s one blemish (a non-conference, seven point loss to Oregon) will prevent a BCS appearance, at least reclaim the MWC crown. Both programs need this win not just for their own good, but for the good of the conference. Two teams with balance on offense and toughness on defense, plus plenty of conference and national title implications, will meet in the best game of THIS weekend.

We’re more than halfway through the fall, which means football and volleyball are nearing their end and basketball is more than on the horizon. Let’s take a look at some headlines across the Big 12 and state of Texas college sports.

RB Darrell Scott Transfers From Colorado
After being the top running back recruit in the class of 2008, Darrell Scott chose to attend Colorado over Texas, following his cousin to Boulder with the hopes of bringing Colorado back in to the national discussion. After disappointment throughout his college tenure (much of that due to injuries), Scott is expected to transfer to UCLA, and back to his southern California roots. Once again, he’ll be following his cousin, who transferred to UCLA the year after Scott got to Colorado. Did CU “buy-off” Scott during recruitment process by using his family members as the bait? Hm, brings up some interesting recruiting tactic questions, doesn’t it? Eyes Of TX is happy Scott has stayed far from Austin, or on the sidelines during the ‘Horns football games against the ‘Buffs.

#2 Texas Volleyball Loses to #8 Iowa State, But Rebounds Strong
After dropping only six games in 21 matches this season, the #2 Texas volleyball team had their first slip-up of the season, losing to Iowa State three games-to-two in early November. Despite the loss, the ‘Horns have rebounded for two more match wins, despite dropping another game against Texas Tech at home (the first game they’ve dropped at home all season). If the ‘Horns continue their strong play, they are legitimate contenders to face #1 Penn State in the post-season.

College Football Awards Watch
Heisman Trophy
The race for the best player in college football is once again dominated by offensive players. Some players – like Florida QB Tim Tebow and Texas QB Colt McCoy – were expected to be in the 2009 discussion, but others have surprised the football legions over the course of the season. Other top contenders for this year’s award include Alabama RB Mark Ingram, Houston QB Case Keenum, Clemson RB C.J. Spiller, and Boise State QB Kellen Moore. If Ingram continues his pace, he should be a lock for this year’s award, although since votes don’t have to be cast until after the conference championship games, Tebow, McCoy, and Ingram could give voters a final look in those games Dec. 5 weekend.

Biletnikoff Award
This should be a lock for Texas WR Jordan Shipley, honestly. The award, given to college football’s top wide receiver, is loaded with tier-two talent, but Shipley has already eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving on the year, and with 20 more catches could set the Texas single-season record for receptions. Another Big 12 nominee is Kansas WR Dezmond Briscoe, but with the Jayhawks mid-season debacle, he seems to be a long-shot to be this year’s award winner.

Wuerffel Award
The Wuerffel Award, given annually to a college football who displays exemplary community service, combined with academic and athletic success, will be awarded in February 2010. Texas WR Jordan Shipley is the only Big 12 representative, among 12 finalists.

Lombardi Award
Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, and TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes were named as three of four finalists for the Lombardi Trophy, given to the country’s best lineman – on offense or defense. The winner of the award will be announced on Dec. 9. Surprisingly, most of the award winners in its history have come from the Big 12 Conference (or previously the Big 8 or Southwest Conferences).

Thorpe Award
Oklahoma State cornerback Perrish Cox, Texas safety Earl Thomas, and Kansas safety Darrell Stuckey have all been named as semifinalists for the Thorpe Award, given to the country’s top defensive back. The Big 12 and SEC both have three semifinalists up for the award this year. The winner of the award will be announced on Dec. 10.

Lott Trophy
Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, Texas defensive end Sam Acho, and TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes are among eight semifinalists for the Lott Trophy, given to the country’s best defensive impact player based on athletic performance and personal character. The award finalists will be announced Nov. 24, and the winner announced on Dec. 13. Of note, a Big 12 player has never won the award in its five-year history.

Texas Safety Christian Scott Bowl Game Eligible?
There is speculation that Texas safety Christian Scott, who was suspended by the NCAA this fall for lack of progress against his degree, may become eligible for the ‘Horns bowl game in January. Head coach Mack Brown said he has been discussing the case with the NCAA, and if Scott does well academically this semester, it is a long-shot possibility he could play – although he confirmed it was a unique circumstance for the NCAA to consider. Scott has continued to practice with the team, and he was battling with starting safety Blake Gideon in fall camp, so his services could be helpful in the post-season.

More ou Football Injuries
The rash of season-ending injuries for the oklahoma sooners football continues, as three more starters will be out for the season. Players affected by the injuries include offensive lineman Brody Eldridge (neck), defensive end Auston English (ankle tendon), and offensive tackle Jarvis Jones (fractured heel). English is expected to have surgery in the near-term. With the season-ending injuries to quarterback Sam Bradford and tight end Jermaine Gresham, ou has been hampered throughout the season, although they remain one game shy of becoming bowl eligible.

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I don’t have much to say about my Tigers this week, other than I’m proud of them. I’m superstitious. If I start mouthing the phrase of the moment, which is “control our own destiny,” or suddenly chumming up to my friends and family who can afford to book a trip to Tampa on short notice, or start speculating about a BCS game… the minute I show that much arrogance, we’ll lose to Virginia. The football gods are not enamored of arrogance.

And speaking of arrogance, let’s talk about Charlie Weis, because he’s not going to be there for me to kick around much longer.

It’s timely, since in two nights I’ve watched two teams I despise – the damned Notre Dame Fighting Irish (the only time I consider “fighting Irish” to be a racial slur is when my ethnicity gets tangled up with this team) and the New England Patriots.

The common note between these two teams is, of course, Charlie Weis, who, if you ask him, would say he deserved the head coaching job because he said so. Normally I’d have a little outrage set aside for anyone who mocked Weis for his unfortunate appearance, but he so richly deserves it that I call him Fat Bastard. I bet his players do, too.

Weis showed up a few years ago when Notre Dame ditched Tyrone Willingham for having a losing season while black, never having given him time to get his own team in place. Weis inherited Willingham’s team and beat their schedule full of cream puffs with it, only to get flattened in the Sugar Bowl by LSU, which was one of the most viscerally satisfying games I’ve ever watched. It happens every year: Notre Dame goes over .500 with their Krispy Kreme schedule and steals a BCS berth from some more deserving team, then gets beat like a rented mule. For that LSU game, I made popcorn. It was beautiful. Brady Quinn pouted on the sideline, practicing for the even more sullen pout he’d wear when no one wanted him in the NFL draft the next spring, and Weis lumbered along the sidelines like an out-of-shape parent living his football dreams through his kids. Unsuccessfully.

It didn’t get better for Weis, although it did for me. I’ll almost miss the arrogant prick when he’s gone, just because Notre Dame might start winning again. I love watching them lose, even to other overrated teams I hate, like Southern Cal. The College Gameday crew feature him every Saturday morning as regularly as a Scooby Doo villain, pouting and slouching at his press conference, smirking like George W. Bush when asked why he wasn’t winning. He looked like the second-string department store Santa, the one who scares all the little kids.

A little humility might’ve gone a long way with Weis. Or maybe it didn’t matter – Notre Dame has the same damned arrogance he does, thinking a bad movie with Ronald Reagan and a folk-art ripoff mosaic of Jesus somehow imbue them with moral superiority. And the talking heads are more than willing to play along, reminiscing weekly about their double handful of Heisman Trophy winners and their “storied tradition” of winning, which means, I suppose, they’ve been playing the bottom bitch of every conference for farther back than I can be bothered to investigate. Clemson would have a storied tradition, too, if we looked around the country at all the available teams and chose perennial losers like Washington State and Navy. If they signed up to play TCU and Alabama, I might have more use for them… but it’s never going to happen. They’re used to their stacked deck.

So it was a beautiful thing to watch Weis sulk on the sidelines like a troll forced to abandon his bridge, and just as satisfying to see Jimmy Clausen, an arrogant little prick who hired a white Hummer limousine to deliver his mediocre ass to the press on national signing day, get pasted by Pitt’s so-so defense. I’ll give Notre Dame this much: they’re such egomaniacs it seems their opponents hit them harder and throw them farther just because they can. Pitt didn’t really need to bring their A game, although they’re overrated too, but they smacked Clausen and his buddies around as if they were actually coached to hit hard. It made me wish Clausen had, through some scheduling error, met an SEC defense at some point.

It was fun. And it was just as much fun, last night, to watch Peyton Manning and company get pissed off in the 4^th quarter, trailing the supremely confident Patriots all the way through, and jam the ball down the defense’s throat in the last two minutes of the game, closing out the drive with a short, sweet pass to the end zone and a tie-breaking extra point. (We Clemson fans are, at the moment, watching a successful kicking game with a mixture of envy and rage.) Tom Brady pouted. Randy Moss glowered. And Bill Belichick looked like my cat when I took a mouse away from him, sullen and disbelieving. It made for a good football weekend, all the way around.

It’s great when the good guys win, and sometimes it’s just as great when the bad guys lose.