College Football - Week 6 Review

Random Musings on Week 6

Editor's Note: Special thanks to Juliana Hatfield for providing the titles for each of this week's musings..

1. Quit - This word seems to best summarize what happened to the Auburn Tigers this weekend against the Arkansas Razorbacks. After two plays from scrimmage, the Tigers crossed the 50 yard line into Arkansas territory and then tried to run a trick play that horribly backfired with third string running back Tre Smith being sacked for an 11 yard loss. Of course, the obvious question is what is Tre Smith doing in the game on the third play from scrimmage...and yes, the only answer is that he must have compromising photos of the coaching staff. Oh no, that's right he did have one good game in his career, and fortunately for him, it occurred in an Alabama game, and that buys any Auburn football player a lifetime of gratitude.

But I digress...this quote by the supposed leader of the offense, quarterback Brandon Cox, should summarize the quit in these Tigers - "We started the game with a couple of good plays and then had a setback trying the trick play,” Cox says. “Then we kind of lost momentum." So, on the third play of the game, the quarterback admits to losing momentum. Yeah, that doesn't sound like much a competitive attitude. Better yet are the comments of starting middle linebacker Merrill Johnson after the defense was shredded for 279 rushing yards - "They played physical and they played very dirty. They’ll grab your facemask. They’ll spit on you. They do it all. Pretty much they did it all." I'm sure Green Bay Packer linebacker and renowned tough guy Ray Nitschke rolled over in his grave when he heard that comment from a fellow linebacker. Aren't linebackers supposed to be born with a mean streak and a toughness that festers off of dirty play? Obviously not if they play for Auburn...

The question is can Tuberville get his squad to regroup and be mentally prepared for the #2 ranked Florida Gators this weekend. Spread attacks employed by Buffalo and South Carolina have given the Tigers fits all year, so one would imagine that Saturday night could be a long evening for the Tigers. Of course, some sycophantic Auburn fans will tell you about what happened the last time the Gators rolled into Jordan-Hare Stadium on a Saturday night in October. You won't find that kind of wishful thinking on this blog. We deal in reality here, and the reality is that Auburn just doesn't have the spark, the leadership, the hunger that they displayed in that magical 2004 season. This is a typical Tommy Tuberville coached team and cannot be considered an elite team...but what is worse is that the Auburn program has missed yet another opportunity to be considered an elite program.

2. Fade Away - The LSU Tigers just continue to fade away from establishing themselves as a power in the SEC without Nick Saban on the sidelines. The main culprit, aside from Les Miles, is Jemarcus Russell. Russell might be one of the most gifted and talented quarterbacks in the country, but he has the football IQ of a Pee Wee football quarterback. Of course, people will talk about the amazing comeback he led against Arizona State in the 2005 season, and he did make a few amazing throws to lead the Bayou Bengals to victory in that game. However, his performances against Auburn and Florida this year have to make LSU fans wonder why Matt Flynn, the hero of the Peach Bowl, is not under center. What experience quarterback tries to outrun a defensive end in the last minute of a game and risks taking a sack rather than throwing the ball away to stop the clock? What quarterback has four turnovers in a game that could get his team back into the national title hunt? Answer - Jemarcus Russell.

You've got to wonder if Russell will even make it through the rest of this season as the LSU starting quarterback. The clock is ticking on Jermarcus...but then again, with Les Miles on the sidelines, a good coaching decision is not a given, and so LSU will continue to fade away as Tennessee, Alabama, and surprising Arkansas remain on the schedule. Could it be back to back Peach Bowls - oh sorry, Chik-Fil-A Bowls - for the Bayou Bengals?

3. Stay Awake - I have to take this advice from my muse Juliana Hatfield to remind myself to stay away while watching any Big 10 football. Actually, just watching the highlights or listening to the talking heads on ESPN makes me want to nod off for a short nap from the lack of action in Big 10 games. Outside of Ohio State and Michigan, this conference has absolutely nothing to offer. Of the 11 teams in the Big 10 - and come on, Big 10 officials, change your name to the Big 11 or drop a member! - 5 of the teams are at 0.500 or below. There are only three ranked teams in the Big 10, yet we continually are bombarded with commentary about how Ohio State and Michigan will, in effect, play for the national title on November 18. Outside of Ohio State, the remaining teams on Michigan's schedule have a combined record of 16-14, while Ohio State's remaining opponents boast a 12-16 record! And this is the road to a national title? I know that it is cliched, but I would love to see what these Big 10 powerhouses would do in a conference with

the depth of the SEC or even the Big 12. There is a reason that the majority of Big 10 team games are played only available on ESPN Gameplan.

Oh, I almost forgot that Michigan and Ohio State both have to play the amazing Drew Tate this season on their journey to Glendale. Has there ever been a more overrated quarterback than Drew Tate? Drew Tate has not lead the Hawkeyes to a major win since the 2004 season when the Hawkeyes beat Ohio State 33-7 when the Buckeyes finished 8-4. Even in that banner 2004 season for Drew Tate, he was only able to muster 6 points against a 4-7 Penn State team in the Hawkeyes 6-4 victory. Thankfully, Drew Tate will graduate this year and disappear to NFL Europe or the Arena Football League. With my luck, he'll end up as the quarterback for the Georgia Force and I'll get to listen to the worst sports radio commentators in America hype him as they feebly try to generate interest in Atlanta for the Force.

4. We Will Rise Again - How could Gary Barnett, the golden boy from the rise of Northwestern, totally destroy the Colorado program? Colorado has lost 10 straight games - yes, TEN straight games. How is that possible in this era of college football when power conference teams are able to buy at least 2 or 3 wins a year? Colorado tried to do that, but lost to Division 1-AA Montana State. And now, Colorado may have missed its last chance at a victory this season when the Buffs lost in overtime to the mighty Baylor Bears in Boulder. And remember this is BAYLOR - and this was only Baylor's second Big 12 road victory this decade! The Buffaloes upcoming road trip to Kansas to battle the Jayhawks may be their last chance at avoiding a 0-12 season.

I want Colorado football to matter again. I want the Buffaloes to be good so that Nebraska-Colorado game will mean something on Thanksgiving weekend. I still have my Colorado hat from the days of Sal Aunese (God rest his soul), Eric Bienemy, and Darian Hagan. I've even got Bill McCartney's book From Ashes to Glory on my bookshelf. Colorado football needs to matter again. This season and the next will be long ones for Colorado fans, but the Buffaloes and Ralphie will rise again.

5. My Enemy - As an Auburn fan, I am required to swear that Mike Shula is my enemy, but I've got to agree with the guys running the KeepMikeShula.com website. Mike Shula is the greatest thing to happen to Auburn football since Markeith "The Lizard" Cooper left campus...and notice that I didn't use the word 'graduated'! On a weekend when Alabama fans had ample opportunity to gloat over Auburn's embarassing loss to Arkansas, Shula almost laid an even bigger egg than the one that Tuberville laid on Saturday afternoon. Is having to rally at HOME to beat DUKE in FOOTBALL the current state of Alabama football? If so, the next few years of Auburn football are going to generate a lot of recruiting success and victories on the gridiron against the once mighty Tide. Keep up the good work, Mike!

6. I See You - Isaiah Stanback has become my new favorite college football player. After racing back from Auburn on Saturday in attempt to erase the images of the carnage I witnessed firsthand, I was fortunate enough to watch the second half of the USC-Washington football game. While USC and Pete Carroll continue to be the luckiest team in the country, the biggest impression left on me was what an exciting player Stanback is. I'd only heard his name mentioned on ESPN a few times during Washington highlights, but he is a heck of specimen. Through 6 games, he thrown for 10 touchdown passes and rushed for 2 more. He's generating 2 touchdowns per game for the Huskies...which reminds me, when did Washington start referring to themselves as the Dawgs?...anyway, back to Stanback.

It's a shame that this is the last year we'll get to watch Stanback play college football. It really looks like he is coming into his own. In 2005, he threw 9 touchdown passes ALL YEAR, and he's already got 10 passes. He almost lead the Huskies to a great victory over USC in the Colesium. This guy is 6'3 and 205 lbs. I've got a feeling that we'll be hearing from him on Sundays one day.

And now one man's attempt at ranking the Top 25 teams in America:

1. Florida

2. Ohio State

3. Michigan

4. USC

5. West Virginia

6. Tennessee

7. Texas

8. Auburn

9. Louisville

10. California

11. Clemson

12. Notre Dame

13. Georgia Tech

14. LSU

15. Georgia

16. Missouri

17. Virginia Tech

18. Rutgers

19. Nebraska

20. Oregon

21. Boise State

22. Iowa

23. Arkansas

24. Washington

25. Wake Forest