- I was able to take my sister to her fist ever college football game on September 25th as we made the trip to Fayetville, Arkansas to see the Crimson Tide take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. What a game! At the time, both teams were undefeated and ranked in the top 10. Arkansas came out fired up and took the lead early. I've got to give credit to their crowd as well; we weren't able to sit down for one play the entire game. The crowd was loud and the Arkansas offense really seemed to feed off of the energy (especially at the beginning).
- As an Alabama fan, I couldn't have been more proud of the way the Bama players collected themselves at half time and came back in the second half. They faced adversity and never gave up. I think that this team showed a lot of character in their win and like I said, it was a proud moment to be a Bama fan. (The picture below was of the scoreboard about 30 seconds after the game. As the picture was being taken, the scoreboard was being turned off in an attempt to erase all evidence of the Razorbacks loss instantaneously).
- On a personal note, it was great to spend the day with my sister and be with her as she attended her first college football game. I told her that she was extremely lucky to be able to see such a big time game in such a great atmosphere! The bar has been set high, so her next game will have a tough act to follow.
- The following week Alabama crushed Florida in Tuscaloosa and the hype hit a fever pitch. Unfortunately, it seemed as if the team had drank the dreaded Kool-Aid (a mix of media hype and fans telling you that you are the best team ever) and came out flat against a South Carolina team that played the best game that they possibly could. Credit is due to the Gamecocks, they came out more prepared than Alabama and seemed to want it more than Bama did.
- South Carolina was the first of the SEC teams that Alabama will play this year coming off of a bye week. SC seemed to really make the most of the extra time they had to prepare.
- The Alabama offense looked a little bit out of sync this week as they took care of Ole Miss in a methodical win. The defense played great and benefitted from the fact that Ole Miss is just a weak team this year.
- Tennessee is up this week and you can bet that they will be fired up when Bama comes to Knoxville. The Vols are obviously down this year and likely won't even qualify for a bowl game. I think that this makes them a little dangerous in this game. Let me be clear, Alabama is a vastly superior team and should win this game. However, you have to expect Tennessee to come out swinging. I'm confident that they will have used their bye week better than Ole Miss did and will come out with some suprises. The problem for Tennessee this year is just their utter lack of depth.
- Following the Tennessee game, Alabama has a much needed bye week as they prepare for the home stretch. Hopefully this will allow the Tide to regroup and get healthy before they face LSU, Mississippi State, and Auburn. There are quite a few guys in the playing rotation who are currently banged up.
- Around college football, other powerful programs have fallen on tough times. Florida and Texas have both struggled compared to their recent dominance. Texas did manage to knock Nebraska from the unbeaten ranks this past week as the Cornhuskers and Ohio State Buckeyes both took a major step back from their pursuit of a National Championship.
- Auburn and LSU haven't been flashy this year in their wins, but both teams deserve the recognition they are receiving for both being undefeated to this point. Cam Newton has been better than anyone could have possibly expected. He has absolutely carried Auburn to this point in the season and is currently the clear leader for the Heisman Trophy.
- LSU has had their issues on offense (particularly at QB) but they have been led by their defense. Particularly, Patrick Peterson has made his mark as the best defensive player in college football. Peterson has even contributed on special teams this year in a major way. It should be a great matchup this weekend when LSU and Auburn collide.
- Earlier this week I was traveling in the Pacific Northwest and my job took me to Boise, Idaho. Since I was there, I figured that I needed to drive by Boise State University and see if I could get a peek at the "smurf turf." It was tough to get close, so these pictures from the outside will have to do.
- I did have a chance to visit with some Boise State fans and Oregon fans during my trip. Both groups are convinced that their teams are the best in the nation. If Oregon goes through their schedule undefeated, I think their argument will be as valid as anyone else in the nation. However, the same can't be said for Boise State. They simply do not play against the same level of competition.
-Anyway, I don't care to get too deep in that discussion. This year the college football scene is wide open in comparison to the last few years. I'm excited to see how everything plays out over the next few months.
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