ONE FOR THE THUMB: Winners, Losers on The First Weekend

 Two Thumbs Up:

--Alabama. In the season of the spread offense, coach Nick Saban's throwback attack of between-the-tackle runs mixed with ultra-safe passes against Clemson moved the Crimson Tide into the same breath with Auburn and LSU in debates over SEC West contenders. Your league number of the day is 41:13, the time that 'Bama monopolized the ball. The line created holes large enough to drive an Escalade through. Yeah, that's the vehicle, joked(?) Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning last week, driven by a pair of Crimson Tide freshmen. Looks like he and Tommy Bowden are at the wheel of a clunker in Clemson.

--The people of New Orleans: Folks wisely conducted, by all accounts, an orderly evacuation as their beloved LSU Tigers were having Appalachian State for brunch. May Gustav spare the Crescent City and others along the Gulf Coast.

One Thump Up:

--LSU: In front of nearly 30,000 empty seats and a tame crowd that tailgated on Bloody Marys instead of the usual libations, the Tigers took care o' business 41-13 before buckling down to the serious matter of coping with a hurricane. App State could not repeat its 2007 opening upset of Michigan.

--Florida: Scores can mislead. The 56-20 ravaging of Hawaii was a product of defense (six turnovers) and special teams. Thrre Gators' TDs came on runbacks. (The Rainbows' new rallying cry -- no mo' SEC, this game coming on the heels of Georgia's 41-10 blitzkrieg in the Sugar Bowl.) Better yet, three Gator starters (notably receiver Percy Harvin) held out with injury will be freshened up for Miami next weekend.

--Georgia: The Bulldogs' 45-21 dismantling of Georgia Southern was so lacking in suspense that Uga VII, unveiled as the latest four-legged edition of a long canine line of mascots, slept for an entire quarter. Georgia surpassed 500 yards of offense against a team depleted by the suspension of eight players.

--Kentucky: Only 210 yards of offense, but the Wildcats snuffed out Louisville 27-2 Sunday in Derby City. Wha' happened to the teams that rang up 87 points two seasons ago against each other and 74 last? All of the thoroughbreds in town this year were stabled a few blocks away at Churchill Downs. 

One Thumb Up, One Thumb Down

--Auburn: The Tigers managed only two TDs on offense, both in the second half, in a 34-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe as offensive coordinator Tony Franklin's new spread offense was a bust. He pled to poor coaching. Guilty as charged, Tony. His approach of alternating quarterbacks each possession should, and will, change.

--Ole Miss: The new spread offense under debuting coach Houston Nutt rang up 41 points, but the Rebels were outgained in a 17-point split deicision over Memphis.

--Tim Tebow's Heisman chances: Statistics are important in the race, and the Gators' QB generated little to write home (or anywhere else) about: 9-of-14 passing for one TD, 37 yards rushing for no TDs. Tebow preferred to harp on the number one: He emerged with one bruise, a record low, and the Gators emerged 1-0.

--Georgia's national title aspirations:  Tackle Jeff Owens, the least dispensable defensive lineman, is toast for the season after getting hurt Saturday. He joins rehabbing offensive tackle Trinton Sturdivant, also out for good.  Injuries are bringing the Dawgs back to the pack.

--The SEC-ACC opener at the Georgia Dome: Atlanta, which hopes to make the clash of southern conferences an annual tradition, had to be delighted when Crimson Tiders and Tigers overran the city (blending nicely with the DragonCon and Gay Black Pride conventions). But the tepid start by the ACC (2-4 against Division 1 teams) suggests the two leagues may be operating on different levels, thus dashing any sort of rivalry.

One Thumb Down:

--Arkansas: Sure, the Razorbacks won 28-24, but trailing Western Illinois by 10 points halfway through the fourth quarter? Good riddance, now say Atlanta Falcons fans after new Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino abandoned their team in the midst of last season.

--Mississippi State: Losing to Louisiana Tech 22-14 normally would warrant double digits down. But the Spartans were on the road. Please, enough talk about Sylvester Croom being a coach on the rise. Don't see it.

    Anybody else wanna show some thumbs? (No middle fingers allowed.) 

He Cheap-Shots! He Scores!

   So Arkansas running back Michael Smith was grounded for Saturday's game against Western Illinois because of "improper use of scholarship textbooks." What, he cracked one open during the season? For shame.

Thursday (Extra) Special With 'Cocks vs. 'Dores

   For an opening course to the banquet that is college football, the South Carolina game on ESPN was all wilted lettuce and rotten toppings. Steve Spurrier admitted to embarrassment with his pop-gun offense and, for one who changes quarterbacks like others do underwear, already is considering a switch. It's normally difficult to find serious fault with a 34-0 win, but the Gamecocks offense snoozed for three quarters against a North Carolina State team that struggled to complete a pass -- from center to quarterback.

   More impressive (presumably, since it was not on TV) was Vanderbilt's shellacking of Miami (Ohio). A field-goal 'dog, the Commodores controlled clock behind a quarterback (Chris Nickson) who ran for nearly twice as many yards as he threw, and coasted.

   Their different paths to victory make for an intriguing early-bird special next Thursday in Nashville. Recall that Vandy whomped the Gamecocks 17-6 last season in Columbia.

   Can you detect a whiff of upset? 

Rise and Shine for Kickoff

   LSU followers are about to learn if you have to get up pretty early in the morning to fool Les Miles and staff. With Hurricane Gustav bearing down on the area, Saturday's kickoff against Appalachian State has been advanced six hours to 10 a.m. local time.

   Much of the pre-game hoopla that is embedded in LSU football has been cancelled because of the storm. The more sober (literally and figuratively) environment could compromise the Tigers' notorious home-field edge. (Rule of thumb: The earlier the game, the better off are opponents.)

   As far as motivation, Miles need only utter two words Saturday morn to ignite his team: Michigan Wolverines. They were ambushed by App State in last season's opener.

   Any concerns among LSU followers? Any increased hopes among Tiger haters?

   A quick prayer that Loo-sianans are spared the wrath of Gustav and won't be required any unexpected labor (i.e., storm clean-up) on Labor Day weekend.

    

Should Georgia Bulldogs be ranked No. 1?

My college football guru, Beano Cook, enlightened me years ago that forecasting a national champion boiled down to one factor.
Think of your real estate agent's mantra -- "location, location, location." In the prediction game, it's "schedule, schedule, schedule."
Georgia has been honored (burdened?) with the preseason No. 1 rating. Half of its 12 opponents are ranked, three in the top 10. The Dawgs commute to five of those six games. Tack on an SEC title match, and no team ever will have survived a comparably gory gauntlet en route to the pot of gold on the back end.
Let's examine the skeds of Nos. 2 through 5.
Southern Cal gets all three of its ranked foes (Ohio State, Oregon, Arizona State) at home. Same with Oklahoma (Texas, Kansas, Texas Tech).
The Buckeyes travel to confront its three (USC, Wisconsin, Illinois) but dabble in the softer Big Ten. Florida's once daunting non-SEC quiniela of Miami and Florida State no longer strikes fear, and its sole ranked obstacle on the road is No. 18 Tennessee.
Georgia does benefit from the expanded 12 games per team that often allows for one misstep by a school with a lofty strength of schedule. So, if no two members of the power conferences sweep through their seasons unscathed, the Dawgs likely would land in the BCS title tilt with one defeat.
Take another look at the schedule from Hades (including a 13th game in the SEC championship). I see two losses. I don't envision Georgia in the exclusive location, location, location of national champion.
Do you?

Tim Tebow and the Heisman Trophy

A standing O to Tim Tebow for his missionary work, his visits to prisons and hospitals, his humility and selflessness.
Still, here's hoping that Heisman Trophy voters set those aspects aside when filling out their ballots. This is a football award, not a nomination for sainthood.
Now, if the Heisman becomes a photo finish between Tebow and a player with a rap sheet, it would be human nature to break the tie with a vote for the good guy. But the Mother Teresa activities should not vault him over an otherwise frontrunner.
Agree?

SEC teams catch breaks in openers

Not that they need any, but several SEC teams are catching breaks in their openers.
Georgia lies in wait for a Georgia Southern team depleted by the suspension of eight players. Tennessee game-plans for a UCLA quarterback projected as a third-stringer before his superiors were shelved by injuries. South Carolina welcomes a North Carolina State team that could not decide on a starting QB -- a redshirt freshman, no less -- until a week before kickoff. Kentucky confronts Louisville, minus one wide receiver who was shot in the back last month and another who was booted after his second drug arrest -- not to mention a cornerback axed after a suspected gas station robbery.
And Florida arranged its kickoff against Hawaii at 12:30 p.m., assuring the Rainbows will be half-asleep. Their body clocks will be set at 6:30 a.m.
Of course, some SEC rosters will shrink in opening week because of the usual rash of suspensions resulting from off-season transgressions. Tennessee just sent two players to detention for the UCLA game.
Anybody know who is this year's leader for dog-housed players in Week One?

What player would win an SEC sprint race?

With the Beijing Olympics just being put to bed, Florida devotees may get lots of looks this season at the 2012 London follow-up to Jamaican flash Usain Bolt. At the U.S. Trials, Gators freshman running back Jeff Demps lowered the national high school in the 100-meter dash to 10.1 seconds. He can claim the crown of fastest college player before having set foot on a game field.
Got anyone to nominate for the finals of an SEC sprint race -- in helmets and shoulder pads?

Why The SEC Is The Bad-Ass Bully Of College Football, Part 23

The league dominates a Chronicle of Higher Education list of largest recruiting budgets for 2007. Tennessee is the most free-spending of the pack, having shelled out a few Benjamins above $2 million. Florida was third ($1.45 mil), Auburn fourth ($1.37 mil) and Georgia sixth ($1.28 mil).
Do you find this applause-worthy or sickening?