5 Thoughts from the Week that Was

1) Still we have questionable officiating...with no explanation or consequences.

Last weeks problem was much more crucial with a missed PAT call but the fact remains that too many calls are missed or not addressed. As the time ticked down in a critical matchup between South Carolina and Auburn, the Gamecocks get a first down with 2 seconds left; (barely) enough time to spike the ball and get a last second field goal off to tie the game. Alas, the clock ran out and when Spurrier asked for the referee to review it, he refused and called the game. One argument was that there was only 1 second left and that means there was not enough time to spike the ball with time remaining. If that's the case, then come out at confirm it! As of now, the South Carolina faithful are left holding the bag with questions abounding and Gene Chizik (the current edition of Les Miles-'winning games despite poor coaching). This is yet another incident of poor referee-ing with no consequences or explanations. It's time to hold these officials to a higher standard.

2) Media money drives opinion and, therefore, polls

OSU has a near miss against Toledo and everyone destroys the B1G. South Carolina has a near miss against Navy (arguably closer than OSU/Toledo) and no one mentions it rather than another SEC win. Give credit to Navy who is always a tough matchup. Unfortunately, you'll never know because the $EC drives E$PiN. The polls are clearly driven by the highlights shown on ESPiN and those highlights are skewed in favor of those who pay the bills. The top SEC teams are that good, but the rest are the same as every other conference also-ran.

3) Undefeated doesn't always mean the best.

Quick, one conference has 5 undefeated teams, which is it? No, not the be-all, end-all SEC, but the Big 12. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, and Kansas State. This is more than double any other conference, but hold the phone folks. The Oklahoma teams each have quality wins (FSU and TAMU) but the other 3 played no one but the Little Sisters of the Poor (yeah, I said it). KSU under Snyder is known to play no one but creampuffs (yes, this year he played Miami but whopee...). Texas played UCLA....yawn. I didn't even know Texas Tech has played a game since Michael Crabtree left. Good for them being undefeated, but let's wait until they play quality opponents to anoint the conference. The Oklahoma teams are legit, but I don't think the others will get more than 8 wins a piece.


4) Pains me to say this, but the National Championship (as of now) should be a
rematch of Alabama vs. LSU.

I said this before and I'll say it again: everyone sucks. This year has been extremely painful to watch. That being said, Bama and LSU are (as of now) the clear best teams in the country. Yes, OU is good, but they'll most likely drop one like they always do. Ok St offense can't keep the questionable defense going undefeated. Wisconsin is very tough but who knows if they can hold up against a defense on the road. Boise is Boise and will most likely go undefeated but no one cares. Stanford and Oregon play in a tossup but the Cardinal have an easy schedule and the Ducks already lost to LSU. The SEC powers are very very good and I really think there is a possibility that they rematch in the Title Game. The most likely contender is Wisconsin in my opinion due to schedule and what I've seen. I hate the SEC, but those 2 teams have the best resumes and talent that I've seen thus far.

5) Fair or foul, Robert Griffin III is most likely out of the Heisman race already.

Remember how I said that it's very hard to break into the Heisman race without preseason hype; it's nearly impossible when you're on a team that's out of the race (translation: has a loss). This is, of course, not fair at all, but it's the world we live in. RG3 has eye-popping stats with slightly fewer TDs than incompletions, 1 interception, and 5 TD passes a piece in 3 games, but no one will remember him if he doesn't win. Small market and non-contender never really have a chance. Many people are giving him lip-service in the media, but I don't buy that they actually believe it. I do think he is a legit candidate, but when the voters turn in their ballots, I feel they will be skewed by their preconceptions and drop him down below the NFL #1 pick (Luck), the golden boy (Kellen Moore), the best player on the best team (Trent Richardson), the hot transfer (Russell Wilson), and the best QB the number 1 team (Jones). RG3 needs to go crazy EVERY game from here on out and he absolutely HAS to beat OU with some crazy stats to even get back in the legit discussion. Pay attention to this kid because he's really good (and he'll get his compensation next year in the NFL), but the preconceptions kill his realistic chance in my opinion.