USC's first loss? and other intriguing matchups.

[Kam]

So.... here it is. USC (1) at Notre Dame (9) ... the predicted trip up game. USC has been coasting in the first half only to turn it on in the second half the last few games. and that has worked against the competition so far. will it work against charlie weiss? can carroll get his troops up to snuff to perform in the first half and take nd out early or will be it business as usual and another try at pulling away in the 2nd half. i want to... but... i ... just... can't.... pick.... notre dame (but i think this might be the upset, not that i just said that or anything because i didnt... but nd might win this... but i didnt say that).

Penn State (8) v. UM - joe pa wins at the big house. gotta love their win against osu.


Colorado (23) v. TX (2) - i'm really curious about this matchup having seen what the buffs did against my 'canes. will be a good measuring stick to see how tx dominates them (which i think they will) but by how much. and if the colorado offense which has been pretty high scoring at times (only 3 against the canes) manages anything against the horns D.


Florida (11) v. LSU (10) - lsu pulls this one out. and i cant root for the gators anyway so my pick works out. :)

FSU (4) v. Virginia - potential trip up game here for the 'noles. upset alert if they arent careful early and put them away. if they let the cavs hang around till the fourth... could be dangerous.

my cane's get a laugher at temple before starting the endrun and the nov 5th showdown in blacksburg!

and what really sucks... is now in pro football, after 15 years... i have hope. hope that my bengals will actually win each game, rather than the normal expectations of a 3-13 year. argh!!! was so much easier being complacent in seeing those double digit losses for over a decade, now am hoping for the double digit victories, a playoff, and.. .dare i say it... a superbowl!!??

peace
k2
go 'Canes!

[Daddy3Legs]

If you think USC will lose to the overrated ND squad, forget it. While ND sports Willingham's recruits and they're older, they stand NO chance against Bush, Jarrett, Leinert (sp?) and co.....

ND will be BURRIED alive!!!!!

[topspeed]

While not as confident as D3L, I'd like to point out a few similarities between this game and last time 'SC faced a ranked ND squad:
1) New coach (Willingham) touted as the next savior
2) ND only had one loss coming into the game
3) Huge build-up (what year isn't?)

Now, we all know what happened in that game...and the next two after that. (psssttt...think 31)
That said, this game has me so worried I'm not even thinking about the other great games. Should be a good one.

BTW, this is what makes college ball sooo much better than pro ball. Every weekend is a playoff game for the title contenders. If you lose, you're out. Simple as that. Is it right? No. Is it exciting? Let's just say I have a cupboard full of Xanax at the ready.

Fight On!

[Woochifer]

The east coast media mafia is so overboard with the Notre Dame hype, it's disgusting. Sure they look better this year, but that hardly makes them a world-beater (or a top 10 team for that matter). Even though I'd love to see the Irish break through this weekend against Leinart Bush & Co., I don't see it happening. With USC's pattern of first half sleepwalking, ND has a puncher's chance, and their passing game does play into the Trojans' weakness. But, I just think that ND's way overrated, and the Trojans are not likely to overlook the Irish, so I don't see ND getting spotted a huge halftime lead to choke away like ASU did. Of course, if ND turns out to indeed be worthy of all the hype and accolades that have come their way by knocking off SC, I'll be more than glad to admit that I was wrong! :)

I had NO idea that FSU was rated that high! I know that they knocked off the 'Canes, but this seems like a down year in general for Miami.

The CU/UT matchup looks like a potential trip up game for the Horns. They're on a big-time high after their blowout of OU, but I still wonder if they're really that good, and also wonder if they can regroup and play with the kind of focus that they had last week.

Another dangerous game involves my Bruins against Wazzu. For whatever reason, Washington State has always been a thorn in the Bruins' side -- not a whole lot of easy wins, even in years when Wazzu sucks, and we have not won at Martin Stadium since 1993 and have a three-game losing streak against the Cougars. It's obvious that the team was dialed in on the Cal game (the near-miss against UDub indicated as such), so this is a prime spot for a letdown, especially with a grudge match against Oregon State (and former Bruin QB/crybaby Matt Moore) on the calendar next week.

[vxaudio]

i attending auburn university through last year (boy did we get screwed last season, thanks USC ----biased of course) and now im doing med school at the university of Alabama (at B'ham) since these 2 teams, and my two schools are huge rivals...im eventually gonna have to pick a side...any non SECers have any thoughts as to who i should choose? not necessarily based on this season. roll tide or war damn eagle?
oh yeah, i should mention that im not the type to hold up toilet paper and laudry detergent boxes or drive around with a tiger tail sticking out of my trunk!

[Justlisten2]

....the three big games that I want to see are all on at the same time! Very poor scheduling!

USC vs. ND
Penn State vs. Michigan
Florida vs. LSU

All are on at 3:30 PM EST

That sucks! :mad:

[shokhead]

Usc 48 Nd 27

[Kam]

i attending auburn university through last year (boy did we get screwed last season, thanks USC ----biased of course) and now im doing med school at the university of Alabama (at B'ham) since these 2 teams, and my two schools are huge rivals...im eventually gonna have to pick a side...any non SECers have any thoughts as to who i should choose? not necessarily based on this season. roll tide or war damn eagle?
oh yeah, i should mention that im not the type to hold up toilet paper and laudry detergent boxes or drive around with a tiger tail sticking out of my trunk!

i definitely went with my undergrad (miami) as my blood of choice for college football over my grad school (colorado). i just had way more of an attachment to miami when i went there and i guess as an undergrad you really get caught up in the emotion of the game. which i guess i still do even now, but just like a new born ibis, i imprinted on my first college football experience, and it was the 'canes. :)

although it looks like bama is on an upswing and might be the better choice for your temperment, i.e. if you, like me, get depressed when your team loses. auburn might be in for a few more losses than bama in the foreseeable future.

[Woochifer]

vx and kam -

I can totally relate to the whole grad school angle as I went to UCLA undergrad and Cal for grad school. Sure I'll pull for Cal for 10 out of 11 games every year, but when the two teams go head to head I'm in the stands yelling and screaming for the Bruins to lay a big time asswhoopin' on the Bears. Because I grew up in SoCal and made frequent trips into Westwood as a high schooler, UCLA has been in the picture a lot longer, so obviously the allegiance is a lot tighter (and having a dad who attended USC just adds even more to the intrigue!).

In a way though, it is somewhat easier to pull for Cal given that the rivalry between Cal and UCLA is there, but not particularly acrimonious -- especially compared to the sense of rivalry between both schools and USC. For one thing, the two schools are part of the same 10-campus University of California system. (undergrads applying to Berkeley and UCLA use the same application form and pay their fees/tuition to the same Board of Regents)

If, heaven forbid, I ever went to USC for a second Master's or Doctorate (actually was a possibility a few years ago when one of my mentors at Cal [who was also a Bruin alum] took over as Dean at one of the professional schools at SC -- he's since left for a provost position back east), I don't think I would ever find myself in the student section rooting on the Trojans -- I would probably be across town at the Rose Bowl sitting with the other Bruin alums!

In general though, most people I know are fiercely loyal to their undergrad school, and loyal to their grad school more from a professional and business networking viewpoint. For one thing, the undergrad experience is more all-encompassing. In grad school, you tend to spend most of your time with people in your department.

[Daddy3Legs]

Goodnight ND ... ya BUMS!!!!!!

[shokhead]

Gota give it up to ND.

[Woochifer]

Talk about luck of the Irish! If Leinart hadn't fumbled out of bounds on the second to last play, the clock would have run out and we'd have to deal with the east coast media fawning all over themselves over Notre Dame as a national championship contender. All in all, a great battle to the end though.

All in all, yesterday was not very kind to the undefeateds. Texas escaped clean, but PSU and FSU did not. UCLA, Bama, and USC all came away with close wins. My trepidation about UCLA playing Wazzu up in Pullman was well justified, with the Bruins having to come back from a 21-0 hole, and from 17 down in the 4th quarter before winning in OT.

[shokhead]

USC/UCLA is shaping up to be just like the ND game.

[dean_martin]

WOW, whatta weekend!

[Swerd]

I just got back last night after driving 8+ hours from Ann Arbor where my brother and I were at the Michigan - Penn St. game. My brother is the Michigan alum, and he decided that I needed a taste of real Big 10 football. So back in August, we picked a home game and made plans to go. Back then we figured Penn St. might be weak, but what they hey, we wanted a home game before the weather got too cold.

Well the weather was perfect - clear and 71°. The Outback Steakhouse Blimp circled overhead. And the game was, well .... there were 111,000+ fans screaming their lungs out as the lead changed 5 times - twice in the last 3 minutes. Penn St. made their final TD to go ahead 25-21 with no time outs left and 53 seconds remaining on the clock. Michigan returned the kick off to about mid field and drove close to the end zone. During this process, when there were 28 seconds on the clock Lloyd Carr had a game deciding parlee with the referees and got them to add 2 seconds to the clock. And the rest is history - Michigan scored the final touch down on the last play of the game as time expired. Half an hour later, few people had left the stadium.

I have never heard anything so good as the Michigan band. All the good stuff they do occurs during the time outs and is never seen on TV. The Penn St. band (all 250 or so) were also there and they weren't too shabby either.

Wow, what a weekend! There is nothing like football at the Big House!

[dean_martin]

I have never heard anything so good as the Michigan band. All the good stuff they do occurs during the time outs and is never seen on TV. The Penn St. band (all 250 or so) were also there and they weren't too shabby either.

Wow, what a weekend! There is nothing like football at the Big House!

I marched in the Million Dollar Band at Alabama back in '86. We were told that we were one of the top 5 college marching bands in the country. I can't remember all of the other 4, but I do remember that Michigan's band was also in the top 5. We played Ohio State that year in the Kick Off Classic. Their band was kinda flashy but we overpowered them. We played Penn St. at home, but they didn't bring their band.

[topspeed]

USC/UCLA is shaping up to be just like the ND game.
There's no comparison. No offense to my friend Wooch, but UCLA at The Coliseum isn't ND in Southbend. This isn't to say the Bruins aren't good, because it takes a lot of mental toughness to come back and win (something we know all too well :rolleyes: ), but there's huge difference between playing the Bruins in our house vs. playing the green jerseyed Irish with Montana, Rudy, and 80,000 lunatics rooting against you.

This game, more than anything else, has got me even more worried than before. Not because we didn't smoke ND like before, but because our weakness' are becoming more and more apparent. On defense, we are so thin that we're practically transparent. We only had two returning starters to begin with, and one of them (MLB Sartz) is lost for the season. At corner we have a 3rd stringer and a walk-on, two projected starters at Dline are done for the season and 2 LB's are gone as well. Shoot, we're converting wide-outs to corners just to shore up the depth chart. On offense, our dumb-ass coordinators have become entirely too predictable and aren't spreading the ball out. We have an All American at tight end (Byrd) that was finally thrown to on a slant for a big gain and then disappeared for the rest of the game, just like all season. Our full backs have some of the best hands in the game, yet we never utilize them. That said, it isn't all their fault as Lienart hasn't looked like last year's QB for 3 games now.

Everything considered, if we get another game like Saturday's, I won't be posting on this board any more.

I'll have died from a coronary.

[Woochifer]

Everything considered, if we get another game like Saturday's, I won't be posting on this board any more.

I'll have died from a coronary.

Man oh man, if you're about keel over on us from pulling out a miraculous victory for the ages, I can only imagine the macabre spectacle when your boys finally lose a game! (hope against hope at my end that it finally happens someday ... no malice intended towards you specifically, of course, but I am duty-bound y'know!) As vile as the thought of a Trojan three-peat is to me, at least this time I would be somewhat comforted in the knowledge that it will go to a good cause by keeping you among our living-and-breathing ranks at least through another off-season! :D

As much as I would like to see a matchup of undefeateds at the Coliseum on December 3rd, I'm not sure it'll happen. I like this Bruin team's heart and attitude, but they are undermanned at so many key positions that it will probably catch up with them at some point. The defense in particular is getting by on nothing but guts and guile, and key adjustments on the fly by the coaches. The offense has looked good, and is easily the best Bruin unit since the Cade McNown days, but they are living on the edge by having to play almost perfect ball in the 4th quarter week after week. QB Drew Olson has so far played better than anyone could have possibly hoped (especially coming off a torn ACL), and has emerged into a much needed senior leader on an otherwise young team.

From what I've been seeing with the Trojans, they are definitely susceptible to teams with good passing games. Even if the offense is predictable, no one's been able to really shut it down just yet. They may need to restore the Coliseum as an Olympic venue, because that December 3rd showdown is looking more and more like a potential track meet.

It's looking like that Cal game won't be much more than a speedbump on your schedule. Right now, they look like a very average, depleted, and deflated team. Oregon State benefited from Cal now losing 3 of their 5 starting O-linemen, and that allowed OSU to put the game into QB Joe Ayoob's hands. And he responded with a poor passing day. The next few games will really be where Coach Tedford's mettle gets tested, because he has yet to coach Cal through this kind of situation where high expectations get built up and then come crashing down. The next few weeks will be interesting!

[topspeed]

You never did say if you're going to the SC/UCLA game. Are you going to try and make it?

[Woochifer]

You never did say if you're going to the SC/UCLA game. Are you going to try and make it?

Won't be able to make it this year. You'll have to make a good showing for the AR crew. Thought I'd responded earlier.

[Justlisten2]

I just got back last night after driving 8+ hours from Ann Arbor where my brother and I were at the Michigan - Penn St. game. My brother is the Michigan alum, and he decided that I needed a taste of real Big 10 football. So back in August, we picked a home game and made plans to go. Back then we figured Penn St. might be weak, but what they hey, we wanted a home game before the weather got too cold.

Well the weather was perfect - clear and 71°. The Outback Steakhouse Blimp circled overhead. And the game was, well .... there were 111,000+ fans screaming their lungs out as the lead changed 5 times - twice in the last 3 minutes. Penn St. made their final TD to go ahead 25-21 with no time outs left and 53 seconds remaining on the clock. Michigan returned the kick off to about mid field and drove close to the end zone. During this process, when there were 28 seconds on the clock Lloyd Carr had a game deciding parlee with the referees and got them to add 2 seconds to the clock. And the rest is history - Michigan scored the final touch down on the last play of the game as time expired. Half an hour later, few people had left the stadium.

I have never heard anything so good as the Michigan band. All the good stuff they do occurs during the time outs and is never seen on TV. The Penn St. band (all 250 or so) were also there and they weren't too shabby either.

Wow, what a weekend! There is nothing like football at the Big House!



That game ripped my son's heart out, and mine as well. Being big PSU fans, we haven't had much to cheer about lately. No matter how good PSU is, or how bad Michigan is, PSU can never seem to beat Michigan. It must be a mental thing.

Oh well, I'm starting to recover. My son will take a lot longer to recover though, as he is not as used to the losing as I've become. Living in the Philly area, he'll get used to losing in another decade or two. :(

[topspeed]

Won't be able to make it this year. You'll have to make a good showing for the AR crew. Thought I'd responded earlier.
Sorry, I must have missed that. I'll tip one back for ya at the game.