What Deadline? Hawks/Heat/Suns Liveblog

No lie, a pretty sweet view

As one of the few bloggers that couldn't liveblog last night's contest due to connectivity issues (though perhaps our laptop had something to do with it), we'll make up for it by liveblogging the last quarter of tonight's Hawks-Heat game.

11:30 remaining - With the Hawks down by 13, Marvin grabs a rebound and instead of kicking it back out, immediately knocks down a jumper. Don't see that everyday on a long offensive rebound. Two MoE free throws later, Hawks are within 9 after being down 22 earlier.

10:10 - Flip cuts the lead to 7. Flip has been on fire lately. I mean, you know the guy can knock it down in November, but we're almost in February and dude is playing out of his mind. If only our backup bigs were doing likewise.

Anyways, the biggest item I took away from Rick Sund's excellent Q&A with the Hawks bloggers last night was that it was abundantly clear he is an enormous Flip Murray fan and has no reservations about him being the backup point guard for the remainder of the season. While he stated he was pleased with Acie Law's performance thus far in his career, I didn't get the feeling he viewed Law as a long-term solution at the 1. Makes me hopeful for our chances of re-signing Bibby after this season, but either way, it's time we get used to Flip being the backup PG and SG this season, for better or worse.

9:35 - Flip airball. Of course. Nice timing.

Another note on Sund: He adamantly believes Horford is not playing out of position at center. Obviously, the GM has forgotten more basketball than I could ever hope to learn about, but I'm still not buying it. He mentioned Dwight Howard not playing out of position, but I think Horford has an ability to move without the ball and has a jumper that Howard lacks. Also, Howard has a power game down low I just don't ever see Horford (or pretty much anyone else) developing. Still, if you're a betting man, bet on Sund knowing what he's talking about here and me forgetting I even wrote this by tomorrow.

7:52 - Second block on J-Smoove in two minutes. Don't like dem apples.

7:42 - Marvin at the line. Maybe the 20+ minutes of FT practice before yesterday's game will come in handy.

At one point Stevie boy made 7 in a row...and I could think of was the All Star challenge.

7:21 - LeBron and Kobe are freaks of nature, but very few players can split a defense like Wade. He just kicks out a perfect pass out to Mario Chalmers for a 3. Damnit. Not looking good.

6:10 - Chalmers just bricks a wide open 3. I turned this game on 20 minutes ago and he's taken about nine 3's already. Cherrypicker.

5:19 - Another offensive rebound by Marvin, another missed dunk/layup by another Hawk. Much like last night, I'm just getting the feeling this ain't the our night.

Horford styling a fly suit on the sidelines. I'm hurt Coach Woody lied to us about him making the trip out to Miami.

Last night was the first time I had ever seen Shaq play in person. Him standing next to Zaza, Robin Lopez or anyone really was like seeing a St. Bernard hovering over a Chiuwauwa. I also feel like he's accepted his limitations and role on this Suns team as well. The Suns shortcomings are with their bench and Amare's desire to only play on one end of the court. The much-maligned Shaq trade was a winner for that club.

2:48 - I'd just about thought I was done with this game, but much like Joey Zaza in Godfather III, Marvin pulls me back in with a three. Marvin and Flip are carrying the Hawks this quarter.

2:45 - Daequan Cook, 3ball, and that's probably the game. The Heat's whole offense seems to consist of a) Wade shaking off a defender and taking a jumper, b) Wade penetrating and taking it to the hoop, or c) Wade penetrating and kicking it out to some mediocre player behind the three-point line. I mean I know D-Wade is da main, but damn, this team can't be that hard to defend against. Anyways, with this one in the bag, back to thoughts from last night.

I can't believe I forgot to ask Sund about this in my haste to ask about Acie Law's PT, but I really wanted to know if the ownership situation was preventing him from acquiring some bench help before the deadline. Although the chances of me getting a straight answer on that were about as good as one of us in that suite last night meeting up postgame with Ciara, who was looking good as the only big name (it seemed) in the house last night. Although if I had to place bets on anyone, I would've put my money on Larry from Str8talk.

Less than a minute left - Acie Law enters the game. Talk about symbolism.

Final thoughts on blognight:

- Talking to Sekou Smith for a brief second after the game, dude seems like he just legitimately enjoys his job. You can tell that in his writing and his overall demeanor around other media members and Hawks staff.

The mural that stands watch over the Hawks practice floor. In the not-too-distant past, this poster would elicit some scoffing, half-witted sarcastic remark involving the finer points of the uses of oxymoron. I am happy to say that is no longer the case in Hawks land.

- You always see a press conference on TV and imagine it taking place in some giant room with rows and rows of chairs, cameras and tons of reporters wearing suits and asking important questions. Then you actually go to one following a game between two quality NBA squads and its a handful of casually dressed reporters standing just a liiiiil too close to a coach that would probably rather be anywhere than there right now.

This crowd's a little bigger than usual...wait who are those young guys
that keep snapping pictures??

- I can't ever figure out if Solomon Jones has the potential to develop into a solid rotation player or if he's destined to be a 9th/10th man that can fill in when a team has injured 4/5s. Some nights, like last night, he looks like a guy who belongs in there in key moments. That said, under no circumstances should he be getting the rock consistently in the last few minutes of a close game. Where the hell did that come from?

- Few things are more enjoyable than watching a Josh Smith "UUNNNNNNNNGGGGHHH" dunk in person. Few things are less enjoyable than that split second when you realize he's about to take an ill-advised 18-footer. Does anyone else almost feel guilty when he occasionally hits one of those? Just a weird feeling...almost like you don't want him to get that confidence in that jumper. Maybe he can just stop taking them so I don't have to feel so conflicted. Or maybe I can just move on...

.76 seconds after Josh Smith brutally suspends Steve Nash (center-right, seated) via posterization. Smith can be seen mugging towards the crowd (perhaps mean mugging to the Suns bench?), deservedly so after that whooooooooooooooAH MONSTER JAM

- ...or not. On a related note, I'd love to see Smith looked at down the stretch rather than the "clear out one side of the court and allow Joe to go 1on1" offense the Hawks run in the final minute of a close contest. Give it to him on the block. Find him on the wing and have him take it in and draw a foul or try to find Joe/Marvin for an open J. Mix it up. It doesn't have to be all Joe all the time down there.

This picture features a depressing score with no other redeemable qualities.

The same margin of defeat, this time with a small measure of added delight.
Can you spot the difference, kids?

- Thanks again to Micah and the Hawks for setting up last night's festivities. It was a helluva lotta fun, it was great meeting all the excellent Hawks fans and bloggers out there. It will probably be the only time myself or OBJ ever ride in an elevator or are able to skip a line at Philips ever again, but between the sweet suite, access to a GM that surprisingly seemed interested in taking to a bunch of folks who write on the internet, and interacting with everyone from the ushers to media members, it was definitely the highlight of the last 24 hours of being a Hawks fan. Now let's get back to winning some ballgames.

Hawks-Wizards-OU-OkieState-miniliveblog-SaturdayThoughts-Runonsentences

You sir, are Da Main. And a Damn Good Dawg.

One of the reasons we at Sue's christen our weekly college football recap "Sobered Up" is because we try to avoid kneejerk, drunken, Saturday evening quarterbacking that happens following a festive, several hour-long orgy of college football games. So I apologize if my thoughts on today's Georgia-GT game seem brash and irrational. It's really just an excuse to get the yesterday's post off the top of the page.

So that I can avoid thinking continously about this afternoon's contest, I'll be simeltanieously live blogging the 4th quarter of this brutal Hawks-Wiz game and various other college football contests. Good luck trying to enjoy this post!

Damnit- Antonio Daniels just dropped a three-pointer to cut what was a double digits Hawks lead to three...and as I type this, Flip Murray comes back w/ a quick layup. Cool. It's always better when you see Flip has connected on a shot after-the-fact so as to avoid the minor stroke that can come with watching him decide what to do w/ the ball in realtime.

RE: UGA. I'm beginning to think the strong finishes to the 2006 and 2007 seasons were simply flashes of brilliance by a quality program that just isn't destined to be an elite, Top 5 program anymore. Oh, Georgia has the talent to be among the top five programs, but we are not seeing the development of the personnel on and off the field. Ill-timed penalties, poor tackling, repeated mistakes by the same offenders...it just points to poor coaching. I still won't join the FREE WILLIE chourus, but we're getting dangerously close to a point where something has to give and there has to be some accountability on the sidelines. If this was indeed Stafford and Moreno's last game at Sanford Stadium, Georgia has, I hate to say it, wasted three years of those two incredible talents and have no championships of any kind to show for it. That hurts.

Oklahoma State just scored a TD to go up 10-7. How insane is it that we could be looking at a Big 12 Championship game featuring Missouri and Texas Tech, arguably and probably the 3rd and 4th best teams in the conference? College football makes no fucking sense. And I love it.

John Clayton on ESPN: "Plaxico Burress suffered an accidenatal gunshot wound last nite at tha club..." He trying to channel his inner-Fiddy on this report?

MoE threeball to increase Hawks lead to 89-92! I love that shot. When he lets lose a three it's pretty much the opposite of how I feel when Flip lets one go.

Look at the numbers. In five games against five bowl eligible teams, Georgia has given up 41, 52, 49, 44 and now 45 points. Richt and others' excuse that this same defense "shut down" Auburn, South Carolina and Arizona State continues to weaken with every week. Those teams all have terrible offenses. A defense full of blue chippers should absolutely shut down those team's offenses each week.

Even Vandy and Tennessee, two more inept offenses Georgia has been lucky enough to face this season, combined for more than 450 yards against a defense that continuously failed at decisively putting away these crappy offenses. It's just frustrating to see an immensely talented player like Reshad Jones attempt a weak helmet/shoulder tackle to try and knock Roddy Jones out of bounds instead of wrapping him up or attempting to use his arms at all.

If there is any silver lining in the Josh Smith injury, it's that Solomon Jones seems to be improving exponentially while contributing quality minutes. Not saying Solo should be out there 20 minutes every night, but it's nice to know he can fill in for a few games should the injury bug continue to bite us. Another 3 by MoE!

As Georgia Tech started their final drive with 4:04 left in the game, up by 3, one of my buddies said "this is for your job Willie...I hope Richt is letting him know that." Needless to say the memo got lost somewhere, and three plays later the game was over. "Fuck...did we just lose to Georgia Tech?" "Yeah...fuck" "Uggggggggh" "This sucks" were the sentiments kicked around shortly after the contest ended.

Damn 31.8 seconds, Hawks ball, tie game...AND BIG AL TAKES IT UP STRONG AND ONE! YES. THAT'S HOW YOU UTILIZE A STUD BIG MAN IN A SITUATION LIKE THAT. SORRY CAPS! Good look by Marvin to feed Al against the baseline facing double coverage. 101-98, 12 seconds...Wizards ball.

So a season that started with so much potential and entered the day as "somewhat frustrating but very good" can now be considered "an utter disapointment." As I type this, Oregon is predictabily kicking the shit out of Oregon State 40-17 in the second quarter, so it looks as if USC will indeed end up in the Rose Bowl, allowing Ohio State to get into the BCS, and assuring Georgia of a date in Orlando or Tampa versus Michigan State or Iowa. Often times teams that had disapointing seasons can run through the motions against an opponent that is pumped to be playing such a "great" team and get beaten. Let's pray this season does not end with four losses and a drubbing by a Big 10 school.

In some playcalling right out of the Terry Stotts handbook, the Wiz go for two, allowing DeShawn Stevenson to drive to the hoop, draw a foul, and miss both free throws. Thanks for playing. Damn, has that franchise fallen fast over the last year...their best player is getting paid $113million and is the most notable injury prone superstar/blogger in the NBA...their second best player is about to get jettisoned for cap room...they have no bench to speak of...and they idiotically fired Eddie Jordan as if his overachiving was the problem with this team. What a messed up organization. They should re-hire MJ.

Two, somewhat more upbeat/complimentary items so we can end this on a high-note.

1. I talked the smack in the post below; and Georgia Tech answered every one of my questions and doubts. Apologies to Paul Johnson for the Chan Gailey comparisons. From now on you will be remembered to me as the coach that while watching the game today, each girl in the room said when your mug appeared on TV "OMG, HE IS SO FUCKING UGLY....I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW UGLY HE IS...HE HAS FISHLIPS." I'm sure you care. Anyways, props to Tech's offense for making the necessary halftime adjustments to exploit Georgia's weaknesses up front. That program is definitely headed in the right direction, which I guess I just didn't want to admit until after this game was over. Also, while I look forward to the Jaybo Shaw era of quarterbacking, Roddy Jones and his 8+ yards per carry over the season will give me nightmares for the next three years. That guy is a stud, and is better than any RB on UGA's roster who's name does not rhyme with Blowkronn.

Oklahoma just caught a massive break as the refs overturn what appeared to be a fumble that would have given the Cowboys back the ball as OU was inside their 5 yard line. Now Mike Gundy is pissed...not "Mike Gundy pissed" though...he doesn't get like that anymore unfortunately. Stupid anger management.

2. I am going to miss MoMass. He's one of my favorite Dawgs of all-time, and I love how no matter the drops, fumbles, booing, benching or anything else he went through during his career, he remained upbeat, always busted his ass, went right back across the middle and wasn't afraid to want the ball, to want to be the man that made that catch. He never had the raw talent of a Reggie Brown/Fred Gibson/AJ Green, but MoMass represents everything that I love about the Richt era at Georgia. Hopefully he can catch on in the NFL as a late-round draft pick and I could absolutely see him as a successful slot or posession receiver in the pros. Dude ain't afraid to go across the middle. A lot of bigger folks than him can't say that. Damn Good Dawg.

Aiight, Oklahoma scored that TD and goes into the half up 21-13, likely one TD away from putting this one away. I still think OSU can pull it off, but I think I'm ready to peel my ass off my sixth couch of the day. I wanted to write about Tennessee's hiring of Lane Kiffin, but that will have to wait til Sobered Up tomorrow. Hopefully, I can find a silver lining in today's Georgia game, but don't set the bar too high for me, y'all.

Sobered Up - Week 12

Never too early to look ahead to Tech

Well, well, well. Look where we are, fellas. 9-2 with another at-least-ten win season staring us right in the face. Beat our growing-on-me every day in-state rivals, and we're staring down 11 wins. Fail to do that and we get another chance at 10 in whichever crappy bowl game we skulk into. Informed Dawg fans knew we were looking at a two-loss season. We were hoping for one.

Take this Auburn "win" for example. Just shoddy all over the fucking place, guys. The worst tackling I've seen since becoming a Georgia fan, narrowly beating out the WVU Sugar Bowl. A last second touchdown-pass-that-wasn't that couldn't been Auburns' Michael Johnson had they caught it. The one bright spot, other than the notch in the "W" column, was once again Knowshon. I know you've been waiting for it, Knowshon, so here's Sue's advice: don't go to the NFL. Please. It's what's best for you. With your 22 carries for 131 yards, your butt will just be another target for bench splinters. So, with your additional 4 receptions for 58 yards and a TD, just come back to us. Don't make me start singing Boyz II Men. you Da Main, Knowshon.

But if I could have told you that we were 9-2 heading into rivalry weekend, going 3-1 in the brutal road stretch that was the last four weeks, you probably wouldn't have been too upset. Of course that was before UT and Auburn decided to blow each other rather than practice football, but the point remains. Georgia is still an exceptional program. Judging by Sue's collective thoughts as well as the pervasive mentality throughout the blogosphere, it is virtually universally agreed that the problems inherent in Georgia are immediately fixable. We don't have a lack of talent - we have a lack of utilization of that talent. Is a coaching change necessary? Possibly. These players should not be unmotivated at any time. They should be crushing folk. And these penalties? I used to cringe at Georgia's tackling methods over the past decade or so...it always seemed that two to three Dawgs on D would come running in, full force and head-first on a play that was clearly dead, a player that was clearly down. Several late hits called during these times. But I would KILL [a Georgia Tech fan] for those days. Solid tackling AND penalties that were actually worth a damn? Sign me the fuck up!

But these are thoughts better left to CMR. We need an immediate fix for the now. Look, Georgia is way more talented than Vandy, UK or Auburn. We should have destroyed those teams. If Georgia comes out looking lackadaiscal with poor tackling against Tech, there's a very good chance we could lose. We're talking about the folks with the Perfect Option here, people!

This would work immensely better if they weren't
taking themselves so gosh darn seriously.

If you think Dawg fans are walking lethargic avenue now, see what happens if we lose against Georgia Blech. As the good Senator aptly points out, while Florida is generally considered amongst the most passionate and informed Dawgs to be the biggest game of the year, Blech is definitely the game we most hate to lose. Perhaps that's because GT plays in the horrid ACC which is a huge bitch slap to lose to, or perhaps an entire generation of fans is used to having our asses handed to us for a Halloween present by now. Either way, Dogs, stop worrying about that now-LONG-gone #1 ranking and Finish. The Fucking. Drill. Hey, maybe you can even pull the 'ol 'Walking with the football haphazardly shielded by the QB's sternum' play action out of retirement. I can't remember any time it didn't work...

Can't let Georgia Blech be the only team with a vid, can we?

And in a follow-up to last week's MNF address on the state of College Football, 'Bammer reiterated his platform on Sunday's 60 minutes, meaning a considerable 1.37% of football's target demographic was tuned in. Quick to answer was John Swofford, BCS coordinator, who essentially congratulated Obama and then told him to suck an egg. 'Bammer said he would "Throw [his] weight around a little [because] it's the right thing to do" to which the BCS responded blah blah blah blah. Ugh and sigh. Look 'Bammer. Let me make it easy for you: Bush stepping in and demanding something be done about steroids in baseball = good, useful (although it shouldn't have been - we'd like to think that MLB would have gotten it under control but can you honestly say they would have without the push?) and at least plausibly relevant due to Bush's former positions. Namely, owner of a MLB team. On the other hand, you pushing hard, twice in a week, for a college football playoff = pointless, arrogant and completely useless. You're not going to do anything, Barack. The system will change when a better one is discovered. Period. Oh, and a quick suggestion. Why don't you throw your weight in the general direction of our FRIGGIN' economy? I got bills for shit I don't even KNOW about, man! I got friends still trudging in the Middle East. Why the hell are you even talking about fucking college football!?

And Louisville is 5-5, everybody! Hey Loo-ie, how in the hell can you suck SO bad that you're 1-4 in the Big East?! Everything Petrino built for your program is lying in wreckage all over your campus. And with Rutgers and West Virgina coming up, the Cardinals have a very good chance of going 5-7 with a 1-6 conference record. You know, you really should have known better when you hired someone named "Kragthorpe." It sounds like something bad, y'know? Like some sort of inoperable anal fissure, or something. "Shit. Did you hear what happened to Johnny? He got a fucking kragthorpe so bad he bled to death in 10 minutes. Made a huge mess all over the MARTA bus, too." Looks like the 'Ville's going to be shopping for a new coach this offseason. Color me surprised (close in color to cardinal red!) if they aren't.

Okay, I'm ready to say it. And by the way, any time between 2000 and last year, I never would have been able to dream of providing positive words for Alabama or Florida at this point in the season. But when Alabama plays Florida for the national title - whoops! I mean SEC Championship - we may be looking at the two best coaches in NCAA Football. I'm just not sure how Saban's going to get his team so freakin' motivated that they topple Florida in this one. Look 'Bamma. You're a good team. The epitome of solid this year. Incredibly motivated to play at or above your potential every second of the game. But since Florida lost to 'Ole Miss, Florida has opened up their playbook and just straight murdered people left and friggin right. And yes, Tebow's tear-filled address to Gator fans that they would play with more "passion" than ever before for the rest of the season is clear indication to me that he knew Meyer was about to let go of the leashes. Your only warning, 'Bama: Florida is going to kill you.

His eyes are on the Tide...

Oh, and nevermind that Meyer looks like Shia LeBeouf. While they both may be utter tools, this remarkable resemblance is little more than coincidence. Come to play, 'Bamma.

Separated at birth, they both amazingly found their ways back to the tool shed.

Hey, how 'bout that 70-30 barn burner in Houston? Props to Houston for scoring more points in quarters two and three, respectively, than Georgia scored in their entire game. Bravo! Can I jump on your bandwagon? Anything that gives the city of Houston something to cheer about is okay with Sue. Not a bad city, really. Just ugly, stupid, and not really fun. In any case, this sounds like really fun football.

Then we have these splendid games featuring the cream of the ACC crop, NC State, Maryland, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Miami and Virgina Tech. Wee if you can guess which teams go where: 21-17, 17-15 and 16-14. Isn't the ACC suck-o-round fun? Seriously ACC how badly can you suck? Haven't you listened to Sue's speeches trying to invigorate you? Do any of you even want to play in your pathetic conference championship? The only thing I'm looking forward to about it is to see how few people show up. In any case, these sound about as fun to watch as live footage of your own face melting off. Or the UGA-AUB game.

A sincere congratulations to Vandy on their bowl-eligible win. Going bowling for the first time in 26 years sounds more like a Hallmark channel inspirational story about a man born with no arms who builds his own prosthetic limbs, but damnit, there's a warm spot in my heart for you, 'Dores. By golly, you're probably my 2nd favorite SEC East team (you're consistent suckiness over the years is a likely contributor). I'm a big fan of underdogs, and I'll be rooting for you hardcore in whichever bowl game you get.

Before we move on to Sue's Top 10/Mumme Poll, we at Sue's would like to express our sadness knowing that there will only be two "Sobered Ups" left in the '08 College Football Season. As a rule we do not look forward, at least with terrifying, friend-losing focus, to the next season until around March or so. So that's a solid two months without College Football talk here, and frankly I'm a little scared. If I throw up a post about golf, boxing or hockey, I'm very likely just moments away from committing suicide via chair-throw to Florida State receivers. Just saying.

On to the Poll!

1. Alabama - Look, Florida could seriously be placed here with little or no complaints by our constituents. For the sake of UF's one loss and the fact that the top four will be sorted out with no room for complaints within two weeks, we'll go ahead and leave the Tide at #1.
2. Texas Tech - I can't say that you have a true test this weekend. I've already said your test awaits at least twice. You're legit, Tech. Even though my mom's Alma Mater is Oklahoma, I'll be rooting for you.
3. FU - In honor of one of the coolest hats I've ever seen, playing on UF only changing the letters around to say FU, which is about how I feel towards Florida and their winning ways.
4. Texas
5. Oklahoma
6. Penn State - That Oregon State win is looking mighty good right now, PSU.
7. USC - That Oregon State loss is mighty tough to look at right now, isn't it USC. Without going through all the "if they win or lose" possibilities, here are your possibilities for the 2008-2009 Rose Bowl if USC-PSU doesn't pan out: USC - Ohio State, USC- Michigan State, Michigan State - Oregon State, or Oregon State-Penn State. Hey, why don't we just see how many Hot Wheels cars we can shove up our nose before our brains hemorrhage, instead?
8. Oklahoma State
9. Ohio State
10. Utah

Mumme Extra Two: Utah's finally moved ahead of Georgia this week, due primarily to the perceived difference of how a typical Utah fan and a typical Georgia fan would've reacted if both had played the same game against Auburn last Saturday. Georgia fans were complacent and hung their heads a little lower, knowing that our expectations were WAY freaking off. Utah fans would have been freaking out, methinks. With that being said: UGA and Missouri round out our last two.

BLOGasm 11.11.08: In Which Introspective Happens

The 2009 Playoffs: Where the Atlanta Hawks happen to stop by...again?

Sitting here reflecting on the Hawks game Sue and friends attended Friday night, witnessing the improbable four-and-0 start at the Highlight Factory, a few thoughts cross my mind. First of all, the Hawks, now 5-0, are beating Shee-KAH-Go on the road. They may or may not pull it out, which is pretty much the way I've approached every Hawks game for the past 12 years of living in this city. Tomorrow they travel to Boston in a rematch of what thus far has contributed more than anything to this bunch of young'ns' collective personality. Hell, I just saw an NBA: Where Amazing Happens commercial on the Hawks' playoff run last year. That's incredible for a decade-long Hawks fan that has seen his team in meaningful nationally televised games as often as he's gotten a body wax. Maybe even less.

Unfortunately it's not up yet. I imagine with tomorrows game coming up, it was the first time it aired. Closest thing I got is this. Sorry, folks. QUESTION, though. Can you tell me why the text "Where The Hawks Are The Biggest Jokes In The NBA Happens" happens to accompany the link in the Google search? Messed up.

The point is, despite the endless string of Doomsday-outlook posts Sgt. Friday has brought to Sue's (just click on the Hawks tag, fella), there is a real reason to be optimistic here. It's scary. You almost don't want to believe, and that's the only thing left keeping you from believing. It's kinda like falling in love but even better than bacon grease. Eerie. Everyone remember, it was me who put the Hawks at number 5 in the East. That's not looking too bad right now. I'm thinking I'm going to once again make SJF bet against his own team. More on this later.

Second, let me be the first, on November the 11th, the year of our Lord 2008, to go ahead and give this soon-to-be-unheeded advice to the Spirit Group: resign Mike Bibby. Give him 3 years. You're not going to find a more consistent and productive point that'll play with the intensity (he's titleless) and intelligence that Bibby brings. He's worth it. Period.

Third and lastly, I feel like writing a damn eulogy to that Friday night. With two of Sue's crew serving jail time that evening, I can't help but wonder: if this was a Game 7 win in the Eastern Conference Finals, would I be saying it was worth it the next day? Thinking with delusional grandeur that, hey, if it meant the win, I'll take it? Luckily I won't be faced with this ridiculous situation any time soon. Hey, Marta cops! If you happen to see us again, let me remind you in case my screaming at you that you had definitely found your man, and that I was a dangerous motherfucker, and that I was really going to hurt someone that night and good thing you picked me up, confused you at all. I'm a struggling-to-be upper middle class white guy. So are my friends. Now listen carefully: We. Mean. You. No. Harm. Or anyone else for that matter. We're not going to destroy shit. We're not going to yell and scream. We may trip and fall. We'll be okay. Please, find the people that are about to rob me to buy crack.

------------------------

Kuh'mown GAHZ. Y'KNOW y'wownt a playoff sistem!

---->Bibby back-to-back 3s, Hawks tie it up 8 mins in the fourth.

So are sports really so unprovocative right now that the WWL has to post irrelevant stories on its homepage for several days? Talk about a slight sports reference. On the WWL for that matter. What a shocker. Look I'm not going to talk about politics or who I voted for. It doesn't matter. He didn't win.

In response to Obammer's Monday Night Football game appearance where he delivered his speech on the necessity of an 8-game playoff system (okay, sure) to decide a national champion due to reasons beyond my non-executive-abled mind, including being tired of sinister factors such as "this that and the other," University of Oregon president and BCS Presidential Oversight Committee chair David Frohnmayer stated:

"My colleagues and I on the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee have discussed the future of postseason football on many occasions and we do not believe a playoff would be in the best interest of the sport..."

Well, ZING! I love that it just so happens to be the Presidential Oversight Committee (committee of school presidents that decide the fate of all our lives). That's rich.

I would understand if this were the Blog Days of Summer. But 'taint. We've got the NFL going prime right now. Basketball is getting fired up. And goddammit, some of us still have college football teams to root for (just kidding, Dawgs! Just because I missed a game in jail doesn't mean I wasn't watching my watch and pretending! I didn't give up until it was 3:30 [3 hours after kick-off]! FINISH THE FUCKING DRILL, DAWGS!). So, I know I don't have to look, but I do WWL. You make me. You have the most news and usually most up-to-date. It's why you face so much criticism. So stop putting useless information on your homepage. Please.

------------------------

Huddy and Peavy 1-2 in '10? Yes, please.

A quick note to the Braves: Hey Braves, get this guy!

Being that the Braves are one of the few teams for which he's willing to waive his no-trade clause, I'd say he wants to be in the A. 'Course as beautiful as San Diego is, I'd want to play nearly anywhere else, including BALTimore (!), other than San D. Even the football team's lookin' like shit.

Look, I love you Yunel, but if it's you or Jake Peavy, my playoff-starved ass is, I'm sure regretably, going to go with Peavy. Every time. We need an SJF opine for a consensus opinion by Sue on this one. 'Cause I'm pretty sure Yunel 'gonna be Da Main for many years to come.

------------------------

Atlanta wins 113-108. Horford career game. Huh. The fuck's going on here, Hawks. 6-0 with a chance to beat your best start in 10 years by beating the Celts. Let's do this.

------------------------

Hawks won. And Sue's 'n be werkin on the morra.

Final Thoughts on Jacksonville

Hey BLUE! See if you can guess what I want you to do here...

I'll hit 'em high hit 'em high hit 'em high...

Ah, aren't oldies great? Seriously though what is a sick beat with B. Real and Busta Busta (with LL Smooth [and Coolio and Meth]) throwing lyrics like this doing in Space Jam with MJ:

It's like inch by inch and step by step
I'm closing in on your position and destruction is my mission
Though eight is not enough, your whole squad better duck
It's like switch when I bust
Now you're whole crew is dust

Wasn't that a kid's movie? The fuck's wrong with you MJ? Doing music vids with Crazy MJ and subjecting young kids to this type of unreasonable violence? Space JAM!!! It ain't, uh too much, no no JAM!!! Nah, but I see your point. That could easily be interpreted as basketball speak to talk smack for the Monstars. Nope. No gratuitous examples of "capping" or violence there.

And yet I thankfully digress. Last weekend was so last weekend. Like so last year, actually. And I'm not 'gonna drop tears on stat sheets or express my crestfallen disappointment. A disappointment that yields only pain and remorse. A disappointment that, seriously folks, feels like I dropped a car battery on my dick.

We lost, by a lot, plain and simple. I'm not the Stat Man (bee bop bop buutop bup!!) so, again, I'm not going to delve in that direction. Some of the best not-too-reactionary thoughts I've uncovered can be found in The Rant:

"But I can't take this anymore. I miss the "Lips Jar." The jar created by Brian Van Gorder for opposing players' paper lips (or maybe even entire heads) to be placed in after a large hit. I miss the headhunters of Greg Blue and Thomas Davis. I miss the motor of David Pollack and the determination of Charles Grant. I miss the speed and tenacity of Odell Thurman."

Yeah. I miss you too Davis. Those sideline melon exploding hits were the highlights of several of my younger years. Blue, you know you're my boy. The Rant is dead on in questioning the current ability and momentum of our current defensive coaching staff. It's not our players. And while the offense seemed they wanted to give it to the Gators more than a girlfriend they hadn't seen in several months, we lost yet another game where we had more yards than a team that blew us out (398-393). K so 'Bammer got 10 more yards than us it was close.

Look, the point is bad things happen(ed) in Jacksonville. Shit. The last time I went, also Halloween on a Friday, I lost a $300 pair of sunglasses, my two favorite hats and took a dip in the fountain. With my cellie. Oh and we lost. Things get broken people. People catch infections, girls fall and scratch their knees, and you constantly lose or don't reach out to your friends (Sorry Jesse!).

But you can still have a good time. You never feel good about the loss, any loss, especially these of this kind. JEEZ-us. But what I have for you is something to contemplate. All of us take a Georgia loss seriously. Some shut down for weeks, even months for this kind of gut-buster.

The following is a list in no particular order of what could allow your Georgia/Florida weekend to be satisfying, even with a Georgia loss:

• Mind-blowing life-altering sex
• Reuniting with old friends
  
• Copious amounts of alcohol
• More sex, mixed with nasty and vodka
• Mystery pills
• Hotel-stenching grass
• More alcohol and drugs
• Enough good friends and badass smoke and alcohol to temporarily forget where you are, and what took place
• Falling in love. With a non-Gator
  
• More booze

If you had five of the above, you may have been able to forget like her

Moving forward to Kentucky, folks. I was hoping for the Capitol One bowl somewhere in the 3rd quarter. You may have seen me. I was the one with the jorts 'wearin Gator finger attached to the meth head pointing in my face for two hours. Let's get it done, and...[sigh]...finish the drill.

-------------------------------------------------------

PART 1 of an Absurdly Long NBA Preview: Western Conference - Contenda's

Couple o' these guys have staying power. Can you find the one that doesn't belong?

Editor's Note: Intro and necessary punctuation added after-fact. All chat completed nonstop, over a period of 2-3 hours.

Hey, as a fairly hardcore Rockets fan for pretty much no reason at all, I hate to take a dig on dat Franchise boy. But look at the stark differential up there. This is how we measure how truly great our current greats are. And out of all of the above? For the record, for their prime, Sue's going to build her franchise around Timmy. Every time.

The Western Conference could be more open than we initially think. Some things were certain last year...several teams would compete at or near the top at an insanely high level, still competitive-but-not-as-spectacular teams will compete at the bottom. And we received one of the most impressive showings by an NBA conference ever. And lookie up there. You know who's missing from up there? I mean technically nobody because it's the starting lineup for the '04 Western Conference, but where's fucking T-Mac baby? In your face with Ron Ron watching his back, that's where bitch! Watch out for the Rockets this year. That's all I'm saying. Bets with Sgt. Joe Jibber Friday to come later and ongoing, folks. On to the preview...

JF:: Who's winning it all? Everyone and their mother's mother's picking the Lakers.

OBJ:: That's probably because it's an incredibly safe bet

And on that note, I'd like to introduce the only piece of existential introspection to this NBA Preview

I wonder, how much can an athlete drop off in a year?

Vicariously, of course, how much can I expect to drop off in a year?

JF:: Who you think is dropping off?

OBJ:: the nonstop chattering of which players are "dropping off" and by how much is a constant reminder of not only my own mortality, but also my dwindling youth

it's disturbing, frightening and a little depressing, but in a calming sort of way.

JF:: well, i think what we're seeing in that respect is pretty unprecedented...simply because that first generation of HS-to-NBA stars are finally hitting the end of their prime (KG, Kobe, TMac, J-O'N)

OBJ:: I only bring this up because I wonder how much T-DUNK has dropped this year

JF:: so they've played so much more games than most 30-32 year olds in history

they might be dropping off sooner than expected

OBJ:: hmm. That's true but they've also had unprecedented conditioning techniques and medical support

TMac hasn't played nearly as many games as those guys tho

Perhaps my love affair of T-Mac will end soon

Another first-round exit from the playoffs and I will officially give up on him as one of my favorite players

As I have with the Clemson Pussycats this year

JF:: It's not like T-Mac's body is any fresher or less banged up than those guys.

If anything, I like KG to be able to stay productive for a few more years morseo than the others

OBJ:: you would think i would be considering how many less games he's played. and that thought is ridiculous because he played less games 'cause of injury.

JF:: As Simmons pointed out, Kobe has been playing non-stop for about a year now

OBJ:: KG would be the safe bet to continue his production. His game requires a bit less athleticism than Kobe's and TMac's

JF:: Anyways thats what worries me about the Rockets...TMac-Battier-Artest-Scola-Yao is a helluva crunchtime lineup

OBJ:: and O'Neil is no longer in the discussion. He's gone to NBA Star purgatory in Toronto, where at best he'll be fighting for playoff spot

Crunchtime?

JF:: but I have a feeling for like 20-50 games this year their lineup will be Rafer-BrentBarry-Battier-Artest-Scola

and thats a lottery team

nah Raptors be solid yo

OBJ:: I'm sorry but I have to ask, how is T-Mac and "crunchtime" mentioned in the same statement

JF:: Bosh-J-O'N a nice front line, espically in the E.C.

OBJ:: Ugh.

JF:: he'll be out there, bringin the ball up, didn't say anything about crunchtime success

C'mooon. Y'know he wants it...

OBJ:: O'Neil is never going to win a championship there. Period

JF:: well yeah no shit

i'll probably be dead before Toronto ever wins a NBA title

OBJ:: My point exactly

So they'll be fighting for playoff participation, nothing more. His relevancy is gone, guaranteed no HOF.

JF:: still, it was a nice pickup

-------

JF: I usually enjoy picking the Spurs to win the title, but I gotta say I'm dissapointed as fuck in how they refused to get younger this offseason

OBJ:: And I don't see O'Neil being the piece that a championship caliber team looks at and says, "That's what we're missing!!!"

They're pretty locked up in terms of contracts

I think after this year they'll start getting younger

Finley's last year methinks

JF:: They just re-signed Finley

OBJ:: Didn't hear that. And again, I have to say that the Spurs' odds depend heavily on how much T. Duncan has deteriorated

JF:: Bowen at 2 more years/8mil is a joke

OBJ:: Re-signed to how many years?

JF:: He's one of the worst starters in the league

2

still got scrub OBERTO

Manu out til December

OBJ:: Bruce Bowen couldn't even do his one thing last postseason, defend

JF:: i see them in the 6-8 range in the west til Manu gets back

yeah

OBJ:: 'Twas WEAK

JF:: he brings nothing to the table

OBJ:: I think the Spurs have a shot

JF:: I still like the man Kurt Thomas tho

wish he'd gotten more run in last year's playoffs

OBJ:: 100% depends on Timmy and his health

JF:: I do to...Dallas, on the other hand, they done

OBJ:: depends 30% on Kobe not having a meltdown

Dallas for sure done

JF:: (aside: teams/players/salaries)

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/dallas.htm

OBJ:: Rick Carlisle was saying they're going to be running more

JF:: they should

OBJ:: "We've got Jason Kidd so we have to play up tempo."

JF:: plays to their talents

yeah

he'd be an idiot not to

or Mike Woodson

(zing!)

OBJ:: Isn't he a little old to be running up and down the court tho?

JF:: its all he can do tho

Kidd can still push it

Kidd: What a Mighty Good Man

OBJ:: f'sho

but man he didn't do shit except bring his "leadership" at the olympics

I love J-Kidd

but he's looking old out there. It's sad to watch

JF:: aint like he's a scrub tho...he still does it in the up-tempo game

OBJ:: Does assists

still no points

good for a few rebounds per game

JF:: thats better than most PGs

H'ain't what you wanna build around, but could make an argument for him being a GAMER?

OBJ:: Which you don't need from your Point any way

Don't get me wrong:

I would love to have my crappy Hawks paying J-Kidd $40 million over the next 3 years, and him pushing us into middle-of-the-pack relevancy (although I like Bibby a LOT), but I'm just saying I don't like him on a Championship contender

unless he's a bench player

JF:: so who do you like in the west then

aside from Lakers

thats cool, here's my 8

1. Lakers

OBJ:: Shit sidetracked. This is 100% West. I'm trying to look at this damn site

JF:: 2. Jazz

OBJ:: It's got too much information

JF:: 3. Nola

4. Houston

5. SanAn

6. Dallas

7. Portland

mah bad

7. Phoenix

8. Portland

pains me to say, but I finally will admit Shaq done

OBJ:: Mine's close to that

JF:: Phoenix got old as shit quickly

GHill, Nash, Shaq...even Amare seems like an injury case

but they do got that wunderkind medical staff

OBJ:: Amare young as shit man

his numbers took a huge leap last year

I'm going

1. Lakers (grudgingly)

JF:: you think Bynum the real?

OBJ:: most interesting thing about the Lakers isn't how many games they'll win, it's how many they'll lose before trading Odum

JF:: i mean just having him around gonna help Gasol tremendously

OBJ:: Gasol0l

JF:: but you think Bynum a legit offensive option/defensive presence?

:10 OBJ:: 7'1" behemoth of a pansy

I haven't seen him play since early last year

it really depends on that recovery

JF:: if you're the Lakers what do you even want for Odom?

what can he bring in that would improve that team?

:14 long range shooter?

OBJ:: Trying to think here

Lockdown D off the bench?

man IDK Odum's pretty good

Guy gets no dap whatsoever though

2. Rockets

100% entirely dependent on Artest acting like a normal human being and T-MAC and Yao not missing a combined 10 games

*20 games

JF:: thats retarded

theyre missing 20 each

LIZOCK

OBJ:: they miss 20 games each?

you wanna bet on that?

JF:: yeah

have they ever not?

Yao just played through an injury for China

*the people's republic

OBJ:: dude that's like 28% of the season for both of them

Hmm I forgot about that toe injury or whatever

i like this bet

JF:: last 3 years Yao played in 57, 48, 55 games

Tmac 47, 71, 67

82 games in a season

OBJ:: so Yao hasn't done it

and neither has Tmac

but he came close

JF:: hasnt done what

OBJ:: not missed 20 games last 3 years

JF:: ???

OBJ:: i like my odds on this though

:20 TMAC has missed at least 20 games the last 3 years

so has YAO

JF:: Yao's missed 25, 27, 35 the last 3 years

TMac 35, , 15

anyways continue yo

OBJ:: man I'm tryin to work. SHIT. how much you wanna bet on it

JF:: $100

->1 hour later

OBJ:: Back. Sorry had some "work"

JF:: u had rockets 2

OBJ:: 3. New Orleans

JF:: i didnt buy NO all year last year

OBJ:: FSR, I am not afraid of a Sophomore Slump-type slip in relevancy for this squad

JF:: picked them to lose to Dallas in rd. 1

yeah

OBJ:: Yes I remember that

JF:: agree FSR

OBJ:: you were very wrong about last year's playoffs. cost ya a buck or two.

JF:: prolly cuz theyre PG is da fuckin main

their*

OBJ:: yeah. He really is easily the best PG in the league right now, but it's not fair to Deron Williams who plays in a much more restrictive offensive scheme

JF:: yeah I think Williams could be just as good

if not close

Paul is insanely good, but all this "ALL-TIME BEST PG EVER!!!!" talk a tad premature, imo

OBJ:: certainly premature

4. San An

for most of the season they will likely not be here, but I don't think they'd have too much of a problem beating the Jazz in the playoffs

so that's why they foe

5. Jazz

I keep waiting for that team to fall

I just don't get what they have other than a really good coach

that ugly ass shit russian they got on there always seems malcontent too

so, 5 for them

JF:: I like Jazz

DWil-Boozer solid

i like OKUR

i dont get the irrational ROCKET love

OBJ:: I think the Spurs could take them in a series

JF:: oh word

OBJ:: dude they rattled off like 27 wins in a row last year without Yao lol

and they just got one of if not the best defender in the league, placed on the 2nd all-around defensive team

sorry man but the Rockets are going to be fucking good

Adelman in his second year

Theyr'e gonna score too

eoug man that OKC graphic ugly as fuck

looks like a 3rd-tier semi pro hockey team

6. Suns

JF:: yeah i dont get that

they shoulda picked the name Barons

that perfect for OKC

OBJ:: dat woulda been coo

JF:: i bet if Baron Davis was a) a scrub or b) out of the league

they woulda

but Thunder sounds like a damn arena league team

OBJ:: yeah. "Knife Swallowers" woulda worked out better IMO

7. Dallas

8. Denver

that's my western conference and I'm sticking with it

JF:: Denver D-U-N

those the same 8 from last year

watch portland yo

ok the east

there seems to be alot of disagreement on MIA

OBJ:: denver didn't make the playoffs did they?

same 8 as last year damn. that's weak o' me

JF:: personally, i think they'll be pretty fuckin good

OBJ:: dude EAST gotta wait till after lunch

i got shit to do

JF:: k

Sobered Up - Week 9

Gotta add 'Da Main' tag now

Much like Clemson 2003, Tennessee 2003/2005 and Auburn 2006, there are very few things as enjoyable as a distributing a solid ass-kicking in an opponent's home digs. Yesterday was the best game Georgia has played all year, and maybe even since last year's Auburn game. You couldn't ask for a better start to the start of this four-game road trip through the SEC. Some quick thoughts on yesterday's game:

• Loved the balanced attack on offense. Bobo/Richt still learn toward uber-conservative playcalling when they get a bit of a lead; but they have really let Stafford air it out downfield of late, and the results are beginning to show. 9 receivers caught balls from Stafford, and if there were any egregious drops, I didn't see them. His accuracy and timing get better with each game and you can tell his receivers are on the same page as him now...you're seeing less drops, overthrows and miscommunication in the passing game.
  

• I thought the linebackers played well without Ellerbie, and Darryl Gamble's 13 tackle 2-INT-TD game is one of the more remarkable single-game performances I've witnessed. The defensive line was able to put enough pressure on Andrew Hatch to force more turnovers than Georgia has had in any game this season. The tackling by our DBs and by everyone on Charles Scott was piss-poor, but hopefully that can be corrected this week. Florida doesn't have any bruising runners like Scott.

• Richt's speech to the team before the 4th quarter was absolutely mesmerizing. Every player was intensely focused on his every word...not an eye on any player was looking at anything else in the stadium or on the field. Not sure I've ever seen that in an athletic huddle with the coach.
  

• Couple minor gripes include Georgia's inability to drill the nail in the coffin after a go-ahead TD. Acting like a 2 or 3 TD lead is playing with house money is not ideal. Also, Justin Anderson's asinine personal foul in the 3rd quarter allowed him to pad his status as team leader for idiotic penalties.
  

• Knowshon had an impressive statline of 21 carries and 163 yards. Break it down a little further though: Two of those carries were for 47 and 68 yards. Obviously, those were big runs and I'll take that statline every day of the week; but if you take away those two rushes, he ran for 48 yards on 19 carries. Warrants mentioning?
  

• All in all, an excellent, fun game to watch. It's always money when you can return a TD to the house on the first play, and usually a good omen. Now onto Jacksonville and story after story about last year's celebration. I don't even want to think about that game honestly. This game is the SEC Championship to last year's ACC Championship. 6 days until the East's rep in Atlanta on December is decided.

In other games across the nation and comments on this week's Mumme Poll...

Texas is now 3-0 with one game left in their 4-Top-15-teams-in-one-month slate that is making UGA's four game road stretch look like child's play. In a 28-24 victory against Okie State, Colt McCoy continues to operate with an efficiency that would give an HR rep a boner. Give the Cowboys credit for taking the game down to the wire in the house of the nation's #1 team. They sure as hell deserve to hold their spot in the Top 10 this week.

Can't either just Bobby Bowden or Joe Paterno make a conscious effort to be consistently sucky? These rejuvination years they keep bringing out in unison are thoroughly annoying. Earlier this year it appeared that Paterno would cruise to the finish line in their battle to outlive the other on the sidelines (or, in Paternos' case, press box), but with Florida State now 7-1 heading into their matchup against a "now-thats-more-like-it" Tech team, they appear very much for real, at least as much as contending for the ACC crown can appear "for real."

(BTW: Anyone want to tell me why in the hell FSU/VT was on ABC in the Atlanta market at 3:30? Did ANY non-partisan fan want to watch that over the Texas/OSU game? It's not like the Atlanta-area is flooded with FSU and VT grads, so throw us a frickin' bone here, man. Also, not that I looked too hard, but was Georgia Tech's game even televised? We couldn't find it. If I was a Tech grad, I'd be furious I was forced to sit through that FSU game rather than my team's homecoming tilt. Alright, media-related rant over.)

Yeah, looks like I was probably pretty wrong about Texas Tech following their 63-21 shellacking of Kansas. I won't be picking them to win against the Longhorns this weekend or anything, but how can you not be impressed with their ability to completely dismantle a good Kansas passing attack? And they were still able to light up the scoreboard like they thought this was another one of their Eastern Washington/UMASS/SMU games.

Watching the first half of Oklahoma's 55-28 (halftime) demolition of Kansas State, I thought to myself, "why can't Georgia ever play in a shootout like that...this is a helluva game to watch, and I don't even care who wins." Four hours later, Georgia 52 LSU 38.

I know Colorado isn't anything special, but 58-0 is 58-0. I have a feeling those wins against Missouri will be looking really good for Texas and Oklahoma State all year.

David Cutcliffe continued his dominance of Vandy with an exhilirating 10-7 win, embarrassing the SEC in the process and ensuring Vandy's nice little run of hosting Gamedays and being ranked has come to a merciful end. Isn't the number of SEC teams with brutally bad offenses getting a tad ridiculous? Tennessee, Auburn and Vandy have all been ranked this year at some point and all would have trouble scoring with a slut on Special K at this point. Mississippi State's O makes all of the aforementioned offenses look like last year's Patriots'. South Carolina and Arkansas aren't that much better. That's half the league holding it down with what I'd call "below-average" offensive production.

Thanks to the state universities of Pennsylvania and Ohio for playing a game that doubled as an effective sleep aid. Not even a game of 2-deck Circle of Death could get me sufficiently rowdy to carry on a high level of energy after that 13-6 doozy. If ACC football is like watching four-year-olds play golf, watching Big 10 games is like akin to viewing hall-of-fame golfers who are 80+ years old play a round of 18. It's gonna be a long, slow, boring, outdated affair. Insert predictable Paterno-age joke here.

Congrats to Penn State and their (not all...just some) white trash fans. It now appears you will inherit the opportunity to lose to a SEC or Big 12 school in the BCS title game.

After a 29-9 drubbing at home vs. Bama, I'm ready to give up on thinking Tennessee is a "good-bad" team and just admit they are a bad, bad team. With their season shot, I implore the Vols to use Eric Berry on offense the rest of the season. At this point, his highlights are the only watchable thing coming out of Knoxville.

USC 17 Arizona 10. USC struggles again on the road to a significantly inferior Pac-10 team. Out of the Top 5 with their ass.

Who are the geniuses that decided to schedule a Sunday Night Conference USA showdown (Tulsa-Central Florida) up against the NFL and the World Series? Were Tuesday and Wednesdays not bringing in enough ratings? Why this Sunday as opposed to others?

A 23-21 win in Fayetteville had to be sweet for the Nuttjob. Sure, he kinda imploded the program and botched the school's best recruiting coup, but compared to the current Top Hawg, he's a saint (tho probably an inferior football coach...just sayin').

Notre Dame is 5-2 after beating a brutal Washington team and their lame duck coach 33-7. Is this week they get (over)ranked? Or will it be after they play a Pittsburgh team that just gave up 54 points to a 3-5 Rutgers team? A nation waits in breathless anticipation.

One poll you won't see Notre Dame on this year or likely ever is Sue's Top 10/Mumme Poll. This week's edition:

1. Texas
2. Alabama
3. Penn State
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida
6. Georgia
7. USC
8. Texas Tech
9. Oklahoma State
10. Ohio State...I know, I know. They just won't. go. away. But they had a great chance to beat a legit title contender in the waning minutes of that game. Can't penalize them too much for that.

This week's Tacky Two, bringing up the rear of our Mumme Poll ballot are Missouri (back after a week off the ballot) and Utah, reppin' the Em-Dub-See.