Saturday Open Thread

Interact, react and all that good stuff.

Notes:

Rece Davis is pinch hitting for Chris Fowler on ESPN College GameDay today, as Fowler will be in Louisville for ABC/ESPN's coverage of the Breeder's Cup.

It kills me that the Cup runs against college football Saturdays, but what can you do?  I encourage you to take a peek now and then at the races if that's your thing, it's pretty much an all-day event, eight races overall.

TBS is also trying something new for their second game tonight (Oklahoma State at Texas, which follows Washington at Oregon).  Thanks to a partnership with Phillips (I believe?) they're only running 'local' commercials, and national commercial breaks will continue to carry the game.  In that space TBS promises some game features, etc.

I guess today is the third annual "National College Football Day" 

Comments

[patrick's crow feast]

this site is better than coffee....nothing like a good laugh to get you going for the day.

[CFR]

Tentative post times for the Breeder's Cup:

12:30
1:10
1:55
2:35
3:15
3:55
4:35
5:20

[Baseball Savant]

How about that Michigan/Ball State game?

[CFR]

Surprising. I don't have ESPNU but I wonder if Michigan is just taking things easy the way they did before Notre Dame.

The Breeder's Cup just got ugly as one horse pulled up and another took a spill in the sixth race (Distaff). UGHHHHHH.

[Jae]

CFR,

Taking it easy?!? They have been stinking up the joint, call it like you see. You're giving them a pass when you should be hammering them like you did USC.

[Cody]

I wanna go home.

[CFR]

Invasor!

Jae,

Well I had strong information that Michigan intentionally did that earlier this year. So there's a pattern.

I didn't see today's game either, so it was a guess based on what they've done once before earlier this year and the fact that they've been just so-so these last few games.

USC's history is one of dismantling most of their opponents and that hasn't happened this year. USC is not being USC which is why I've been critical of them.

NOBODY is better when they have their act together, but USC is very far away from that place right now.

[Baseball Savant]

CFR,

I'm in Big 10 country and I've been hearing a lot about how Michigan is intentionally keeping the playbook almost closed during games so as not to open anything up for Tressel and Ohio State to see. That is what we are hearing in Indiana. We figure we are going to get killed next week at home against the Wolverines, but we've heard that the Michigan team we'll see next week is going to look nothing like the Michigan team we'll see in Columbus.

This if course is all 2nd half info from Hoosiers no less! I didn't see the Michigan/Ball State game either.

[Baseball Savant]

CFR,

I'm in Big 10 country and I've been hearing a lot about how Michigan is intentionally keeping the playbook almost closed during games so as not to open anything up for Tressel and Ohio State to see. That is what we are hearing in Indiana. We figure we are going to get killed next week at home against the Wolverines, but we've heard that the Michigan team we'll see next week is going to look nothing like the Michigan team we'll see in Columbus.

This if course is all 2nd half info from Hoosiers no less! I didn't see the Michigan/Ball State game either.

[SDIllini]

So Illinois made a game of it, when will they find themselves in Bowl territory? '08?

[CFR]

Well you never know with coach Zook, but he's recruiting REALLY well right now, if he can keep those kids out of trouble and their grades are good they'll definitely start picking off some midlevel Big Ten teams.

Each of their last 3-4 games have been very close against strong teams.

[Jae]

I hear that Zook and Illinois have the leg up on a couple of 5* players. If they can lock up Aurelious Benn, he and Juice should be a potent combo for a few years.

[Baseball Savant]

Hey CFR, what do you think about the Arkansas QB situation? Tonight against SC, Nutt was pretty quick on the hook with Mustain and now it seems as if they are fairly up in the air with their QBs. No other team in consideration for the BCS Championship seems to be unsettled at QB. Having Darren McFadden certainly bodes well for whoever is under center, but I remember from watching the USC/Arkansas game that the relationship between Dick/Mustain and fellow QB Robert Johnson is pretty icy. Do you think this affects Arkansas at some point in the season and costs them a close game to either Tennessee or LSU?

[CFR]

Jae,

Yeah and I guess that DE from Chicago as well might swing their way.

Savant,

First off, I saw your entry on the playoffs, great stuff I'll probably link to it soon, and discuss a little more.

Second,

I don't think the Arkansas QB situation matters much because they're going to live and die with their running game. The offense is scaled back for the QB's so really the best they can do is keep the offense humming, the worst they can do is start turning the ball over.

Neither one has shown a penchant for turnovers so far so it's really inconsequential on the margins (in my opinion) who plays.

The Tennessee and LSU games comes down to whether Arkansas continues to find a way to run the ball. They're so one dimensional (much like say, West Virginia) that it makes it fairly easy to prepare for. Actually going out there and stopping them is another task altogether.

The Auburn win may have been because the Tigers play defense a little differently than most SEC teams, with a smaller interior, fleet, light linebackers and safeties. Arkansas was able to get them in overpursuit and also muscle them around.

Tennessee and LSU are still fast, but have a little more size and get caught less in overpursuit so they should have a much better time keeping the Hogs off the board.

Both Mustain and Dick are poised guys, so anything "stupid" they might do that could kill Arkansas' chances at a game we just can't anticipate.