Topics for Discussion, 11.08.08
by cocknfire
on Nov 9, 2008 12:31 AM EST
in Football
Who's your favorite in Atlanta? For the first time I can remember in a while, we are done with the races for the two SEC divisions with three weeks to go in the season. And that is, to an extent, all that ESPN and friends will talk about when it comes to our league for the next three weeks: Who wins? So who's your pick: Alabama or Florida?
How good would LSU have been with Ryan Perrilloux? At this point, Jarrett Lee has 13 TDs and 14 INTs, including two picks against Florida, three against Georgia and four against Alabama. The interceptions against the Gators and the Dawgs arguably just contributed to routs. But against the Tide, they made a difference. Might Perrilloux have made a difference in any of those games?
What happened to Georgia? After all, the Dawgs have gone from favorites to win it all to SEC afterthoughts. And they gave up 38 points to a comatose Kentucky offense. Were those of us -- self included -- who thought a team with Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno was ready to make the jump (even if we didn't account for A.J. Green) wrong? Were the injuries too much? Or were we just underestimating Florida?
Where's the floor for Tennessee? Is this it? Do they go 3-9, finishing up the collapse with losses at Vanderbilt and against Kentucky? If you say no, kindly identify which of those games they win. And if you say they lose out, tell us how it will affect Fulmer's legacy.
Who else goes? Can Tommy Tuberville survive? What about Sylvester Croom? And does Bobby Petrino find another job or stay at Arkansas?
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My take...
1. Florida. The Gators are playing great right now and while Alabama is a very, very good team, they will have to play way over their heads to beat Florida.
2. LSU would be much better with Perriloux and might have beaten Bama yesterday. However, their defense would still have cost them against Florida and Georgia, so they likely would not be national title contenders.
3. I have no idea what happened to Georgia yesterday. My sense is that defensive injuries have hurt them, but they are still much more talented than the Wildcats. For some reason, they just seem to make a lot of stupid mistakes.
4. Tennessee may beat Vanderbilt, but they’ll lose to Kentucky if the Cats play like they did yesterday.
5. I think Croom and Tuberville will both get one more year, but I’m not positive about that. I hope Petrino goes because the Hogs will be good when Ryan Mallet gets ready to play. Casey Dick’s brainfarts are costing the Hogs right now.
Go Cocks!
by Gamecock Man on Nov 9, 2008 10:47 AM EST 0 recs
1. Florida’s probably the favorite. But I’ll go with ‘Bama, because they don’t make many mistakes, which Florida feeds off of (they’re a ridiculous +13 in TO margin). Plus, ‘Bama doesn’t play scared.
2. With Perriloux they would be competent offensively. Now it’s not Lee’s fault—he’s a true freshmen playing in the SEC. But Perriloux would not put LSU in the difficult positions that Lee has, and they certainly would not have lost three games by now.
3. Whatever the myriad answers to that question is (and there are a myriad to speculate), it starts with injuries, injuries, and injuries. Did I mention injuries? You don’t lose the amount of—and quality of—players that Georgia did and NOT struggle.
4. Tennessee’s already hit the floor. Now they’ve gotten shovels and are trying to find the bright orange burried treasure.
5. Croom should stay, although he really needs to educate himself pronto on modern offensive developments; last year should buy him a couple of seasons at least. Tuberville should stay too, but I can see him getting ousted—there’s been some unrest. However, so many jobs are open that I wonder if Auburn would find an adequate replacement. You never know with Petrino.
by The ArchDawg on Nov 9, 2008 12:09 PM EST 0 recs
1 – I agree with ArchDawg that the way to beat UF right now is to not make mistakes – and ‘Bama has exactly the kind of conservative mentality to do that. The key question, I think, is ’Bama’s passing game – if UF prioritises run-stopping and pressure as it did against UGA, can JPW and his receivers carry the load? Stafford et al couldn’t, and he’s a better QB.
2 – Better, but probably not SEC-champion calibre. Perilloux’s advantage in experience over the newbies isn’t that large, and a quality QB compensates only indirectly – if at all – for problems on defence. (Last year’s Gators being a shining example. Sob.)
3 – Injuries are always a reasonable answer when incurred in volume, but Kentucky was without two of their best weapons offensively. Some teams just look better on paper than they play on the field – LSU during the Russell years, for example. Every preseason they were touted as the most talented team in the conference, but it never quite came together in the big games.
4 – I have every confidence that Tennessee can keep losing; Kentucky and Vanderbilt are very probably both better teams, and have something to play for besides pride. And depending on the result of their own matchup next week, Vandy could be simply rabid.
5 – Tubbs can still play his way out, I think – but if Bama hands him his head and Auburn is at home in bowl season, he’s likely gone. Croom gets one more chance, but only one. And Petrino decides that none of the open jobs are worth being called all the names he’d be called if he left, and stays… for now.
by peachy rex on Nov 9, 2008 1:36 PM EST 0 recs
1: Gators will roll. I'm gonna have some long "discussions" with a friend who's a huge Bama fan.
2: He did lead them over Tennessee in the SEC Champ game last year. My god, Tennessee was in the SEC Champ game last year… [shakes head]
3: Everything got to their head it seems. That and injuries.
4: Vandy will play the best game they’ve played all year to beat Tennessee. It might even be a blowout. Kentucky has a good chance if Cobb keeps getting better,
5: Auburn needs to start scheduling as many top 10 teams as possible, since that seems to be Tubb’s best game. Croom will stay if he learns the spread and advances it – lots of recruits. Petrino wouldn’t make it out of Arkansas if he signed somewhere else.
Clutch: A measurement of how much better or worse a player does in high leverage situations than he would have done in a context neutral environment. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/glossary/
by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Nov 9, 2008 4:50 PM EST 0 recs
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