Brain Droppings

College football can be a cruel sport sometimes. Sanford Stadium may have never been louder as when Todd Gurley broke open for a long kickoff return to start the game with Auburn. Weeks of waiting to see the best player in America were all validated in a 12 second run. Conversely, despite the score and the raucous atmosphere, it may have never been quieter than when he lie on the ground writhing in pain with a little over 5 minutes left in the game. With a torn ACL, it is likely that was the last image we'll have of Gurley in the Red and Black but the images of him hurdling defenders, breaking long runs, and bowing in the endzone after a TD will forever be etched in Bulldog lore. Unfortunately because of injuries and rules, we may never have seen what Todd truly had to offer. He may have been the one that finally lived up to the 'next Herschel' talk that every running back at UGA has to deal with. It's a shame we only got to see glimpses of what could have been one of the best of all time.

Studs - Alabama - All that talk about Miss State, Ole Miss, and Auburn. The Tide are the ones with a very clear path to Atlanta and all they have to do is beat an Auburn team that is suddenly floundering at home. People make a big deal out of the fact that other teams have been rated above the Tide all year but Nick Saban gets it. Just win and everything will take care of itself. Nick Chubb - Lost in the return of Todd Gurley was Chubb's brilliance. It seemed the roles were reversed on Saturday night. Chubb needed fewer carries to get more yards while Gurley ended up the battering ram. Both were magnificent until Gurley's injury but Chubb leaves UGA fans feeling ok about the future without the best player in CFB. Melvin Gordon - He averaged 16+ yards a carry and ended with an absurd 408 yards on 25 carries and didn't even play in the 4th quarter against a legitimate team in Nebraska. That's it. I can't say anymore.

Thuds - Arizona State - All they had to do was take care of Oregon State and Washington State and they would have set up a huge match-up with in-state rival Arizona for the right to play Oregon and a chance at the play-off. Oops. They blew a 10 pt halftime lead and their season in Corvallis. Texas A&M - After the biggest win of the season after weeks of mediocrity, A&M showed that they, in fact, have no defense by allowing almost 600 yards and 32 first downs to a Mizzou team that has shown no proclivity for offense since playing Toledo. Ouch. Nick Marshall - It was an ugly game for Marshall against his former UGA squad but calling out his receivers by saying they should've caught some passes was a low-light. Auburn needs to figure something out before they visit the Tide and another team looking for revenge.

Playoffs - (1) FSU (2) Alabama (3) Oregon (4) TCU - I'm still not giving Ohio State any love. I don't think the SEC is going to get two teams in. And I'm very close to putting Baylor ahead of TCU. If the top 3 keep winning then they will be in it. The 4th spot is up for grabs and there are a number of teams fighting for it.

Next Week - Pretty dull for a late November saturday. Mizzou against suddenly resurgent Tennessee. Utah and Arizona. Kind of ugly. Lots of teams with tune-ups before they take the field against their arch rivals.

SEC
14) Vanderbilt - A week off before the home stretch of losses
13) Kentucky - Completely imploded after a 5-1 start
12) Tennessee - Offense looks to be on track finally. Big game against Mizzou this weekend.
11) Florida - Muschamp fired after inexplicably blowing a game against Carolina
10) Carolina - Defense finally showed up but its too little, too late.
9) Arkansas - Finally got an SEC win and in resounding fashion against a rival
8) Texas A&M - Their defense is atrocious
7) LSU - Offensive is inept
6) Mizzou - This team can win the East and they lost to Indiana
5) Auburn - Reeling with 2 straight losses and Bama on the horizon
4) Ole Miss - Can still ruin State's season and get into SEC Championship if Auburn can catch the Tide napping.
3) Georgia - Supremely talented. Madly inconsistent.
2) Mississippi State - Tough loss but still a very good team with a shot at the playoff
1) Alabama - Back where they belong (I guess)