Trivia Challenge (Week 19)

WEEK 19 TRIVIA QUESTION (10/09)

No Outside Resources. This means you cannot use other people, the internet, or other means to help your answer. E-Mail answers to groundrulehuddle@gmail.com.

Peyton Manning just surpassed 500 career TD passes. In breaking this record, he also set the record for most 4th quarter/OT TD passes with 119. Which QB did he beat out with 118 4th quarter/OT TD passes? 

Brett Favre

Week 18 Scoreboard
Name	Week Score	Cumulative
Bruce*	4	81
Bryan	4	127
Derrick	0	82
Josh*	4	90
Jarred	0	14
Jim	0	5
David*	8	140
*Note: Extra points for Blog Submission

Why Do You Love College Football?

Jeremy and I before the Clemson Game

Last fall, following the Georgia-Auburn game, I wrote a piece called "College Football and God?" explaining why I love college football so much. 

This fall, after 6 weeks of great excitement, in having lengthy discussions with Jeremy, my Dad, and my good friend Derrick, I have come up with a list of more reasons that make college football truly unique and better than other sporting events.

1. Across the board, athletes are too good at the pro level and not quite good enough at the high school level
Sometimes I almost think the athletes are so elite at the professional level that there are less exciting plays. I am not saying the NFL lacks excitement. What I am saying is that players are so good at each position that you don't see a RB jumping over defensive players, you don't see as much busted coverage, etc. Yes, this means the overall level of play is better, but some of the excitement in college football comes from players who are NFL caliber making plays on other decent, but not NFL caliber players. In other words, the range of talent is larger in college than in the NFL, but not so wide as high school, which can be painful to watch at times.

2. LSU fans smell like corn dogs
No, LSU fans smelling like corn dogs is not a reason in itself, but the fact someone created the notion that a fan base smells like an obscure food makes college football wildly entertaining. Do you think Eagles fans think Giants fans smell like clam chowder?

3. The Marching Bands
I am sure NFL teams have traditions before kickoff, but how can you not love the college marching bands and the fight songs associated with each school? What really makes marching bands great are how they are interwoven into the schools' traditions. If you have never seen TBDITL's entrance, script Ohio, or Michael Jackson halftime show, you should seriously check it out!

4. What the heck do those cheers mean?
I grew up in Auburn and never once did I think yelling War Eagle sounded funny. It was just what you yelled to other fans and during kickoff. However, when I went to UGA for undergrad, my friend Stanton noted how weird the chant sounded. Stanton pointed out that most teams have a chant that uses a "Verb+the name of the Team"...Go Dawgs, Go Gators, Go Vols, Go Cocks, etc.  Valid point. War is a noun, but kind of serves as an adjective to describe the Eagle which represents Auburn, yet sounds like a verb when yelled. Catch my drift? And then there's Auburn's Bodda Getta Cheer too. Not to single out Auburn, most of the SEC schools have some cheer that doesn't make sense to others.  

5. Deeper Investment
If you are someone who grew up in Boston and have lived in Boston your whole life, then I could see your passion for the Patriot or Red Sox completely matching that of a college football fan. However, I doubt most professional fans outside a few select cities typically have the same irrational passion as most college fans. Why? Most college fans tie their identity directly to the university they attended, and the football team (or basketball team if you're in Kentucky) directly represents their identity. Consider Auburn University or the University of Alabama. Since most of the students at these universities are from Alabama and Alabama has no professional sports, it is not shocking to see where the University's success on the football field directly ties to someone's identity. It's not that this can't happen at the professional level, but cities are more transient and have less fans who have consumed the team their whole life and for generations. 

So, why do you love college football? Let us know!

Week 6 Poll and SEC Standings

Mississippi State looked amazing again, handling Texas A&M. Where does that vault them for me? Here was my poll at the end of Week 5.  Here is my update at the end of Week 6. 

Week 6 Top 10

1. Auburn

2. Florida State

3. Mississippi State

4. Notre Dame

5. Ole Miss

6. Alabama

7. Baylor

8. Oklahoma

9. Oregon

10. Michigan State

Week 6 SEC Standings

1. Auburn

2. Mississippi State

3. Ole Miss

4. Alabama

5. Texas A&M

6. Georgia

7. Missouri

8. Arkansas

9. Florida

10. South Carolina

11. LSU

12. Kentucky

13. Tennessee

14. Anchor Down. 

Fantasy Update

Looks like my teams are destined to go 1-1 every week. In the Yahoo! league, I managed to have a solid week and defeat the only unbeaten team left. In my ESPN league, I grossly underperformed and lost a game I feel I should have won.



Trending Up - Jeremy Maclin - Coming off an injury last year, it seemed many were wary of Maclin. However, while the rest of his Eagle teammates have been a bit of a disappointment, he's been Nick Foles most consistent target. Ahmad Bradshaw - If you don't believe Trent Richardson is a bust, then feel free to continue living in your magical land filled with fairy dust and candy. And dammit, invite me there sometime. Bradshaw had 19 touches this week, twice as many as Richardson. No TD, but he was still good for double digit points. Time to start getting him in your line up if you haven't been. Demaryius Thomas - You can never trust a Tech guy. Hadn't done anything all year. Then he gets a bye week and comes back strong with 100+ and 2 TDs in one half. Thanks a lot man. You're the reason I lost. If I saw you in a hot tub, I would punch you like Ruxin did to Antonio Gates

Trending Down - Steve Smith - After a week spent carving up his former team, Steve Smith was MIA this week. After an early fumble, he just wasn't able to get on board. Chris Ivory - He's securely the starter and the #1 back for the Jets. The problem is the Jets stink. Rough week in what should've been a favorable match-up against the Chargers. Eddie Royal - Looks like the annual Eddie Royal slide has started. Buyer beware at this point.

Weekly Results: 1 (Yahoo League) - 1 (ESPN League)  

Overall Results: Dandy Crush 3-2 (ESPN)/Seis Nueve 3-2 (YAHOO!)

In other Fantasy News, Frodo has crossed the border into Mordor...

Brain Droppings

If you are a CFB fan, then you know, there's a weekend kind of like this every year. Upsets come in packs but to have witnessed a weekend like this, you would have to remember way back to 1990. That's the one and only time 4 of the top 6 have fallen prior to this weekend. It started on Thursday night with Arizona's win over Oregon and ended early Sunday morning (on the East Coast) with UCLA's loss to Utah. Those two teams managed to lose at home. Oklahoma, Alabama, and Texas A&M were on the road. Here's the one take away from this weekend: It truly is a free for all to grab those 4 spots. Don't freak out if you're an Alabama, Oklahoma, or Oregon fan. The season isn't quite halfway over. There's a lot that can happen.

Studs: - Mississippi Football Teams - I gave State the better chance to win on Saturday and they impressed with a convincing win over what I'm thinking may be an overrated A&M team. I gave Ole Miss less of a chance because I didn't trust Bo Wallace to get it done. The defense held up their end and he held up his. The great thing about CFB is that these teams had all of one night to celebrate. State welcomes #2 ranked Auburn this weekend while the Rebels are on the road at a now desperate A&M squad. Welcome to the big time. JoJo Kemp - Amidst the hoopla surrounding all of the other upsets, Kentucky beat what's becoming a bad South Carolina team (more on them later) late Saturday night. The hero was Kemp who had 131 yds rushing on 17 attempts and 3 TDs. I watched the 4th quarter of this game and the amazing thing is that it was the same thing every play. UK merely lined him up in the Wildcat and had him run the ball. South Carolina couldn't stop it. Kemp got so gassed he once asked to be taken out and Mike Stoops refused. He managed a 45 yd run on the next play and had to be helped off the field. Great effort and a big win for UK. CFB Fans - What a great weekend to be a fan. The beauty of it is that we're not halfway done with the season. This year may prove to be the most topsy-turvy yet as there are 4 teams in the chase to be in the playoff. Great times ahead.

Thuds - South Carolina - I alluded to it earlier. Carolina just isn't a very good football team. As a UGA fan, it's maddening knowing they beat us and with every loss they have, it looks worse for the Dawgs. They have zero ability to stop people on defense when it matters. Mike Davis had a good game but they went away from him when they needed him most. One has to wonder about the heart of this team now that they have 3 losses in the SEC. Will they keep fighting or just go quietly into that good night. USC/Stanford Pass Defense - The last 8 minutes of the USC/Arizona State game were wild. The game ended on a 45 yd Hail Mary catch by State as time expired. While there were multiple SC defenders in the area, none made a play on the ball. Awful. Stanford may have the best defense in the country. They were only giving up 6.5 points a game coming into their tilt in South Bend against Notre Dame. They only gave up 10 to the Irish until they gave up an inexplicable TD on a 4th and 11 with 11 seconds. left. They got beat 17-14. Ouch. Tennessee Fans - I tweeted on Saturday that if I was a Tennessee fan I might kill myself. How did they lose that game to the Gators? Jeff Driskel got benched after another ineffective performance. You would think the back-up could do better. He completed 2-4 passes. After looking like the offense could do something against UGA, they were MIA against the Gators putting up a measly 9 points. Ouch.

Playoffs - (1) Ole Miss (2) Auburn (3) Florida State (4) Baylor - I've said all year that two SEC teams would not reach the inaugural playoff. If things continue to go as they have, then that will change. A one-loss SEC West team that does not make the SEC Championship game will get in. Ole Miss has the best win. Sorry State fans, LSU is proving to be bad and A&M was overrated. Auburn has the 2nd best and that was over K-State. FSU will get in unless they lose. Baylor is the new leader in the Big 12, though they play TCU this week.

Next Week - Miss State and Auburn. Baylor and TCU. Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Georgia and Missouri. You know it's a big week when no one even mentions the Red River Shootout. Well, maybe it's just because Texas is irrelevant right now.

SEC
     14) Vandy - There's no reason to say any more about how bad they've become.
     13) Tennessee - Everyone thought they were going to snap the streak to the Gators. Nope
     12) South Carolina - Their defense is a wreck. How did UGA lose to this team.
     11) Florida - Certainly not sold on the Gators. Their offense is as bad as Carolina's defense.
     10) LSU - Horrible on defense and no QB. Come to think of it not much OL either.
     9) Kentucky - Should be undefeated but found a way to lose against Florida. Still a long way to go, but a great start.
     8) Arkansas - Alabama this week and the Dawgs next week. Let's see how far the Hogs have come.
     7) Texas A&M - A big fall. But I think they are a middle of the pack team.
     6) Missouri - Still hard to take serious after losing at home to Indiana, but win this week and the SEC East is their's to lose.
     5) Georgia - If this team continues to improve, they should win the East. They also are probably the only team in the East with enough talent to compete with the West Champ. However, a loss this week and it wouldn't matter.
     4) Alabama - Don't fret Tide fans. Your team is still very well thought of and can make the playoffs. However, is your QB good enough to win the games down the stretch.
     3) Miss State - Impressive wins against the two most overrated teams in the conference. Win this week and I'll shut my trap and move you to #1.
     2) Auburn - That game against K-State still concerns me. Obviously beating LSU wasn't the feat we thought it might be.
     1) Ole Miss - The defense is stacked. Can Bo Wallace be that consistent the rest of the year?

Week 6 Scorecast and Synopsis

Here are the picks for Week 6. Keep in mind that the panelists' records are based on picks
against the spread.




Synopses:

Jeremy

1. Stanford @ Notre Dame -  My concern in this game is the Stanford offense. Their defense is quite good. In fact, they only allow 6.5 points per game. But based on they way they bumbled around in the USC game, I'm worried they won't score enough to be the Irish. However, this is the kind of team I think Notre Dame will struggle with. Stanford isn't Bama from 2 years ago, but they're good enough to win here. Stanford 24-17

2. LSU @ Auburn -  Auburn looked lackluster for most of last week's game against Louisiana Tech. They won't make the same mistake here. LSU has plenty of talent. I just don't think they're ready to get it done on the road against a top-flight team. I'll learn a little more about Auburn during this game, but my gut says they manage to win by 10. Auburn 34-24

3. Texas A&M @ Mississippi State -  I've been saying all week that I was no longer as sure about A&M as a top-flight team. They're kind of like LSU but throw the ball and don't play as good defensively. Both teams have been tested though. Mississippi State went into LSU and whipped the Tigers. A&M has beaten Carolina on the road so the cow bells won't be as intimidating. I just think this one lines up well for State. Hope missing their center doesn't hurt them too bad. Mississippi State 38-35

4. Alabama @ Ole Miss -  Here's the deal. Mississippi has a solid defense. I think they can contain Bama. However, I have zero faith that Bo Wallace can go a whole game against a decent team without making a mistake. If Alabama can manage to hang on to the football, I definitely like Nick Saban having 2 weeks to prepare. RMFT. Alabama 28-20

Brian

1. Stanford @ Notre Dame -  I think people are underestimating Brian Kelly as a coach and Everett Golson as a player. I really like Notre Dame at home in this one. Notre Dame 28 Stanford 14

2. LSU @ Auburn -  I'm having trouble completely figuring either of these teams out. LSU had an impressive opening weekend comeback vs. Wisconsin but honestly didn't play that well against them or Miss St. Auburn has managed to win, but looked shaky offensively at times vs. Kansas St. I think Auburn's offense will start clicking and be too much for LSU. Auburn 35 LSU 21

3. Texas A&M @ Mississippi State -  I underestimated Miss St. against LSU and was wrong. I am going to underestimate them again and believe Texas A&M's offense will be too much for Miss St. to handle. However, I do believe it will be a close game. Texas A&M 38 Mississippi St 35

4. Alabama @ Ole Miss -  I was not sold on Alabama's ranking at the beginning of the season, and I'm still not sold just because they dismantled Florida. However, I am even less sold on Ole Miss and do not see them having a chance. Alabama 31 Ole Miss 14

Keppel

1. Stanford @ Notre Dame -  Stanford is favored I pick Stanford. 

2. LSU @ Auburn -  Auburn is favored I pick Auburn. 

3. Texas A&M @ Mississippi State -  Mississippi State is favored I pick Mississippi State. 

4. Alabama @ Ole Miss -  Alabama is favored I pick Alabama. 

Week 5 Poll and SEC Standings

Texas A&M pulled off a come from behind victory over much improved Arkansas. Here was my poll at the end of Week 4.  I was out of town for Week 4, so, here is my update at the end of Week 5. 

Week 5 Top 10

1. Alabama

2. Oklahoma

3. Auburn

4. Florida State

5. Texas A&M

6. Oregon

7. Notre Dame

8. UCLA

9. Baylor

10. Michigan State

Week 5 SEC Standings

1. Alabama

2. Auburn

3. Texas A&M

4. Georgia

5. Ole Miss

6. Mississippi State

7. LSU

8. Missouri

9. Arkansas

10. South Carolina

11. Tennessee

12. Florida

13. Kentucky

14. Anchor Down.