Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

Let there be snark.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

Books are my comfort food!

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

Dear legacy media: you are not here to influence outcomes and policies you find desirable.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

The revolution will be supervised.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Second rate reporter says what?

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

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214Comments

  3. 3.

    Barry

    Seconding here – the Blue and Gold vs
    the Green and White.

    No doubt everybody in W. Va is glued to their TV sets.

  4. 4.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)

    Gophers vs. Wayne State to open the WCHA regular season. It’s just a warmup until North Dakota comes in next week.

    Time for me to go to the game.

  6. 6.

    Phyllis

    Uh…Carolina vs Alabama? I really want Carolina to Roll Tide’s annoying ass back to bama for so many different reasons. Not the least of which is the number of oldsters in their tacky Alabama gear at the Cracker Barrel this a.m.

  8. 8.

    Jason T.

    It doesn’t seem like there are any really exciting match-ups today.

    Oh, yeah? How about the Tartans of Carnegie Mellon University vs. the Battlin’ Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan University? On the air right now at http://www.wrct.org!

    I’ll have you know the Tartans went to the Sugar Bowl.

    In … um … 1938.

    (clears throat nervously) OK, sorry, I’ll get my hat.

  9. 9.

    John O

    Go ‘Cocks!

    I have thought Michigan State is underrated all year, so I’m looking forward to finding out if I’m right today.

    And heck, I’m enjoying the Illini spanking Penn St. around a lot even though it is meaningless.

  13. 13.

    J sub D

    I ran across this tidbit on the U of M/MSU game today –

    Michigan State (plus-4 1/2 ) at Michigan: Quasi football analyst Matt Millen finds himself a little disoriented taking the Michigan Stadium news media elevator up to the press box to broadcast this afternoon’s game. It was determined that the confusion was caused because of his decade-long unfamiliarity with anything moving upward. Pick — Michigan 35, Michigan State 34 at the half.

    It should be a fun high scoring game. Denard Robinson is the most exciting player in college football and U of M can’t defend. Michigan State already beat one top ten team this year (Wisconsin) so should put up some numbers.

  14. 14.

    ruemara

    OK, since this is an open thread. Get rid of that frigging Bing ad. It keeps automatically dragging my cursor down there and that’s some damned annoying shit.

  18. 18.

    JPL

    OT..Some headlines write themselves
    Delaware alcohol agency chief quits after DUI arrest
    Sullivan arrested in state-owned SUV

    @stuckinred: Don’t gloat.

  19. 19.

    stuckinred

    @JPL: The way this season has gone? Are you serious? Especially in light of the fact that the Vols have KILLED us in the past few years.

  20. 20.

    Steve

    Michigan has had the upper hand in the rivalry since the 1960s. Three years ago, after Michigan won a come-from-behind victory, running back Mike Hart gloated, “Sometimes it’s just like when you’re playing your little brother in basketball. You let him get a lead and let him get excited, but then you take it back from him.”

    First-year MSU coach Mark Dantonio responded, “I’m going to be a coach here for a long time. It’s not over, it’s just starting.” Sure enough, MSU defeated Michigan the next two years.

    Yesterday, Mike Hart – who now plays for the Indianapolis Colts – left a message on the Wolverines’ blackboard: “You get four chances in your life to play this team. What does each and every player want their legacy to be because it starts tomorrow — tomorrow we put little brother in his place.”

    Should be a heck of a game.

  22. 22.

    Punchy

    You’re spoofing, right?

    MSU v UM
    FU v. LSU
    Bama v. USC
    Utah St. v. Louey Tech

    It’s almost like there aren’t any bad games….

  23. 23.

    Yutsano

    Y’all can have fun watching whatever. I get to play just how much my team is going to lose to Oregon by. This might even be more lopsided than the USC game. Ouch.

  24. 24.

    Jade Jordan

    Stop drinking John, it is messing with your Football mind. Go Blue beat the Spartoons.

    I know you are secretly rooting for RichRod. Obama negotiated a bipartisan truce between you two (the real reason he won the Nobel Prize).

  25. 25.

    Cassidy

    @Gator90: Kinda hard to run Tebow plays with no Tebow. Frustrated the hell out of me last weekend…’specially with the wife being a ‘Bama fan.

  26. 26.

    jacy

    @Southern Beale:

    Who’s your team?

    (dragging this thread to hockey town, because I know nothin’ ’bout no college football).

    My Avs beat the Blackhawks Thursday, so at least until Monday we’re undefeated!

  29. 29.

    Kryptik

    Ugh…my god. Did anyone see the latest Op-Ed in the NY Times? Apparently, NY Times found it fit to run a guest op-ed by one Jack Goldsmith, arguing that the only way to successfully combat terrorists is to lock ’em up, throw away the key, and keep them indefinitely just because. The ‘only proven way to stop terrorists’, apparently.

    Fuck all, it’s as if they decided that they had to one up the WaPo on the stupid after the D’Souza op-ed.

  30. 30.

    Kryptik

    @jacy:

    Used to be an Avs guy myself, but I just lost interest after Roy, then Sakic, called it in. Ducks and Canes are my teams nowadays.

  33. 33.

    fucen tarmal

    @Aaron:

    we call it corn…

    that was a beautiful destruction of penn st….pitt vs notre dame, i would love to see pitt prevail, but sadly, i don’t think the tino sunseri era is going to yield much….pitt is a qb away from being a very good program, for their size, and revenue…

  34. 34.

    J sub D

    @JPL:

    OT..Some headlines write themselves
    Delaware alcohol agency chief quits after DUI arrest
    Sullivan arrested in state-owned SUV

    I’m more surprised he wasn’t a beneficiary of “professional courtesy” than anything else.

  36. 36.

    jacy

    @Kryptik:

    Frightening thing about the Avs this year is we only have three guys over 30. Half the guys have to be in bed early so that they can get up for their paper routes in the morning. They are all hella fast though.

  37. 37.

    mcd410x

    I have nothing against the University of Florida. In fact, it’s quite a lovely place. But its football fans are another matter. In fact, if I may …

    Dear UF fans:

    Instead of walking around acting ridiculously entitled, realize how lucky you were to have the perfect QB for Urban Meyers’ triple option offense. You’re not Notre Dame or Alabama, or even Minnesota. Before Virgin Air, you had one national title — because all the teams above you lost their bowl games.

    Celebrate what you accomplished, but have some perspective about how the stars aligned to make it possible.

    Thanks,
    The rest of us

  39. 39.

    Cassidy

    @Kryptik: In a perverse way he’s right. The only way to stop terrorism is kill/ incarcerate all the terrorist. Problem is figuring out who that is…

  40. 40.

    cdmarine

    I’m calling it: Meatchicken Steak’s pretty good offense and pretty good defense beats Meatchicken’s really good offense and dismal defense. Though the latter is probably gunning for this win as a grudge-match a lot more than they’re letting on.

  41. 41.

    J sub D

    @Kryptik:
    It’s what two administrations have been doing anyway. They all get released upon the formal surrender of al Qaeda. And they’re all guilty, someone from a different tribe said so. Some of them even confessed to being witches terrorists after torture.

    What more do you want?

  42. 42.

    Cassidy

    @mcd410x: Shorter: Dear Gator Nation, We’re very jealous of your unprecedented accomplishments in such a short time. Take a break so we can win some. Thanks

    :D

  43. 43.

    Kryptik

    @jacy:

    Young is good. As long as you can keep ’em and make ’em grow. That’s how the Blackhawks came back from being an afterthought, after all. Unfortunately I haven’t exactly tracked the Avs since about…hrm…’05 or so? How good are the young guns anyway?

  44. 44.

    fucen tarmal

    @mcd410x:

    are you referring to TT Boy? don’t forget mercy harvin, who can’t stay on the field in the nfl without his vitamin thc.

    i hate florida fans, but i hate sec fans for the most part, and florida fans seem par for the course.

  45. 45.

    Cassidy

    Everyone hates the SEC. But they also realize that the only conference worth playing in is the SEC. Pee wee leagues in Los Angeles are more competitive than most of the other crap.

  47. 47.

    Kryptik

    @ChrisS:

    Unfortunately, its hard to tell whether it’s Syracuse getting good again, or just the Big East reaching new lows.

  48. 48.

    John O

    It would be funny to hear D. Robinson quoted as saying, “I’m not going to be the next Tim Tebow.”

    Because I think that’s his choice. He’s a youngster who could be a great QB if he learns to throw accurately and run a game.

  49. 49.

    fucen tarmal

    well @Cassidy: that is a nice boast, and surely the sun belt conference would be in no position to argue, but without a representative ooc schedule, for the most part the sec is just playing with themselves. when florida hasn’t left the state ooc since 1991, and most if not all of their bowl ties, are within the conference marketing foot print, the most one can say objectively about the sec, you can’t spell escalade without it, and they own their home region.

  50. 50.

    SRW1

    I heard that the Wolverines have taken up positions in an orchard to ambush the Spartans and avenge Thermopylae.

  51. 51.

    J sub D

    @John O:

    Because I think that’s his choice. He’s a youngster who could be a great QB if he learns to throw accurately and run a game.

    ???
    From ESPN College Football

    The statistics Robinson has collected are like tortilla chips. It’s difficult to consume one and not keep reaching into the bag. Through five games, he leads the nation in rushing with 181 yards per game. He is fourth in the nation in passing efficiency (179.97 rating). He is averaging 9.23 yards per rush. Think about that — Robinson is averaging second-and-inches.

    ETA – Michigan State is the first real challenge U of M has faced this year. Whether Robinson’s numbers hold up against quality opposition remains to be seen. I’m not counting him out.

  53. 53.

    Gator90

    @mcd410x: UF has been as good as anybody and better than most for 20 years, and hasn’t had a losing season since the 1970s. Thank goodness we’re not Notre Dame, which hasn’t been any good since Clinton’s first term. Also, fyi, Tebow was a back-up on UF’s second national title team.

  56. 56.

    MattR

    It is a pipe dream but it would be nice if the Pac 10, Big 10 and SEC dedicated two games of the out of conference schedule to a game against each of the other conferences. Even cooler would be if they scheduled the games the same weekend so that there were 12 SEC-Big10 matchups one week, 12 SEC-Pac10 another and 12 Big10-Pac10 a third. There has to be some way to market this so it is more profitable than the current method of scheduling a couple cupcakes.

  57. 57.

    BGinCHI

    @Kryptik: I was just bitching about the fucking D’Souza thing on the previous thread.

    WTF?

    Can these papers be racing each other to the bottom? I honestly don’t see how it could get worse.

    Maybe just go ahead and do 50 pages of horoscopes and sudoku.

  58. 58.

    Cassidy

    @fucen tarmal: OOC is really no different than anyone else’s. But that’s what makes the SEC what it is. A mediocre Arkansas or Ole Miss is still better than the top tier of any other conference. But, as for OOC, it is usually the Bowl Games, and in those instances, the SEC tends to dominate. Remember the ass-whoopin’ laid onto Ohio State?

  59. 59.

    John O

    @J sub D:

    I speak only in terms of his future as a professional QB. He has not shown me enough consistent accuracy with his arm to believe he’s close yet.

    Pro QB’s do not live with their feet. And those are at least part of the reason for DR’s QB rating, that and some standard-issue easy games to start the year. And for the record, right now he’s my choice for the Big Individual Trophy.

    I’d love to see him develop.

  61. 61.

    J sub D

    @MattR:
    Me likes.
    Me also likes the idea of Division 0. Take the top thirty teams in the nation, make them Division 0 and have them only play each other. Top 8 of them do the playoffs for a national champion.

    At the end of the season, the bottom 8-10 teams (I’m flexible on all the numbers here) in Division 0 get sent back to 1A and the top 8-10 teams from the rest of the nation are in.

    The BCS folks can all go home and jerk-off.

  62. 62.

    fucen tarmal

    @Cassidy:

    so what you were saying is, your conference is great, but now you are saying, you are no different than anyone else?

    this is why sec fans are hilarious. we are just supposed to take your word for it that you are better than everyone else, because you play each other to prove it.

    northern teams go south to play in bowls, in january, why not have the sec come north in november? see what florida or whomever can do in real football weather?

  63. 63.

    jacy

    @Kryptik:

    Duchene is freaking amazing. He’s like the Flash, and he has this little spin and shoot move that you have to replay to catch. Problem is he’s so fast, he tends to overskate the puck. O’Reilly, Galiardi, and Cumisky are all very strong. Stewart is very Sakic-like. Statsny can hardly be called young, as he’s like six years older than the “kids,” but from the way he’s looked in pre-season and the first game, this could be his breakout year.

    Mueller is an unknown quantity at this point, and on injured reserve to boot.

    Our offense is a tad stronger than our defense, putting it mildly, and Adam Foote is finally starting to look old :(

  65. 65.

    fbihop

    Game of the day: New Mexico at New Mexico State.

    Both teams are 0-4, both teams have looked horrible in each of their four games and this is probably both teams’ only chances to win this year (last year, UNM went 1-11, only beating Colorado State).

    Grudge match on I-25!

  66. 66.

    J sub D

    @John O:
    Oh, I have my doubts that he has the physique necessary to be an NFL QB. I think his passing skills are, or will be, sufficient (so hard to tell in college, Ryan Leaf, Joey Harrington anybody?)

  67. 67.

    stuckinred

    @fucen tarmal: If you don’t live here you don’t know what the fuck you are talking about. I’m a die-hard Illini fan but, after 26 years in Athens, there is no comparison between the SEC and other conferences year-in-year out. As for “real football” weather. Baloney, real football weather is the weather you are playing in. Big 10 teams would wilt in the September-October games down here.

  69. 69.

    MattR

    @Cassidy: There is just no way to look at each team in the SEC’s 4 game OOC schedule and compare it to the 3 OOC games that each team in the Pac 10 play without concluding that the Pac 10 plays a tougher out of conference schedule. If you include Notre Dame, Boise St, TCU, the average Pac 10 team plays 2 of their 3 OOC games against BCS opponents. For the SEC it is closer to 1 out of 4.

  71. 71.

    Cassidy

    @fucen tarmal: You missed the point. The SEC is a deep conference. The middle tier teams are better than the top tier of any other conference. An SEC team with 2 or 3 conference losses would go undefeated in the PAC, ACC, WAC, etc. The BIG 10 has nothing more to offer nationally, and the Big 12 is the only conference with teams that can keep up with an SEC team.

    That is why the SEC is great. When your Boise State, or Oregon, or Michigan, or Utah, or whatever flavor of the month is can hang with an SEC schedule, then I’ll give some respect. If the hardest conference game you play is Oregon State or TCU, then don’t even bother trying to compare.

    You were asking about OOC schedule and I answered it.

  73. 73.

    John O

    @fucen tarmal:

    Right on! My entire childhood consisted of watching the Big Ten play literally in the opponent’s stadium for Bowl games.

    I spent a very decadent Rose Bowl week in Pasadena when IL went to get their 1 or 2-ranked ass kicked (the inside stories of the things that may have contributed are fun but incriminating) by UCLA. It was Jan. of 1982.

  74. 74.

    Cassidy

    @MattR: That’s because of conference skewing. Any one of those teams couldn’t play an SEC schedule and still be BCS contenders.

  75. 75.

    cdmarine

    Watching the SEC fellate themselves is one of the most time-honored traditions in college football. Ah, autumn!

  76. 76.

    John O

    @stuckinred:

    I spent some time in Champaign-Urbana. :-)

    My worst Wolverine memory is them stealing that semifinal game in the basketball tournament after IL had beaten them twice during the season.

    But in my old age I’ve come to terms with Michigan, in general. It’s a good school with good fans and because college football has become so much of a business (or at least my awareness of that has expanded) I can appreciate the good programs who keep their players out of jail. :-)

  78. 78.

    meh

    Watching a guy race Kona, 4 time cancer survivor, 2 different kinds of cancer, and a heart transplant recipient – man I’m a lazy POS.

  80. 80.

    fucen tarmal

    @Cassidy:

    based on what?

    your opinion of the greatness of the middle tier of your conference is still based on beating each other, and a weak ooc, at best you have said it is like everyone else’s ooc, all that entitles you to, is that your middle tier is as good as everyone else’s.

  81. 81.

    MattR

    @Cassidy: The SEC’s 10 out of conference games this year

    Bama beat Penn St and Duke, LSU beat North Carolina and West Virginia, Kentucky beat Louisville, Auburn beat Clemson

    Vandy lost to Northwestern and UConn, Georgia lost to Colorado, Tennessee lost to Oregon.

    SEC vs ACC (3-0)
    SEC vs Big East (2-1)
    SEC vs Big 10 (1-1)
    SEC vs Big 12 (0-1)
    SEC vs Pac 10 (0-1)

    (EDIT: I ordered these alphabetically but it turned out to be the same as by record)

  82. 82.

    John O

    I just spent a weekend in Dothan, AL, at my brother’s.

    He related the story of being told that it was understandable and all seein’ as how he was from Chicago (this is 20 years ago), but that he nevertheless had 1 year to choose between Auburn and AL.

    I’ve had an irrational hatred of AL since I was a kid.

    So I’m getting a big kick out of that game so far.

  83. 83.

    Bootlegger

    Some anti-gheys propaganda from a newsletter I monitor.

    The Homosexual Lobby with the help of their allies in the media and Congress is spreading a devastating lie: The homosexual lifestyle is as normal, healthy and safe as any other.

    Worse, they have successfully infiltrated sex education class in many schools throughout the country; spreading this lie.

    The sad fact is, their assertion could not be further from reality.

    I was just handed a shocking report from Reuters revealing the devastating truth of the homosexual lifestyle.

    One in five homosexual men in America has HIV.
    And if that wasn’t bad enough, half of these men do not even know it.

    That’s right, half of Teh Gheys that have a disease don’t know it, but you and I do. Some serious research chops in that house.

  84. 84.

    stuckinred

    @John O: Yep, I was gone by then but that game killed me. If Lowell was going to foul Rumeal, drive him into the post and don’t let him score the bucket. Kenny Battle is still my all time favorite.

  85. 85.

    stuckinred

    @John O: No, it was January of 84. Swoope intercepted the Neuheisel pass in the endzone, ran it out and fumbled on about the 12. Downhill from there. The highlight was Captain Rat and the Blind Rivetts playing the Fighting Illini in Pasadena at the pre-game party New Years Eve in LA! We flew out of Willard in that huge snowstorm and had our dog sitting on the runway in his crate waiting to be loaded.

  86. 86.

    MattR

    @MattR: crap. just realized I deleted the part of the first sentence that said “against BCS conference opponents”. But editing mistakes should be expected from someone from NJ.

  87. 87.

    Cassidy

    @fucen tarmal:

    based on what?

    Watching them play.

    You’re basing your reasoning on OOC Schedule, which really doesn’t mean shit. BCS rankings and bowls are primarily based on conference. There is a reason that Boise State, for all its crybaby whining, hasn’t been to the NC yet. Their conference is weak. Plain and simple. A one loss UF or Texas is still playing a more competitive schedule. A 2 loss Oklahoma or LSU is still better.

    So, you can do the fat, ugly girl, “my personality is pretty”, all you want, but it doesn’t change that the flavor teams (Boise State, Utah, USC, TCU, etc.) could not and would not be as successful if they had to play a schedule that involved Arkansas, Ole Miss, UF, Alabama, South Carolina, Auburn, etc. Look at ‘Bama’s schedule this year. 9 of the last 10 are conference games, 5 of whom are ranked, 3 of which top 10. You really think Boise State or TCU compares?

  88. 88.

    Amir_Khalid

    @Kryptik: I was under the impression that this approach had already been ruled unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court, so I was surprised to see it being advocated in the NYT.

    I have my own dark suspicion about where the Bush administration got the idea for no-trial detentions. You see, not long before Camp X-Ray was opened at Gitmo, FBI director Bob Mueller came to Malaysia on a visit. Now, Malaysia has a no-trial detention law, the Internal Security Act, which was originally enacted by the British colonial authority in the late 1940s, during the Communist insurgency. The Brits used it to lock up people they identified as communist terrorists and sympathizers. (The insurgency was basically defeated by 1960, even though the Malaysian military was still fighting small groups of remnants well into the 1970s.) The Alliance coalition that came to power after independence (and which still holds power as the National Front) also found it useful for locking up dissidents, troublemakers and even political rivals long after the insurgency was defeated. Malaysia has not been a key focal point of the US’ GWOT effort, and I can’t imagine why else we would be a priority for Mueller to visit. So I’m guessing Mueller wasn’t here to try our famous ikan bakar and nasi lemak.

  91. 91.

    fucen tarmal

    @Cassidy:

    sure, three teams are voted into the top 5 pre-season out of the sec, which gives the winner of the conference a near automatic bid in the title game. of course those pre-season rankings are entirely opinion, but they set up the rankings for the rest of the season, and the way the system works, its a huge leg up…

    it helps, don’t get me wrong that southern folk, especially the voters from the south, are evangelical about their football. folks there enjoy it,moreso than the nfl and spend big bucks to see it, no doubt. voters from the south will always vote sec teams higher, and that begets more votes.none of that proves they are better. schedule some ooc roadies, go into another region later in the year.

    this is why the sec fan amuses me, there is no end to their belief that their football is better. it just so happens, it isn’t based on anything but the belief itself.

    as a more or less neutral fan, i just want to see like teams play like teams around the country. i want to see if florida can beat ohio state at the horse shoe, when its colder than florida gets and rainy…just for a change…

    to honestly claim you are better, you have to do more to earn that right. otherwise, i remain a non-believer, or at least a skeptic.

  92. 92.

    Cassidy

    @stuckinred: I find myself hoping Bama comes out of it today, but I have a good reason. lol

    I want Boise State to finally get its NC bid this year. And I want them to get destroyed by an SEC team so that I don’t have to hear their whiny asses for a few years.

  93. 93.

    stuckinred

    @John O: Were you a kid for that Rose Bowl? I was the sports writer for “The Weekly” that season. I wrote the pre-season article and one for the Mizzou came and the paper went belly up. I still have my unused press passes for that season. What a great year, my last in C-U, for the Illini.

  96. 96.

    Cassidy

    @fucen tarmal: I love watching a good game too. I have mad respect for the Big 12. I have some nostalgia for the Big 10, but not impressed lately.

    it isn’t based on anything but the belief itself.

    Ummm…think you missed the part about 5 of the last 9 National Championships being SEC. That’s not belief, that’s proof. and if you follow the links on Boise State and TCU, those are current rankings.

  97. 97.

    JPL

    I just turned on the bama/carolina game and I’m shocked. ABC is broadcasting NC/Clemson instead of the Mich/MSU game so I switched. Did Spurrier feed his team magic brownies or what?

  98. 98.

    KG

    @Linkmeister: LINK! I miss having UH on Prime Ticket…

    @fucen tarmal: I’ve become a huge mark for Boise State and the “well they don’t play a tough enough schedule” argument just pisses me off. They’ve done enough to warrant getting home-and-home deals, but none of the big programs want to go play on the smurf turf. As for the SEC, itself, it’s pretty strong at the top (most years) but there are plenty of other conferences that are stronger top to bottom. Of course, those conferences with more strength top to bottom see their top teams lose more games and losing games means you don’t get to be national champs, which also explains why so many of the big programs don’t want to play anyone tougher than the local culinary institute.

  102. 102.

    stuckinred

    @KG: “but there are plenty of other conferences that are stronger top to bottom. ”

    Sure there are, give me a break.

  103. 103.

    Cassidy

    the “well they don’t play a tough enough schedule” argument just pisses me off.

    Why? It’s true. They are a big fish in a kiddie pool. HS football in East Texas is harder. Hell, I could go around beating up 7 year olds in a junior boxing tourney, but it still doesn’t make me the champ.

  104. 104.

    KG

    @Cassidy: easy answer for that… Bama, Florida, Texas, or any of the other big boys can play a home and home series with Boise or TCU and see what happens?

    Oh, what’s that? They don’t want to play Boise or TCU? Afraid that loss would cost them a shot at a national championship?

  105. 105.

    stuckinred

    @John O: Cool, I ran the sports programs at the Urbana Park District in those days. Hung at Tod and Johns and the Esquire. Did you know my pal Chef Ra?

  106. 106.

    Cassidy

    “but there are plenty of other conferences that are stronger top to bottom. ”

    7 of the top 25 are SEC. Who else compares?

  108. 108.

    Cassidy

    @KG: Don’t see Boise State clamoring for some competition. They love that cupcake schedule and victim complex. They could move conferences if they wanted to. SEC teams have enough competition in house.

  111. 111.

    JPL

    @Cassidy: The only reason I want bama is because if they lose OSU would be ranked number 1. The SEC is a stronger conference. (sorry big 10 fans.)

  113. 113.

    fucen tarmal

    @Cassidy:

    that isn’t proof, that is barely over 50%, considering the chances that an sec team will be playing in the game, and the likely hood that the game will be hosted in sec territory, a de facto home game, its merely what would be expected, its average. par.

    when you consider what goes into the rankings, you will see that all your bluster about ranked teams, is meaningless…southern voters dominate the polling, and they would literally fear for their family’s safety if they didn’t give the ‘ol boys a “fair” shake…the result, a southern voting block that keeps sec teams ranked . and when a top team in the sec loses to a lesser ranked team, the lesser ranked team is rocketed up, because they beat a ranked team, it all is based on pre-season gerrymandering of the voting system. the nc appearances, the number of ranked teams everything you are bragging about, is based on the belief the sec is better, because they do what everyone else does, to prove it…

    its funny because it’s what you said earlier….the sec does what everyone else does…that is enough for sec fans to claim a vast superiority.

  114. 114.

    MattR

    @Cassidy:

    Look at ‘Bama’s schedule this year. 9 of the last 10 are conference games, 5 of whom are ranked, 3 of which top 10.

    I don’t understand why you would think that pointing out that they play 9 games against the SEC would convince people who are already skeptical of the SEC’s strength

    @Cassidy:

    7 of the top 25 are SEC. Who else compares?

    I only count 6, same as the Big 10 has. (I am using the USA Today poll. The AP has 6 SEC and 5 Big 10)

  115. 115.

    John O

    @stuckinred:

    Based on what I know about my dog’s pedigree (his great grandparents were probably mutts) that may be more accurate than you think!

    Yours is beautiful! Of course, mine is too, plus he’s good nature personified. :-)

  117. 117.

    KG

    @Cassidy:

    In the AP poll:

    Pac10 has three in the top 16 and three more receiving votes. If you add Utah, who will be there next year, it’s 4 of the top 16. Big12 has 4 in the top 25, with 3 more receiving votes. Big10 has 5 in the top 25, and two more receiving votes.

    The numbers in the coaches’ poll aren’t much different. The top half of the SEC is very strong, the bottom half, not so much.

  118. 118.

    Cassidy

    @MattR: I used AP. Your’re right, it’s 6. But, not really important, I said earlier that the Big 10 and 12 were respectable; more so the Big 12. These aren’t the confernces the flavor of the week teams are coming from.

    Dude, the line after the one you italicized! 5 top 25 teams in it’s last 9 games; 3 of whom are top 10! Now you’re just being deliberately contrarian.

  119. 119.

    stuckinred

    @John O: The Bohdi wandered up to us when he weighed 5 lbs. We won a doggie DNA test at our vet and it came back Samoyed-Siberian. I mentioned it here on BJ a week or so ago and some of the scientists here just took me to the cleaners on what bullshit the tests are. What’s interesting is that they just send the sample in with no other information about the dog. If they were just guessing they got pretty lucky.

  121. 121.

    John O

    I confess to getting tired of the constant SEC wankfest.

    IL played a consensus good team (Ohio St.) tough, and just beat the snot out of Penn State.

    Until these conferences start mixing it up preseason, “who’s the best” is just too subjective for me. The same goes to Boise State and TCU. Play some real teams every week.

    But I’ll admit the SEC has won the political debate.

  123. 123.

    John O

    @stuckinred:

    My boy’s tail forms a perfect question mark when he’s got his left side to me, and it’s fanned, so there’s some serious winter-dog in there somewhere, I say.

    Plus, he’s a lazy puppy when it’s hot.

    I love him like nobody’s business. Great dog.

  124. 124.

    MattR

    @Cassidy:

    Dude, the line after the one you italicized! 5 top 25 teams in it’s last 9 games; 3 of whom are top 10! Now you’re just being deliberately contrarian.

    Yes. And those are good arguments. But starting it off by pointing out that they have to play 9 conference opponents in their last 10 games (which can only be true if they reach they SEC championship) does not advance your argument in any way.

  126. 126.

    Mark S.

    I don’t have any dog in this fight, but the SEC has easily been the strongest conference for the last 4-5 years. I can’t believe there’s any argument about that.

    (Nice PAT)

  127. 127.

    Bnut

    Halftime comments on Bama-SC:

    Garcia looks good. Does not mean he will finish that way. He’s one of those players who can win a game or lose it. Much like Spurrier’s coaching.

    Bama’s D looks lazy. SC has had some good blocks. Again, it’s all about the 2nd half (conditioning, adjustments, etc.).

    I don’t get TV, so I’m watching the game on CBS sportsline’s live feed. The HQ feed is BS, it takes too long to buffer. But it’s better to spend 20 bucks on a bottle of liquor and sit at home than go to midtown to the Ainsworth (the Alabama alumni bar in NYC) and spend the same for 3 beers (if you have no friends to go with).

    I’m a third through this bottle of Bushmills, and I don’t want to finish the rest, so please, Bama, win this gd game…

  129. 129.

    fucen tarmal

    @stuckinred:

    i appreciate the compliment, its hard when you are dealing with absolute believers, to explain that a 5 loss team is a 5 loss team. in other words a who-bag, and last year the sec had 6 of them, two teams at the top, two teams that were slightly better than who-bag, a bunch of who-bags, and some terrible teams at the bottom, just like any other conference…

    we will see how it plays out this year, but my guess is, the sec will go .500 in sec games, just like every other conference. everything else is subjective.

  130. 130.

    Cassidy

    (which can only be true if they reach they SEC championship)

    Uh uh. 13 game schedule. 9 of last 10 confernce, 5 of those conf. games against ranked teams.

    How is that a bad argument for SEC being a tougher conference? The numbers are right there.

  131. 131.

    John O

    @stuckinred:

    No clue, don’t care so much. It ain’t like I’m giving him back, that’s that.

    He’s 10 months old, and I’m about 90% comfortable with him off-leash, he’s not terribly needy, and he has not anything but good cheer for everyone he meets of any species.

    As one of my neighbors put it, “the dog with the smile always on his face.”

  132. 132.

    MattR

    @stuckinred: Compared to Boise State and when it comes to college football fans, Blacksburg to DC is “not too far from campus”

    @Cassidy: SEC plays a 12 game schedule with 8 games against conference opponents (the other 5 in your division and 3 of the 6 in the other division – which rotate every year).

  134. 134.

    Cassidy

    to explain that a 5 loss team is a 5 loss team

    Spoken like a Utah fan. lol Would you like some congressional hearings?

    .500 in the SEC is a lot more difficult than 1.000 in the WAC.

  136. 136.

    MattR

    @Cassidy: That is only 12 games. 7 home, 5 away. (EDIT: Pretty much the entire Pac 10 plays its last 9 games against conference opponents or 9 of their last 10 games. Same for the Big 10 and their final 8 (or 8 of 9). Point being that it is not that unusual)

    For everyones edification, here is a chart I copied from this article about the MWC’s attempt to get into the BCS and the various eligibility criteria. It covers the past two years.

    Criteria 3—Points for Teams Finishing in the BCS Top 25
    Rk Conf Pts Adj Total
    1 SEC 22 0.0% 22.0
    2 B10 18 12.5% 20.3
    3 B12 20 0.0% 20.0
    3 MWC 16 25.0% 20.0
    5 P10 14 12.5% 15.8
    6 BE 12 25.0% 15.0
    7 ACC 12 0.0% 12.0
    8 WAC 7 25.0% 8.8
    9 MAC 1 0.0% 1.0
    10t CUSA 0 0.0% 0.0
    10t SB 0 25.0% 0.0
    ND 0 0.0% 0.0

  138. 138.

    Steve

    The SEC is the best conference, most years. That doesn’t mean they can’t still be overrated, of course. One of the reasons is that when a team like Georgia or Auburn happens to be going through a mediocre phase, they still have that “storied” name and reputation. So the top SEC teams look like they’re playing a murderer’s row when most weeks they’re playing a team that might not be any better than BYU, Fresno State, or another mid-major.

  139. 139.

    burnspbesq

    There was one great matchup today, but it had nothing to do with football.

    The Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD presentation of Wagner’s Das Rheingold was staggeringly good. Bryn Terfel was born to be Wotan, and he did not disappoint. Eric Owens (Alberich) was unfuckingbelieveable. The rest of the cast was every bit as good.

    If you care at all for opera, catch the encore presentation on 10/27.

    This was the best $24 I’ve spent in a very long time.

  141. 141.

    John O

    It’ll take me a lot of time for me to recover any positive attitude about SC’s QB after that play, which was a major breakdown in cognition.

  142. 142.

    stuckinred

    And the cocks are preparing to piss it away with a bonehead QB. If they had Arron Murray they’d win it all.

  145. 145.

    stuckinred

    @Steve: I know, I was just pointing out that “there’s a thin line” . . . and how, losing the best receiver in the nation because he did something stupid can make things so different.

  146. 146.

    MattR

    Anyone watching the Oregon game? Did they really go for two after an opening drive TD? Or did they screw up the kick and make the best of it?

  150. 150.

    stuckinred

    @John O: I think that was the biggest eye-opener moving down here. I hate Michigan and Iowa but the rest of the Big-10, not so much. These people down here hate everybody else in the conference except Vandy and Mississippi State!

  151. 151.

    John O

    Michigan State is way better than they are ranked, and I would like to see them play a good SEC team.

    I think Michigan would be a drag for a lot of SEC teams, too.

  156. 156.

    JPL

    A friend drove up to Raleigh yesterday from Atlanta to watch Clemson play. He meets other Clemson friends to go to the game and he forgot the tickets in Atlanta. Oh well.

  157. 157.

    John O

    @stuckinred:

    I think it would be a big win for the Illini if they lose close. I think Michigan State is a pretty good football team compared to anyone, including all the SEC.

    I do believe we’re establishing the reliability of the ranking system in SC today. 19 is nearly as good as 1 in the most liberal analysis.

  158. 158.

    KG

    @JPL: Playoffs? PLAYoffs? PLAYOFFS?

    /Jim Mora

    I’d be curious to see how a playoff would work in college football. The biggest problem, as I see it, is that every sport in the NCAA says the same thing: win your conference championship, and you get to play for the national title. With 12 conferences, the smallest tournament would be 16, which means 4 at large bids. I suppose you could do 20 or 24 with some sort of byes… but you’re potentially looking at a championship team playing as many as 17-19 games.

    ETA: which is a better sports press conference quote: Jim Mora with “playoffs?” or Allen Iverson with “practice?”

  159. 159.

    stuckinred

    @JPL: I thought NC State played BC today? They did, he went to the wrong town too, Clemson plays Carolina in Chapel Hill!

  162. 162.

    KG

    Denard Robinson’s Heisman campaign seems to be taking a hit today… 15/25 for 190, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 16 carries for 71 yards.

    It’s kind of scary when that constitutes an off day for a guy.

    ETA: and just as I say that, he runs for a TD.

  163. 163.

    stuckinred

    @John O: And. at the risk of being redundant, Georgia should have beaten SC in Columbia. Ealy fumbled on the 1 yard line.

  165. 165.

    John O

    @stuckinred:

    Understood. I think AL will win, but I also think that this proves the ranking system is at least a tad subjective, is all. AL will only win if they play very good football for the next quarter, and who knows how it would have gone against a “higher ranked” team. LOL.

  170. 170.

    KG

    @John O: truth is, anything can happen in a game. Appalachian State beat Michigan in 2007, in the Big House, when Michigan was ranked fifth in both polls. That, as they say, is why they play the game.

  172. 172.

    arguingwithsignposts

    Geez, big time college football smack talk is insufferable.

    I swear I thought nobody could beat the “Our dicks are bigger” talk from SEC fans … and I’ve been proven right.

    But thanks for playing Michiganers (UM and MSU fans). If you’d add a definite article to your names (*The* Ohio State U., I’m looking at you), you might just do it.

  173. 173.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Hmmm. Title says it’s an Open Thread; tag says it’s Sports.

    Imma go with Open Thread.

    Okay, so I’m here in Oak Park (Illinois) for my 50th HS reunion, but because today was also the inaugural Met Opera Live in HD, and I’ve been drooling to see the Robert Lepage production of Das Rheingold, I chose Wagner over high school football this afternoon. (Good decision, by the way, though that’s *not* why I’m posting.)

    So about 3:30 pm, I’m heading back to OP from Lombard on I-290, and there’s construction or something, so traffic’s at an absolute standstill. And in the lane immediately to my right, a guy gets out of his car, walks to the car behind him, *PUNCHES HIS FIST THROUGH THE GUY’S WINDOW* shattering the glass, then storms back to his car. No pushback from the punchee, and honestly as far as I could tell, no reaction at all from other drivers. Including me, of course. I was stunned, but never even thought of noting the puncher’s license tag number until it was too late. And I was in a left-hand exit lane so couldn’t have followed him even if I thought it was a good idea.

    It was just a very very strange thing, over and done in maybe 10-15 seconds beginning to end. I guess the second guy must have done something to piss the first guy off, but there was such a total lack of affect all around that it seemed like performance art.

    So now I’m off to my reunion dinner with a whole fuckton of (other) 68-year-old people.

    Back to your football now.

  178. 178.

    stuckinred

    @John O: Mel-roz. I’m from Villa Park, the dudes from Melrose was tough! You a Gumba? My old man was a teacher/principal in Bellwood.

  179. 179.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @stuckinred, John O:

    It is cool being back. Gorgeous weather, too, and the leaves are specfuckingtacular.

  185. 185.

    Corner Stone

    @stuckinred: Anytime someone says something you don’t agree with you tell them to “log off” or leave or go back to FDL or “why are you here?” or other bullshit.
    You’re very consistent in your type of response.

  186. 186.

    stuckinred

    @Corner Stone: And? You don’t like it? Explain to me why I should give a flying fuck? This thread has been going for over four hours and you chime in with this.

  190. 190.

    KG

    Bama – actually most teams – don’t seem to be as good when they are in the “we have to pass and score” offense mode.

  198. 198.

    stuckinred

    @Andy K: Cool, but I don’t need cheering up. I’m as happy as I can be. Nice football conversation and some twit who doesn’t like me. . .priceless.

  203. 203.

    John O

    There’s a new #1. Gonna be Ohio State, and I’m not sure they can beat Michigan.

    Oregon goes to #2, and they’re good. But they’re not in the SEC, I guess. :-)

  205. 205.

    Steve

    Very happy Spartan alum here. 3 straight wins over big brother. The story of this team over the last decade has been close, agonizing losses and they could really do something special if they catch the breaks for once.

    That Denard Robinson is a monster, though. Glad we caught him on an off day. “Only” 300 total yards.

  206. 206.

    Andy K

    @Steve:

    Ya know, I half-assedly tossed the Spartans into the ring of contenders when a workmate and I were discussing the Big 10 in August. The schedule ahead, if I’m not mistaken, looks pretty good, no? Not easy, but do-able.

    It wouldn’t kill me if the Spartans won the conference.

  209. 209.

    Keith

    @KG: I think Shoelace can kiss his Heisman hopes Bye-Bye.
    3 INTs, under a century on the ground.

    It was the first time he faced a good D.
    And Sparty isn’t the best D he might face. Zero credible pass rush – containment by virtue of assignment discipline.

  211. 211.

    Steve

    @Andy K: Everything is doable, even @Iowa, but for any true Spartan fan the season is a success already.

    We won the Rose Bowl my freshman year with Lorenzo White, Andre Rison and Percy Snow… and haven’t been back since. Three straight over Michigan hasn’t happened since the glory days of the 1960s!

  212. 212.

    KRK

    @Steve:

    Hey, that was my freshman year too. I’m not a football fan, but a win over Michigan must be celebrated. Sparty on!

  214. 214.

    stanforddude16

    It’s about time that the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide loses we all knew they were to good for all the hype now i hope Boise will capatilize which shouldnt be difficult considering there schedule they have two games that will test them home against Fresno State Bulldogs and at Nevada

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