Sports

First Week of College Football

The first day of college football was greatness. For those of you who need a refresher, I pull for two teams. The LSU Tigers and the LA Tech Bulldogs. Yesterday, the Tigers beat the Huskies, and the Bulldogs lost to the Auburn Tigers. I saw the LSU game on ESPN, but didn’t get to see the Bulldogs on ESPNU (our cable provider doesn’t have it . . . but I digress).

Initial thoughts on LSU. The Good: I like LSU’s new quarterback, Jordan Jefferson. He’s young, and he’s really good. The Bad: The Tigers really stunk-up the first half. The defense did not put enough pressure on the Huskie’s quarterback, who moved the ball very effectively through the air. The Tigers lucked out with two big turnovers that went their way. Minus those turnovers, I don’t know that they would have won this game. That’s how close it would have been. That’s not impressive against a Huskie team that hasn’t won a game since 2007.

That being said, a win’s a win. I’m hoping that the Tigers were just a little rusty, and I’ll be looking for a better showing next week.

Video Highlights (click image below):

36 Comments

  • Darius T

    Matt, LSU would never want to play a good team, not when they can play a team that hasn’t won in two years, a team that only won 2 games last year, plus two mid-major Louisiana teams. Playing a real team would burst their bubble way too early in the season… it’s the SEC tradition, play a bunch of cupcakes and get the media behind you. I applaud Georgia for not falling for that same low standard.

  • Darius T

    Yep, John, next year Georgia will follow the rest of the SEC’s lead (especially Florida) and schedule East New Hampshire State and Western Montana… at home, just to be safe.

  • Steve Hayes

    Darius,

    You’re just flat out wrong on this, and all it takes is a little research to prove it. Let’s take the top ten teams, for example, and see who they played on week 1:

    1 Florida played Charleston Southern
    2 Texas played University of Louisiana Monroe
    3 Oklahoma played 20 BYU
    4 USC played San Jose State
    5 Alabama played 7 VA Tech
    6 Ohio St played Navy
    8 Mississippi played Memphis
    9 OK St played 13 Georgia
    9 Penn St played Akron
    11 LSU played Washington

    Of all those teams, only the SEC and ACC played another top ten opponent (Alabama and VA Tech). Aside from that, I don’t see a huge difference between the quality of opponent here. Your claim is one that opponents of the SEC love to throw out, but it really doesn’t wash. The fact is that most top tier teams schedule some weak non-conference opponents throughout the season. That is certainly not unique to the SEC.

  • John

    One of the reasons SEC teams play “cupcake” games is that there are no cupcake teams in the SEC. Their conference schedule almost requires them to play the La Techs (Sorry about that Denny) of the world.

  • Darius T

    John, meet Vanderbilt.

    Steve, I would challenge you to look beyond ONE WEEK’s worth of games and you would quickly see just how pathetic the typical SEC non-conference schedule is. Heck, before Georgia played OSU this weekend, they hadn’t begun a year out of the deep South in like 40 years or something like that. Take a serious and honest comparison between Big 12 teams and SEC teams from the last 5 years… it’s pretty hard for even SEC homers to deny that the Big 12 schedules much harder non-conference games than the SEC. It’s not even close.

  • Steve Hayes

    Darius,

    Let’s do exactly as you said and look past week 1. Let’s look at the out of conference schedule of the top four teams of the SEC(Florida, Alabama, LSU, Georgia), and the top four of the Big 12 (Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St, Texas Tech) and see if you’re right:

    Big 12
    Texas: UL-Monroe, Wyoming, UTEP, UCF
    Oklahoma: BYU, Idaho State, Tulsa, Miami (Fl)
    Oklahoma State: Georgia, Houston, Rice, Grambling
    Texas Tech: North Dakota, Rice, Houston, New Mexico

    SEC:
    Florida: Charleston Southern, Troy, FIU, Florida State
    Alabama: VA Tech, FIU, North Texas, Chattanooga
    LSU: Washington, LA Tech, Tulane, UL-Lafayette
    Georgia: OK State, Arizona St. Tennessee Tech, Georgia Tech

    I’m sorry, man, but your argument just doesn’t hold up! Oklahoma probably has the toughest OOC schedule of the bunch, but Georgia’s OOC is arguably tougher. Who does Texas play? Texas Tech?

    OU is the only top tier Big 12 team that plays a ranked non-conference opponent. Florida and Alabama play ranked non-conference opponents (7Va Tech and 18FL State), and Georgia plays two ranked opponents (9OK St, and 15GA Tech).

    Darius, your argument is weak. If you look at the facts, it’s laughable!

  • Darius T

    Okay, Steve, I meant not just THIS year. Florida always has a pathetic OCC schedule, as does the rest of the SEC. Georgia FINALLY changed that this year, and Alabama at least scheduled one non-high school equivalent team on their schedule. Texas this year is a bit weak, but usually they take on some good teams (Ohio State and Arkansas are a couple that come to mind from recent years). Texas Tech is one of the few Big 12 teams that usually play cupcakes.

    Florida and Georgia get no credit for playing FSU and Georgia Tech… they ALWAYS play them, it’s a rivalry. The Big 10, Pac 10, ACC, and Big 12 generally play tough non-conference schedules (exceptions in every conference of course)… the SEC is the one coward league by comparison. Georgia and Alabama have woken up to this fact. Florida doesn’t seem to have a clue.

  • Steve Hayes

    Darius,

    Again, you are wrong. I looked at the last five years, and you’re just wrong. The level of competition between the Big 12 and the SEC is almost identical. And how can you not give credit to Florida and Georgia for playing Fl State and GA Tech every year? That’s just ridiculous!! Those teams are almost always ranked, and that’s what most of these teams do (whether SEC of Big 12)! They play one ranked team or major conference team and the rest are pretty much cupcakes. You’re not looking at the facts man! Take off your Big 12 colored glasses and look at the facts!

    Last year Georgia played Arizona St. and Georgia Tech. The year before they played OK St. and Georgia Tech. Alabama opened the season last year with Clemson. LSU has played Arizona St, Oregon State, Arizona and Va Tech the past four years!! Florida played Hawaii (who was 12-1 the year before), Miami, and Florida State last year!!!

    You’re giving me unsubstantiated opinions, and I’m giving you facts. If I were a college team, and this were my first game of the season, I’d be beating up on a cupcake!!

  • Kyle Barrett

    Steve,

    You’re making too much sense. Big 12 homers can’t handle logic. 🙂

    Darius – you could start at corner for alot of Big 12 defenses. Your backpedal is outstanding! 🙂

    kb

  • John

    Darius,
    How many of the Big 12 teams could beat Vandy? I’d love for the NCAA to take a few years and let the SEC play all of the Big 12 teams and all of the ACC teams, etc. The top couple of teams in each division would do well, but outside of that the SEC would dominate just as they do in the bowl games.

    I’d love to see Auburn play Texas every year, but it isn’t going to happen. The conference schedule is too strong and the fans will fill the stadium regardless of who they play.

  • Darius T

    Okay Steve (and others), since you cherry-pick your facts, let me provide the whole picture.

    Here are the Florida Gators’ non-conf. opponents for the last 5 years, not counting the rivalry games which happen every year and would happen no matter how good or bad the rival is:

    Charleston Southern
    Troy (twice)
    Florida International
    Hawaii
    Miami
    Citadel
    Florida Atlantic
    Western Kentucky
    Western Carolina
    Southern Miss
    Central Florida
    Wyoming
    Louisiana Tech

    Hmm, none of those are ranked teams (only Hawaii, Miami, and Southern Miss were even close), and most of them barely qualify as DI (in fact, I bet a couple of them don’t). Hawaii was a .500 team the year Florida played them because their QB AND coach were gone. P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C.

    Meanwhile, let’s look at OU’s non-conf. schedule from the past five seasons:

    BYU
    Idaho St.
    Tulsa (twice)
    Miami
    Chattanooga
    Cincinatti
    Washington (twice)
    TCU (twice)
    UAB
    Oregon
    Middle Tennessee
    UCLA

    Hmm, I count like four ranked teams, two others that were nearly ranked at the time, and a few more that were good teams when the games were originally scheduled (Washington, for example).

    Don’t you just hate facts…

  • Steve Hayes

    Darius,

    Talk about cherry picking the facts! Hello kettle, my name’s pot! Basing your conclusions on two teams schedules… Wow… Pretty thin, dude. And, by the way, I don’t see much of a difference between those two lists of opponents. Certainly not enough to make the rabid overstatements you are making. Truth is Troy, Southern Miss, and Central Florida are known giant killers. They’re tougher games than you give them credit for.

    And I still don’t understand your point about playing non-conference rivals each year. Makes no sense! They still have to play them, don’t they? Which Big 12 team wouldn’t kill to have Florida State or GA Tech on the out of conference schedule every year (and don’t forget South Carolina, who plays Clemson every year)? And, what you fail to point out is that OU and Texas only play one major conference opponent per year. It’s not like they’re playing Miami, UCLA, Oregon and BYU in the same year every year. They’re playing one of them, and then padding the rest of the schedule with cupcakes.

    Plus, Florida doesn’t get the luxury of playing Baylor, Texas A&M, Iowa State and Kansas State every year. Florida plays LSU, Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn,and Georgia. Every now and then they’ll get Ole Miss, South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt, which are teams that can beat anyone at any time (Don’t forget that Vandy made it to a bowl last year).

    There is a reason the SEC has won 5 BCS National Championships in 11 years. Oh, and lets look at the out of conference teams they beat in those games, shall we?

    1999 – Tennessee beat Fl State
    2003 – LSU beat Oklahoma
    2007 – Florida beat Ohio State
    2008 – LSU beat Ohio Stae
    2009 – Florida beat Oklahoma

    In the only non-conference schedule that really matters, the SEC dominates the competition! You can’t argue with that, brother!

  • Darius T

    Steve, you apparently don’t know much about the Big 12, but OU doesn’t play Iowa State or Kansas State every year. Furthermore, K-State until recently was a top 20 team every single year. When was that true of Vandy or Ole Miss or South Carolina??? You might want to actually follow college football before you defend a particular conference.

  • Darius T

    Hmm, Chris, it seems that both you and Steve have lost sight of my original point: that the SEC, unlike all other conferences, does everything it can to generally pad its schedule with easy teams. We’re not debating which conference has been the best in the last 5 years on average. That debate has been settled elsewhere.

  • Steve Hayes

    Darius,

    You got me, man. Despite the enormous weight of facts and figures that I’ve rained down on your weak arguments, I am only a marginal college football fan. The big 12 is awesome, and their nonconference scheduling is vastly superior to the SEC. I’m going to go home and cry now. I just hope I don’t get any tears on all of my conference’s crystal footballs.

    Replace Iowa State with Colorado, and realize that K-State hasn’t been good for the past 5 years. I’m done with this argument. The only numbers that count are 5 and 2. That’s the number of titles our respective conferences boast. By the way… My number’s bigger.

  • Steve Hayes

    Darius,

    Once again you show a terrible penchant for weak argumentation. Since 1936, both the big 12 teams and the SEC teams have 16 National Titles. And this only credits Alabama with 6 Titles (many claim they actually have 12). Do you check this stuff out before you make these outlandish claims?

    So, in short, I’d love to compare!

  • Nathan

    It seems we just did this last year. Oh yeah, we did. Let’s cut to the chase and say that the Big 12 and the SEC are the two best conferences. And I will grant that the SEC has had the upper hand in the last 5+ years. But, let’s not get too hyped until the end of the year or at least until we get through non-conference scheduling and see where everything pans out.

    And, for the record, 2009 has the Big 12 up because OK St kicked Georgia’s butt.

  • TB

    Is this a good OOC schedule?:
    (And if anyone cares: 4-0 against the SEC during these years)
    1998 Purdue, San Diego St., at Florida St., Notre Dame
    1999 Hawaii, San Diego St., at Notre Dame, LA Tech (How ’bout that, Denny!)
    2000 Penn St., Colorado, San Diego St., Notre Dame
    2001 San Jose St., Kansas St., at Notre Dame
    2002 Auburn, at Colorado, at Kansas St., at Notre Dame
    2003 At Auburn, BYU, Hawaii, at Notre Dame
    2004 VA Tech, Colorado St., at BYU, Notre Dame
    2005 at Hawaii, at Arkansas, Fresno St., at Notre Dame
    2006 at Arkansas, Nebraska, Notre Dame
    2007 Idaho, at Nebraska, at Notre Dame
    2008 at Virginia, Ohio St., Notre Dame

  • Steve Hayes

    Nathan,

    No argument here. No doubt we’re talking about the best two conferences. And, yes, Okie St beat up on UGA. That said, I’m pretty sure the SEC is in the drivers seat for another shot at the championship (a 4th consecutive title).

    And, yes, TB, that’s an impressive non-conference line up. It’s more impressive than their conference schedule!

  • Darius T

    Oh, burn, Steve, burn. If I disdain anything more than the puffed up SEC, it’s the Pac-10 wannabes. It’s been at least 15 years since they were not overrated. One good team and a bunch of posers.

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