Better late than never, I guess. A quick pass at it this week because my battery can't handle 2 hours of posting in a row. Also, this episode is a little hard to watch with hindsight. Especially the selections.
Corso:
Climbs up on the high horse to knock teams running up the score.
Georgia's pressure will cause turnovers. The key won't just be how many times they sack Leak, but how much they hit him. (and I'm throwing up in my mouth).
Hints that he thinks Weis would leave for the right $$$. "Money talks."
Interesting fact: The Big XII has been on top of the BCS rankings twice as many weeks as any other conference.
Big XII not as bad as everybody says. I actually agree with this. I'll have a football wonk up tomorrow on this topic. Corso comes back to it too, focusing on the perception of others.
Florida has OL trouble because too much confusion in assignments. "Paralysis through analysis". I don't know what that means.
Predicts Florida to add a TE, maybe more RB blocking. Astute. Herbstreit kind of laughs at him.
Michigan's OL is as good as it gets. M. Hart, when healthy, is sensational. "Watch it on ESPN." Heh.
After Fowler points out how Texas had to come back big on OKState last year, Corso says "not this year, sweetheart." Heh. Predicts a big win and a stay at the top of the BCS. Wrong and wrong, and sort of lacking in knowledge of how the BCS works.
Only Texas will run the table.
"No one can tell me [USC] has a National Championship defense, especially the secondary." Bold-ish.
Georgia without Shockley isn't even in the top 10.
In re the BCS problems Herbstreit rants about: "once you're the president you don't have to give reasons." Stellar analysis.
They're not playing worth a crap on defense at Florida State. Then he picks them.
Can't spell Tereshinski.
Alabama football is tough, hardnosed, forcing turnovers football.
Thinks UCLA won't win out up to USC.
Struggles through his analysis of Joe T. Stumbling. Teleprompter issues, I hope.
Calls South Carolina close, at least.
#1 QB in the Big Ten is Michael Robinson
Game Changer: UGA Special teams. Corso Hex is in place. 2 missed FGs...
Reminds us how he picked Ohio State to win it all and that they still have a chance if like 8 teams lose twice more. Never give up!
Herbstreit:
Pumps fist and says "We Love It" when Fowler mentions SEC defense. Kind of a contrast to most coverage, I'd say.
Suggests that closing the margins in the human polls might be enough to get past Texas. You know Texas was #1 at the time.
Knocks Okla. State's D and expects UT to roll.
Best game of the day is Michigan and Northwestern.
Scoop Herbstreit, Junior Cub reporter pulls the news out on the Weis extension. Says Weis has been committed to ND "since day one". So, uhh, why does he need a mid-season extension? "He will be at ND for 10 years, which helps recruiting". Again, with the recruiting news on Gameday. Claims Weis there for 10 years will bring stability, recruits, take them to a level that they're accustomed to having. (If I were a dick, which I am, I'd say ND for the last decade has been accustomed to mediocrity...). Mentions how committed Weis is, like 8 times.
In describing the Big XII and "why they're down" he hits on a good point: if the teams moronic big media turds think should be good aren't, the perception is that the conference is bad. Compares it to the SEC - if Florida, Tenn and UGA were all bad in the same year... This I think is the lazy thinking of so many national writers (Mandel). Then Herbstreit says he agrees in this instance - that the Big XII really is down. Blames it on a lack of offensive skill (aside from Young and Klatt). Uhh... dude, Texas Tech like, leads the nation in offense. Fowler chimes in with Cody Hodges and Brad Smith and Reggie McNeal.
Kansas State has fallen off the map.
Calls Corso "LC". Fowler laughs (as do I).
The Big East and the Big XII North should play in the same conference. "Awful outside of Colorado."
"If Texas played in the SEC, they'd play five teams better than [Texas Tech]. " WHOA. That's bold right there. I'm not sure even I'd say that, and I'm a huge SEC homer.
In re Michigan-NW: "Oh, you've gotta watch it. 7:00 eastern, should be a good one." Heh. NW wins. "Purple not so fast" He gets sensitive when Fowler calls him on his OSU ties. I get the feeling like they're more self-recognizing today.
"Reggie Bush had another one of those moments last week and he'll have a lot more today." Last week Bush didn't have all that great a game, just one good return, really. But Kirk just projected it like he did. Narrative in place.
FINALLY! Herbstreit goes off on a rant about how the system screws undefeated #3 teams. But he says another game would solve it (it wouldn't necessarily). But he does say they need to settle it on the field. "It's not working." A good start.
Reasonable comments on Tuberville. Excellent in contrast to Fowler.
Texas and USC have separated themselves from VT because VT hasn't played a quality schedule yet. (VT has played a tougher schedule than USC by just about every SOS system). "The jury is out on VT. The jury is out on Marcus Vick. Until they play Miami..." Same BS they said on the Sports Reporters last week. Just garbage.
Can spell Tereshinski. Such important analysis.
Florida's D is athletic and opportunistic.
Don't underestimate Tereshinski because he has family at Georgia.
Thought about a South Carolina upset...
Minnesota can't line up and run at OSU. Need to throw.
Game Changer: Brett Basanez (and calls Corso LC again)
Seems like Corso and Herbstreit both thought Missouri was playing Colorado this week. C'mon guys. 90 Minutes a week, that's all we ask. Herbstreit cracks up once he realizes it.
Knocks Missouri after picking them. Mandelization.
Fowler:
Ga-Fla is one of the great rivalries in CFB. Repeats the "Georgia always wins Friday" line. I like that.
Lists the litany of stars in the SEC that are injured. An interesting point missing from most columns.
"We all know the controversy is between 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the BCS". Not sure what he's getting at here. If he's saying USC is a sure thing (they weren't #1 at the time), I don't get it. If he's saying the key is teams getting screwed at those positions, I hear him. I think he means the latter.
States a truth: that for VT or someone else to close the gap, voters do have to move down UT or USC.
Takes no real side the Fisher DeBerry thing. Nobody else does either.
Never seen a conference dominated like Texas has this year, not even FSU in early ACC days (I disagree with that, big time).
Reasons Florida's O hasn't worked: Leak, OL, Defenses. I'd reverse the order. He mentions Ds again.
Meyer at Utah was "best I've ever seen in the red zone"
Brett Basanez is a tough guy. More passing yards than Matt Leinart. really? Didn't know that.
Lloyd Carr "isn't really expecting to stop Brett Basanez". I hate those kind of lines. Of course Carr wants to stop him, and they are going to try to.
Nice shoutout to the WSU flag.
In re the BCS: UGA, Alabama, etc need one of the top 2 teams to lose because "that's how it's playing out right now." IT'S PLAYING OUT LIKE THAT BECAUSE PEOPLE LISTEN TO YOU AND YOU'VE BEEN SAYING THAT ALL YEAR.
In re Tuberville's comments: (this probably deserves its own post). First off, he says Auburn was wrongly denied by the unfair system. Then he takes a very snide POV toward TT's comments, shrugging them off like "hey, we don't do anything, we cover everyone fairly, nobody pays attention to us anyway, voters shouldn't listen to us." This is at best, misguided and dim. I actually think it's total BS. Gameday sells itself as the voice of college football. They know that they affect things. They know that voters can't watch 50+ games each weekend, so they're reliant on ESPN's coverage. They know this. To act otherwise should be beneath them, but apparently it isn't. Mock it like it's a "conspiracy theory"? Fowler. You're part of the problem, and when you start admitting it, and treat your job as gatekeeper more professionally, everything will be better off.
Which one is Sparky?
Calls UGA's defense "no-name". It only is because you haven't covered them. "They lost a lot of big names on D." I have such a low opinion of national media guys. It's just laziness.
He said UCLA had never won in the Bay Area. That can't be right can it? He must've messed that up somehow. Maybe he meant just Maurice Drew hadn't, but he said "the Bruins".
Praises UCLA for not going to lingerie parties like USC. But they talked about the Victoria's Secret thing as if it were good a while back... It's like they change positions...
Fowler can name lots of Polish quarterbacks.
Richt might be prone to get conservative with Joe Tereshinski.
Also hints at a South Carolina win. They're either on to something or they just like Spurrier.
Game Changer: Brad Smith
"There are certain days when I am glad we have a screen behind us. Today is one of them." And that, for those of you who have never been, is Georgia-Florida.
Howard:
SEC has "Black athletes" unlike the MWC. Leak getting hit too much. Blames the OL. Time to stop learning, start knowing.
USC will ruin UCLA's season.
Maurice Drew "has more cuts than a VS-1 princess cut diamond ring" (I think that's what he was trying to say). OK.
May:
Thinks USC, Texas and VT will all run the table.
Gets sore as fuggg at Corso for knocking USC. Pulls a Stephen A. Smith screaming and talking fast as hell. Herbstreit tells him to calm down.
Holtz: absent
Miscellaneous:
"Tailgate Cam" seems new.
Game Face is lame as usual.
The spelling bee segment was the worst of the year. Worse than Lachey singing Hail to the Victors.
Looks like the loudest crowd so far this year according to the Energizer Fan Meter. And the first time in SEC country... Coincidence?
I like the little graphic at the bottom that says "Coming Up: Why Florida will Beat Georgia"... and then everyone picks Georgia.
I know this was kind of an ornery recap. Hard to watch again having seen the actual game.
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