CURIOUS INDEX, 10/26/09

You have to wonder if, in the SEC at least, some signs of stronger defense are simply the symptoms of coaches anticipating stronger defenses. That is to say, coaches are excessively conservative when facing certain squads, and this conservatism is a self-fulfilling prophecy that results in fewer offensive yards. Not to say that the UF, UT and Bama defenses aren’t good. But perhaps the conservative play-calling they see is artificially inflating their numbers.

Then again … go gatah

Big 12 North Fever: Catch It Like H1N1.

Kudos for the “Po-Pimpin” reference and its pretty obvious that no one in the Big XII North wants to ride in the backseat of a caddie to be systematically slaughtered by Texas one five yard hitch at a time.

Thanks, Orson. That video will left me in a depressed daze. Look at the option! Look at the slants! Look at the vertical (and percy-less) passing game! Look at the lack of the DIVE DIVE DIVE.

Addazzio, you really are a wicked genius. Who else could ruin something so beautiful?

The real question for the Big XII Championship Game is whether we get another 70-3 special like that VY-led Horns squad put on the Buffaloes like it was a mere formality. Texas’ offense seems to be lacking against non-patsies, but every damned team up North is tasty cupcake goodness.

I’ll just go ahead and say it….That ball came out before he reached the goal line. Which means the SEC officials blew another call.

anyone who thought the ending of the AL-TN game was anything less than seat-cushion-clenched-by-butt exciting is not a CFB fan or dead

Oh, the end was spectacular. What led up to it was mind-numbing.

The game theory equilibrium doesn’t work, since it assumes that utilities would stay static throughout a game, and that’s not in any way true. It might be true in any given game, but game theory would also take into account change over time. There’s not some inevitable equilibrium that holds game theory together either. If one side decides that the game has failed (not that they have failed, but the game itself has failed), they are free to make a new game. Equilibriums are not the be-all-end-all of game theory.

In actual football world, it comes down to confidence in your players and a recognition that imagination is in fact necessary. In Florida’s case, I suspect the problem is that the young wideouts aren’t yet there in terms of blocking, which means Urbs is keeping them off the field (and it’s a fact that the running game is entirely based on proper blocking from WRs, watch the next time a team attempts a bubble screen or a sweep and sees it get blown up because some pussy WR waves at the block ala Jeff Reed). But it might be time to say fuck it and put them out there only on passing plays, because we run 5 wide and I can’t even begin to think of who the hell is in that formation.

@6, the ball was definitely out; the thing saving Doe (and Florida) is that there wasn’t a camera on the goal line, preventing indisputable video evidence. You could guess (and be right) from the original replays that the ball was out, but you couldn’t be 100% sure that the tip of that ball didn’t reach the line first. Replay didn’t fail in this case, it was the video that failed.

4: You’re missing the sublties of Addazzio’s offense. It’s not just “DIVE DIVE DIVE.” It’s trips right, z-over dive, followed by 5-wide, x-liz dive, followed by unballanced dive. Very subtle.

(Seriously, what’s up with the unballanced formation? Is there any justification for it in the passing game? I mean, just having the receiver on the left take a step forward and one of the receivers on the right take a step back isn’t going to kill a pass play, especially because it would make all of the receivers eligible. Why not just bring a poster to the game that says “RUN PLAY” so that the fans at home can keep up with the other team’s defensive coaches?)

On the other hand, at least we’re not Tennessee. I’m not saying given what they’ve seen recently, losing closely isn’t an improvement. But that’s when your coach is trying to win. Kiffin conceded the game against Florida down 10 in the 4th Q with 8 minutes to go. And he did the same thing Saturday. He said he was afraid he’d get a sack or a penalty or a turnover. But so what? You were already out of FG range. Kiffin would rather have the CBS shot showing them trying a FG to that could win the game except that his kicker can’t make it, than an actual shot at winning. What. A. Loser.

I thought football game theory held that the offense should always come out on top eventually, not that equal teams grind to a halt.

And if Florida or Alabama lose this year, it means that defense does not win college football games.

Except maybe in the championship game, where the teams should probably just have the defenses line up against each other and do a battledance to decide the winner.

It doesn’t take indisputable video evidence to see that our refs suck dick hard.

As a Bama fan, the game on Saturday was one of the most gut-wrenching games I’ve ever had to sit through…More than Florida last year, more than our loss to LSU at home a couple years ago when we were both undefeated. I felt tired afterward.

My girlfriend had to leave the room during the last 2 minutes because I was about to commit harakiri all over our new couch.

@6

I don’t think any Gator fans will deny that. At least the ones who went to UF/aren’t Gator fans because they grew up in Palatka.

Did everyone see Tebow puss out when the defender ran his interception in for a touchdown? Not even a token attempt. Come on!

Also, USC over UC in the BCS? They have one common opponent (Oregon State) and the Bearcats beat them by a larger margin at Oregon State. Oh, and USC has one loss while the Bearcats have none.

Of course the end of the UT-Bama game was exciting, but I watched with pure faith in the idea that in no way would my world make sense, or could my life go on, if Crompton and Kiffin had really beaten Bama.
And anyone else expecting UGA to come out like meth-crazed freaks and seriously challenge Florida?

Looks like the essss eeee ceeeee has finally caught up with the times. The spread is out and 3-2 final scores are all the rage!

I fully expect UGA to put up a fight and would only be marginally suprised should they pull out the victory. I’m also very pleased with LSU performance against Auburn and I’m thinking 10 wins is not out of the realm of possibilities for LSU. That is all.

It’s not good football, because good football at least involves some element of a chess match, not just two poker players checking endlessly against each other. Example? Why, last year’s SEC championship game, for example.

Good football doesn’t even require two great teams. Example: USF-Kansas 2008. Two decent teams playing well, limiting mistakes, and making adjustments as the game went on. One of the best games of 2008, and all it took was a little bit of heads-up coaching and some solid execution.

UGA may come out crazed, but the SEC refs will make sure that Florida wins. Obviously someone at UF has pictures of the referees naked with farm animals. Even the replay guys.

Kiffin is an idiot. Any coach relying on a kicker that came up short from 47 yards, and had a previous attempt blocked, try from 44 yards instead of trying to get closer or get a TD should be banned from coaching. Al Davis is old and feeble minded, but he may have known something.

As someone else mentioned, there was no good angle on the fumble. I still don’t know whether he fumbled or not. But even allowing that they blew the call, Mississippi State’s offense had about as much chance of scoring as a JV team’s against the Florida defense.

UF 2008 was The Departed. Eminently rewatchable; a perfect mix of breezy humor and sudden violence. Definite saved status on the DVR.

UF 2009 is Antichrist. Something important might be happening, but I think I’m missing it while curled in the fetal position whimpering. I get the feeling that when it’s all over—no matter how it ends—I’ll never want to watch it again.

1. - with two camera angles and high school trig it is provable.

25 – This is college, dammit. We have no use for high school trig!

He fumbled. Maybe that’s disputable, but what’s indisputable is that he “called attention to himself” and “taunted his opponents” or, indeed!, acted in an unsportsmanlike manner in the process of “scoring” his “touchdown.”

Of course, the SEC has a handle on this issue now and it won’t be a problem for teams in the SEC [which are contending for the national title].

Crabapple, as you probably already know, techies run the referee ship in the SEC because, you know, that makes a hell of a lot of sense.

Kevin and Shane, while I’d like to think what you say has some kernel of possibility, I’ve watched too much of Georgia this year to hope.

Biggus-

This Bulldog agrees. We are 1-2 years away from decent to good quarterbacking, provided Tyler Russell pans out to be as good as Mullen sez he is.

At least we scored 6 points, which is better than LSD did. Mullen has stated that Banks could potentially be our best WR if he decides to move him there from FS. But, it’s hard to argue when a true FR has 4 INTs in his first two games he has started.

i’ll see your big 12 north and raise you the acc atlantic.

the acc atlantic: where maryland’s still got a chance. no, really.

What? No mention of the no-call on Bama’s punter flexing his muscles on the way to the sideline after “taking one for the team”?

@29 – good point. There is NOTHING worse than ACC football. Wait, one thing’s worse. The east coast effect which makes us have to take them seriously for the first half of the year, even though they’re awful. That’s worse.

@31 I’m loving this hatred for the east coast that has popped up over the last few days. Luckily, as much as I hate baseball, it serves its purpose of holding the east coast’s attention long enough for college football to be enjoyed by everyone else.

zzgator -

We were watching the game in a bar full of Bama fans, and when that happened, the whole place dissolved into laughter. I’m sure PJ Fitzgerald is thrilled that made it onto TV. As for it being a “no call,” he was already over on the sideline when he did it (or at least when they showed it on TV), so I doubt the referees were paying any attention to him.

All the laughing Bama fans (myself included) sobered up pretty quickly though when Mark Ingram fumbled shortly thereafter.

The Fumble call was wierd because the only angle ESPN had was 34 degree one, thus from one angle he looked in while from the reverse he appeared to be clearly out- an overhead would have made it obvious one way or the other.