Adios, muchachos

Five months have gone by since my last post here, and I am acutely aware that this project has run it's course for now. I have neither the time, energy, interest nor desire at this stage of my life to continue this fun little corner of cyberspace. I will not stop following and watching ACC football, but for now I am done blogging about it.

If work and life obligations become less intensive in the future, I will certainly fire this baby back up again. But for now, I bid you farewell.

I sure hope I can snag a ticket to the ACC Championship Game...

...that is, if it's still being held. I could've sworn I read a number of articles last year that stated the game was to take place right here in my backyard in Tampa. There are scattered reports out there indicating this is still the case.

But you wouldn't know it driving around town, reading a newspaper, watching the news, or listening to the radio throughout the Bay area. If it's possible for there to be anti-publicity for an event, then that's exactly what's happening with the ACC Championship Game in Tampa this year.

I noticed this a few weeks ago and got a little concerned. My concern intensified this past weekend after the less-than-sexy-but-nonetheless-just rematch of Boston College and Virginia Tech was solidified. Now, it's two freakin' days from the game and I've seen more hype and promotion around town for dental seminars at the convention center than I've seen for this event.

I don't know where the fault ultimately lies, but the city of Tampa and the ACC won't have a single solitary defense when 32k show up for the ACC's crown jewel football event held in a metro area of 3 million people.

As for me, I'm looking forward to getting lower bowl seats at the 50-yd line for pocket change on Saturday morning.

Quite possibly the stupidest Top 25 of all time

CFN fellates Tebow, Florida, and the SEC something fierce.

Guys, nobody in Baton Rouge would even have the stones to say that LSU is the 12th best team, or playing the 12th best, or whatever cockamamie criteria Fiutak & Co. are concocting to prop up the SEC. It's just idiotic.

Missouri #9 after squeaking past Baylor? Georgia #10? South Carolina #14? Virginia #18?

Maybe they're just being intentionally provocative or outright insane in order to get goobers like me to link to their site and ratchet up the hit count. Whatever. CFN sucks today.

What in the name of John W. Heisman...?

Georgia Tech 10, Gardner-Webb 7...early 4th quarter

Box score says that Calvin Booker is QB for the Jackets...and is highly ineffective. How 'bout a little Josh Nesbitt or Jaybo Shaw? I know they're both a bit banged up but this is a catastrophe-in-the-making and some serious relief is needed. And how is Jonathan Dwyer only rushing for 2.1 yards per carry against an average 1-AA/FCS squad?

College Football 2008 Exemplified

Virginia 31, Maryland 0.

Whiskey - Tango - Foxtrot?

There isn't a single living organism on this planet who would've predicted such an outcome... maybe a UVA upset in the craziest of circumstances, but 31-0?

More thoughts on this weekend's games on Monday. I'm still trying to process today's overall weirdness.

15 Laterals

All-around wackiness that only Division III football can provide...

I Immediately Regret These Decisions

"I could be wrong, but I believe 'diversity' is an old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War era." - Ron Burgundy

It's that kind of pompous, bad-game-show intellect that apparently led to some of my previews and predictions for this weekend. I sensed that an upset or two was in the works, but I certainly chose poorly in picking which contests would result in said upsets. To wit...

Prediction: The first milestone of the Tom O'Brien Era. I'm either a genius or a fool with this pick. N.C. State 24, Clemson 21

Clemson 42, N.C. State 20. I'm a damned fool. Clemson owned the Pack all day long. Maybe these Tigers are different. After an inexplicable absence last week, Davis and Spiller were brutal today. And this Cullen Harper chap is unflappable.

And...

Prediction: This is not another run-of-the-mill 7-5er from Chan Gailey. Georgia Tech 30, Virginia 16

Virginia 28, Georgia Tech 23. This is sooooo another 7-5er from Chan, and if it does end up that way, it's time to show him the door. Everything was laid out perfectly for the Jackets this year, yet he can't even make it to October without cacking away the entire season. And damn you Cavs for that crapfest at Wyoming three weeks ago.

And...

Prediction: I'm not all that impressed with the Aggies yet, but Miami is too much of a work-in-progress, and they simply don't have the firepower to win even a quasi-shootout if that's what it comes down to. If A&M scores more than 21, it's over. Texas A&M 24, Miami 17

Miami 34, Texas A&M 17. At least my reasoning wasn't all that bad, except for the whole Miami doesn't have enough firepower part. And that it's over if A&M scores more than 21. But I was right to be unimpressed by the Aggies.


Mmmm...this crow is delicious, but it is filling.

No Good!

Just another typical day in ACC Referee Wonderland.

Friggin idiots.

Duke 20, Northwestern 14

Break out the bubbly, Blue Devil football fans. Both of you. 'Tis a night to remember.


ACC roadkill defeats Big Ten doormat! Slap hands!

Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32

Upset of the decade. Perhaps THE upset of my lifetime (1973-present). What happened in Ann Arbor today just isn't supposed to happen. It's practically the equivalent of the Durham Bulls sweeping a three-game series from the Detroit Tigers. The difference between the depth of the teams, the overall talent level, resources, etc. is so vast that you would half-expect a good portion of the Mountaineer squad requiring hospitalization after the game.

Sure, Appy State is the two-time defending 1-AA national champ. But just nine months ago Michigan was within a few tenths of a point in the BCS standings from playing for the unofficial 1-A national championship. The Wolverines return a good portion of that squad this year. It's MICHIGAN for the love of God. And old Blue simply just got outplayed and supremely outcoached (excepting the grotesque clock-mismanagement by ASU at the end).

Look at it this way...Appalachian State was the defending 1-AA national champ last year as well, went to N.C. State in the season opener and got run over 23-10 by a 3-9 Wolfpack team that didn't play all that well in that game, and had a bumbling coaching staff to boot. ASU went on to drill everybody else that year to win another 1-AA title.

North Carolina and Maryland's openers this evening with 1-AA foes just got a lot more intriguing. If the Tar Heels and/or Terps come out flat, Butch and Fridge should just hang it up. There's no excuse for them to come out on any less than rampage-mode now.