Game Day Open Thread

Will Saban get to hold another one of these, this time while wearing Crimson?  He needs to beat his old team if he wants a chance this year.

While the showdown in T-town is the biggest game of the week . . . well, actually it's pretty much the only game this week.  Two years ago on LSU-Bama weekend, the C'est Bons were staying with us for the weekend.  Watching the game with Dick was not an experience Mrs. McHugh cared for (LSU won).  After, we went to Jim n' Nicks for supper, and not of word of football was uttered by anyone.  Last year, we were in the Smoky Mountains with the C'est Bons, plus the in-laws (Mr. and Mrs. Slade, Bama fans).  It made for an interesting afternoon, with the Slades and Mrs. McHugh watching upstairs, the C'est Bons downstairs, but each able to hear the others' cheers and boos.  When Bama finally won in overtime, we all went to dinner and, again, not a word of football was uttered.  This year, Mrs. McHugh has announced that she'll be watching with her Bama-lovin Daddy and no one else.  Together, they are the two most pessimistic Bama fans you'll ever meet.

Arky and SC will likely be a "good" game in that it matches two roughly equal teams: Arky O v. SC D = good football; SC O v. Arky D = mediocre football.  Also, the game doesn't really count for much, SC, though 2nd in the East, is already out of contention for winning the division, and at 6-3 is already bowl eligible.  Arky is actually in last place in the West and, at 4-4, they need two wins just to get bowl eligible.

East Champ Florida is playing the worst team in the SEC 2-7 (0-5 SEC) Vandy.  Already Vandy is out of contention for a bowl game.  Florida already clinched its division and is a 35-point favorite.  Unless Tebow gets another concussion, this is a snoozer.

While I guess UT-Memphis is some sort of cross-state rivalry, what sort of rivalry is it really when one team owns a lifetime 20-1 record over the other.  However, the last time these two teams met (2005), UT narrowly prevailed 20-16.  The '05 Tigers were 4-4 when they met the Vols and ended the year 7-5 with a MotorCity Bowl victory over Akron.  This year, Memphis is 2-6 and dead last in C-USA East.  After losing tomorrow, Memphis will lose any hope for going to a bowl this year.  Impress your friends by pointing out the Memphis coach (for now) Tommy West played for UT in the '70s. 

Miss State has the week off to get ready for its home date with Bama next week.

Everybody else decided it was I-AA week.  Auburn's playing Furman.  Georgia's playing Tennessee Tech.  Kentucky's playing Eastern Kentucky and Ole Miss is playing N. Arizona.  Since we're all a litlle unfamiliar with these teams, here's a little primer.

Furman is a 2,600 student liberal arts school in Greenville, SC, founded in 1826.  Their mascot is the Paladins and their color is purple.  They play in the Southern League, which includes some 1-AA powerhouses like App State, Georgia Southern, Elon and Wofford.  It also includes Samford and the Citadel.  Furman is 4-4 on the year.  Vandy's coach Bobby Johnson used to be the coach at Furman.  As Brock pointed out, Two-a-days star Max Lerner plays for Furman.

Tennessee Tech  is a public university of 8,200 students in Cookeville, TN.  I once had a TA from Cookeville who had the strongest country/southern accent I've heard this side of George Lindsey.  Their mascot is the Golden Eagles and their colors are purple and gold.  They play in the Ohio Valley Conference.  TTU's coach is Watson Brown (his website lists his phone number and e-mail, give him a call, find out how he's doing).  Watson Brown used to be the head coach at UAB and Vandy.  He is the brother of Texas' Mack Brown.  TTU is 5-3 this year.

Eastern Kentucky is also in the OVC.  It's a school of 15,000 students founded in 1906 and located in Richmond, Kentucky.  Their mascot is the Colonels and their colors are maroon and white.  Their head coach is Dean Hood.  The Colonels are 5-3 on the year.

Northern Arizona is a school of 17,000 founded in 1899 and located in Flagstaff, Arizona.  Their mascot is the Lumberjacks and their colors are blue and yellow (their unis look like West Virginia).  They play in the Big Sky Conference with I-AA powerhouse Montana, who beat Furman in the championship game in 2001, Bobby Johnson's last year at Furman before leaving for Vandy.  Their coach is Jerome Souers.  The Lumberjacks are 5-3 this year.