Some More Disagreements. And the Odd Agreement or Two.

Which is more impressive -- New England at 9-0 or Miami/St. Louis at 0-8?
Abram: I think if you use the word "impressive," it has to be the Pats. But if you're asking which one I am enjoying more, the answer is unequivocally Miami and St. Louis. I do feel a little bit bad about the Dolphins, as the wheels have clearly come off that once-proud franchise since the Sabanator left 10 months ago. But it's really fun to watch the Rams lose. Why would a human being take greater pleasure in two teams' pain than in one team's success? It's called Schadenfreude (forgive the World of Warcraft graphics. The song is what's important).

Jeff: There's an NFL saying that goes "any given Sunday..." They never say how that saying ends, but I imagine it has to do with parity in football. It is really hard to lose every game. Really hard. That two teams have lost every game this season is pretty difficult to do in a game where you've got a fifty-fifty chance at winning any game. I just hope the Rams losing streak continues one more week, although by the end of the season they may be the most dangerous 1-15 team in NFL history.


Which is your favorite Okie State comeback?
Abram: It has to be 2004, simply because it was my last home game as a student. In fact, as I recall you said you were leaving at halftime if we didn't score before the 2nd quarter ended to cut it to 35-14. Thankfully, we did. Otherwise you would have missed the greatest comeback ever, and I would have had to walk home by myself because I'll be damned if I was leaving my last game early and you're just weaselly enough to actually leave me there alone. The other reason that one was my favorite is that The Longhorns played easily the most perfect half of football I've seen in a long time in the second half of that one. I love the now-legendary halftime speech when Mack Brown told the team, "Longhorn pride is gonna make this sucker 42-35" and he had to apologize to them later because they actually made it 56-35. Also, I saw zero plays of this year's contest because I was at the LSU-Alabama game.

Jeff: Abram is going to say 2004. It was his final game, I said just before halftime that I'd leave if we didn't score on the final drive to make it 35-14 (we did), and it was the first time I'd ever been at a game where you knew your team was going to win down 35-21. But the real answer is 2005 for one reason. Down 28-12, VY had his 80 yard touchdown run. The most amazing part is that he did it in something like 34 steps...total. VY ended with 500 yards of total offense as Texas ran away with the win. I love that game because if there is any game that sums up VY (and any play other than 4th and 18) it is that one.


Who's your #2 on January 8th?
Abram: What a ridiculous question. Who's coming up with these? Us? Look, who knows? I guess I will make the prediction based on the following set of assumptions: 1. LSU wins out and actually comes up with a couple of blowouts in the process. 2. Ohio State wins out. 3. Oregon wins out (safest assumption so far). 4. OU or Mizzou beats Kansas. If all 4 of those things happens (and I'm sure that at least one of them will not), then I'd say the number 2 at the end of the bowl season will be Oregon. LSU would not have much problem with Ohio State, and Oregon would slip past the Buckeyes easily into the 2 spot assuming they beat (insert team here) in the Rose Bowl.

Jeff: Can I say Texas? No, probably not. I don't think it'll be LSU (who could easily have 4 losses right now), OU sucks, KU probably won't beat OU and Mizzou, and Mizzou is Mizzou. The answer, therefore, is Oregon.


Who will be awarded the Heisman?
Abram: I don't care. Dennis Dixon? Yeah, I think it'll be Dixon. He's good.

Jeff: Vince retroactively. Screw the Heisman. Seriously. Since somebody has to get it I'll say Ray Rice.


Bill Belichick is an ass: agree or agree strongly?
Abram: I strongly, strongly agree. I will point to one particular example that points to the overall issue. Last weekend, his Patriots blew the Redskins away and there was some hand-wringing on television about whether Belichick was running up the score. In his postgame press conference, Belichick managed to pull off what seemed impossible: he made my stomach churn while saying something I agreed with. When it comes to the running up the score in the NFL, what exactly is he supposed to do? The defensive players are paid a lot of money to keep the score low--the offensive players are paid to keep it high. If he kicks a field goal? "You're humiliating them!" If he kneels it? "You're humiliating them!" If he runs it right up the middle, begging the D to stop it, and they instead allow a touchdown? "You're humiliating them!" The fact is, he's in an uncomfortable position because there is no good option. The only thing I took issue with was the way the Pats were still celebrating after TDs late in the game. Grow up. BUT: as Belichick answered the question about whether he was running up the score by putting it in the endzone, and he gave the exact right answer ("what do you want me to do? Kick a field goal?"). But the way he said it showed a portal to an empty and terrible soul. Showing a little humanity by way of one sentence would have been fine. Something like: "Well, it's a tough situation because you're kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't." But the man had utter contempt in his voice for no reason. That's kind of why I think he's an ass.

Jeff: Up 77-0 against Texas A&M, Bob Stoops got the ball back midway through the 4th quarter deep in Aggy territory. What did Bob do? He ran it. Four straight downs. Dives. Up the middle. That is what you do up big to avoid running up the score. You score a touchdown then your opponent deserved it. What did Belichik do? He threw it, and threw it, and threw it. He is an ass. Screw him.


The Hornets are 3-0. Do you care?
Abram: The short answer: nope. The slightly longer answer: I care more than I would if, say, the Timberwolves were 3-0. Are they? I don't know. I like the Hornest as much as any NBA team--I just can't care much about a league that the players don't care about either.

Jeff: The Hornets are doing a really good job of selling their product to New Orleans. The Hornets are doing a really good job of trying to be a part of the community. The problem is that nobody cares about basketball. You could fill the New Orleans Arena twice with all the people on the Saints season ticket WAITING LIST, but you can't get 10,000 people in the Arena for a Hornets game. This is a city that sells out Arena Football games...it is football crazy. But the NBA generally sucks, so nobody cares. Except me. I care. Go Hornets!

Some Disagreements

As you can tell if you read this blog often, the two of us agree on a lot of stuff--hence the frequent use of the term "we." However, there are things about which we disagree. We will post about these things approximately whenever we feel like it.


What is your early-season opinion of West Virginia?

Abram: I honestly don't know what to think. Obviously, Slaton has a lot of speed and ability. Freshman Noel Devine looked superb against Maryland and he will likely be a special back in the next couple of years as well. And Pat White is a smart quarterback who is fun to watch. I guess my problem is, it's tough to really know how good the Mountaineers are because they literally don't play a single team that I believe is a legit Top Ten squad. Rutgers, Louisville, and South Florida, you say? Please. USF may be the best team among those three. UL has no defense at all and Rutgers is just as unproven as WVU. The fact remains that this team was unimpressive against Marshall and I just don't think they could stay on the field with the likes of LSU, Oklahoma, USC, Florida--and possibly even Texas--in a big game. Therein lies my main issue with West Virginia: I would hate to see them undefeated and playing for the national championship over any of those other teams should they have one loss. A no-loss Mountaineers team would be, in my opinion, the best argument yet for a playoff system. They deserve a shot, but ought to have to prove they belong before just being handed a spot in the championship game.


Jeff: Why are we trying to create controversy after week three? Usually these things work themselves out. Plus, wasn't a no-loss Auburn a good case for a playoff? I'm not sure I'd take West Virginia to go undefeated this season, but they are the team that I would HATE to see in a bowl game. Between Pat White, Steve Slaton and now Noel Devine, this team has more offensive speed than any team in the country. Steve Slaton is my early favorite for Heisman, and they present match up problems for just about every team in the country. If the Mountaineers are turning it over or the offense is out of rhythm, they may drop a game or two this season. If they go undefeated they'll have a good shot at winning a championship.


How would Appalachian State fare in D-I?

Abram: I honestly believe that Notre Dame is the worst of the 3 teams Michigan has played thus far. In 10 meetings, Appy State beats ND 6 or 7 times. Yes, they are I-AA. Yes, they have fewer scholarship players. But these guys are fast! Did you see any of the highlights of the Michigan game? Michigan's secondary couldn't catch ASU skill players with 1- and 2-yard head starts. That likely speaks also to how slow Michigan is, BUT: Notre Dame is equally slow, if not more so. I think Appy State would finish no worse than the middle of the pack in most BCS conferences, and would win several non-BCS I-A conferences. This is a better team than, say, Arkansas State.

Jeff: No, Appy State is still Appy State. They may be better than two-thirds of D-I teams, but according to the power rankings list that I checked, that makes them equal with...Central Florida. Hmmm...I may need to go back to the tape and take a look at them again. I'd say New Orleans Bowl contender in I-A

How do you feel about the Transformers Movie?

Abram: The Transformers Movie is a movie about a cube, from outer space, that can turn any device into a Transformer. One of the main characters is a truck named Optimus Prime. This is a movie with such an insanely ridiculous premise that it simply doesn't matter whether the military component of the plot has any semblance of accuracy.

Jeff: We are just going to have to agree to...agree. What a crappy movie. Not only did the Transformers plot line make zero sense, the American response makes no sense. The V-22 Osprey blows up in the beginning of the movie, which is just about the only realistic thing in the whole damn thing. The acting was awful, and the Transformers were nothing like I'd imagined in my dreams. I saw a bit less believable version of Transformers when I thought about this film, and that is not was I got.