SOME COLLEGE FOOTBALL THOUGHTS

-USC's victories over Ohio State and Virginia are looking less and less impressive considering how bad those programs are playing right now. Everybody wants to annoint USC as the clear #1 and they couldn't be more wrong. USC will go as far as QB Mark Sanchez takes them and this should bode well for the Trojans but I still think a SEC team like Georgia or LSU could beat them on an even playing field.

-Speaking of Georgia, you have to be more than impressed with their performance last night in Tempe. They destroyed a supposedly strong PAC-10 team in Arizona State with an offense that put up over 450 total yards on offense despite their offensive line starting a bunch of non-starters including two freshmen and a sophomore. Knowshon Moreno vaulted himself back to the top of Heisman conversation with a spectacular performance in front of a primetime national audience.

This weekend they will break out the black uniforms for Alabama in what should be another big game in Athens with the College Gameday crew showing up. If Georgia lays it on Alabama then I believe a lot of the voters will rethink their vote of USC as #1.

-Javon Ringer of Michigan State looked like the Heisman Trophy winner yesterday by pounding the ball 39 times for over 200 yards rushing on Notre Dame. Unfortunately for Ringer this will be his highest rating for the Heisman all season. The Spartans are notorious for fading big time after wins against the Irish and yesterday they managed to ride Ringer to a victory but in the process put a lot of wear and tear on their best player. Without Ringer the Spartans are just an average to bad team nationally. With that being said if the Spartans win 9 games or more this season then it will be because of Ringer and he should be a finalist for the award.

-Speaking of the Irish I can't ever remember taking a loss in stride as well as I did yesterday. As a fan I can be irrational a lot when it comes to Notre Dame football and want to blame coaches or players or officials for a loss. Yesterday I thought the Irish came out with a horrible gameplan of trying to run the ball when their strength is Jimmy Clausen's arm but they could have easily won yesterday's game without the turnovers. Turning it over twice in the red zone will almost always result in a loss (ask Phil Fulmer)and if the Irish can eliminate those mistakes then they should win the majority of their games. The future is bright with the Irish when the majority of their star players are either freshmen or sophomores. With that being said the Irish are still not close to being a top 25 team until both their offensive and defensive lines improve. This week against Purdue should be a good test to see if the coaching staff can make adjustments and capitalize on their strengths (secondary and passing game) instead of trying something that clearly isn't working (running game).

-Chase Daniel is the best quarterback in college right now. He is completing over 75% of his passes and is on pace for a 36 TD to 3 INT season. Those are Tom Brady type numbers. If you get the chance watch Mizzou because they might be the most entertaining team with future NFL stars like Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman catching bombs from Daniel.

-As much as I hate Nick Saban I have to admit he is doing a hell of a job at Alabama so far. BAMA rolled all over Arkansas and now might be the second best team in their division behind LSU. If they can beat Georgia this week then you have to consider BAMA a serious contender for a SEC Title this season. Saban has them playing discipline ball and it helps with an underrated senior QB in John Parker Wilson leading by example. I can't wait to see Julio Jones and A.J. Green battle it out for best freshman WR bragging rights in Athens this week.

-The beer of choice this weekend was Red Stripe. Hooray for beer.

"ALL THE WAY"-A CHICAGO CUBS TRIBUTE BY EDDIE VEDDER

Apparently "Loser" was already taken by Beck. Here are the lyrics from Eddie Vedder...

Don't let anyone say that it's just a game.
For I've seen other teams and it's never the same.
When you're born in Chicago, you're blessed and you're healed.
First time (every time!) you walk into Wrigley Field.

Our hero's wear pinstripes; hero's in blue.
They give us the chance to feel like hero's too.
Whether we'll win, and if we should lose,

We know someday we'll go all the way.
Yeah! Someday we'll go all the way.

We are one with the Cubs, with the Cubs we're in love.
Yeah hold our head high as the underdog.
We are not fair weather but foul weather fans!
We're like brothers in arms in the streets and the stands.

There's magic in the ivy and the old scoreboard.
The same one I stared at as a kid keeping score.
A world full of greed I could never want more.

Someday we'll go all the way.
Yeah! Someday we'll go all the way.

[Instrumental bridge]

And here's to the men and the legends we've known.
Teaching us faith and giving us hope.
United we stand and united we'll fall
Down to our knees the day we win it all.

Yeah Ernie Banks said, "Oh let's play two."
Or did he mean 200 years?
In the same ballpark, our diamond, our jewel.
The home of our joy and our tears.

Keeping traditions and wishes made new.
The place where our grandfathers' fathers they grew.
A spiritual feeling if I ever knew.
And if you ain't been I am sorry for you.

And when the day comes, when that last winning run,
And I'm crying and covered in beer.
I'll look to the sky and know I was right.

To think someday we'll go all the way,
Yeah! Someday we'll go all the way.

TRUE STORY: GEORGE BRETT SHAT ON HIMSELF

Hall of Famer George Brett is an American icon after telling this story. Anytime one can admit they Hershey creamed themselves while in a public place, notably the Bellagio Casino, deserves to have two plaques in the Hall of Fame in my book.

And yes, there will be a shirt made about this story. You can't let a legendary tale like this just slide down your leg and not let people know about it. It's just wrong people.

Video HT: WithLeather via Deadspin

WORDS OF WISDOM

"I do believe that this football team has faced one of the most difficult stretches that any team has had so far this season," he said of losses to three ranked teams. "I do think we are a better football team and now we need to build on it and show it."

These are the words of one Tyrone Willingham after Oklahoma dismantled Washington, a once proud football school, 55-14 to give Losingham a record of 11-28 overall since he arrived in 2005. It's time for the Huskies and the rest of the nation(I'm looking directly at the media on this one) to admit that Willingham is an average at best coach who rode the coat tails of one fluke Stanford season in which USC wasn't the power they are now to a Rose Bowl appearance and future millions which are unearned.

With a new AD hired it's only a matter of time before Willingham is shown the door but I wonder how the media will react to this one. Will it be a call of racism on Washington's part for firing or forcing a coach to resign who had yet to fill his contract in the fact that his program had progressively gotten worse in his tenure or will it be a confession where they admit they were wrong in their prior convictions that Willingham was a helpless pawn in the Notre Dame coaching debacle since Lou Holtz left?

I'm going to say neither. No one ever wants to admit one's guilt, especially on national television or print, and this will be conveniently sweeped under the rug without a knowledge that yes, Pat Forde, Stewart Mandel, The Wizard of Odds Blog, Collegefootballnews.com, and many other national media members and blogs are about as smart as Gary the Retard on The Howard Stern Show.

Perhaps one of them can be his new offensive coordinator when he gets another job he doesn't deserve. George Bush has first dibs apparently.

HEADLINE OF THE WEEK

Kuntz is scaring children with his shaved look...Michael Jackson approves this message.

Via WithLeather via IrishIllustrated

SPORTSCRACK TOP 10 CFB POLL

1. Georgia Bulldogs-Okay, I know I'm going to get some shit for putting Georgia this high from some of you but listen up. Georgia went on the road and beat a tough South Carolina team in a defensive battle. A win is a win in my book and I fully expect the Bulldogs to beat Arizona State convincingly this Saturday night on national television.

2. USC Trojans-The Trojans look good, actually great so far. They destroyed the Buckeyes last week and part of that has to do with QB Mark Sanchez. Sanchez is very poised and is light years ahead of JD Booty at this point in their careers. Whoever does their schedule deserves some serious props because they get a week off this week to mentally focus for Oregon State after all ready having a week off before the Ohio State game. Somehow they have another week off before the Notre Dame game too. Awesome.

3. Missouri Tigers-Chase Daniel is on top of his game and he should put up more Heisman worthy numbers this weekend against a horrible Buffalo team. Mizzou could put up 70 points by halftime.

4. Oklahoma Sooners-Listen, don't start jumping on their bandwagon for beating the bag out of a terrible Washington team. I learned last year this team can lose to anybody and they almost always seem to get crushed in big bowl games. If they beat Texas and look good while doing it in a few weeks then they will get more respect in my book. Right now this team reminds me of Ohio State. Great on paper until they actually play somebody good.

5. Florida Gators-Urban Meyer has a perfect record against the Volunteers and that will continue this week as Florida will come in and Swamp the Vols in Knoxville.

6. LSU Tigers-If they win at Auburn this Saturday night then this team is a serious contender for a repeat as National Champion. Expect a close game as 11 of the last 18 matchups have been decided by 7 points or less.

7. Texas Longhorns-They play a patsy this weekend against Rice. Yawn.

8. Penn State Nittany Lions-The JoePa's continued to roll and now are the favorite in my book to win the Big Ten after seeing the Buckeye's performance the last two weeks. Over/under on # of players arrested this week is 3 in case you were wondering.

9. South Florida Bulls-It kind of makes me sick to my stomach to put South Florida in the top ten considering they are a Big East team but they beat a good Kansas team last week and deserve some recognition. They should roll this week against Florida International.

10. East Carolina Pirates-They struggled with Tulane which was a letdown game after West Virginia. If they struggle against North Carolina State this week then I'm dropping them out.

MICHIGAN AT NOTRE DAME HIGHLIGHTS

The music gets me everytime. I almost feel bad for Michigan and DickRod. Those two look as comfortable together as Amy Winehouse in rehab.

Video HT: UHND via House that Rock Built

JOHN MCCAIN'S ROOMMATES

Not many people know but John McCain has roommates in his 7th house which just happens to be an apartment. Things have been getting stressful with the upcoming election and well...McCain doesn't seem to be helping things especially with the apartment rules...


And to make things worse now it appears Sarah Palin has moved in...


You can't be leaving your shit on tables McCain and bringing in broads from Alaska without consulting the broskis. How can we vote for a guy who can't even respect some simple house etiquette?

DESEAN JACKSON SHOWS HIS ROOKIE TENDENCIES

I'm not hear to bang on the kid for making a dumb mistake. Sure he looked like an idiot when he tossed the ball backwards before hitting the goal line and yes it would have been his first NFL touchdown in front of millions on Monday Night Football but at least the Eagles scored on the very next play thanks to Brian Westbrook. Desean will be reminded of the play for the rest of his career much like Leon Lett probably is today if the guy is still alive and not snorting coke off of stripper's poles while making it rain. The point is Desean needs to keep his nose clean and his attitude in check. Do your showboating once you know for sure you have scored. Don't be that guy Desean. He pulled the same shit when he was playing in the US Army All-American Bowl by doing a flip and losing the ball at the 1 yard line. Time to man up rookie and grow up. The great ones say you should act like you have been there before and I think Desean will realize that sooner than later or he will be out of the league real fast.

Video HT: FanIQ

AUBURN WINS 3-2 AND THE POON ABIDES

HOT....DAMN....WAR....EAGLE!

Seriously, who the hell cares if they only scored 3 points and won the game. If Auburn has poon like that they deserve to get more first place votes then USC in my opinion. I call it the Power of the Poon poll.

Go to Poon of the SEC for more hot poon action.

BEER GOGGLES

We have all used them at one point in our lives. Some more than others. Click here to try them out.

HT: Dan for the link.

QUICK THOUGHTS FROM A SOAKED WEEKEND AT NOTRE DAME

Picture courtesy of South Bend Tribune


-The stadium was electric on Saturday despite the fact that both teams were unranked coming into the battle. I still haven't recovered my voice as I'm am pretty sure it is still in Section 2, row 21.

-This year's Notre Dame team is completely different from last year. They are much more emotional and the team seems united and more focused. I credit the coaching staff with some of this but I think most of it comes from the players. The leadership is much stronger and guys are stepping up.

-Golden Tate needs to get at least 8 touches a game. Every time Jimmy Clausen gets the ball in Golden's hands something good happens.

-Robert Hughes is quickly becoming one of the most reliable backs in the game. Two TD's and no fumbles in a wet game was key.

-This ND team is so young it really should be a serious NC title team next season. When you see guys like Floyd, Rudolph, Kamara, Tate, Hughes, Allen, Clausen, Robinson, Johnson, Fleming, Blanton, Harrison Smith, Brian Smith, Neal, Gray, and many others who are making major contributions to this team who are all underclassmen you realize the future is very bright for Notre Dame football in 2009 and beyond.

-This team still hasn't earned their respect. Mo Crum talked about earning it at the pep rally and despite kicking the shit out of Michigan they will not earn any until they beat Sparty in East Lansing this Saturday. It's good to see a team play with a chip on their shoulder who wants to prove the world wrong. This team wants to win badly and it shows by the emotion on the field as soon as they come through the tunnel.

-Mike Aenello is a God. The special teams dynamo is a former walk-on who earned a scholarship this season because of his incredible energy, hustle, and overall great play on kickoffs.

-Overall this was my most memorable trip to Notre Dame. I met a ton of great people at Corby's, the College Football Hall of Fame, at the tailgates, and of course at the game itself. I managed to carry Johnny Lattner's Heisman Trophy and talk to Rocket Ismail for nearly two hours. In case you were wondering, Rocket could not stop talking about Golden Tate and for good reason.

-And to top it all off I knew the attitude of these players had changed when talking to some of them on Thursday. When asked about Michigan and their chances on Saturday, one starter simply stated to us "FUCK MICHIGAN!" Words that bring tears to these Irish eyes.

-Go Irish!!!

CRANK ME UP! GO IRISH!

Celebrate the victory with the CRANK ME UP! shirt - the one and only that all the football players and students wear. Click here to get yours now!

ADRIAN PETERSON IS A MAC TRUCK

And Al Harris is the boy waking up from his slumber as the Metallica big rig destroys his livelihood.



By the way, Aaron Rodgers looked really good last night. I think the Packer fans can rest easy while chowing down a cheese sandwich.

STILL THE BEST: ROGER FEDERER

Congratulations go out to the always classy Roger Federer for winning his 5th straight US Open title and 13th overall Grand Slam(1 behind Pete Sampras). Federer was at the top of his game today as he throttled Andy Murray in less than 2 hours to show he still is the best in tennis. We will have to wait till January to see if Roger can win his 14th Grand Slam down under. Personally I can't wait because players like Federer and Rafael Nadal are making the sport of tennis interesting again for outsiders like myself who can't appreciate all the nooks and crannies of the country club sport.

CRANK ME UP SHIRT

For the incredibly low price of $14 is the new "Crank Me Up" shirt. Show your support for your favorite team with this great tee with the trademarked design and saying of "Crank Me Up" which is exclusively owned by Sportscrack Tees.

Order here

SPORTSCRACK TOP 10 CFB POLL

We got two weeks under our belts now of college football ecstasy. Some of us(USC and Georgia fans) are giddy about our team's chances while some of us including myself think this may be a long season. I've managed to catch at some point at least a half of play from all of these teams in my top 10 so I feel about as confident as a 10 inch softie that this top 10 is as good as they come.

1. Georgia Bulldogs-The Bulldogs have been the most impressive team to watch this year from top to bottom. Matthew Stafford is coming into his own and has complete control of a very talented squad. Special K has looked as good as advertised with 6 TD's already and Caleb King and Richard Samuel are two backs that most teams would die for and yet they are backups. Both set of lines are setting the tempo despite key losses to personnel and Mark Richt has the team focused on the prize which is a SEC Title then a BCS Championship berth. They shouldn't have any reason to overlook South Carolina this week after the Gamecocks beat them last year in Athens.

2. USC Trojans-I managed to see about 3 quarters of the Virginia dismantling to already instill in my mind that this team is loaded. Mark Sanchez wasn't touched and thus had a great game and the defense looked really fast while Pete Carroll smiled with his "eat shit" grin. Two weeks ago I thought the Buckeyes could beat USC but now I think they will have a hard time especially if Beanie isn't playing.

3. Missouri Tigers-Their offense is already clicking on all cylinders with Chase Daniel doing his best Drew Brees impersonation by methodically picking apart defenses. People seem to discredit the Tigers because of their history but if you watch this team they really are a great team. They are still my pick to win the Big 12.

4. Oklahoma Sooners-Stoops team has absolutely dismantled their first two opponents with an offense led by QB Sam Bradford and RB DeMarco Murray. They should have little trouble going against Washington this week as they look to further extend the knife into Willingham's fading credibility.

5. Florida Gators-The Gators were not on top of their game Saturday night against the Hurricanes but still won by more than 3 TD's. I know Tim Tebow is Superman and all but they need to figure out a way to run the ball with either Chris Rainey(way overrated in my opinion) and Emmanuel Moody to take off some of the pressure on Tebow. They have a week off to prepare for Tennessee and get their running game in order.

6. LSU Tigers-What in the hell do they put in the water down there in Louisiana? Obviously not very good levees. The Tigers again looked ready to contend for another BCS Title(remember they have two while USC only has one) with a defense as good as anybody and a running game led by Charles Scott who has breakout star written all over him in their season opener last week against App State. They should crush North Texas this week.

7. Texas Longhorns-This Longhorn team has fooled me before with inconsistent play but so far they look the part of serious contender. Colt McCoy has been phenomenal in the first two games while accounting for 8 TD's. I have little doubt this team will be undefeated going into the Red River Shootout with a chance to make a claim for a top 3 spot.

8. California Golden Bears-I knew Cal would be good this year but I just didn't think they would be this damn good. RB Jahvid Best is one of those names you might not know yet but once you see him play he is hard to forget. The kid can flat out burn people. Right now Cal looks by far to be the second best team in the conference behind USC and could have a legit shot to make a BCS game for the first time.

9. Penn State Nittany Lions-I will be the first to admit that I thought this team would be garbage this year. They are far from it. JoePa has managed to keep the players focused on the task at hand even when some of them are in handcuffs. Remarkable in my book. Don't laugh but State Penn could win the Big Ten this year especially if Beanie can't return for the Buckeyes.

10. East Carolina Pirates-The only team in the country to have beaten two ranked opponents so far, is Coach Skip Holtz the early favorite for coach of the year or what? They crushed West Virginia behind a swarming defense and look to be the best non-BCS conference team to have a shot at reaching a BCS game. It's just a matter of time before people start talking about Holtz going back to alma mater.

So if you look real close you can see I don't have Ohio State in my top 10. They struggled to beat Ohio at the Horseshoe and just don't look like they have the eye of the tiger yet. Maybe that will change this week in the Coliseum. If not they will get embarrassed again on National television.

If you have any thoughts about your team or opinions on the poll please feel free to post them below.

LENDING A HELPING HAND AT THE TEXAS-UTEP GAME

If you didn't manage to catch the Texas Longhorns game against the Miners of UTEP on ESPN2 last night well then you missed this great hands on job by some dude's girlfriend while watching the game from atop some rock near the stadium. The funniest thing is it looks like Bob Davie circled the act as it took place.

No tickets: $0
Natural Light Beer: $3.75
Getting a hand job on national television: PRICELESS

Video HT: FanIQ

Here is another video, with a better close up view of the two lovebirds....

KNOWSHON MORENO HURDLES INTO HEISMAN LEAD

168 yards rushing with 3 TD's and one hurdle as pictured above over Central Michigan today puts Knowshon as the frontrunner for the Heisman in my opinion. If you disagree fine, but then watch the video clip and tell me this kid is not amazing.

How do you spell Heisman again?

K-N-O-W-S-H-O-N

Go to Red and Black and GeorgiaSportsBlog for more coverage of the great Knowshon.

You can buy the photo above from Amanda C. Melton on GeorgiaDogs if you are interested.

NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL

Absolutely fucking terrible. The talent is there but the focus needs to start from the first snap. Thank you Golden Tate for playing great from start to finish. And thank you Sergio Brown and Kyle McCarthy for playing incredible defense. Now excuse me while I go try to recover from this heart attack.

AVAILABLE HERE