Ole Miss enjoyed an open date over the weekend, keeping an eye on Memphis and another eye on Alabama. The Tide struggled with itself before whipping Florida, leaving their unbeaten record --- and the possibility of ESPN's College Gameday in the Grove in 13 days --- very much intact. Meanwhile, Roger Goodell suffered through a brutal press conference Friday, leaving him looking awfully weak as another weekend of games rolled on. My thoughts on those topics and more follow here, albeit in somewhat of an abbreviated form, courtesy of Oxford-based RE/MAX Legacy Realty agent Harry Alexander.
1. It's just my opinion, but I feel it quite strongly: Hugh Freeze has never had a more difficult coaching job than the one that faces him this week. No, it's not that Memphis is a collection of world-beaters. The Tigers are better under Justin Fuente, but Ole Miss is very much a prohibitive favorite Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in Oxford. It's just that Freeze coaches humans, and those humans have eyes and ears. They know what --- and who --- is coming to town seven days after the Tigers leave. The buzz around Oxford is inescapable. It's unavoidable. Freeze can't and certainly won't ignore it.
Memphis improved to 2-1 Saturday night with a win 36-17 win over Middle Tennessee. The Tigers' only loss came at UCLA, and it was more than respectable. While Ole Miss prepares for a slate of games that include three dates against top-6 teams (Alabama, Texas A&M and Auburn), knocking off the Rebels would be akin to winning the Super Bowl for Memphis. There will be no lack of motivation from the Tigers. Freeze knows it. It's his job this week to convince his team to focus on Memphis and not look ahead, at least not too much.
Ole Miss is a veteran team. The Rebels started 3-0 a year ago and, by their own admission, became complacent. This year, the Rebels, to a man, swear it's different. Bo Wallace said Ole Miss has accomplished nothing yet. Robert Nkemdiche calmly spoke of a day-at-a-time approach. It sounds cliché, sure, but the Rebels need to be boring this week. They need to simply stare straight ahead and put the proverbial blinders on.
Here's reality: A win over Memphis Saturday merely allows the hype machine to go into overdrive. It allows us to have the debate about the Alabama game. You know the topic: Is this the biggest game in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium history? A loss to Memphis, however, not only kills that discussion but it would launch another. Would it be the worst Ole Miss loss in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium history? That's a question Freeze and Co. don't want to entertain.
2. Assuming Ole Miss wins on Saturday, ESPN's acclaimed morning pregame show, College GameDay, is almost certainly coming to Oxford for the Rebels' Oct. 4 date with Alabama.
Lee Fitting, ESPN's producer for the wildly popular college football preview show, said last week the network's choices have been narrowed down to Auburn, where the Tigers will host LSU, and Ole Miss, where the Rebels will host Alabama.
Ole Miss has never hosted College GameDay. Auburn last hosted the show before the 2013 Iron Bowl.
"I think we're in a good spot for Oxford," Fitting said in an interview on The Paul Finebaum Show. "But I don't want to make any guarantees and I don't want anyone to take me out of context."
Those comments were made before LSU was humbled in Baton Rouge Saturday night by Mississippi State, taking some of the luster off the battle of the tigers on the Plains. It appears to be this simple for Ole Miss: Win, and have the national stage that is College GameDay on campus or lose, and risk losing the attention. Here's a thought to make most Ole Miss fans shudder: What if Ole Miss lost to Memphis and the folks at ESPN decided to take their show to Starkville, where the Bulldogs would be entertaining Texas A&M? Yep, this game Saturday in Oxford is huge.
I'm certainly no shill for ESPN. Some things the network does drive me crazy. However, the College GameDay show is brilliantly done and has a huge audience. It would be difficult, really, to put a dollar figure on what the exposure is worth for a university or a football program. For Ole Miss, however, it would signify an arrival of sorts as an elite program. Others try to minimize the impact of having the show on campus. They're simply wrong. It would be a big deal.
3. After four weeks, up is down and down is up in the SEC. I have no idea. Neither do you. The whole thing is up for grabs. Isn't that awesome? Something tells me this is going to change a lot over the next few weeks.
1. Alabama --- The Tide turned the ball over throughout the first half and still whipped Florida by three touchdowns. Wide receiver Amari Cooper is an absolute stud. Blake Sims isn't bad either.
2. Texas A&M --- Another week, another blowout for the Aggies. Things get serious for Kevin Sumlin's club the next three weeks, starting with a neutral-site date with Arkansas, followed by a trip to Starkville and then a home game against Ole Miss.
3. Auburn --- I'm giving the Tigers the benefit of the doubt a bit here. They weren't impressive at Kansas State, but they keep winning. I'm starting to believe Gus Malzahn does have some sort of a special relationship with a higher power. Fortune smiles on that cat.
4. Ole Miss --- I had the Rebels fourth a week ago. I won't punish them for honoring the open date on the schedule.
5. Mississippi State --- Dan Mullen got his biggest win yet Saturday with a strong performance in Baton Rouge. Dak Prescott was terrific. The Bulldogs' defense was opportunistic. MSU gets a weekend off before its showdown with Texas A&M. A win over the Aggies and things get real in Starkville.
6. Georgia --- Mark Richt and Co. took out a lot of aggression and frustration Saturday against Troy. The East is nowhere near as dangerous as the West. The Bulldogs can still make plenty of noise. Their rushing attack is fierce.
7. LSU --- Les Miles might have found his quarterback in the final quarter or so of Saturday's debacle. Brandon Harris did some nice things. The Tigers look like a four-loss club to me.
8. Arkansas --- Just a hunch here. That's all. We'll see Saturday at Jerry World.
9. South Carolina --- A week after beating Georgia in Columbia, the Gamecocks stumbled through a win at Vanderbilt. It wasn't a good look.
10. Missouri --- Speaking of Columbia, the Tigers from C-Mo lost to Indiana. Indiana! I give up.
11. Florida --- The Gators did some good things in Tuscaloosa, but if I'm Will Muschamp, I'm not investing much more money into the residence in Gainesville. Might be time to start checking out Realtor.com.
12. Tennessee --- The Vols can move up next week with a win at Georgia Saturday. I'm not holding my breath.
13. Kentucky --- The Wildcats have a prime shot at a win Saturday versus Vanderbilt. That's all I've got to say about that.
14. Vanderbilt --- I'll give Derek Mason this: His team hasn't quit on him. I have no idea how.
4. Oh, it's still ridiculously early for these. I know that. But hey, they're my scattered thoughts, and I'll probably go back in a couple of months and make fun of myself for getting these oh so wrong.
Duck Commander Independence Bowl --- Florida
Autozone Liberty Bowl --- Arkansas
Advocare V100 Texas Bowl --- LSU
Belk Bowl --- South Carolina
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl --- Georgia
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl --- Auburn
Orange Bowl --- Texas A&M
Outback Bowl --- Mississippi State
Capital One Bowl --- Ole Miss
Birmingham Bowl --- Tennessee
Sugar Bowl (National CFP semifinal) --- Alabama
5. I'm sick of Jameis Winston. Any person dumb enough to jump on a table in a student union and yell such a profane phrase a year after being accused of rape deserves what he gets. Shame on Florida State, too. Goodness gracious. The Seminoles first suspend Winston for the first half of Saturday's game with Clemson. Then the school's administration is shamed into suspending him for the entire contest. Then the kid is allowed to not only go into the dressing room for pregame but also to put on his entire uniform. Did no one notice the suspended Heisman winner putting on his gear? Holy hell, what a circus.
Winston will ultimately pay. The NFL, which has been besieged by scandal for the past month, is going to reluctant to touch Winston, let alone make him the face of a franchise.
"What concerns me about Winston," one NFC scout told BleacherReport.com, "is there's no learning curve. That's a scary thing for a quarterback who is supposed to be a leader. To me, he's gone from a top-three pick to a late second-rounder."
"Our league right now needs leaders," an AFC scout said in the same BleacherReport.com article, "and I don't see him being that. He hasn't demonstrated that."
Bill Polian, who built Super Bowl teams and will one day go into the Hall of Fame, was asked last week on ESPN if he would draft Winston. Polian's response: "I don't know."
Winston is going to pay for his misdeeds and suffer from the suspicion of some that he received preferential treatment during the rape allegation that an FSU coed made against him (charges were never brought, for the record). Winston is also going to pay for the horrific mistakes made by Ray Rice, Greg Hardy, Adrian Peterson, Jonathon Dwyer and others. Winston's pocket book is going to get hit hard. ESPN's NFL draft analyst, Mel Kiper, dropped Winston on his board from third overall to 25th.
As BleacherReport.com wrote, "There is almost a state of panic in football now, and it won't go away soon. Winston is already caught up in it. In a way, he'll be a test case for this new world.
If you believe that all Winston has to do is not get into trouble again until the draft, then you don't understand the seismic shift occurring in pro football. What's happened to him already is more than enough to make teams uber-cautious."
Other thoughts from around the world of college football:
A. I'm almost relieved I'm not an AP Top 25 voter this year. I'd hate to have my ballot dissected every week. I'm not sure who I'd vote No. 1 this weekend. I'm not sold on Florida State, especially given the Winston story. Oregon's Marcus Mariota is terrific, but the Ducks only defeated a below average Washington State team by a touchdown. And Oklahoma merely survived in Morgantown. I think I'd give my top vote to Alabama. Call me crazy, but I thought the Blake Sims/Lane Kiffin coming out party Saturday was scary for the rest of college football.
B. Michigan State defeated Eastern Michigan, 73-14. No big deal, I know, but the Spartans don't have many likely losses left on the schedule. I still wonder if a 12-1 Big Ten team, with its only loss coming in September at Oregon, can be left out of a four-team playoff. I know this: The debate over who's No. 4 is coming and --- forgive my repetition here --- it's going to be some kind of obnoxious. The eight-team playoff is coming. Soon.
C. BYU won Saturday, 41-33, holding off Virginia. The Cougars are 4-0, and there aren't many tests left on their schedule. They have no chance at a seat at the playoff, but familiarize yourself with Bronco Mendenhall's team. BYU will be part of the aforementioned debate.
D. Taking a quick look ahead to next week, UCLA's late-night date at unbeaten Arizona State should be a test for both teams. Both clubs, by the way, should be encouraged by Oregon's performance Saturday night. Stanford travels to Washington and Oregon State goes to USC. It's a nice weekend in the Pac-12. Undefeated Notre Dame plays at Syracuse. Luckily for all of us, the Irish play Florida State this season. Thankfully, the rules require that someone loses the game.
6. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell didn't help himself during a press conference Friday afternoon, one in which he was grilled by reporters and offered answers of little or no real substance. Later Friday, ESPN published a story that alleged the Baltimore Ravens knew with specificity what running back Ray Rice had done inside an Atlantic City, N.J., elevator to his then-fiancee.
ESPN's account alleges that just hours after Rice knocked out his fiancée with a left hook, the Ravens' director of security, Darren Sanders, reached an Atlantic City police officer by phone. While watching surveillance video --- shot from inside the elevator where Rice's punch knocked his fiancée unconscious --- the officer, who told Sanders he just happened to be a Ravens fan, described in detail to Sanders what he was seeing.
Per ESPN's report, "After the Feb. 15 incident in the casino elevator, Ravens executives --- in particular owner Steve Bisciotti, president Dick Cass and general manager Ozzie Newsome --- began extensive public and private campaigns pushing for leniency for Rice on several fronts: from the judicial system in Atlantic County, where Rice faced assault charges, to commissioner Goodell, who ultimately would decide the number of games Rice would be suspended from this fall, to within their own building, where some were arguing immediately after the incident that Rice should be released.
"The Ravens also consulted frequently with Rice's Philadelphia defense attorney, Michael J. Diamondstein, who in early April had obtained a copy of the inside-elevator video and told Cass: 'It's f---ing horrible.' Cass did not request a copy of the video from Diamondstein but instead began urging Rice's legal team to get Rice accepted into a pretrial intervention program after being told some of the program's benefits. Among them: It would keep the inside-elevator video from becoming public.
"For its part, the NFL -- which in other player discipline cases has been able to obtain information that's been sealed by court order -- took an uncharacteristically passive approach when it came to gathering evidence, opening itself up to widespread criticism, allegations of inconsistent approaches to player discipline and questions about whether Goodell gave Rice -- the corporate face of the Baltimore franchise -- a light punishment as a favor to his good friend Bisciotti. Four sources said Ravens executives, including Bisciotti, Cass and Newsome, urged Goodell and other league executives to give Rice no more than a two-game suspension, and that's what Goodell did on July 24."
If true, and it almost certainly is, there must be major change in Baltimore, and it's difficult to foresee a scenario in which Goodell can rule the league with authority. Goodell made his reputation ruling with an iron fist (i.e., the New Orleans Saints' "Bountygate" scandal). He's now being judged with an iron fist, and that judgment appears to be crushing him.
The NFL is the undisputed king of sport. Kings are toppled. Kings die. When hotel chains, Budweiser and Nike all speak out against the NFL, the league's owners have to listen. It's been a horrific month for the league. ESPN's Bob Ley said Friday a poll showed that just one in seven NFL fans were so turned off by the series of scandals and public black eyes that their attendance patterns would be impacted. I would argue, and I suspect NFL owners would agree, that losing one-seventh of a fan base isn't acceptable.
7. Russell Wilson is already a Super Bowl champion, but his performance Sunday in the Seahawks' 26-20 overtime win over Denver was phenomenal. Wilson was 24-of-34 passing for 258 yards and two touchdowns in the victory, adding 40 yards rushing. It wasn't the numbers that were so impressive, however. It was his presence. The 5-foot-11 Wilson is a natural born leader. It's obvious. He exudes calm confidence. Even when Peyton Manning directed a game-tying drive in the fourth quarter to force overtime, Wilson never blinked. Instead, he methodically drove Seattle to the game-winning score, converting third downs with his feet and his feel. It was the kind of performance we're used to from Wilson these days, and it was a reminder that the Seahawks are a threat to build a dynasty of sorts.
Other thoughts from the week that was in the NFL:
A. Speaking of quarterbacks building off strong 2013 campaigns, Philadelphia's Nick Foles overcame a cheap shot and led the Eagles to a win over Washington, improving Chip Kelly and Co. to 3-0. Foles stood in the pocket and took hit after hit, conducting key scoring drives in one of the most entertaining games of the day.
B. Former Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis likely deserved a better fate Saturday. Jared Cook dropped what should have been a touchdown pass in the end zone, opening the door for Tony Romo and Dallas to defeat the Rams in St. Louis. Davis was solid, though, in his second NFL start, making big throws and showing a veteran's composure at times.
C. Eli Manning was 21-for-28 passing for 234 yards and two touchdowns Sunday in the Giants' desperately needed win over the Houston Texans Sunday. The Giants appeared to address some of their offensive line woes Sunday. It was an area that killed New York in the first two weeks of the season.
D. New Orleans got its first win Sunday, beating the Adrian Peterson-less Vikings, 20-9. The bigger story was the debut of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for Minnesota. Bridgewater was forced into action when Matt Cassel went down with an ankle/foot injury. Given the likelihood that Peterson can't and won't return to the Vikings, Bridgewater --- fairly or not --- is likely the new face of the franchise.
E. Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals are 3-0. Just saying.
F. Arizona is now 3-0 after a 23-14 win over San Francisco Sunday. Jim Harbaugh's 49ers are 1-2 amid rumors and reports that the locker room has turned against him. It's a story to watch as the NFL approaches the quarter pole.
8. NBA training camps begin in the next week or so as teams prepare for the season beginning in late October. SI.com ranked the top 100 players in the NBA last week, and some of the publications opinions are pretty intriguing.
It's no surprise, but SI ranks Cleveland forward LeBron James as the best player in the game. No one's arguing. The rest of the top five, though, includes a couple of surprises. SI ranks Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, the Clippers' Chris Paul, OKC's Russell Westbrook and San Antonio forward Tim Duncan Nos. 2-5. In some ways, I think Westbrook is ranked too high. However, I'm absolutely convinced he's passed Paul on the NBA's hierarchy.
I would have put New Orleans' Anthony Davis in the top five. SI.com put him at No. 6. Cleveland's Kevin Love, Golden State's Steph Curry, Houston's Dwight Howard and the Clippers' Blake Griffin round out the top 10.
SI.com's second 10, in order, consisted of the Knicks' Carmelo Anthony, Portland's Lamarcus Aldridge (I'd put him in the top 10 in place of Howard, personally), Houston's James Harden, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, San Antonio's Tony Parker, Memphis' Marc Gasol, Chicago's Joakim Noah, Miami's Chris Bosh, Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka and Miami's Dwayne Wade.
Personally, I think Gasol and Noah deserve to be higher on that list, and I don't believe Wade is any longer a top-20 player. I won't be shocked if this time next year we're talking about Ibaka as a top-10 talent, either. His game has developed by leaps and bounds in the past 12 months.
Among notables left out of the top 20 were Cleveland's Kyrie Irving at No. 21, Chicago guard Derrick Rose at No. 23 and Lakers star Kobe Bryant at No. 24. Memphis' Tony Allen, the Lakers' Jeremy Lin, Philadelphia guard Michael Carter-Williams and injured Indiana forward Paul George were among notable NBA names excluded from SI's top 100.
9. It's finally fall, and it's almost October, so for those of us who love a good beer every so often, these are good times.
I'm not a beer snob, but there are plenty of people who fall in that category. As Deadspin.com's The Concourse wrote, "Lots of serious beer people … um … seem to get surprisingly exercised about seasonal releases. I see where they're coming from, to a certain extent. The constant change broadens our drinking options in obvious ways, but it taketh choice away at the same time. Just the other day, a thoughtful Drunkspin commenter pointed out that if Sierra Nevada weren't so fixated on seasonals these days, they could do away with the mediocre Flipside Red IPA and extend the availability of the excellent Ruthless Rye."
I'm not offended by it or anything, but I don't understand the obsession with pumpkin-flavored beer. I've never had one where I desired a second sip, much less a second bottle. What I do love about this season --- in addition to college football, the baseball playoffs, the arrival of the NBA season and cooling temperatures --- is the influx of Märzens on shelves.
The Concourse recommends the Marzen from Firestone Walker. Specifically, the publication recommends the Oaktoberfest Marzen. The "oak" reference, per The Concourse, is an homage to the brewery's hometown of Paso Robles, which means "pass of the oaks" in Spanish. The beer's full given name is Firestone Walker Paso Märzen. According to The Concourse, the beer "opens with the traditional Märzen notes of sweet, lightly roasted molasses, then extends into apple and earth notes before the peppery kick of an apparently high dosage of Hallertau hops kicks in to lend the balance lacking in most Märzens."
I'm game. If you have some fall beers you prefer, consider this an invitation to post them here on the message boards. You know, just for discussion and such.
10. The Major League Baseball playoffs are drawing near. As usual, the St. Louis Cardinals are very much in the postseason picture (those dirty b@$tards). I stumbled across this story about former Cardinals shortstop Khalil Greene, who walked away from the game in his prime, overcome by performance anxiety issues. It's a good read. I've linked it for you. Have a great week.
This post was edited on 9/21 7:35 PM by Neal McCready
This post was edited on 9/22 12:20 PM by Neal McCready
Where is Khalil Greene?
