NCAA Week 14

One of the few that I really saw embrace is was Dan Mullen when he was at Mississippi State. He seemed to really grasp that the Egg Bowl was a real prize for two programs that are perennially in the middle of the pack or lower in the SEC and played it up big. Not sure if he's done the same thing with Georgia and FSU since he's been at Florida.
Ed Orgeron, this year at least, also seems to be playing up the rivalries with Alabama and Texas A&M. That might be because he and everyone associated with LSU knows this is their best chance in a while -- and might be the last chance for a while, the way LSU's success cycle seems to run -- to absolutely kick the shit out of those teams, though. Orgeron and his players were talking earlier this week about how pissed they were about the screwjob they got last year in College Station, and some other nastiness after the game. I think if they can win by 50 tomorrow night they might try to do it.

 

I think there's very little upside to emphasizing one game, and that's particularly true if you think you're the better team in a given years. If you go all in and lose, you subject yourself to more grief than you might normally get.

 

This latest Leach incident is kind of pissing me off, and not for the reason everyone else is pissed.

Leach shits all over his own players -- bullying, insulting, pathetic stuff often used to cover his own failures -- and the sports media thinks he's hilarious and refreshing and brilliant.

Leach shits on a reporter and the pitchforks come out.

Mike Leach is an asshole. He's ALWAYS an asshole. There's a reason why he's in Pullman. It would be nice if we'd stop pretending he's some dark comic genius until he goes after a reporter.

 

May be in Arkansas by next week. His Trumpist schtick will play well there.

 

Not talking about emphasizing it, I'm talking about embracing it. Bringing back an old player or two, or a weird tradition from a long deceased coach.

 

This is not true at all, at least not any more. And the money the football program brought in during the 2000s and early 2010s have helped fund some things like Cassell renovation and the new baseball stadium. Their men's soccer program is a consistent national contender and the women's team makes the tournament from time to time. Basketball may not be at UVa's level but it's not an afterthought anymore. Tech's wrestling program is very good as well. If you're going to compare Tech and UVa across the board, the non-revenue sports need to be included. You can't claim UVa's tennis and lacrosse success and ignore some of Tech's successes in other sports as well.

To the question about Bronco's answer postgame, it was a horribly worded question, a reporter trying to sound dramatic and playing to the camera. I thought he handled it well. There was a crawl across NBC Washington's feed later after the Caps game asking if it was right for UVa's students to storm the field, which I found mind-numblingly dumb. Of course it was. Beat your rival for the first time in 15 years and do with with two huge plays in the closing minutes? Come on. Storm away.

 

$3 to win $1100.

Illinois -7.5
Ohio State -9
Wyoming +11
Minnesota +3 and under 45
Auburn +3 and under 50.5
Utah State -11
Oregon OSU O66

 

He wins in places that are Little Brothers. They love that. Made Wazzu relevant for a year. Did the same for a couple years at Tech.

You can’t put him with a blueblood. Arkansas might be a bit because they’re everyone’s SECw bitch.

 

It’s like our TV news world, PCLL.

You see some anchor or reporter who seems to have it all and then you’re like “why is he 47 and in Pocatello?” That’s Leach.

 

Paging @BitterYoungMatador2:

 

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Nice article on Joe Burrow here. Rabalais starts with a shout-out to LSU's all time athletic greats but the line that I loved was "But around here, Burrow is the celery that stirs the pregame Bloody Mary."

Good stuff.

Rabalais: LSU QB Joe Burrow takes his bow at Tiger Stadium. Be sure not to miss it.