Championship Week

It's championship week, or rivalry week if you don't have a championship game. In order to help your stress level, I thought i would hand out a few predictions.

1) ACC Championship - Look for VA Tech to win by at least a touchdown. Thank goodness the Matt Ryan Heisman talk has come to an abrupt hault.

2) SEC Championship - I am taking Tennessee in a close one. I think they will jump out early on the Tigers and then hold on in the end. The deflating loss last week combined with coaching questions will have LSU not playing up to par. Tennessee has nothing to lose and will come out of the gates firing. Alex, enjoy Tennessee's return to the BCS.

3) Big 12 Championship - Though I think Oklahoma has more talent across the board, I'm going with Mizzoura. Something didn't look right everytime I looked at Missouri's name. Then I realized there was a #1 beside it. Let's face it, that is just strange. Anyway, Chase Daniel will keep their run alive by edging out the Sooners.

4) USC vs. UCLA - USC. The return of Mr. Booty has given them quite a spark

5) Oregon vs. Oregon St. - Oregon. Nothing more to be said

6) Big 10 Championship - Oh wait, they don't have one. Thank goodness. One less week of the ESPN/Ohio State marriage, and one less week of slow football. I'm secretly hoping to see a West Virginia/Ohio State National Championship just so we can watch the Buckeyes get it handed to them again.

Have a good championship weekend. My Rebels just barely missed a bowl game this year....ahem. College Basketball is cranking into full gear.

The Nutthouse comes to Oxford

No where to go but up for this guy in Oxford

The Houston Nutt hiring is all the buzz in the Ole Miss world. I must say at first it was a surprise to me and I had a few reservations, but here is my overall outlook at the Nutt’s trip down to Oxford.

Negatives:
1) There is something to say about a pretty substantial group of Arkansas fans trying to run him out. There is always fire under smoke, now it might be a lot of smoke and a little fire…but it is one of my reservations

2) He has been at Arkansas for 10 years, which translates into a monopoly on recruiting. He will definitely be in the hotbed of recruiting fighting against LSU, Alabama, Auburn and State. It will be interesting to watch his recruiting.

3) He can sometimes come across as a little goofy and he wears a straw hat

Positives

1) He actually has this thing called head coaching experience. Sadly, it is something we have not had around Oxford in quite awhile

2) I had forgotten until I went back to his wikipedia site (always my source of info) just how many games he has won at Arkansas. He went to Atlanta three times at Arkansas, so something has to be said for that. That is three more times than Ole Miss has gone.

3) He takes what he has and builds around it. Again, it will be refreshing to see someone actually build around the talent instead of forcing the talent into a system (Cut and O). I heard part of his press conference and he talked about how he changes according to the talent he has. I can’t complain when a guy realizes he should put the ball in Darren McFadden’s hands 30+ times a game. Would have been nice to do that with Deuce. I bet he wouldn’t have Shaeffer dropping back into a pro-style offense either.

4) He wins wherever he goes…from Murray State, Boise State, to Arkansas

5) He has handed it to Ole Miss and Miss. State over his career. If you can’t beat him, convince him to join you.

6) He constantly flashes fingers on the sidelines. What they mean, I don’t even think he knows, but it’s exciting

7) The national media (whatever weight they hold) seem to think that Arkansas was crazy for showing him the door.

8) He always seems to make the most with whatever hand he has been dealt. His teams have differed in talent over the years, yet for the most part he keeps finding ways to win.

9) It was a safe hire for the Rebels. If Ole Miss had taken another chance on a young coach at this critical point, it could have been a disaster.

10) He knows SEC football.

11) I could understand him in his press conference

12) He probably won’t head butt anybody

"college football is on fire!!"

A few years ago I was watching a college basketball game during the regular season (which means the game actually meant little to none) and Billy Packer said, and I quote, "College Basketball is on fire!". I honestly sat there and thought, 'what in the hockey does that mean??' - it was typical Billy Packer, barking off comments that can only be understood by Bill Walton.

Borrowing Packer's confusing comment, I think we can say after this weekend that this college football season has provided the most upside down, exciting, and unpredictable results. These are some thoughts I had saturday night:



- As mindblowing as Tim Tebow's statistics are, I would still vote for Darren McFadden for the Heisman. His performance friday was just insane. He is the best player in college football and the best RB in the SEC since Bo Jackson.

- Is LSU at the raw end of two tough losses....or....were they really not as stout as we thought they were? Who is the real LSU? I am of the opinion that Les Miles just coached his last game in Baton Rouge. LSU will have find another coach...again.


- How many lives does Tennessee have? The answer is enough to get to the SEC championship game. Everyone needs to shout out props to Brian for picking the East and West winners. Some people will be annoyed or in disbelief that Tennessee is headed to Atlanta, but it would have been just as disbeleiving to see Georgia there. I'm sitting here trying to figure out how Florida lost 3 SEC games.


- South Carolina just completed the greatest tailspin in the history of the SEC. On the third saturday in October they were 6-1 and ranked #6, they then went on to lose their last 5 games and may be left out of a bowl. How much longer will Spurrier stay through this? This has got to annoy him and be weary on him.



- Is Tubberville going to Texas A&M? The only more distrustful person in college football is across the other sideline in what has become a meaningless Iron Bowl. When was the last time that game mattered?? Tubberville and Saban's pregame conversation reminds me of that scene in the godfather when Pacino walks into the restaraunt and sees the two guys at the table waiting for him.



- I'm watching this Kansas/Missouri game on ABC, can this really be a huge game?? Kansas and Missouri? The beginning of the game looked like 2 teams who had never played in a big game. But I think Chase Daniel is a legit player.

- Kirk Herbsreit has become the biggest bafoon on Gameday. Nothing he says makes sense anymore, his opinions on the BCS and Big 10 football is laughable. He just said that if a scenario played out where a 2 loss team was needed for the national championship game, his first choice would be Georgia. Are you kidding me? He would want to see a team that won't even win their conference. LSU could win their conference with 2 losses, USC as well. But redeemable, he has finally layed down his Pac-10 Heisman campaign and conceeded that McFadden is the best player in the country.

- I saw that Ole Miss fire Orgeron after an 0-8 year in the SEC and some of the most boneheaded calls which cost his team the game. I think this is a good move for Ole Miss. Not sure what the Rebel nation thinks though??

Happy "manly" Thanksgiving

I love this holiday, i'm not sure if it gets a whole lot better than tommorow: eating, sleeping, family, and football. Well, here on Sweet Emotion we are about three main things: a seinfeldian, reformed, manly life. So here is how to have a sweet emotion thanksgiving...

1) Eat so much the button on your pants springs off, all the way across the room if possible. Eat no less than 3 full plate fulls. Don't serve yourself either, sit at the table and demand to be waited on. Only speak in imperatives, like "Turkey..NOW!!"

2) Watch at least 8 hrs of football. If you of course naturally fall asleep, make sure to tape the games and watch them later, or if neccessar pop in an old tape from this fall!

3) An outdoor football game is an absolute for sweet emotion. A trip to the hospital only confirms a memorable thanksgiving - someone better have blood on their shirt.

4) If you are asked to say the thanksgiving blessing, since we are reformed on sweet emotion, make sure to use words like "covenant" or "eschatological" when you pray about being thankful, none of your relative will really know what that means, but hey...you sound pretty smartt!

5) some of the best memories of thanksgiving come from stories that start with "remember when uncle Jerry drank so much...." or "i'll never forget the time Grandma found mom's..." or "Mom, the dog ate granpa's heart medicine and is...." You get the picture. But being reformed, we don't condone any provoking-but you know what needs to get done to make those memories.


6) If thanksgiving gets bored, go ahead and celebrate "Festivus", all you need is a big pole and to start beating someone, that will spice up the day.


Please drop us a line and do your communal 'thanksgiving wishes' on the comments page - it's nice to share the holiday together. (always remember, there is nothing more "unmanly" than to sit on the phone all day during a holiday where football is on TV) also, how freakin' huge is that white house turkey, very manly George!!..I'm sure he just broke it's neck and cooked it himself.....Happy thanksgiving everyone!!

Why Tim Tebow Should not win the Heisman

Even though his statistics are rediculous, and that his winning would promote the SEC, and it would keep another crappy player from being added to that list of aweful Heisman winners, and he has single handedly kept his team in some games and won some...He still should not win the Heisman. I think there is a legitimate "sweet emotion" reason he should not win it. It's not because He plays for the 'fruity gators', It's not b/c he plays for the Whiniest (being contested in my household if that's a word) coach in the SEC, It's not b/c he has the gayest TD dance in football. The reason is simple: There's no crying in football. There's no crying in Football. There's no crying in football!!!!!!!

The "Truth" on ESPN's 25 greatest players list

Dear ESPN,

I don't know what kind of non-sense compells you to do what you do sometimes, but this is just funny, that's what this is - it's funny. The fact that you named Charles Woodson as the 11th greatest player of all time in College Football is damn certain disgrace. I don't want to dispute whether or not this squirrel could defend himself or catch a nut or even that he belonged in a tree. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about it on message boards, you want him on that wall -- you need him on that wall. It doesn't matter to you that he only had 6 interceptions, 11 "amazing catches", and was 70th in the NCAA in punt return average. He did it against Ohio State and on National TV. We use words like "Character" "Leader" "Winner." We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defining something. You use them as a punch line and taint them because someone wears that hiddeous Mazon and Blue.

I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a Network who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very ratings that I provide and then questions the integrity in which I provide it. I would rather that you just said "We screwed up, and should not have given him the Heisman" and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up an encycolpedia and talk to some intelligent football fans. Either way, I don't give a DAMN what you think He's entitled to because he played for Michigan!

Somebody at that Chicken-little network better explain how they think he was better than Reggie Bush or Johnnie Rogers or Dick Butkus or Jim Brown. Do your Job. All you people did was weaken an honorable list. You have no idea what it takes to define greatness. You make me sick. I'm thinking about ripping out your eyes and spitting in your skull. Michigan is a disgrace. I'm going back to my base.

Sincerely,

Col. Nathan R. Jessup

Thank You Coach K

Coach Andy Kennedy is back at it again. There are many things I love about the 2nd year basketball coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. 1) He wins basketball games. 2) You can understand him in interviews unlike his football counterpart. 3) He tells it like it is with some good dry sarcasm.

Here are his comments following the Ole Miss victory on Saturday.

On freshman Zach Graham, who played 17 minutes and had zero rebounds: "That's the same as a dead man."

After junior Terrence Watson took an atrocious jump shot that was out of his range and missed the rim by three feet, he turned and ran back down the court. He was greeted by a glare from Kennedy and a sarcastic "Great shot, Terrence."

On Williams, who's shooting touch has improved: "3-for-5 from the foul line. Are you kidding me? That's a miraculous step for him."

On the Ole Miss post players shooting a combined 12-of-14 from the field against MVSU's undersized team: "When we got it close, we scored efficiently. And I hope we would against 6-foot-2 guys."