Random thoughts from a cluttered mind...
JAGUARS Without question, the Jaguars blew a great chance to pick up a ‘W’ last weekend in Buffalo. You can say the Bills are a good team and Buffalo is a tough place to play, but Jacksonville should’ve won that game last Sunday. The blame can be spread out among a number of culprits.
Now, at 6-5, the Jaguars are in a bind. They cannot slip up again. With things as they are in the competitive AFC, they simply MUST win the rest of the games on their schedule if they want to play in the playoffs. Its gonna be damn tough. It starts this weekend, when they travel down the street to play a white-hot Dolphin club. Miami has won their last four games and have had ten days off to prepare for this contest. They are talented, disciplined, and well-coached. The Jags will need their ‘A’ game, for sure.
One more loss, and the Boys will have virtually no shot at a playoff slot. Let’s see what they do against the ‘Fins.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE The Jaguars aren’t the only team having a tough time keeping things together. Heading into the stretch run, the Falcons, Giants, and Panthers aren’t having a fun, either. We also have seen the Redskins and Eagles take a nice dive. Those are all NFC teams, which right now is certainly the weaker Conference, opposed to the AFC. The expectations for all those teams at one time has been quite high this season, and so there is definite consternation among followers as to what can and will happen. Coughlin’s Giants will host the very-good Cowboys on Sunday, which will certainly be an interesting contest. Atlanta is at Washington, and the loser there will be done for the season. That, my friends, is what December is all about in the NFL.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL We have a couple more traditional rivalry games left on Saturday. Cal will beat the snot out of Stanford, USC will beat UCLA’s ass, and then we’ll see the revelry and pageantry of the ARMY-NAVY game. While it’s a lot of fun to view, with all the machinations, the real deal is that Navy is a 20-point favorite to win. It should be interesting to see if they hold up. Then, we’ll also see a number of conference championship games played. In Atlanta, Florida and Arkansas will get it on, while Oklahoma and Nebraska will play for the Big 12 Championship. Those should be two interesting games.
Here in Jacksonville, we’ll see the ACC come to town, with Georgia Tech and Wake Forest playing for their title. I grew up in Virginia, which is ACC country, and I can tell you that this IS NOT an ACC town. Most of the football fans in this city couldn’t tell you where Wake Forest is located, much less whether they played football or not. Most SEC fans would really think IT IS a forest!
I’ll tell you who is rooting in the worst way for Georgia Tech, and that is the Gator Bowl Committee! If the Jackets win, then the Gator Bowl boys can choose who they wish for their game. If not, they are handcuffed for the Jackets to come back here January 1, and they DO NOT want that by any means. Why? Because Tech fans won’t come back here, guaranteed. We shall see what happens.
The most appropriate term to use when assessing the head coaching landscape in college football is, ‘brutal’. Its ridiculous how nasty it has become in the college ranks to produce a not good but GREAT record, to culminate in a major Bowl berth. And SCREW academic standards! Whether a kid has good grades or not in college means nothing in a major college football program. Its all about ‘W’s and ‘L’s, baby!
One day, I think we will see college players get paid to play. I really do believe that. But for now, being a major college head football coach is a nasty, brutal job.
Quick! What do Central Michigan, Tulsa, Northern Illinois, and San Jose State have in common? They are all playing in Bowl games in a few weeks! DAMN! I’M SO EXCITED!
Tom Weppel talks trash on Thursdays from 7-8 p.m. on WIOJ-AM 1010, and on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
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