College Football 11-24/25

Dick did look horrible today. I was surprised Nutt didn't throw Mustain out there at some point in the second half. He couldn't have done much worse. Could have provided a lift. Oh well, here's hoping they don't play this badly against Florida. Of course, I don't think the Gators' D is as stout as LSU's.

 

I don't know too much about the Cavs-Hokies rivalry. But I think it would take a lot more than a couple of decades of Tech football dominance to give Virginia alums an inferiority complex vis-a-vis Virginia Tech. UVA was founded by Thomas fucking Jefferson, fer cryin out loud, and is one of the more respected public universities in the country. I'm sure Tech's a good school, but you can't erase two centuries of heritage with a few football games. A lot of the attitudes in these rivalries have nothing to do with sports...economic class and other issues have a lot to do with it.

 

Not sure if I feel comfortable sending a team to the BCS that six days earlier had the game-winning PAT blocked and then needed OT to beat Ed Ohmygod and the Ole Miss Rebels.

 

Maybe, but I still don't think there is a more talented team in the country. Also, they lost close games at Florida and at Auburn and won at Tennessee and at Arkansas. They absolutely belong in the BCS.

 

Arkansas' offensive coordinator obviously erred by not utilizing McFadden on that last series. However, Gus Malzahn has a great offensive mind. He won consistently by ridiculous numbers on every level he coached on high school, regularly trotting out offenses that left opposing coaches clueless.

He is the one who's been utilizing McFadden so brilliantly this season, especially the last month or so. Tennessee looked like they never played football before on a few of the series in that game two weeks ago. Not sure why he put the ball in the QB's hand with the game on the line today. But the man knows his stuff. He'll be giving SEC defenses fits as long as he sticks around.

 

Having McFadden helps, too.

Arkansas can compete in the SEC when it can land in-state high school stars, but I don't think the Hogs can consistently win because they can't consistently recruit out-of-state stars. Guys like McFadden, Hillis, Mustain, Cleveland and that young receiver (forget his name) don't come out of that state every year.

 

Hey writing irish, that would be a good topic for someone to look into. I have never looked at it from that angle. Also, people at Va Tech looks at people at UVA as snobs...lol.

 

Mustain and the receiver, Williams, are who they are in big part because of Malzahn. Without him as their head coach at Springdale the last few years, they don't attract national attention.

Sure, the Hogs aren't going to compete for division titles everey season, but Malzahn is an up-and-comer, and he will get more out of whatever talent they have than any of his predecessors would have.

 

If Malzahn is such a bright star, will he be at Arkansas very much longer? Would he take a head coaching gig at a mid-major or other coordinator job at a higher-profile school?

 

Don't know the whole story behind his hiring, but I have a feeling Broyles may have seen him as the Hogs' coach of the future. But if he has success at UA, he'll get head-coaching opportunities elsewhere. Whether he jumps at those or not, I don't know. Taking the first viable head-coaching job was a disaster for Keith Burns (Tulsa) and Fitz Hill (San Jose State), former UA assistants who made names for themselves the past decade.

 

A.) I didn't realize BCS bowl reps had to be Bobby Burton and evaluate talent. If that's the case, put Florida State in the Orange! They're always the most talented team, record be damned.

B.) Do you realize LSU is going to finish third in its division? Arkansas won the SEC West, Auburn and LSU both have 6-2 SEC records and Auburn won the head-to-head matchup. By my math, that puts LSU behind them both.

 

I am thinking Malzahn and Mustain were a package deal. To get Mustain, his coach had to come along too.

But if Arkansas loses to Florida, they will slide behind Florida, LSU and Auburn in the BCS rankings and it looks like Cotton Bowl for them. Which will delight Hog fans. A lot of them would rather go to Dallas than to the BCS championship. Sad but true.