The College Football Week That Was

I am back after a short hiatus as little man has been battling an ear infection. Saturday turned out to be a good day to be stuck at home though. "Separation Saturday" featured 4 nationally televised games between teams ranked in the Top 25. USC, Auburn, Florida, and Michigan all came away with big victories, though none was more impressive than Michigan's thrashing of Notre Dame. A few thoughts on the week that was...

How big exactly are Tommy Tuberville's cojones? If he were to have dropped his drawers, would there have been a solar eclipse at Jordan Hare Stadium? Under 10 minutes to go, up by 4, with a 4th down on your own 40! He never hesitated a minute and the homestanding Tigers made the first down and grinded more time off the clock.

What is the point of having instant replay if you can not use it correctly? I am sure the one week suspension of the officiating crew by the Pac-10 erases all the anger and frustration felt by the Oklahoma team, staff, and fan base. Whatever happened to the road team supplying the zebras for big inter-conference matchups? At least then you have refs balancing a little loyalty toward the conference with the fear of not making it out of the stadium alive.

Is there nothing left unsponsored? In both the LSU-Auburn and Florida-Tennessee matchups on CBS, players were aiming for the Ruby Tuesday first down line. If you happen to make the first down and land on the words Ruby Tuesday, does the trainer bring you a foursome of Ruby Minis?

Lastly, all parents of young sons (or daughters, for that matter) should haul their kids out to the local football field this weekend. With the horrendous kicking on display, there will be scholarships for the taking if your kid can consistently hit extra points and 45 yard field goals. Not only did Auburn's John Vaughn miss his only attempt after failing on 5 out of 6 tries last year versus LSU, but Oklahoma's Garrett Hartley kicked a potential winner into the line after the officials had robbed them on two calls down the stretch. Of course, that isn't even the worst of it. Clemson kicker Jad Dean had an extra point blocked and returned for a 2 point score against FSU, leaving Clemson's lead at 6-2. The Tigers then drove for a field goal which was, of course, blocked and returned for a touchdown. The Seminole offense hadn't sniffed the red zone and the defense hadn't exactly held down the Clemson offense, and yet FSU led 9-6. At halftime, coach Tommy Bowden vowed not to try another kick. However, after Clemson scored to go up 26-20 with a few seconds left, Bowden relented and sent out his kicker for the extra point. No doubt he had calculated that another block returned for a score would still leave his team up 26--22. Miracle of miracles though... Dean sent the kick through the uprights!