Despite Brian Cook's descent into kitten affinity, the BlogPoll endures. The host for this week's BlogPoll Roundtable is Doug Gillett, proprietor of Hey Jenny Slater. The extended pigskin discussion can be found here.
I. By the end of the season, some previously unheralded teams' bandwagons will be so full they'll be having to bump passengers and offer them free vouchers and first-class upgrades; others will have emptied out in a big way. On whose bandwagon are you already scrambling to save a seat? Conversely, which team's bandwagon is being driven by Toonces the Driving Cat, prompting you to leap off now before it careens over a cliff to its fiery death below?
Bandwagon of Love: California
Color me smitten with DeSean Jackson and Nate Longshore. The Bears do not look like they want to play any defense in 2007, but with the amount of points Tedford's charges are expected to drop this season, that shouldn't matter much. California will probably not win the PAC-10 (USC could probably win the NFC West), but they will finish somewhere in the 10 to 11 win mark.
Bandwagon of Hate: Auburn
I am stunned how inept the Auburn offense looked against Kansas State. Everyone knows that Brandon Cox is not a national championship-caliber quarterback, but a team can only gut out so many victories. If the Tigers' newly fashioned offensive line continues to allow Cox to get sacked half a dozen times and continually run from pressure, Auburn fans are going to break out the pitchforks and lanterns and begin their ritualistic "Fire Tuberville!" campaign.
II. What do you think was opening weekend's biggest mirage -- either a "big win" over a team that isn't really as good as everyone thinks, or an embarrassing loss (or embarrassingly close win) that won't seem quite as embarrassing by season's end?
Biggest Mirage: Wisconsin over Washington State.
The Badgers are pretty good, but one must consider that Wisconsin was in a dogfight for much of the afternoon with a pretty average (at best) Cougar squad. Bill Doba will find a way to move Washington State to the PAC-10 cellar, with only Jim Harbaugh's Stanford charges ensuring something greater than a winless conference campaign.
III. Compared to how you felt Friday night, how do you feel now about your team's chances this season? I'm not just talking about your impressions of your own team -- also take into account their prospects relative to this year's opponents, whom you've also gotten a little more acquainted with after this past weekend's action.
Considering the fact that I only anticipated a three-win campaign for the Orange, the fact that Syracuse got shellacked by a pretty mediocre Washington team cements my prophetic intelligence.
The saddest aspect of this assessment is that it need only consider Syracuse's complete lack of football competency. The Orange is going to stink something terrific this year, and may be staring down another historic one-win campaign.
Syracuse's frustrating 2007-2008 basketball season cannot start soon enough.
IV. Looking at how those future opponents performed this past weekend, which developments are you most excited about? Which of your opponents' performances have you a little worried?
Excitement: Buffalo looking as if it is allergic to the endzone is a fun development. That should ensure at least a three-point victory for the Orange. Miami (OH) slipping by Ball State is also exciting, especially considering the fact that Ball State is to football what Hillary Clinton is to hip-huggers. Both opponents pose winnable contests, assuming, of course, Syracuse finds two serviceable offensive tackles and a rushing attack that can generate more than eight yards on the ground.
Endless Worry: Louisville, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Rutgers combining for 277 points. Granted, the offensive explosion came against some of the worst teams in college football, but Syracuse isn't exactly going to finish the season in the "Others Receiving Votes" category.
V. There are now 32 bowls in D-IA football, meaning 64 bowl teams, meaning any given team now stands a better-then-50-percent chance of going to a bowl. To get that number under 50 percent, we'd have to eliminate three bowls. Which ones would you get rid of?
International Bowl: American College Football + Toronto + January = No fucking way.
GMAC Bowl: Seriously, does anyone want to see Conference USA's second-place squad square-off against a forgettable MAC opponent? Unlikely. Plus, Mobile is not the balls.
Texas Bowl: Sportsline tentatively predicts this game as featuring Texas Tech against Central Florida. Accordingly, I'd rather drink bleach.
VI. And finally, in 50 words or less, how happy are you that it's finally football season again?
I'm thrilled; my employer and clients (who connectively count on my productivity), not so much.
I. By the end of the season, some previously unheralded teams' bandwagons will be so full they'll be having to bump passengers and offer them free vouchers and first-class upgrades; others will have emptied out in a big way. On whose bandwagon are you already scrambling to save a seat? Conversely, which team's bandwagon is being driven by Toonces the Driving Cat, prompting you to leap off now before it careens over a cliff to its fiery death below?
Bandwagon of Love: California
Color me smitten with DeSean Jackson and Nate Longshore. The Bears do not look like they want to play any defense in 2007, but with the amount of points Tedford's charges are expected to drop this season, that shouldn't matter much. California will probably not win the PAC-10 (USC could probably win the NFC West), but they will finish somewhere in the 10 to 11 win mark.
Bandwagon of Hate: Auburn
I am stunned how inept the Auburn offense looked against Kansas State. Everyone knows that Brandon Cox is not a national championship-caliber quarterback, but a team can only gut out so many victories. If the Tigers' newly fashioned offensive line continues to allow Cox to get sacked half a dozen times and continually run from pressure, Auburn fans are going to break out the pitchforks and lanterns and begin their ritualistic "Fire Tuberville!" campaign.
II. What do you think was opening weekend's biggest mirage -- either a "big win" over a team that isn't really as good as everyone thinks, or an embarrassing loss (or embarrassingly close win) that won't seem quite as embarrassing by season's end?
Biggest Mirage: Wisconsin over Washington State.
The Badgers are pretty good, but one must consider that Wisconsin was in a dogfight for much of the afternoon with a pretty average (at best) Cougar squad. Bill Doba will find a way to move Washington State to the PAC-10 cellar, with only Jim Harbaugh's Stanford charges ensuring something greater than a winless conference campaign.
III. Compared to how you felt Friday night, how do you feel now about your team's chances this season? I'm not just talking about your impressions of your own team -- also take into account their prospects relative to this year's opponents, whom you've also gotten a little more acquainted with after this past weekend's action.
Considering the fact that I only anticipated a three-win campaign for the Orange, the fact that Syracuse got shellacked by a pretty mediocre Washington team cements my prophetic intelligence.
The saddest aspect of this assessment is that it need only consider Syracuse's complete lack of football competency. The Orange is going to stink something terrific this year, and may be staring down another historic one-win campaign.
Syracuse's frustrating 2007-2008 basketball season cannot start soon enough.
IV. Looking at how those future opponents performed this past weekend, which developments are you most excited about? Which of your opponents' performances have you a little worried?
Excitement: Buffalo looking as if it is allergic to the endzone is a fun development. That should ensure at least a three-point victory for the Orange. Miami (OH) slipping by Ball State is also exciting, especially considering the fact that Ball State is to football what Hillary Clinton is to hip-huggers. Both opponents pose winnable contests, assuming, of course, Syracuse finds two serviceable offensive tackles and a rushing attack that can generate more than eight yards on the ground.
Endless Worry: Louisville, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Rutgers combining for 277 points. Granted, the offensive explosion came against some of the worst teams in college football, but Syracuse isn't exactly going to finish the season in the "Others Receiving Votes" category.
V. There are now 32 bowls in D-IA football, meaning 64 bowl teams, meaning any given team now stands a better-then-50-percent chance of going to a bowl. To get that number under 50 percent, we'd have to eliminate three bowls. Which ones would you get rid of?
International Bowl: American College Football + Toronto + January = No fucking way.
GMAC Bowl: Seriously, does anyone want to see Conference USA's second-place squad square-off against a forgettable MAC opponent? Unlikely. Plus, Mobile is not the balls.
Texas Bowl: Sportsline tentatively predicts this game as featuring Texas Tech against Central Florida. Accordingly, I'd rather drink bleach.
VI. And finally, in 50 words or less, how happy are you that it's finally football season again?
I'm thrilled; my employer and clients (who connectively count on my productivity), not so much.
Labels: BlogPoll Roundtable
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