We have a ton of things to get to this morning.
Seriously, with the World Series, the NBA starting, college football and the NFL, there's a ton of stuff. It's here. It's all happening. So why are wasting time?
From the "Talks too much" studios, we're chasing the Bandit.
SEC asked and answered
Cam Newton1. Mississippi State (7-0, 4-0; vs. Arkansas, 7:15 p.m.): Are the Bulldogs ready for the November gauntlet? We still not certain, considering they have trips to Tuscaloosa and Oxford on the docket. That said, the 1-2 punch of Dak Prescott and Josh Robinson is eerily similar to the tandem of Cam Newton and Mike Dyer that carried Auburn down the stretch to the 2010 national title.
2. Alabama (7-1, 4-1; off): Are the Tide the best team in the country? They are right there in the mix, and they are the favorites in the eyes of Vegas to win the whole thing. (And this just in, Vegas does a pretty good job tagging things like that.) Still, with the underwhelming performance of the running game, the Tide need to find another complementary offensive piece to receiver Amari Cooper.
3. Auburn (6-1, 3-1; at Ole Miss, 7 p.m.): Can the Tigers' offensive machine, which mowed through South Carolina at such a pace that the Gamecocks were forced to go for it on every fourth down, find success in the Groove? We're not so sure. Ole Miss has not allowed more than 20 points in 10 straight games, and coming off a physical and emotional loss at LSU, Auburn must expect another "everything but..." game in which the opposition throws everything but the kitchen sink at the Tigers.
4. Ole Miss (7-1, 4-1; vs. Auburn, 7 p.m.): Does one team's fortune hinge more on one player than the Rebs' chances and Bo Wallace? No and no, it's not a good thing. Yes, quarterbacks get too much credit for winning and too much blame for losing, but Wallace is the swing key for an Ole Miss team that may be the most complete - a great defense, a fleet of NFL wide outs, an offensive line that's strong when healthy - team in the nation's best league. Bo, what do you know and you'd have to expect the blitz-happy schemes of Auburn DC Ellis Johnson to mix in a view different looks in an effort to flummox Bo, right? (Rushmores of Bo? Bo Jackson for sure. Bo Duke. Bo Derek. Bo Diddley. Thoughts?)
Georgia junior tailback Todd Gurley rushed 25 times for 163 yards in a 44-17 win over Vanderbilt on Oct. 4, which is the last time he suited up for the Bulldogs.5. Georgia (6-1, 4-1; vs. Florida, 3:30 p.m.): Will we ever see Todd Gurley in a UGa uniform again? Man, with all the NCAA debaclenessituderation (and yes, we made that word up, but it's the NCAA and we can't cuss and since they make up the rules, well, that's how you get to debaclenessituderation), it's amazing that 18 years of academic fraud may or may not be worse or not as bad as Gurley selling his signature. Go figure.
6. LSU (7-2, 3-2; off): Could LSU sneak into the college football playoff? It's not likely but not impossible, either, which is saying something for a team that was completely pantsed at Auburn earlier this month. This Tigers bunch is maturing, and regardless of how this autumn ends, LSU likely will be preseason top-five in2015.
7. Texas A&M (5-3, 2-3; vs. Louisiana-Monroe, noon): Has any team lost more shine since the first four weeks? The Aggies, like Rod Stewart, needed to realize that when it was late September that they needed to be headed back to school. Instead, when the competition improved, the Aggies have faded. Badly. And while this week figures to be a spanking that will secure a bowl trip, around Labor Day, we thought the Aggies would be a slam dunk to hear their name Tuesday night among the top four in the committee's eyes. Maggie, I think I have something to say to you.
8. Missouri (6-2, 3-1; vs. Kentucky, 4 p.m.): Could Missouri win it all? Amazingly, the answer is yes. As gross as they have been - home losses to Georgia and Indiana and struggles last Saturday against a hapless Vandy bunch - the Tigers are on the short list of 20 or teams that could find their way into the playoff four without an extreme turn of events. If Missouri wins out - and none of its final four regular-season opponents are ranked - and Georgia stumbles in an SEC game, the Tigers would be in Atlanta, and as long as the SEC champ has two or fewer losses, that team will be headed to the playoff. Even if they lost to Indiana at home.
9. Kentucky (5-3, 2-3; at Missouri, 4 p.m.): Is this the week UK punches its postseason ticket? Why not? The Wildcats played the top-ranked Bulldogs close to the end - and quarterback Patrick Towles played like a Warrior Poet - and Missouri is flawed. The Wildcats could card a 3-1 finish in November, and even as great as the coaches in Mississippi have been, if Mark Stoops found a way to get UK to 8-4 in year two... Wow.
South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier.10. South Carolina (4-4, 2-4; vs. Tennessee, 7:30 p.m.): How good is Steve Spurrier? Man, the Ol' Ball Coach delivered an old-school masterpiece in the 42-35 loss at Auburn. Also, was there any doubt in anyone's mind that when Spurrier said if they had scored at the end they were going for 2 and the win? Thanks for letting us tag along on a fun ride, Coach.
11. Arkansas (4-4, 0-4; at Mississippi State, 7:15 p.m.): Why do the Hogs empty the playbook with the 350-pound tackle throwing a TD pass against UAB with a date with the nation's No. 1 team on deck? Not sure why, but here's betting that Arkansas OC Jim Chaney will unload the playbook - as well as pounding the ball between the tackles - Saturday in Stakville.
12. Florida (3-3, 2-3; vs. Georgia, 3:30 p.m.): What's the craziest way Will Muschamp's final Florida-Georgia game as the Gators coach could end? Well, the craziest would be Jeff Driskel playing well and Florida winning - and we all know there's no way that's happening. The second-craziest way would be for the game to matriculate through the day, Georgia build a lead, then midway through the fourth, Muschamp - a UGA grad mind you - walks to midfield, rips off his Florida golf shirt to reveal his old Georgia jersey as the loud speaker plays CDB's "Devil Went Down to Georgia" and Jim Ross grabs the mic and screams about Muschamp's plan all along. No. 3 would be Muschamp riding off the field on a unicorn with his Big Blue Ox Tebow following behind him. Yes, that'd be crazy (but still not as crazy as Driskel playing well).
13. Tennessee (3-5, 0-4; at South Carolina, 7:30 p.m.): Which was the real Josh Dobbs, the one that apparently views practice the same way Allen Iverson does or the one that gave Alabama fits? We'll see, but we can all agree that Nathan Peterman has had ample sample size and the tag on his career should be like an old-school fire extinguisher - open only in case of emergency.
14. Vandy (2-6, 0-5; vs. Old Dominion, 7 p.m.): Was there something to build on in Vandy's 10-point loss at Missouri? Maybe, considering freshman quarterback Johnny McCrary looked light years ahead of the other quarterbacks. Seriously, he was like Lionel Richie and the rest of the QBs have been just Commodores (thank you, thank you). Still, Vandy rushed for 44 more yards as a team Saturday than I did. Still, here's Johnny.
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College football four
SEC
Southeastern ConferenceThe first college football ranking from the college football playoff committee will be announced tonight.
Who you got?
Maybe more importantly, what's your most important criteria?
There are five SEC teams in the top nine of the major polls and three in the top four.
When the committee releases its ranking, we'd be stunned if the three SEC West clubs - No. 1 Mississippi State, No. 3 Alabama, and No. 4 Auburn - are among the top four of the committee. In fact, the intrigue of this is kind of exciting, even if we all know the poll on Oct. 28 is meaningless because of the trails and travails ahead.
Still, who you got and who do you think the committee will have in the top five?
Our top five is Mississippi State, FSU, Alabama, Auburn and Oregon. We think the committee's top five will be Mississippi State, FSU, Alabama, Oregon and Michigan State.
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NFL Power Poll
We are halfway through the season, and what do we know?
We know the Dallas Cowboys, who inexplicably lost at home to Washington and Colt McCoy, are better than we thought.
Peyton ManningWe know the NFC South is rotten.
We know that the seats are heating up in Atlanta, New York and potentially Chicago, which has underachieved.
We know that the annual meeting between Peyton and Brady this Sunday will be the most watched game of the season. (And rightfully so.)
We know that the league has launched a 5-at-10-approved ad campaign against domestic violence that we saw this weekend, and while the message was clear and direct and spot-on, it did remind us that the preseason problems have yet to be addressed. (Regardless of the images and the outrage, the NFL is culpable in our view that Ray Rice is still suspended while Jim Irsay, who was originally charged with four felonies, is back under the Shield.)
And we know - like we have for a while - that good quarterback play is critically important.
Let's examine the top five and the worst five teams in the league, and see if you notice a common theme (and that theme is just as evident in the stinky five as it is in the top five):
1) Denver Peytons.
2) New England Bradys.
3) Arizona Cardinals.
4) Dallas Cowboys.
5) Indy Colts.
Football tileBottom five
28) Tennessee Titans.
29) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
30) New York Jets.
31) Jacksonville Jaguars.
32) Oakland Raiders.
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This and that
San Francisco Giants' Hunter Pence, left, and teammate Michael Morse, right, prepare for batting practice during a workout Monday, Oct. 27, 2014, in Kansas City, Mo. The Giants and Kansas City Royals are scheduled to play Game 6 of baseball's World Series on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)- The Atlanta Braves hired a pitching coach on Monday. Kevin Seitzer, who was a long-time big leaguer, will be in charge of dropping the Braves' K's and improving their ability to have productive at-bats. Dude has had success at every stop of coaching tour - Toronto was top five in AL in runs and home runs last year with Seitzer - and was a professional hitter in his 12-year career in the majors. He hit .295 during his career and walked (669) more times than he struck out (617).
- NBA season starts tonight. Feel free to offer predicitions, but doesn't it see weird that the Lakers and Celtics are non-factors?
- Game 6 of the World Series is tonight. The Giants hold a 3-2 lead because they have Madison Bumgarner, who has been slap salty. There are reports that Bumgarner, who is 4-0 with a 0.29 ERA in four World Series starts, could pitch in relief tonight. We agree with this move. Yes, in this age of protecting arms and pitch counts and what have you - and for young players we completely agree with extreme methods to insure arm strength and not over throwing - there may be some questions. But, remember that every starter would have a throwing sessions two or three days after a start, and if that throwing session is in the seventh against an opponent, we're good with that.
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Today's question
As always feel free to play along with any of the above.
Who's your 4 and/or who do you think will be the top four teams in the inaugural rankings of the college football playoff committee tonight?
We check birthdays daily to see who among the interesting and famous folks may be blowing out candles. Some days are very blah-tastic. Some - like today - are supremely impressive.
Beyond Brent Rhodes, who was our best friend growing up and who is celebrating his birthday today, there are a couple of interesting names that lead to potential questions who are blowing out candles today.
Mercedes (Julia Roberts) and Larry (Tom Hanks) wrestle with some of midlife's tough issues in "Larry Crowne."Julia Roberts turns 47 today. She, like the 5-at-10 and Rhodes, went to Campbell High School in Smyrna, Ga. Who is the most famous person that went to your high school? (Side note: Some of you guys in Blue may or may not know that Zach Wamp turns 57 today, so there's that.)
Bill Gates turns 59 today. What's the Rushmore of the most influential people of our generation. Gates has to be in the discussion, right?
Gus Malzahn turns 49 today. If you were an AD and needed a new college football coach - and price was no object - what's your top five list of college coaches you'd contact? We may be biased, but Malzahn is not far behind Saban on the list of folks we call.
Go - and if you need another talking point, well as long as your patronize our sponsors and listen to Press Row today for a True or False Tuesday, well, you have our permission to explore the interwebs.
(Remember the mailbag.)