007 SkyFall and Other Notes

Home from work sick is no fun, but what is fun is the news out of Pinewood Studios in London. Early this morning, Eon Productions announced that filming for the 23rd James Bond action adventure will start TODAY. The film will be called "SkyFall" and will star Daniel Craig as James Bond, Dame Judi Dench as M, Javier Bardem as the antagonist, Naomie Harris as Eve, Bernice Marlohe as Severin. Ralph Finnes, Albert Finney, and Ben Whishaw will also star. The official synopsis released today is as follows
From Eon Productions:
"Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost."

The film is the first since Die Another Day to be named after a non Fleming novel or short story. The only Fleming titles remaining are Risico, Property of a Lady and the Hildebrand Rarity.

It's about freaking time! It has been almost four years since we have been treated to a Bond film, and that is the longest gap without naming a new Bond actor in history. It will have NOTHING to do with the other two films. The Quantum agency appears to be dead... for now.

Personally I cannot wait for this movie to come out. I am a huge James Bond fan. The release year is also significant. 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film franchise. 50 years, 23 films, 6 James Bonds... Nobody does it better.

Other Notes:

The game to end all games is this weekend. Yay. You have heard enough about it. I have heard enough about it. I don't care anymore. Let them play the game then we can talk.

Here are some LONG OVERDUE conference predictions.

ACC
Predicted Winner: Clemson- Even though they got beat by Georgia Tech this weekend, Clemson is in the driver seat to win it all in the ACC. They have two games against weak ACC opponents before their rivalry game with USC which now really doesn't mean anything.

Dark Horse: VaTech- BeamerBall is back at the right time. They are quietly 8-1 on the year. If they win out, they go to the title game where they will look to yet again represent the ACC in the Orange Bowl.

BigEast
Predicted Winner: Who knows
Dark Horse: Who knows
Explanation: This is the worst conference in major college football. That it even has a BCS bid is a joke. 4 Teams could win this thing, including Louisville. Either way, this conference is dying and should be stripped of its AQB.

Big12
Predicted Winner: Oklahoma State- The 'boys are undefeated as they march towards Bedlam. There isn't a team on their schedule that scares me before that point. If they beat Oklahoma they win the Big12 and WILL play for a national championship.

Dark Horse: Oklahoma- They stumbled HARD against Texas Tech but they still have Bedlam coming up. If they can survive AM and Baylor, Bedlam will be right up there with LSU/Bama in terms of big time attention.

BigTen
Predicted Winner: Nebraska- The Huskers are the frontrunner again after stumbling in Madison. They have two tough games remaining. Both are must wins for Big Red. One is against Michigan at Michigan and the other is....

Dark Horse: Penn State- NO ONE is talking about JoePa. They are the luckiest team in America and thanks to Wisconsin losing at OSU are the clear favorite in their division. The next three games for the Lions are HUGE. They face Nebraska, OSU, and Wisconsin. They must win two games, pref against OSU and Wisconsin. For now, JoePa is in control of his own destiny.

Pac12
Predicted Winner: Stanford- They have some tough games ahead, but I feel that the winner of the Oregon Stanford game will go on and win the first ever Pac12 Title game. Stanford has a non conference game against Notre Dame at the end of the season that be for a berth in the BCS title game if all goes according to plan.

Dark Horse: Oregon- Beat Stanford and you're in the driver seat.

SEC
Predicted Winner: Whoever wins Saturday. Let's be honest. The SEC West has all the power. Whoever wins Saturday beats whoever the East sends to Atlanta. Easily. The loser will get a BCS bowl bid as an at large. This game is for the SEC and a berth in the BCS title game.

It's going to be another good weekend.

A New Big 12 Thursday

It's been a while and A LOT has happened. We have a top four that has cemented themselves at the top of the polls, a BIG surprise team in the ACC, zero Boise talk, and the ongoing soap opera that is conference realignment. The college football season is in full stride now and every weekend provides some sort of drama. Be it the drubbing that Nebraska took in Wisconsin, the hopes of the new generation of Florida Gators going down a week before a pivotal game against LSU, and on a personal note the utter collapse of the Kentucky football team. It's good to sit back and watch...

The New Big 12
Conference realignment has been the off the field issue that has kept fans of college football entertained between weekends. Texas AM has joined the SEC with Mizzou soon to follow. Naturally all predicted the demise (again) of the Big 12 conference. Oklahoma and Texas decided to stay put and quelled the fires for now. The Big 12 is down to 9 members currently. If Mizzou officially bolts, they will be down to 8. Again, not panic mode just yet. Still it appeared that the Big 12 was the conference on life support. Until....

The Big Least
Syracuse and Pitt made surprise announcements that they will be bolting the Big East and heading to the ACC. In terms of basketball, it was a small blow to the conference. In terms of football, it was a direct hit. Cuse and Pitt are bolting. Not great but ok in football right? WVU was privately rejected by the SEC, Pitino wants the Ville to stay in the league, and no one else really said anything. All is well. Until today...

TCU's Run From the Alter
TCU announced today that they will NOT be joining the unstable Big East and will instead join the newly revitalized Big 12. This move makes total sense to anyone with a brain. Dallas to Stoors, CT is an expensive trip for the tennis team to have to make. Dallas to Austin is logical. If Mizzou leaves though, the Big 12 will have to get some new blood to be viable. Some think they already have a team in mind...

Louisville
Some seem to think that Louisville will join the Big 12 within the month. The Big East is dying, and all the teams in that league must make a move. Louisville is a Midwest city that could fit nicely in the league. I don't care how bad your football team is, people would much rather pay top dollar to see Oklahoma, Texas, OKState come play football then Rutgers and South Florida. Basketball wise, it's a no brainer also. Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, K-State, OKState, Baylor and Louisville make for a decent college basketball conference. Yearly home games with Kansas in Louisville. That is pretty exciting. Will Louisville go is the issue. We all know that the Big East is....

The League on Life Support
The Big East is left with UConn, Cincy, Louisville, WVU, Rutgers, and South Florida. Three of those schools are newcomers from the last conference expansion a few years ago. There is no logical argument for why this conference should get an automatic BCS bid. NONE. This league is terrible. They Big East wants to add the service academies to the mix. Nothing against our wonderful service academies, but they DO NOT make this conference any better. The best thing for teams like Louisville to do is to go where the opportunities are ripe. West Virginia would be wise to get into the ACC if they can. The rest, eh who cares.

The Top Four
Enough hypothetical talk, time to talk reality. Four teams have emerged as "the best" teams in college football. LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma and Wisconsin are by far the best teams in America. LSU and Bama have to play each other in a couple of weeks while Oklahoma faces Texas in the Red River Shootout on Saturday. Wisconsin appears to have the meat of their schedule behind them. Of those four teams, Bama and LSU play the toughest schedules thanks to the SEC. Oklahoma still has pivotal league games to come. Wisconsin doesn't really have much competition going forward. Oklahoma has the disadvantage of not having to play a championship game which would make an undefeated Wisconsin team more sexy to fill the number two spot. It's a lot of what ifs. What is clear is that these four teams are above and beyond the best in the nation. Which leads us to...

Boise State
This is the first year in quite some time that the talk of Boise or Boise wannabes has been virtually silent. No one is worried about Boise crashing the party this year. The top four teams are really, really good. Boise would need an utter collapse from both Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Boise is a good team, but they do not have to face the schedule that the SEC and the Big12/Ten have to face. Besides, Boise seems to be getting some pressure from an unlikely force...

Clemson. Really?
Yes, Clemson. The tigers have avoided the ACC meltdown that usually greets them early in the conference schedule. Clemson beat a decent Auburn team before beating and dismantling Florida State and Virginia Tech (the two teams I thought would win the league). Clemson is slowly inching into the BCS picture. Granted, October is young, and they have plenty of time to end up playing an SEC team in the Music City Bowl. Unfortunately, one old Music City Bowl foe won't make it to the dance...

Kentucky "Football"
My cats are terrible. One would like to laugh at Louisville for losing to FIU and Marshall. Eh, I am still laughing at them. Kentucky has looked abysmal all year. The offense ranks near the bottom of the FBS schools. Losing to Florida and LSU is not a surprise. The matter in which we lost is. We put up no fight in the Florida game. We looked "better" against LSU, but still. Ugly football. With basketball season tipping off next week, many fans have bolted. Kentucky's remaining games aren't as tough as the first batch, but the odds of making a bowl are slowly slipping away. Yeah it's been ugly in the bluegrass.

Another big week of college football is coming. And college basketball in the bluegrass is just a week away from kicking off. Best time of the year? Perhaps.

A 25 F**king Years Tuesday.

Another Florida v Kentucky game has come and gone. The outcome is again as certain as death and taxes. For the 25th straight year, Florida DOMINATED Kentucky in football. This wasn't shocking to anyone who follows the UK football program. Kentucky is going through its worse season since the 2005 campaign. On this Tuesday after the beating, I was thinking just about how impressive that streak really is. Think about this:
In the same time period, Kentucky has beaten every team in the SEC (except Tennessee) at least once. Kentucky has won road games in Oxford, Starkville, Fayetteville, Columbia, Athens, Auburn and Nashville to name a few. We have been to bowls, won bowls, been ranked, been ranked in the top ten of the BCS, hosted Gameday, and been through our fair share of coaches. What about the Gators?
The year the streak started (1987) Florida went 6-6. 12 out of the 25 years Florida won 9 or fewer games with most of those being 8 and below seasons. Florida has had four coaches during the streak: Spurrier, Zook, Meyer, and now Muschamp. Spurrier put Florida on the map, Meyer won two BCS titles, and Muschamp has stared out strong. What about Zook? Zook went 24-13 as the Florida head coach. 16-8 in the SEC!
Zook and UK played 3 times. They blew us out in his final year, but the first two games were won by Florida by a touchdown or less. I understand us not being able to beat the great Florida teams, or even the good Florida teams. What I don't understand is how we found ways to lose to REALLY bad Florida teams. That is why the streak is so infamous in the Bluegrass State.
OK....

SEC Standings Week Four
East

1. Florida (4-0, 2-0): Florida absolutely rocked Kentucky in a tuneup for the big showdown against the Crimson Tide. I am starting to loosen up on my "South Carolina is the team to beat in the East" stance.

2. South Carolina (4-0,2-0) South Carolina got a good division win over Vandy and will face Auburn next. Again, I think its USC and Florida in the East. Those two have separated themselves from the pact.

3. Vandy (3-1, 1-1): Even with the loss, Vandy is in position to fight for a bowl bid. They get a bad UK team in Nashville later in the year so anything is possible. I could see Vandy finishing in the middle of the East. No one saw that a month ago.

4. Georiga ( 2-2, 1-1) After two straight losses, Georgia has reeled off two straight wins. They beat a bad Ole Miss club on the road and prepare to play Mississippi State next. Mark Richt can cool his seat with a big win over the other dogs.

5. Tennessee (2-1, 0-1): Had an off week last weekend after losing to the Gators. Tennessee has a pretty easy game with Buffalo this weekend.

6. Kentucky (2-2, 0-1): 25 in a row to Florida. Ouch. Kentucky has looked putrid all season. They barely beat the worst team in FBS football (WKU), squeaked by a Central Michigan club that has been beaten handily in recent weeks, and lost to a lowly Louisville team. Kentucky travels to LSU this weekend. Goodnight.

West

1. Alabama (4-0, 1-0): Bama got there first SEC win of the year against western rival Arkansas. They sit on top of the standings due to the alphabet. They get a pretty good Florida team this weekend though.

2. LSU (4-0, 1-0) LSU students invaded WVU classrooms the day before the game and taunted them. I guess it worked. LSU whipped the 'Neers in Morgantown on Saturday. LSU looks to be on a mission after securing the number one ranking. Who do they get next? The Kentucky Wildcats. Fact: due to UK's poor performance, the game will be played at noon instead of the traditional night spot that LSU is known for. We are going to get stomped.

3. Auburn (3-1, 1-0) The Tigers bounced back from a good loss to Clemson by beating up FAU. Auburn gets another top 25 test next as they face the Gamecocks.

4. Arkansas (3-1, 0-1) The Hogs played a spirited game but in the end fell in Tuscaloosa to the Tide. Next up they play a rivalry game with Texas AM who officially joined the league yesterday.

5. Mississippi State (2-2, 0-2): It took overtime to beat LATech on Saturday. Suddenly Mississippi State doesn't look so intimidating. Georiga sure hopes so.

6. Ole Miss (1-3, 0-2):Ole Miss is terrible. They travel to the dog pound at Fresno State which hasn't been kind to Ole Miss. The game of the year for the Rebels will be against UK. Winner avoids being the worst team in the league.

Ugh. Go Cats.

The Weekend Ahead

I really enjoyed "The Social Network". If you haven't read the book, you must read it, especially if you are one of 300 plus million who are subscribers to Facebook. In both versions, they stress how Facebook should be kept clean and simple so the users don't get lost in the overload of content. Today, Facebook rolled out its long anticipated update. Congratulations, you have pulled a Netflix. Both business models were unique and simple. If it isn't broken Facebook, don't fix it. Of course Facebook is a business, and they must do what they can to make money. I get it. Just remember your roots. And please don't let the that happen to Twitter. Please.

OK. Football....

Week four is about to begin which means that conference games begin in full this week. There are a lot of big conference matchups over the next few days. From here on out, The Weekend Ahead will highlight two games per BCS conference. One game will be the "Best" the other will be the "Most Intriguing". As of this moment there are still six BCS conferences, so we better type fast.

ACC

Best Game: 11 Florida State @ 21 Clemson: Florida State lost a tough one at home to the Sooners last week while Clemson beat defending national champ Auburn. Clemson is 3-0 at home. I still think Florida State is the team to beat in the ACC, and Auburn isn't exactly what they were last year. Clemson gets humbled in the game formerly known as the Bowden Bowl.

Most Intriguing Game: Temple @ Maryland: Both teams are coming off single possession losses to their rivals. WVU beating Maryland by a touchdown isn't surprising, but Temple playing Penn State to the wire is. Kind of. Recall, Miami's current coach left Temple to head down to South Beach. Temple had a phenomenal season last year and return a lot of key players. Temple has an offense that can score, and score a lot. On the flip side, Coach Edsall is trying to build something in Maryland. There win over Miami on MNF was dramatic and entertaining. Coach Edsall is used to playing in these type of games. Afterall, his UConn Huskies were always overlooked. I like the Temple Owls in this one.

Big 12

Best Game: 7 OK State @ 8 Texas A&M: The Cowboys game on Saturday started at midnight and finished up at 3:30 in the morning. Let's hope that doesn't happen too often. State is the more tested team with a win over BCS Arizona (if you can call them a BCS team). However I have to cheer on future SEC member Texas AM. Besides, I feel bad for them. Three out of their next four games are against ranked teams. The 12th man wins in College Station.

Most Intriguing Game: Kansas State @ Miami, FL: Miami will easily win this game. I only mention it because Kansas State almost lost to Eastern Kentucky. They beat them by three....

Big East

Best Game: 2 LSU @ 16 WVU: Game of the week. LSU is the team to beat right now. Explosive offense and a crushing defense. WVU has that as well, it's just that they're trying to put it all together. LSU wins in Morgantown, but it will be close. And gritty.

Most Intriguing Game: Pitt @ Notre Dame: Old rivals square off yet again in a game that Notre Dame should win but will more than likely find a way to lose. I'm still taking the Irish.

Big Ten

Let's be honest, the Big Ten has no game that could be their best or most intriguing this week. Colorado at Ohio State is it. Snooze.

Pac12

Best Game: 23 USC @ Arizona State: ASU lost a tough road game at Illinois last weekend after upsetting Mizzou at home the week before. ASU is a spotty team, but at home they can be dangerous. I like ASU in this matchup. Mainly because I can't stand Lane Kiffin.

Most Intriguing: The fact that the Pac12 turned down Texas because Texas was being too greedy is the most intriguing thing coming out of the Pac12 this weekend. Texas has proven once again that they simply cannot be trusted.

SEC

Best Game: 14 Arkansas @ 3 Alabama: Both come in undefeated. Alabama comes in as the tested team. Alabama wins at home.

Most Intriguing: Vandy @ 12 South Carolina: Vandy is 3-0. Vandy is 1-0 in the SEC. Vandy is undefeated. Vandy slapped around Ole Miss like they were, well, Vandy. I really wish this game were in Nashville. Unfortunately, it's not. South Carolina is the better team. With that said, Vandy has beaten teams better than them before. They do what UK cannot do- beat the best teams in the SEC. Hell, UK hasn't beaten Florida and Tennessee in 25 plus years. In that same time period Vandy has beaten Tennessee and took a Tim Tebow Florida team to double over time before falling to the Gators. You never know with Vandy....

Hopefully our conferences will still be around on Monday...

Big East Obituary Monday

Week three of the college football season is in the books which means one thing- league play fully begins next week for the majority of teams out there. League play. That term used to be so boring. These days, "league" is an evolving term. The biggest news in the world of college football didn't happen on the field. News broke before the noon games kicked off on Saturday that Pitt and Syracuse will be joining the ACC sooner rather than later. Connecticut announced thereafter that they too will be seeking admission into the ACC. Combine that with the earlier news that A&M is going to the SEC and Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and OK State are all slated to make the move to the PAC12 something this week means we have entered the final stages of total realignment.

None of this is a shock. Nebraska and Colorado started all this when they pulled the trigger and bolted from the Big12. Everyone always assumed that the Big Ten, Pac12 and the SEC would be the three leagues to survive. The fourth "super league" would be made up of all the rest. It looks like the ACC will be that fourth. So what about the Big East teams that haven't declared? Where do they go? Here are my thoughts.

NOTE: I will only focus on Big East teams.

Leaving

Pittsburgh: A decent football team with some tradition. A staple in the lowly Big East though.

Syracuse: Again, a decent football tradition. Big alumni base and recognition. Good fit for the ACC.

Trying to Leave

Connecticut: The defending Big East champion. NOT a football power. They are seeking survival. Geographically, would easily fit into the ACC.

Undecided

South Florida: A team on the rise. The ACC would be a great fit for them. Growing school, good football team, etc. It would add a third ACC team to Florida.

West Virginia: WVU to the SEC seems the most likely course. Out of all the teams up for grabs, WVU is the best bet. Passionate fans and a good football program that could compete in the SEC. Mid level of course, but still a good team.

Rutgers: Rutgers is a team that has popped up on the Big Ten radar for a while. They would really like a team that is close to Penn State and expands the Big Ten eastward. Rutgers would be a good Big Ten fit- academics being the only question.

Cincinnati: A tough fit. Would the Big Ten take another Ohio team? Do they fit in the Big Ten? Do they fit in the ACC? More importantly, is there room? Cincy in the SEC? Too many questions. The argument could be made for the SEC. Expand the brand into Ohio, tv, etc. However, Northern Kentucky and Cincinatti share the same television market. They are already exposed to SEC games thanks to UK. This could be a team left without a chair.

Louisville: Another team that could be left without a chair. Like Cincinnati, they don't have anything that sets them apart in the bidding wars. Louisville would be a good fit for the Big 12, but it looks like that league is folding. Louisville has to get aggressive quick.

Coming

TCU: Poor TCU. They announced last year that they were coming to the Big East to avoid the very scenario they are now in. TCU will be left without a chair, and it's a shame.

That's the football picture. FACT: The Big East is a terrible league in football. What about basketball? We all know football pays the bills. However, Big East basketball is the SEC of NCAA hoops. Syracuse, Pitt, UConn in the ACC with Duke, Maryland, UNC etc.... geez.

What about schools like Villanova, Georgetown, Marquette, St. Johns? Basketball first schools. Where do they land? Likewise in the Big 12- Kansas and Kansas State? A lot of change is coming, and EVERY school will be impacted by it.

SEC Standings Week Three

East

Florida 3-0, 1-0: Good win over division rival Tennessee. Florida and USC look to the beasts of the East.

South Carolina 3-0, 1-0: Close win over Navy. Still the team to beat.

Vandy 3-0, 1-0: Surprise team so far. Demolished Ole Miss at home on Saturday. Not a pushover?

UK 2-1, 0-0: HUGE loss at home to Louisville. We are terrible. The UK/Ole Miss game could determine the worst team in the league.

Tennessee 2-1, 0-1: Showed signs of life in the loss to Florida. Coach Dooley is fighting the Lane Kiffin era and sanctions but is putting a competitive product on the field each week.

Georgia 1-2, 0-1: Big win over a cupcake. Still a dangerous team.

West

LSU 3-0, 1-0: Good win over MSU to kick off league play. Still on top.

Auburn 2-1, 1-0: Win streak finally snapped. Not last years Tigers. Still undefeated in league play....

Alabama 3-0, 0-0: Another big cupcake win. All comes down to LSU/Bama.

Arkansas 3-0, 0-0: I'm impressed with the Hogs. They lose a ton, but still keep putting up big numbers. The Petrino effect.

Ole Miss 1-2, 0-1: Will not call them the worst team in the league yet. Getting close though.

Mississippi State 1-2, 0-2: Two tough losses in league play early for the dogs. Still a mid level west team. Better than Ole Miss....

Skipping the conference picks this week. They haven't changed. One last thought on expansion though....

Notre Dame. If you want to be relevant (or survive) you MUST join one of these super conferences. Independents won't last. I know you have that fancy NBC contract and tradition and blah blah blah. Everyone has a fancy tv contract these days. Quit living in the Lou Holtz Buick station wagon era- modernize or die. Just saying.

The Weekend Ahead

First off. How great is it that the NFL is back? This past weekend saw my brain explode due to football overload. I am ashamed to admit that I did not make it through the second MNF game last night. Unfortunately the Colts lost a close one to the Houston Texans. We're terrible....

The third weekend of the college football season is about to kick off and again we are left with few "good games". Starting next week we will start seeing big name conference games, but for now we are stuck with just a few gem games.

Week Three

Best Game: 1 Oklahoma @ 5 Florida State 8:00 ABC: Both teams will be playing for a berth in the BCS title game in this game. Landry Jones and Oklahoma appear to be the better team, but Bob Stoops has a tendency to throw away big games. Jimbo Fishers team got demolished in Norman last year. Junior QB EJ Manuel is no Landry Jones. The one thing that might help FSU is that they are playing this game at Doak Campbell. I don't think it does. Oklahoma is just too strong.

Oklahoma 24 FSU 17

Intriguing Game: 17 Ohio State @ Miami 7:30 ESPN: Might as well call it the Probation Bowl. Ohio State got good news as several suspended players will be allowed to play starting Saturday. Probably could have used them in that Toledo game Saturday... Miami has been through a hellish off season under first year head coach Al Golden. Say what you want about the U and the things that went down, this team is hurting for a big win. Miami still holds some animosity from the 2002 BCS Title game against the Bucks. You also can't ignore that Miami looked halfway decent on Labor Day night at Maryland. They were beat in that game in front of a national audience. They have been beaten up for months due to scandal. Call me crazy but I am taking the U to beat Ohio State in south Florida. Ohio State isn't that great and those weaknesses were exposed last weekend. It's all about the U...

Ohio State 21 Miami 24

On Friday I'll look back at the UK game from Saturday and ahead to the rivalry game against Louisville. In the mean time, crucial fantasy football decisions must be made.

Throwback Monday

Another weekend of college football has come and gone. Some games certainly were a blast from the past. We must pause from football for a moment to reflect upon the significance of this past weekend. Yesterday was the 10 year anniversary of September 11, 2001. Like many of you, I can vividly remember where I was, what I was doing, and who I was with. I remember the second tower collapsing and writing one word in my English class journal: War. That day changed the lives of my generation. I am so thankful we had football this weekend. I was able to successfully avoid watching any of the cable news networks. I can still remember 10 years ago watching the attacks unfold live when the camera zoomed on what they thought was debris falling. It wasn't debris. It was multiple people jumping to escape the hell of that building. I will honor the dead, the heroes, the families. I respect the magnitude of that day. I just pray I never have to see the images of people of jumping again. God save the Republic...

On to Football....

Game of the Weekend: There were several great games this weekend including a possible career ending game for Mark Richt, an SEC Big Ten beat down, Iowa State won a semi big game, almost big upsets, and Vandy is 2-0. Unfortunately only one can be chosen. Without question, the most interesting game was the one in which 114,000 people came to watch a 131 year old rivalry under the lights for the first time in the history of the Big House. Notre Dame and Michigan may not be the best teams in the land, but Saturday night they played an instant classic. All participants (including those fine officials in the photo) wore throwback attire. Notre Dame looked to right the ship after last weeks loss in South Bend to USF. They jumped out to an early strong lead. The fourth quarter though is where the magic happened. Three touchdowns were scored in the final 1:12 of play. Michigan nabbed two of them. In fact Michigan scored 28 points in the fourth quarter. The most thrilling came with two second left in the game when Michigan WR Roy Roundtree caught a 16 yard pass from Denard Robinson to secure the Wolverines victory. Everything about this game was cool. All the history, all the passion, the lights, the uniforms, everything. Will Michigan compete for a BCS title? Doubtful. One thing is clear though, Denard Robinson can play, and Brady Hoke might have been the right guy for the job after all.

SEC WEEK TWO STANDINGS

EAST

1. South Carolina (2-0, 1-0): The Ol Ball Coach won a tough battle with Georgia to secure the top spot in the SEC East in an early league showdown. It's apparent that the quarterback situation at USC is interesting to say the least. Carolina looks to be the team to beat in the East though.

2. Florida (2-0, 0-0): Florida took care of Cupcake U for the second week in a row. The first "real" test is next week when Tennessee comes to town.

3. Kentucky (2-0, 0-0): Kentucky looked good in the second half. Kentucky looked terrible in the first half. Thank goodness this was against Central Michigan. Starts like that will not win games in the SEC. Louisville is next.

4. Tennessee (2-0, 0-0): Despite his tattoo, Tyler Bray is a pretty good quarterback. I thought Cincinnati would be more competitive with Tennessee. SEC power is too much for the Big East. Kentucky better remember that next week. The Vols travel down south for a divisional showdown with the Gators next... Don't wear those pants coach please...

5. Vandy (2-0, 0-0): Vandy is 2-0. Vandy beat the defending Big East champion. Say what you want about Vandy, they can always find a way to win "big" games. They've beaten Tennessee and Florida multiple times over the nearly 30 UK win less drought.

6. Georgia (0-2, 0-1): Georgia is a talented team and had to play two great teams out the gate. How many schools do that. Georgia should be fine going forward. Mark Richt on the other hand may not be.

West

1. Auburn (2-0, 1-0): War Damn Eagle. Auburn has played two games that should not be watched by those with heart conditions. They are 2-0 without Newton and company and recorded a VERY impressive win over Mississippi State Saturday. Will the momentum last?

2. Alabama (2-0, 0-0): The second best team in the West went up to Happy Valley and smacked around JoePa. Bama proved yet again that the SEC owns the Big Ten. For now.

3. Arkansas (2-0, 0-0): The Razorbacks played in Little Rock Saturday with the Hog painted in a very nice red, white, and blue pattern. The stadium was color coordinated as well in a fitting tribute to 9/11. They get one more cupcake before Bama though.

4. LSU (2-0, 0-0): Romp against an instate school. Nothing can be learned here. No one punched a marine though.

5. Ole Miss (1-1, 0-0): Ole Miss won a game!!!!

6: Mississippi State (1-1, 0-1): Heartbreaking loss to the Tigers. Dan Mullens team will be competitive this year and will bounce back from this early, early, EARLY, loss. Losing early doesn't hurt too bad.

Week Two Predicted Conference Champions

ACC

Prediction: Florida State. The most explosive team in the league still.

Dark Horse: Virginia Tech: Close win against ECU, but really no other team stands out. Beamerball.

Big12

Prediction: Oklahoma: Still the team to beat in this weak league.

Dark Horse: A&M: Again, no one else stands out. OKSTATE might crack it soon though.

Big East

Prediction: WVU: Norfolk State hung, but Geno threw.

Dark Horse: South Florida: Weak league, still riding the band wagon from last week.

Big Ten

Prediction: Nebraska: biased.

Dark Horse: Wisconsin: As much as I want to put Michigan here, I know they can't do it every week.

Pac12

Prediction: Oregon: Chalk.

Dark Horse: Stanford. As long as Luck is healthy, good things. Although Arizona State was intriguing.

SEC

Prediction: I am taking Alabama again only because of their performance in a true road environment against Penn State. LSU/Bama will still decide the west though.

Dark Horse: I'm taking South Carolina. I know it's nuts because LSU and Alabama are the best teams in the league. There is something in the madness at South Carolina that makes me think they could shock the league. The ol ball coach...

Another weekend is in the books. The NFL is back too! Everyone wins! Except us Colts fans...