Perhaps I’m simply too messed up to have a good day. I’m sitting here this morning, my head whirling to the point it’s painful, having trouble putting words together. There was nothing inherently wrong with the past 24 hours, but I can’t say I enjoyed them. The dogs were snuggly, the cats were cuddly, and we spent plenty of time together, but the day ended with me feeling empty and alone. Tipper had a fun date at the movies, Kat had a strange reaction to some mystifying dreams, but you’ll have to ask her for details because I’d get it wrong. There was absolutely nothing about the day that justifies being upset, but yet, here I am, feeling somewhere between pissed, for no good reason, and sad. Fortunately, Hamilton is keeping his boopable nose at the ready.
Football was either chaotic or a complete blowout. OU left all their talent and skill on the North side of the Red River as Texas whomped ’em, 34-3. The Sooners never really showed up for the game, which is a familiar frustration. It was a sack on a two-point conversion attempt that caused Purdue to lose to Illinois, 49-50. The last two minutes of that game were pure chaos and made my head hurt. But then, that happened a lot yesterday.
Did you see that South Carolina/Alabama game? There’s little question that SC was the better team for the majority of the game. Yet, after a bizarre fourth quarter, ‘Bama came out on top, 27-25. My opinion: ‘Bama should not get a poll bump off that win. They were sloppy the whole game. They got lucky.
Similarly, how the hell did Oregon beat Ohio State, 32-31? Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel is getting a lot of the credit, and there’s no question that his fourth-quarter play was impressive. Still, Ohio State made far too many errors in judgment and the result was a loss that should have been a win.
Tennessee whooped Florida, 23-17, in a game that ended closer than it should have. I think it is right to question whether Florida came into the game already mentally exhausted from the week’s storms around the state. Give Florida a normal week and I think that game ends differently.
Notre Dame QB, Riley Leonard, was showing off yesterday. He had three TD passes and ran for a fourth as Notre Dame put the hurt on Stanford, 49-7. Stanford looked weak, though, and played weaker. This was an easy win for ND. I’m not impressed.
Oh, in case you thought last week’s Vanderbilt win over Alabama was a fluke, they beat a strong Kentucky team yesterday, 20-13. Everyone left on Vandy’s schedule best sit up and take notice. No one is going to run over this team easily.
IU and Oklahoma State had the week off. IU hopefully used the extra time to prep for a Nebraska team that’s better than their win/loss record indicates. Oklahoma State is stuck with a Friday game at BYU. Don’t expect that one to go well for the Cowboys.
Poor Purdue is stuck with Oregon next week. That’s gonna hurt.
We’re hitting that point where those silly nonconference games that padded records at the beginning of the season become meaningless. This is where the real teams step up and find ways to win. Mettle gets tested. Talent shines through. Upsets happen. Hang on to your hats, this ride could get wild.
Today’s pro games are… up for grabs. Tennessee is favored, barely, as the Colts head to Nashville. This game probably comes down to who’s healthy and who isn’t. Neither team is all that impressive. The Washington/Baltimore game could be interesting. Oddsmakers are giving Baltimore the edge but I think they could be short-selling a Washington team that plays damn well when inspired. The cheap tickets at Allegiant Stadium are going for a league-high $254 as the Raiders take on Pittsburgh. Anyone who pays for those tickets is likely to be disappointed. Bookies have the Steelers by a field goal. I think it could be much more than that.
Ugh. My head hurts. Maybe I should eat something. I have low expectations for today, though. Perhaps I’ll just go back to bed.
I need this funk to go away. Bring on the coffee.
