What A Difference A Home Opener Makes!

Talk about your change of venue for a Home Opener…Last year on Labor Day Weekend, Michigan came out of JerryWorld licking its wounds after a 'Bama Beating and wondering if they would be any good….or how many games they could win in 2012…

 And eventually they won and were decent…with a lot of hard work and excellent coaching.

 While the RESULT for this Home Opener was completely different, and while the uneducated among us will look at the score and simply state that everything is right with the world, the more knowledgeable of you know where I’m going with today’s post….

 I’m not sure Michigan is 50 points better than the Chippies.  Actually, they are NOT 50 points better than the Chips… I’m not saying Michigan didn’t earn it, but I am saying that the Chips were in a tough spot from the get go when the 1^st string QB and their 1^st string tailback went down with injury and didn’t return.  In fact, based on that info, I’m depressed that the Chippers somehow found a way to get 9 on the board…..

 So, while I enjoyed the win, I’m scratching my head in regards to what kind of team this is going to be. 

 Hoke was honest at the end of the game.  Too many mistakes.  And he couldn’t find one “good” thing to talk about as he was leaving the field.  Those were kind of my sentiments exactly and I’m glad this team got that game under their belt before the Domers come in Saturday.  Of course, the Domers got their warm-up game too, but more on that later and on Friday…..The FMQ will have something special, so tune in!

 Were there bright spots?  Absolutely.  Blocking the punt…..Gardner’s TD throws….Were there concerns?  Gardner’s INT’s and the complete lack of a tailback running game that at some point, if you’re planning to run a pro-style offense….Well, you’re gonna need a tailback that can rush “EFFECTIVELY” for 100 yards….And it becomes even more necessary to get that going with a defense that still needs to mature…

 Michigan is a 3 point favorite Saturday….I for one, am not seeing it yet….It was a costly victory as back-up TB Johnson went down with a season ending injury…And Toussaint hasn’t shown me a lot yet…

 I’m nervous…Right now. 

The Rest of the Mess

USC vs. UNC:  The FMQ was spot on with this pick and it was a great Thursday Night Kick-off to the rest of the weekend.  The Ole Ball Coach had the Cocks ready to play and UNC simply isn’t there yet…..

Sparty – WMU:  This game, I will admit, I was not able to see to the end.  The Sparty readers who made it to the game I hope made it home safe and sound at what was probably a lot closer to Dawn than it was to the middle of the night, assuming you stayed for the entire game.  Sparty’s Defense:  A  Offense:  Inc…..

Clemson  - Georgia:  Well, the ACC is proving that the SEC elites aren’t that great and managed to somehow get one in the win column.  Good, close game that more or less puts Clemson in the Driver’s seat of running the table…They should move up the polls nicely as the weeks wear on.

Domers  - Temple:  The Domers came out EN FUEGO and then they seemed to forget that they were actually playing football…I dunno if that was all a disguise for this week, but it seems like they truly started having issues and Temple was actually able to hang with them after some adjustments….It was tough to watch both games (Michigan and the Domers) but from what I saw, if Michigan contains early, well, the Domers may have issues Saturday.

ohio – Buffalo:  I’m more and more convinced that the the suckeyes lose 1 this year to someone they shouldn’t.  Defense is too young and inexperienced and I’m pretty sure everyone has at least figured out a way to slow down the ohio offense, even if they cannot stop it…..

Bama – Hoakies:  Beamer has to be thinking, “Man….I’m getting too old for this S@#$!%...”  I mean, when a team that used to pride itself on special teams is more or less demolished on Special Teams and lack of defense…well….It’s time Beamer thought about hanging up the whistle. 

Cornhuskers – Cowboys:  This one was closer than ANYONE thought it would be….I was surprised to see that the Cowboys were able to come in and HANG ON and almost upset what is supposed to be a contender in the Legends division..Not to mention that they had over 600 yards of offense???  And Pelini was a Black Shirt Guy???  The whispers (and seat) are getting hotter for Pelini’s head….Will be an interesting season if the Huskers don’t finish in the top 2 of the Legends…And with that D…well, it’s going to be tough.

LSU – TCU:  I couldn’t help but wonder what we will see from the Hatter for the rest of the season if he has to pass the football….It will be an interesting SEC race indeed….

Idle Thoughts From Saturday

-HERE WE GO!

-I think EVERYONE is suffering from first game jitters…
-Gardner looked better off the bench last year….
-Do you think it changes when you change to the starter vs. coming off the bench?
-I think you really have to want it when you’re a starter.
-Coming in when nothing is expected of you takes a ton of pressure off…
-Hopefully, after that opening INT, DG gets over that…
-I miss Kovacs….But I did see Jake Ryan running out of the tunnel and touching the banner..
-He looks healthier than an October return….Just saying.
-BLOCK THAT PUNT!
-That was awesome!   Maybe Michigan is finally focusing on special teams?
-Sparty’s HALFTIME didn’t start till midnight…For anyone that stayed up that late to watch..
-Bama is good….God, I get tired of saying that.
-Johnny Football is getting under everyone’s skin…
- So why did all these same people vote him for the Heismann?
-What’s with the finger rub thing? 
-And when will the NCAA put a stop to that?
-Or will they simply look the other way and sell their OWN memorabilia…
-Is this just an attempt to take him down so he can be built back up later?
-I don’t want Sumlin’s job this year…Johnny Football has to be a handful inside and outside of the locker room.
-On top of that the pressure to win in the SEC is immense…
-Cornhuskers look weak….What’s up with that?
-Iowa?  Seriously? 
-Indiana hangs 75 points on the board – that’s a big deal…I don’t CARE who it was against…
-Tell me the last time an Indiana team hung 75 on ANYONE that wasn’t in Basketball uniforms…Anyone???
-Purdon’t is letting the B1G down and should turn in their B1G Football Card…..
-I don’t care if it’s a new coach…only scoring 7 on Cincinatti?
-Why can I never spell Cincinnati right?  I hate that City…Okay not the city…just the way they spell their name…
-Louisville and FSU take care of business to shut down the weekend….
-FSU and Louisville could make nice runs this year…
-Get used to hearing the name “Jameis Winston” and “Heismann” in the same sentence…
-What’s with the FCS schools beating FBS Schools?  I mean, I usually expect Michigan to lead the way in Foorball trends…But I didn’t think the HORROR would start a trend…
-Will this eventually lead to the obvious conclusion that THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to be gained by playing and beating a lesser opponent?
-But everything to lose!

 The Hot Seat

 Well, the Hot Seat Mascot of the Year voting gets underway this week with our 2^nd weekly nominee.  I have to admit that this one of the better things that the MMQ gets to do on a weekly basis, and as always, your comments and suggestions for Hot Seat Mascots are always welcome!  The MMQ likes to give the people what they want…and without further ado, here’s this week’s Hot Seat Mascot Nominee:  Amanda Marcum Enfield! 

 WHO????  And why does she look familiar?  Well, she’s an ex supermodel for one and She’s the wife of the guy that coached Florida Gulf Coastal in the NCAA tournament…I thought she was hot then and it hasn’t changed!  But again, because we use a democratic process (unlike our US Government), you guys decide!

 

 

 

 

There’s a lot of shake-ups in the HOT SEAT Ranking this week…so you need to pay attention!

Hot Seat Rank

1. Ferentz:  I can’t believe the Iowa fan base isn’t screaming louder for his head…
2. Pelini:  Husker Nation HAS TO BE GETTING TIRED of these close games…AND NO DEFENSE!
3. Bill Stewart:  Winning the Big 12 and then losing AT HOME TO A DIVISION II School doesn’t make good bookends…GO BISON!
4. Mack Brown:  No longer number 1 on the Hot Seat…But UT’s first loss will have the FireBrown websites burning up…
5. Lane Kiffin:  Ditto for Kiffin…
6. Weiss:  Why not?  
7. Mullens:  You can’t lose the opener at MSU and not get some heat….
8. Richie Richt:  Yep….Losing the opener to Clemson gets you back on the list…but I’m convinced he has naked AD photos somewhere and will never get canned…
9. Beamer….Yes, you played the number 1 team…but you lost the way you USED to beat Number 1 teams….
10. Stoops – Kentucky….You can’t lose to Petrino in that game….and that badly…

 FMQ Betting Results:

 WHAT A DIFFERENCE A FAST START (HOPEFULLY!) MAKES!  Wow…I had to go back and review the stats, but we haven’t had a 4 out of 5 opening weekend with a parlay come home….EVER.

 That’s kind of a nice way to kick things off….Doncha’ think?

UNC @ the Gamecocks of USC (-11):  Cocks take care of the Tar Heels in the 2^nd half and cover easily….
Take USC and lay the 11 for $50
WIN!! Bank $95

WMU @ SPARTY (-28.5):  Like I said, Sparty dominated on Defense…but what is that, exactly, that they are doing on offense?
Take WMU and the 28.5 for $50
WIN!!  Bank $95

Bama vs Va Tech (+19):  Beamer should hang it up….When Bama only gets 200 yards of offense but finds a way to score 35 points?  It’s over….
Take Bama and lay the 19 for $50
WIN!!  Bank $95

Miss St @ Okie State (-13):  Okie State may get a lot of play from the FMQ this year…I like what I see.
Take Okie State and lay the 13 for $25.
WIN!! Bank $47.50

CMU @ MICHIGAN (-31.5):  Heh-heh….OOOPS!
Take CMU and the 31.5 for $25
LOSE….Didn’t see the starters injuries coming….But who could have?

And what would week 1 be without a little parlay?  A 3 way pays 6 to 1.   Let’s go with our best bets:
Bama – USC – WMU for $20
WIN!!!  Bank  $120

Starting Bank:     $780
Total Win:           $452.50
Bank:                    $1232.50