The Dream Lives On

It started out like a first quarter dream for Boise St and a nightmare for Virginia Tech. At the end of the quarter it was 17-0 Boise St. Tech had a total of 5 yards rushing on 9 attempts.

The Boise defense looked totally dominant and the Tech offense totally obscene but after Tyrod Taylor picked up their first first down in the second quarter Tech settled down and trailed at the half 20-14.

They traded leads and at the end of the third it was Tech up 27-26. With 7:38 min left in the fourth Tech added a FG to up the lead to 30-24. They traded possessions and with 2:00 min left Kellen Moore and company got the ball marched down the field aided by a late hit out of bounds and scored like they seem to do any time the game is on the line.

Boise had more passing yards than Tech which isn’t surprising but out rushing Tech while holding them to a 2.9yd average is.

I know it was only a win over Virginia Tech but Boise looks like they could play with anyone. I sure wish we could get their defensive coordinator to teach our defense to tackle like they do.

I can’t believe I’m saying this since I’m still pissed at them for leaving the WAC but anyone for Alabama and Boise St in the national championship game. Unless maybe Hawaii can get lucky and score 1 more than them which would make me a happy man.

Playing at the Globe Theater is Tough

So how did the Cats play yesterday. According to cbssports.com Alabama was angry despite the blowout of Kentucky. Lets get one thing straight cbs this was far from a blowout. Instead it was more of a Shakespearian comedy of errors over a five minute span.

Kentucky had more first downs than Alabama. Mike Hartline passed for more yards than McElroy. Derrick Locke ran for more yards 75 against the vaunted Alabama defense than any team had so far this year as the Cats ran for 133 yards.

When I read this I had to laugh. “We’ll take the win [but] we’re not really satisfied with it,” McClain said. “We knew we could have played a lot better. We just played a real good team. They gave us their best punch. We took it and we countered it.” Alabama didn’t beat the Cats with a good punch they beat us because we stepped jaw first in front of a weak punch. Three interceptions, one fumble and numerous personal fouls will give you a weak jaw unable to stand up to a weak punch.

BBR’s Week 2 Top 25

Couple of good games this weekend mixed the top 25 up a little with the Pac10 and the MAC doing most of the mixing. The MAC and the WAC came real close to pulling upsets over the Big 10 and the Pac 10. The biggest losers this week Notre Dame and the Big 10.

Being off Kentucky didn’t pick up any votes in the AP which doesn’t mean anything since the AP has never matched what fans manage to see every weekend with what writers don’t watch.

In the Coaches poll Kentucky got 9 votes which would rank us 6th in the SEC and 38th in the nation.

1 Florida 2-0
2 Texas 2-0
3 USC 2-0
4 Alabama 2-0
5 Brigham Young 2-0
6 Penn State 2-0
7 Mississippi 1-0
8 California 2-0
9 Boise State 2-0
10 Ohio State 1-1
11 LSU 2-0
12 Oklahoma 1-1
13 Virginia Tech 1-1
14 Cincinnati 2-0
15 TCU 1-0
16 Miami (FL) 1-0
17 Georgia Tech 2-0
18 Utah 2-0 405
19 Nebraska 2-0
20 Oklahoma State 1-1
21 Houston 2-0
22 Kansas 2-0
23 Georgia 1-1
24 Notre Dame 1-1
25 Michigan 2-0

BBR’s Week 1 Top 25

In an attempt to give you a unbiased by the media blue view of how good teams are we proudly give you our week 1 top 25 rankings.

Our rankings in no way suggest that some of these teams deserve to be ranked #1 or in the top 25 since at least one of them won against a Charleston Pastry team and others against programs desperate for money and short on top 150 talent.

BBR’s hats go off to Alabama, California, Miami (Fl), Boise St, BYU and Cincinnati for winning against quality opponents. A special hat tip to the WAC and the MWC for electing to play top tier teams and to William & Mary and Richmond for wins over ACC teams.

1 Florida 1-0
2 Texas 1-0
3 USC 1-0
4 California 1-0
5 Oklahoma State 1-0
6 Alabama 1-0
7 Penn State 1-0
8 Mississippi 1-0
9 Brigham Young 1-0
10 Ohio State 1-0
11 LSU 1-0
12 Boise State 1-0
13 Georgia Tech 1-0
14 Virginia Tech 0-1
15 Oklahoma 0-1
16 TCU 0-0
17 Utah 1-0
18 Miami (FL) 1-0
19 Cincinnati 1-0
20 Notre Dame 1-0
21 Nebraska 1-0
22 Georgia 0-1
23 North Carolina 1-0
24 Kansas 1-0
25 Missouri 1-0

No More White For Rick

The sporting news is full of the Pitino-Sypher encounter. Encounter meaning he nailed her in a frigging restaurant probably next to the meat grinder in the kitchen. Heres a few of the things being said.

http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2009/08/12/the-pitino-affair-sex-in-a-restaurant-a-job-in-jeopardy/
Think of it this way: The enthusiasm for and scrutiny of basketball in Kentucky can be likened to the fervor for football in Alabama. And wasn’t Mike Price dumped as head coach by the Crimson Tide before coaching a game after reports surfaced that he’d had sex with a stripper in Pensacola, Fla.?

Price denies to this day such an encounter took place. (He settled a lawsuit with Sports Illustrated, which had reported the alleged assignation, out of court.) Pitino has admitted to having sex with Sypher and giving her $3,000. (Though his lawyer claims the money was for her to buy health insurance, not to have an abortion.)

http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/whats-next-for-rick-pitino/
There aren’t a lot of historical touchstones here, especially for college. The Patriots never considered firing Bill Belichick when his name popped up in as the “other man” in a bitter New Jersey divorce case.

http://www.aseaofblue.com/2009/8/12/986230/where-have-you-gone-joe-dimaggio
Instead of looking for heroes on television or in arenas, we should be looking for heroes in our everyday lives. Because our everyday lives are filled with people we love, and who love us. Our everyday lives are filled with people who love us in spite of our quirks and short-comings; who love us even when we are unlovable. The father who plays catch with his son, the mother who teaches her daughter the art of cooking, the grandfather who takes his grandchildren fishing, the grandmother who reads tales of dogs and cats to her grandkids. These are the true heroes. Not some ballplayer who can hit better than most, or a coach who wins more often than not.

http://www.examiner.com/x-2108-Love-and-Marriage-Examiner~y2009m8d12-Joanne-Pitino-the-sad-case-of-adultery-and-abortion
We are hearing words of sympathy for Coach Pitino, his wife, Joanne, and his family. And we should. But our hearts must ache for Joanne Pitino who joins the ranks of wives and mothers tarnished by adultery.

The story of adultery is becoming all too common — an indiscreet move on the part of their husbands’ leaves the families vulnerable. In the world of politics it was Elizabeth Edwards and more recently Jenny Sanford. Love and marriage gone awry.

http://www.east-coast-bias.com/2009/08/extortion-is-easier-than-being-groupie.html
This is getting ridiculous. What ever happened to the good old days when a groupie would carry Shawn Kemp’s Travis Henry’s the father’s child to term and THEN extort child support from him? Rape is a serious crime and I try not to base any judgments based on pieces of news reports, but between Pitino and Roethlisberger, this is getting ridiculous.

http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/hawk-umentary/2009/aug/12/gimme-shelter/
In case no one noticed. Rick Pitino is Slick, not Bill Clinton smooth, but incredibly slippery nonetheless.

Married man + High Stress Job + Temptation = No moral Backbone.

The comments that are being posted on blogs put all this mainstream reporting to shame. Some of them deserve a Nobel Prize for creative writing.

“Kentucky’s a part of the country where this is a BIG deal to many people”
Easy, chief, the dude coaches in Louisville, not Pulaski County.
I do suppose this means that Pitino can’t wear white anymore.

Papal agenda, Wednesday, April 12, 2009:
1. Excommunicate Richard Pitino (multiple infractions of conduct clause)
2. Place Karen Sypher on 15-year penance list (whore)
3. Clarify papal decree on restaurant floor sex
4. Tune in to the Dan Patrick Show

Can anyone say “….and providing the commentary for tonight’s matchup here on TNT between the Warriors and the Heat, Coach Rick Pitino!”

So, Marvin Stone transfered before this? Man, the evil this man did during the 2003 era is off the charts…who knows what else this man has done?!

I know that Fr. Bradley pays for hotel rooms for players…I wonder what else is hidden under Rick’s rocks???

Rupp Arena should take the seats behind the other goal and call it the “Erection Zone” and have Karen Sypher present in that area during the UK/Loserville game.

An ode to Pitiner

When he was coach at Kentucky
He was king of the world
His adultery much more secretive
With much hotter girls
His teams were set for Glory
As coach rebuilt the team
Destined to be on top forever
At least that’s how it seemed
Then he left for Boston
He had something else to prove
Once he got to beantown
Pitino lost his grove
The girls were not quite as hot
His teams just could not play
He traded in Ashley Judd
For his ho of the day
So as the controversy thickens
And Vinnie is still on the floor
Will U of L be strong
Or will Pitino get the door
Once a king of the bluegrass
Know known as Richard Pitiner
The bluegrass waits for an answer
From the man who plays too much with his Weiner.

Regarding Pitino, he once again didn’t cover the one inbounding the ball…so to speak.

Two lessons to be learned in Rick Pitino situation: Wrap it up and Take it to go.

Quick — the restaurant table ricky had sex is now up for auction on ebay —— Word is out that the U of L alumni association is pooling their funds in an attempt to purchase the table and have it mounted under the speakers at freedom hall.

Sypher or a stripper I got to think about this for a while. I thought about this for a while and said self can I have both. Self answered nope so I take the stripper. Coaching in El Paso can’t be that bad can it.

More UK thoughts,… from yours truly

1st: Randy Sanders will be calling the plays, NOT Joker. Can’t be overstated. This will make a huge difference.

2nd: The more I think about it, the more I find myself overlooking the UK UL game. My mind has it penciled in as a win. Most of the fans I talk to are also just as dismissive. Well, let me show some respect and offer the thought that, if UK isn’t ready to play against UL, they have a chance of starting 0-3. So, with that thought in mind, let me focus my energy (and somehow transfer that to the team) on UL, and concentrate on whipping our in state rival to start the season. Let’s don’t give Kragthorpe his signature win to prove he belongs. Let’s hit em mouth from the jump, and practice winning against them. GO CATS!!!

3rd: I have stated many times that UK HAS to beat Alabama to get off to the 2-1 start. But,… there’s that part of my mind that says…. Florida may be ripe for the picking. I know it’s crazy. I know it’s hypocrisy. I know the media tells us that, on paper, no way UK can beat…. not Florida, but Tim Tebow. I just get that feeling. Maybe it’s the optimist. Maybe it’s the critic. This Florida team should be good. But, let’s not kid ourselves, or let the what-can-you-sell-for-me-now media kid us either. Florida is beatable. And, I can’t think of a more hostile, hungry crowd, PARTICULARLY after beating an LSU that won the title with a two loss season, than these fans at commonwealth. I think it will be emotional. I think this team will play harder than any team we’ve seen in over twenty years.

So, the ole Katmen is gonna lay it out now. If UK comes into that game 2-0, they will beat Florida. Commonwealth will be so loud and packed with fans that I think the energy will be palpable. There it is. I throw out the caveat of the 2-0 and because football is a game of momentum, and energy. An upset loss to Loserville, or a letdown against Alabama will make room for doubt, and deflate fans. BUT… come in 2-0, and UK will headline the early season by beat Florida.

4th: Folks, I love the SEC. Love it. Admire it. Respect it. But this is the facts. The best conference in college football, THIS year, is the big twelve. AND, the top two teams in the big twelve (OKLAHOMA and Texas) are better than the top two in the SEc. Fact. My early money says, barring critical injury, One of those two teams Will win the national title.

5th: I think the media needs to quit storking its… feathers to Nick Saban and get a reality check. Alabama at #5? Tell you what, if Alabama is in the top ten at the end of the year, I’ll get on this board and call myself stupid. They will be solid, maybe touch good. But, they are an 8 win team at best.

Alabama has got a tougher road than many think, and let me put a little bug in some people’s ears. Like it or not, Bobby Petrino can coach. He’s dirty. he stinks. But, he gets talent on the roster and gets it to perform on the field about as good as some of the best that are in the game. My early predictions are Alabama losing to Va Tech and Arkansas.

USA Today Poll

USA Today has released there preseason top 25. The Cats got 9 votes and are ranked 42 in the nation.

What shouldn’t surprise anyone is that there are no Big East teams ranked to start the season. Cincinnati, Pittsburg, W. Va, Rutgers and S. Florida all got votes. Its hard to see anyone besides Cincinnati or W. Virginia making a climb in to the top 25 due to the strength of their non-conference schedules.

The MWC and the WAC have four teams in the top 25 and a fifth Nevada got a few votes. Its easier to see some of them staying in the top 25 since they have teams that stand a fair chance of winning games against the BCS teams on their non-conference schedules.

USA Today Poll

1. Florida (53) 0-0 1,466

2. Texas (4) 0-0 1,386
3. Oklahoma (1) 0-0 1,358
4. USC (1) 0-0 1,321
5. Alabama 0-0 1,134
6. Ohio State 0-0 1,126
7. Virginia Tech 0-0 1,020
8. Penn State 0-0 988
9. LSU 0-0 917
10. Mississippi 0-0 889
11. Oklahoma State 0-0 861
12. California 0-0 711
13. Georgia 0-0 707
14. Oregon 0-0 694
15. Georgia Tech 0-0 559
16. Boise State 0-0 542
17. TCU 0-0 461
18. Utah 0-0 404
19. Florida State 0-0 371
20. North Carolina 0-0 293
21. Iowa 0-0 257
22. Nebraska 0-0 236
23. Notre Dame 0-0 194
24. Brigham Young 0-0 178
25. Oregon State 0-0 165

Others Receiving Votes: Kansas 138, Michigan State 136, Texas Tech 114, Cincinnati 90, Pittsburgh 64, West Virginia 55, Rutgers 51, Miami (FL) 46, Missouri 44, Illinois 38, Clemson 30, South Carolina 18, UCLA 14, Auburn 12, South Florida 11, Nevada 11, Kentucky 9, North Carolina State 7, Wisconsin 6, Arkansas 6, Northwestern 5, Southern Miss 4, Wake Forest 4, Arizona 3, Boston College 3, CENTRL MICHIGAN 3, East Carolina 3, Colorado 2, Maryland 2, Navy 2, Tennessee 2, TROY 1, Minnesota 1, Michigan 1, Houston 1.

SEC Recruiting Expenses

Here are the figures for the last three years on recruiting expenses for football, baseball and basketball in the SEC. The final number following football spending indicates the recruiting ranking according to Rivals.com for that year.

One thing that stands out is that Kentucky was ranked 1st, 3rd and 2nd in spending for baseball. I wonder what would have happened if we had ranked like that in football spending. A second is that Tennessee is spending a lot of money to be as bad as they have become. Finally the name Alabama must still be strong for them to be as good as they are with as little as they spend on recruiting.

FOOTBALL

2005-06

Tennessee: $1,071,264 (23)
Florida: $643,406 (2)
Auburn: $621,115 (10)
LSU: $577,393 (7)
Georgia: $534,004 (4)
Arkansas: $490,771 (26)
Ole Miss: $436,948 (16)
Miss. State: $300,100 (44)
Kentucky: $291,370 (36)
S. Carolina: $248,585 (24)
Alabama: $237,774 (11)
Vanderbilt: N/A (60)

2006-07

Tennessee: $1,311,894 (3)
Auburn: $756,880 (7)
Florida: $649,375 (1)
LSU: $634,896 (4)
Arkansas: $513,784 (31)
Georgia: $506,462 (9)
Ole Miss: $389,224 (27)
Kentucky: $319,289 (54)
Miss. State: $286,430 (39)
S. Carolina: $283,505 (6)
Alabama: $258,846 (10)
Vanderbilt: N/A (67)

2007-08

Tennessee: $1,081,250 (35)
LSU: $776,029 (11)
Auburn: $737,380 (20)
Georgia: $523,056 (7)
Florida: $506,673 (3)
Arkansas: $494,181 (36)
Ole Miss: $405,654 (29)
Alabama: $360,327 (1)
Kentucky: $312,056 (57)
S. Carolina: $289,639 (22)
Miss. State: $272,872 (44)
Vanderbilt: N/A (90)

3-YEAR AVERAGE

Tennessee: $1,154,802
Auburn: $705,125
LSU: $662,772
Florida: $599,818
Georgia: $521,174
Arkansas: $499,578
Ole Miss: $410,608
Kentucky: $307,571
Miss. State: $286,467
Alabama: $285,649
S. Carolina: $273,909
Vanderbilt: N/A

MEN’S BASKETBALL

2005-06

Auburn: $311,113
Arkansas: $220,669
Florida: $206,346
Georgia: $196,482
Kentucky: $169,498
Tennessee: $144,240
S. Carolina: $122,819
Alabama: $110,591
Ole Miss: $84,968
LSU: $83,599
Miss. State: $83,374
Vanderbilt: N/A

2006-07

Auburn: $306,000
Arkansas: $286,007
Florida: $283,078
Georgia: $196,437
Kentucky: $165,123
LSU: $152,015
Alabama: $126,649
Tennessee: $125,528
S. Carolina: $98,340
Ole Miss: $93,759
Miss. State: $85,064
Vanderbilt: N/A

2007-08

Florida: $354,208
Arkansas: $304,275
Auburn: $293,000
Kentucky: $211,253
Georgia: $155,152
Alabama: $138,332
LSU: $127,021
Tennessee: $124,244
S. Carolina: $117,713
Ole Miss: $104,829
Miss. State: $100,058
Vanderbilt: N/A

3-YEAR AVERAGE

Auburn: $303,371
Florida: $281,210
Arkansas: $270,317
Georgia: $182,690
Kentucky: $181,958
Tennessee: $131,337
Alabama: $125,190
LSU: $120,878
S. Carolina: $112,957
Ole Miss: $94,518
Miss. State: $89,498
Vanderbilt: N/A

BASEBALL

2005-06

Kentucky: $80,449
Arkansas: $69,140
Auburn: $65,883
Florida: $62,210
Alabama: $53,703
Tennessee: $50,308
Ole Miss: $43,921
S. Carolina: $42,164
Georgia: $40,868
LSU: $28,150
Miss. State: $23,325
Vanderbilt: N/A

2006-07

Arkansas: $91,756
LSU: $80,348
Kentucky: $72,458
Auburn: $68,500
Alabama: $57,325
Florida: $47,514
Tennessee: $47,440
Georgia: $45,829
Ole Miss: $42,460
S. Carolina: $31,804
Miss. State: $18,342
Vanderbilt: N/A

2007-08

Arkansas: $87,115
Kentucky: $71,849
LSU: $70,493
Auburn: $68,500
S. Carolina: $53,196
Tennessee: $50,282
Georgia: $47,962
Florida: $47,612
Ole Miss: $46,868
Alabama: $38,609
Miss. State: $26,518
Vanderbilt: N/A

3-YEAR AVERAGE

Arkansas: $82,670
Kentucky: $74,918
Auburn: $67,627
LSU: $59,663
Florida: $52,445
Alabama: $49,879
Tennessee: $49,343
Georgia: $44,886
Ole Miss: $44,416
S. Carolina: $42,388
Miss. State: $22,728
Vanderbilt: N/A

Is it time to worry yet

Looking at the 2010 recruits signed so far you have to wonder if its time to worry yet. There is a lot of time before we need to worry but from looking at the SEC schools so far we should at least think about worrying. Its been said that we are recruiting players who are ranked higher than we normally do and they tend to sign later so there is no need to worry yet. Here is what scout.com is showing about the SEC teams recruiting so far.

Alabama: 16 HS players. 7 ranked top 150, 7 ranked in the 70′s and 2 ranked 40′s. They also have 2 JC commitments.

Arkansas: 8 HS players. 1 ranked top 150, 4 ranked in the 70′s and 3 ranked in the 40′s. They have 1 JC commitment.

Auburn: 8 HS players. 2 ranked top 150, 5 ranked in the 70′s and 1 ranked in the 40′s.

Florida: 14 HS players. 9 ranked top 150. 1 ranked in the 80′s, 2 ranked in the 70′s and 3 ranked in the 40′s.

Georgia: 13 HS players. 7 ranked top 150, 4 ranked in the 70′s and 1 ranked in the 40′s. They have 1 JC commitment.

Kentucky: 1 ranked in the 70′s and 1 ranked in the 40′s.

LSU: 14 HS players. 7 ranked top 150 and 7 ranked in the 70′s. They have 1 JC commitment.

Mississippi: 2 HS players. 1 top 150 and 1 in the 40′s.

Mississippi St: 5 HS players. 2 top 150 players and 3 ranked in the 70′s. They also have 1 JC player.

South Carolina: 12 HS players. 4 ranked in the top 150, 5 ranked in the 70′s and 3 ranked in the 40′s. They also have 1 JC commitment.

Tennessee: 9 HS players. 3 ranked in the top 150 and 2 in the 40′s. They also have 3 JC commitments.

Vanderbilt: 13 HS commitments. 1 top 150 commitment. 11 ranked in the 70′s and 1 in the 40′s.

Scouts.com shows 84 players still considering the Cats including 4 top 150 players who are being recruited by teams we should be able to out recruit. Given the odds we should sign some good players but still we need to start worrying a little.

Cats in preseason top 25

The Cats are ranked 25th by Vegas Insider in their Preseason Top 25. SEC teams Florida #1, Ole Miss #6, Alabama #8, LSU #10 and Georgia #18 are also ranked.

25-KENTUCKY…Rich Brooks has been looking for a playmaker in Lexington and might have found one in versatile soph Randall Cobb, who sparked the Wildcat “O” on occasion at QB last fall, but appears ready to make a bigger impact in ’09 at WR or perhaps in direct-snap situations. Cobb’s presence might also make it a bit easier for mechanical QB Mike Hartline to become involved in more big plays this fall. But it’s on defense where the Wildcats ought to excel, with several honors candidates still in the fold (including potential NFL draftees LB Micah Johnson & CB Trevard Lindley) despite star DE Jeremy Jarmon being declared ineligible in spring. A forgiving non-conference slate makes a fourth straight bowl trip very likely.

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/story.cfm/story/871681

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