The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Gaze, if you will, on this bit of football-season-hurry-up-and-get-here awesomeness from the Gainesville's Sun's Pat Dooley. 

Then try and peel yourself off the ceiling when you realize we've still got a month of off-season to go.

Cross-Posted

After typing in this comment to Tony Barnhart's bit on the Football Writers Association of America thing today, it occurred to me that I should have just posted it on my blog.  So here it is:

As an Auburn grad, I have to say that I don’t want it. Not because the team wasn’t deserving–it certainly was–but because I’m not interested in preserving the myth of poll-generated “championships.” The collected opinions of a bunch of media employees, whether here or in the AP or Harris polls (don’t get me started on the SID–whoops, I mean “coaches poll”), aren’t worth a cup of warm spit to begin with, and they certainly don’t add up to a “championship.” I’d just as soon tell them where they can shove their fake championships, especially when they’re trying to make up for being idiots, six years too late.

And yes, I should have said, "having been idiots."  Sue me.

And, In The "Kiss Of Death" Department...

So a local organization here in Atlanta held a season kickoff banquet yesterday, featuring the in-state head coaches and a bunch of media figures.  The latter group didn't make the AJC's (typically minimal) coverage, but I understand from somebody who was there that ESPN cartoon character Lee Corso...

... picked Auburn to be 11-0 going into the final game in Tuscaloosa.

My reaction?

A Bold Prediction

Mike Bianchi will have three very interesting days this week while covering SEC Media Days in Birmingham.

Exodus: Pete Pelegrin

Check out this extraordinary kiss-off post from now ex-Miami Herald sportswriter Pete Pelegrin, who'd been assigned to cover Florida International sports, only to be repeatedly see his work spiked and/or ignored.

Big hat-tip to Jay Christensen for giving me the the heads-up on this one.  Like Jay said to me in an email, read it before they take it down (Jay's saved a copy at WizOfOdds in case of just such an event).

UPDATE:  Jay's prediction was correct; Pelegrin's post has been flushed down the Herald's online memory hole.

More Recommended Reading

My old buddy Lein Shory takes Stewart Mandel and the entire Poll-BCS-Media-Complex out behind the woodshed for a well-deserved beating.

Reprinting Mandel's over-the-top preview of the snooze fest known as the 2005 Orange Bowl was just gratuitously mean... and entirely appropriate.

Recommended Reading

Check out this excellent 2009 Auburn recap and 2010 projection from Team Speed Kills.

The only thing I'd add would be to note that the '09 defense's real problem was plan old depth, or rather a severe lack of it.  By the second half of the season, there just weren't any backups in the defensive backfield, thus playing the same three linebackers for entire games.  That led to an awful lot of second-half points, costing the Tigers leads (and games) against Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama.

With just a couple of role-players--not stars, mind you, just guys who could fill in for a series or two to spell the starters--at linebacker and safety, AU had a serious shot at finishing 11-2.  Without them, 8-5.  Whether they'll be there this year... well, we'll see.