End of Regular Season

I can not give enough compliments to the USM football team/coach staff. They went on the road as pretty large underdogs and beat a really good Houston team. This win was not a fluke because Houston had EVERYTHING to play for in this game. USM won this game from the opening kick off to the very end in all aspects of the game. Bad news for USM fans is that your coach benefited the most from the win in Houston. There are numerous reports coming out that Larry Fedora has taken the UNC coaching job. I tend to not believe "reports" from "sources" but there are some pretty significant reporters saying he is in at UNC. I can't even begin to tell you who should be the next head football coach at USM. There are plenty of qualified people who would love the opportunity.

On to my next topic about USM. Why in hell did USM decide to go to the Hawaii Bowl. Yes, that is a great perk for the coaches and players, but it sucks for alumni/fans. There won't be a 100 USM fans at this game. Bowl games are a time when alumni associations and athletic departments show off to boosters. It is a time for the universities to raise major money. Reports are that USM turned down more than 1 bowl for a trip to Hawaii. I don't see many positives out of going to this bowl except that they should get a victory if they can focus on the game.

Everyone is well aware that Ole Miss has hired Hugh Freeze as their 37th head football coach. I can't say whether Freeze will be a success or not at Ole Miss because no one really knows enough about him to make a guess. A couple of things I do know is that it will be very hard for him to win at Ole Miss next year. The odds of him winning in his second year are not good either. My major question is will Ole Miss give Hugh Freeze time to learn as a coach and develop a team. It is going to take at least 3 years to rebuild the train wreck that is the Ole Miss football program. The Rebels do have some young talent returning next year, but they have zero depth on both fronts. You have no chance in the SEC without a solid offensive and defensive line. I won't get into the schedule for Ole Miss next year because it is not set in stone yet, but my early analysis of it is that it is hard.

Mississippi State did not have the year some people anticipated. I think the loss at Auburn was a major setback for the Bulldogs, but they did rally and get 6 wins. The 6 wins were not against the greatest opponents, but that really doesnt matter. The Bulldogs are heading to Nashville for a bowl game that really is pretty exciting for the fan base/football program/athletic department. MS State has a pretty large footprint in the Nashville area. MS State will raise serious money for the university in their time in Nashville. There is a long stretch of highway between Ms State and the top tier teams in the SEC, but back to back bowl games is a step in the right direction. I will have another blog later talking about the Bulldogs matchup with the Demon Deacons in the Music City Bowl.

Few other notes:

HEISMAN

My heisman list: 1. Richardson 2. RG3 3. Luck 4. Ball. 5. LaMichael James

I leave Mathieu (honey badger) off because I don't think he is even the best defensive player LSU has. He is fun to watch, but he is not even the best player on his own team.

Trent Richardson is my heisman because he has put up incredible stats against the best opponents in the country.

RG3 has gaudy stats this year, but the truth is that the Big 12 is down. The highest ranked Big 12 scoring defense is 33rd(2 in the top 50). The SEC has 7 teams with defenses ranked in the top 30.

National Championship

Everyone in the SEC got what they wanted... a rematch. ESPN/ABC/FOX/etc got what they wanted... a rematch. The truth is that LSU would massacre Oklahoma State. With all the criticism the BCS gets they got this right. LSU/BAMA rematch is what needed to happen. People across the country are not happy with it because just when they thought the SEC could not dominate any more they have. Those same people mad about the matchup will be watching it.

Bowl Games

The SEC team is a favorite in every bowl game they are playing in except the National Championship. The SEC really isn't an underdog in that game either because it is a pick. That is Las Vegas showing their respect for the SEC. Sports writers/polls are sometimes biased because because of the location of teams. Las Vegas is not biased toward anyone.

College football all year

College football has grown into a machine that does not stop just because the regular season is over. The regular season rolls into the 35 bowl games. Bowl season rolls into recruiting, recruiting into spring, and spring/summer into the 2012season. The growth of college football significantly benefits the middle of the road schools like all teams in MS. MS State and Ole Miss have enough money now to do whatever they want to do within reason.

Thank you all for reading this year. I will have a couple of more post before/during the bowl season.

Thanks again

Wally