Giving Thanks

With a bang and a whimper, the college football season drifts away like so many autumn leaves down the gutter. Can you tell I didn't do well in college writing class?

This week we stopped as a nation to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for. Even though times are difficult, we have so much for which to be greatful. For instance-

I'm thankful I'm not either of these guys:

I'm thankful that I understand the media's rules for covering college football. On Thursday, Texas was in a shootout with and aTm team that can graciously be called "woeful". But that just shows how awesome the Big 12 is and how important rivalry games are. But when a team from the Big T1e1n is in a close game against... well, you know.

I'm thankful for Nebraska- not only have they returned to greatness through solid defense, they understand the important aspects of the game.

I'm thankful that someone, somewhere, still thinks running the ball down your opponents throat is an acceptable way to win football games. Stanford's offense is Mich1gAAn, circa 1999; power running, play action bootlegs. Poor Notre Ame- they couldn't beat either the current incarnation of TTUN or what they used to be.

While I'm thankful that the abomination that is the Weis administration is coming to an end in South Bend, I'm sad that we won't have Charlie to kick around anymore.

Like many Sooner fans, I'm thankful that "Big Game Bob" finally w0n a game that matters. Now they'll have warm memories of him when he's coaching in South Bend next year. (that's your "I think I'm Nostradamus" prediction of the week- Remember you read it here first)

I give thanks every year for the coaches I've known- theirs is a thankless job. You lose, and you're out at Louisville, Marshall, and Virginia. You win, and you're still out at Akron. More on the coaching carousel upcoming.

It's good to see another team from Ohio lifting high the banner of excellence, even if they've got a little "jerk" in them. It's also good to see that the old philosophy "Score bunches of points, don't play defense" isn't limited to Ann Arbor.

I'm thankful that my favorite squadron didn't wear chaps this weekend. Or, has to have a discussion about "do you think it's time for coach to retire?" I'm also thankful for Tim Tebow... there, I said it. No maybe ESPN will stop singing his praises.

As grateful as I am about not choosing certain uniform styles, I'm still glad that this awesome helmet exists. And that they were "stealthy" enough to help Mizzou beat Kansas. The Jayhawks are celebrating the fact that, for the second straight week, Mangino didn't kill someone.

I'm also thankful that, as urgent and dire as my favorite rivalry can be, we don't have coaches who do this:

To set the scene, U$C was up by 14 at the time, had just received the ball back on downs, and had taken a knee to run the clock out. UCLA's coach had called a time out (looking to cover the spread?), and Pete Carroll took umbrage to that. What is above is the result- Deep pass for a TD, Trojan players acting like jerks, UCLA players responding, etc. What do you expect, though- someone painted the bear!

What bothers me (and a lot of people) isn't the "go for the bomb" mentality; heck, St. Woody famously wanted to go for three at the end of a blowout against Mich1gAAn. What doesn't sit well is Carroll's gleeful antics- as a leader of men, you can only lay the blame for his team's response at his feet. I am thankful, though, that he gets to answer questions about being in a close game with a mediocre opponent in a rivalry... whoops, it's not the Big T1e1n, so nevermind. Enjoy the "whatever b0wl the 3rd/4th team in the Pac 10 goes to", Pete.

The Iron Bowl left me with mixed feelings- I'm thankful that our "ApocalypSEC 09" game is still afoot, but not happy that Auburn lost given that they unleashed some of the greatest trick plays assembled.

I'm thankful that the games are actually played rather than just done on paper. It makes rivalry so much more important, and gives us upsets like The Irrelevant Ball Coach over Clemson, Gawguh winning a big one for Ugga against a one loss Tech, WVa overcoming The 'Stache, NC State beating UNC, Kentucky taking Tennessee to overtime, Houston hanging 73 on Rice. Football is good.

I'm always grateful for the small things, too; sweet potato pie, fried turkey, time with family, high school football (even if it is JV). That's why Kirkwood's win on Thanksgiving is sweet, and Webster's Grove's championship adds a double dose of awesomeness to the weekend.

I'm especially thankful for yet another year with friends and family and Michael (I kid, I kid...), playing our picks league. For the last week, we again failed to crack 40 points as a group... with one exception.

Moving back to Georgia must have given Jake an inside track into the rivalries that ended up killing the rest of us. Either that, or Emily decided to help him this week- Do I need to split the points, you two/five?

Even traveling across seventeen states and fourteen accents, Dan managed to score top billing in this week's picks. Aaron had a tough week, and Nate seemed to have experienced tryptophan poisoning.

That brings us to our Champion... despite a full house and PhD work, Jake takes home the crown for the first time ever! Must have been that move away from the distractions of the beach, huh?

As always, I've included the percentages of points correct/points available. The light blue shaded boxes are those people who missed a week or two or three, and the missed weeks are deducted from the total. Just think if Michelle and Emily had been consistent.

Aaron's close week made the "picks" race all that more interesting, but he managed to do what it took to win it all. With Jake and Aaron taking top billing, the lesson is to make an addition to your family if you want to be successful at this. We're adopting again, so I'll leave it up to you to see if you're willing to do what it takes to win.

In the Bragging Rights divisions- Jake beat Emily, Terry and Janie split, Aaron beat Amanda, Dan defeated Michelle, Brian was victorious over Jen. Holding down the fort for the females- my wife beat me. What can I say- I outkicked my coverage with her.

Other "Bragging rights"- Terry/Janie win the Shike group, Dan Williams will not get a favorable performance evaluation from yours truly, Jake wins the SEC grouping, Scott beat me, Michael beat Visser, and Ohio State fans were 2-1 against TTUN.

It's almost time to hand out gaudy gifts- nope, not a stupid hamster that you bought on "chartreuse Saturday" or something- it's "Year End Awards Time". Since I'm a) a blogger, b) not important and c) not a former Heisman Trophy winner, I don't get to vote for the "Big Statue that only one person has won twice, and don't you forget it". But, let's say I did... my ballot would look a little something like this:

1. LaFevour, Central Michigan- Better career numbers than Tebow, passing AND rushing.
   
2. Toby Gerhart, Stanford- This year's Bo Jackson. He's getting the ball, and there's not much you can do about it.
   
3. Colt McCoy, Tejas- Should have won it last year, and has been the sole offense for a team that may be playing for the glassy trophy.
   
4. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska- Other teams have to change their game plans to deal with him. That's enough for me.
   
5. St. Tebow of Gainesville- Yeah, if only he hadn't been concussed. Or playing with a limited offense this year.

Big Games this week: Pac Ten championship: Nike University vs toOSU. ApocalypSEC 09: 'Bama vs The Tebows. Big 12 Shootout- Bo's Boys against Colt. Big lEast title bout- UChikfila and Pitt. Ohio and my Heisman Candidate meet for the MAC championship. Conference USA championship has Houston and East Carolina squaring off. And, of course, there's still the playoffs in every other division of college football. Heck, even Canada figured out how to do it, and they can't even get the number of downs right.

That's all she wrote for now- we'll get the Bowl Picks up and running in a couple of weeks, and will start tracking the coaching transitions on Monday (big news coming...).

Until then- Thank you.