2012-09-06 06:39

Sit back and enjoy the most boring week of the season.
Yes it's true, at least on paper.

Why? Because except some early games, the conference games are not yet on the line and most teams did schedule pushovers as opponents or did agree to be the pushover.

Yes, of course there will be upsets, sure. But anticipation such games is like hoping for a lottery win.

Who would have guessed the upsets from last week?

Yes, there were some (there are always some, as there are always some to win the damn lottery, except YOU!) and those people can now be proud spending all their luck of life on that one or two upsets they have seen from a mile away (means, no lottery win for them ever, sorry).

So we have to life with what we get in week 2.

Yes, there are still some nice games, but not the shaking-the-universe-type-of-games, sorry.

But before I start with that I want to give you a short tale about the name of this Blog BLOCK OF GRANITE.

It started all with a simple idea in that-other-game to organise a cup which allows only 90% RUN, since (as everybody knows who played that game) 90% passing was the way to win there and I thought it would be funny to do the opposite, having games ending 7-6 or 6-0 after one hour in OT. Lol

I purpose the idea on the international forum, but did not get much of a response.

After a season there was an opportunity to do it on the german forum and the response was THAT MUCH that I had to double the playing teams (from 8 to 16).

I named it the LEATHERHEADS-LEAGUE, in the spirit of the 20s to 40s Football age where those warriors did wear the leather helmet.

I did choose to name the conferences in honor of very successful coaches (Yost (Michigan), Jones (USC), Sutherland (Pittsburgh) and Rockne (Notre Dame) and the post season bowls I named in honor of three incredible awesome group of players in that area, the RED ELEPHANTS (Alabama), the FOUR HORSEMEN (Notre Dame) and SEVEN BLOCKS OF GRANITE (Fordham).

The SEVEN BLOCKS OF GRANITE where the offensive line of the Fordham Rams under head coach "Sleepy" Jim Crowley and line coach Frank Leahy in 1929 and 1930. Behind this line the teams was extremely successful and the name just stuck.
In 1936 and 1937 the name was given to another bunch of Fordham linemen which were helped their team being very successful, too.

Because of that line of 1936-37 and one very (add some very’s here) successful member of this bunch, the Rotary Club still gives out annually a trophy awarding the best lineman (or linebacker) in College Football, which basically is a block of granite.
The Name of the trophy is "ROTARY LOMBARDI TROPHY" and of course the very (add some very’s here) successful member of the 1936-37 group of linemen from Fordham is VINCE LOMBARDI.

So when I decided to do a Blog on College Football, BLOCK OF GRANITE was the first thing which came into my mind as a name and how could I NOT chose this name?

So much for a little football history and my explanations regarding my blog name.

I spare you the poll standings, since they are not really worth a look at the moment.
There is only one game played so there is not much to compare. Let’s go on with the previews.

So here are the BLOCK OF GRANITE TOP GAMES FOR WEEK 2

Utah @ Utah State
That’s the "Battle of the Brothers". A not so very much known State-Rivalry running since ages. It's not that well known, since it is rather boring. Utah usually crushes Utah State regularly and from my point of view ... well, where is the spice in a game already decided, before walking on the field?
But wait, The Aggies did also beat the Utes in some years, and even in back to back years, so sometime Goliath IS defeated by the tiny David.
This year probably will be another Utah Utes win, which would be the 13th in a row!
The Utes are still adjusting on their PAC 12 live and the Aggies are on their way from the WAC to the Mountain west for 2013, a Conference the Utes were part of until 2011.
They didn't play since 2009, so this will be a nice "seeing you again!" fought to the teeth. LOL.
I can't see a last year 8-5 PAC 12 team loosing against a last year 7-5 Still-WAC-team, so I go with the Utes.

Miami @ #21 Kansas State
Kansas State had a dream season last year and it's hard to imagine they get the 10 wins they had last year again this year. The Big 12 got tougher with TCU and West Virginia joining and the Wildcats got Oklahoma State and Texas hat home...
It's a tough team, even tougher than last year, only the god of scheduling were not as friendly as last year.
Still, in THIS game THIS WEEK, they are very well suited to get the win.
The "U" of Miami did stunned by early leaving players end of the last season and are now in rebuilding mode, as far as I can see it.
Add to this a home game advantage for the hot Wildcats and you see, why I thing the Hurricanes will get bested by Kansas State.

#24 Florida @ Texas A&M
So hello to the new member of the SEC, the Texas A&M Aggies. Last week the season opener of Texas A&M against Louisiana Tech was postponed, so for the Aggies this will be the first game.
This is crucial to remember, since it means the Gators have one game ahead for getting in synch and getting in Conference play mode.
And the Florida Gators are not bad this year, by far not. They will give Georgia a nice fight for the division lead; some see those Gators even as the favourite.
So let's put this in perspective: The Gators have one game ahead of the Aggies, are probably a stronger team and are coming into town to crush the season opener party.
Nice setup.
What will happen?
I think Florida will win here and we will see an Aggies Team adjusting the hard way for the SEC.
Party Crashers will prevail.

Iowa State @ Iowa
The next State-Rivalry. The Iowa State Cyclones were long time a team you could laugh about. They had some awful bad seasons in the past (funny side fact: two of the worst were coached by Gene Chizik, who later went to Auburn and won a national championship with Cam Newton) and things are getting better now.
Still, they lost their Bowl last season against Rudger so at the end it was a negative season result. BUT they did win the Cy-Hawk Trophy, awarded to the winner between those two Iowa teams and the Hawkeyes will probably seeking revenge here.
Problem is, they almost lost last week against Northern Illinois, which would have snapped a 11 season winning streak for season opener and the perfect record versus NIU (which is now 8-0).
So, what will happen?
Hard to judge.
Regularly in the past, the visiting team in this rivalry did go home as the loser (but of course not always ...), so the home advantage is big.
But is it big enough to overcome a poor performance?
Do I believe in the rage of the Hawkeyes or the upcoming Cyclones?
OK, normally, after a bad game, the Iowa Hawkeyes do getting better and pull out a nice one, so I go with the Hawkeyes (but I have that itching in my back saying this could be wrong).
EDIT: I did see NIU as the winner last week, which was wrong. Don't know why that happend.

#16 Nebraska @ # 22 UCLA
The Huskers are back and the want the Big Ten Championship, for sure. They have to beat Michigan and the Spartans, so not an easy task to reach the Big Ten Championship game, but until now, everyone is confident about Nebraska being a contender again.
This game wouldn't have made my list, if not the UCLA Bruins did have a new coach in Jim Mora (the son, not the "Playoffs? Playoffs?"-guy) and wouldn't the not crushed Rice in the season opener.
OK, it was only Rice, which can't stand as a football powerhouse, but still through this performance, this game here against the Cornhuskers is getting much hotter, than it would have been last season.
I would even then not make my list, if it wouldn't be home game for the Bruins, which in my book gives them a chance to create an upset here.
Upset? Yes.
I still think this Nebraska team will win, but those Bruins won't be a pushover team, so we will (hopefully) see something worth the attention.

#7 Georgia @ Missouri
Aaaaaaaaaaaannnd say hello to the other new SEC team. And like some evil schedule deamon did had his work here, the Mizzou Tigers have to face the other powerhouse of the SEC East, the Georgia Bulldogs.
It seems that this evil demon likes to see those two new SEC teams get crushed on their first game to give them a nice welcome.
At least Mizzou had a game already and they won it (a FCS-team, so no honor here ...) but Georgia also did have a game already and did also win (against Buffalo, so also no honor here ...)
Will the Bulldogs really dominate the Tigers in this game?
Yes, I think they will.
Georgia is fighting for the SEC championship, while Missouri will have a rough year adjusting in this tough conference.
Can't see an upset here, but who knows....

‘Til next time
Jack6 on BLOCK OF GRANITE

Tags: Block of Granite