College Football 2007 - Week 12: Feasting Frenzy

[JohnBM01]

I'm very behind since the wedding, GTPlanet. So bear with me. I didn't complain all this time about giving you all my personal and unique college football reports. So it's time I start a new week. As a bonus for this week, I thought I'd dedicate this to Thanksgiving as well as letting you all talk about some of your favorite places to eat including what you normally like ordering from such restaurants.


Introduction
Who doesn't love Thanksgiving? It's the time of year in which families all gather and enjoy a special feast. Isn't it a wonderful time of year (besides Christmas)? Plenty of college football teams have had their own feeding frenzies in taking out other teams. Nobody wants to be #2, so you play for #1.



--- Last Week... ---

Lloyd Carr to Step Down
Michigan suffered a terrible loss against Ohio State on Saturday. The score was only 14-3, but part of this being that Michigan couldn't find the endzone. Michigan has lost to Appalachian State, Oregon, and Wisconsin; but one loss really stings- Ohio State. Carr's heading out. Early talks indicate that LSU's Les Miles could jump from one BCS conference to another. There's talk that Les Miles may be the top candidate for the Michigan job. Les Miles is a Michigan graduate that has done quite well with the LSU Tigers. Could he bring gritty SEC football WAY up north in Michigan? The official news conference is Monday morning.

Kansas and Hawaii are Still Only Unbeatens
The Jayhawks and Warriors are still unbeaten to date. Kansas has a critical match coming up against Missouri in a battle that will ultimately decide the Big XII North.





(no FBS games reported)





(no FCS games reported)





--- NFL Focus ---
I'm glad someone responded to my NFL Focus segments. Let's see if I can interest you some more.

Welcome Back, Andre Johnson!
* New Orleans Saints at Houston Texans
My new sister-in-law is from Baton Rouge, LA. I'm sure she isn't proud about the Saints losing to the Texans. Andre Johnson's impact to us is like Tracy McGrady to my Rockets. It's a battle of the 2006 NFL Draft. It was Mario Williams of Houston vs. Reggie Bush for the New Orleans Saints. Houston hits the road to Cleveland next week. (23-10; HOUSTON TEXANS)

The Other Texas Team Plays
* Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys (28-23; DALLAS COWBOYS)

A Wicked Clash in Maryland
* Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (33-30, OT; Cleveland Browns)

Southern California Goes West to Meeting North Florida
* San Diego Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars (24-17; JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS)

St. Louis Playing in Beautiful San Francisco at an Aging Stadium
* St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers (13-9; St. Louis Rams)

If St. Louis Can Win, Then So Can Miami... Right?
* Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles
Miami may well get the first draft pick next April. The Dolphins are STILL winless. Somebody needs to be fired. (17-7; PHILADELPHIA EAGLES)

How Did the Other Pennsylvania Team Do?
* Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets (19-16, OT; NEW YORK JETS) <<< Jets are 2-8 now

Giants Seek Gigantic Win
* New York Giants at Detroit Lions (16-10; New York Giants)





I'll still need to do some updates, but I'll be fine. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving once Thanksgiving Day rolls (no pun intended (you know... Thanksgiving, rolls...) around. Let's do another week of college football!

 

[Joey D]

Lloyd Carr has had a good run but it's time for someone else to have a go, and Les Miles would make an excellent coach for the Wolverines.

 

[JohnBM01]

I'm sure someone new will come around. Les Miles is the hot pick. Whether or not he'll return to Michigan remains to be seen.

 

[FoolKiller]

I can only assume that Bulger's ribs are healed now. Two wins? Did the Rams suddenly become a winning team?

 

[JohnBM01]

We got a match in the Sun Belt for Tuesday. It will be the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State University going south to Alabama to meet the tricky Trojans of Troy University. Then on Thanksgiving night, we got a more popular group of Trojans- USCal, heading to Tempe to meet Arizona State and their Sun Devils. Because this is a holiday weekend, I'm responsible for more games. There will be eight matches on Friday in FBS.



This week is "Feasting Frenzy." A bonus element to this week relates to eating spots you like. Maybe you go to a certain university or college and have a favorite place to eat at. I want you to share those. You can be from a non-football school and still find a good place to eat. So go ahead and share them with me. So let me share some good places to eat here in Houston and in the Houston area.

EXTRA: Good Eating in Houston
Before heading out to my brother's wedding, we ate at a popular breakfast place called Dot's here in Houston. Nothing too special except that a lot of people come here at this place. It's open about 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and all year. It was a very popular breakfast spot for me and my family. I usually got some good pancakes at Dot's. It's down a few streets and across a freeway to my community college (Houston Community College - Southeast Campus).

There's another good eating place here in Houston called Empire Cafe. You can enjoy all kinds of European food here. I even had some of their gourmet pizza. I think you can even order up Currant Tea there as well. Haven't been there in a long while. * Other nice locales I've eaten at include the lovely Landry's Seafood in The Woodlands. This far northwestern Houston place is along a man-made river. On the other side is The Woodlands Mall. My family and I never shopped there, but I'm sure it's as lovely on the inside as it is outside. * I have never eaten at the Downtown Aquarium in Downtown Houston, but I'd like to one day.

I may come across some new and amazing restaurants someday. But as for right now, these are some of my well-loved eating places here in Houston. Care to share yours?





--- John's Student Lounge ---

Something I Forgot to Talk About on Friday
I have my first-ever copy of Evo Magazine. Volume 111 talks about the Mitsubishi Lancer X, latest Subaru Impreza, and a tribute to Colin McRae. Europe gets all the cool cars... and even the cool magazines. After all, the automobile was born in Europe, you know...





That will be all. I'll let you all know how the match between Middle Tennessee State and Troy finished up in this low-major match. Please have a great day, everyone!

 

[JohnBM01]

You came to see some scores. Friday and Saturday will be pretty doggone busy. I got a Sun Belt match for you all in FBS. So let's talk football, players!





--- Division 1: Bowl Subdivision Scores ---

Red vs. Blue... Sun Belt Style
* Middle Tennessee State {Blue Raiders} at Troy {Trojans}
Do not be surprised if you cannot find Troy, Alabama on a map. Lots of people can't. This Alabama city is home to Troy University. For some reason, you don't hear too much about Sun Belt teams. They are considered low majors in FBS. I don't think there's a single popular Sun Belt school outside of Western Kentucky in basketball. South Alabama is a non-football school despite any real effort to make USA a football school playing home games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Let's meet the two schools. Middle Tennessee State has a wonderful women's basketball program from this past season. Their home town is Murfreesboro, TN. The Blue Raiders are nobody's little cupcakes as they've shown to be hellishly potent. They bring their blue into a "red" city- Troy, AL. That red would be Troy red. No one ever said that the men of Troy operated out of Alabama. In fact, Alabama wasn't even ESTABLISHED in the Odyssey. The Trojans still soldier on as the best team you've never heard of. So let's get this Sun Belt match going! Troy led 24-7 over the Blue Raiders. Add 14 more points to Troy's side to end the Third Quarter. So it's 38-7 as Troy's basically driving it like they stole it. Here's the syonpsis of this game: Troy led by 7, MTSU would tie... then Troy blew Middle Tennessee State's doors off. (45-7; TROY)


EXTRA: How Would Western Kentucky Do in the Sun Belt?
Western Kentucky is one of the finest men's college basketball programs. The football program won the National Championship in 2002 in (now) FCS. What are Western Kentucky's chances when they get to the Sun Belt in 2009? Let's get one thing straight- they're not going to win the National Championship in FBS unless they get REALLY good REALLY fast and pull a 2006 Boise State on the competition. I could actually envision Western Kentucky playing against Louisville and Kentucky between now and perhaps the 2009 season. But the Sun Belt is the focal point here. I think Western Kentucky has some serious potential in the Sun Belt. The Hilltoppers will be an interesting team to watch. How they plan on upgrading their facilities and playing to their absolute best will be my storyline for Western Kentucky's full transistion to FBS. Their toughest competition will come between themselves, Middle Tennessee State, Troy, and perhaps even Louisiana-Lafayette. You know, I'd even include Florida Atlantic. A 12-game schedule for them, I envision Western Kentucky having either a 5-7 record. The big longshot would be an 8-4 season or better. I think Western Kentucky can be a diamond in the rough in the Sun Belt. And with luck, perhaps even among some of the best mid-majors.


EXTRA: Nick Saban
Nick Saban's Crimson Tide lost to the Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe. I should have noted this as a MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS last week besides Yale's disappointing effort against Harvard. There was some controversy in what Nick Saban did in comparing Alabama's loss this past Saturday to events like the September 11th tragedies. One person stated that he was just talking about bringing together teams and establishing unity.




(no FCS games reported)





--- John's Student Lounge ---

A Little Searching Online...
Weeks ago, I was reading up on the V8 Stockcar Series here in America. It's a mostly East Coast-oriented stock car series on road courses. I found something a little... interesting. Check this. One of the drivers from this series raced in about 2006. This guy loves the University of Kentucky so much that it's his sponsor. It's the #17 Monte Carlo that races in the V8 GTA class. Nice to see school pride go into racing. See a medium-size picture of the #17 University of Kentucky car here: < http://www.v8stockcar.com/photo_gallery.php?id=29&intPageNum=5&category=30 >. Why do I have a strange feeling this is related with FoolKiller in some way?





I think I can rest for Wednesday. Some strong thunderstorms and much colder temperatures are expected here in Houston from a coming strong cold front. It's said that we may be at 82 degrees here in Houston to start Wednesday, then fall to about 57 degrees for Thanksgiving! So I'll chat with all of you later as I have to prepare for the Thanksgiving/Black Friday double later this week. So please take care, everyone!

 

[JohnBM01]

No games were played, so I'd like to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving.



EXTRA: What I'm Thankful For on GTPlanet
Here are some of the things I'm thankful of as a member on GTPlanet. I am thankful to be alive and well first and foremost. But I am thankful for a lot more on here. I am thankful...

* ...that I have great people to communicate with

* ...of drawing an audience for my college sports threads. Not a lot of people care about college sports compared to pro sports, but you have to admit there's an aura to college sports that seems lost in most pro sports. The athletes are almost directly linked to their college's fans.

* ...to meet a number of fans for my college sports reports. I'm thankful to meet FoolKiller to talk Kentucky athletics nd the SEC. I'm thankful to meet Joey D for Michigan football and Oakland basketball. I'm thankful to meet High-Test, who puts North Dakota State and [the state of] Kansas into perspective. Thankful to meet kylehnat for Washington athletics, Max Powers for Pittsburgh athletics, JFM92 GT Racer (I know I misspelled), Kent for Louisiana State and Southeastern Louisiana athletics, JNasty4G63 for Iowa athletics, and countless others whom I may have missed.

* ...to be on GTPlanet to begin with. I'll be on for over five years if I make it to December 5, 2008.

* ...to actually have a seperate following for college sports. I try to do things differently and try to come up with something different. I'm glad that I'm respected for bringing up collegiate athletics and being able to have a fairly good following, even if more people care about pro sports.

* ...to talk about a variety of topics with my own personal insight.

* ...to share my BIGGEST WINS OF THE WEEK, MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSSES OF THE WEEK, UPSETS OF THE WEEK, AND OWNAGES OF THE WEEK for each week's thread. I even value the commentary I've received.

* ...to get positive feedback from people who read my unique and casual reports. Nothing says success like involvement from readers.

* ...thankful to have met people from around the world on GTPlanet. I've come across people ranging from a Croatian fellow who provides glittering insider info on Gran Turismo, to some of my buddies in Australia, to some of my own Texas people, to young lady in Beverly Hills who made a comment about jumping around like a fragile bunny when she saw the McLaren F1 (remember McLaren'sAngel?), and many more people.



I'm thankful for a lot of these things and more on GTPlanet. So I'm ready to have a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family. I wish you the same wonderful holiday weekend for you and your family.





But if you can't scratch the itch of college football, don't worry. I have games for you from Thanksgiving until Saturday. I don't know if I can do my Saturday report because of the potential for strong thunderstorms this weekend here in Houston. The rain is okay, but thunderstorms are usually worse. I just wish the drought in the American Southeast would get some of the rain we're about to get here in Houston and the rest of Texas. And if there's any way you can help make Thanksgiving better for others, PLEASE help any way you can. Take care, everyone!

 

[Joey D]

And I'm thankful for your continuing reporting on college sports, a job well done mate 👍.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[JohnBM01]

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! It's Thanksgiving for a lot of us. Some even call it Turkey Day (I sometimes do). All I know is that it's better to eat turkey... than to BE a turkey. So let's talk college football and see who all got it done this holiday.





--- Division 1: Bowl Subdivision Scores ---

Thanksgiving Tussle in the Dessert... I Mean, Desert
* #11 USCal {Trojans} at #6 Arizona State {Sun Devils}
The Men of Troy are ready to have some fun in Tempe, Arizona. Last week's Thursday Night match was in Arizona with an upset. Will we see an upset here? Let's meet the two teams, starting with USCal. Hollywood's still on strike, but no one scripted that the University of Southern California would lose to Stanford earlier this season. With no National Champioship hopes, they can still play for a good Bowl Game. The Trojans are ready for some jingle bell rock once Thanksgiving is done for. USCal used to play religiously on Thanksgiving with their final Thanksgiving game back around 1938. Now Arizona State. Arizona State University is in Tempe, AZ. This is a school in the greater vincinity of Phoenix. With that beautiful NFL stadium in Glendale, Sun Devil Stadium is still a lovely venue. The sun has gone down, but the Sun Devils still have evil intentions of further complicating USCal's season. Gobble gobble! Let's do some football! It was 27-17 in favor of the Trojans after the First Half. Arizona State failed to score a point in the Third as USCal led 44-17 after three quarters of play. This was an upset by rankings, and certainly a big win for the Trojans. Matt Leinart would be proud. (44-24; #11 Southern California) *** upset! and big win ***


The GAME OF THE WEEK will be Kansas vs. Missouri. I'll do some role play here.

Role Play

(John is Kansas)
INTERVIEWER: "You are 10-0 for the first time since about 1908. Do you think you're going to play for a National Championship?"
"First of all... I'd like to say that it's a pleasure for all the Jayhawk faithful that has stayed with us all season long even in our worst seasons. John wants to talk smack that Kansas isn't for real? Well, let me tell him something. John? How are your Longhorns doing? How are your Houston Cougars doing? Oh wait, they aren't a BCS team. So what the hell are you talking about NOT FOR REAL? If we beat Missouri's little tiger-striped asses, maybe you'll pay us some more respect. Even more respect when we beat Oklahoma's asses on National TV. THEN you'll respect us. You've been kissing Kentucky's asses because they had an overrated QB that turned around a team that was never a powerful team to begin with. They faded down the stretch (Kentucky would know that since horse racing is the only attraction there), we didn't. Once we beat Missouri, all those doubters will shut the hell up about Kansas football and start paying attention to us. By the way, didn't we beat your pathetic Houston Cougars in a blowout a few years ago in Fort Worth? Kansas is for real whether you like us or not. And that's real."

(John is Missouri)
INTERVIEWER: "Kansas is having an amazing season. You have one loss on your record while Kansas has been flawless. Any chance you beat Kansas this Saturday at Arrowhead?"
"Instead of talking smack about John and Kentucky, maybe those blue-colored Tweety birds should pay more attention to us. We're not a guaranteed win compared to Kansas. Yeah, they're good. But we're better. My boy, Chase Daniel, has been better regarded than that QB Kansas got. Why are we so rude? It's because we're rivals. Our rivalry with Kansas is a pretty old one. We play for a Marching Drum. One has the Kansas logo while the other side has our logo. The black and gold will rock and roll over the Jayhawks. Kansas, you've had a great season, but WE are going to play against Oklahoma for the Big XII South. Not you. You can go to one of those January bowls and beat up a Sun Belt team. Meanwhile, we're heading to somebody's BCS bowl. Mark our words. Columbia will rule over Lawrence. And that's tabernackle, player!"

Good luck to both teams.





--- Division 1: Championship Subdivision Scores ---
This is labeled as an FCS match because the home team is an FCS team. Divisions FCS and 2 have gone into playoff play. So let's start up this game.

Soul Food for Thanksgiving? You Bet! Black College Football in Alabama
* Tuskegee {Maroon Tigers} at Alabama State {Hornets}
This was an impressive basketball-on-grass show for all Alabama folk to watch as the Maroon Tigers of Tuskegee won a thriller against a fairly good Hornets team. This was a Division 2 team beating an FCS team. (64-58?, 3OT; Tuskegee) *** big win ***




--- NFL Focus ---
I usually do my NFL stuff on Sundays. But here is a Thanksgiving edition of my NFL Focus.


Green Bay Celebrates Thanksgiving by Beating Up People on the Football Field
* Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
Brett Favre put on an amazing show in MoTown as he completed 20 straight passes in a pretty good win. Congratulations to this future Hall of Famer and his team. The 20-straight passes is a team record for Green Bay. (37-26; Green Bay Packers)

The Dallas Area Isn't the Only Thing Cold Today
* New York Jets at Dallas Cowboys
Recording artist, Ashanti, looked absolutely beautiful in singing the National Anthem. Even sang beautifully. That was about the only real attraction in this game because this beatdown in the cold and rain wasn't even close. (34-3; DALLAS COWBOYS)

Falcons Try Not to be Turkeys When the Colts Come to Town
* Indianapolis Colts at Atlanta Falcons
Can ANYONE light a fire for Atlanta? Michael Vick turned himself in to U.S. Marshalls. Matt Schaub is with my Texans. So who'll step up for this franchise? Who will at least play like this year's team was the 1998 Atlanta Falcons? It was 28-13 with 5:05 left in the Third Quarter in favor of Indy. The Falcons were turkeys against Peyton Manning and his powerful Colts. (31-13; Indianapolis Colts)





--- John's Student Lounge ---
School's still open at GTPlanet University. Just no classes.

My Own Thanksgiving
I had myself some turkey, cornbread dressing, peas with bits of carrots, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato pie, and even a few chocolates. I've seen parts of the Packers/Lions game as well as a little of the Jets/Cowboys game. A lot of my family came around with the exception for my honeymooning brother and sister-in-law. A bit lazy, but I had fun.

Black Friday Tidbits
A report I saw on KTRH ABC 13 (Houston's ABC affiliate) indicated that the best time to go shopping on Black Friday is between the hours of 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM. It's the only time of the year in which early in the morning looks like afternoon time at shopping malls and department stores. I think I'll be doing Black Friday action after my mother's mammogram. So I may be out around 9:00 AM or 10:00 AM for Black Friday here in Houston around my way.

"Pinks - All Out" from Las Vegas Televised on Speed Channel
The season finale of "Pinks - All Out" took place from The Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For the first time, it was an "All-in, All-Out" competition in which every money wager was for the maximum- $1,000 each race. The winner also got themselves about $6,000 of tools from a Napa toolset as well as the $10,000 for winning the tournament. A new season of "Pinks - All Out" will come starting next March. Season 5 of the original Pinks (lose the race, lose your ride) comes your way February 2008. You can visit http://www.speedtv.com and search Pinks.





Friday action will come your way in this thread. I'll have all kinds of games with the biggest one being Texas' visit to Texas A&M. Even more rivalries are on Saturday including Oklahoma/Oklahoma State, but more imporantly than that... Kansas vs. Missouri to decide the Big XII North Championship. The Kansas/Missouri game at Arrowhead Pond will be my GAME OF THE WEEK. I'll have many more rivalries from many more conferences this weekend. Please have a happy and safe Black Friday if shopping this weekend.

 

[JohnBM01]

Black Friday shopping... the day after Thanksgiving. Did you find something to give to people who want to give gifts to? Bought some gifts for yourself? Get ready for a Friday of football that feels like Saturday.





--- Division 1: Bowl Subdivision Scores ---
We begin in the SEC.

Black Friday... or BLACK Friday?
* Arkansas {Razorbacks} at Louisiana State {Tigers} --- RIVALRY GAME: Battle for the Golden Boot ---
The states of Louisiana and Arkansas look like a boot when paired together. In fact, from Minnesota down to Lousiana looks like a man. Minnesota would be the hat, Iowa would be the face, Missouri would be his big belly, Arkansas as his pants or jeans, and Louisiana as the boots. We're playing for the states representing the "jeans" and the "boots." LSU is #1. Can Arkansas tame them? Arkansas are trying not to be pork when the Razorbacks hit Baton Rouge. LSU's ready to get it on and get it on right now. The Tigers don't want to wait. They know they can beat them. But can they? Or is that chip on their shoulders the size of Jupiter? I heard the results of this game on my portable radio. LSU had immediate nightmares of when they played at Kentucky earlier this year when this game ended. How were they ranked? #1. They wanted a National Championship, but Arkansas played spoiler to those dreams, dashing the Baton Rouge crowd in Triple Overtime. (50-48; Arkansas) *** #1 Team Upset!!! ***



* Texas {Longhorns} at Texas A&M {Aggies} -- RIVALRY GAME: Lone Star Showdown ---
There's Louisville/Kentucky in Kentucky. Kansas/Kansas State in Kansas. California/Stanford in California. Duke/North Carolina in North Carolina. But down here in Texas, it's Texas/Texas A&M. Most of my Big XII friends are either Texas fans or Texas A&M fans. Either go to Texas or Texas A&M. The Longhorns have an outside chance of winning the Big XII South. That's only if Texas beats Texas A&M and if Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma. A Texas loss basically wraps up the Big XII South for Oklahoma. And it won't even matter what Oklahoma State does with Oklahoma. The Aggies of Texas A&M are reluctant to splash the Burnt Orange and White in TAMU Maroon and White. Texas A&M dominated most of the game as Texas tried to comeback. That comeback, however, was denied and stopped short. (38-30; TEXAS A&M) *** upset! and big win ***

West Coast Offensive in Paradise
* #19 Boise State {Broncos} at #15 Hawaii {Warriors}
The WAC conference in football is like the non-football West Coast Conference- one really great team... then everybody else. That really great team, however, is your pick. A lot would say that Hawaii's the better team becuase of their record and what they've accomplished. Some would say Boise State because Boise State is a powerful and potent team no matter what anyone says about Hawaii. This game may well decide the WAC. The Hawaii Warriors proved they were DEFINITELY for real as the Broncos didn't have enough gusto to get it done in Honolulu. (39-27; #15 HAWAII)

SITE NOTE:
Colt Brennan has himself two new records. One of which was the all-time touchdown passes record. Congrats to Brennan on a job well done.


It's RAPID FIRE time. See who won, and move on.

RAPID FIRE
* Central Michigan at Akron (35-32; Central Michigan)
* Nebraska at Colorado (65-51; COLORADO)
* Mississippi at Mississippi State --- RIVALRY GAME --- (17-14; MISSISSIPPI STATE) *** big win ***
* Wyoming at Colorado State --- RIVALRY GAME(?) --- (36-28; COLORADO STATE)
* Toledo at Bowling Green State --- RIVALRY GAME --- (37-10; BOWLING GREEN STATE)





(FCS in Playoffs; check Postseason thread for updates)





I'll try to get as many scores as I can for Saturday. A threat of heavy rain and possibly thunderstorms will impact for this Saturday here in Houston. I'll try to generate a report as best as I can. You have my word. So have a great weekend!