Sorry I didn't participate in last weeks Blogpoll roundtable. This week the roundtable is hosted by Maize n Brew.
1. Its only the third week of the season and we've already seen some highly ranked favorites drop out of national championship contention. Preseason favorite Cal dropped to #21 after a loss and a pair of underwhelming victories. Who's your pick as the next NC contender to take a fall?
As much as I would love to say my beloved Nittany Lions are going to knock off the Buckeyes this weekend, I can't say I'm very confident. Stranger things have happened, but I can't remember the last time the Lions pulled off an upset of that caliber. Maybe Notre Dame in 1990? So I'll go with Auburn. They only put up seven points on LSU. The SEC is full of so many good teams it's impossible for anyone to come out of that conference undefeated.
2. By that same token there are several schools hanging around without a loss that all of a sudden look like surprise contenders. There are also a few one loss teams with a legit shot at getting back into it. Looking at the rankings who's the team no one's talking about with the best shot at crashing the party?
Georgia is a good pick. Florida is another one. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say Navy. They are an experienced team that tells you they are going to run it down your throat and dares you to stop them. Looking at their schedule their only tough game is Notre Dame in Baltimore. And after this past weekend the Irish look very beatable. There's a good chance this team could go 11-1 and make some waves.
3. Every team has their quicksand away game. You know. That place you should win but somehow find ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory or at least scare the @&>%^ out of you every year. Did you know that over the last 21 years Kentucky wasn't won once in Knoxville? Where is your team's yearly sandtrap?
No doubt, Columbus is the toughest place for Penn State. We have yet to win a game there since joining the Big Ten. In fact, we have only scored in double digits once. But most of those games aren't even close so I can't say we snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I would have to either go with Iowa or Minnesota for that.
4. Now that you've looked into the darkest place in your football soul, free Escalades aside, turn and look into your crystal ball. Conference play is either just starting or a single game in. Based on what you've seen so far, give the order of finish in your conference, and if you've got a Conference Championship game tell us who the winner will be. Independents must predict the remainder of their schedule. The results your predictions will be held against you at the end of the season.
Ohio State
Michigan
Penn State
Iowa
Michigan State
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Purdue
Northwestern
Illinois
Indiana
5. In keeping with the spirit of Maize n Brew, name your beverage of choice on game days and why. It need not be alcoholic, as there are some of us who choose not to imbibe on game day. Further, it need not be limited to a single brand/type/category. If you enjoy drinking PBR and Kraft Turkey Gravy at the same time (which I have personally witnessed), please, elaborate. Finally, if you should feel so inclined, and this is not a requirement, add an anecdote involving said beverage choice.
That's easy. Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum mixed with preferrably Coca-Cola, but I'll take Pepsi if you have it.
I think it was the 1997 Ohio State game in Happy Valley. We pulled up to our tailgate and were parked next to these rowdy Ohio State guys that drove all night from Columbus in this school bus that was painted Scarlett and Gray. It started out innocent enough but quickly turned into this competition to see which school could drink the most. Let's just say I didn't make it into the game. I woke up from my drunken stupar in time to hear Curtis Enis have a monster fourth quarter and pull off the win.
