Friday, November 18, 2016

Football 2016: Week Twelve

The topics I most enjoy writing about are football and politics, not necessarily in that order. A few weeks ago, at the end of October, I felt like I was on top of the world since everything seemed to be moving in the correct direction in both football and the presidential election campaign.

Now, eighteen days later, everything is totally FUBAR. We have a goddamned asshole preparing to take control of the executive branch, and Texas A&M has gone off the rails in consecutive games, turning a promising season into another disappointing train wreck.

Not many SEC games worth discussing on tomorrow's TV schedule. For example, A&M hosts UT/San Antonio (5-5) in an early 11:00 AM game. The Aggies are about a four TD favorite, and College Football News predicts they'll win 40-17. There aren't many star players on A&M's roster, and when the few they have are injured, this is a very mediocre team. I can imagine this game being closer than 23 points. UPDATE 2:56 PM: Texas A&M didn't win this game by 23 points, but they did manage to score 23 points and survived 23-10. The A&M offense is dead in the water without Trevor Knight, and this isn't the same team that beat UCLA, Auburn, Arkansas and Tennessee. The game against LSU may get ugly.

Florida (7-2) plays at LSU (6-3) at noon on SEC Network. The Gators are about a two TD underdog, and CFN expects LSU will win 23-13. The Aggies get a potent dose of LSU next Friday, and it may be hazardous to their health. UPDATE: Florida won an SEC slug fest 16-10. Will this LSU loss have any bearing on the game against A&M? Who knows?

The CBS showcase game at 2:30 PM is Missouri (3-7) at Tennessee (7-3). The Volunteers are favored by 16 points, and CFN forecasts a 41-30 win for UT. I'll only see this game if I'm extremely bored. UPDATE: There were 100 points scored, and Tennessee got 63 of them.

Finally, Arkansas (6-4) visits Mississippi State (4-6) in what will probably be a 31-27 win for the hogs according to CFN. Since A&M already played both teams, I have minimal interest in seeing this game. If I happen to watch, I'll pull for Arkansas based on the formula. UPDATE: Another 100 point game, and Arkansas held on to win 58-42.

In a side note, Vanderbilt gave Ole Miss a 38-17 whipping, which makes that A&M loss to the Rebels sting even more. Does this mean the Aggies are worse than Vandy?

Added 11:26 PM Saturday: I was checking scores and discovered that lowly Kansas beat the Strong horns in overtime, 24-21. Damn, I wish I'd watched that game. I love it when Texas U gets embarrassed. 

No comments:

Post a Comment