Rankings

The new week's college football rankings are out, and I'm kind of pleasantly surprised that we didn't fall as far as I thought we would. This might have something to do with the fact that so many ranked teams lost this weekend. Either way, we're 7th in the ESPN/USA Today poll (aka the Coaches poll) and 9th in the AP poll (aka the Media poll). Here's the rest of what the rankings look like...

AP: 1. LSU, 2. USC, 3. Cal, 4. Ohio State, 5. Wisconsin, 6. USF, 7. Boston College, 8. Kentucky, 9. FLORIDA, 10. Oklahoma, 11. South Carolina, 12. Georgia, 13. West Virginia, 14. Oregon, 15. Virginia Tech, 16. Hawaii, 17. Missouri, 18. Arizona State, 19. Texas, 20. Cincinnati, 21. Rutgers, 22. Clemson, 23. Purdue, 24. Kansas State, 25. Nebraska

ESPN/USA TODAY: 1. USC, 2. LSU, 3. Cal, 4. Ohio State, 5. Wisconsin, 6. Boston College, 7. FLORIDA, 8. Kentucky, 9. USF, 10. Oklahoma, 11. Georgia, 12. West Virginia, 13. Oregon, 14. Virginia Tech, 15. Hawaii, 16. Texas, 17. Missouri, 18. South Carolina, 19. Arizona State, 20. Purdue, 21. Rutgers, 22. Nebraska, 24. Cincinnati, 25. UCLA

*Italicized teams are on Florida's schedule this season

The Day After

The headline on ESPN.com's College Football home page called it "Insanity Saturday," and that's exactly what is was. Not only did we (#4 Gators) lose to unranked Auburn, #3 Oklahoma lost to unranked Colorado, #7 Texas lost to unranked Kansas State, #10 Rutgers lost to unranked Maryland, #13 Clemson lost to unranked Georgia Tech, #21 Penn State lost to unranked Illinois, and #22 Alabama lost to unranked Florida State. It was a Saturday full of upsets and a Saturday that showcased exactly what college football is all about.

We weren't supposed to lose to Auburn last night. Oklahoma and Texas surely weren't supposed to lose their games. But that's the thing about college football; anything really can happen each and every Saturday. I mean, who in their right mind outside of Boone, North Carolina would have thought that Appalachian State would beat Michigan to open the season? Upsets are a part of the game, one of the things that makes it so great. Sure there are upsets in other sports, but they don't mean as much as in college football. The lack of a playoff system means that every single game matters; there's no chance to make up for it in a tournament like in college basketball.

The thing that kind of bothered me leading up to the Auburn game was that people seemed to have forgotten this about college football. Sooo meany people were soooo sure that we would not only beat Auburn, but we would kill them. They lost to USF and Mississippi State, they said. But they're still Auburn. They're still the team that takes satisfaction in handing us our only loss last season. Having lost those two games meant they came into The Swamp with a chip on their shoulder and something extra to prove. I could tell by the way the came into the stadium for warmups that they were not fazed and were ready to play like the high caliber SEC team that they are. So I guess what I'm saying is that of course I'm upset about what happened last night, but it's something you have to learn to accept as a fan of the game of college football. It sucks that it happened and it really sucks that it was in The Swamp. I think that's what made it worse for a lot of people. We haven't lost in The Swamp since Urban started here. Everyone was in a complete state of shock. It was a while before people in the student section actually started leaving. But now we have to regroup and get ready for the rest of the season. There's still sooo much football left to be played, starting with LSU this Saturday. So, buck up Gator Nation, and remember...In all kinds of weather, We all stick together.

We Miss Jarvis

We lost to Auburn. Again. I don't even know where to start. From the very beginning it seemed like the team was struggling. Play after play I couldn't believe what I was seeing. We were down for pretty much the whole game and didn't score a touchdown in the whole first half. We allowed Auburn to move down the field with ease and provided turnovers to help their cause. When we were finally able to come back and tie it up in the fourth quarter I was excited beyond belief. I thought we were going to have a chance to come back and win and get this Auburn thorn out of our sides. Like the South Carolina game last year, the fate of the game rested on a field goal in the final few seconds of the game. Unlike last year, however, we didn't have Jarvis Moss to block the field goal and save the game. The kick was good and Auburn won 20-17.

!!!!!

Words cannot possibly explain how excited I am for tonight's game against Auburn. It's being played at 7:45 pm in The Swamp and will be broadcast on ESPN. This game means soooooo much. In last year's National Championship season where we went 13-1, Auburn was the 1. The game was played at Auburn and was an intense game that kept going back and forth. Auburn with a blocked punt that resulted in a return with the emphatic touchdown pictured below. That picture alone makes me want to go suit up for the game myself. The touchdown Auburn scored at the end of the game last year only put more salt in the wound. Although we went on to win the championship, the Auburn loss still burns. We did everything we wanted to do last year...except beat Auburn. That's what we want to do tonight. Night games in The Swamp add an extra element of excitement to already huge games, and this will be no different. I'm fired up beyond belief!

Life

Just watched Life on NBC. Also not good. Not as bad as Bionic Woman, but not worth the time.


Is it absolutely necessary for every cast of every tv show to take a picture like this?

Bionic Woman

So tonight I watched Bionic Woman on NBC. It looked like it would be pretty good based on the commercials I had seen, so I decided to give it a shot. But, it was sooo bad. I couldn't believe it. The first thing that hit me was how bad the acting was. The woman who plays the "Bionic Woman" is Michelle Ryan. I hate saying this, but I don't understand why they picked her to carry this whole show. The acting was just really bad. I might be getting a little picky here, but the show looked like it was "acted" instead of looking natural. It didn't help that the production looked overly glossy and movie-like for my tastes. I'd like for networks and producers to stop making shows so over the top and just make tv shows instead of weekly movies. Thanks.

AUBURN

I'm sooooo excited about the Auburn game this weekend!!! Auburn was the only team we lost to last year on the way to the National Championship, and I'd like to overcome them this year. What makes this game even better is that it's going to be at night! Night games at The Swamp are amazing! The energy is great and the stadium sparkles like a jewel. :) I know that sounds really girly, but it's true. The game will be aired on ESPN starting at 7:45 pm, Saturday, September 29th. Trust me, you won't want to miss it. Another fantastic SEC battle in one of the best stadiums in the country. It doesn't get any better than SEC football in The Swamp!

NFL Women

As a female who loves football, I'm glad that more and more people are starting to realize that I'm not the only one. There's a whole mass of women who love the pigskin. The NFL has started running this commercial promoting their line of women's apparel. I have to say I really like this stuff! A lot of it is really cute. I'm glad they've started designing things with women in mind so we're not simply forced to buy men's clothes that don't fit well. Anyhoo, here's a sampling of a few of my favorites...





*Note: I'm not a Bengals fan, but I'd really like that jacket if I could find it for the Dolphins

Holy Overtime!

OMG! This is why I love college football.

Georgia beat Alabama in overtime in an SEC game that surely didn't disappoint. Well, it did disappoint in the sense that I wanted Alabama to win and they didn't. But it definitely lived up to every expectation you would have of a game in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia had been leading Bama pretty much the whole game until the fourth quarter. That's when the Crimson Tide started coming back just like they did last week when they beat Arkansas. So Alabama worked their way from being 10 points down to tying Georgia at 20. After Bama tied it, Georgia got the ball with about a minute and a half left, at which point they started working their way down the field. They made their way into field goal position with :03 left in the game. Coutu goes for the kick and it's WIDE! The game ends and goes into overtime.

In overtime Alabama was unsuccessful in their passing attempts, which forced them to attempt a field goal on fourth down. Georgia then got the ball and on their very first attempt completed a touchdown pass and won the game. This was a real heart-stopper and a perfect example of what makes the SEC so great.

Penn State

I really, really, really can't believe this. For the ninth time, in as many years, Penn State just lost to Michigan. I really thought this was Penn State's year. Michigan had been performing so poorly, and I really wanted to believe in Penn State. The final score was 14-9. Michigan didn't even allow Penn State to score a single touchdown. It just goes to show that you really never can tell what's going to happen in the world of college football. It's such a tumultuous sport. This loss really gets me; more than I was expecting. Penn State can still pick it up for the rest of the season. Here's hoping.

Mercy Percy!

So, the Gator game just ended a lil while ago. Final score: FLORIDA 30 - Ole Miss 24

I was highly upset with the way the team played. The game started with the Gators on offense, and that possession ended with Joey Ijjas missing a field goal. We then went on to rack up numerous penalties. That's what got us into so much trouble last season, and I thought we were finished with that!!! The whole first quarter was just a mess, although I was quite pleased with Joe Haden's performance. He nearly had an interception, and hopefully he'll actually get one soon. In the second quarter Percy Harvin came alive and became his usual electrifying, amazing, "Mercy Percy!" self. He scored the Gators' first touchdown in the second quarter. For the rest of the game Ole Miss kept getting too close for comfort because our defense kept letting them get big plays. I was getting so scared! If we're going to lose a game I didn't want it to be against Ole Miss. We finally pulled out the win, but not without a lot of needless stress. Now I'll wait and see what Penn State does.

In Love with College Football

As is usually the case on Saturday mornings in the fall, I'm watching my favorite show in all of television, ESPN College Gameday. Every Saturday I set my alarm for 9:45 am to make sure I'm wide awake for Gameday at 10. This is my favorite show because I looove college football. There really is nothing on earth like it. The passion and tradition is really unparalleled. College football is more htan just a game; it's an experience. The bands, fans, teams, colors, traditions all go into making college football pretty much the best thing to ever happen to Saturdays.

With the Gators on the road today, I'm looking forward to a full Saturday of pure college football watching joy. My schedule for today looks a little something like this:

• I'll start the day watching the Florida Gators take on the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, Mississippi. The game will air at 12:30pm Eastern on Lincoln-Financial Sports. (Click here for a list of affiliates in your area.) After starting the season 3-0 and scoring 43, 59, and 59 in the first three games, the Gator Nation is expecting a W today. I'm always optimistic about games we play, but also very cautious. I never go into a game thinking that a win is guaranteed, but I do expect us to be victorious today.
• After the Gators' game I'll flip the tv to ABC to watch Penn State at Michigan at 3:30. After working with Penn State at the Orange Bowl two seasons ago they've become my second favorite team. Joe Paterno is pretty much one of the coolest people ever. Penn State hasn't fared too well against the Wolverines in recent years; eight years if you're keeping count. I think things will be different this year; I hope things will be different this year. Michigan hasn't done too well this year. They opened the season with probably the most embarrassing game ever losing to Appalachian State. They followed up that performance by losing to Oregon. Michigan beat Notre Dame last week, which really isn't saying much because the Fighting Irish have been horrible, terrible, crappy, piss poor even. However, this win could boost their confidence. But, I'm really hoping for big things out of the Nittany Lions. Wouldn't it be great if Florida played Penn State in the National Championship Game? ;-)
• To round out the day I'll watch a great SEC collision with Georgia versus Alabama at 7:45 on ESPN. This should be a great game simply because it features two SEC powers. Alabama is rolling (pun intended) with 3 wins under new head coach Nick Saban. Georgia is trying to save face after losing at home a couple weeks ago to South Carolina. College football seriously does not get any better than the SEC, and it will be showcased tonight.

My college football schedule for today doesn't necessarily have to be yours. That's the beauty of it! Check out this list of games in the Top 25 today to find one that intrigues you.

No Rest for the Weary

I have to be at work at 8:00 am everyday. Last Saturday and Sunday I had to be at work at 10:30 am and 8:30 am, respectively. I've been looking forward to this weekend since about two weeks ago. This was to be the first time I could actually sleep in. So pleeease tell me why I woke up at 7:45!!! Why can't I just sleep, even when I want and am able to? This is sooo frustrating. I'm up and I can't fall asleep, and I don't want to fall asleep while I'm watching football today. Ughh.

Amy Winehouse

If you haven't checked out Amy Winehouse please, please, please do yourself the favor and listen to her album, Back to Black. It's really amazing. I haven't heard anyone sing like this in a long time. Her voice is unique, especially compared to what's out there today. Her songs don't seem manufactured at all because they are so personal. At the risk of sounding cheesy, you can really feel what she's going through when she's singing. Please understand that I'm not a fan of everything Amy does with her life. I don't understand her hair and she seems pretty wacked-out and cracked-out and probably needs serious help. But her music is undeniable.
My favorite song on Back to Black is "Love is a Losing Game". I find it really sad, but I really like it. The words mixed with the rise and fall of the music is a little gut-wrenching. It wouldn't do the song justice to just put the lyrics on here because I feel that the music tells as much of the story as the words do. However, "Wake Up Alone" is a really great song that you can get the whole story from by reading the lyrics. Ever been in this situation?

It's okay in the day, I'm staying busy
Tied up enough so I don’t have to wonder where is he
Got so sick of crying, so just lately
When I catch myself, I do a 180

I stay up clean the house, At least I'm not drinking
Run around just so I don't have to think about thinking
That silent sense of content
That everyone gets
Just disappears soon as the sun sets

His face in my dreams, seizing my guts
He floods me with dread
Soaked to the soul
He swims in my eyes by the bed
Pour myself over him
Moon spilling in
And I wake up alone

Bothers my heart, I'd rather be restless
The second I stop the sleep catches up and I'm breathless
Got this ache in my chest
Cuz my day is done now
The dark covers me and I cannot run now

My blood running cold I stand before him
It's all I can do to assure him
When he comes to me
I drip for him tonight
Drowning in me, we bathe under blue light

His face in my dreams, seizing my guts
He floods me with dread
Soaked to the soul
He swims in my eyes by the bed
Pour myself over him
Moon spilling in
And I wake up alone

THUNDERSTRUCK!

There is some serious storming going on outside. I just heard one of the loudest crashes of thunder ever. The rain is coming down so hard I can kind of feel the vibrations on the floor from it hitting my balcony. I LOVE IT!!! I loooove thunderstorms when I'm inside. I turned off the tv so I could just listen to the storm. It's really, really great. :)

Second Thoughts

Ok, so I haven't been keeping the blog updated daily like I wanted to do. Sorry. Anyhoo...

After listening to Graduation a few more times, it's definitely grown on me a lot more. However, Late Registration is still my favorite. :)

Black Snake Moan

Tonight I watched Black Snake Moan after it came highly recommended. I really don't know how I feel about it. At first while I was watching the movie I didn't really like it. As I got toward the end, and now looking back at it, I'm not so sure. I might like it, but I really don't know.

Graduation

It should come as no surprise that I bought Kanye West's new album, Graduation, today. What may come as a surprise, especially to me, it didn't become one of my instant favorites. That is what happened with his first two albums, The College Dropout and Late Registration. If I really like, or love, an album I'll want to listen to it again immediately after listening to it for the first time. That didn't happen with Graduation. As of right now, it seems like one of those things I'll have to be in the mood to listen to. I think the problem is that it wasn't at all what I was expecting. This album seems like a collection of songs, whereas the first two albums seemed very cohesive. It was as if the two albums were telling a whole story. I was expecting that from Graduation, also. The content of The College Dropout and Late Registration seemed a lot more personal than Graduation. Kanye seems to be bragging a lot more than usual. I was expecting a continuation or a build on what was on Late Registration. The music on Graduation is a lot more electronic-y than Kanye's ever made before. This was the same problem I had when I first heard X&Y by Coldplay, but that eventually grew to be one of my favorites.

Anyway, my favorite song on the album is Stronger. Being that this is the first single, it seems kind of cliche to pick it, but that's the way it is. Being that T-Pain and Lil Wayne seem to be absolutely everywhere in music today, it's only fitting that they'd be on this album. T-Pain is on The Good Life, which I like, and Lil Wayne is on Barry Bonds, which is okay.

SEC Coaches

With this weekend's game against Tennessee kicking off the Gators' SEC schedule, I thought the SEC fans out there would enjoy this.

Cranking

There's a massive movement sweeping the country...or at least the South. Everyone's cranking one thing or another. I don't think there's really an explanation of what cranking actually is, but once you experience it, you'll know. I believe it all started with the Heizman (yes, I spelled it with a Z on purpose). It was then spread further with Soulja Boy. This was all well and good when this was all that was being cranked, but now cranking has gone too far! In addition to Superman people are cranking pretty much every super hero and then some. Here's a list of the many things you can crank with links to demonstrations. Enjoy and get to crankin!

• Superman
• Spiderman
• Batman
• Roosevelt
• Lion King
• Grandpa
• Roadrunner
• Spongebob
• Aquaman
• Jump Rope
• Robo Cop

Chinchilla

Have you ever seen a chinchilla? They're the cutest little things! One of Alana's roommates has a pet chinchilla and we saw it when we went over to her place after the game on Saturday. I believe it's name was Scampers, and it was soooo cute. It really made me want one. Apparently, they're not much work to take care of and don't really bite. She was incredibly soft! I can see why they make coats out of them. I don't mean that in a Cruella de Vil kind of way; I just mean the softness is really amazing. I've never felt anything like it.

Update

I sorry, I sorry. It's been foooooreeeeeeverrrrrr since I've written in this thing. This is no way to become the next Perez Hilton. (Not in the sense of gossiping about celebrities, but making a living through blogging.) Ok, so now I "promise" to make more frequent posts; hopefully daily like I used to do. Here's a recap of what's been going on since then.

• I went to Hawai'i in July, which was BEAUTIFUL!
• I was offered an internship by a football agent in Atlanta, but it was after the deadline, so I couldn't accept it. Therefore, I'm doing my internship with the National Champion Florida Gators football program.
• Football season has started!
• The Gators are 2-0 (vs. Western Kentucky and vs. Troy)
• Michigan lost to Appalachian State
• The VMA's last nite were really bad
• Britney Spears' performance was even worse
• I moved into a new apartment
• I have the NFL Network in my apartment!

This is the most I could come up with off the top of my head. I'm sure I'll think of more later. See ya!