Ralphie Went Down To Georgia and the Luck of the Irish

This was, as expected, a dud weekend in the world of college football. There were two notable near-misses, and a whole lot of other action that pretty much went according to form. The closest thing to an upset was the double overtime loss by the Crimson Tide in the hills of Arkansas.

The first disappointment of the day was the narrow defeat of the Colorado Buffaloes at Georgia. The Buffs, losers of seven straight, led for the entire game, until giving up a touchdown in the final minute. The game lasts 60 minutes, not 58. Ralphie, the Buffs' live buffalo mascot, made the cross-country road trip from Colorado to Georgia. It was his first road trip in 20 years, according to ESPN Gameday. That was surprising to me, because Colorado has had its best stretch of football in the last 20 years, including a national championship, a few conference championships, and several Big XII North championships. The Buffs still look to be the underdog in every remaining game, but they fought hard yesterday, and are improving. I doubt if they go 0-12.

The second disappointment of the day was in East Lansing, Michigan. I stepped out for a little while, when Michigan State had a comfortable 31-21 lead over Notre Dame. From what I have read, Michigan State started playing not to lose, and let the Irish back in the game. The Irish then returned an interception for a touchdown with less than 3 minutes to go for the go-ahead touchdown. The game also put Brady Quinn back on the map for Heisman Trophy consideration. ESPN was orgasmic in describing the comeback. I'm already sick of the Notre Dame lovefest. Barf. On the Spartans' side, coach John L. Smith's head goes back on the chopping block. A promising start now leads into a shaky entrance into Big 10 play. The Spartans will need to play well in the Big 10, or there will be a coaching change in East Lansing.