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As everybody expected, the games we play on paper did not quite jive with reality this past three days.
Wow, how about LSU? How about Auburn? How about Georgia? Lots of dominoes dropped yesterday that will change the character of the SEC in the top 25 significantly, and what we hope to do in here is recap them a bit from the point of view of the SB Nation blogs that cover them. Here is a link to my ballot for the top 25 last week for reference purposes.
Let's get started:
Auburn Tigers 42, Utah St. Aggies 38
Pithy quote from the Track em Tigers game thread: "I am tired, are we charmed or doomed?" -- myauburn
The Utah State Aggies were oh so close to pulling off an absolutely massive upset at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but the Auburn Tigers have pulled off an incredible comeback to avoid embarrassment, defeating the Aggies by a final score of 42-38. Utah State lead or was tied with Auburn for most of the game and lead by 10 points with 3:38 remaining, but two spectacular drives on either side of an onside kick recovery guided Auburn to a dramatic comeback win.
Impact on my top 25: I had Auburn at #25, and based on this performance, it seems likely they will drop out. I'm not really sure they should have been there, anyway, but they should have been expected to perform better, particularly defensively, in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Georgia Bulldogs 21, Boise St. Broncos 35
Pithy quote from the Dawg Sports game thread: 'I wonder if the UGA players will realize that getting your ass handed to you is a lot less cooler than "liking your new uniforms"' -- Tankerload
Pithy Quote from One Bronco Nation Under God: The only prevent d I want to see, is what they have already been doing! --OBNUG Intern
Someday, teams will stop scheduling faux-neutral site games against the Boise St. Broncos. If this isn't the best-coached operation in America, it's close. One of the most-talented teams in the SEC was completely overwhelmed by a Mountain West school, and it's only minimally surprising.
Impact on my top 25: Georgia was ranked 21st. They will likely drop out of the rankings, not because they lost to a better football team who was ranked much higher, even by a Boise St. Denier™ like yours truly, but because they didn't look like a top 25 football team in that game.
LSU 40, Oregon Ducks 27
Pithy quote from the Addicted To Quack: "I hope that storm wipes out the South... oh wait" -- Bicycle Rider
Pithy quote from And The Valley Shook: "That was creatively uncreative." -- Yail Bloor
The No. 4 LSU Tigers sent last season's BCS runner-up, the No. 3 Oregon Ducks, to an opening game loss, 40-27, in Arlington, Tx. After an uneven first half for both teams, the Tigers came out in the second half by capitalizing on multiple turnovers by the Ducks. Then in the fourth quarter, the Tigers held off a later Ducks charge.
Impact on my top 25: A lot of folks thought I had LSU ranked too high at #4, and perhaps they are still. But they will be moving up in my ballot nonetheless to #3 after this performance.
Oregon, on the other hand, will drop, but probably not out of the top ten. We'll have to see. Oregon is still a very good team, and with better execution, this game could have been very competitive. Turnovers and excessive penalties provided much of the margin.