I sure am glad I didn't post my prediction of last night's Auburn/Mississippi State game! Earlier this week I figured it would be decided by less than a field goal, and probably not in Auburn's favor. Then I really got worried after listening to the absolutely craptactular first quarter.

But, I got up this morning and found out the final was 42-14! Unfortunately, there has always been a bit of bad blood betwixt Tuberville and Sherrill, and there is a sizable contigent of folks this morning who are upset that Auburn ran a fake field goal so late in the game (which was stopped short, but due to a MSU penalty, resulted in a first down and another touchdown for AU). Running up the score like that seems just so, so...Spurrier. But, the old days of diddling around with fourth-stringers to allow the other team to save face are gone. If you can score, you score. Part of this might be the old part of the BCS formula that factored in margin-of-victory; even though that's out this year. Part of this, I think, comes from the folks who do the polls, who even though the BCS doesn't count the margin anymore, they sure let it influence their rankings. And with all of the huge amounts being spent on sports wagering, there is probably another part in there that says if you slack off, you could be in someone's pocket.

In any event, it was an impressive show, especially considering the fact that Auburn has had to play four games in the last 18 days. Next will be the Orangemen of Syracuse, who should lose mainly because their cheerleading squad doesn't have photo gallery I can link to.
posted by Terry at 8:24:00 AM