<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"John Brandon, who wrote the excellent novels Arkansas (2008) and Citrus County (out this past July) teaches down at Ole Miss these days, and he'll be filing dispatches on all things SEC football throughout the season. Check out all of his posts here.\n\nFacebookPinterest\n\nPartly because the discussion is just old, ten years old it seems, but probably much older, partly because it doesn't matter a lick what any of us think, and partly because there are still pundits who will wrongly, knowingly wrongly, make claims such as a playoff would mean too many games for the ***student athletes, when of course there are several models by which this would not be true except for the top couple teams, who would play a game or two more than before... Oh, Lord. It's happening. The swaying branches outside the window are assuming a wistful, hypnotic quality. The air conditioner shushes its lullaby... And they will say the bowl system needs to be preserved, knowing full well that a playoff would not have to in any way disrupt the perfect boringness of all those December 7-5 vs. 6-6 match-ups. Must...Push...On. Arm and eyelids weary... They will say they don't want to devalue the regular season, knowing, as we all do, even the children, that if anything, a system under which a dozen or more teams, at season's end, are scrapping for eight spots, rather than three teams scrapping for two spots, would only create more intrigue, not less... I have to stop. I'm handling hot coffee and a baby is near. I'll splash on some Aqua Velva and do some pushups.\n\n***Wink, wink.\n\nThat brings us to Boise, doesn't it? No playoff, and you're going to have this Boise trouble. So many ways are deemed American Ways, and isn't one of them the beating of systems? Don't they make a lot of movies about that? Don't systems deserve to be beaten, and poor systems beaten like rented stepchildren? And very poor systems flogged like red-haired mules until they bleat like Jodie Foster's lambs?\n\nBut slow down NCAA anarchist: If they didn't alter the system after Auburn went undefeated and won the SEC and had the No. 1 defense and three first round draft picks in their offensive backfield, then they ain't altering it for Boise, so if you're rooting for the Broncos because you think the BCS will be \"blown up\" somehow, find another reason to root for them, like they're extremely well-coached and play hard and their players don't get in trouble. Or to witness a system that won't change get beaten for the sake of seeing it beaten.\n\nSee friends, what Boise does each year is take a calculated gamble. They choose to go undefeated and cross their fingers about the reward. At worst, they go to a BCS bowl. Pretty smart. Pretty well-hedged. You're from Idaho and play in a crappy conference and you get to play in a BCS game every year. Not bad at all. Now they've got their weight up and the time is right to risk the BCS game (though maybe they could still get to one with an early loss) by playing a big-name team, ideally a big-name team that isn't very good. More risk, more potential reward. And they won that game and are now in the discussion for the big show. Just like James Madison, they outlasted Virginia Tech. If Tech loses too many times then Boise will lose their bet, but that's gambling, baby. There are facets to any bet that can't be controlled by the better. You have to admit, though, even considering the variables, the plan is sound.\n\nAnd beyond the basics of the plan, Boise also manages to glide under the public-relations auspices of the misconception that people won't play them, which isn't the truth. Big teams won't play them in a home-and-home is the genuine situation. Of course they won't. Those teams don't have to worry about playing tough games on the other side of the country because they play a rigorous conference schedule. And they can likely make more money playing tune-ups at home. (Money is always at the bottom of these things, and tune-ups are nice.) So instead of biting the bullet and playing road non-conference games at, say, Texas, Oregon, Iowa, and Auburn (just for example), and going .500 in those games, Boise can whimper that nobody will play them (or better, let misinformed or casual fans do it), sign up Virginia Tech at a neutral site, and take their chances. Isn't this what we all want out of our AD's? To give us the best possible chance at playing in the only bowl game that counts for anything? We say we want an exciting schedule, but isn't a dull win better than an exciting loss? There may be spiritual fault to be found with Boise, but not tactical fault.\n\nAnd just like it makes no sense for a powerhouse to play Boise in a home-and-home, it makes no sense for Boise to switch conferences. What, go to the Pac-10, and then you're still playing in a conference nobody respects but now you may lose two games and not play in a BCS bowl? No, thanks. I'm staying put. My advice to the Boise fans fervently demanding a playoff is to keep those mouths full of steaming spuds and let your AD work. He's getting close. He wedges you into the big game and he's conjured a scenario in which you only have to beat one great team and the crystal is yours. It's only because you're fans, fanatical as you should be, that you believe that your team, as they would have to under a playoff system, could run off three straight against the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, what-have-you. Well, the voters will decide, as always. It's a tough choice for any American, whether to side with the little guy because he's the little guy or to side with the big guy because he's earned it.\n\nOnto this week's games.\n\nKentucky @ Florida\u2014I'm not going to write anything specific or timely about Kentucky until I see them swim in SEC waters, but they look pretty decent and seem destined for another bowl appearance, so what I will say is that it was an honor to have Rich Brooks be a part of our conference and it's gratifying that Joker Phillips seems not to be squandering his inheritance.           \n\nIt's easy to know what to think when things go terribly or wonderfully, but often, as in the case of Florida's offense, affairs muddle along with slight, inconstant improvement. I got a great night of sleep last night and I'm feeling generally optimistic. The team is still winning, so while you can't always count on leading the nation in interceptions nor can you always count on playing poor teams, you have to admit, this team wins so, so, so often.\n\nMarking the slight improvement: In the first game, the offense was a steaming mound of St. Bernard feces, historical in circumference and odor. In the USF game, though, Meyer and Addazio did something all fans love, they played the young guys. Hell, they even threw a pass or two at them. That's the trick, I guess\u2014if you want to have more than two receivers you can throw to, you have to throw to more than two receivers, and early in the season, before you're in Tuscaloosa. In the third game the snapping issues seemed all but resolved, and Mike Gillislee finally seemed to steal a few carries from Emmanuel Moody, or as I call him, Kestahn Moore 2: Electric Boogaloo. Problem was, Gillislee also lost some carries to Jeff Demps, who toted 26 times. The next goals are (1) to find some semblance of rhythm in the first half (easier said than done), and (2) balance (easily done, by calling a more-or-less equal number of passes and runs). Just like Tony LaRussa wouldn't ask Pujols to bunt every other at-bat, we can't ask Brantley to keep handing the ball off on first down.\n\nBAMA @ Arkansas\u2014This game is big for the Razorbacks, as a loss would put their loftiest hopes on life-support. Whereas Alabama, which no longer has hopes but expectations, could lose this one and remain in decent shape for all manner of crown. A lot of unimaginable occurrences occur in sports, but Arkansas sufficiently slowing Richardson and Ingram is unimaginable. Mallett throwing a few touchdowns on Alabama's defense is not unimaginable. He makes throwing look easier than other people do, doesn't he? If I was you, I'd go ahead and arrange to watch this one.\n\nBall Coach @ Auburn\u2014I only pray this will be half the game Auburn/Clemson was. I want to offer my admiration to the Clemson boys, who found themselves in a savage Deep South skullcracker and betrayed not an ounce of flinch.\n\nThis game is one of the dozens we'll watch this year that simply could not be more important or intriguing. This is why we love it down here. As soon as the meat of the schedule arrives we're blessed with two or three of these tilts a week, rather than two or three in a season.\n\nGeorgia @ Miss State\u2014Hmmm. Someone's season gets relegated to pride. Already. Old hat for State, but hurtful territory for Georgia. Still no AJ Green this weekend, and the game is in Starkville, where offense goes to die. Before the season I stated that Richt's job ought to be safe, but it isn't my decision and I wasn't imagining a disastrous season, only a lackluster one. Nothing disastrous has happened yet, but losing to State to go 0-3 in conference would qualify. Losing to teams from Mississippi is what got Zook fired, if I had to elevate one reason over the other nine.\n\nA Georgia loss would further set up their eventual upset of Florida. Devious. That's what Ole Miss is doing\u2014going to great lengths to get LSU and Alabama to drop their guards. I mean, great lengths.\n\nSnark: Remember when Rick Neuheisel arrived at UCLA and all the talk was that there would soon be two teams in Tinsel Town? Welp, now there's approximately zero. If, even with Southern Cal under sanctions, UCLA can't manage to draw kids to a campus nestled between Santa Monica and Beverly Hills and away from a campus located, let's say, elsewhere in town, the Bruins might as well shut down the program and concentrate on volleyball. We'll keep an eye on rivals and scout\u2014see what happens with this.\n\n\u2014JOHN BRANDON"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.gq.com/story/novelist-john-brandon-previews-this-weeks-sec-football-matchups>