Justin's Weekly Brain Seepage: Week 11

I’m back...

How dare I neglect you all to help my newborn daughter along in the first two weeks of her life??!! How selfish! It won’t happen again.

Or maybe it will. I don’t know. I forgot what free time looks like.

Lil' Samantha says “Go Tigers!!”

Actually she doesn’t say anything yet, but I write “Alabama,” “Auburn,” “Florida,” and “Ole Miss” on every diaper, and you should see how she treats those.

Expectations

Just about every year since 2004, I have to have a little state of the union in the preseason with LSU fans regarding expectations.

They can be poison for a program. Nick Saban recognized it when he was here with the infamous “chicken little” syndrome.

Most Tiger fans knew with having to replace so many starters that LSU would suffer some tough losses this year. The general consensus was about three losses—where the Tigers sit now.

Those three losses were to the No. 1 team in overtime and two lopsided losses to the No. 3 team and No. 12 team in the nation. The No. 12 team lost to the No. 1 and No. 3 teams as well.

So with a few days to digest the tough loss to Alabama, LSU fans are coming around to the fact that they can finish 9-3. But just like preseason expectations, they best not count their chickens.

LSU will play Troy this weekend in a game that was postponed due to Hurricane Gustav.

Despite playing in the Sun Belt, Troy is a team that can surprise you.

Nationally, Troy is ranked in the top 20 in several important offensive categories. Also, the Trojans are No. 8 in the country in sacks, No. 4 in tackles for a loss, and No. 5 in interceptions.

Interceptions???

LSU fans are a little too familiar with those this year, especially the Pick Six variety.

After Troy, the Tigers take on Ole Miss, which gives LSU fits recently, especially in Tiger Stadium. Ole Miss beat the Florida Gators earlier in the season in the Swamp, and Alabama (and Wake Forest too) barely escaped the upset versus the Rebels.

Then LSU ends the regular season by going to Little Rock and taking on Arkansas, which won’t be as easy as most think either.

All that before the postseason. If the SEC champ goes to Miami and the loser of the SEC CG goes to New Orleans for the Sugar, then look for the Tigers to end up somewhere like the Cotton Bowl and taking on the odd man out in the Texas Tech-Oklahoma-Texas BCS Derby.

Any one of those three teams would spell trouble for the Tigers in Dallas.

So Tiger fans, please don’t assume the rest of the season is a cakewalk, and please don’t expect to win the bowl, even after winning the last three bowls.

Besides a dominant performance by Texas in ’02 and a Hail Mary by Iowa in ’04, the Tigers have won every bowl they’ve played in since 2000.

This year may prove to be a little tougher, and LSU fans must accept that. But with the current No. 2-ranked 2009 recruiting class according to ESPN, I wouldn’t consider the 2008 W-L record as the beginning of a trend, no matter how many people that may disappoint.

On the same track, I urge you to check out an article by newcomer Kevin Strickland about expectations, Nick Saban, and Alabama. He brings up great points.

Tide is high...

No way Alabama drops a game to Mississippi State or Auburn before they face Florida. There’s just absolutely no way. It just won’t happen. If I were a betting man, I’d wager just about everything I own on the fact that Bama will be undefeated going into Atlanta.

Even though Croom usually has his guys psyched up to face his alma mater, the Bulldogs won’t sniff a lead against Alabama because they can’t score. I mean, barring some kind of unlikely offensive explosion and a massive letdown in play because of a hard-fought, emotional win in Baton Rouge last week, this is a virtual lock for the Tide.

And after the meltdown at Auburn this year, it looks like the streak will finally be broken. I’m sure the Tide fans know how important this game will be in getting to the National Championship, and I’m sure they won’t go in with the foregone conclusion that they’ll destroy Auburn and will look ahead to the Gators, so the fans won’t mentally be into the game as much as usual. That would never happen.

So two easy wins for the Tide as they cruise into Atlanta to face the Gators for a right to play for the National Championship. But for the next two weeks, nothing to see here, just the Tide cakewalking to Atlanta and then Miami. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could ever possibly stand in their way now. I’d wish them luck, but they would never need it in two games they could sleepwalk through and still win.

I’m naming what I just wrote as “passive aggressive voodoo.” RTR.

Guns up b!#&*^$...

I’m not quite sure why, but I kind of like Texas Tech. I can’t really explain it. I’ve been friendly towards UT through the years (mainly because of my aversion to the Aggies), and I’m not the biggest Oklahoma fan you would find. But as I look down the list for potential NC contenders, the Red Raiders are a team I want to see in Miami for these reasons three.

1) Offense, Offense, Offense!!!

Don’t get me wrong—I think defense wins championships. But all this crazy offense and point scoring is the exciting mistress to my happily married defensively dominating SEC way of life.

2) Mike Leach

I think he should have his own reality show. The stuff that comes out of this guy’s mouth is Gary Busey-esque. Yet he’ll be a sought after coach in the offseason. But given what he’s done in the conference/division he’s doing it in and getting quality players to commit to four years in West Texas, the dude deserves the run he’s getting.

3) The underdog/feel-good story

With the loss of Penn State and Joe Pa trying to go out on top as a potential movie-like storyline, TTU could be a Cinderella story, especially when looking down the list of all the titans residing in the Big 12 (oops, my bad, I meant the Big XII) this year.

Then, there’s the rest of this list.

USC—do we really want to see them in this game? Florida and Alabama? I know I’m supposed to cheer for the SEC, but why would I wish a crystal ball for teams that recruit in the same circles as my team? No thanks!

Who else is there?

I would love to see Texas Tech get a National Championship. What better way to recognize the fact that parity is here to stay (somewhat) in college football. Go Red Raiders!!!

“It seems like you left the stem off the apple”

I’ll leave you this week on personal note. Words fail me as I try to describe the feeling of being a first time dad. I can, however, offer you a quick story...

My daughter was born the morning of Nov. 1, and my wife went into labor around 11:00 p.m. Halloween night. So besides a 30-minute “resting my eyes” session around 4 a.m., I had little sleep, and with all the action that occurred that day, I never had a chance to eat until the early evening that Saturday.

With family keeping the baby company and the wife resting, I was told to go get something to eat. With the excitement finally dying down, my appetite agreed.

As I walked down to the cafeteria by myself, I thought about how beautiful my little daughter was as she slept peacefully after a tough day on the move.

Then I thought back to how my friends and I would joke that I should have a boy, but I probably wouldn’t. I never had a brother growing up and always wanted one, and I’d honestly be lying if I was saying I wasn’t slightly pulling for a boy, being a sports nut and all.

All of that disappeared, however, the first time I laid my eyes on my daughter.

As I got to my table with my food I started to eat, and the guy at the table across from me gave me a look of recognition as if he knew today was a special day for me.

“First child?” he asked.

“Yeah, a little girl,” I replied.

“Looks like someone got it right,” he smiled.

“What do you mean?” I wondered.

“My wife had our third boy last night.”

“Wow, three kids, how old are you?” I asked, not realizing that the question may be inappropriate.

“I know I look young, but I’m 30. It's because I'm short.”

Trying to change the subject back, I say, “So three boys, huh?”

“Yeah, no girls yet. I’m dying for a little girl. Maybe next time.”

“We could trade,” I joked. “My wife is tired, she might not know the difference.”

And on that joke we playfully ended our brief interaction as he started to take his tray from his table. Or so I thought.

As he passed me, he stopped and said, “I just have to ask, how tall are you?”

“Six four,” I answered.

“Man, that’s tall, she was probably a big girl, eh?”

“Yep,” I nodded.

“Well, I guess it makes sense with you being a big guy...” he thought out loud.

Then he said something that was probably so innocuous to him, but I think I’ll remember it and this story for the rest of my life.

“Little boys don’t need daddies that big,” he stated as he was walking away.

“No, I guess they don’t,” I thought to myself.

Until next time...Go Tigers!!!