Rocked Like A Hurricane...

Well, it's Sunday. The weekend is almost over and work looms once more on the horizon. But this wasn't your normal, run-of-the-mill weekend.

This was GRE weekend.

For those of you not in the know, the GRE is the Graduate Record Examination. It is a test that, though not necessary for all grad schools, is definitely a help if you score high enough.

I decided about three weeks before graduation that I wanted to go to grad school. I knew it would take some time to save up money, so I talked to Robert and we decided to take the test in September. Robert entered what he called a monk-like study state. I took to the laid back approach, in an effort not to stress myself. As such, I felt the first pangs of nervousness the day before the test, after having spent months watching Robert yank his own hair out staring at math problems.

The day of the test, Friday, finally came and we made our way down to Athens and began the great "Where in the crap is Clark Howell Hall?" search of 2008. Turns out, the building was about 500 feet from where I first parked, and there was a parking deck across the street from it. Easy enough.

The test set-up is as follows: Fill out a form, in cursive, which I haven't written in cursive in about 15 years. Then go into a small room and take the test, leaving all your belongings behind in a locker. I signed a confidentiality form saying I wouldn't discuss the content of the test, so I won't. Let's just say it was quite avuncular.

The moment you finish the test, your verbal and quantitative scores are shown to you. Before these scores come up you're given the option to discard the results and act like the test never happened. I stared at that screen for the briefest of moments before deciding that I wanted to see my score. I hit PROCEED.

Verbal: 570
Quantitative: 570

That's right. 1140. My dad asked me how the test went later that evening and my reply was that I rocked it like a hurricane. I have no apprehension in sharing my score with people. I'm darn proud of it.

I finished the test a little before Robert and I waited on him outside. He wasn't happy with his score at first, but over time he calmed down and accepted it, noting it as an odd kind of reality check for his, as he called it, "ambitious ego."

Overall, I'm chalking it up as a good weekend. Sure, Georgia lost. But I made an 1140 on the GRE. I'll take that.

Football Future-see Week 5 Recap

Record
Week 1 .... 6-1
Week 2 .... 4-1
Week 3 .... 3-2
Week 4 .... 4-1
Week 5 .... 3-3
Overall .... 20-8

Well, week 5 was not our best week. The Right Wing prediction staff went 3-3, missing Clemson, Georgia, and Wisconsin. Our closest pick of the year so far came this week, though. We called South Florida to win 31-10, they won 41-10.

The new rankings are out and one thing seems peculiar to us here at the RW: Apparently USC losing to an unranked carries the same weight as (3) Georgia losing to (8) Alabama. Both teams dropped eight spots as a result of a loss. But apparently 8 was the magic number, as Florida lost to an unranked and dropped eight spots. Maybe it's just Georgia getting a bad shake.

Week 6 Games
Pittsburgh at (10) South Florida
Duke at Georgia Tech
Kentucky at (2) Alabama
(13) Auburn at (19) Vanderbilt
(23) Oregon at (9) USC

Football Future-see Week 5

Record
Week 1 …….. 6-1
Week 2 …….. 4-1
Week 3 …….. 3-2
Week 4 …….. 4-1
Overall …….. 17-5

Week five of the college football season will soon be upon us, and somehow
Southern Cal has only played twice, yet is number 1 in the nation. Georgia
went west and made a statement against Arizona State. I don’t entirely
understand how Georgia can play and win, and still drop in the polls, but
USC and Oklahoma can have a week off and maintain their spot at the
top. USC actually gained more first place votes by not playing than
Georgia did by laying 56 points on Central Michigan.

Anyway, this week is a little bit special, as the Right Wing is trying our
hand at six games instead of our usual five. Last week we went 4-1, and
that was because Florida State couldn’t come through for us against Wake
Forest.

Maryland at (20) Clemson
Maryland is one of those teams that, every year, they’ll find a way to
surprise you. Clemson has yet to play as good as advertized at the start
of the year. But this game is in Clemson’s Death Valley, which is
undoubtedly one of the toughest places in the nation to play if you’re the
road team. Maryland keeps it close for most of the first half, but look
for Clemson’s running game to wear down the Terrapin D.
Final Score: Clemson 37, Maryland 17

(9) Wisconsin at Michigan
Michigan looks bad. The Rich Rodriquez era is off to a terrible
start. And now the #9 Badgers come to the Big House. The Michigan student
section might want to stay in the dorms and study instead of watch as this
debacle unfolds.
Final Score: Wisconsin 41, Michigan 14

Tennessee at (15) Auburn
Auburn hung tight with LSU last week, so much that it took a masterfully
executed final drive for LSU to leave with the W. Now a much demoralized
Tennessee team comes calling on the Plains. UT has dropped games to UCLA
and Florida, while Auburn suffered their first setback of the season last
week. Watch the Auburn spread offense quickly wear out a Tennessee
secondary that gave everything last week and still couldn’t stop Florida.
Final Score: Auburn 28, Tennessee 16

(8) Alabama at (3) Georgia
Last year Georgia knocked off ‘Bama on the Dawgs first offensive play in
overtime. Georgia’s coming off a long travel weekend after taking down ASU
in the desert. The Crimson Tide rolled over a deflated Arkansas team,
putting up 49 on the Razorbacks. Trouble for ‘Bama is: this week they
play against a real defense. A defense that held the Sun Devils to 4 yards
rushing. ‘Bama’s D is good, but can their offense produce against
Georgia’s fast defenders?
Final Score: Georgia 28, Alabama 14.

(13) South Florida at NC State
NC State, after a 34-0 drubbing at the hands of South Carolina in week one,
is apparently trying to establish a reputation as a giant killer. Last
week they took down East Carolina, and now South Florida comes
knocking. South Florida has made us proud so far to have made them our
pick in the Big East. Look for the trend to continue.
Final Score: South Florida 31, NC State 10

(24) TCU at (2) Oklahoma
Oklahoma finally faces a challenge. TCU is a good team, and they’re
starting to get noticed. But Oklahoma is a good team as well, and now they
get an opportunity to prove it. The high-powered Sooner offense has put up
50 on pretty much everyone so far, but don’t look for that here. The
Horned Frogs Defense (that’s right the TCU Horned Frogs) is a pretty
stalwart bunch. (Get it, Frogs? Stalwart? Hah, I crack me up)
Final Score: Oklahoma 32, TCU 26

Football Future-see Week 4

Well, last week wasn't so good. We correctly predicted the winner in 3 out
of 5 games. Once again, the complete disarray that is the ACC presented us
with some problems. And Fresno State didn't come through against Wisconsin
like we thought they would.

And our upset alerts are going both ways this season. We correctly picked
South Florida knocking off Kansas, but we missed Fresno State.

This week we're picking a slate of games that could potentially go either
way. In other words, this is the hardest selection we've ever given ourselves.

(4) Florida at Tennessee
Florida had a week off to prepare for this game. In fact, I think every
SEC opponent that Tennessee plays this year gets a bye the week before
playing the Vols. It's like the schedule makers sought to get Fulmer fired
this time out. The Gators have one of the best offenses in the game, but
the defense is still somewhat suspect, given that their toughest opponent
has been Miami. UT is still reeling from the upset at the hands of
UCLA. Look for the Gators offense to take control during the second
quarter, and completely take the Neyland faithful out of the game by the
end of the third.
Final Score: Florida 42, Tennessee 16

Mississippi State at Georgia Tech
The Bulldogs of Mississippi State held the vaunted Auburn offense to a mere
3 points last weeks. Granted, Mississippi State was only able to muster 2
points (Auburn's offense was flagged for holding in the end-zone, which
results in a safety). Georgia Tech's football prowess has been come and go
this year. They trampled Jacksonville State, then barely upset Boston
College, then lost by a slim margin to Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech has a
very good defense, but their offense has yet to prove that they have
"staying" power. Possible Upset!
Final Score: Georgia Tech 16, Mississippi State 14

(3) Georgia at Arizona State
Georgia needs to win this game running away. They need a landslide
victory. After barely escaping South Carolina, the Dawgs dropped to #3 in
the AP Poll. Arizona State was upset by UNLV, a loss that dropped the Sun
Devils out of the Top 25. Stafford and Moreno are out to prove that
Georgia does have a strong offense, and the UGA defense should prove more
than adept at stopping the Sun Devil attack.
Final Score: Georgia 31, Arizona State 21

Troy at (13) Ohio State
After Ohio State's less-than-stirring performance against the USC Trojans
last week, it's very tempting to call for the Troy Trojans to take down the
Buckeyes this week. The problem for Troy is: Beanie Wells will probably be
healthy enough to play. Ohio State is a different team when Beanie
plays. The Buckeyes will look to re-assert themselves offensively. Close,
but Ohio State wins in the end.
Final Score: Ohio State 38, Troy 28

(18) Wake Forest at (24) Florida State
Wake Forest is easily the most balanced team in the ACC. I said "most
balance," not "best offense." So far, Florida State has wielded a strong
offense. QB Riley Skinner will bring the Demon Deacon offense into the
hostile territory of Tallahassee, looking to prove them belong atop the
ACC. Bobby Bowden is not yet ready to surrender his spot in the ACC's
upper echelon. Upset Alert.
Final Score: Florida State 28, Wake Forest 24

Football Future-see Recap

Record

Week 1..........6-1
Week 2..........4-1
Week 3..........3-2
Total ..........13-4

Week 4 Games
Troy at (13) Ohio State
Mississippi State at Georgia Tech
(4) Florida at Tennessee
(18) Wake Forest at (24) Florida State
(3) Georgia at Arizona State

Mixed Bag of Blogging

- I’m amazed by this. There’s a strange dichotomy playing out on the
liberal side of the aisle. Some people think that Sarah Palin is going to
eventually self-destruct. They say that the pressure of running a national
campaign will eventually cause her to buckle and implode. And yet, there’s
a faction that is doing anything and everything they can to crucify her
character. Supposedly she’s a weak running mate, and yet every machine the
Democrats have is turned toward her and firing on all cylinders to destroy her.

- Robert and I were talking the other day and we brought up the shared
bloodlust we had in the days and weeks following 9/11. Neither of us was
particularly proud of our actions and desires, but at the time we felt
justified as a nation. I can now remember what caused my blood to boil at
such a high degree. It was when the foreign news stations began rolling
footage of an Arab woman dancing and chanting in the streets as destruction
rained down in New York City. That made me mad. For as much ordinance as
we dropped during “shock and awe,” I never once saw an American in the
street dancing because of the destruction we were causing.

- The candidates today put aside politics to join each other for a memorial
ceremony at Ground Zero. While they decided to play nice, the media
machine was still hard at work. I saw on at least two stations a poll
asking: ”If another terrorist attack were to occur in the United States,
who would you be more comfortable having in office…” or something to that
effect. John McCain was winning this poll by a very easy margin. Nearly
two to one. Barack Obama’s leisure-like policy of discussion with
pre-condition might be starting to worry some folks.

- You know what we haven’t heard about in a long time? Global
Warming. This big, bad evil that was supposed to have killed all of us by
now has fallen by the wayside lately. Perhaps the fanatics have realized
that the planet goes through warm and cool cycles without man’s
intervention. Or perhaps only those who believe in man-made global warming
were affected by it. I just wonder… if we had lived at the end of the last
ice age, would the global warming activists had been so vocal and
outlandish in their protest when the planet began to warm up then?

- The New York Yankees are not going to make the playoffs for the first
time since 1994, I think. To hear Yankees fans talk, you’d think that the
Bronx Bombers were the worst team in the history of baseball. So you
didn’t make it this year… so what? You’re the Yankees. Spend about 700
million more dollars on team salary next year and you’ll be unstoppable.

-Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Rays look like a team of destiny. And oh yeah,
the Rays’ payroll is about 1/8th of what the Yankees are paying to one-half
of their infield. There’s a math problem for you, Robert.

- Back to politics for just a moment…
Apparently, the thought going around was that if New Orleans was hit by
another hurricane, it would effectively deliver the election into the hands
of Barack Obama. Well, New Orleans was narrowly avoided, it did suffer
some flooding though, and yet, the polls show the candidates essentially
tied. I really didn’t know that weather could affect your polls numbers if
you’re a Republican. I wonder why Democrat’s aren’t affected by weather.

Remembrance

Tuesday, September 11, 2001:

I’m in my third semester at Gainesville College. It’s a nice mid-week morning. The sun is shining. There’s a light breeze. I’m doing my normal morning thing. On the drive to school I listen to Neal Boortz. He’s on his usual rants. Then, as he goes to commercial, a breaking news report cuts in. This particular report states that a small plane has crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers.

I immediately get out of my car and go to the library, knowing that Fox News or CNN will have pictures of this, and while it’s a tragedy, my interest was definitely piqued.

As I pull up the picture I immediately know that it’s not a “small” airplane. I go to the librarian and tell her what’s going on. At this point, other people are finding out about it and one of my professors comes in the library and goes to the A/V Room and turns on the TV. As he changes the channel to CNN, the second plane hits.

Standing beside me is Matthew Lewis, a fellow student, a good friend of mine, and some vastly more learned than I at the time. He looks at me and tells me how badly Osama bin Laden has screwed himself this time. Of course, I have no idea who this Osama bin Laden character is.

We watch this for a moment more and I decide to go home. I tell my other professor for that day that I’m leaving. I’m still wandering about in a state of surreal shock. This was one of those things you never thought would happen.

When I get how I walk to my grandparents house next door. They, like pretty much everyone else in the country at the time, were watching the events unfold. As I walk in they ask me what’s happening. I tell them that I don’t know.

The phone rings, and it’s my mom calling from work. She says that they’ve heard about something terrible happening in New York. I say, “Yeah, two planes have…”

And that’s when the first building fell. We watched in a sort of stunned silence as the long minutes passed until the second tower went down.

I really don’t remember when I heard that the Pentagon had been hit. But I do recall that hearing that, more than anything else, made it hard for me to sleep that night. They could hit the Pentagon, of all places. That meant nothing was safe in this country anymore.

It wasn’t long after the towers fell that word became coming in about another plane down in Pennsylvania. I began to grow worried, because my house is under a direct flight path from one of the northeastern cities to Atlanta. I can literally go out and watch planes fly in single file going from the northeast to the southwest.

But for at least a week after September 11th, while all ground traffic was cancelled, there was an eerie silence in the air. That I remember.

Thursday, September 11, 2008:

Seven years have passed since that day. Airline flights have quite obviously resumed. I haven’t spoken to Matthew Lewis in about five and a half years. The Pentagon has been rebuilt.

We’ve gone to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

But the thing that bothers me most is the conspiracy theories. To this day I still get very ticked off listening to these people. History Channel Monday night ran a two-hour program of 9/11 conspiracy theories ranging from the believable (The Bush Administration knew the attacks would happen, just not exactly when) to the absolute crazy (George Bush ordered missile strikes against the Pentagon, and using a remote control flew the planes into the Twin Towers).

I don’t think about 9/11 everyday, but it still struck me as odd that I would have such a violent emotional response to these theories. After all, none of my relatives were in the towers or on the planes. I don’t personally know anyone who was in New York City or Washington that Tuesday morning. And yet, to hear people talk about these attacks as though they were nothing more than a duplicitous government inside job orchestrated from the highest levels angers me.

I have no love for the Bush Administration. I supported him when he first took office. And as the events of 9/11 unfolded, I hoped to see a leader take action. But now, after years of mismanaged war (mostly the responsibility of one Donald Rumsfeld) I’ve grown rather indifferent to the Bush Presidency.

Then this morning I watched the memorial ceremonies at Ground Zero, The Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA. And I was thankful. I was sad that so many had died. But my heart was lifted by knowing that, in the face of danger, and going against everything we've been taught to do in such a situation, the passengers of United Flight 93 took matters into their own hands.

They did what many others wouldn't. They gave up their lives to save others.
I know I won't soon forget.

Epic Fail? Yeah, it's Epic Fail...

You’ve heard the term before. You’ve seen the picture of Homer Simpson with a box of Corn Flakes, a carton of milk, and a bowl that’s on fire. You know that, if this conditions strikes, you’ll have absolutely no excuse.

It’s called “Epic Fail.”

Yesterday, I met up with Robert from Skewed to study for the math section of the GRE. We’re studying the math section because, frankly, we’re bad at math. Robert has a chain-smoking monkey with an abacus helping him. I think I’m using a pile of small stones at this point.

We met Ryan, the math genius of the group, for a little help. Ryan can do chaos theory, and even told me that they have fractals that prove the irrational numbers cannot be counted. I know my eyes glazed over at this point, and Robert picked up a nervous twitch that didn’t go away until the numbers were erased from the board.

Just to set the scene a little, the math lab has a clock with no numbers, only some very scary equations. That's really all I remember about the math lab, because I was very scared of the place.

The worst moment came when Ryan drew out a problem, and walked us through it. Robert nodded in agreement and went to take a drink of his coffee. I raised my hand, and then spoke one of the single most stupid sentences I believe I’ve ever said.

“Okay, the only thing I don’t get is how you did it…”

Robert very nearly spat coffee from his nose. Ryan began laughing uncontrollably, as was I. I had never intended the sentence to sound that way. I understood what Ryan had done; I just didn’t grasp the procedure. Ryan tried to say that he didn’t have the time to explain the proof to us, because it would take too long, but through the laughter all he could say was “I don’t have the time…” And I just had to cut him off with “…or the patience to deal with you two.”

I have to be honest; the math section of the GRE is looking very dangerous at this point. Simple equations I can do. Word problems I can handle. Geometry is going to be my downfall.

Thankfully, though, this unmitigated disaster of a foray into mathematics was off-set by the location.

Dahlonega is the most perfect town ever. It’s my spiritual place of Zen. It’s where I go to center myself. From the top of Crown Mountain down into the valley below is my sanctum sanctorum. It’s where I find peace.

It's the perfect spot on this planet. There's fantastic food. Wonderful scenery. A town square that most small towns would kill for. You can Times Square and Trafalgar Square, give me the Dahlonega Town Square any day of the week.

That said, the place looks even more beautiful after staring at math for three hours.

We're doomed, Robert. Doomed.

Football Future-see Week 3

Week three of the college football season is upon us, and from the first two weeks we've learned a few things:
1. Ohio State is a play-up/play-down team. They bring just enough intensity to match their opponent.
2. The SEC is, top to bottom, the absolute best conference in football.
3. Notre Dame looks like they might struggle again this year.
4. Michigan is still a year away from being an elite program once again.
5. East Carolina is for real.

We've also learned that the prognostication prowess still resides with the Right Wing. We've so far gone 10-2 in predictions.

Now, I give you Week 3...

(5) Ohio State at (1) USC
The first of what looks to be a couple of top five battles this year. Ohio
State looked bad against a vastly inferior Ohio, actually trailing for part
of the game before getting some half-way decent special teams play in the
fourth. USC has had a week off to prepare for the Buckeyes, and in the
end, rest beats a "prep game." Ohio State, though, has a tendency to
either play up or play down depending on the caliber of their opponent.
Final Score: USC 34, Ohio State 24

(13) Kansas at (19) South Florida
This is a tough call. I've been on the South Florida bandwagon all
year. But Kansas is a tough opponent, seemingly carrying over the magic
from last year. Matt Groethe's big test is this week, against a good
Jayhawk defense. Look for a good battle, but in the end, South Florida
pulls the "on paper" upset.
Final Score: South Florida 28, Kansas 26

(2) Georgia at South Carolina
Georgia enters conference play with a 2-0 record. South Carolina is 1-1
overall, 0-1 in the SEC. Georgia scored 45 in week one, then 56 in week
two. South Carolina shut out NC State in week one, then lost to Vanderbilt
in week two. South Carolina is in QB "Panic Mode" trying to find a
starter, and if Georgia's defense shuts down whoever QBs the Gamecocks this
week, expect two things to happen: 1) Darth Spurrier blows a gasket, and
2)DefConOne will ring out over SC's campus. Georgia has one of the better
QBs in the nation in Matthew Stafford. Lou Holtz admitted that he was
wrong in saying that Georgia was overrated. The Dawgs defense is scary
fast, and they will rule the field against SC's offense.
Final Score: Georgia 41, South Carolina 14

(10) Wisconsin at (21) Fresno State
Wisconsin looked bad out of the gate against Marshall, but that was before
they rang up 51 unanswered. Fresno State crossed the country and beat
Rutgers. Now a ranked team comes to their house. Wisconsin is still the
Right Wing's pick to reach the Rose Bowl, but they don't show all that
great here. Jet Lag will be the excuse, but the Fresno State Bulldogs will
out perform the Badgers just enough. If this game were in Camp Randall
Stadium, things might be different.
Final Score: Fresno State 27, Wisconsin 21

Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech
The battle of unranked teams. Georgia Tech snuck past Boston College last
week and now goes into Blacksburg to take on a deflated VaTech, still
reeling from a loss to surprising East Carolina. Georgia Tech's defense
has looked fairly good so far, and the Yellow Jacket offense has averaged
30 points per game. The name of the game here, though, is defense. It'll
be a low scoring affair.
Final Score: Georgia Tech 21, Virginia Tech 14

Football Future-see Recap

Record

Week 1..........6-1
Week 2..........4-1
Total ..........10-2

Week 3 Games (with preview)

(2) Georgia at South Carolina
(13)Kansas at (19)South Florida
(5)Ohio State at (1)USC
(10)Wisconsin at (21)Fresno State
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech

The Faced That Launched Fear Into The Hearts Of A Thousand Democrats

She's an outsider. She's hasn't been corrupted by Washington. She's a
small town girl who made her way onto the political scene in one of the
most powerful energy-producing states in the Union. She's a former mayor,
and governor. She's a hockey mom with a child soon to deploy to Iraq.

And for some reason she is frightening to the left.
She is Sarah Palin, Republican Nominee for Vice-President of the United
States of America.

To get an idea of the level of fright and hatred this woman has inspired on the left, look no further than the covers of US Weekly. A few months back they ran a cover story featuring a lovely picture of Barack and Michelle Obama with the title "Why He Loves Her." Then, after Palin was announced as John McCain's VP candidate, and the news came to light that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, US Weekly ran a cover story with a picture of Palin and the headline "Sarah Palin: Babies, Lies, & Scandal."

Of course, no one has mentioned the fact that Obama's mother was a teenager
when she had him.


Sarah Palin is a reformer, also. And not just one in name only. Palin's first few acts as Governor of Alaska were to cut back the perks entitled to the highest office in the state. Perks that, of course, were paid for by tax-payers. Palin didn't bow to the pressure of the oil companies, either. Instead, she worked diligently to return power to the hands of the tax-paying populace, something the left seems to have forgotten about.

Obama and Biden have strove to evoke the spirit of Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, but they failed to realize that the Democratic Party is no longer the party of FDR or JFK. Sure, the name is still the same, but the ideals and convictions have changed. The Republicans have their own heroes to idolize, but unlike the Democrats, Palin actually seems more in line with the Reagan model of conservative politics.

Oddly enough, the candidate espousing "Change" as his message chose one of the longest-serving Senators as his running mate. The candidate who is supposedly "out of touch" with America chose a governor who is untouched by Washington politics as his. Joe Biden has been involved in the corruption, such as pork barrel spending. In at least one case, Sarah Palin refused such spending when Washington passed the memo along to Juneau.

Obama's message lately has been that a McCain-Palin administration would merely be another term for George Bush, because according to Obama, McCain votes with Bush 90% of the time. Here's a question that I have: Since when does the President get a vote in the Senate? That's right, he doesn't. And by the way, most Senate votes are unanimous. That means that if Obama and McCain vote on the same issue, then Obama is, in his own words, voting with George Bush.

Obama even mentioned that in the last 30 years Washington has done very little on energy production. His big point was that McCain had been in Washington for 27 of those years. He failed to mention that his running mate, Joe Biden, had been in Washington for all 30 of those years.

Sarah Palin called out Barack Obama by saying that, going back to his start in the Illinois State Senate to the present day, Obama has written two memoirs, but not a single piece of legislation or reform. Her best line turned Obama's own message against him. There are those who use change to promote their careers, and there are those who use their careers to promote change.

Obama mentioned raising taxes on the wealthiest people, typically the top few percent of wage earners, and while I agree that if you make more money you should pay more money, the wealthiest one percent is already paying more than ten percent of the tax burden. As Palin pointed out, under Obama's plan taxes would go up on this group. A large majority of the wealthiest one percent are business owners. If taxes go up on them, thus shrinking their profit margins, then they are forced to either downsize, or outsource in order to remain profitable. Yet, we're told that Obama's plan is good for America.

I'm not one hundred percent sold on Sarah Palin just yet, but it speaks volumes about her character that, at the moment McCain announced her as his running mate, the liberals in the media went into full attack mode, using anything and everything they could find to tear her down. Going so far as to attack her family, and causing their own nominee to say "Enough. Families are off limits."

I'm interested to hear why Palin scares them so much...

Football Future-see Week 2

Last week was an impressive opener for both college football and the Right
Wing prediction staff. We went 6-1, giving us a winning percentage
somewhere near .850. Not bad, considering we knew next to nothing about the
teams going in. Opening week was also special for us in that we predicted
7 games instead of our usual five.

The top 5 were impressive. Each team put up at least 40 points. USC
jumped Georgia for the top spot thanks to putting up 52 against a weak
Virginia team while Georgia played a Div II power in Georgia
Southern. Georgia went up 38-0, and then pulled all the starters, and most
of the second string, which allowed Southern to tack on 21 points over the
span of their final four drives.

But I’m kind of glad Georgia isn’t number 1 anymore. There’s a lot of
pressure associated with that spot, and with the injuries piling up, a
little relief is a good thing for the Dawgs.

Now, we get ready for week two, with our standard slate of five games.

Oregon State at (19) Penn State
Penn State annihilated Coastal Carolina, or was it Charleston Tech?, or it
might have been Carolina A&M… Anyway, the Nittany Lions pounded out 66
points against a vastly inferior opponent last week. This week they get
more of a test, mainly because Oregon State is an actual Division I team.
Final Score: Penn State 48, Oregon State 21

(8)West Virginia at East Carolina
East Carolina made a statement last week in taking down Virginia Tech. The
only problem facing the Pirates this week is that West Virginia is just
plain better than the Hokies. WVU is looking for another BCS run, while
East Carolina is eyeing a chance to bust the BCS party. Sadly, the Right
Wing doesn’t think that ECU has enough magic for two ranked opponent in two
weeks.
Final Score: West Virginia 37, East Carolina 24

Central Michigan at (2) Georgia
Central Michigan’s quarterback is supposedly one of the best “run-pass
threat” QBs in the nation. His only problem is that he plays for a
“directional” Michigan team. Georgia dropped to #2 in the AP Poll because
they decided to rest the starters and the second string after a 38 point
lead of Georgia Southern. Expect much of the same.
Final Score: Georgia 48, Central Michigan 20

Miami(FL) at (5) Florida
Ten years ago, maybe even five years ago, this would have been one of the
most compelling match-ups of the season. Now, it’s just another game for
Florida. Miami has lost much of its swagger and confidence when it comes
to big games. Remember, this team lost to Virginia 48-0 in the final game
in the old Orange Bowl. Last week Tebow and Company posted 56 points on an
overmatched Hawaii team. Look for Florida to dominate early, and often in
this one.
Final Score: Florida 51, Miami 21

Western Carolina at Florida State
Florida State was off last week, and they start their season with the
Catamounts of Western Carolina. Last year WCU went to Athens to play
Georgia and lost 45-16. They’re a good football team, when they stay in
their division. But Florida State, sad to say, could be the class of the
ACC this year… if given the chance. Seminoles Win, but I’d like to think
the WCU makes it respectable.
Final Score: Florida State 37, Western Carolina 20

Football Future-see Record

As a means of clarification on Football Future-see, I take my record from picking the winner correctly. The "predicted" Final Score is merely a way of having fun.

So this year, after every college football weekend, the Right Wing will update it's record. Week one was very good, except for one glaring miss (I'm looking at you Tennessee!)

Week One 6-1

Total 6-1

Games up-coming this week: (Note: the new AP rankings are not out yet, and the AP Poll is what the Right Wing follows)

Oregon State at (22) Penn State
(8)West Virginia at East Carolina
Central Michigan at (1) Georgia
Miami at (5) Florida
Western Carolina at Florida State