College Football Cupcakes; Putting the "We" in Team

Cupcakes and College Football

The backlash from the college football slate of games last week is loud, tumultuous, and on-going.

Ohio State beat Florida A&M 76-0.

Louisville beat Florida International 72-0 with a running clock in much of the second half.

Miami (FL) beat Savannah State 77-7 after shortening the 4th Quarter by 3 minutes.

Baylor beat Louisiana-Monroe 70-7.

Earlier this season, Georgia Tech beat Elon 70-0.

Oregon beat Nicholls State 66-3.

Arizona State beat Sacramento State 55-0.

Florida State beat Nevada 62-7.

Syracuse beat Wagner 54-0.

Cincinnati beat Northwestern State 66-9.

Each of the games listed above came against lower-tier competition, typically a result of Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) schools travelling to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools. The FCS has scored a couple of wins over FBS schools this year, but by and large the outcomes have greatly favored the FBS. The last week, in particular, really set the sporting world afire with anger and resentment over the outcomes. In four games last weekend, the FBS defeated the FCS by a combined score of 295-14. Savannah State has played four games, has a record of 1-3, and has been outscored 240-46. The losses came to FCS power Georgia Southern, Sun Belt conference member Troy, and ACC member Miami (FL).

In the vast majority of these blowout wins over what is referred to as a “cupcake,” the winning team usually has their starters out by halftime, if not earlier, and resorts mostly to running plays in an attempt to move the game-clock along faster. They’ll even go for it on fourth down with the intention of setting up the opposition with better field position instead of punting.

To the sports media, though, these balms salve no wounds. Especially with the four-team college football playoff coming to fruition next season, the idea of cupcake games appears to be on its last legs. But let’s step back and take a look at the bigger picture.

In the last two seasons, Savannah State has played Miami, Troy, Florida State, and Oklahoma State. It was understood the Savannah State was being brought in to pad the stats and provide an easy win. They’re not Appalachian State going to Michigan and upsetting a traditional powerhouse school. They’re young. It’s not like the players are not talented. But considering that Miami may have scouted one player on the SSU roster, it should tell you the disparity in the level of talent on the field. So why put yourself, your school, and your players through such a thing?

Well, for one, there is that Appalachian State victory over Michigan. Earlier this year, North Dakota State went into Manhattan and beat Kansas State. Then again, App State (at the time) and NDSU are among the strongest schools the FCS has to offer. Any player on the SSU roster would love an opportunity to pull an App State and upset a school from the “big boy” conferences. But they also know that App State’s victory was a confluence of events. NDSU’s win over KSU was the result of a Kansas State team that was in rebuild mode after their BCS run last year.

No, the key reason these smaller FCS schools agree to take on Miami, and Florida State, and Ohio State is simple…money. Savannah State reportedly has an athletic budget as small as $2 million. Their two games against Oklahoma State and Florida State last year garnered them nearly 40% of that annual budget. When you can schedule two drubbings and make that much of your budget, it is understandable why these games happen.

So what happens when the major market programs stop scheduling the FCS teams for the sake of better positioning in the playoffs? Teams like Savannah State, and Nicholls State, and Florida A&M, will suddenly be left out in the cold when it comes to athletic budgets. The “cupcake” game is almost what keeps some of these schools afloat athletically. Taking away that guaranteed money-maker will almost certainly ensure that some part of the school’s athletic program gets cut. Some would say that, in the world of collegiate athletics, it’s dog eat dog and if you can’t cut it, then you cut it out.

I disagree. These FCS schools know what they’re getting into by agreeing to play FBS teams. They know that, unless the perfect storm occurs, they’re going to get beat, and it’s going to be bad. They also know that taking a beating like that will guarantee their athletic department stays open for another year, or they can buy better equipment, or create better facilities. To borrow a phrase from military parlance, it is truly losing a battle to win the war.

The unfortunate outcome for the FBS team is that fans are far more unlikely to attend these games. After all, you are charging the same price for Miami vs Savannah State that you charge for Miami vs Florida State. With down attendance comes a completely different feel in the stadium. The fans that do show up are far less likely to be as excited against an FCS team as they would a conference foe. In some cases, the FBS team truly plays down to their competition, essentially taking the week off and looking ahead to an upcoming game. It’s a time for starters to play maybe a quarter or two, and then the second-, third- and fourth-string players get in on the action.

Removing the cupcake from the schedule changes all of that. Is it really so bad for an FBS team to schedule an FCS team? If you’re an FBS fan, then perhaps you agree. You don’t like blowouts of lesser competition. You don’t want to pay full price to see what is, in essence, a preseason game.

But if you are the FCS school, you recognize this game for what it is: a chance to enhance your program’s budget, to increase national exposure (under the “no such thing as bad publicity” adage), and to possibly pull an “App State.” I do think the “cupcake” game will vanish someday, probably in the next few years. Until it does, the FCS will wring every penny they can from the FBS, and gladly take the beatings that allow them to stay afloat.

Putting the “We” in Team

Lately I’ve been on a bit of a rant against ESPN, as they’ve gone from reporting on sports to promoting and sponsoring events, teams and players to the detriment of others participants. They single-handedly made Mark Sanchez a top five pick in the NFL draft a few years back. They began promoting Jeremy Lin as a possible first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in the NBA, simply because Lin had a good month for the Knicks. This year they pushed Yasiel Puig as the greatest baseball player in the game and a (should-be) All Star, over more consistent and established players like Freddie Freeman and Adrian Gonzalez, and Hunter Pence.

I say that to say this: I still listen to ESPN radio on my drives to and from work. This morning, on the Mike & Mike in the Morning show, Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg (hereafter referred to as Greenie) got into a verbal argument over the use of first person plural pronouns in conjunction with sports teams. Golic, a fan of the Cleveland Indians, said something to the effect of “Are we in?” referring to the Indians’ playoff hopes. Greenie immediately fired the first shot, stating that Golic, in the past, had continually made fun of him for referring to the New York Jets and himself as “we.” Greenie, being quite possibly the biggest Jets fan on Earth, constantly referred to the Jets as “we,” saying things like “We lost that game” or “We need a big win.” Golic would mock him mercilessly for such comments.

So today, Golic says “we” in regards to the Indians and Greenie has the chance to turn the tables. He does, but Golic fires back with a retort of his own. The key premise, or first bullet point, of Golic’s argument is this:

You can only say “we” or “us” in regards to a sports team if you played professionally yourself. If you did not play professionally, then you can only refer to your favorite team as “they;” you cannot include yourself in the discussion.

I don’t know that I have enough space on this blog to describe just how much I disagree with Golic on this. My favorite college team is obviously the Georgia Bulldogs. When it comes to the NFL, I’m a Falcons fan and a Steelers fan. Baseball? The Braves. NHL? Unsure, as the Thrashers are gone, but probably the Blackhawks. There’s also the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL hockey). For the majority of those teams, when discussing them, I say “we.”

“We” seemingly struggled against North Texas last week, so “we” have to get better before LSU comes to town Saturday.

I can’t believe “we” blew two leads and lost to the Dolphins.

If “we” don’t step up over this last week, “we’ll” lose home field advantage to St. Louis.

Ever since I really got into sports, I’ve always referred to the team in a third person plural manner. Most sports fans do the same. If you take Golic’s approach, then I’m not allowed to. There are even people out there who feel you cannot cheer for a team unless you played that sport or are from that city. Bye-bye Steelers and Blackhawks, I guess. No more cheering for the Dawgs, since I did not go to UGA. Some folks even go so far as to say people who refer to their favorite teams as “we” are retarded. These are usually the same people who think there are four quarters in a hockey game and don’t know the difference between a touchdown and a home run.

Frankly, that’s a very snobby and elitist way of looking at things. Why do people refer to their favorite teams in a third person plural manner? Because the team represents them. The fans, in essence, live vicariously, even for a moment, through their team. When Georgia wins, I’m usually in a better mood. When the Dawgs lose, my mood is a bit sour. I’m not saying that it completely changes who I am. I recognize that it is just a game. But for a brief moment, its glory that the team and the fans can share. Otherwise, no one would be allowed to be a fan at all, unless they played themselves.

I’ll continue to say “we” when talking about the Dawgs or the Falcons or the Braves. The geographic limiter does come into play. But not too much. For example, a few days ago I was in the grocery store, wearing a Steelers shirt, and the cashier and I had a conversation that went like this:

Cashier: ‘You guys are in for a long season”

Me: “Tell me about it. We can’t figure out how to run or pass, and we’re decimated by injury.”

Cashier: “I know, man. Hope it gets better for you.”

He understood the relationship a fan has with his or her team. He didn’t ask me if I played football. He didn’t ask me if I was from Pittsburgh. He simply knew that a fan of a team relates to that team.

We all know that. And we’re being snobs about it.

Football Future-see 2013: Week Five

RECORD

Week 1	8-2
Week 2	4-1
Week 3	4-1
Week 4	5-0
Week 5	5-0
Total	26-4	.867

Alright, the Perfect Week is out of the way, so let’s get rolling with some hard games. Not that I picked easy games last week, but considering that it was quite possibly the weakest Saturday of college football in years, the week feels somewhat tainted. For that reason, we have four top-25 match-ups this week, along with an unranked ACC match-up that really could go either way.

Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech (Thursday).....CORRECT

Virginia Tech had to go to a third overtime session to put away Marshall and Georgia Tech didn’t look all that good in beating North Carolina. In fact, it looked like UNC might steal in a win in Atlanta. But, Tech came back and now sits 3-0. Virginia Tech is 3-1 with their only loss coming to Alabama. Neither team looks poised to set the world on fire on either side of the ball. That said, Georgia Tech has danced too close to the edge to keep this up. I think Virginia Tech sneaks into Atlanta on a Thursday night and takes a victory away from the Yellow Jackets.

Final Score: Virginia Tech 24, Georgia Tech 21

21 Ole Miss at 1 Alabama.....CORRECT

If I had told you two years ago that Alabama-Ole Miss would be one of the more compelling games of 2013, you might’ve laughed. Now, though, Hugh Freeze has really turned the Ole Miss program on its ear. Alabama is still Alabama, though. Nick Saban, amidst rumors of an upcoming departure for Austin, will have the Tide ready to play host on Saturday. Ole Miss has a really good offense (which is apparently becoming the SEC’s thing now) and I think they’ll hang with Alabama for at least the first half. I really won’t be surprised if Ole Miss is ahead at the break. The Crimson Tide win going away in the second half, though.

Final Score: Alabama 40, Ole Miss 21

6 LSU at 9 Georgia.....CORRECT

Georgia won their last game 45-21 over North Texas (I told you the head-score said 42-24 or thereabouts), and apparently all of Bulldog nation should feel absolutely terrible about it. I mean, it’s a shame Georgia couldn’t schedule a powerhouse like Elon or Savannah State, right? In all honesty, the scoreboard says it was a game closer than it should’ve been, but North Texas’s day turned on two Special Teams plays (a kick return TD and a blocked punt for a TD). The Mean Green offense struggled all day against a young Georgia Defense. I really think Georgia was looking ahead a little bit, knowing this showdown looms large for Saturday. ESPN’s College Gameday will be there, which I hate. Georgia never really seems to do well when Gameday is in town. But, just like Murray got the monkey off his back by beating down South Carolina, perhaps Georgia can do the same with Gameday. LSU is a great team, but I truly believe Georgia’s offense is better. This will be similar in score to the Clemson game. But Georgia’s at home for this one, and I think that gives them the advantage.

Final Score: Georgia 35, LSU 31

14 Oklahoma at 22 Notre Dame.....CORRECT

Last year I thought Oklahoma would beat Notre Dame in Norman. That didn’t happen. That was the moment where I started to think the Irish were for real. It was only when the “Figthing” Irish came up against an SEC team that the fraud of the Leprechauns was revealed. This year, things are different. Oklahoma is obviously the better team going in to the game. Notre Dame is struggling to find its true identity. For that reason, I think Oklahoma goes into South Bend and steals a win from Notre Dame, knocking the Irish from the Top 25.

Final Score: Oklahoma 27, Notre Dame 23

23 Wisconsin at 4 Ohio State.....CORRECT

Ohio State is apparently proud of themselves for beating Florida A&M (an FCS school) by 76 points. They’ll actually get tested this week when Wisconsin rolls into town. The Badgers are still mad about the loss to Arizona State. They’ll bring a fire and intensity that Ohio State has yet to see. Sure, they just drubbed Purdue, but I’m not sure Wisconsin has gotten it all out of their system just yet. Don’t get me wrong, the Badgers will lose this game. But they will make Ohio State work for it. It’ll take a fourth quarter score for OSU to break free of Wisconsin and finally get the game in hand.

Final Score: Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 24

A Mixed Bag of Post

 Formula 1 under the lights…

Those fast cars I like so much are headed to Singapore for Formula 1’s version of a gimmick race. The night race was a fun thing the first couple years, but now it’s just another race. The whole point of going under the lights was to ensure European viewers would have a lovely afternoon race. The concept was interesting (in 2008), but the track is, frankly, dreadful. Out of the 23 turns, 13 are 90-degrees or sharper, which makes for slow laps and very limited passing. It can be exciting, though.

This year, however, Formula 1 is boring. I hate saying that, too, because it’s one of the best forms of motorsport around…but it’s become nigh unwatchable because of one man: Sebastian Vettel.

There was a time in the early 2000s that Ferrari had this driver named Michael Schumacher, you may have heard of him. I didn’t even watch F1 at the time, and I knew who he was. The reason I knew him, even in the NASCAR-dominated southeastern United States, was because he was beyond dominant in his sport.

In 2002, Schumacher became the first, and so far only, driver to finish every race on the podium (a top three finish) in a season. Ferrari won 15 of the 17 races that year. The Driver’s Championship was decided in July, with six races left to run. In 2003, Schumacher won the point’s title by only 2 points ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. 2004 saw Schumi return to form, as he won 13 of the first 14 races of the season and finished with 14 wins out of 18 races. He won the point’s title by over 30 points, a huge gap in the days of the closer points spread. Ferrari was so dominant during this time that Schumacher won the driver’s title from 2000 to 2004. In short, unless you were a tifosi, you hated F1 in the early 2000s.

I’m starting to feel that way about the sport now. Red Bull Renault and Sebastian Vettel have become so dominant that it makes for tough viewing. RBR has a 104 point lead in the Constructor’s Title, meaning they would have to finish 3 consecutive races with both cars outside the points while Ferrari, currently #2 in the standings, would have to finish those same three races 1-2 in order to surpass them.

The Driver’s Championship is no better. Vettel holds a 222-169 advantage over Fernando Alonso. Alonso would have to win three straight races without Vettel scoring more than 20 points in the same stretch to overtake him. Tall orders, both. The Red Bull car, designed by Adrian Newey, is simply the best car on the grid. It’s not always the fastest straightline, but it is the best car in the “bendy bits” of the tracks.

There are seven races to go, and Red Bull should be favored at four of the next five circuits. I’ll be glad when someone breaks the Red Bull dominance. I’m actually cheering for Fernando Alonso, which is really awkward for me…

Wisconsin, Arizona State, and an officiating Crew that is unaware of the rules of the game…

The Wisconsin Badgers traveled to Tempe, Arizona to take on the Sun Devils of Arizona State in one of the bigger non-conference games of the last football weekend. The game was rather engaging, as each team traded blows to the final whistle. However, in the last 18 seconds of game-time, the dead began to rise from the grave, there was human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together…mass hysteria. What happened?

 

Joel Stave, the Badgers QB, brought his team to the line on the right hashmark. They were trying to line up a game-winning field goal, and they sought simply to move the ball to the middle of the field; an easier kick. Stave took the snap and rolled left, then knelt and placed the ball on the ground. When he placed the ball down, his knee was not touching, but it had touched the ground earlier. The PAC-12 officiating crew then suffered a collective brain aneurysm, allowing Arizona State players to just lay on the ball. No fumble was called, no ASU players were flagged for delay of game (as they should have been), and the referee just watched as the clock wound down to about 3 seconds before he allowed Wisconsin to even line up to try and snap the ball again, at which point it was too late. ASU had won probably the most controversial game of the year.

Any way you look at it, the Badgers were screwed out of a win. The officials should have flagged ASU for delay of game, since no fumble had been called and the players were actually keeping Wisconsin from lining up to spike the ball and stop the clock. PAC-12 Commissioner Larry Scott has reprimanded the crew with what amounts to a slap on the wrist. The conspiracy theory minded college football fans will say it’s obvious the PAC-12 officials were securing a non-conference win for their conference. More likely, what we have is an incompetent field crew that should be punished for screwing up a game so badly.

Unfortunately, Wisconsin still takes a loss. Just put an asterisk beside it in the record book.

Baseball and prophecy…

Back at the beginning of August I wrote a baseball post in which I delivered predictions on the playoffs. I also wrote this little line:

“With the Braves currently 63-45, going .500 the rest of the way would leave them 90-72. I have to believe they’ll play better than .500 baseball. So let’s assume they play .600 baseball (which is 32-22 the rest of the way). Doing that would leave the Braves with a record of 95-67. That feels right for this Braves club.”

The Braves are currently 90-62 with ten games remaining. If they play .500 ball for the next ten games, they’ll finish with a record of 95-67. Sometimes I scare myself.

Football Future-see 2013: Week Four

RECORD

Week 1	8-2
Week 2	4-1
Week 3	4-1
Week 4	5-0
Week 5
Total	21-4	.840

It appears as though I’m a “B” Student. I've hit 80% correct so far this season. Nebraska let me down last week after a really solid opening half against UCLA. Otherwise, it was winners in the other four.  Getting 16 out of 20 correct so far is nice, but I’m still looking for the perfect week. At the end of week four last year I completed my second perfect week and had a 20-4 record through 24 games (since last year’s TAMU-LaTech game was postponed due to weather). Perhaps I get the perfect week this time out. I could’ve picked five really easy games, but that’s just not my style.

So what’s on deck this week? We have PAC-12 game, an FCS game, two SEC conference games, and the obligatory Georgia pick. There is only one Top 25 match-up this week (ASU at Stanford), so that seems a logical place for ESPN’s College Gameday, right? Wrong. Gameday will originate from FCS powerhouse North Dakota State University in Fargo. North Dakota State makes their first appearance on our slate, as does Delaware State, and North Texas.

23 Arizona State at 5 Stanford.....CORRECT

This is the only Top 25 match-up of the week, so it was an obvious addition to our slate of games, even if it didn’t warrant ESPN’s attention. Arizona State survived their game with Wisconsin thanks to a somewhat bonehead play by the Badgers’ QB and a referee that would not let Wisconsin snap the ball again. This week they face a much tougher test, so it looks like their Top 25 trip may be short-lived. Stanford plays some really good defense, so I’m being kind by giving ASU 24 points. Stanford by double digits. The bigger question here will be “can the PAC-12 referees redeem themselves by calling a fair and straightforward game?”

Final Score: Stanford 34, Arizona State 24

Delaware State at North Dakota State (#1 in FCS).....CORRECT

North Dakota State started 2013 with a bang, taking down Kansas State in Manhattan. The Bison now host College Gameday and a winless Delaware State team that has given up 40+ points in both loses. NDSU, meanwhile, is averaging 40 points per game. But the fans are not too happy with ESPN at the moment, as the Gameday crew is setting up shop in front of the Fargo Theater, about a three mile drive from the Fargodome (they’re really creative with the naming conventions in North Dakota). Gameday typically sets up near the stadium, so this is a departure from the norm, but ESPN claims it is being done to show the school, city, and state in the best light. Doesn’t speak highly for the Fargodome, eh? Bison roll in this one.

Final Score: North Dakota State 60, Delaware State 14

North Texas at 9 Georgia.....CORRECT

One has to think, after a close loss and then a big home win, that Mark Richt will take the binders off the offense in this game and let them run wild a little bit. Then again, for lack of a better term, North Texas is one of the little sisters of the poor, so Richt may take it easy on them. I can see the Mean Green scoring a couple of garbage time touchdowns, but this one won’t be close. Then again, the Dawgs rank 99th in the country in points allowed, although that was against two Top-10 teams. Aaron Murray and Todd Gurley may play the first half, but Georgia should be able to put up Oregon-type numbers this week. The spread, at time of writing, is Georgia by 32.5 points. The Dawgs under Mark Richt have not been a great team against the spread, but I really feel like this is a team that wants to bust out some offensive superiority heading in to their third match-up with a Top 10 team in the first four games. My head says the score here will be more like Georgia 42-24, but I’m going with the “heart” score below.

Final Score: Georgia 59, North Texas 17

Tennessee at 19 Florida.....CORRECT

Florida is in a bit of a funk. Losing to Miami will do that to you, especially when it was your own fault. One has to imagine that the Gators focused on ball security in the days since the Miami loss. After all, if Florida had not turned the ball over, the win would’ve been theirs. Tennessee, on the other hand, is coming off their worst loss in some time, having given up 59 points to Oregon. For that reason, the Vols may have a little more fire than Florida is expecting. Or…they may come out completely flat against the Gators. Being in the Swamp tilts this one in Florida’s favor, but I think the Gators will have more drive than Tennessee.

Final Score: Florida 27, Tennessee 18

Auburn at 6 LSU.....CORRECT

LSU wins, need I say more? I need to? Okay, here goes. LSU is playing some really good football, but I don’t think we’ll truly know who they are (as far as conference play is concerned) until next week, when they visit the Dawgs in Athens. Auburn is 3-0 this year, and finally got an SEC win last week. LSU is also 3-0, but is averaging a lot more scoring than Auburn. Even if this game were in Jordan-Hare Stadium on the Plains I don’t think I could call Auburn. LSU wins.

Final Score: LSU 31, Auburn 17

NASCAR's Hypocrisy (and the hypocrisy of several thousand fans) Takes the Checkered Flag

For those of you who remain blissfully unaware, NASCAR has been besieged by bad publicity for the last week or so. The Sprint Cup series has reached the playoffs, called the Chase for the Cup. Never mind that a playoff in racing doesn't really work...

Michael Waltrip Racing (MRW) decided to take it upon themselves to work as many of their drivers as possible into the Chase. To accomplish this, Clint Bowyer intentionally spun out. No one questioned this spin until the transcript from Bowyer's radio came out, in which he was told to "scratch and itch on his arm" just before spinning. Brian Vickers mysteriously pitted for no good reason. The result is MWR driver Martin Truex Jr made the Chase.

The front office of NASCAR proceeded to dock MWR lots of points and lots of money, but Bowyer remained in the Chase, though dropping to 8th in the standings. Truex, who actually did nothing wrong in the race at Richmond, was kicked out of the Chase. It then came to light that Joey Logano had, in essence, cut a deal with Front Row Motorsports to make his way forward in the pack, positioning himself in the Chase.

The aftermath has now seen Jeff Gordon added to the Chase for the Cup.

NASCAR, and fans, were livid at what was called blatant manipulation of the outcome of a race. The points are fair, as MWR truly did manipulate the outcome. There is some doubt has to just how much collusion existed between Logano and Front Row. But let's be honest about something:

Look at all the debris! It's everywhere!!!

NASCAR has been manipulating the outcome of races for years. All it takes is watching one races to realize just how manipulative NASCAR is. It seems like every race, as the field spreads out, NASCAR will throw phantom "debris" cautions to bunch everyone back up. NASCAR instituted strangling Restrictor Plates for Daytona and Talladega, ostensibly for safety, but it has forced the field to run in one big pack. They created a "debris" caution that is used only when there is no visible debris anywhere on the track. NASCAR invented a contrived playoff system that essentially awards the title to the best driver over the last ten races, not the full 36 course calendar. Did I mention the "debris" cautions? It seems to me that when one of the golden boys (read: any Hendrick Motorsports driver) gets too far behind, or is about to go a lap down, the "debris" cautions begin to fly.

And now NASCAR is once again manipulating things. Adding Jeff Gordon to the Chase is basically one giant "debris" caution. NASCAR is complaining loudly and to anyone who will listen that it is wrong for drivers and teams to manipulate the outcome of races. Meanwhile, they've been manipulating the outcomes of races for years. Just another lap on the track, right?

Me and the Pope (Part II)

"The question for those who do not believe in God is to follow their own conscience. Sin, even for a non-believer, is when one goes against one's conscience. To listen and to follow your conscience means that you understand the difference between good and evil ." - Pope Francis I

As I stated in my first religious post, I'm not going to sugarcoat my own beliefs and try to leave doors open for every other belief and denomination floating around. I'm a Baptist. I'm not going to say that Catholicism is right. I'm not going to say that Buddhism makes good points. While they may, the purpose of this blog post is not to allow for all beliefs.

Instead, the purpose of this post is to refute the Pope. I know, who am I to refute the leader of the largest Christian denomination on the planet, right? Well, I'd like to think that this refutation comes not from me but from the Word of God itself. See, the Pope is misleading millions by saying the above quote. He has basically downgraded the sacrifice of Christ in an effort to make the church more appealing to all people.

Our good works will not get us into Heaven. Following our conscience will not get us into Heaven. Isaiah 64:6 states that "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..." Per that statement, when it comes to the divine, the very best we can do is a filthy rag before God. But that is not a bad thing, because it means God showers us with grace.

Following our conscience can be a very bad thing. Let's return to the Word of God, which the Pope is supposed to represent on this Earth. In Genesis 6:5, very early in the history of the faith, we see that "...God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually..." Man, left to his own devices, is quite often downright deplorable. Some people are morally good, some accomplish that through the tenets of their faith. But by and large, man is a sinful creature.

So our conscience isn't getting us in. What about works? James goes to great lengths to discuss the necessity of works within faith, but he does not pin faith upon works. He states in James 2:20 that "faith without works is dead." What does this mean? Consider bodily exercise. When you work out, your body grows stronger through your actions. Similarly, when you exercise your faith by doing the works detailed in the Bible and inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, your faith grows stronger and it becomes easier to exercise your faith in the future. The works do not guarantee your faith. Neither are you saved by works.

Let's consider, though, that the Catholic church rarely, if ever, mentions being saved. To me, the Word is very clear. Romans 10:9 states "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. " And that is just one of many verses commenting on salvation. Philippians 2:12 reads " Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."

But according to the Pope, being good, regardless your belief in Jesus Christ, will get you into Heaven. No. Grace, given by God and accepted through your own personal faith in Jesus and his sacrifice and resurrection will get you in. It's saddening to me that the leader of the Catholic Church seems to have given up on the most basic of Christian doctrine.

Football Future-see 2013: Week Three

RECORD

Week 1	8-2
Week 2	4-1
Week 3	4-1
Week 4
Week 5
Total	16-4	.800

My only letdown last week was Florida somehow losing to Miami. A friend of mine who is a huge Miami fan proceeded to update his Facebook status to proclaim the greatness of the ACC over the SEC. My response was that winning two close home games does not establish a precedent. What does establish a precedent for conference superiority? I’d say it’s seven consecutive crystal footballs currently residing in the SEC’s halls of power. Other than Florida screwing things up, every other game was a winner. Georgia returned to strength with a 41-30 beating of South Carolina in which they were even more effective at neutralizing Jadaveon Clowney than UNC was two weeks ago. My only regret from that game is that Evil Richt didn’t show up and score again to rub it in Spurrier’s face. Be honest, if you watched that game, Georgia’s offense was unstoppable at the end, and it was only through Richt’s sense of decent humanity that he didn’t run the score up.

So what do we have this week? No Georgia, as the Dawgs have a bye week before facing powerhouse North Texas and then some school from Baton Rouge. This week we get a few non-conference games centered on Alabama facing the Flying Johnny Footballs.

16 UCLA at 23 Nebraska.....INCORRECT

To be honest, Nebraska has been very much lackluster through two weeks. To give you an idea of where the voters are on these two teams, the AP Poll (which I use for these predictions) has Nebraska 23 and UCLA 16. The Coaches Poll has Nebraska 15 and UCLA 17. In other words, this game could go either way. I think, though, that the Cornhuskers are set for a big time win. UCLA has only played one game this year, in which they beat Nevada 58-20. Nebraska is a better team than Nevada, though. Nebraska wins this one, but UCLA will keep it close. Nebraska may even win on a last second field goal.

Final Score: Nebraska 26, UCLA 24

1 Alabama at 6 Texas A&M.....CORRECT

The marquee game of Week 3. ESPN’s Gameday crew has already made reservations for College Station. Alabama is the top ranked team in the country and will have to play like it when they face the Flying Johnny Footballs. Otherwise, we’re going to see Johnny Manziel pointing at scoreboards, pretending to sign autographs, and otherwise being a jerk. But I think Alabama plays like the #1 team this Saturday. Texas A&M is going to score points. Alabama, though, is going to score more.

Final Score: Alabama 38, Texas A&;M 31

Tennessee at 2 Oregon.....CORRECT

Tennessee is coming off a big win over Western Kentucky; a win in which the Hilltoppers committed five turnovers in the span of six offensive plays. But this week’s challenge for the Vols is different. Oregon moves at a speed unlike any other. Their offense is the fastest thing this side of light, and they’ve not missed a beat after Chip Kelly departed for the NFL’s sometimes-greener pastures. Tennessee may keep this one close for a time, but I think Oregon’s speed eventually undoes the young Tennessee Defense.

Final Score: Oregon 40, Tennessee 17

Vanderbilt at 13 South Carolina.....CORRECT

The Gamecocks are definitely going to be looking to get back on track following a tough loss in Athens in what can only be described as a war. For two weeks, Jadaveon Clowney has been rather ineffective. He recorded one sack and three tackles against Georgia and in week one he was on the bench almost as much as he was on the field. After the Georgia game, Clowney called out his coaches for not using him properly. Now, Vanderbilt rolls into Columbia. This doesn’t bode well for the Commodores. Look for Connor Shaw to have a solid game and look for the USC defense to move Clowney around and get him more involved.

Final Score: South Carolina 28, Vanderbilt 17

25 Ole Miss at Texas.....CORRECT

Texas had one of those games you wish you could forget, losing on the road to BYU 40-21. Last season, Texas went to Oxford for the first game of this home-and-home series with Ole Miss. I predicted the upset that week, and Texas proceeded to blow out the Rebels. But this year is different. Ole Miss has a year of experience under their belts, they have a good quarterback, and some of the best freshmen players in the nation. Austin is no easy place to play, but Texas is reeling. Look for Ole Miss to play some smashmouth SEC football against a once-Big XII powerhouse. Ole Miss wins.

Final Score: Ole Miss 24, Texas 20

A Reluctant Memorial

Full Disclosure: I hesitated even writing a memorial-style post for the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. This is the twelfth anniversary of that day. Considering that people don’t often celebrate twelfth anniversaries with the same gusto or regularity of tenth or fifteenth anniversaries, it’s easy to see my hesitation. But it comes from a deeper place. A place that, over the last twelve years, has turned from sorrow and sadness to anger and bitter resentment. I’m not sure I can write a proper memorial post without those emotions bleeding over into the words.

What happened to us that day? Anyone my age can tell you where they were when they heard about it. I can still recount almost to the minute what happened to me on that Tuesday morning in 2001. I was a 19-year-old kid who thought himself fairly intelligent, but I was blinded to my insular view of global politics and religious fanaticism. I was 11-years-old the first time an attack was made on the World Trade Center. When you’re not even a teenager, things don’t really impact you the way they will later in life. At 19, though, you have a better grasp on the world around you. But there’s always something lurking around the corner waiting to show you just how little you actually know.

So a 19-year-old me had just arrived at Gainesville College for a day of classes. As I parked, an announcement came over the radio that a plane had struck the World Trade Center. The initial confusion stated that it was a small plane, but that confusion was set to give way to horror. At first, the radio report called it an accident. Inside, though, some malevolent thought said it was more than an accident. By the time I had gathered a professor and a couple of fellow students and made our way to the library, we turned on the TV just in time to see the second plane hit.

The room went quiet. A few people wept. I stood by my friend Matt, older and more world-wise than I, who postulated that “Osama bin Laden had screwed himself over” by doing this. I didn’t even know that name. I could only watch. The news filtered in that the Pentagon had also been hit. I went to my next class professor and said I was going home. Classes were eventually canceled for the rest of the day. I made it home and went next door to be with my grandparents for a time. I walked in just in time to see the towers collapse under the weight of melting steel and blazing fires.

Physically and mentally I was unprepared for a day like that. I was unprepared for the next few weeks. I lived at the time under a direct flight path from the Northeast to Atlanta. It wasn’t uncommon to see several planes at a time flying toward Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. But for a week, all flights were grounded. It was odd not to see a plane in the sky. In short, the actions of that time left me in turmoil.

The turmoil, though, eventually gave way to a darker emotion: bloodlust. I awaited the news that we as a nation had struck back at those responsible. But that news was slow in coming. Because, unlike any war in our past, we weren’t fighting a nation. No other country had sanctioned the attack. Instead, we found ourselves in a war with a nebulous threat beholden to a religion, and an even more nebulous goal of how victory over this threat would be attained.

Our armed forces eventually found themselves inside Afghanistan, tracking down Al Qaida members sheltered by the Taliban. The leader of this group, Osama bin Laden, was in hiding. He, of course, became the figurehead of our operation. Getting him would be a key goal. But the 19-year-old me was now replaced by a 20-year-old me with a far different view of the world. Like many around me, I now understood that capturing or killing bin Laden would, in all likelihood, make things worse. Retaliation and escalation had become military buzzwords.

And now I’m 31. It is sometimes hard to believe that my entire 20s have come and gone since 9/11, but they have. I’ve graduated college and gotten a job. I’ve bought a house. My grandfather, who I sat beside as the towers fell, has passed on. I’ve become numbed to the world, in a way. The mundane has once more become just that. The war has become just another part of our lives. The Afghanistan operation, which always seemed the most undefined, is expected to see a full withdrawal of American and allied forces by 2014.

Part of this “war on terror” somehow included an ill-advised invasion of Iraq. I’ve waffled on this invasion, as the intelligence at the time seemed to indicate a presence of chemical weapons, leading Congress to authorize the use of force against the Iraqi government. Saddam Hussein, a threat in the late 1980s and early 1990s (but an ally prior to that), was finally overthrown. He was executed by his own people. The last American forces left Iraq in 2011.

We grew tired of war, as a nation. We had seen enough war during the administration of George W. Bush to last for several lifetimes. So, in 2008, the electors of this country chose Barack Obama to be the next President. He spoke with conviction about bringing soldiers home, and seemingly promised to end the war.

If you want to stop reading here, I’ll not blame you. I don’t think I can keep the vindictiveness out of my written voice any longer.

For all the bitter complaint about George W. Bush and his pro-war policies, we’ve not seen a radical change in the form of Barack Obama. The United States still acts as a kind of global police force. As the Arab Spring uprisings burst forth, and civil war broke out in Libya, President Obama decided that military intervention was necessary in the African nation. NATO forces, under an allowance from the United Nations, launched a series of strikes on the Libyan Army, aiding the rebel forces in overthrowing Muammar Gaddafi. This decision was met with widespread consternation among the American public.

After all, we were tired of war. We’re still tired of war. We know that anything we do will be met with some form of retaliation. Example: after aiding the rebel forces overthrow Gaddafi’s regime, with Gaddafi being executed on October 20, 2011, less than a year later, on the 11th Anniversary of 9/11, the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi was attacked by heavily-armed Islamic militants. The instability in Libya, partially a result of American and NATO forces aiding the rebels, had allowed these radicalized Muslims to gain foothold.

The Administration responded by saying the militants were angered by a youtube video that was derogatory towards Islam. Then confusion began. White House spokesman Jay Carney held tight to the “video” line, even as US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice began to say that the attack was a spontaneous reaction to protests in Cairo that somehow evolved into an attack in Benghazi, even though they are nearly 700 miles apart. Rice, though, also continued the Administration’s talking point about the youtube video, saying “Based on the best information we have to date, what our assessment is as of the present is in fact what began spontaneously in Benghazi as a reaction to what had transpired some hours earlier in Cairo where, of course, as you know, there was a violent protest outside of our embassy—sparked by this hateful video.”

Even the Libyan President admitted the attack was premeditated, knowing the violent radical Islamists had taken root in Libya. But the Administration held their ground. Even as the world around them admitted that the attack was not a spontaneous reaction to an insulting video, the President and his cabinet seemed to do nothing but repeat their talking point.

Now, a year later, we still don’t know all the details about Benghazi. But we can’t worry about that too much, as President Obama has now turned his gaze toward Syria, where months of civil war between rebel forces and the government of Bashar al-Assad have degenerated to the use of chemical weapons.

The American people have spoken quite loudly that they do not want to be involved in Syria. But we’re now faced with a sticky situation, as Vladimir Putin has led Russia to the forefront of Syrian diplomacy. Through his actions, Putin has made the US, and Barack Obama in particular, look rather weak and ineffective.

See, in an off-teleprompter, off-script moment, Obama issued a “red-line” statement to Syria, stating that if the Assad regime was found to use chemical weapons, they would then be dealt with harshly. Chemical weapons were used in Syria (though, exactly by whom is still a bit of a mystery). Even our greatest ally, Great Britain, is staying clear of the situation. The Parliament has refused to go along with the Prime Minister’s request for use of force. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has seized the opportunity and, in essence, taken the driver’s seat on Syria.

It now appears as though Syria will hand over “all” of their chemical weapons. Of course, inspections will follow. I imagine these inspections will be quite similar to the inspections in Iraq, where trucks were seen leaving inspection sites mere hours before inspectors arrived. Bashar al-Assad will maintain a stockpile of chemical weapons, Putin and Assad will say to the global community that “all” of the weapons were handed over. Then, the nightmare scenario exists in which the regime once more uses chemical weapons on the rebel forces, only to say it was the rebels using them on themselves in effort to make Assad look like the villain.

Perhaps I’m being jaded by saying that. I’m so tired of our armed forces playing police for the world. But really, this is the American empire. In the 1940s, Imperialism was coming to an end. Around that same time, the United States were finally taking the stage as a global superpower. Looking back at the Second World War, you can see that the United States would’ve liked to set up an Empire like the British had. But that time was ending. Britain gave up the vast majority of its colonies. Germany was beaten back to its original territory, more or less. But the US was denied its Imperial desire. So what happened? Military bases. In almost every quarter of the developed world, the United States has some form of military presence. If that’s not Imperialism, then I’m not entirely sure what is.

I looked at Facebook early this morning and saw that several of my friends had posted things like “the attack on 9/11 was meant to divide us, but instead if united us and made us stronger,” or “we will never forget where we were” or “Never Forget 9/11.” While I agree with the sentiment, I fear we’ve already forgotten. No, we’ve not forgotten that day, although the memory has started to fade. The sun-drenched wreckage we saw after the smoke cleared is now part of the yellowing pages of history. No, we’ve forgotten what it was to be Americans…what it was to be free.

9/11 proved to be the genesis of Homeland Security. It brought about an enhanced and empowered NSA. You can’t get on an airplane now without taking off your shoes and subjecting yourself to a full-body scan. Our emails and phone records are subject to NSA “meta-data” gathering. And there are too many of us in this country who say “well, I’m not doing anything wrong, so why should I care.” You should care because, every year since 9/11 it seems we become less free. We sacrifice more and more essential liberty in the name of security that cannot be guaranteed.

We’ll never forget. I just hope we remember.