Ferrum Aeternum

Jalen Hurts to Oklahoma, which is probably his best possible landing spot. He's not Mayfield or Murray but he should still excel in that offense.

I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but the job Kermit Davis has done thus far at Ole Miss is nothing short of remarkable. I knew coming into the season that the team had some talented pieces to work with (Breein Tyree and Terrence Davis, in particular) but I had no idea they would gel into such a well-oiled machine this quickly. The difference on both ends of the court vs. the prior regime is night and day. Under AK, the offense was mostly iso, and/or shoot threes for volume and hope they go in. Defensively we would have our moments, but effort and technique were too inconsistent so too often we'd look lost. Kermit has taught this team the value of moving with and without the ball and taking the best shot available. Although we don't have a lot of size, the added ball movement is consistently opening up lanes which allow our backcourt to leverage its athleticism for drives to the basket and open looks. On the defensive side, we're playing smarter and adjusting better as the game goes along. My hope for this season was that we could win 17-20 games, play spoiler a time or two and get an NIT bid. Still a long way to go, but the expectations have been elevated to levels I didn't think we'd see for at least a couple more years. ETA: One more thing - it doesn't hurt my feelings at all that Kermit was passed over twice for the Mississippi State job (he's an alum and his dad coached there for years). Supposedly back when they hired Rick Ray, Kermit was on his way to Starkville for an in-person interview when he got the call and was told not to bother coming. It's rare that your new coach comes in from day one wanting to do everything possible to show up your arch rival.

I think it's interesting how no one ever questions Clemson's meteoric rise to the top of college football. It's a historically "pretty good" program that previously only won a single national championship (1981), and that one highly questionable under a known Cheaty McCheaterson head coach (Danny Ford). Prior to this recent run, they'd slogged through about 30 years of 5-8 win seasons. Plus, they aren't a big money program. Their own in-state rival generates significantly more revenue in their athletic department. Clemson ranks about 20th overall in that area. Not saying they're doing anything wrong (honestly, I don't think they are). I just find it interesting that no one ever casts doubt or asks a single question about how they so quickly ascended to this pinnacle.

Down goes Auburn! Kermit has these guys playing ball.

Stellan Skarsgard announced as Baron Harkonnen. Huh. So I guess they aren't going the grossly obese route unless they craft him one hell of a fat suit. That said, I like him a lot as an actor. He'll certainly bring a suitably creepy sense of menace to the role. Dave Bautista as Rabban is a stroke of genius.

"Ryan Gosling with a play sheet," as this excellent piece from The Ringer describes it.

Yep. Bama has lost games under Saban but they've never been outcoached to that degree. The talent gap (if there is one) isn't wide enough to account for an ass beating like that.

Has there ever in the history of college football been an assistant coach more valuable to his program than Brent Venables?

Very proud of Patrick Willis, who along with Vince Young, Rocket Ismail and several others will be inducted into this coming year's College Football Hall of Fame class. Kudos to David Cutcliffe and Mike McIntyre for taking a chance on a raw but incredibly gifted athlete from one of the smallest high schools in Tennessee, who overcame incredible adversity to become one of the best college LBs I've ever seen (and a damn good pro as well).

HZD is an amazing game, probably my favorite single player game of the last 10 years. Besides what you said above, the setting and backstory are incredibly creative. The lore is a deepening mystery that you slowly unravel over time. Extremely satisfying.

What a difference quality coaching can make. Ole Miss has quietly started out 11-2 (with essentially the same core of guys as last year's team) and opened conference play last night with a 10-point road win against a pretty decent Vandy team. The difference in fundamentals and in-game coaching is night and day with Kermit Davis. I still don't really expect this team to grind through a tough SEC schedule with enough wins to make the Tournament. Depth will likely be an issue before the end. But hope for the future is at its highest point since the 90s.

The Saints certainly seem to have the easiest path to the title. They're arguably the most "complete" team in all phases and are very tough to beat at home. Plus the Owl will be played inside a dome (one they're familiar with, at that), so I would also favor them to win it all.

Clark is a defense guy. Personally I find what he's done at UAB to be astounding, considering the near impossible circumstances. He will get a chance somewhere else before long.

Perfect opportunity for you guys to give Neal Brown (Troy) the step up he deserves. He's going to lead some Power 5 team to a conference title one day. If you can't get there with Brown, Bill Clark at UAB also would be a nice choice.

That one doesn’t surprise me at all. Kentucky has beaten a few teams better than Penn St this season. When Vegas made the line for that game it’s like they didn’t notice Penn St wasn’t very good this year.