Oh look more alliteration. But just like yesterday’s was fitting, so is today’s. I hope that sentence made sense. I am running on little sleep, which I think is just par for the course.
So what’s this “Merit Monday” crap about? Well, two things: on the football side of things you have new polls coming out and they’re divided over who is clinching the top spot, and on the basketball side, you have media polls bursting forth like so many geysers.
Let’s start with football (don’t look at me like that. It’s still football season and isn’t it nice to save the best for last? Yeah, I thought so). For the first time this season, Florida is no longer a unanimous number one. While the BCS and USA Today polls have them up top per usual, the AP Top 25 has Alabama towering over the rest of the college football world. I think this week will answer a lot of questions about who should be on top. Florida has not been playing convincingly since the UK game, and I wonder if Tebow’s concussion had something to do with it. Alabama hasn’t been the huge, destructive wrecking ball Florida has, but they’ve been consistently good, dismantling opponents efficiently and with skill. This week, Florida should have a total cake walk with Mississippi State. Alabama will meet Tennessee, and given how Kiffin’s team has been doing, I don’t foresee the Tide having a huge issue. I doubt we’ll see an upset (if we do, that’ll make the number one pick obvious), so I think it’ll all come down to how Florida and Alabama play.
Sounds good? Yeah, I can’t wait for Saturday. I love the start of the season because there is so much hope. Now, we’re in a part where teams really start coming into their own. Things are getting sorted out. It’s exhilarating. And on that note, I’m sure you’ve noticed that non-BCS conference Boise State is ranked number 4! I can’t analyze that here, but I’ll try to throw some links out there for you.
Moving on the basketball (my personal favorite, if it weren’t obvious enough). Media polls are rolling out, and well, this is my blog, so I’m just covering the SEC. Patrick Patterson was voted SEC Player of the Year. Kentucky was voted SEC Champion (and it wasn’t even close, y’all. It’s awesome to be seeing so much positive attention around the program again). To see the whole list, just click that link right up there. A couple of surprises – Florida was voted 5th in the east and John Wall made the second team. Florida has fallen and fallen hard since it’s glory years, just a short while back. I don’t know if that’s an unduly harsh ranking. I mean, Vanderbilt at 3 seems a bit high, even if Ogilvy is back, so I’m not sold on the whole list. In a similar vein, I’m surprised to see LSU at 4 in the West.
As for John Wall, I’m surprised for two reasons: 1. all of the hype around him suggests that he could make first team, but 2. he hasn’t played a college game yet. While I’m certain he’ll be a superstar in college, it does seem a little weird to put a guy whose never played a college game up high on that list. Gary Parrish is certainly upset about Wall’s omission from the first team. I can’t share that sentiment, but I can share the excitement over seeing a phenomenal player actually hit the court.
Two weeks til BASKETBALL!
Wildcat Notion 