Desert Fans Episode # 14 -- The Last One?

 

NEWS UPDATE: I have to skip from the desert for a little bit, due to family circumstances.  I am not sure if we will have any more Desert Fans episodes or not. Either way, it has been fun. Thanks for sharing the season with me. It went fast, as predicted. Very cool time for me to pass the time.

Ahh, November 2021 is in the books! Who has come out come out well? Georgia, Notre Dame, and BYU. Who deserves a quick post mortem? Indiana. Who is in between? Clemson, Miami, and Auburn.

              Discuss…

              First off, #3 Alabama narrowly escaped losing to Auburn in the Iron Bowl, 24 to 22 in four overtimes. The Tigers should have won this game in regulation, but some clock mistakes were made. I was watching it live on my free Dofu app, in bed, and I fell asleep at the end of regulation. Man alive, the Tide are the vampires of the college football world! We. Can. Not. Kill. Them.

              Sorry War Eagle, for three quarters you kept these monsters scoreless. And then the phantoms came alive. ‘Bama has bench guys that would school most other schools’ programs. Auburn had the epitome of a close-but-no-cigar years, and will go to a bowl and potentially show the world how good and talented they were this year, likely against a Big Ten school. Best of luck.

Unranked Auburn 6-6 NEXT: A holiday season bowl game.

              The Bulldogs cruised over the state rival, Georgia Tech, by a comfortable margin, 45 – 0. That is a pasting, or a wasting. People see Alabama as vulnerable (note above), so the Tide will have to stay close to have any chance at the College Football Playoffs, which seem less likely. Good riddance, you over-winning losers! Seriously, I am just tired off the Tide. Do you know the song by Steely Dan, “Deacon Blues”? Here are the lyrics, to make me work more than you.

They got a name for the winners in the world
(I) I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me Deacon Blues
(Deacon Blues)

              It’s a really good song, by the way. Came out in the 1970s, I think. It is so true.

#1 GEORGIA 12-0 NEXT: SEC Championship game against #2 Alabama 11-1, next weekend.

The Irish handled their business on the Left Coast, hewing down the woeful Stanford Cardinal 45 - 14. In case you did not know, the mascot of the Cardinal is a tree, possibly a replica of a redwood, indigenous to the Golden State. I have attended a game in Palo Alto; they mocked my school and religion, so not much love lost for their futilities. They did beat previous giant beater Oregon, and now Oregon is playing for the PAC-12 Championship, so props to that feat in an otherwise awful 3-9 season.

Notre Dame is awaiting the right outcomes to go the Final Four, CFP, ahead of Oklahoma State and possibly Cincinnati, who play other Texas teams Baylor and Houston, respectively. I would not mind seeing the Bearcats and the Cowboys going down. Let the Irish in the Championships! Perhaps they would match up with Georgia first? Or a match with Michigan? Talk about a classic rivalry. Two of the most winning programs of all time.

# 6 NOTRE DAME 11-1 NEXT: A holiday season bowl game, but it will depend on the conference championship games; if the Bearcats lose to the Houston Cougars, the Irish might be in the Championship Football Playoffs. Also, see Baylor and OSU, as mentioned.

My Cougs held on to win by the skin of their teeth, 35 – 31, to a struggling USC in the Coliseum. The Trojans came out with some spirit and vigor, trailing at the half by only 13 -21. The Cougars of BYU lost the lead in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over a few times and serendipitously holding on to some fumbles, and regained the lead on a boost from a bench running back named Jackson McChesney. The beat up defense defended the potential game winning score by a few yards, and my alma mater achieved 10 wins, and 5-0 against the conference that has snubbed the church school for decades. Who needs you, West Coast? We have the middle plains to the Eastern seaboard with the new Big-12.

# 13 BRIGHAM YOUNG 10-2 NEXT: A holiday season bowl game. Possibly a one game defeated UTSA. San Antonio is a pretty new team to the College Football Bowl ranks. Despite it being a more minor bowl, it looks to be a good match up. The Cougars have a lot of injuries to key players, but they hopefully will have enough depth to get the bowl win, and the elusive 11 victory season.

The Tigers impress and finish strong, clobbering in-state rival USC 30 – 0. It was not an ideal year for this recent powerhouse, but it could have been worse. Pitt and Wake Forest play for the SEC Championship. The ACC was a bit whacky this year, but it gave a lot of teams a chance to hope… Maybe the dominant greatness will come next year, Tigers.

#23 Clemson 9-3 NEXT: A holiday season bowl game.

Miami lowers the expected boom on the otherwise hapless Dukies. Final score, 47- 10. If I am the next opponent of the ‘Canes, I do not want to play them. Respect the U. Not a great season, but better than Florida (6-6) and Florida State (5-7). Van Dyke can sling it at QB, and if the defense steps up, watch out.

Unranked Miami 7-5 NEXT: A holiday season bowl game.

Last and least, the post mortem of my Indiana Hoosiers. Ugh, we were put out of our misery by Purdue, 7 – 44. The season started poorly, ended poorly, and there was not much to celebrate in between. The offensive coordinator was fired and bought out, to the cost of millions and personally to head coach Tom Allen. I could say a lot more, and probably will at a later date, to other audiences, but suffice it to say that IU needs to get this year and build on better things for the future.

NEXT:  The “Toilet Bowl”, it is. I think we are below the top 100. There are about 130 teams, total. IU was expected to be a contender in the Big-10 East. Top 20 team? Not! Not even close.

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Anyway, thanks all for participating. I hope to see you soon. Peace in the Middle East.