Week Four

Auburn lost again, this time to perennial SEC underdog Mississippi State. Sadly, this was not an upset, either. There was one bright side to the game: after two interceptions in his first two passes, Brandon Cox was sidelined in favor of Kodi Burns, a true freshman. Here are the players’ stats from Saturday:
Cox, passing: 4/10 for 42 yards and 2 INTs
Cox, rushing: -2 yards on 2 attempts
Burns, passing: 8/12 for 65 yards and 1 INT
Burns, rushing: 87 yards on 22 attempts
Based on those numbers, which one do you think should be Auburn’s starting quarterback? I don’t think Burns is going to fix our problems by himself. I doubt he’s ready for the pressure of high-profile games, either. I do know this: Cox’s play should be regularly supplemented with Burns’.

Congratulations, Brandon Cox! You are no longer the undisputed starting quarterback!

In other news, USC trounced Nebraska 49-31. Somehow this victory was enough to preserve the Trojans’ precious No. 1 ranking in both major polls. Meanwhile, LSU posted a measly 44 points on Middle Tennessee State, in addition to producing another shutout. Outscoring your opponents 137-7 in three games is somehow not good enough for a No. 1 ranking. Then there’s Oklahoma. 184-26? Ridiculous. Of course, the Sooner schedule has been a little easier so far.Florida followed close behind with a 59-20 spanking of Tennessee in Gainesville. LSU at Florida on October 6 (8 PM ET, CBS) is probably going to be the best game of the season (until the rematch at the SEC Championship). I’d be surprised if either team loses its division, barring some kind of miracle in Tuscaloosa. Alabama did beat Arkansas and supposedly looked good doing it. I didn’t watch the game after ‘Bama went up 21-0, because I thought it might send me into a severe depression. An Auburn loss with ‘Bammer and Trojan wins is more than my little heart can bear.

Tebow is so amazing that he can convince opposing teams to carry him into the end zone.

Finally, Michigan is not the worst team in the country. That honor goes to Notre Dame, who has opened 0-3 for the second time in school history. Both teams are poised to lose on national television this Saturday; the Irish host Michigan State (3:30 PM ET, NBC) and the Wolverines host Penn State (3:30 PM ET, ABC). The Nittany Lions have lost the last eight meetings. I know a few PSU fans, so I’m looking forward to the streak’s end.

“It’s not like it matters, anyway. We’re both going to get fired.”