What I'd really like to comment on is the Louise Woodward deal. The 19-year British babysitter was just found guilty in a court of law by a jury of her peers of second degree murder of an infant under her care. This has apparently outraged the British public to the extent that they protested Hillary Clinton's visit to London. Our legal system (the one we adapted from British Common Law, in fact) is unfair, they say. It always irks me when the public second guesses a jury's decision. The public can, in no case, make as informed a decision as the sitting jury. And the day public opinion decides the guilt and innocence of persons accused of a crime is the day I move to Canada. I sure as hell won't move to Britain, whose citizens can collectively kiss my ass if they would like.
Now, on to something even more disturbing than the downfall of our legal system: Tennessee in the Orange Bowl. Currently, two teams stand in the way of that, and I certainly don't mean Tennessee's remaining opponents (Southern Miss, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt). The two are Florida State and North Carolina, and that number necessarily drops to one after those two teams play each other next week. Tennessee's chances of playing in the big game are not at all slim: both North Carolina and Florida State have a losable game after their match-up. North Carolina plays Clemson, and Florida State plays Florida.
I thought the Gators' darkest day came in November of 1993, when they lost to Florida State, sending the Seminoles on to their first National Championship. But now an even worse nightmare scenario looms: Florida's loss to Georgia has set the stage for Peyton Manning to play for a National Championship himself. Perhaps it is even all the more vexing given the fact that the Gators so thoroughly trounced Tennessee earlier in the season. Furthermore, the Gators may play a few days earlier in the Gator Bowl, assuming they miss the SEC Championship game and lose to Florida State.
The most likely scenario, though, is this: Florida State wins out, and plays Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. The Michigan-Penn State winner plays in the Rose Bowl, against one of three PAC-10 teams: UCLA, Washington, or Washington State. The Washington at UCLA and Washington State at Washington games will decide the Rose. The Sugar Bowl has the final pick in this year's alliance bowl sweepstakes, and will be stuck with the Big East Champion, a now much-devalued West Virginia team (they lead the conference with Pittsburgh and Temple left on their schedule). If Tennessee is not the SEC Champion, then the SEC Champion will likely play West Virginia in New Orleans. Otherwise, Tennessee might face up in an interesting Fiesta Bowl (why green?) against the Big Ten runner up. If Phillip Failure Fulmer is afraid of anyone besides Steve Spurrier, it would have to be Joe Pa. (Or maybe the Memphis head coach). A Penn State thrashing of Tennessee in Tempe would be quite pleasing. The last alliance spot, in a year that lacks a strong SEC runner up or a qualifying Notre Dame, could be filled by either the ACC runner up (North Carolina or Florida State with one loss) or the PAC-10 runner up. My current best guess is North Carolina vs. West Virginia. Don Neeland vs. the Big Boys II.