We continue to repeat the same mantra: The more we watch, the less we seem to know. All the trends, spreads and things we’ve seen with our own two, and, for me, four, eyes seem to change from week to week.
This Saturday was no different. The favorites looked more than beatable, and the grind of the SEC schedule has taken a toll on several rosters across the conference.
Here are three overreactions from an unbelievable start to what will surely be dubbed the first “Shakeup Saturday” of the season.
1. Lane Kiffin has no empathy, nor should he
Lane Kiffin ruffled some feathers with his comments about not feeling any empathy for Mississippi State and their injuries.
“I don’t have a lot of empathy for injuries. This team, from day one, has gotten so many bad breaks…we had a lot of people sitting on our sidelines too and we won 31-0.”
Talk your *blank* coach. He’s absolutely right.
The idea that LSU should feel sorry for anyone else in general is absurd. It’s a dog eat dog world in the Southeastern Conference. Is Mississippi State special because their quarterback is out?
I didn’t hear any conversations about LSU going into this game with their best offensive and defensive players. I also didn’t hear anything about losing the SEC’s leading sack rusher in the first half. I didn’t hear a peep after they lost another wideout.
It’s not Lane Kiffin’s job to placate the feelings of Mississippi State or their fans. His job is to win games, and since he’s already had a tough time doing that at times this season, his job is to find a way to win enough to get in the college football playoff still.
2. Arch Manning is an industry plant
It’s not time to have a conversation about Arch Manning, now. The time for that conversation was probably way earlier in the season or even last year.
Manning, and Texas for that matter, haven’t survived off their name, image, and brand likeness the last few seasons. They’ve thrived on it.
Arch Manning started the game Saturday against Florida 7-of-9 with 53 yards through the air against the worst pass defense in the SEC. He managed to put up 17 yards in the next two quarters combined.
Arch Manning isn’t worth a first round pick. He isn’t worth $6 million. And, if this is what the offense looks like after you spent a gazillion dollars on it while bringing in all that talent from the portal, then there should probably be a conversation about whether or not he should even be the starter.
3. No one in this league is safe, except the officials
Again, the more we watch, the less we know. For the first time since 1996 Alabama, Georgia and Texas all lost on the same day. My goodness, 30 years. This whole nine game conference schedule has been awesome for SEC fans.
It has been brutal for SEC teams.
That’s not going to change anytime soon. Watching the top three ranked teams in the polls get beat by underdogs who were a combined 38.5 point underdogs was wild to watch. And, it’s proof that once again, no one in this league is safe except for the officials.
