Behind The Scoreboard - Claude Vinson


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Behind The Scoreboard
By Claude Vinson

Last unbeaten goes down in ‘Big League’

What we have here is a tale of two leagues. The “Big League” (NFL) and the “Not So Big League” (NCAA). It was week 10 in the former and week 11 in the latter, and there were a couple of whopping surprises in both. I am not going to dwell too much on the “Not So Big League,” not because it is too painful, well maybe a little.

The Tide is no longer unbeaten and no longer number one. Number 15 Texas A&M dethroned the Tide in Tuscaloosa 29-24 (Alabama dropped to number four, but they are not out yet). The real estate changed a little. Oregon is now number one; Kansas State is number two; and Notre Dame is number three. The Ducks haven’t been in the top slot since 2010. Remember that is the season in which they lost to Auburn in the BCS Championship game.

There are only three unbeatens left with the demise of Louisville at the hands of Syracuse (unranked). They are Oregon, Kansas State and Notre Dame.

In the “Big League,” you know that there was only one team left unscathed and that was the Atlanta Falcons. They added to their record each week in the history-making run and perhaps had their faithful thinking “unbeaten season?” The Falcon hierarchy could have been thinking the same thing, however, someone apparently forgot to e-mail that to the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints and the Falcons are in the South division in the NFC. New Orleans was struggling with a 3-5 record, along with another harness draped on them by “bounty gate.” Is this going to turn their season completely around? Not a big Saint supporter, so I vote in the negative.

More news in the NFC, this time in the West division – the 49ers and Rams played to a 24-24 tie. Yes, that’s right, a tie. It was the first in four years in the NFL.

Also in the NFC, two teams were neck and neck in the East – Dallas and Philly at 3-5, with the Cowboys winning, and the Eagles’ coach on the hot seat (beware, Coach Reid, the NBA Lakers axed their coach on Sunday, just saying).

The most talked about game was not the one between Atlanta and New Orleans, but rather the one across conference lines. Houston in the AFC South and Chicago in the NFC North.

Both had 7-1 labels, but the Texans ended up 8-1 with the 13-6 win. Are these Texans really that good?

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