I'm Here to Apologize
Posted November 7, 2010, 9:39 PM ET

To Les Miles and the entire Bayou Bengal Family....please accept my sincere apology for ever doubting you.

Since LSU's opening season win against North Carolina, I have questioned the validity of the Tigers' existence in the Top 10. I could count on numerous weekends how many times the Tigers found a way to win depsite themselves.

Each bizarre finish, each clock management fiasco, each better-to-be-lucky-than-good scenario that has plagued LSU football....I laughed and questioned the program.

I'm sorry.

I'm truly sorry that I didn't respect the big picture that LSU and Head Coach Les Miles have it under control and and on the fast track to being in the discussion for SEC and national honors.

What was I thinking?

I thought for sure that Bama and Nick Saban, with two weeks to prepare, would have LSU and Les Miles covered. I figured it would be the typical, tough affair, but in the end, coaching would be the difference and it would be Saban and Co. in a mismatch.

I'm sorry. Les and his band of Bengals deserve all the props.

The next time I go off on the "Mad-Hatter" on the blog, radio or TV, just remind me of the apology. I need to learn my lesson about ever doubting the LSU Tigers.

The ACC is a mess this side of Blacksburg.

And after watching the Hokies struggle at home with an injury-depleted Georgia Tech team, I'm not convinced that they are a lock for the ACC title game, either.

This past weekend of games saw all three first place Atlantic teams lose:

FSU, at home, lost to the Tar Heels by kicking a last second field goal wide right....of course.

N.C. State, fresh off a Top 25 ranking, found a way to lose for the seventh striaght year to a Clemson team that was beaten up mentally and physicaly.

Maryland, still playing out of their minds, giving up a last minute TD to the Miami Hurricanes.

It's anybody's guess who will qualify for the trip to Charlotte on December 4th. Sometimes that's good, sometimes that's bad. The craziness surrounding the league each week can be incredibly entertaining as it drives you nuts but it also puts a stamp of mediocrity over the entire league.

This weekend, the Southern Fried Football™ Tour heads to Chapel Hill for the UNC-Virginia Tech game.....you wanna guess how this game turns out?

I've given up trying to figure this stuff out.....I figured NC State with extra time to prepare for Clemson would have no trouble against a shaky Tiger team. Wrong.

I figured FSU would be ticked off after letting one get away in Raleigh, and they would handle a UNC team that was lucky to beat William & Mary. Wrong.

The ACC is a mess....and that's the way it's supposed to be.

Last week on my radio shows, I heard from a number of South Carolina fans that the Arkansas game was meaningless because the showdown in the Swamp with Florida would determine the SEC East champion.

Based on the Gamecocks' performance, apparently Steve Spurrier and his team must have been listening.

South Carolina was trampled by a bunch of Hogs from Arkansas.....it was ugly.

I wonder if those same USC fans still feel the same way about the game?

The Gamecocks have big problems with their pass defense, and you wonder what their mindset will be after being embarrassed at home on national television. The proceedings were so bad that ESPN announcer Brad Nessler claimed, "there are so few people in the stands that if you gave each one a water bottle, they couldn't put out a fire."

Now the Old Ball Coach takes his boys down to the Swamp...a place that he made famous back in the 90's. At stake is the SEC East title, which ironically will go to the only team in the division that can finish above .500.

It will be pointed out all week long that South Carolina has never won in Gainesville and that Florida has won 18 of the last 19 in the series.

If there's ever been a time for South Carolina to make a trip to Atlanta, this is the year.....now they've got to go earn it.....the hard way.

Another shocker from the weekend took place in the Southern Conference where the nation's #1 ranked team, Appalachian State, lost to Georgia Southern.

The loss, coupled with Wofford's win over Samford, gives the Terriers a one-game lead in the conference heading into their big game with App State this weekend.

ASU's loss snapped an amazing 26-game conference winning streak. What made it more surprising is that the Mountaineers led 14-0 in the opening quarter before losing 21-14.

The last time the Mountaineers lost in the conference was back in October of 2007 to the same Georgia Southern Eagles.

Don't you love college football in November?

There's nothing better than a big game with a conference title on the line....and that's true whether it's the Southern Conference or the SEC.