Introduction: Setting the Scene
The weather yesterday (Saturday, 11/5/2022) was tee shirt warm, cloudy, and rainy off and on. Bravely, I donned the same Georgia tee shirt as in the above photograph. My outdoor activity included hauling off the trash and the recycling. A few folks saw me wearing my Georgia tee shirt. No one commented. Afterward, before the game, I talked briefly with folks outside in a next-door neighbor's yard. They were having a yard sale. (I offered to buy their yard, but they were only selling the stuff that was in it.) One tall and wiry feller who looked to be about my age “warned” that he would get his shotgun out of his van to “shoot” me! We had a little fun. They know that Tennessee is still my second-favorite college football team.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman shopped for groceries and household items. She also visited with her folks who live nearby. Later, she returned home just after the game started at 3:30 PM (“govrmint” time).
Rankings as of the Games through Saturday, 10/29/2022
Before the game, the college football top three rankings were as follows through games played as of Saturday, 10/29/2022:
AP Poll (from NCAA AP Poll through games as of 10/29/2022):
#1 Georgia (8-0, 1528 points)
#2 tie between Ohio State and Tennessee (both 8-0 and both 1500 points)
Coaches Poll (from USA Today Coaches Poll through games as of 10/29/2022):
#1 Georgia (8-0, 1552 points)#2 Ohio State (8-0, 1505 points)
#3 Tennessee (8-0, 1455 points)
Obviously, Georgia was ranked #1 in both polls.
As a side note, on Saturday, 10/29/2022, my wife and I took our 2012 Nissan Sentra (her car) and our 2006 Nissan Frontier (my truck) to get oil changes at the same time. A gentleman, a year or so older than me, was also at the Service Street location. He wore his Ohio State Buckeyes sweatshirt on a warm day. He and I talked for a while after my wife left in the car. (Ladies go first for oil changes.) The gentleman's last name was Yankee, but he was not a Yankee! He was born in Ohio. His wife and he had moved to Florida. Afterward, they moved halfback to live in Tennessee. Mr. Yankee and I spoke on the topics of sports, “poly-ticks,” and Christianity. He was a brother in Christ. I wished his wife and him well. Further, I expressed my desire that Ohio State win, unless they were playing Georgia or Tennessee!
Shifting gears to the College Football Playoff (CFP), the most recent rankings from NCAA College Football CFP through games as of Saturday, 10/29/2022, are as follows:
#1 Tennessee 8-0#2 Ohio State 8-0
#3 Georgia 8-0
I understood why Ohio State was #2 in the AP, Coaches, and CFP polls. Why in the CFP poll did Tennessee rank #1 and Georgia rank #3?
In their first eight games, Tennessee beat five ranked teams (Pittsburgh, Florida, LSU, Alabama, and Kentucky), while Georgia beat only one ranked team (Oregon). That's probably why the CFP poll ranked as it did on 10/29/2022.
As a side note, in their first eight games, Tennessee averaged 49.38 points per game on offense and allowed an average of 21 points per game on defense. In contrast, Georgia averaged 41.75 offensive points per game and allowed an average of 10.5 points per game on defense.
The Game
The rain, which had poured briefly here, started and continued to pour in Athens, Georgia, after halftime. The rain stopped near the end of the game.
While watching the televised game, my glib Irish tongue rained out in eloquence as I reacted and commented on frequent occasions! During the game, however, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman finally admitted that she wanted Tennessee to win. She likes Georgia, but she supports Tennessee. She has a master's degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She, however, did not wear one of her orange Tennessee tee shirts.
I curbed my glib tongue once my “long-suffering” wife admitted, finally, after three years, that she likes Tennessee better than Georgia in college football. After all, it is only a college football game.
Her feelings probably come from the days when the Tennessee Lady Vols, under Pat Summitt, and the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, under Andy Landers (or “Ann Landers,” as I'd call him), were intense women's college basketball rivals. I still favor the Tennessee Lady Vols over any other women's college basketball team, dear! My allegiance is only to Georgia college football! I can parse the distinction between college football and women's college basketball.
Before the game, I predicted that Georgia would win by 10 to 14 points. Georgia won by 14 points. The box score by quarter and final score below are from NCAA 11/5/2022: Tennessee (8-1) 13 - Final - Georgia (9-0) 27.
Quarter: 1 2 3 4 Final
TN 3 3 0 7 13
GA 14 10 3 0 27
The Vols got their only touchdown in the game with four minutes and 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter. At 2:42 left in the game, the Dawgs took over on downs at the Vols' 39-yard line. After three running plays, Georgia had advanced to the Tennessee 25-yard line. Instead of kicking a field goal, the Dawgs took a victory kneel formation and won the game.
As the adage goes, “Offenses win games, but defenses win championships.” Both teams have great offenses. Tennessee has a good defense. Georgia has a great defense. Georgia won by having the stronger defense. Georgia's home field advantage (the 12th man) certainly helped. Nice try, Vols! Great win, Dawgs!
Reply to Four Vol Fans
To the “long-suffering” Mrs. Appalachian Irishman, I am glad that you “came out” yesterday by saying that you are still a Vols football fan. As you know, in 2019, I relegated the Vols to be my second favorite college football team, when I promoted the Dawgs to my favorite team. I am not a “fan” or “fanatic” (extremely enthusiastic) about any sports team. As I have written in several articles that mention college football, I have decided that Saturdays are much more enjoyable as a follower of Georgia football. I don't have enough decades left in life to await the return of the Vols to their former greatness.
The Vols are doing well this year. I am happy for them! I have written, however, about the Vols' “coaching carousel” since Phillip Fulmer, most recently in articles from 9/18/2022 and 10/19/2022.
Furthermore, I wonder when Josh Heupel, who is doing well as the Vols' current head coach, will leave the Vols and return to his alma mater to coach the Oklahoma Sooners. This article is my prediction for what he will do in a few years.
On Friday, 11/4/2022, I received a text from a former work colleague, which expressed the desire to see the Vols beat the Dawgs the next day. I haven't replied yet. I thought about replying after the game yesterday. I may reply tomorrow. Fridays were casual days at the office. Before I retired, I often wore my Georgia football tee shirt on Fridays. My colleague wore Tennessee football tee shirts. We enjoyed the humor in the rivalry. We are both Christians, so the ongoing rivalry is temporal.
After the game, I saw a social media post by a friend from my hometown. He used explicit and colorful metaphors to deride folks born and raised in Tennessee but who support a football team in another state, such as I do. The following is my reply to him: “Yawn. Laughter. Your reasoning is subjective and inflamed by the Vols' loss to Georgia. You are welcome to keep your opinionated anger to yourself. I suggest that you stop drinking so much orange Kool-Aid. Your eyes look a little blurry! Do you have enough decades left in life to await the Vols' return to greatness? Yes, they are doing well enough this year, but why are you angry, and why am I happy? I don't throw a hissy fit when Georgia loses. Where are your priorities? I still love you in Christ.”
Finally, a good friend emailed several of us today about the Vols' loss yesterday. The following sentence in his email included his humor on the loss: “The Vols were kidnapped, and a bunch of look-alikes took their place for the Georgia game.” My friend's email included many serious points. He wasn't mad. He knows that I follow Georgia first, then Tennessee, in college football.
By the Way, “Govrmint” Time Ended!
Getting off the mundane topic of college football, I had “so much fun” setting back an hour 14 different timepieces early this morning. Whew! At least we are finally off “govrmint” time!
Starting tomorrow, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman will be able to leave for work with a little early morning light forming, instead of driving to work in full darkness. For early risers, this is better and safer.
The addendum to my 3/19/2022 article cited a valid source to prove that—if “govrmint” time were year-round—the sun would not rise until 8:47 AM from January 1 through January 11 in any given year. The addendum includes, “Do you want school-aged children arriving at school in the dark? Do you want to work almost an hour before the sun rises? I did not think so!”
I'm glad to be done with “govrmint” time once again, until next spring.
Conclusion
College football season is enjoyable, but it is winding down. Three games remain in the regular season. Soon, the “thousands” of bowl games will start. The College Football Playoff will determine the national championship team. By following the Dawgs first, I enjoy Saturdays more than if I followed the Vols first. The Vols are my second favorite team.
I hope that my hometown friend knows the good Lord personally. He may. His post yesterday contained colorful adjectives that my glib Irish tongue does not prefer to use except in rare moments of anger or frustration. The Lord forgives my tongue after I apologize to him. I also apologize to others who may hear me, but it's usually me talking alone when only God hears me.
Now that I have this sports article finished, my mind is shifting to my third article in the Christian Evidences series. I plan to write—in answer to the question “Does God exist?”—that the teleological argument alone proves that he does.
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