Tailgatin' the SEC (Part 2)

Since the corner where we had tailgated for years after graduation had been deemed "off limits" by some unknown and unnamed official at the University, my friend Shane Hill and some of his fellow tailgaters went into action.  Now I have known Shane since the Fall of 1989.  We had a freshman english class together back then.  I joined the Army in 1990 and came back four years later, joined the Army ROTC there at Bama and who do I run into but Shane.  I think he was still a Sophomore at that point but I digress.  Fortunately for me, I got to spend the next 2 years keeping "The Strip" in business with him and since we have both graduated we continue to see each other every year during football season at the tailgates.  It's not just Shane that we get to see it's all sorts of guys and gals that we went to school with, their parents and some grandparents that are still with us, and all our kids now.  It seems like our huddle just keeps getting bigger and it's like a family reunion everytime we are all together.

Well, about 4 years ago when the University made their changes to the way things were done when it came to tailgating, one of the gentlemen who tailgated the same corner as we did, Mr. Jarmon, took the matter into his own hands.  He went to looking at real estate near the University and after much research found an older house about three blocks southwest of the stadium.  He purchased it, refurbished it and turned it into the ultimate tailgating crash shack.  Since then, this has become the rally point for everyone that used to call the old corner home.  This brings me back to my friend Shane.  Back in college, this was a guy that couldn't boil water but in the years after graduating...Shane has become quite the cook.  Shane develops all his own recipes and he and his sidekick Pat are always cooking it up at Mr. Jarmon's place every home game and I'm here to tell you folks, this ain't hamburgers and hot dogs we are talking about.  Like I've said before, I've been fortunate to have been all over the world and sampled all sorts of food.  The food that you get at one of these tailgates makes some "sit down restaurants" jealous!  Take the menu for this weekend's Bama-Florida game for example:

Swamp Juice

Caramelized Corn Grits topped with Shrimp Rockefeller

Fried Gator Bites (seasoned gator meat lightly fried)

Hot Sauce Marinated Onion Straws

Cuban Sandwiches

Ropa Vieja (see recipe)

Cumin Scented Rice

See what I mean!  These boys are serious!

Shane and Pat usually tailor their menu around whoever we are playing.  For instance, if we are playing LSU then you can plan on some gumbo or something cajun.  For Arkansas a couple of years ago, they cooked a whole hog and as you can see for this coming weekend, you gonna be eatin' some gator! Folks, this is food that makes your tongue want to beat your brains out!  If it's a night game, they'll usually have brunch and then a late lunch.  For an afternoon start, lunch and something after the game.  We always have plenty to drink....plenty and a couple of big screens out back to catch all the other major games that weekend.  Regardless of when we are playing, you can guarantee that you will have some good grub to get you ready for the big game.  They have even started compiling their recipes for a book that they want to publish!  If you want to see more and actually see some of their recipes check out their site at http://alabamatailgate.com/ and let 'em know what you think.  If you are planning on being in Tuscaloosa for a game, stop by their tailgate and tell 'em I sent you.  Don't forget to donate some cash to the cause though...cause Gator ain't free!

Tailgatin' the SEC (Part 1)

I've been wanting to write something about this for a few weeks now and just never got around to it.  I started writing this and concluded that I was going to have to split this into a two or three parts series to tell the whole story, so here goes Part 1. 

Throughout the years, with being in the Army, I have the chance to travel all over the world and more importantly, all over the United States.  I have been able to observe and participate in tailgates in the PAC-10, BIG 12, WAC, Mountain West, ACC, Big 10 and the Big East in addition to my home in the SEC throughout those years.  I'm here to tell you folks, no one does it quite like we do in the SEC.  Having that been said, I have been pretty impressed with an elite few from other conferences.  For example, when Bama played Iowa State a few years ago in the Independence Bowl down in Shreveport, they had several groups of fans that drove down in converted school buses.  They had taken these "yella dogs" as we like to call 'em back home and converted these things into tailgating machines.  One even had astro turf and goal posts on the top of it with tornado sirens (they are the Cyclones), and a built in grill and kegerators in the back.  These guys were definitely dedicated but like I said, they were the few.  One day, I'd like to be able to get to some places like Ann Arbor, MI or Columbus, OH or South Bend, IN to see how they do it on campus there but until I do, I'll have to base what I know on what I have seen on how well these teams travel and I can say this....no one travels like we do in the SEC.  To kickoff the season in 2000, Bama played UCLA in Rose Bowl stadium.  When we showed up for the game, the Bama fans actually outnumbered the UCLA fans and it was their home game!  When football starts in the SEC, it is almost like mass movements of towns.  The weekly movement of RVs and campers from campus to campus, state to state is just amazing to see and if you happen to catch these convoys moving down the interstate it's something to behold.  I remember growing up and going to Bama games (and yes, even Auburn games with my childhood best friend and his family)  and throughout the years, as your memory starts to fade,  you might remember the final score or some keys plays from the games but you never forget the times that you had at the tailgates and the people you met in the process.

It's awesome to look back on some of these experiences and the people you meet.  I've been fortunate to interact with fans from some of the more traditional football powers in the country like Oklahoma, Texas, Penn State, UCLA, etc. and one thing that they always seem to compliment us on is how nice they are received when they come to our place and how nice it is to be able to interact with people who genuinely have a love and a knowledge of the game.  I think that is what sets the SEC apart.  For the most part, our fans are very knowledgeable about the game and can actually sit together and have a educated conversation about the teams that we love.  It's that love and understanding of this game that gives us not only a pride in our team but also a pride in our conference.  That's why at the end of the season when we are at bowl games competing against teams from other conferences, it's not our school cheers that are the first things out of our mouth when we have clinched a victory.  It's SEC-SEC-SEC!  It's that pride in our conference that makes everything special.  We don't just show up for the social aspect of tailgating.  For us, it's almost like foreplay...for lack of a better term.  It's the precursor to the main event but if you are gonna do...do it right!

With that said some Universities have made things a little harder on the hardcore tailgaters and have turned it into a business opportunity, to include my beloved Alma Mater the University of Alabama.  When I was in college at Bama, I remember walking to class during football season and if there was a home game that weekend, those mass movements of RVs and campers began moving in on Wednesday to some of the lots just off campus.  Back then, it was first come, first served....no rental fees required.  Every Thursday and Friday morning, I would vary my walking route just a bit just so I could walk through the small village that popped up over night because I was assured that I would be offered breakfast by some family that was out cooking it up.  It never missed and this poor college kid never went hungry during football season and didn't have to resort to ramen noodles.  These days, many Universities in the SEC actually charge the RVers a season fee for them to be able to park their RV in an approved lot for the season.  The sad thing is, that most of these lots have moved to the outskirts of campus and the current students, at Bama at least, don't get that same experience that I did when I was a student there and aren't able to build those friendships and bonds with some of the older alumni and fans before the hectic hours leading up to the game.  The University of Alabama has even regulated tailgating on campus, putting certain areas off limits and actually making you pay to set up your spot in certain areas of campus like the Quad.  When this happened a few years ago, some friends of mine, and fellow classmates at the University resorted to drastic measures.  Come back for Part 2 tomorrow to see what those drastic measures were.

SEC Review for Week 4

Well folks....I've noticed from the responses (or lack thereof) for my NFL Previews that not really getting any interest in what the heck is happening in the NFL from those of you that are reading the blog.  So, what I'm going to do is mostly focus on college football.  Also, from the comments of some of the folks reading (that don't neccessarily follow football as close as some of us when it comes to stats, etc.) I'm going to try and keep it as simple and as real as I can so that hopefully the casual fan to the absolute fanatic will enjoy it.  I love to hear your comments.  If you don't read any other part of this blog, please read the last two paragraphs. 

The last couple of weekends have taught us several things within the SEC.  South Carolina, Auburn and Arkansas look to be for real, Florida and UGA have some issues, Tennessee and Ole Miss have even more and without being biased, Bama is looking pretty good.

Some folks when they read the above comment will say, "well what about LSU?".  Well, what about 'em?  After seeing them in the opener against a injury and suspension ridden North Carolina squad and seeing them barely eke out a win...I chalked it up as first game jitters.  Then we had the Vandy and Miss. State games, which were both SEC wins, but aren't exactly a good barometer of where your program is on the National level.  Then, this past weekend we see them barely get a win against West Virginia who had two blowout wins against Maryland and Coastal Carolina with a close one against Marshall that they won in overtime.  After being able to watch Bama and Auburn all four weeks now, Arkansas and LSU each a couple of games I really think that just judging off the way they are playing right now, LSU is the fourth best team in the West.  Bama and Auburn have established themselves so far as the front runners for the West and LSU still hasn't played a game that is going to test them.  This weekend against Tennessee and next week against Florida should definitely tell us more about them than the Vandy and Miss. State games but the real tests start on October 23rd with Auburn and then November 6th against Bama (after an bye week).  Bottom line with the SEC West, I see it as a two horse race with Bama and Burn duking it out in the Iron Bowl for the rights to go to Atlanta (as if the Iron Bowl needs anymore hype, it might be for a shot at the National Championship also).

If we look at the SEC East, it is not the powerhouse of the past.  In the first four weeks, we have seen pretty consistant play from only one team in the East and that is South Carolina.  The only thing consistant about Florida is that they have been inconsistant.  The first three weeks, they struggled at even some of the most fundamental things as completing a snap.  This weekend against Kentucky, you saw flashes of what they could be like but they still have yet to put together consistant performances.  South Carolina has looked pretty doggone good.  They are definitely the best looking South Carolina team that I remember seeing since they entered the SEC.  The improved play of senior quarterback Stephen Garcia and the running of freshman running back Marcus Lattimore have been key to the play of the South Carolina offense.  This past weekend against Auburn however, the South Carolina defense allowed over 250 yards rushing to Cameron Newton (AUB QB) and Michael Dyer (AUB RB), 280 to be exact, and 341 total rushing yards.  Having that been said, the only other team that South Carolina will play that will have that kind of rushing attack will be Bama and with Bama, Ingram and Richardson are usually not on the field at the same time unless in some sort of Wildcat formation.  The attack that Auburn can throw at you right now is what makes them so good.  The ability to have the likes of Newton and Dyer on the field at the same time, with the threat of either one of them breaking out for a 80+ yard run and at the same time having to worry about the arm of Newton is going to frustrate every SEC opponent (yep, that means Bama too).  The SEC East is also a two horse race as I see it and that comes down to the Gators and the Gamecocks and right now, I'm liking the Gamecocks to show up in Atlanta come December but we'll get a good luck at Florida this week against Bama and how they can handle the hostile 100,000 plus hat are going to be there on Saturday.  Even with a loss by Florida this weekend, the SEC East is all going to come down to that November 13th matchup with South Carolina in the Swamp and we all know how hard it can be to play down there.

My predictions for this week....
UCONN over Vandy
Miss. State over Alcorn State (barely)
Auburn over LA Monroe
Kentucky over Ole Miss
LSU over Tenn (no way Tenn beats LSU in Baton Rouge)
Georgia shows they could play in the PAC-10 with a win over Colorado (yes, I know CU is still a Big 12 team til next year)
Bama over Florida (home field advantage)


To close this week, I have to say that this weekend was a very special one for my wife Kate and I.  Connor, our son, turned 1 on Monday and we had all the party, presents and cake action for him this weekend.  Some of you know what we had gone through with Kate's pregnancy and the diagnosis of Down Syndrome and some of the crap that we were told by some pretty idiotic folks holding the title of "MD".  Despite what some had warned us would happen, Connor is doing great.  If you want to know pure, unaldulterated and unconditional love....get to know someone with Down Syndrome and you'll see it first hand.  What else could win the hearts of young teenage boys and enable something like what's shown in this video clip to happen (see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb_4f5nXZdA&feature=player_embedded).  My hats' off to the coaches and players of both teams for making young Ike Ditzenberger's dream come true.  The video is also viewable at the bottom of this page.

We have learned so much about Down Syndrome in the past few years and the more we study, the more we still learn.  Kate, Connor and I are walking in the 2010 Atlanta Buddy Walk to show our support for the more than 350,000 individuals with Down syndrome in the United States.  We want to do our part to make sure that each individual is given every opportunity to reach their full potential and they can't do it without us in their corner to help provide funds if needed and moreso to provide a voice for them in the education systems, workplaces, etc.  Please visit Connor's Corner if you'd like to donate or to just post an encouraging word (http://buddywalk.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=430553&lis=1&kntae430553=A5C74B95201148F08EC4D7795B294CAC&supId=273977974).  Connor's Corner can also be accessed by a link on the top right of my Blog page.  Thanks.

Pre-season look at the NFC South- New Orleans Saints

Well, after taking much crap from my own "Who Dat" nation (my dear wife, Kate) for not giving the Who Dat rundown first, here it is.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few months, you know that the Saints brought home the first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history last season finishing the regular season 13-3 with each of those 3 losses coming in the last 3 regular season games, one of which superstar quarterback Drew Brees didn't even play.

Looking at this season's schedule, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be mentioning the Saints and playoffs in the same breath come late December.  Their division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, did little to improve their team in the off-season and the Panthers and Bucs had so far to go that what improvements they did make, in my opinion, won't be enough to catch the Saints.  Having that been said, I do see the Saints splitting the home and home series with the Falcons which forces us to look outside the division.  The key match-ups as I see it will be the opener tonight with the Vikings, the 31 October matchup with the Steelers, the 25 November matchup with Dallas and then the 19 December matchup with a dangerous Baltimore team.  Fortunately, the Saints won't have to play the Packers in the regular season and because of that, I think that will be enough to give the Saints in the division (with their overall record) and another ticket to the playoffs come January 2011.

One last deep thought by old JJ before I give you some things to watch for this season with the Saints.  Last year the Saint's defense actually was rated as the eighth worst in the league even though they were second in the league for takeaways (with 39) and tied for first in points off turnovers (with 141).  They actually allowed 122.2 yards a game last year also, which is pretty bad when we are talking the NFL.  How could this happen?  I'll tell you how it happens.  You have an offense that can routinely score points in the matter of seconds which increases the amount of plays that the opponents offense gets per game and the Saints defense.  The Saints defense was not as bad last year as the good 'ol stats seem to show but if the Saints defense suffers any key injuries this season, the alarm should start going off in Coach Payton's and Drew Brees' heads.  They will have to change their offensive gameplan somewhat to a more ball control offense to help rest their defense and still control the game.  Can the Saints play ball control?  Remains to be seen but we shall see.

Some things to watch for this season....
1.  The effect of having FS Darren Sharper on the "physically unable to perform list" early in the season and how it impact the pass defense against the Vikings and the Falcons early in the season.

2.  The loss of OT Jammal Brown and the impact it has on the pass protection for Drew Brees.  To me, this was the biggest loss for the Saints in the off season cause this dude was a hoss.

3.  Can RB Pierre Thomas and the defense stay healthy (see above).

4.  Will rookie CB Patrick Robinson be ready to help out some this year in some 3rd down situations?  He could really help spell some of his compadres in the secondary if he can.

After it's all said and done, I like the Saints to take the NFC South title again this year and two play Green Bay for the NFC Championship.  If the defense can stay healthy, I look for them to be playing in the Super Bowl in 2011 and going for the Lombardi trophy once again.  WHO DAT?

Pre-season look at the NFC South- Atlanta Falcons

With tomorrow night's kickoff to the NFL season rapidly approaching, I decided that I would take a look at my two favorite divisions in the NFL, the NFC South and the AFC East for my next few blogs.  I'll start with the NFC South since that is the home to the 2009 World Champs, the New Orleans Saints.  We'll take it team by team and start with the Atlanta Falcons.

Just to recap, let's look at the final regular season records for all the teams in the division from 2009.  The Atlanta Falcons finished with a 9-7 record, the Carolina Panthers finished with a 8-8 record, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished with a 3-13 record and of course, the New Orleans Saints finished the season with a record of 13-3 and then going on to win the title.  Now, on to the Falcons.

Much of the problem with the Atlanta Falcons finishing at 9-7 last year, was some minor growing pains from their starting quarterback, Matt Ryan and some nagging injuries from starting running back Michael Turner seemed to bog down the Falcons who at the first of the year, I was looking at giving the Saints a run for their money in the NFC South.  Overall for the off season, the Falcons didn't do very well at improving the team except for the addition of CB Dunta Robinson.  Robinson should have a major impact on the improvement of the pass defense, which last year, ranked 28th in the league.  However, the Falcons did lose S Charlie Peprah, CB Tye Hill and CB Chris Houston but overall the pass defense should improve somewhat this year.  The addition of rookie LB Sean Weatherspoon will also help out the second tier to the defense.  He is expected to make an immediate impact with his playing time.  The problem is that the Falcons didn't add anything to strengthen their front on offense nor defense.  If they cannot pressure the opposing quarterback without having to depend on the blitz to do it...it may be a long year.  The Falcons have to face their division rival Saints twice (as with all divisional games), Pittsburgh and Green Bay.  With Rothlisberger being suspended for that game, it should help the Falcons not have to worry as much about that air attack however they really need to worry about the other two teams....the Saints and the Packers and what most folks believe are two of the top if not the top two quarterbacks in the league in Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers.  You can quote me on this...if the Falcons can have their new secondary gel before the first game with New Orleans on September 26th and keep Turner and Ryan healthy they are going to make it interesting in the NFC South and will more than likely challenge the Saints for the division.  Those three are what I see as the key to their season.  Sure, they don't have the strongest defensive line but they can still slow down the run and slow the game.  With the quick strike capabilities that they have with Ryan, WR Roddy White, TE Tony Gonzalez and WR Michael Jenkins, the Falcons are never out it.

Bottomline, I see the Falcons splitting their games with the Saints and losing their one game to the Packers and their game with the Ravens.  That will make the difference in the division.  I see the Saints taking the division but the Falcons will be good enough to pull off a Wild Card spot and make things interesting in the playoffs.

Boise State- 2010 NCAA Football Champs- What?

So last night, I got the opportunity to see the much vaunted Boise State powerhouse take on Virginia Tech.  The big thing that jumped out at me initially is how that "Beamer Ball" usually has a solid special team game but last night, it cost them dearly.  Because of special teams failures, Boise was actually able to jump out to an early 17-0 lead.  Once Va. Tech got their heads screwed on straight, they actually came back and took the lead only to lose the lead late in the fourth quarter which in turn cost them the game.  I will have to say this, the game was extremely entertaining to watch if you like a good bit of offense.  After watching though, I called it what I thought it was...a good win for a good team and a good start to the season.  What suprised me was the way that the sports media is covering the thing today.  They have already stamped Boise State's ticket to the National Championship game this coming January in Arizona!  You have to be kidding me.  Last year when Bama beat Virginia Tech in the opening game of the season noone gave them a one way ticket to hoist the crystal football.  In fact, the doubters were a plenty.  Even if they had gave Bama that one way ticket, why the heck does it mean so much to beat Virginia Tech?  When was the last time that Virginia Tech won anything of any importance.  Well, let me throw this one at you.  Since 1948, vs. teams ranked in the top 5, Virginia Tech is a terrible 1-27!  That's right folks, I said 1 win in 28 tries!  So then, why is Boise State getting their ticket to the National Championship stamped so early this season by some in our national sports media?  Well, let's look at Boise State's schedule.  We have Wyoming, Oregon State, New Mexico State, Toledo, San Jose State, La. Tech, Hawaii, Idaho, Fresno State, Nevada and Utah State.  How many of those teams are ranked?  Oh, that would be a big, fat ZERO.  Now, I totally agree that early season rankings are nothing but beauty contests but can we honestly say that Boise State is one of the top two teams in the nation after the first week and go ahead and chalk up wins for them in each of their next 11 match ups?  I think not.  I agree that even a sluggish Boise State squad should be able to handle most of their season relatively easy but don't glaze over the matchups with Oregon State and Fresno State.  Oregon State played great this weekend against TCU and Fresno State beat Cincy 28-14.  I have to pull a page from old Lee Corso's book and give a great big "NOT SO FAST" for all the college football no-it-alls that already have crowned Boise State as BCS champs cause let's face it, if they do make it all the way....they won't be playing the likes of Wyoming or Nevada or heck even the likes of Virginia Tech or Oregon State when they get there!  Nothing against Boise State, but let's step out of the opium tent and clear our heads for a minute.  It's the first week of the season ladies and gents and every victory is what it is...one step closer to that elusive undefeated season.  If we are still talking about Boise State and the National Championship in December, then it should lead to some spirited debate on the subject of a playoff system for our FBS (aka Division 1) football.

Some other little Boise State tidbits to munch on:

9 bowl appearances for a record of 5-4 in those bowl games.

Boise State’s all-time record vs. BCS schools is a woeful 6-17

The only four years they attempted to play two BCS teams during the regular season, they went 0-2 each year. (1997: lost to Wisconsin and Washington State, 2000: lost to Arkansas and Washington St., 2001: lost to Washington State and South Carolina, 2005: lost to Georgia and Oregon State).

Top 10 Toughest-Schedule
Leaders for 2002-09 (just a hunch....Boise State is nowhere to be found)

2002

Team Record Pct.

1. Southern California..............................107-58 .649

2. Iowa St.......................................................107-62 .633

3. Texas Tech................................................108-66 .621

4. Arkansas....................................................104-64 .619

5. Florida.......................................................... 97-60 .618

6. Stanford...................................................... 87-54 .617

7. Florida St...................................................112-70 .615

8. Miami (FL).................................................. 91-57 .615

9. Wisconsin.................................................108-68 .614

10. Alabama...................................................... 98-62 .613

2003

Team Record Pct.

1. Alabama...................................................... 98-50 .662

2. Florida.......................................................... 89-48 .650

3. Notre Dame............................................... 89-49 .645

4. Texas A&M.................................................. 82-53 .607

5. Arizona........................................................ 84-55 .604

6. Iowa St......................................................... 76-50 .603

7. Bowling Green......................................... 77-51 .602

8. Kansas St..................................................... 86-59 .593

9. Ohio St......................................................... 87-60 .592

10. South Carolina......................................... 80-56 .588

2004

Team Record Pct.

1. Texas A&M.................................................. 86-42 .672

2. North Carolina.......................................... 74-39 .655

3. Arizona........................................................ 69-39 .639

4. Arizona St. ................................................. 79-48 .622

5. Auburn........................................................ 76-47 .618

6. Baylor........................................................... 66-41 .617

7. Notre Dame............................................... 78-49 .614

8. Arkansas...................................................... 68-43 .613

9. Georgia........................................................ 71-45 .612

10. Iowa.............................................................. 76-49 .608

2005

Team Record Pct.

1. Oklahoma................................................... 84-38 .689

2. Stanford...................................................... 66-37 .641

3. Michigan..................................................... 80-46 .635

4. Ohio St. ....................................................... 80-47 .630

5. North Carolina.......................................... 74-45 .622

6. Northwestern........................................... 78-49 .614

7. Texas............................................................. 81-51 .614

8. Arkansas...................................................... 63-40 .612

9. Southern California................................ 81-52 .609

10. Texas Tech.................................................. 60-39 .606

2006

Team Record Pct.

1. Florida .......................................................100-49 .671

2. Michigan..................................................... 91-53 .632

3. Cincinnati................................................... 83-50 .624

4. Kentucky .................................................... 83-52 .615

5. South Carolina......................................... 83-52 .615

6. Connecticut............................................... 73-47 .608

7. Southern California ............................... 90-58 .608

8. Arizona ....................................................... 76-50 .603

9. Arkansas...................................................... 86-59 .593

10. Tennessee................................................... 85-59 .590

2007

Team Record Pct.

1. Texas A&M ................................................ 85-50 .630

2. Virginia Tech ............................................. 91-55 .623

3. Florida ......................................................... 87-53 .621

4. Oklahoma St. ........................................... 83-51 .619

5. Mississippi ................................................. 75-48 .610

6. Illinois .......................................................... 81-53 .605

7. Georgia ....................................................... 79-52 .603

8. Nebraska .................................................... 82-54 .603

9. South Carolina ........................................ 74-49 .602

10. Kentucky .................................................... 81-54 .600

2008

Team Record Pct.

1. Oklahoma ................................................. 95-50 .655

2. Florida ......................................................... 93-53 .637

3. Texas ............................................................ 89-54 .622

4. Georgia ....................................................... 83-51 .619

5. Arkansas .................................................... 76-47 .618

6. Ohio St. ....................................................... 80-52 .606

7. Kansas ......................................................... 79-53 .598

8. Florida St. ................................................... 73-49 .598

9. Syracuse ..................................................... 73-50 .593

10. Virginia ....................................................... 73-50 .593

2009

Team Record Pct.

1. Mississippi St. ........................................... 84-41 .672

2. Alabama ..................................................... 93-54 .633

3. Oklahoma ................................................. 82-52 .612

4. Arkansas .................................................... 83-53 .610

5. Oregon ....................................................... 90-58 .608

6. Florida ......................................................... 88-57 .607

7. Arizona ....................................................... 83-55 .601

8. Florida St. ................................................... 78-52 .600

9. Iowa ............................................................. 78-53 .595

10. Miami (FL) ................................................. 76-53 .589