One of the strange themes this season ("Another one?!!") has been the degree to which all teams, even the supposed "elite", seem to be completely unpredictable as to general strength and efficiency from game to game--or indeed over the COURSE of each game: you just cannot be sure how much of what you've seen work before (or in some cases HAVEN'T worked, as the case may be) will characterize them next time they play (for eg. I sure wish LSU's Harris had performed this erratically against US--and Fournette been as much of a general non-factor).
Whether you are a fan, bettor or prospective opponent, this presents a whole BUNCH of uncomfortable questions--and sooner or later likely a tight knot in the pit of your stomach.
THIS week, that has meant bewilderment, frustration, shock and/or wild swings between each and its opposite across the nation at various times. Didn't like our early starting time (and tho it may not have been the proximal "reason" for our difficulties, in retrospect we can guess it didn't HELP us today either), but at least it had US into and thru what turned out to be our emotional roller coaster (and accompanying angst) relatively early, too--and able to "decompress", recover, gain emotional AND analytical DISTANCE in our views of our own performance and everyone else's.
What do we make of it all? Well, I'm more and more thankful, even somewhat content with our win. Day's not even over, and so many others' disappointments, even crushed hopes, put a sloppy, "tougher-than-expected" victory into proper perspective. Bottom line, if-nothing-ELSE POV: We live to fight another day... In a system and "regular season schedule" that jealously guards the importance of each game's result, thereby rendering those the equivalent to "elimination games" leading up to a true "Final Four", personally I am coming around to the idea that in this way we are in a sense by now already IN the (albeit unofficial) "early rounds" of a larger "Play Off Tournament". All anyone has to do is keep WINNING to move on. From THAT point of view, for us at least it is "so far so good".
Whether you are a fan, bettor or prospective opponent, this presents a whole BUNCH of uncomfortable questions--and sooner or later likely a tight knot in the pit of your stomach.
THIS week, that has meant bewilderment, frustration, shock and/or wild swings between each and its opposite across the nation at various times. Didn't like our early starting time (and tho it may not have been the proximal "reason" for our difficulties, in retrospect we can guess it didn't HELP us today either), but at least it had US into and thru what turned out to be our emotional roller coaster (and accompanying angst) relatively early, too--and able to "decompress", recover, gain emotional AND analytical DISTANCE in our views of our own performance and everyone else's.
What do we make of it all? Well, I'm more and more thankful, even somewhat content with our win. Day's not even over, and so many others' disappointments, even crushed hopes, put a sloppy, "tougher-than-expected" victory into proper perspective. Bottom line, if-nothing-ELSE POV: We live to fight another day... In a system and "regular season schedule" that jealously guards the importance of each game's result, thereby rendering those the equivalent to "elimination games" leading up to a true "Final Four", personally I am coming around to the idea that in this way we are in a sense by now already IN the (albeit unofficial) "early rounds" of a larger "Play Off Tournament". All anyone has to do is keep WINNING to move on. From THAT point of view, for us at least it is "so far so good".
