Saturday Predictions: What We Did With Our Bye Week

Vanderbilt is off this week, getting some deserved rest after a win against Mississippi and preparing for a trip to Connecticut to take on the Huskies next Saturday. As a result, things around AoG will be pretty quiet as we bask in the warm afterglow of Robbie Caldwell's first win. It will be the only Saturday that fans have off until late November, as the 'Dores will reel off nine straight games to end the season - barring a surprise SEC Championship or bowl game appearance.

Instead of predictions, let's delve into the psyche of the AoG cadre and see what our faithful staff is up to without having Larry Smith streaming live on ESPN3. Feel free to add your weekend plans in the comments as well, so we can compare lives and then all have a good laugh about how pathetic we are.

Train Island - My Larry-withdrawal aside, the bye week couldn't have come at a better time, especially coupled with a lame Wisconsin game (ed. note - I moved to Madison, WI this summer and have been filling the void of Dudley Field in my heart with Badger games. This week they host the pride of Clarksville, Austin Peay...). Rather than enjoy a relaxing weekend at home I think I'll be making the drive down to Indianapolis to attend UFC 119. Why? Aside from my (apocryphal) love of the Circle City (ugh), the Ultimate Fighting Championship just so happened to hold their first ever Indiana event with my favorite fighter as the headliner...three months after I moved away.

Nonetheless, with ticket prices being 1/3rd of the UFC average (ed. note - I don't have tickets yet - anyone selling? Anyone?) and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic fighting in what may very well be his final headlining event, the stars seem to have aligned for me to make the 5-7 hour drive back to Naptown. Throw in a Purdue game (vs. Toledo, ensuring some $10 seats and a possibly hilarious upset) and a bar shuffleboard championship that I need to maintain, and I am leaning very heavily towards a couple days back in standard time. Besides, how badass will it be to see this:

in person? One of the most badass men on the planet, steeling himself for war, all to the 80s beats of Duran Duran. If I see this live, I might wet myself.

KingJamesIV - Ah, bye week! - where I attend my second cousin's first birthday party, an engagement party my parents are hosting for a close family friend and maybe some of my high school's homecoming game. How will I fit it all in? (TWSS)

Titans @ New York, Sunday, followed by a co-ed rec league soccer game. Oh, and copious amounts of television. 'Cause that's how I roll.

Little known fact: I'm also a Liverpool fan (they're having a dreadful season this year) and they take on Sunderland on Saturday morning. So I'll probably wake up semi-early and watch that and college game day.

Also, I'm going to recoup from a particularly long week of the nine-to-five that actually pays the bills (read: my job).

Since this is apparently youtube-themed, I'll introduce this little gem:

In 1997 I was fortunate enough to take a trip to London. Long story short, I came down with a cold and was virtually confined to my room for two days. This commercial came on. I used the "Run! You large, slow clowns!" line in a game of Goldeneye [DK mode, paintball, license to kill] while I was pwning my friends. It was well received.

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Vandy Dan - This bye week is Reason #74 that I like this season’s schedule much better than the 2009 schedule.  The fact that it comes after an unexpected SEC road win just makes it that much sweeter.  Sure, UConn ’10 probably will turn into Army ’09, but at least Commodores fans get a week in the middle of the season to rebuild hopes that were dashed following the special teams disaster that was the Northwestern game.  Two weeks is ample time to talk ourselves into why a squad that is likely destined for a repeat 2-10 performance could somehow eek out six wins and a bowl appearance. 

What will I be doing while I convince myself that we can beat Eastern Michigan, UConn, and two SEC teams (Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee, I'm looking at you)? 

Putting aside my concern over not having enough time for Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I’m really just looking forward to an excellent Saturday night of college football.  The best part about marrying a girl who likes college football – or at least pretends to play the part – is that date night on Saturday means spending the night at a sports bar two blocks from my house.  In addition to $2 beers, wing specials, and Golden Tee, this weekend provides seven potentially solid matchups on TV:  Boise St. vs. Oregon St.; Auburn vs. South Carolina; LSU vs. West Virginia; Florida vs. Kentucky; Mississippi St. vs. Georgia; and then a night cap of Pac 10 games (Arizona vs. Cal and Arizona St. vs. Oregon). 

I’ll be rooting for the teams in bold for a variety of reasons, but the great thing about a Vanderbilt bye week is that I can enjoy watching the games without worrying.  As much as I’d love to see Mississippi St. put UGA into full disaster mode, or watch Oregon St. derail Boise St.’s national title aspirations, I don't really care which Bulldogs win or if Boise St. gets another weekend to delude themselves into thinking that they might actually get to play for a national title.  The results might matter a lot more in November, or they might not matter at all, but for now it’s just great to sit back and enjoy the games and a few beers.