Last night the two schools hooked up again, this time on the hard-court.  And while at least one of the Alabama fans in attendance was wondering whether or not LSU would be able to pass mid-court, it didn’t take the Tigers’ players nearly as long to reach the offensive zone this time around – 20 seconds, to be exact.  And in doing so, they received a warm round of applause from the Crimson Tide fans.

LSU would go on to lose by a score of 69-53, dropping another contest to their SEC rivals.  But on the bright side, at least they were able to score some points this time around.

With only five first downs and 92 total yards of offense, many people found themselves wondering why Miles was so reluctant to allow starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson to throw the ball down field, while others wondered why he chose not to replace him with back-up quarterback Jarrett Lee (who started at quarterback for most of LSU’s games this season).

These were fair questions that were lingering on the minds of many as the final seconds ticked off the clock last night.  As for Hebert, he was looking for answers during the post-game press conference.

While I still disagree with Miles’ game-plan, I can’t help but credit the Tigers’ coach for taking the criticism like a man and providing what he felt was a fair answer to Hebert’s harsh line of questioning.

Take a look.

There have been plenty of scandals that have taken place within NCAA football programs across the nation throughout the past 12 years.  MTV’s “Clutch Blog” helps us take a look at them with this interesting “College Football Scandal Map.”

“Pistol Pete” Maravich attended Louisiana State University and is one of the greatest players in men’s NCAA Division I history. Although his dream was to play for West Virginia, his father was the varsity coach at LSU and when he offered his son a spot on the team, Pete could not refuse. In his first ever game at LSU, Maravich would record a triple-double consisting of 50 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. His 44.2 points per game in college is a record that still stands today and may never be broken. The Atlanta Hawks selected Maravich with the third overall pick in the 1970 NBA Draft.

Pete Maravich enjoyed a Hall-of-Fame career while playing 10 years in the NBA. He was named an all-star five times, led the NBA in scoring in 1976-77 with 31.1 points per game and was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.

Here are 10 great plays from Maravich’s career.

Notable Birthdays

Ray Crockett, NFL – Born January 5th 1967 (age 45) in Dallas, Texas

Joe Juneau, NHL – Born January 5th 1968 (age 44) in Pont-Rouge, Quebec

Warrick Dunn, NFL – Born January 5th 1975 (age 37) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Despite whether or not you have ever thought about what it would be like to be a college football cheerleader, I’m sure you can still appreciate the following video, which was taken from the point-of-view of an LSU cheerleader during their Thanksgiving weekend game against Arkansas.

Enjoy!

Hat Tip reader Craig

Hat Tip – (Deadspin)

Hopefully she survived long enough after this to watch her Tigers beat up on WVU and climb to the top of the latest AP Top 25 rankings.

Yes, shotgunning beers may get you a spot in the top 25 Michigan, but the grannies at LSU know that it takes a keg stand to make it to the top.

Hat Tip – [Lost Lettermen]

Michigan State disappointed last week as they were on the wrong end of Notre Dame’s much-anticipated ‘breakout game.’  Thankfully, we had both Oklahoma and Stanford to cover in Saturday’s evening slate.  That resulted in us coming out on top for the second week in a row to open the season.  This week’s NCAA schedule has three match-ups between Top 25 teams.  We have predictions for two of them, as we see the favorites coming out on top in each of our picks for this week.

Here is a look at those favorites.

Game: #2 LSU @ #16 West Virginia
Pick: LSU -5.5
Reason: LSU will face yet another tough test as they take on their third ranked opponent in four games.  Their previous two saw them beat then-No.3 Oregon at a neutral field in the opening week, and No. 25-ranked Mississippi State last Thursday.  They will once again be faced with a tough task as they take on No. 16 West Virginia at Mountaineer Field.  WVU has a strong offense, but so did Oregon and Mississippi and we saw what happened to them.  There is no reason to believe that the same wont happen to the Mountaineers on Saturday.  Look for the Tigers’ defense to silence a raucous home crowd once again, and the return of wide receiver Russell Sheppard should help their offense do enough to get the win and the cover.

Game: Missouri @ #1 Oklahoma
Pick: Oklahoma -19.5
Reason: After beating UConn by 28 and Tulsa by 23, Oklahoma had their first real test of the 2011 season, and they passed it with flying colors, beating Florida State by a score of 23-13.  Besides a convincing 69-0 victory over Western Illinois, Missouri hasn’t looked too sharp, losing to Arizona State and beating Miami of Ohio by a score of 17-6.  The Sooners showed that in addition to having a potent offense with a few Heisman hopefuls, they also have a stout defense that is capable of stopping the best of them.  Missouri surely isn’t the best of them, and they will struggle mightily at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night, losing by more than three touchdowns.

Game: #11 Florida State at #21 Clemson
Pick: Clemson -2.5
Reason: With a 2.5-point spread, we are basically being asked who we believe will win this game.  Our answer to that question is Clemson.  Not only did the Seminoles get beat by Oklahoma last weekend, but they also suffered a barrage of injuries.  In addition to losing a few of their wide receivers, the Noles could also be without starting quarterback EJ Manuel, who sprained his non-throwing shoulder.  Clemson has covered the spread in five of the last six meetings between these two teams and they are coming off an impressive 38-24 come-from-behind victory over Auburn.  Look for them to keep the momentum going as they kick off their ACC schedule with a victory.

Last Week’s Record: (2-1), 2011 Record: (4-2)

Even as a devout sports fan, sometimes you just gotta say, “Screw it. Let’s look at some cute animals.” Fortunately, in the Venn diagram of “sports” and “cute animals,” there is a significant amount of overlap thanks to overzealous pet owners and the plethora of animal mascots in both pro and college sports. So turn off your thinking cap, enjoy the puppies, and don’t forget to talk shit about how ugly your rival school’s mascot is.

25. Bevo

It’s pretty unfortunate that UT’s mascot is an animal that is so widely regarded as delicious. Though this season, it’s pretty apt.

24. Red Sox Dog

“I am not opening my eyes until this curse is broken!”

23. UGA

The Georgia mascot is nothing but awesome, but it’s unfortunate that their dog has the shortest life expectancy of any breed. I think they’re on the 523rd UGA this season.

22. Smokey

Has an animal ever better encapsulated the ethos of an entire state?

21. Ralphie

My second favorite candidate for “mascot that will go wild and make headlines in a catastrophe.” Who’s number one? Keep readin’, pal.

20. Traveler

I like this mascot because it’s WAY less homoerotic than USC’s other mascot (on its back).

19. Tusk

“Tusk” has no tusks. Sweet irony. I was going to criticize the school for not dressing this guy up, but I wouldn’t volunteer to do it.

18. Peruna

This mascot was very apt for a long time. A Shetland pony for a Shetland football program.

17. Raiders Dog and Owner

Who is walking who here?

16. Ohio State Dog

Ohio State should be proud to have this bad-ass dog wearing its colors.

15. USC Dog

Not the most intimidating of animal fans, but representative of many of the pets of USC alums.

14. Prince Redoubt

The strangest name for a mascot on this list. Someone prove to me this name wasn’t lifted by UW from “Best in Show.”

13. Handsome Dan

Best name for a mascot or bulldog EVER. Moving on…

12. LSU Tiger

My number one candidate for horrible mascot-related tragedy. Granted that animal is in a cage, but it’s only one ill-advised Tiger fan away from sweet, sweet freedom.

11. Butler Blue II

Bulldogs are the new black for mascots.

10. Jack the Bulldog

Oh snap! This dog just got iced!

9. Miles

It’s kind of uncanny how much this image resembles the Broncos’ helmet logo.

8. Mach 1

Sweet name for the Air Force falcon. I would be sorely disappointed if this guy can’t do barrel rolls or at least buzz the flight deck.

7. Politically Active Dog

May their song never die…

6. Mets Dog

A rare baseball-related animal costume. And why should these animals be relegated to football costumes? God bless you, unknown Mets dog owner.

5. English Soccer Dog

The fact that this dog isn’t a bulldog is kind of killing me right now.

4. Saints Dog

If you can’t imagine this dog leading a parade, playing trumpet on “When the Saints Come Marching In,” then you’re just not trying hard enough.

3. Bears Dog

I know that look from dogs. That dog is pooping on the couch. We just can’t see it.

2. Miami Dog

Never has an animal’s expression encapsulated the emotions of so many fans.

1. Buckeye Dog

This guy looks really upset cause his mom and dad went to Michigan, but he doesn’t know how to convey that to his Buckeye owners.

All that is needed is an electric shaver, a precise hand, and a dog with a thick body of hair and you have yourself a hardcore sports dog.

Look no further than this pooch, who was given a makeover in time to support LSU as they defeated Vanderbilt this weekend by a score of 23-9.  The poodle was also sporting a purple bandanna around its neck to add some color to the mix.

Although the creativity was there, we can help but think that this could have been even more impressive had there been some purple and gold paint involved.  Some may believe that to be taking it a little to far, but at least we aren’t including a trip to the butcher shop.

Poodle Shows Its Support For LSU

Hat Tip Pic – [EDSBS]