Maybe they’re all washing their hair that day.

What is the world coming to?

It does not appear USC will sell out its Outback Bowl allotment of 11,000 tickets.

Athletics director Eric Hyman said about 9,500 tickets had been sold through the university — a total that includes as many as 1,500 tickets the athletics department purchased for band members, cheerleaders and player comps.

…

Barring strong walk-up sales, the game will not be a sellout. About 10,000 seats remained at the start of business Monday.

Man, when you can’t get the ‘Cock fan base pumped up about an Outback Bowl appearance, that’s a sign of the impending Apocalypse.  Next thing you know, these guys won’t be doing their annual preseason SECCG chest beating.

And that’s with a Stephen Garcia sales pitch, to boot.  Bummer, dude.

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UPDATE: Technically this is unrelated, but amusing nonetheless.

When two teams get thrown together in a bowl game, they often don’t know a lot about each other or where they’re from.

Monday, I asked several South Carolina Gamecocks what they knew about Iowa Hawkeyes football and the state of Iowa in particular. The first answer I got gave me pause, but others saved the day.

“Iowa potatoes, that’s about it,” said USC defensive tackle Nathan Pepper.

But Pepper didn’t know the reference when I asked him if he was related to Sgt. Pepper of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club fame, either.

Although that last bit makes me feel old.

Does Pat Dye think Gus Malzahn is man enough?

Um… I’m not a genius when it comes to coachspeak, but I don’t think it takes too much to parse this statement

… The GMAC Bowl in Mobile, will be a showcase of sorts for Malzahn, as he’ll bring his offense in to the living room of anyone who wants to see what he’s all about.

“Coach (Todd) Graham was great to me at Tulsa. I really feel like it’s important for me to finish with the players. I’m extremely close to my players, I always have been. So I’ve got a chance to do that and do everything in my power to help Tulsa win that bowl game.

“At the same time, I believe Auburn recruits could get a visual of exactly what they’re going to see next year on the field.” [Emphasis added.]

and compare it to this one…

“I know a lot of people categorize me as a spread team. We’re going to play smash-mouth football,” Malzahn said Monday night at a press conference that introduced him as Auburn’s newest coach…

to realize there’s some heavy BS coming out of ol’ Gus’ mouth.  If you’ve watched Tulsa play this year, “smash-mouth” is the last phrase you’d use to describe what Malzahn’s running.

But it’s a term near and dear to the hearts of many on the Plains, so expect it to be trotted out for everyone who wants to hear it – just not the recruits.  A little talking out of both sides of one’s mouth (and Malzahn’s sat at the feet of one of the masters at that in Graham) won’t bother anyone, as long as Auburn wins.

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UPDATE: Smart Football’s Chris Brown breaks down the Malzahn offense for you here.  As you can imagine, there’s lots of good stuff to mull over, but nary a mention of “smash-mouth”.  (Although we do get a Wittgenstein reference, which isn’t something you see every day in a football blog.)

What’s in your wallet? First thought on Cap One Bowl

I’ll try to get into a little more depth as the game approaches, but for a start, here’s the stat that jumps out at me:

• Michigan State (#37 SOS per Sagarin) – 5.1 yards per play on offense; 5.3 yards per play on defense, for a net minus 0.2 ypp
• Georgia (#14 SOS per Sagarin) – 6.8 yards per play on offense; 5.1 yards per play on defense, for a net plus 1.7 ypp.

Just to give you some context, Georgia beat four teams this season which managed not to give up more yards per play than they gained.  Those teams are Arizona State, Tennessee, LSU and South Carolina.

That’s no guarantee of success, of course.  But it’s a pretty good indication that Sparty isn’t anything special, either.

Down for the count

Perhaps swayed by the less than brilliant clock management on display in the final two minutes of the Emerald Bowl, Randy Shannon cuts OC Patrick Nix loose.

Money quote:

“I enjoyed it here. I appreciated Randy giving me the opportunity,” Nix said. “I’d like to have gone with something more wide-open and more no-huddle. He and I had a philosophical difference on that.”

More no-huddle.  What’s that line about a man looks into the abyss and there’s nothing staring back at him?  Shannon contemplated a Nix-directed offense with even less structure, shuddered a bit and chose to move on.