Sigh.
A unit that is already missing its two starting corners, Greedy Williams and Kristian Fulton, just found out it will be without Kelvin Joseph as well. That’s the team’s top three corners. This is on top of losing the top two nose tackles, Breiden Fehoko and Ed Alexander, forcing Aranda to start a freshman (Tyler Shelvin) backed up by another freshman (Dominic Livingston).
Oh, and the linebackers will be without K’Lavon Chiasson, as they have all year. Additionally, Jacob Phillips will serve his suspension for an illegal hit in the Texas A&M game in the first half. We also don’t know what sort of punishment John Battle will face for his role in the postgame shenanigans.
Oh, but don’t worry.
While I won’t sit here and tell you it’s a good thing LSU will be scraping the bottom of the bowl to find anyone who can play cornerback, what is exciting is that this is essentially the first game of 2019. LSU’s defense is going to be playing on one leg (but come on, we’ll still have Devin White and Grant Delpit, so let’s not pretend we won’t have our two best defensive players), but the offense will finally be ready to go.
Ensminger has had the excuse all year that this was a complete rebuild of the offense. LSU had to replace its starting quarterback, its top two runners, its top two receivers, and four offensive linemen. All while installing a new offense. Some growing pains were bound to happen, and that’s before the line showed about as much stability as a plutonium isotope.
However, the line is now healthy and Ensminger has had a full year to install his offense. Joe Burrow is no longer the outsider, a transfer from out of conference, he is now the undisputed team leader. The receiving corps is no longer going to be judged on its potential, but its actual production.
The offense is out of excuses. It’s time to take down those “pardon our progress” signs and debut the finished product. It’s a new year, and the year of construction is over. Now, part of this timetable is due to the defense needing the support. There’s nowhere for the offense to hide in this game. It has to produce.
Those assholes are gonna beat another SEC West team, aren’t they…
Get The Picture 
This is the epitome of a “meaningless” bowl game. Well, for one side anyway…..,.
College football, the times be a changin’ as are the rules of play or not play!
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Yep Senator, UCF will beat a depleted LSU team and then claim how they have beat the mighty SEC back to back years…..blah blah blah…..
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Isn’t UCF still down their Quarterback?
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Their former starter will not play again.
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Probably ever.
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Wish LSU pulled this against us. Lol
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I find myself not caring…
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Just beginning to gain steam, you will not be alone. Yet, a majority here cheer these decisions and will have no leg to stand on if it spreads to the regular season, or playoffs. Exact same logic. Add to it the transfer issue. I have never watched fewer bowl games, and never been less interested in the remaining games. When they begin to run people off that are as passionate about CFB as I am, they are headed rapidly for the cliff’s edge.
First it was live attendance I moved away from, now even free games in my home are less interesting. I would rather see only returning underclassmen play in bowls. Sort of a 2019 preview game that shouldn’t count against RS eligibility.
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I have it on first hand reporting from the LSU natives that they are….
…drunk.
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This sucks so hard. I have never cheered for another SEC team as hard in my life as I will be for LSU in this game. This game means everything if you like thanksgiving rivalries, the SEC championship, a permanent neutral site game, a permanent ACC opponent……..not saying all of those go by the wayside, but something has to give if the demand is for some combination of more games and more rules regarding scheduling, whether it’s non-conference opponents or number of conference games.
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New NCAA rule: All true freshman can play in the bowl game. This game does not count toward the four game redshirt rule.
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College football bowl games is on the way out.
This year with sit-outs and transfers is the beginning of unraveling college football.
Heard a lot people say they have not watched any games.
So far I have not watched any.
Beginning to make plans to do other things than watch any of the CFP and New Years Day games.
They are losing their lustre and importance.
NCAA need to straighten this out, or it will be like the NFL which has been losing fans and viewers the past two years.
Numbers already show attendance down in regular season and post season.
No viewers, no sponsors, etc., no games.
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Not sure why some of y’all even read this blog…Sky is falling posts and all…
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Will is so right. Ratings are down big time already. I have watched none. I guess I will watch UGA and probably playoffs, but little more. Why should we when it is just basically scrimmages with all new players and basically meaning less. The powers that be are too late to save it. They are choking on their own dollars. Just plain sad.
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Ratings are not down. LOL.
I understanding being mad, but you have to accept that old farts crying about tradition aren’t driving ratings
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College football ratings soaring.
SEC and ACC network deals monstrous.
CBS deal will be gigantic.
Whoever you know that isn’t watching is being made up for x10 elsewhere.
NFL ratings also up this year: “NFL television ratings are up 5 percent this season… So far this season, NFL games have accounted for 19 of the top 20 and 46 of the top 50 most-watched shows on television.”
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25403546/nfl-television-ratings-5-percent-2018-season
Most of that short NFL drop was due to big time retirings like Peyton Manning and the plethora of injured QBs last year.
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UCF is probably going to beat LSU, who beat UGA, who almost beat UA. Therefore we will hear UCF incessantly whining about how they deserved a shot at UA. Kill me now.
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I have seen MANY including the Senator saying that this is a smart business decision to sit out as to protect themselves from injury. Well if that is the case the they need to stop training as well as a full 70% of ACL injuries are non contact (backed up by FACT not opinion – see peer reviewed article cited below). The argument that is most often used is to point to the ACL injuries that have occurred during bowl games that have changed their draft status (yes other injures can occur, but it is the knees that are most often pointed to as an example). If that is the case then since 70% if ACL injuries are NON CONTACT shouldn’t they just put themselves in a cocoon until the draft since they already have a body of work to point t?. Since all games are “meaningless” since they are not getting paid, shouldn’t we just do away with college football (Especially division II and III since there is no chance they will ever get paind)? Is everything just about money these days? Is it ok that I don’t stop to help someone that I just witnessed in a car wreck because they are not paying me like they would when they come into my office? Should I stop volunteering my time because I am not getting paid to coach the little league team or should I stop as soon as they are out of playoff contention? College sports as we know it will be gone in a few years. It was fun while it lasted.
https://www.arthroscopyjournal.org/article/S0749-8063(17)31048-4/pdf
Contact ACL injuries are a result of a
direct blow to the knee by another person or object.
Noncontact injuries are the most common, accounting
for approximately 70% of all ACL injuries,14 and typically occur during cutting and 1-legged landing
maneuvers.15-19
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Train for the combine by not training ? You really wrote that?
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Why train where they could be injured. Just present your body of work during the “meaningless games they have played”. Since we have defined the playoffs as the ONLY meaningful games, the others that they have played were meaningless. They are worried about injury in a game when it is FACT that 70% of ACL tears occur with non contact injuries such as training so they are still at high risk. Yes NOT training is absurd, but it makes just as much sense as avoiding the game since is it all about avoiding injury. I am just pointing out the absurdity of what college football is becoming.
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You know I couldn’t help but notice….these high school juniors with existing scholarship offers aren’t getting paid and stand to lose a lot if they were to get injured during their senior year of high school….
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Sadly agree with the above comment.
When does collusion ala the NBA kick and all the players go to one team?
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Will Trane’s comment
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Gar-aun-teed! I thought LSU was going to lose anyway, but this just seals it.
Oh goodie, can’t wait to hear UCF crowing again next year.
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Forget it Jake, it’s fake Championship town.
UCF is fighting for a win like an ex fights for alimony. The win for UCF is like the Mustang I bought after my divorce. I can claim a win but it means something only to one person and it cost a lot to boot. Sigh.
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The early returns thus far for Mickey are down 5-10% on the bowl games to date. That doesn’t match with your claims.
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In a word: Yes.
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Still not sure why we are supposed to care what a AAC team does or does not say and do…live and let live and all.
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Hopefully
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