Links at Lunch: Florida State-Oklahoma, ScarJo, & Rampant Creepiness

Surely today’s most clicked link has nothing to do with football. Creepy voyeurism is the order of the day, as news of Sarah Palin’s alleged trist with Glen Rice competes for Most Salacious honors with leaked photos of Scarlett Johansson. I’m a big fan of ScarJo (what 20-something American male isn’t?) but leaked photos take the shine off the admiration — not off Johansson herself, mind you. It’s not her fault private photos were taken and leaked. The situation bears a similarity to the Florida State-Oklahoma match-up.

The Sooners and Seminoles meet Saturday in Tallahassee in what could prove to be the most important non-conference game of the season. The beauty of this pairing is undeniable. It’s a classic beauty that harkens back to the days when football powerhouses weren’t afraid to meet out of conference. And yet, creepy knuckleheads on the internet are doing their best to tarnish that. Podcast guest Allen Kenney sent a blunt, necessary message to ‘Nole and Sooner fans getting ugly with one another at Blatant Homerism: cut the crap. This gorgeous pairing doesn’t need nasty, personal attacks on the athletes via Twitter to make it more heated.

• Jimbo Fisher has made an immediate impact on the recruiting trail, and the fruit of his labor needs to come through in a big way vs. Oklahoma. Unconquered Noles breaks it down.
• Build-up to the Florida-Tennessee game is known as #HateWeek, and the bitterness between the Gators and Vols is evident. Every Day Should Be Saturday shows how gasoline is properly thrown on a rivalry’s fire.
• Mike Mozingo of The Third Saturday in Blogtober explains that while the site is named for the vaunted UT-Alabama rivalry, he harbors more resentment for Florida. Hashtag-HateWeek, indeed.
• An 0-2 start rarely yields good things for Georgia, which Dawn of the Dawg explains. Coastal Carolina is the target of UGa’s frustrations in Week 3.
• Penn State has its own frustrations to exorcize after taking a considerable beating from Alabama. Temple welcomes PSU to Philadelphia in what I anticpate will be an eastern home game for the Nitanny Lions, who Victory Bell Rings writes are turning the page. Shame Al Golden isn’t at Temple any longer, as his presence would add a neat caveat to the in-state pairing.
• Could Texas be a bounce-back opportunity for sputtering UCLA? The Bruins are coming off perhaps the worst win any team had in Week 2, and last season dominated UT in Austin. Scipio Tex at Barking Carnival delves into the reasons UCLA are a frightening match for the Longhorns.
• Among the problems UT is facing through two pedestrian wins is outside containment, broken down brilliantly at Burnt Orange Nation.
• The 110 Report ranks the Pac-12 one-through-12. How long will the Pac-12 exist, though? Pacific Takes takes on the look of a 16-team conference. Among the chatter of a 16-team Pac is the potential for direct rivalry with the SEC, which Beaver Byte goes into further.
• Oregon State finds itself at the bottom of the Pac heap early on. Beaver Byte runs down the changes Mike Riley has for Week 3.
• HailWV interviewed West Virginia signee Jarrod Harper.
• Matt Snyder at Detroit Jock City evaluated Michigan State’s new duds. Always enjoy insight into the uniform phenomenon.