Going out this weekend?  Have fun.  Here’s what the rest of us will be watching on television …

Friday night:

• If you can slip out of work in time and make it to the local pub, you can catch No. 15 Ohio State taking on No. 12 Cal in the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, which is set to tip-off at 5 p.m. and will air on ESPN2.
• Even if you missed the OSU/Cal match-up, you’ll be able to see No. 4 UNC vs. No. 24 Syracuse which directly follows OSU/Cal on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.
• Don’t get all caught up in UNC/Cuse to forget that there is still some other quality programming on; you really need to utilize the “go back” function on your remote control … Seinfeld comes on Fox 19 (CVille) at 7 followed by an episode of The Office, then Tosh.0 comes on Comedy Central at 8 and 8:30.
• If you’re still awake after the UNC/’Cuse game and missed it this past Tuesday, FX is re-airing this week’s Sons Of Anarchy episode.

Saturday:

• On a national scale, this weekend is lousy for college football match-ups with only one game featuring two ranked teams.  However, there are plenty of good college football games starting at noon to keep you glued to the couch well before UVa’s game vs. Clemson at 3:30.  Ohio State/Michigan, though significantly less exciting than previous years, is always a fun game to watch.  UNC/BC and Duke/Miami are also set to kickoff at noon for those following the ACC race.
• If you feel the noon football games really aren’t doing it for you, don’t forget the UVa men’s basketball team hosts Oral Roberts at 2pm in the JPJ, and that might be worth leaving the couch for … at least for an hour or two.
• UVa/Clemson kicks off at 3:30 on ABC, wahoowa!
• The Cal/Stanford game (the only one with two ranked teams) starts at 7:30 and can be found on the Versus channel.  If that game is a downer, flip over to Kansas @ No. 3 Texas, which starts at 8 p.m. and airs on ABC.

Sunday:

• Football, FOOTBALL, FUTBOL!! Sunday’s line-up is loaded with football … and even a little “foot-ball”.
• The Redskins travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys at 1 p.m.  Colts @ Ravens and Falcons @ Giants also start at 1.
• If it’s European football you prefer, you should head over to Klöckner Stadium at 1 p.m. and watch the UVa men’s soccer team host Bucknell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• After you get home from the soccer game, pop on CBS for the start of the Jets/Patriots game which kicks off at 4:15.
• The Eagles travel to Chicago for the Sunday night game, set to kickoff at 8:20 p.m.
• If you’re feeling a little “football’d out” on Sunday night, don’t forget that a new episode of Family Guy comes on Fox at 9 p.m.

If you’ve followed my viewing guide, you will have spent about 70 hours in front of the TV, taken in a UVa men’s basketball and men’s soccer game, and hopefully ingested about 20,000 calories worth of Doritos, Pizza Hut, beer, fried chicken and nachos in the process … nicely done.

Former Virginia star Sean Singletary has signed a contract with Spain’s Caja Laboral. Good luck Sean!

Err, uhh, hmmm … is it basketball season yet?  You know that it’s a sad state of affairs when there is literally not one positive thing to take away from a 60-minute football game.  Sadly, UVa was involved in one of those games on Saturday afternoon in Miami, getting beat 52-17 by the revenge-seeking Canes.  And the score wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the fact that the Hoos (once again) failed to show any improvement in any facet of the game.  Now don’t get me wrong, I bleed orange and blue and consider myself one of the most passionate fans in the fan base, but even I found myself sighing at the TV on Saturday afternoon saying, “I don’t even care anymore.”

SO, with all that in mind, here are a few things I can safely surmise following the weekend:

• Even though we still lost, it sure was fun watching UVa play a little bit of “Beamerball” on Saturday with two blocked punts and a long INT return.  Now I finally understand why Hokie fans are so amped to watch their team play every week.
• If you’re in favor of a college football playoff system, then start praying for Texas to lose.  Now that TCU is ranked #4 in the BCS rankings, the only thing standing in the way of a TCU/SEC Champion BCS Championship Game is the Longhorns.
• As long as he can stay healthy, Matt Schaub is a Pro Bowl quarterback this year.
• Does anyone want to take control of the NFC East?  It’s the NFL’s version of the ACC this year with the top teams trading spots week after week.
• It’s taken some time since he was hired, but I’m finally getting warm to the idea that Tony Bennett is the right guy to lead our basketball program in the direction we all want it to go.
• The winner of tonight’s Monday Night Football game between the Steelers and Broncos will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
• Are the Saints really that good?  After giving up boat loads of yards to the Panthers on Sunday and the Dolphins a few weeks ago, I’m beginning to question whether that defense is good enough to complement Drew Brees and Co.
• The fact that Andre Agassi used “meth” during his tennis playing days is disappointing, but I really don’t see why everyone is so up in arms about it.  I think the fact that his ATP ranking dropped 100-some spots and he lost countless money in earnings and endorsements is punishment enough.
• Tom Brady and Randy Moss appear to have returned to their 2007 form … which is depressing news for the other 31 teams in the NFL.

Atrocious, appaling, detestable, vomit inducing, unforgiveable … it’s fair to say any of those statements accurately describes UVa’s second consecutive loss to Duke on Saturday afternoon in Scott Stadium.  Perhaps it was the 424-196 advantage the Blue Devils had on us in total yardage that caused the loss.  Or maybe it was the 34% completion percentage our two quarterbacks had on 38 passing attempts; it could have been the fact that only 41,300 fans showed up to cheer the Hoos on.  It’s hard to pinpoint the exact area that ultimately cost UVa the victory on Saturday.  What’s not hard to pinpoint, however, is that there is an obvious problem with the current state of Virginia’s football program.

BUT, thankfully for us all, the weekend lasts 72 hours and UVa football only took up a lousy 3 1/2 of them.  Here’s what I can safely surmise from the other 68 1/2:

• After seeing him in person, Thaddeus Lewis is the best quarterback in the ACC.  You could argue Josh Nesbitt or Jacory Harris mean more to their teams, but Lewis is the best pure quarterback in the league.
• When I was sitting atop my section on Saturday, I scanned over the empty Scott Stadium crowd and it dawned on me just how far we have fallen in the past few years.
• As I’m sure you’ve seen already, Brandon Spikes definitely went for the ever classless eye gouging move at the bottom of the pile in the Gators’ win over Georgia on Saturday.
• While I have been pleasantly entertained by the World Series thus far, I would still much rather see a Sunday night NFL game on TV in its place.
• Is it just me or have there been no real “epic” college football match-ups so far this season?  I feel like every week they hype up a big game (see USC/Oregon and Texas/Ok. State this weekend) and every week the games are a snooze-fest.
• As much as I try to hate on him for retiring and “un-retiring”, I’ve got to hand it to Brett Favre.  The guy can flat out ball.  Even in his 40’s.
• Even though the Baltimore/Denver game was pretty one-sided it gave me a chance to watch Ed Reed in action, which is always a treat.  He and Troy Polamalu are by far the best safties in football today.
• After receiving one vote in this weeks AP Top 25 Poll, is there any reason why we shouldn’t hire Richmond’s Mike London to be our next coach? If my math is correct, that’s one more vote than our current coach has gotten us in the same poll this season.
• If any of you “C-villians” haven’t checked it out yet, the new Irish pub on the corner, Trinity, is a pretty cool spot.  It’s got tons of space and a bazillion flat-screens and it also seemed to attract UVa’s top talent on Friday and Saturday night.

Man, that was a tough one to swallow.  It wasn’t exactly a surprise that the Hoos stumbled their way to a 34-9 defeat to No. 11 Georgia Tech, it was the way they did it that made it so troubling.  The Jackets were able to drive the proverbial railroad stake down our defense’s throat to the tune of 362 yards rushing and our offense was about as inept as it has been the entire year.  And all this happened in the midst of a Nor’easter settled directly above Scott Stadium.  At noon.

So, while I feel like I could sit here for hours listing off reasons why UVa laid such a big egg on the field Saturday afternoon, Kris covered most of them in his post-game article.  Besides, aren’t you just dying to know what I can safely surmise following this rain-soaked weekend?

• I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but the Jameel Sewell QB dive in the second quarter on 3rd and 5 was a good play call.  For the first time in their 70 attempts at it, the line blocked well and Sewell ran with purpose for a 25-yard gain and a first down in GT territory.
• Georgia Tech’s Anthony Allen is a horse.  His 21-yard run in the second quarter where he bounced off about seven UVa defenders and took it to the 4-yard line was very impressive.
• Even for casual baseball fans like myself, the Yankees/Phillies World Series should be a fun one to watch.
• The New Orleans Saints are legit.  I know they looked bad in the first half of their game vs. the Dolphins, but I believe the true mark of a great team is their ability to respond in tough situations.
• This past Sunday featured a number of snoozers on the NFL docket.  Out of the 12 games played, six were absolute blowouts and only two games had final scores within a touchdown difference.
• There is no excuse for Tennessee not blocking enough to allow their kicker to attempt the game-winning field goal in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.
• I guess I would say it’s Colt McCoy at this point, but I don’t really feel like there is any true front-runner for the Heisman Trophy yet.
• It pains me to say this, especially in lieu of a 189-yard performance against my Bears, but Cedric Benson is finally showing he was deserving of a top-five draft pick.
• The whole Sam Bradford situation has me feeling sympathetic for the junior Sooner.  I know he’s still going to make millions in the pros, but you’ve gotta appreciate the kids who want to come back to school, and to have one like Bradford get hurt is only going to deter kids from doing it in the future.
• Just as I suspected when I first saw the trailers, there is no where near enough content in Maurice Sendak’s 10-page picture book “Where The Wild Things Are” to make a motion picture. Visually, the movie was stunning, but other than that, you should wait til it’s out on DVD.

Mmm … a three-game win streak.  Feels nice doesn’t it?  OK, so there were some glaring problems in UVa’s 20-9 win over Maryland on Saturday. And yes, I was getting flashbacks of the infamous “7-5 Game” while watching it; but in the end we did what a lot of Al Groh-led teams have failed to do in the past and that’s find a way to win. Besides, anyone else who watched the ‘Skins/Chiefs game Sunday can attest to the fact that it is far better to win ugly than lose pretty … or in the Redskins’ case, lose ugly, but I digress …

So, at 3-3 overall and 2-0 in conference, our beloved Hoos now claim sole possession of first place in the ACC Coastal Division.  But, I’m sure you knew that already, so here are some things I surmised from a sports-filled weekend:

• The Jameel Sewell QB dive still doesn’t work and needs to be extracted completely from our offensive playbook.
• Thanks to his 380-yard performance in South Bend on Saturday, the “Matt Barkley for Heisman” campaign just gained a lot of steam. I hope you’re ready to hear about it for the next three years …
• UVa only did two out of the five things I suggested in my “Virginia Will Beat Maryland If …” entry.  I guess I overestimated Maryland’s abilities …
• Brett Favre was about to be out “Favre’d” by young Joe Flacco on Sunday until Ravens kicker Steven Hauschka shanked his 44-yard attempt as time expired.
• The Tennessee Titans have fallen further than any team I’ve ever seen in a 12-month span.
• I’m glad the AP voted Alabama No. 1 this week.  Not that I necessarily consider them the best team, but it goes to show they care less about preseason rankings and more about on-field production.
• Our defense will have to play a lot better next week if we want to beat Georgia Tech for a third straight time.
• Our offense will too …
• Love ‘em or hate ‘em, anytime the Yankees are involved in October baseball, it’s better for MLB.
• South Street Brewery’s “Satan’s Pony” is the best tasting micro-brew in Charlottesville.
• It only happens so often these days, but any Saturday where UVa wins and Virginia Tech loses is certainly one to cherish.

Sports Illustrated’s Dave Hyde wrote about the Bill Parcells coaching tree in his “Inside the NFL” article this week (read it here). The story talks about a lot of Parcells’ assistant coaches over the years, including New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, whose two undefeated teams meet this weekend.

Of course, Virginia’s own Al Groh belongs on the branches too and he’s quoted:

“The desk plate in front of me came from him,” Virginia coach Al Groh says. “I’m looking at it now. ‘You coach the team,’ it says. Shortly after I’d become coach of the New York Jets, Bill came in, sat down and asked, ‘Do you really care what people think?’ I paused and said, ‘Other than in matters of morality and integrity, probably not.’ He said, ‘Good, then you have a chance. Everyone’s going to have an opinion on what you should do. Take all the opinions and information. Ultimately, you coach the team the way you need it to be coached.’ It’s served as good advice. When I’ve had players go on from here to be coaches, I give them a desk plate just like it, one with their new team colors that says just what this one does: ‘You coach the team.’ ”

Um, where did that come from?  To say that I didn’t see the 47-7 victory over Indiana coming would be vastly understated.  Now don’t get me wrong, if someone told me UVa would win on Saturday, I would have certainly believed it; but if you had told me we would score 47 points, put up more than 500 yards on offense all while keeping them in check defensively, I would have politely asked you to “pass me some of that good stuff.”

So, in keeping with the theme of Monday’s entries, I’d like to start off by saying, I can safely surmise nothing about UVa’s chances the rest of the year … Much like the last two versions, the ‘09 Cavs have given us their best “Jekyll and Hyde” impression, proving that it is all but impossible to predict what will happen to them as the season goes forward.  But, lucky for us all, I have plenty more to surmise following an eventful weekend.

• Al Groh is a great head coach … in the month of October. Since 2007, Groh’s October record is 9-1.
• When I said last week that Joe Flacco was my early pick for NFL MVP, I was probably jumping the gun a bit.
• I hate the fact that both Cedric Benson and Kyle Orton look like pro-bowlers after their stints in Chicago.
• Vic Hall should have been in the slot since the day he set foot on Grounds.
• The $79 million we spent to shoot a missile at the moon was … well, not that good of an idea.
• Sunday was a hard day for Boston fans … first their beloved Red “Sawx” go all Red Sox on everyone and blow a 2-run 9th inning lead to give Anaheim the sweep. Then, the Patriots forget to show up for the second half in Denver and Tom Brady and the boys are sent home with a very pedestrian 3-2 record.
• Mikell Simpson needs to be healthy for the game in College Park. Let’s not forget the impact he had last time we were there …
• The fact that Tim Tebow played in Death Valley on Saturday night was a) not surprising at all and b) overhyped as crap.  No one is mentioning the fact that UF’s rushing offense ranks No. 1 in the country and I probably could have handed the ball off to Rainey, Moody, or whichever 5 star RB was in the backfield and came away with a victory too.
• Saturday’s game would have gone completely different had Ras-I Dowling not forced that fumble on IU’s opening possession.
• Speaking of Ras-I, Saturday’s performance was the best I’ve seen out of him in quite some time.
• There is officially nothing more laughable in all of professional sports than the Oakland Raiders.
• Kid Cudi’s new hit “Pursuit of Happiness” featuring Ratatat and MGMT is one of the coolest singles I’ve heard in a long time.
• Even though I promised my buddies I’d meet them in Atlantic City for the weekend next Saturday, a trip to College Park is much closer, much cheaper and (hopefully) more gratifying.

WE WON, WE WON, WE WON!!!!! Man, oh, man it is a lot easier to handle the bores of Monday after a UVa win rather than a loss. OK, so we didn’t exactly look like world-beaters on Saturday afternoon, but we still did enough to earn a conference ‘W’ on the road and that’s something to hang your hat on.

Even though you’re probably dying for me to give an in-depth analysis of Saturday’s game, I’m going to go a different route. I mean, I watched a lot of stuff on TV over the weekend, so limiting my genius to just one football game wouldn’t be fair to the rest of you …

So, after many hours of hard work and research, I am happy to present to you the initial installment of “UVA91 DUKE89’s things I can safely surmise following the weekend” …

- Al Groh, Gregg Brandon or whoever is in charge of calling the Jameel Sewell QB dive 20 times a game will never realize that it doesn’t work … even on 3rd & short.

- As long as he stays healthy, Mikell Simpson is going to get a boat-load of touches every game for the rest of the year … and I’d like to think that’s a good thing.

- The Pittsburgh Steelers will not even sniff a repeat championship without Troy Polamalu roaming the secondary.

- There truly is nothing less exciting than watching baseball on TV.

- Saturday’s game in Chapel Hill can easily be added to the Honorable Mention list of my “Top 5 Carolina Sucks Moments” from Thursday’s blog …

- Despite the ongoing media love-fest with Brett Favre this week, it will be his running back or his replacement in Green Bay that steals the show tonight.

- It’s only a matter of time before Miami’s o-coordinator Mark Whipple gets serious head coaching consideration … perhaps UVa should take notice …

- The Hoos will get to win No. 6 this year and go to a bowl … probably this one.

- The Jay Cutler trade is going to work out well for all teams involved …

- The Virginia Tech Hokies are a complete enigma. After showing the whole country they are inept at passing the ball downfield, Tyrod Taylor throws for 327 yards. Meanwhile, a defensive unit that held Jacory Harris’ Miami team in check for 60 minutes last week, was scorched for 359 yards by Duke’s (that’s right, DUKE’S) Thaddeus Lewis.

- Steve Greer is going to be an absolute monster at middle linebacker one day.

- Even following a loss, Joe Flacco continues to impress me more and more each week and is my early pick for NFL MVP.

- ‘E’ getting engaged to Sloan on last night’s season finale was the worst thing that could have happened to “Entourage” … and believe me, I’m a big fan of Sloan.

- It’s 12:38 p.m. on Monday October 5, 2009 and North Carolina STILL sucks!!

As promised, we’re taking a look at some UVa bloggers today …

From Old Virginia compiled a big list of coaches and placed them in hiring categories – definitely worth a look. … The folks over at the 7even Win Society also put up a post called The Case FOR Al Groh, apparently in an effort to balance their opinions since they say they are “not huge fans of Al Groh around here.” … Trent Thurston put up some more possible candidates on the HooYa! Blog too.

Instead of talking coaches, The Great Blog of Virginia is looking back at the good ole days when UVa beat UNC in 1996. … And The Roanoke Times is wondering what happens to Vic Hall if he returns from injury.

Away from the football field, former baseball stars Ryan Zimmerman – playing good defense – and Michael Schwimer – making the playoffs – have a couple of good posts up. … The Washington Post’s blog is giving brief snippets on UVa’s four basketball commits.

Have a great weekend!