Saturday ramblings

CLEMSON, S.C. — I never thought I would have a reason to cover a Georgia Tech road game played anywhere other than Athens, but the Yellow Jackets’ surprising season necessitated a change.
Under usual circumstances, an uneven start by Georgia Tech in an audition for the Champs Sports Bowl, I would have stuck with my original plan of covering Alabama against Tennessee. While I’m not familiar with ACC territory, it’s proven to be a nice change of pace so far. Clemson’s pretty, tree-lined campus looks vibrant in the late-afternoon glow, especially with the leaves changing.
I saw a few examples of the unusual on my walk to the stadium -- an orange-and-white Clemson-decorated Cadillac hearse with the slogan ‘‘Paw Bearer’’ emblazoned on the doors and at least 15 Clemson fans wearing orange overalls.
I know Clemson’s booster club goes by the acronym IPTAY for ‘‘I Pay Ten a Year,’’ as in thousands of dollars. But with the prevalence of farmhand togs around here, it might stand for ‘‘I Plow Ten Acres Yearly.’’
Having established that small John Deere tractors might be more likely to decorate the polo shirts of Clemson fans than Izod alligators, allow me to provide some additional enlightenment about this football Saturday:
• No Georgia fans, the Tennessee and Vanderbilt games aren’t aberrations this year. If the Bulldogs’ 27-24 win over Mississippi State taught us anything, it’s that they’re really mediocre in what has proven to be a year of transition.
It took a late fumble recovery to save them from overtime or, quite possibly, a third straight loss.
As difficult as the last three weeks have been for Georgia fans to stomach, it will get better. Matthew Stafford threw for more than 200 yards against the Bulldogs. By allowing Stafford to play through the mistakes a first-year player makes and accepting whatever results come with them, Georgia will profit next season.
• Alabama’s up 13-7 on Tennessee. Nothing against Mike Shula, but defensive coordinator Joe Kines in the brains of that operation.
• Did you see the highlights of the Miami-Duke game? The Blue Devils were driving on the suspension-depleted ‘Canes at the end of the game, gave up an interception and lost 20-15. I’m just amazed that the Miami player who intercepted the ball didn’t take off his helmet and start swinging it at a Duke player during his return.
• UCLA 14-13 over Notre Dame in the third quarter. Surely, that can’t hold up. On the off chance it does, would that mean the Irish won’t play in the BCS title game?
• Game of the day: Texas 22, Nebraska 20. I’m not saying Nebraska coach Bill Callahan made a bad decision calling a third-down pass play that led to a late fumble, but let’s just say Tom Osbourne would have called something different.
• Anybody else think the Pittsburgh Steelers will pound the Atlanta Falcons tomorrow?
The matchup to watch will be Pittsburgh receiver Hines Ward against Atlanta cornerback DeAngelo Hall. Hmm. Didn’t the Falcons have a chance to select Ward in the third round of the 1998 draft?
Oh yeah, they passed him over for Jammi German. That worked out well.
German had 20 catches in four seasons, which makes you wonder why the Falcons didn’t persuade him to extend his career. At their current pace, Roddy White and Michael Jenkins might combine to produce the same result in five seasons.