WILL BAMMER BEAT THE REBELS?

Hexagram 17: FOLLOWING

FOLLOWING is [move and fall,] inevitable movement. The ‘following’ going on in the hexagram is between pairs of lines. We received 3 changing lines, all of them part of different ‘following’ pairs.

The Image: In the middle of the Lake there is Thunder, this is the image of FOLLOWING; accordingly the junzi returns home to rest when the sun goes down.

This image speaks of the importance of FOLLOWING the times; you work in the light of day and recuperate once it gets dark. To continue to work into the night would invite disaster. Thunder is ‘action’ and Lake symbolizes ‘joy’. There can’t be joy unless your action is appropriate to the time. To resist, to act when it is time to rest, is to not FOLLOW.

Bammer is told here to FOLLOW the times.

The Judgment: FOLLOWING has supreme success. Perseverance furthers. No blame.

‘Supreme success’ means Bammer wins, that is, unless the 3 changing lines have something different to say.

Line 1: The government official is changing, it auspicious to persevere. To leave one’s own house to find followers will bring merit.

Last week was a week of overzealous officiating (see, celebration penalties in the LSU – UGA game.) This week, though, we can anticipate (like the Sporting News does) that the league will respond by holding tightly to the little yellow flags, not letting them fly as much as they did last week. (This could also mean less ‘official’ controversy than was had at the end of last year’s game.)

We are told that it is good to ‘leave one’s own house’. This indicates that Bammer will find some FOLLOWERS in Oxford, another indication of a Bammer victory.

Line 3: [This line] binds itself to the older man, leaves the little boy. [This line] obtains what it was seeking by FOLLOWING, it benefits by remaining persevering.

Ian Rapoport wrote, for the Birmingham News, “There was a time when the nickname of Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain was ‘Baby Ro.’ That’s what former captain Darren Mustin called him, a term of endearment, actually. It just doesn’t apply anymore.”

McClain has certainly matured; does this line suggest that the younger players we rely on so much will mature in this game?

Perhaps it is implying that our ‘old man’ Upchurch will have a bigger role in this game than he has previously.

Line 5: [This line] trusts in what is excellent, [which is] auspicious.

Coach Saban has said that the best motivating factor is the desire “to be the best that you can be,” to have pride and pasion in what you do. This is trusting in what is excellent, and this is auspicious.

Summary: Officials stop throwing flags. Bammer plays outside its own house and manages to find a lot of followers. Upchurch shines?

I shook it up this time while trying to get a direct answer from the Yi Jing. It had been tiptoeing around the issue of who is going to win the game this week, so I thought I’d try a little reverse psychology on it: I asked, “Will Ole Miss beat Bammer?” See? Tricky, huh?

The hexagram answer I got was Xiao Chu, Restraint of the Small. This immediately (and taken at face value) looks good for us, after all we are the big boys in this game. The pictograph is [line dividing a division] and [dark fields] and this is interpreted to mean the taming or domestication of the small. (Small, as in little farm animals.) So, maybe it means we put the overeager Rebs in their proper place.

The hexagram is Wind over Heaven. It is made up of 5 strong yang lines surrounding a solitary weak yin line in the 4th position. (Coincidentally, Ole Miss is in a 3-way tie for 4th [last] place in the SEC West.) The single yin here is in a place of strength, though. So it is also in a position to restrain the lines below it from advancing as yang lines want to do.

The Judgment is as follows:
Dense clouds from the western region, but no rain.

This is all metaphorical of course; I certainly don’t think it’s going to suddenly begin raining tomorrow, especially when the forecasts predict clear skies. Dense clouds are threatening and foreboding; they presage a coming storm. And the Rebels are threatening and foreboding; their upsetting the Gators earlier this year presages a possible upset of Bammer too. As the Yi tells us, though, the Rebs from the west will not rain on our parade.

There was also a changing line in my answer; it was a nine in the third:
The wheels fly off the car.
Husband and wife avert their eyes.

The 3rd line is the closest yang line to the solitary yin in this hexagram. It would like to advance, but as the yin is in its proper position, it is difficult to do so. In fact we can see now that there is not only a Restraint of the Small, but there is also a Restraint by the Small. And the restraint by the yin in the 4th position of the yang in the 3rd position is enough to prove completely disastrous for the 3rd line: it breaks under the pressure. The break is so extreme, people can’t even watch. It’s like a car wreck so bad you have to turn away from it for fear of throwing up. It’s a failure so great that it divides a family: husband and wife hate each other. That’s my strict interpretation.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that Alabama will lose, now. Remember, the clouds do not bring rain. And there are two more yang lines below the 3rd that can handle the yin just fine. However it does seem to indicate some failure in offense, maybe the running game in particular. A failure so great we might all be embarrassed to watch it. That’s my strict interpretation based on the way the Yi says the lines of a hexagram are supposed to interact with each other.

So, the game’s going to be ugly and embarrassing. Bammer wins in the end, though.

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Last Year’s Cluster Fuck
Alabama barely escaped last year’s game with a win, and the crowd of Mississippians proceeded to voice their displeasure by heaving cups, empty bottles of liquor and high heeled shoes. This is not as bad as it sounds though, this is a socially acceptable way to celebrate a close SEC loss at home.

Tower of Bammer has gained exclusive access to the SEC ref’s response to the criticism of the penalty at the end of last years game in Oxford:

Revenge of the Nutt
Coach Houston “Whiskey Eyes” Nutt rolls back into town with his priceless facial expressions and unpredictable playcalling that is always fun to watch. He has gained notoriety for effectively running his version of the old-timey football single wing, where he runs out on the field with a large delicious chicken wing and dares anyone to take it.

“C-C-Come on and check this delectable treat out!”

Why They are Fucked
First of all, this is an Alabama team that has proven capable of dominating any team in the country if they show up playing their A game. Ole Miss has struggled with turnovers, losing the turd 15 times already this year. Also, the Rebel defense has been vulnerable against the pass, allowing 7 yards per attempt in the air, setting up a perfect bounce-back opportunity for JPW after his fucking shitty game against Kentucky. In his 3 years as starter, JPW has never had consecutive games with sub-70 passer ratings.

Why We are Fucked
Alabama has played their worst games at home this year, and Ole Miss has done well on the road, shocking a Florida team (that looked like world-beaters last week against the Mosquito-Tigers) and out gaining Wake Forest but losing in the final minutes. Mississippi matches up well, with a solid defensive front that will try to force the game into the hands of the inconsistent Bama passing attack.

Ole Miss Rebel and original Charlie’s Angel, Kate Jackson, demonstrates the unbalanced line sometimes used in the Wild Rebel formation, we can hope Houston Nutt’s next stop is at Oregon State to run the Wild Beaver formation

Also:
The power of Christ compells me to post this video that I saw on Third Saturday in Blogtober