So, did we miss anything while the ACTUAL F'ING SEASON WAS GOING ON?
I would like to have a great excuse for not posting, like maybe my arms were torn off in a farming accident or there is no longer internet access in the midwest, but I'm actually just lazy.
Let me recap the past several months in life and football:
(1) Detroit Lions...as awesome as ever
(2) Phil Fulmer...dead
(3) Ron Prince...dead
(4) Ty Willingham...dead
(5) Iowa - gloriously saved the Big 10 from ridicule
(6) Oregon State beat USC...shocking chokejob (not).
(7) there was some sort of election thingy
(8) the new TV season sucks until Lost and 24 come back.
(9) Everyone loves Mike Leach but forgets that is is certifiably insane.
Listen, I don't give a shit who "is playing the best football in the country right now" so go shove that argument straight up your ass. That's a playoff thought. In college, the only thing that matters is who can get through the season without losing so I don't give a crap that Oklahoma is tearing up their opponents or if Florida is destroying everything in its path. You lost, suck it up, come back next year. Oklahoma has a much better argument to the BCS championship game anyway. A loss to Texas at a neutral field is approximately eleventy billion times better than losing to Ole Miss at home. Chomp, Chomp.
Finally, one last rant. The local fishwrap (look, I'm edgy, I used a Jim Rome term) had its "local college basketball preview." Since I am located in Cincinnati, OHIO, I think I have a good handle on what teams would be considered local. Here are the teams they previewed:
(1) University of Cincinnati - obvious, good choice
(2) Xavier - obvious, another good choice
(3) Miami (OH) - very close to Cincinnati, a third good choice
(4) University of Kentucky - ummm...its 81 miles away, but there are a lot of UK fans in the region so I'll let it slide.
(5) Indiana - are you fucking kidding me??? What the fuck is wrong with you jerkwads? Its a 126 miles by car...to INDIANA. Its 105 miles to Columbus, which if you didn't know is in the same state as Cincinnati and home to Ohio State. Screw you, Cincinnati Enquirer.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Clock change has inconclusive results in first night
One of the big topics of discussion this past season was the change in how the clock would work during the course of the game. In the NCAA's never-ending attempt to shorten the length of games, the NCAA instituted some new rules regarding the play clock. The first rule is a 40/25-second play clock, similar to that of the NFL. At the end of every play, the 40-second clock starts. The prior rules incorporated a 25-second clock that did not start until the officials marked the ball ready for play. Additionally, after a player runs out of bounds and the ball is made ready to play, the game clock starts. Under the old rules, the game clock did not start until the ball was snapped. This rule does not apply in the final two minutes of a half.
While the goal of shortened games is admirable, many purists were fearful that the changes would inevitably lower the number of plays run during the course of the game. Thus, the fans would be shortchanged some football in exchange for appeasing television requirements.
I only saw one time last night in which a play didn't get off (South Carolina was forced to call a timeout) so I decided to see if there was any way to compare the length of the game and plays run. Unfortunately, there was only one rematch between teams that also played in 2007 (Oregon State/Stanford). So, with an incredibly small sample size based on a game that east coasters couldn't stay up to see, here are the results.
2007: Oregon State won 23-6 in Corvallis in a game that took 3 hours exactly. Oregon State passed 21 times and ran 44 times while Stanford passed 32 times and ran 25 times for a total of 122 plays from scrimmage (discounting kicks).
2008: Stanford won 36-28 in Stanford in a game that took 3 hours and 39 minutes. Oregon State passed 54 times and ran 28 times while Stanford passed 17 times and ran 48 times for a total of 147 plays from scrimmage (against discounting kicks).
As you can see, he number of plays actually increased over last year's game and so did the length of the game. There were several mitigating factors that likely caused the increased time. First, the 2008 game was on ESPN2 on the opening night of college football while the 2007 game was not televised anywhere (). With the plethora of commercials, in-game SportsCenter updates, and halftime shows, this could easily increase the length of the game. Additionally, the 2008 game had 71 passes while the 2007 game only had 53 passes. Thus, under the new rules, if there were numerous incomplete passes in the final two minutes of the game, that would account for additional play stoppage because the game clock would not start when the ball was ready to be put into play.
CollegeFootballHeaven hopes to have further analysis of this important rule change throughout the season, including more next week after more rematches.
While the goal of shortened games is admirable, many purists were fearful that the changes would inevitably lower the number of plays run during the course of the game. Thus, the fans would be shortchanged some football in exchange for appeasing television requirements.
I only saw one time last night in which a play didn't get off (South Carolina was forced to call a timeout) so I decided to see if there was any way to compare the length of the game and plays run. Unfortunately, there was only one rematch between teams that also played in 2007 (Oregon State/Stanford). So, with an incredibly small sample size based on a game that east coasters couldn't stay up to see, here are the results.
2007: Oregon State won 23-6 in Corvallis in a game that took 3 hours exactly. Oregon State passed 21 times and ran 44 times while Stanford passed 32 times and ran 25 times for a total of 122 plays from scrimmage (discounting kicks).
2008: Stanford won 36-28 in Stanford in a game that took 3 hours and 39 minutes. Oregon State passed 54 times and ran 28 times while Stanford passed 17 times and ran 48 times for a total of 147 plays from scrimmage (against discounting kicks).
As you can see, he number of plays actually increased over last year's game and so did the length of the game. There were several mitigating factors that likely caused the increased time. First, the 2008 game was on ESPN2 on the opening night of college football while the 2007 game was not televised anywhere (). With the plethora of commercials, in-game SportsCenter updates, and halftime shows, this could easily increase the length of the game. Additionally, the 2008 game had 71 passes while the 2007 game only had 53 passes. Thus, under the new rules, if there were numerous incomplete passes in the final two minutes of the game, that would account for additional play stoppage because the game clock would not start when the ball was ready to be put into play.
CollegeFootballHeaven hopes to have further analysis of this important rule change throughout the season, including more next week after more rematches.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Lessons from a DIII Coach?!?
It's probably not very often that I'll have the chance to crow about two of my favorite things in sports in the same CFH post, so sue me if I take advantage of a golden opportunity. In case it hasn't been clear from my earlier posts, I'm an unabashed fan of The Ohio State University Buckeyes and their venerable varsity football team. I make no bones about that and never will. And if you've read between the lines, you can probably hint at another point of pride: my alma mater Kenyon College ("Kenyon David"... um, pretty obvious now, eh?). Usually, those two worlds are pretty separate... until this past week.
On August 21, Coach Tressel packed 130 of his players, coaches, and training staff into 6 buses and headed east towards sleepy Gambier, Ohio. The target of their quest was Jim Steen- Kenyon's award winning championship swimming coach. Senator Sweater Vest had decided there was something to be learned from a man who had led his men's swimming and diving teams to 29 STRAIGHT national championships and the women to 22 of the last 25. You read that right, this little known coach has won a combined 51 total Division III national championships over the past three decades.
Okay, I hear you out there saying, "Who cares, it's swimming and how hard can it be to win a national championship in that sport... at the Division III level?!?" If you take that tact, you're missing the point. Not to mention a dunce for not recognizing the magnitude of that accomplishment.
Coach Tressel is a student of the game, in all its forms, and he sees the value in having his team- who have lost two straight BCS title games in embarassing fashion- learn from someone who has built a lasting program of greatness. A program that constantly deals with the highest expectations and finds a way to win again and again and again. Now, I just wish we could've seen that on the basketball court...
Aside from my admiration for Tressel's studious approach to winning, I also admire something else that won't make the meager press clippings that have accompanied this admittedly minor story. A few days after the dust settled and the Buckeyes were back in the friendly confines of the Jesse Owens center and the 'Shoe, a package came to the Kenyon AD... addressed not only to Mr. Steen but to the men of the Kenyon football team. It was full of 105 hand-written thank-you notes, one from every player that made the trip that day. No matter what side you fall on the great debates of CFB today- SEC vs. Big 10, playoffs, Tim Tebow's deal with the devil- you have to admit the inherent class in a move like that. Above and beyond the call of duty, in my book.
Sure, class doesn't always translate to wins, but I have to say that I like how the stars are aligning this year. OSU definitely has a TON to prove this year, and this is more of a feel-good story than anything else. But it's scores some points in my book... I hope they can do the same to the tune of about 55 against YSU on Saturday!
On August 21, Coach Tressel packed 130 of his players, coaches, and training staff into 6 buses and headed east towards sleepy Gambier, Ohio. The target of their quest was Jim Steen- Kenyon's award winning championship swimming coach. Senator Sweater Vest had decided there was something to be learned from a man who had led his men's swimming and diving teams to 29 STRAIGHT national championships and the women to 22 of the last 25. You read that right, this little known coach has won a combined 51 total Division III national championships over the past three decades.
Okay, I hear you out there saying, "Who cares, it's swimming and how hard can it be to win a national championship in that sport... at the Division III level?!?" If you take that tact, you're missing the point. Not to mention a dunce for not recognizing the magnitude of that accomplishment.
Coach Tressel is a student of the game, in all its forms, and he sees the value in having his team- who have lost two straight BCS title games in embarassing fashion- learn from someone who has built a lasting program of greatness. A program that constantly deals with the highest expectations and finds a way to win again and again and again. Now, I just wish we could've seen that on the basketball court...
Aside from my admiration for Tressel's studious approach to winning, I also admire something else that won't make the meager press clippings that have accompanied this admittedly minor story. A few days after the dust settled and the Buckeyes were back in the friendly confines of the Jesse Owens center and the 'Shoe, a package came to the Kenyon AD... addressed not only to Mr. Steen but to the men of the Kenyon football team. It was full of 105 hand-written thank-you notes, one from every player that made the trip that day. No matter what side you fall on the great debates of CFB today- SEC vs. Big 10, playoffs, Tim Tebow's deal with the devil- you have to admit the inherent class in a move like that. Above and beyond the call of duty, in my book.
Sure, class doesn't always translate to wins, but I have to say that I like how the stars are aligning this year. OSU definitely has a TON to prove this year, and this is more of a feel-good story than anything else. But it's scores some points in my book... I hope they can do the same to the tune of about 55 against YSU on Saturday!
Monday, August 18, 2008
CBS SEC schedule leaked
Via the very fine blog Saturdays in the South (source), CBS apparently shit the bed and released their entire schedule early.
09/13 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Georgia @ South Carolina (CBS HD)
09/20 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Florida @ Tennessee (CBS HD)
09/27 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Tennessee @ Auburn (CBS HD)
10/04 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Florida @ Arkansas or Kentucky @ Alabama (CBS HD)
10/11 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Tennessee @ Georgia (CBS HD)
10/11 - 7:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. LSU @ Florida (CBS HD)
10/18 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. LSU @ South Carolina (CBS HD)
10/25 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Georgia @ LSU (CBS HD)
11/01 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Georgia-Florida (CBS HD)
11/08 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Alabama @ LSU or Georgia @ Kentucky (CBS HD)
11/15 - 3:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Notre Dame @ Navy (CBS HD)
11/15 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. South Carolina @ Florida or Georgia @ Auburn (CBS HD)
11/22 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Ole Miss @ LSU or Tennessee @ Vanderbilt or Arkansas @ Mississippi St. (CBS HD)
11/28 - 1:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. LSU @ Arkansas (CBS HD)
11/29 - 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Georgia Tech @ Georgia (CBS HD)
11/29 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Auburn @ Alabama (CBS HD)
12/06 - 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Army @ Navy (CBS HD)
12/06 - 3:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. SEC Championship
1) I really wish that Tebow guy would get some airtime. Am I going to have to go to Lincoln Financial to see this guy? What...every f'ing Florida game is on CBS....nevermind
2) Why the F U # K does the Army-Navy games start at 11 a.m.? Does CBS hate America or do they just not like the armed services because those are the only two possible choices.
2A) Better yet, how is the ND-Navy game only going to take 30 minutes?
3) CBS better hope like hell that UGA doesn't fall on their face or they are going to be stuck.
4) South Carolina is getting too much run.
5) How much does it suck to be Mississippi State? Nice year last year but your own network thinks you are going to suck again. K, THX, BYE
6) My early take, feel free to make plans with your significant other on October 4 because those are some crappy games.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Urban Revitalization
What happens when Urban Meyer learns of a player's problem (and by problem I mean firing an AK-47 when someone pisses you off). He kicks them off the team...and then reinstates them after an anger management class. Stay classy, Gators.
http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20080801/NEWS/364774624/1016&title=Wilson_returning_to_Gators
http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20080801/NEWS/364774624/1016&title=Wilson_returning_to_Gators
Friday, August 1, 2008
Good analysis
Wow....William Outstanding. I am very impressed with the indepth analysis.
Things that standout on the coaches poll....
1) I still don't buy Oklahoma. Big 12 should be improved. Texas and Colt 45 should be a slightly better team. Texas Tech...every year...they have offense but no defense. And they won't nut up against A&M or Texas. Missouri....fluke.
2) No Miami or Florida State in the top 20. One of those teams will end up in the top 20...most likely Florida State. Can't trust the ACC.
3) Penn State will have more arrests than wins this year!
4) JoePa will have more diaper changes during halftime than wins this year!
5) 3 of top 6 are SEC schools. Not bad. But doesn't mean a thing.
6) Noel Devine will blow up this year. Kid is sick. Especially playing in the Big East. Joke conference. Almost as week as the Pac 10.
7) Like I said, the winner of the USC/Ohio State game will play the winner of the Florida/Georgia game. Mark it down.
8) These polls are as worthless as Bobby Bowden's bedpan.
Things that standout on the coaches poll....
1) I still don't buy Oklahoma. Big 12 should be improved. Texas and Colt 45 should be a slightly better team. Texas Tech...every year...they have offense but no defense. And they won't nut up against A&M or Texas. Missouri....fluke.
2) No Miami or Florida State in the top 20. One of those teams will end up in the top 20...most likely Florida State. Can't trust the ACC.
3) Penn State will have more arrests than wins this year!
4) JoePa will have more diaper changes during halftime than wins this year!
5) 3 of top 6 are SEC schools. Not bad. But doesn't mean a thing.
6) Noel Devine will blow up this year. Kid is sick. Especially playing in the Big East. Joke conference. Almost as week as the Pac 10.
7) Like I said, the winner of the USC/Ohio State game will play the winner of the Florida/Georgia game. Mark it down.
8) These polls are as worthless as Bobby Bowden's bedpan.
Now, lets analyze the coaches that vote
Green means good choice, Red means bad choice
The USA TODAY Board of Coaches is made up of 61 head coaches at Division I-A institutions. All are members of the American Football Coaches Association. This season's board:
Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech (good guy, knowledgeable)
Mike Bellotti, Oregon (ditto)
Bret Bielema, Wisconsin (young, but if you make jokes about being single while coaching in D-I, you are alright in my book)
Bobby Bowden, Florida State (he doesn't even know what his own team does, let alone a different team)
Tommy Bowden, Clemson (he's disqualified due to his dad)
Art Briles, Baylor (I think Art may be a wee bit too busy to worry about other teams)
Mack Brown, Texas (its like hating khakis, how do you hate someone that bland)
Neil Callaway, Alabama-Birmingham (UAB plays everyone in the Top 25 so he should know a thing or two)
Gene Chizik, Iowa State (not really restoring the non-existent glory)
Mario Cristobal, Florida International (I think I booked a flight on Florida International)
Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State (obvious pick)
Mark Dantonio, Michigan State (best Big 10 coach in Michigan)
Butch Davis, North Carolina (good coach, probably a dick in real life)
Todd Dodge, North Texas (disqualified due to Unneccessary Roughness)
Randy Edsall, Connecticut (built a program)
Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee (whatever Fred Thompson wants, Fred Thompson gets)
Jeff Genyk, Eastern Michigan (honestly, I have no idea who this dude is)
Turner Gill, Buffalo (solid season last year)
Joe Glenn, Wyoming (sure, why not. The name just sounds Wyoming-like doesn't it?)
Todd Graham, Tulsa (guess who voted for Tulsa!)
Jim Grobe, Wake Forest (obviously a good coach)
Dan Hawkins, Colorado (you start your son, you don't vote)
Pat Hill, Fresno State (what a football coach should be like - except for the poor records)
Butch Jones, Central Michigan (best football coach in Michigan - Sorry Dantonio)
Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville (U-G-L-Y year last year)
Mike Leach, Texas Tech (jackass personified)
Jim Leavitt, South Florida (also built a program)
Rocky Long, New Mexico (worth it just for the name alone - I guess Dirk Diggler was already taken)
Bill Lynch, Indiana (on probation - lets see how he does this year)
Doug Martin, Kent State (is it me or are there a lot of MAC coaches on here)
Urban Meyer, Florida (obvious)
Les Miles, LSU (dickhead but obvious)
Shane Montgomery, Miami (Ohio) (ANOTHER MAC COACH??? WTF)
Hal Mumme, New Mexico State (um...no)
Rick Neuheisel, UCLA (too gambley)
Tom O'Brien, North Carolina State (hardcore, good coach)
George O'Leary, Central Florida (too liey)
Gary Patterson, TCU (too underachievery)
Bo Pelini, Nebraska (he earned it, now prove it)
Chris Petersen, Boise State (too nice, everyone can't be #1 Chris)
Gary Pinkel, Missouri (complete jackass but he had a good year)
Mike Price, Texas-El Paso (seems like he probably goes to bad strip clubs)
Mark Richt, Georgia (obvious)
Mike Riley, Oregon State (super nice guy but he gets to stay on)
Rich Rodriguez, Michigan (yeah, he's out)
Greg Schiano, Rutgers (obvious)
Howard Schnellenberger, Florida Atlantic (great choice...in 1983)
Mark Snyder, Marshall (nope, he has f'ed up Marshall)
Frank Solich, Ohio (worthy even though its another f'ing MAC coach)
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina (nope, b/c he didn't vote for Duke)
Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee (I will actually let this one go b/c MTSU is good every couple of years)
Jeff Tedford, California (take that tree sitters)
Joe Tiller, Purdue (farewell tour so he can vote)
Bob Toledo, Tulane (not a chance in hell after running UCLA into the ground)
Dick Tomey, San Jose State (definitely deserves it)
Jim Tressel, Ohio State (obvious)
Tommy Tuberville, Auburn (don't bitch since you get a vote)
Charlie Weis, Notre Dame (no, no, no, no)
Kyle Whittingham, Utah (gonna be a hot name very soon)
Tyrone Willingham, Washington (nope, sorry Ty)
Ron Zook, Illinois (yes, for comedic relief)
The USA TODAY Board of Coaches is made up of 61 head coaches at Division I-A institutions. All are members of the American Football Coaches Association. This season's board:
Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech (good guy, knowledgeable)
Mike Bellotti, Oregon (ditto)
Bret Bielema, Wisconsin (young, but if you make jokes about being single while coaching in D-I, you are alright in my book)
Bobby Bowden, Florida State (he doesn't even know what his own team does, let alone a different team)
Tommy Bowden, Clemson (he's disqualified due to his dad)
Art Briles, Baylor (I think Art may be a wee bit too busy to worry about other teams)
Mack Brown, Texas (its like hating khakis, how do you hate someone that bland)
Neil Callaway, Alabama-Birmingham (UAB plays everyone in the Top 25 so he should know a thing or two)
Gene Chizik, Iowa State (not really restoring the non-existent glory)
Mario Cristobal, Florida International (I think I booked a flight on Florida International)
Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State (obvious pick)
Mark Dantonio, Michigan State (best Big 10 coach in Michigan)
Butch Davis, North Carolina (good coach, probably a dick in real life)
Todd Dodge, North Texas (disqualified due to Unneccessary Roughness)
Randy Edsall, Connecticut (built a program)
Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee (whatever Fred Thompson wants, Fred Thompson gets)
Jeff Genyk, Eastern Michigan (honestly, I have no idea who this dude is)
Turner Gill, Buffalo (solid season last year)
Joe Glenn, Wyoming (sure, why not. The name just sounds Wyoming-like doesn't it?)
Todd Graham, Tulsa (guess who voted for Tulsa!)
Jim Grobe, Wake Forest (obviously a good coach)
Dan Hawkins, Colorado (you start your son, you don't vote)
Pat Hill, Fresno State (what a football coach should be like - except for the poor records)
Butch Jones, Central Michigan (best football coach in Michigan - Sorry Dantonio)
Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville (U-G-L-Y year last year)
Mike Leach, Texas Tech (jackass personified)
Jim Leavitt, South Florida (also built a program)
Rocky Long, New Mexico (worth it just for the name alone - I guess Dirk Diggler was already taken)
Bill Lynch, Indiana (on probation - lets see how he does this year)
Doug Martin, Kent State (is it me or are there a lot of MAC coaches on here)
Urban Meyer, Florida (obvious)
Les Miles, LSU (dickhead but obvious)
Shane Montgomery, Miami (Ohio) (ANOTHER MAC COACH??? WTF)
Hal Mumme, New Mexico State (um...no)
Rick Neuheisel, UCLA (too gambley)
Tom O'Brien, North Carolina State (hardcore, good coach)
George O'Leary, Central Florida (too liey)
Gary Patterson, TCU (too underachievery)
Bo Pelini, Nebraska (he earned it, now prove it)
Chris Petersen, Boise State (too nice, everyone can't be #1 Chris)
Gary Pinkel, Missouri (complete jackass but he had a good year)
Mike Price, Texas-El Paso (seems like he probably goes to bad strip clubs)
Mark Richt, Georgia (obvious)
Mike Riley, Oregon State (super nice guy but he gets to stay on)
Rich Rodriguez, Michigan (yeah, he's out)
Greg Schiano, Rutgers (obvious)
Howard Schnellenberger, Florida Atlantic (great choice...in 1983)
Mark Snyder, Marshall (nope, he has f'ed up Marshall)
Frank Solich, Ohio (worthy even though its another f'ing MAC coach)
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina (nope, b/c he didn't vote for Duke)
Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee (I will actually let this one go b/c MTSU is good every couple of years)
Jeff Tedford, California (take that tree sitters)
Joe Tiller, Purdue (farewell tour so he can vote)
Bob Toledo, Tulane (not a chance in hell after running UCLA into the ground)
Dick Tomey, San Jose State (definitely deserves it)
Jim Tressel, Ohio State (obvious)
Tommy Tuberville, Auburn (don't bitch since you get a vote)
Charlie Weis, Notre Dame (no, no, no, no)
Kyle Whittingham, Utah (gonna be a hot name very soon)
Tyrone Willingham, Washington (nope, sorry Ty)
Ron Zook, Illinois (yes, for comedic relief)
Coaches Poll is out and like Lance Bass - it is gay
So, here's the poll. Feel free to take a minute to read it over.
USA Today preseason coaches' poll top 15
Rank, team, '07 record (first place votes), final '07 rank
1. Georgia 11-2 (22), 3
2. Southern California 11-2 (14), 2
3. Ohio State 11-2 (14), 4
4. Oklahoma 11-3 (3), 8
5. Florida 9-4 (5), 16
6. LSU 12-2 (3), 1
7. Missouri 12-2, 5
8. West Virginia 11-2, 6
9. Clemson 9-4, 22
10. Texas 10-3, 10
11. Auburn 9-4, 14t
12. Wisconsin 9-4, 21
13. Kansas 12-1, 7
14. Texas Tech 9-4, 23
15. Virginia Tech 11-3, 9
16. Arizona State 10-3, 13
17. Brigham Young 11-2, 14t
18. Tennessee 10-4, 12
19. Illinois 9-4, 18
20. Oregon 9-4, 24
21. South Florida 9-4, NR
22. Penn State 9-4, 25
23. Wake Forest 9-4, NR
24. Michigan, 9-4, 19
25. Fresno State , 9-4, NR
Others Receiving votes: Alabama (7-6) 83; South Carolina (6-6) 64; Utah (9-4) 60; Florida State (7-6) 53; Rutgers (8-5) 53; Boston College (11-3) 47; California (7-6) 41; Pittsburgh (5-7) 34; Boise State (10-3) 25; Oregon State (9-4) 23; Nebraska (5-7) 17; Cincinnati (10-3) 13; Virginia (9-4) 12; Connecticut (9-4) 9; Michigan State (7-6) 9; Mississippi State (8-5) 6; Kentucky (8-5) 5; Notre Dame (3-9) 5; TCU (8-5) 5; Maryland (6-7) 4; North Carolina (4-8) 3; Texas A&M (7-6) 3; UCLA (6-7) 3; Central Florida (10-4) 2; Georgia Tech (7-6) 2; Louisville (6-6) 2; Arizona (5-7) 1; Colorado (6-7) 1; Oklahoma State (7-6) 1; Tulsa (10-4) 1.
Anything jump out at you? It should have, dumbass. That's right, no votes for Duke. Where the hell is Duke? Spurrier ALWAYS throws a bone to the Dookies in the first poll but he didn't this year. Does he hate the regime change because Cutcliff is a better game coach? This is the most intriguing aspect to me because it is obscure and only true fans of the sport even know this.
Also, despite what some dumbasses say, these polls do matter. This is 1/3 of the BCS standings and starting out high is always a good idea so you don't have to wade through the crap that resides in the 15-25 range.
Other interesting points/predictions:
(1)The winner of the USC/OSU game is going to be #1 on September 14th.
(2) West Virginia is ranked pretty high for having a new coach and reports that they are going to rely on Pat White's arm more often this year.
(3) Clemson will rise up the rankings only to fail spectacularly against a poor team.
(4) Coaches apparently believe that Texas Tech will follow through with the promise for better defense.
(5) BYU and Utah should be reversed.
(6) Arizona State is way overrated. I don't care if they do beat UGA, they were fraud last year.
(7) Michigan is 24...really...stop laughing. Lets see...new coach...lost a ton of starters...new system...no players for the new system...yeah, sounds like a recipe for the 24th best football team.
(8) Notre Dame will finish the year in the Top 15, everyone will be blowing Charlie Weis, no one will mention the weak ass schedule, and I will want to light myself on fire because of it.
USA Today preseason coaches' poll top 15
Rank, team, '07 record (first place votes), final '07 rank
1. Georgia 11-2 (22), 3
2. Southern California 11-2 (14), 2
3. Ohio State 11-2 (14), 4
4. Oklahoma 11-3 (3), 8
5. Florida 9-4 (5), 16
6. LSU 12-2 (3), 1
7. Missouri 12-2, 5
8. West Virginia 11-2, 6
9. Clemson 9-4, 22
10. Texas 10-3, 10
11. Auburn 9-4, 14t
12. Wisconsin 9-4, 21
13. Kansas 12-1, 7
14. Texas Tech 9-4, 23
15. Virginia Tech 11-3, 9
16. Arizona State 10-3, 13
17. Brigham Young 11-2, 14t
18. Tennessee 10-4, 12
19. Illinois 9-4, 18
20. Oregon 9-4, 24
21. South Florida 9-4, NR
22. Penn State 9-4, 25
23. Wake Forest 9-4, NR
24. Michigan, 9-4, 19
25. Fresno State , 9-4, NR
Others Receiving votes: Alabama (7-6) 83; South Carolina (6-6) 64; Utah (9-4) 60; Florida State (7-6) 53; Rutgers (8-5) 53; Boston College (11-3) 47; California (7-6) 41; Pittsburgh (5-7) 34; Boise State (10-3) 25; Oregon State (9-4) 23; Nebraska (5-7) 17; Cincinnati (10-3) 13; Virginia (9-4) 12; Connecticut (9-4) 9; Michigan State (7-6) 9; Mississippi State (8-5) 6; Kentucky (8-5) 5; Notre Dame (3-9) 5; TCU (8-5) 5; Maryland (6-7) 4; North Carolina (4-8) 3; Texas A&M (7-6) 3; UCLA (6-7) 3; Central Florida (10-4) 2; Georgia Tech (7-6) 2; Louisville (6-6) 2; Arizona (5-7) 1; Colorado (6-7) 1; Oklahoma State (7-6) 1; Tulsa (10-4) 1.
Anything jump out at you? It should have, dumbass. That's right, no votes for Duke. Where the hell is Duke? Spurrier ALWAYS throws a bone to the Dookies in the first poll but he didn't this year. Does he hate the regime change because Cutcliff is a better game coach? This is the most intriguing aspect to me because it is obscure and only true fans of the sport even know this.
Also, despite what some dumbasses say, these polls do matter. This is 1/3 of the BCS standings and starting out high is always a good idea so you don't have to wade through the crap that resides in the 15-25 range.
Other interesting points/predictions:
(1)The winner of the USC/OSU game is going to be #1 on September 14th.
(2) West Virginia is ranked pretty high for having a new coach and reports that they are going to rely on Pat White's arm more often this year.
(3) Clemson will rise up the rankings only to fail spectacularly against a poor team.
(4) Coaches apparently believe that Texas Tech will follow through with the promise for better defense.
(5) BYU and Utah should be reversed.
(6) Arizona State is way overrated. I don't care if they do beat UGA, they were fraud last year.
(7) Michigan is 24...really...stop laughing. Lets see...new coach...lost a ton of starters...new system...no players for the new system...yeah, sounds like a recipe for the 24th best football team.
(8) Notre Dame will finish the year in the Top 15, everyone will be blowing Charlie Weis, no one will mention the weak ass schedule, and I will want to light myself on fire because of it.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The Big Four
Great article on the talent in the state of Florida. Used to be the Big Three....make that Four now. Hands down....toughest state to recruit talent. There's a lot of talent, but potentially four top 25 schools this year. No state comes close.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/andy_staples/07/18/usf/index.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/andy_staples/07/18/usf/index.html
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The SEC Network is dead
Florida and Fox Sun Sports signed a deal. Details here. All you really need to know is that UF signed with some channel that is in the 600's on DirecTV to broadcast stuff that you don't care about. This doesn't technically preclude the creation of the SEC Network, but it makes it much more unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Sad news with UGA's passing
I know it's older news, but still sad. Gotta love this mascot, regardless of allegiance. Great dog, great mascot. Just a part of the fabric that makes college football so great.
Rest in peace Uga VI.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDluJFU2_G4&feature=related
Rest in peace Uga VI.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDluJFU2_G4&feature=related
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Preview of next Baby Borrower episode
When Tebow isn't cutting off foreskin, apparently he likes to wear UF crocs and make the Heisman pose with babies. Must be lots of UF fans there because I see both jorts and fanny packs. Why isn't anyone diving on the loose ball?
BTW, jackass, you have the trophy. Your leg isn't supposed to be in the air. RESPECT THE TROPHY.
Source
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Now you can practice beer pong without actually buying beer
If I had any idea at all how to upload something to YouTube, you would be experiencing domination on the level of Tennessee over Kentucky on the gridiron. Fortunately, I don't know how to do anything like so you will just have to take my word that the Commish and I are possibly the greatest beer pong team that ever lived in the history of the world.
So, I leave you with this little nugget. Just click here . . . then go buy a Wii, practice on your video game and maybe, just maybe, you narrowly lose to us in real life beer pong.
So, I leave you with this little nugget. Just click here . . . then go buy a Wii, practice on your video game and maybe, just maybe, you narrowly lose to us in real life beer pong.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
We gotta get her on this blog....
Okay, we really don't know shit about college football. This to this set of fun bags.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAfzW6u2eGY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAfzW6u2eGY&feature=related
Monday, July 7, 2008
My new favorite player
Meet Tyrone Fahie. He is a proud member of the Nebraska Cornhusker football team. He earned his spot on the squad from open tryouts. He was in the band in high school. Just a typical good guy with a great work ethic.
These types of players exist in almost any program. There are walk-ons that finally earn a shot (and a scholarship) their senior year. Sometimes they weren't rated highly enough by recruiting services and had to walk-on. Maybe they played at a small high school so no one knew about them. Back in the day, Nebraska made a living off of walk-ons.
So what makes Tyrone special? He is infinitely more badass than you, that's what. He's a veteran of the United States Navy. He served two tours in Iraq. He worked with SEAL Team One. That's not to say that he was a SEAL but even if he wasn't, he could kick your ass. Even though he's from Virginia Beach, he grew up watching the Cornhuskers and decided he wanted to play for them.
Tyrone Fahie = stud.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Ramblings
Its Friday, I am bored, you are bored, and we are stuck in the nuclear winter that is the offseason. Wimbledon is going on but all of the Americans are out so nobody cares. Euro 2008 reached the finals but its soccer. NASCAR has a race in New Hampshire this weekend but that's not an exceedingly fun track. Finally, there is baseball...still happening everyday...All-Star game coming up which will apparently be the Yankees and Red Sox versus the Cubs. The validity of All-Star voting is a ridiculous topic worthy of its own post. So, that leaves us with just a few nuggets of goodness, none of which is worthy of its own post.
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ESPN continues to release its schedule of televised games. Link here. The first weekend is particularly craptastic. I know that we will all be watching certain games that first weekend like USC @ UVA [will USC win by 30 or 40?], App St. @ LSU [can they do it two years in a row] and Tennessee @ UCLA [will UCLA actually have a QB on the field. The preceding sentence is applicable unless you have back to back wedding in Cleveland like William Outstanding who is not at all bitter about friends who schedule weddings during the first weekend of college football.
But look at the filler games (notwithstanding anything that says ESPN360 because no one actually gets access to that website). The first game of the season is going to be Vandy @ Miami of Ohio. Please, try to contain your enthusiasm. At least its nice to see that the MAC came to their senses and scheduled some weekday games. NC State @ South Carolina and Oregon State @ Stanford are also on that Thursday's schedule. I can think of reasons to be excited for these games, but its really difficult to get very excited when they are still 2 freakin' months away.
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NBC and Notre Dame renewed their contract until 2015. The same year that Charlie Weis' completely undeserved extension runs out. Excellent negotiation by Notre Dame and I fully fault NBC for failing to give the BCS conferences any leverage to get Notre Dame out of the BCS.
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A Kentucky judge ruled that Duke sucks. Duke and Louisville had a 4 game series with 3 games to go. Duke backed out. Louisville sued for $450,000 in damages based on a clause that required a $150,000 per game payout if Louisville could not find a comparable team to play. Duke attorneys argued that because Duke was so bad, any DI (including DIAA) team could be a replacement. Hilariously, and correctly, the judge agreed that Duke was so bad that any football team is comparable.
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ESPN continues to release its schedule of televised games. Link here. The first weekend is particularly craptastic. I know that we will all be watching certain games that first weekend like USC @ UVA [will USC win by 30 or 40?], App St. @ LSU [can they do it two years in a row] and Tennessee @ UCLA [will UCLA actually have a QB on the field. The preceding sentence is applicable unless you have back to back wedding in Cleveland like William Outstanding who is not at all bitter about friends who schedule weddings during the first weekend of college football.
But look at the filler games (notwithstanding anything that says ESPN360 because no one actually gets access to that website). The first game of the season is going to be Vandy @ Miami of Ohio. Please, try to contain your enthusiasm. At least its nice to see that the MAC came to their senses and scheduled some weekday games. NC State @ South Carolina and Oregon State @ Stanford are also on that Thursday's schedule. I can think of reasons to be excited for these games, but its really difficult to get very excited when they are still 2 freakin' months away.
---------------------------------------------
NBC and Notre Dame renewed their contract until 2015. The same year that Charlie Weis' completely undeserved extension runs out. Excellent negotiation by Notre Dame and I fully fault NBC for failing to give the BCS conferences any leverage to get Notre Dame out of the BCS.
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A Kentucky judge ruled that Duke sucks. Duke and Louisville had a 4 game series with 3 games to go. Duke backed out. Louisville sued for $450,000 in damages based on a clause that required a $150,000 per game payout if Louisville could not find a comparable team to play. Duke attorneys argued that because Duke was so bad, any DI (including DIAA) team could be a replacement. Hilariously, and correctly, the judge agreed that Duke was so bad that any football team is comparable.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
An off-the-cuff review of South Carolina
What they should be known for: Steve Taneyhill’s mullet. His glorious flowing locks should be much more notorious than they are. They can best be described as a glorious combination of hair band hair, Busch beer, and NASCAR before it was popular. In fact, his hair is still considered cool in the South.
Face of the Program: As many of you know, ESPN is running a face of the program series in which the all-mighty Worldwide Leader tells the fans who is the face of the program. Their choices are, as the kids say, wack. Seriously, they picked Ralphie as Colorado’s face of the program. Anyway, here is who should be the face of the program:
Steve Spurrier. AND ITS NOT EVEN CLOSE. Yeah, I know that George Rogers won the Heisman while at South Carolina. In fact, he is their ONLY college football hall of fame player (according to my impeccable wiki research). But, how many people actually know or remember that he won the Heisman. Probably no one outside of Columbia, South Carolina. But who doesn’t know Steve Spurrier? No one that you want to hang out with, that’s who. If you know and hang out with someone that doesn’t know who Spurrier is, get the hell off of this website.
Schedule: This is the MOST overlooked indicator of how a team will perform.
Aug. 28, 2008 NC State – Loss. What could be better than kicking off the season with this fine primetime matchup of traditional also-rans. I have no idea how these teams will do but I do know that Tom O’Brien > Steve Spurrier.
Sept. 4, 2008 at Vanderbilt – Win. I know some bloggers are in love with Vandy, but I just don’t see it happeneing.
Sept. 13, 2008 Georgia – Loss. UGA is tough. South Carolina is not tough. It’s a 3:30 game but if this was a night game, I would have gone with the upset.
Sept. 20, 2008 Wofford – Win. I guess Tufts wasn’t available for this date.
Sept. 27, 2008 UAB – Win. Damn, another UAB game. Am I actually going to have to do a UAB preview?
Oct. 4, 2008 at Ole Miss – Loss. Ole Miss will be better with an actual QB this year.
Oct. 11, 2008 at Kentucky – Win. Boy, the stands will be packed for this one.
Oct. 18, 2008 LSU – Loss. I really, really want to pick the Gamecocks for this one, but the talent level just isn’t there.
Nov. 1, 2008 Tennessee – Win. Fine, there is your “upset.”
Nov. 8, 2008 Arkansas – Win. Spurrier v. Petrino. A game for the ages.
Nov. 15, 2008 at Florida – Loss. I know they traditionally keep it close, but its time for Florida to kick the hell out of South Carolina.
Nov. 29, 2008 at Clemson – Win. People love Clemson waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much this year for Clemson to actually show up in a big game.
New Recruits: William Outstanding does not really care about your recruiting class for two years. I know your team has some studs coming in, but they aren’t going to carry you to the title unless their name is Tebow….so stuff it.
Key Player to know so that you sound smarter than you are: Kenny McKinley (Wide Receiver) – you know that Spurrier will have someone throwing the ball around, well, someone has to catch it and this is the guy.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Seriously, JoePa is the oldest of old men
Okay, it's official. Joe Paterno is old. I don't mean that as a knock on his physical health... by all measures, he seems to be very fit for his age and I'm genuinely happy for that. I mean, what other octogenarian do you know that runs the equivalent of 4 miles every Saturday? No, he's past his prime, and in a way that reminds you of that grumpy old man in your neighborhood growing up. You know the one... every ball that ended up on his lawn was gone for good, you were too loud even when just riding bikes, and because you were obviously being reared incorrectly, your parents should have had the decency to be ashamed of themselves.
JoePa-- one of the most venerable coaches to ever prowl the sidelines-- is unfortunately that kind of old.
Why drone on about this? Simple: the never-ending arms race for talent that has developed between the major BCS conferences, and especially between the Big 10 and the SEC. Last month, a majority of SEC coaches voted for the creation of an early signing period for late November (a system similar to college basketball). Under the proposal, prospects would have one day before the start of the official contact period on Dec. 1 to sign a binding national letter of intent. To the uninformed, this might not sound like much, but the informed CFB fan recognizes the significance. This extra day could be the difference between locking up a top-10 recruiting class-- early in the regular signing period-- and the excruciating grind that comes with the normal recruiting process.
When asked on Saturday at a booster event about something similar coming to the Big 10, Joseph responded flatly, "I don't like it." His reasons why more than illustrate his over-the-hilledness. Paterno worries about the impact an early signing period could have on in-season demands, especially if recruits came for official visits during the weeks of big games. Sidebar: when was the last "big game" PSU REALLY played? I digress. "We do a terrible job when kids come up for official visits for a game," he said... to a room full of seemingly prosperous alumni and boosters.
I mean, c'mon. Really?!? JoePa isn't exactly the voice of the Big 10, but I'm not so sure I like his public poo-pooing of something that could mean so much to our more competitive teams. Take for example, the concerted effort OSU put into its 2009 class which resulted in the most early signees in the Jim Tressel era.
Now, think about what Senator Tressel could do in the football-crazed Midwest, Florida, and Texas with an extra early signing period. I just ran to get my Buckeye jersey out of the closet! It's time for Old Man River to hang up the cleats... and give me back my ball!
JoePa-- one of the most venerable coaches to ever prowl the sidelines-- is unfortunately that kind of old.
Why drone on about this? Simple: the never-ending arms race for talent that has developed between the major BCS conferences, and especially between the Big 10 and the SEC. Last month, a majority of SEC coaches voted for the creation of an early signing period for late November (a system similar to college basketball). Under the proposal, prospects would have one day before the start of the official contact period on Dec. 1 to sign a binding national letter of intent. To the uninformed, this might not sound like much, but the informed CFB fan recognizes the significance. This extra day could be the difference between locking up a top-10 recruiting class-- early in the regular signing period-- and the excruciating grind that comes with the normal recruiting process.
When asked on Saturday at a booster event about something similar coming to the Big 10, Joseph responded flatly, "I don't like it." His reasons why more than illustrate his over-the-hilledness. Paterno worries about the impact an early signing period could have on in-season demands, especially if recruits came for official visits during the weeks of big games. Sidebar: when was the last "big game" PSU REALLY played? I digress. "We do a terrible job when kids come up for official visits for a game," he said... to a room full of seemingly prosperous alumni and boosters.
I mean, c'mon. Really?!? JoePa isn't exactly the voice of the Big 10, but I'm not so sure I like his public poo-pooing of something that could mean so much to our more competitive teams. Take for example, the concerted effort OSU put into its 2009 class which resulted in the most early signees in the Jim Tressel era.
Now, think about what Senator Tressel could do in the football-crazed Midwest, Florida, and Texas with an extra early signing period. I just ran to get my Buckeye jersey out of the closet! It's time for Old Man River to hang up the cleats... and give me back my ball!
An off-the-cuff review of TENNESSEE
What they should be known for: Insane fans. Everyone knows at least one Tennessee fan and that fan is not to be approached during UT games. You should not allow small children near him during games because they may be kicked. Also, the Volunteer Navy is pretty freakin’ cool.
Phil Fulmer. Now, some of you might say it should be Peyton Manning or even General Neyland. But, alas, Fulmer is the real face of the program. Who hasn’t seen this Fred Thompson look alike with his face contorted like he’s trying to drop a deuce during a Saturday evening ESPN game? Besides, Peyton is now too commercially viable and Neyland is way too dead to be the face of this proud program. Second place: Erik Ainge for playing 18 consecutive seasons for the Volunteers. He will be missed (by opposing teams).
Sept. 1, 2008 at UCLA - Loss. A SEC team going west. Hey, UT went west just last year and lost after crushing Cal the year before. I would like to put in something historical about SEC teams traveling for out-of-conference games against big teams, but I can’t because they fight over who gets to play THE Citadel. So, I’m going to proclaim that SEC teams suck when playing out of the NASCAR region. Thus, UCLA in an upset
Sept. 13, 2008 UAB – Win. UAB had a good run in the basketball tournament a couple of years ago.
Sept. 20, 2008 Florida – Loss. UT plays Florida tight at home. But, Florida is too tough.
Sept. 27, 2008 at Auburn – Loss. UT and AU hate each other…or is it Alabama that hates them. No one really cares except for alumni of these schools. Thus, not a real rivalry.
Oct. 4, 2008 Northern Illinois – Win. NIU got a new coach this year. Good for them. Good for them to get hammered by a pissed off Vols team.
Oct. 11, 2008 at Georgia – Loss. Did I ever tell you the time that I went to a UT-UGA game and got lost at Sanford Stadium. Boy, that was a blast.
Oct. 18, 2008 Miss. State – Win. The Croom era is not as good as originally thought.
Oct. 25, 2008 Alabama – Win. Bama continues to underperform despite undeserved praise.
Nov. 1, 2008 at South Carolina – Loss. USC will be tough. So will South Carolina.
Nov. 8, 2008 Wyoming – Win. No one will watch.
Nov. 22, 2008 at Vanderbilt – Win. This is a big rivalry. Up there with Ohio State-Cincinnati, Michigan – Eastern Michigan, and UCLA – San Diego State.
Nov. 29, 2008 Kentucky – Win. UK will never win this game until they surpass Navy’s futility record.
So there you have it, 7-5 and a lower tier bowl. Take that one to Vegas since I spent about 3 minutes thinking about the entire section.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HkG4UD-yNc
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Does the Big 10(+) REALLY need a 12th team?
In this era of more is better, nothing is a more curious phenomenon than that of consolidation. Consolidation-- in big business AND in college football-- is what happens when bigger or better "fish" feast on their weaker brethren. In the business world, the concept is played out in what are called "economies of scale." These economies, the dismal scientists will tell you, always win out in the end because they reduce the cost of bringing goods to market while simultaneously thinning the herd of possible competition. In terms of profits-and-losses, it's a win-win, assuming your the "gobbler" and not the "gobblee."
The world of college sports has also seen its fair share of consolidation lately. Well, consolidation might not be the best word to describe power BCS conferences picking of ripe schools from other lesser-endowed conferences. The faces of the WAC, Big 12 (formerly the Big 8), Big East, and the ACC have all been altered by the power of consolidation. Whereas in the business world, the benefits of such moves are seen in higher profits, in college football in particular, the score is kept in the number of high-prize recruits secured, bowl game invites, and lucrative TV deals. We have entered the era of conference-as-business-entity, which is a far cry from their founding origins.
My conference-of-choice, the Big 10, has not been immune to this wanderlust of conference tournaments and exclusive TV rights. Exhibits A) and B): the inclusion of Penn St in the early 90's and the god-awful Big 10 network that descended on loyal fans last year. But it doesn't stop there. Last year, blogs of this ilk were abuzz with talk of adding another team, making the conference essentially the Big 12, Part Deux. This idea has been bandied about in the past, and the usual suspect has always been Notre Dame. Last year's rumor mill was a little more interesting, though, in that its front-runners carried a decidely East Coast flair: Rutgers and Syracuse. Some other possible candidates were Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, WVU, and possibly Louisville.
While the rumors eventually ended up being nothing more than that-- rumors (for now anyway)-- it does make a person like me wonder... does the Big 10 even need a 12th team? The addition of Penn State made sense to me when I was a wide-eyed 6th grader. They're geographically co-located to most of the other schools, were formed as a Land-Grant college, and had an awesome football tradition. Perfect fit. So what if it obviated the conference's name. It worked.... or so it seemed.
I guess my basic question is this: has our last round of expansion really worked in the Big 10's favor and would another school help us all that much? After a couple of years of astronomical success, PSU has played more like P-U (losing out on many big Pa studs along the way). The ACC can certainly testify to the weird happenings that have played out since Miami, BC, and VaTech joined their ranks. The U is so terrible now that even the Marlins are making fun of them! Would adding a horrible Syracuse, flash-in-the-pan Mizzou and/or Rutgers, or past-its-prime ND really help us shake off the stigma that we're slow, plodding farm boys that can't compete with the SEC's and Pac-10's of the world? Or, would it just help line the conference's pockets, while the "product" on the field suffered as a result?
I'm not so sure I have an answer one way or another. It would be nice, though, to beat the sh*t out of The Lard-Ass from South Bend year in and year out!
The world of college sports has also seen its fair share of consolidation lately. Well, consolidation might not be the best word to describe power BCS conferences picking of ripe schools from other lesser-endowed conferences. The faces of the WAC, Big 12 (formerly the Big 8), Big East, and the ACC have all been altered by the power of consolidation. Whereas in the business world, the benefits of such moves are seen in higher profits, in college football in particular, the score is kept in the number of high-prize recruits secured, bowl game invites, and lucrative TV deals. We have entered the era of conference-as-business-entity, which is a far cry from their founding origins.
My conference-of-choice, the Big 10, has not been immune to this wanderlust of conference tournaments and exclusive TV rights. Exhibits A) and B): the inclusion of Penn St in the early 90's and the god-awful Big 10 network that descended on loyal fans last year. But it doesn't stop there. Last year, blogs of this ilk were abuzz with talk of adding another team, making the conference essentially the Big 12, Part Deux. This idea has been bandied about in the past, and the usual suspect has always been Notre Dame. Last year's rumor mill was a little more interesting, though, in that its front-runners carried a decidely East Coast flair: Rutgers and Syracuse. Some other possible candidates were Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, WVU, and possibly Louisville.
While the rumors eventually ended up being nothing more than that-- rumors (for now anyway)-- it does make a person like me wonder... does the Big 10 even need a 12th team? The addition of Penn State made sense to me when I was a wide-eyed 6th grader. They're geographically co-located to most of the other schools, were formed as a Land-Grant college, and had an awesome football tradition. Perfect fit. So what if it obviated the conference's name. It worked.... or so it seemed.
I guess my basic question is this: has our last round of expansion really worked in the Big 10's favor and would another school help us all that much? After a couple of years of astronomical success, PSU has played more like P-U (losing out on many big Pa studs along the way). The ACC can certainly testify to the weird happenings that have played out since Miami, BC, and VaTech joined their ranks. The U is so terrible now that even the Marlins are making fun of them! Would adding a horrible Syracuse, flash-in-the-pan Mizzou and/or Rutgers, or past-its-prime ND really help us shake off the stigma that we're slow, plodding farm boys that can't compete with the SEC's and Pac-10's of the world? Or, would it just help line the conference's pockets, while the "product" on the field suffered as a result?
I'm not so sure I have an answer one way or another. It would be nice, though, to beat the sh*t out of The Lard-Ass from South Bend year in and year out!
Monday, June 2, 2008
And the beat goes on.....
Oklahoma will follow through on its recruitment of highly touted wide receiver Josh Jarboe after he pleaded guilty to gun charges that were reduced from felonies to misdemeanors
You gotta be kidding me. How can our noble, honorable college presidents (in this case Oklahoma....one of the top academic institutions sans Miss State) allow these thugs in. This is the reason the NFL is dealing with these problems on a seemingly weekly basis. And these issues go all the way back to high school...middle school. Coaches need to stop coddling these kids at 10..11..12 years old. Kick them in the ass, kick them off the team when they pull this shit. I'm tired of coaches say..."he's a kid...kids make mistakes...I can make them a better person." Bullshit.
And to think these are the same college presidents (and conference commissioners) who don't want a playoff system because it will "taint" the sanctity of amateur college football. Please. Turds...all of them.
With that, I'm all for giving "kids" a second chance. Maybe even a third. I draw the line at murder. Only one chance then. University of Miami...aka Thug U....no doubt.
You gotta be kidding me. How can our noble, honorable college presidents (in this case Oklahoma....one of the top academic institutions sans Miss State) allow these thugs in. This is the reason the NFL is dealing with these problems on a seemingly weekly basis. And these issues go all the way back to high school...middle school. Coaches need to stop coddling these kids at 10..11..12 years old. Kick them in the ass, kick them off the team when they pull this shit. I'm tired of coaches say..."he's a kid...kids make mistakes...I can make them a better person." Bullshit.
And to think these are the same college presidents (and conference commissioners) who don't want a playoff system because it will "taint" the sanctity of amateur college football. Please. Turds...all of them.
With that, I'm all for giving "kids" a second chance. Maybe even a third. I draw the line at murder. Only one chance then. University of Miami...aka Thug U....no doubt.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Did I miss anything?
So, I, Billy O., have been out of the loop lately. The only constructive thing I've done in the last week is to order my copy of Phil Steele via priority mail. It will be in hand next Tuesday. I will then retire to my basement to read, re-read, and completely memorize the entire thing. Unfortunately, its already been reported that Florida is Phil's #1 team. I hate Phil Steele.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Tebow, not as satanic as thought
Much to my chagrin, it appears that Tim Tebow is not only an amazing athlete and record-breaking college QB (see: Heisman as a soph and about 1000 combined TDs last year), but he's also a good dude. Man, just typing that sentence hurt my fingertips... not to mention my pride. But I try to call it like a see it, and Timmy Touchdown appears to be one of those guys that's as good as advertised.
This spring, Tim accompanied his father on mission trips to the Phillipines, where he helped administer vital aid to the malnourished and impoverished children of the area. Not only that, but he (along with his brothers) also helped his father at the orphanage the Tebow family operates in Southeast Asia. Tim has said that trips like this help keep him grounded, and that it reminds him just how lucky he-- and moreover all of us-- truly are. Good lessons to learn, but not many in his position-- sporting "gods" who have the world by the balls-- seem to learn them, and certainly not at his young age.
Compare "Dr. Tebow" to some of his contemporaries in the sports world, and it pretty quickly starts to make you queasy. On one end of the spectrum, you have the superstars who want nothing more but to be a normal college student every once in a while. Take this pic of UNC hoops all-everything Tyler "Psycho T" Hansborough taking part in some fraternal shenanigans as proof positive that the allure of normalcy can be intoxicating. And anyone who's ever been to the bars along High Street in Columbus after a Buckeyes home win can tell you that this college-age euphoria isn't limited to Tobacco Road. Kids will be kids, and to a certain extent, I'm more than fine with that. I played small school college sports, and I lived for Saturday nights after home games... to either celebrate a hard-fought "W" or drown a devastating "L."
On the opposite end of thi spectrum you have the likes of OSU's inprisoned former RB Maurice Clarrett, LSU's idiotic former QB Ryan Perrilloux, and former USC star and current Arizona Cardinals QB Matt Leinart. Guys like this never seem to realize their lucky lot in life, don't care enough to alter their crash courses with infamy, or simply prefer to rock the casbah and take advantage of every privilege afforded them. Interesting character studies each, but that's not where I'm heading with this. That's another post at another time.
Bottom line, college football needs more people like Tim Tebow. Plain and simple. I only hope that the Terrell Pryor's of the world can grow into not only formidable players but also (and most importantly) admirable men.
This spring, Tim accompanied his father on mission trips to the Phillipines, where he helped administer vital aid to the malnourished and impoverished children of the area. Not only that, but he (along with his brothers) also helped his father at the orphanage the Tebow family operates in Southeast Asia. Tim has said that trips like this help keep him grounded, and that it reminds him just how lucky he-- and moreover all of us-- truly are. Good lessons to learn, but not many in his position-- sporting "gods" who have the world by the balls-- seem to learn them, and certainly not at his young age.
Compare "Dr. Tebow" to some of his contemporaries in the sports world, and it pretty quickly starts to make you queasy. On one end of the spectrum, you have the superstars who want nothing more but to be a normal college student every once in a while. Take this pic of UNC hoops all-everything Tyler "Psycho T" Hansborough taking part in some fraternal shenanigans as proof positive that the allure of normalcy can be intoxicating. And anyone who's ever been to the bars along High Street in Columbus after a Buckeyes home win can tell you that this college-age euphoria isn't limited to Tobacco Road. Kids will be kids, and to a certain extent, I'm more than fine with that. I played small school college sports, and I lived for Saturday nights after home games... to either celebrate a hard-fought "W" or drown a devastating "L."
On the opposite end of thi spectrum you have the likes of OSU's inprisoned former RB Maurice Clarrett, LSU's idiotic former QB Ryan Perrilloux, and former USC star and current Arizona Cardinals QB Matt Leinart. Guys like this never seem to realize their lucky lot in life, don't care enough to alter their crash courses with infamy, or simply prefer to rock the casbah and take advantage of every privilege afforded them. Interesting character studies each, but that's not where I'm heading with this. That's another post at another time.
Bottom line, college football needs more people like Tim Tebow. Plain and simple. I only hope that the Terrell Pryor's of the world can grow into not only formidable players but also (and most importantly) admirable men.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Bobby Bowden is a hard ass
Bobby Bowden is the harvester of sorrow. One small mistake by his players and they know that they will never see the field again. His quick enforcement and keen eye for keeping problems minimized make him so badass that Dog the Bounty Hunter trembles in his midst. Never before has this nation seen someone so ruthlessly efficient in addressing infractions
Bobby "Executioner" Bowden's most recent brand of punishment came at the expense of the notorious Preston Parker. Preston, or as is his friends like to call him, PP, was arrested for having a loaded .45 caliber and bag of weed. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but the Executioner doesn't want those types of misdeeds on his team. No sirree, that stuff just don't fly at The Florida State University.
With the quick sword of Justice, the Executioner suspended PP. For 2 meaningless games against Western Carolina and Chattanooga. Are you f'ing kidding me? FSU is a team full of losers and thugs whose only competition for douchebaggery is another ACC school that is coming on hard in the stretch run (I'm looking at you Virginia Polytechnic Institute and yes, that was a double entendre referencing Marcus Vick's dalliance with a 15 year old).
Quick...name a player for Western Carolina or Chattanooga. Hell, just tell me which division they play in? Those teams don't even show up in Phil Steele's preview (on newstands in June!). Have some balls, Bobby, and lay down an example for your team. At this rate, I guess it takes at least a crime of violence to miss the Wake Forest game.
Bobby "Executioner" Bowden's most recent brand of punishment came at the expense of the notorious Preston Parker. Preston, or as is his friends like to call him, PP, was arrested for having a loaded .45 caliber and bag of weed. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but the Executioner doesn't want those types of misdeeds on his team. No sirree, that stuff just don't fly at The Florida State University.
With the quick sword of Justice, the Executioner suspended PP. For 2 meaningless games against Western Carolina and Chattanooga. Are you f'ing kidding me? FSU is a team full of losers and thugs whose only competition for douchebaggery is another ACC school that is coming on hard in the stretch run (I'm looking at you Virginia Polytechnic Institute and yes, that was a double entendre referencing Marcus Vick's dalliance with a 15 year old).
Quick...name a player for Western Carolina or Chattanooga. Hell, just tell me which division they play in? Those teams don't even show up in Phil Steele's preview (on newstands in June!). Have some balls, Bobby, and lay down an example for your team. At this rate, I guess it takes at least a crime of violence to miss the Wake Forest game.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Enough, Congress, get back to work!!!
Okay, this might not make sense for my first post to the awesome blog that is College Football Heaven, but here we go anyways…
Consider this an open letter to Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa), Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Ca), or any other knucklehead on the Hill that decides to focus their massive egos and pomposity on the world of sports. I have one word for you, and despite my better instincts in admitting this, I’m going to steal from the immortal Diana Ross to say it: stop! Or, maybe you’d prefer Aretha Franklin’s line from The Blues Brothers: you better think! Or, maybe… okay, enough with the wit. I’ll just say it straight out. Stop it. Just stop it. Take a step back from the abyss, have some pride in what you were elected to do, and start focusing on things that really matter. I’m here to plead with you to act with deference to your position and stop all the B-S.
It’s mind-boggling to me that in a day and age where over 4000 of our men and women have been lost in Iraq, gas is sky-rocketing towards $4-a-gallon, and the housing bubble hasn’t only popped but imploded, that the most powerful governing body in the world would choose to spend what few days it does work looking into whether Jose Canseco ever injected Roger Clemens with steroids, HGH, insulin, Botox, or whatever it is crazy celebrities do at parties these days. Or, how they can claim national best interest in “investigating” Matt Walsh’s videography. Personally, I could care less if he taped the Rams walkthrough, their cheerleaders in the Edward Jones Dome showers, or even Georgia Frontiere’s lavish funeral. I don’t care, and neither should they.
How does all this relate to our chosen love of college football? Quite easily, actually. It wasn’t but a month ago that Reps. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), and Mike Simpson (R-ID) announced their plans to look into the corruption that is the Bowl Champion Series. Collusion at the top, they claim. To any college football aficianado (like the fellows you’ll find posting here), this sounds all-too-familiar, right? But before we go off endorsing them hauling BCS commissioners like the Big 10’s Jim Delany or the SEC’s Paul Atkins in front of the House Commission on Whatever, we need to understand that their support of a playoff isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. I’m no fan of the current system and have heard no viable reason why a limited tournament couldn’t be instituted by the end of the current contract, but is this really the job of 110th Congress? I don’t think so, and I bet you don’t either.
Enough of the rant. Sports are an American mainstay, and I get that more than anyone, but college football is not the purview of Capitol Hill. It belongs in places like Baton Rouge and Columbus. That’s it. You do your job, distinguished men and women of Congress, and let we college football fans do ours!
Consider this an open letter to Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa), Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Ca), or any other knucklehead on the Hill that decides to focus their massive egos and pomposity on the world of sports. I have one word for you, and despite my better instincts in admitting this, I’m going to steal from the immortal Diana Ross to say it: stop! Or, maybe you’d prefer Aretha Franklin’s line from The Blues Brothers: you better think! Or, maybe… okay, enough with the wit. I’ll just say it straight out. Stop it. Just stop it. Take a step back from the abyss, have some pride in what you were elected to do, and start focusing on things that really matter. I’m here to plead with you to act with deference to your position and stop all the B-S.
It’s mind-boggling to me that in a day and age where over 4000 of our men and women have been lost in Iraq, gas is sky-rocketing towards $4-a-gallon, and the housing bubble hasn’t only popped but imploded, that the most powerful governing body in the world would choose to spend what few days it does work looking into whether Jose Canseco ever injected Roger Clemens with steroids, HGH, insulin, Botox, or whatever it is crazy celebrities do at parties these days. Or, how they can claim national best interest in “investigating” Matt Walsh’s videography. Personally, I could care less if he taped the Rams walkthrough, their cheerleaders in the Edward Jones Dome showers, or even Georgia Frontiere’s lavish funeral. I don’t care, and neither should they.
How does all this relate to our chosen love of college football? Quite easily, actually. It wasn’t but a month ago that Reps. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), and Mike Simpson (R-ID) announced their plans to look into the corruption that is the Bowl Champion Series. Collusion at the top, they claim. To any college football aficianado (like the fellows you’ll find posting here), this sounds all-too-familiar, right? But before we go off endorsing them hauling BCS commissioners like the Big 10’s Jim Delany or the SEC’s Paul Atkins in front of the House Commission on Whatever, we need to understand that their support of a playoff isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. I’m no fan of the current system and have heard no viable reason why a limited tournament couldn’t be instituted by the end of the current contract, but is this really the job of 110th Congress? I don’t think so, and I bet you don’t either.
Enough of the rant. Sports are an American mainstay, and I get that more than anyone, but college football is not the purview of Capitol Hill. It belongs in places like Baton Rouge and Columbus. That’s it. You do your job, distinguished men and women of Congress, and let we college football fans do ours!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
A non-prediction prediction predicated on a selection process
I also guarantee that there will be one SEC team in the BCS. I further guarantee that there will be one team from the following conferences in the BCS: Big Ten, Big Twelve, Big East, ACC, and Pac 10. I will further hypothesize that Notre Dame will be in the BCS if it is in the top 8 of the final BCS standings. Finally, I would even go so far as to say that a team from Conference USA, MAC, MWC, Sun Belt or WAC will be in the BCS if it is in the top 12 of the final BCS standings or if it is in the top 16 of those standings and ranked higher than a champion of a big-boy football school.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Weiss could cure AIDS and cancer....
....and I would still think he is a knuckle dragging, stomach stappling, knees buckling from the extra 150 he's carrying around...and I would still think he is a terrible, overrated, unworthy college football coach. He might be a good father, but I could care less.
So, William Outstanding brought out some stats about Boeckman. Overall, his numbers were not very good against the better teams.
Michigan- 50 yards, o tds, 1 int
Illinois- 156 yards, 0 tds, 3 ints
LSU- 208 yard, 2 tds, 2 ints (all came after it was 31-10 near the end of the 3rd quarter)
Yikes. I just think they are a bit overrated for #2. Mostly based on schedule.
As for the power of the SEC, I have no doubt 1 SEC school will be in the BCS. I think it will be Florida or Georgia. Georgia lost no one. Florida lost a couple.
Time is ticking...the season will be upon us.
Oh gosh, thank you for the TT youtube. What an a-hole. His mother must be proud.
So, William Outstanding brought out some stats about Boeckman. Overall, his numbers were not very good against the better teams.
Michigan- 50 yards, o tds, 1 int
Illinois- 156 yards, 0 tds, 3 ints
LSU- 208 yard, 2 tds, 2 ints (all came after it was 31-10 near the end of the 3rd quarter)
Yikes. I just think they are a bit overrated for #2. Mostly based on schedule.
As for the power of the SEC, I have no doubt 1 SEC school will be in the BCS. I think it will be Florida or Georgia. Georgia lost no one. Florida lost a couple.
Time is ticking...the season will be upon us.
Oh gosh, thank you for the TT youtube. What an a-hole. His mother must be proud.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The almost perfect blog topic
So, say you are out drinking...and I mean really, really drinking. Like LSU drunk, not just Arkansas drunk.
and when you are drinking, you see the following message scroll along the bottom of the screen:
"Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis Appointed To President's Committee For People With Intellectual Disabilities"
WHAAAAAAT??? Could there be a more apt or appropriate idea from the White House. You are so excited about this perfect combination of your ideas and thoughts that you remember this even after your drunken stupor. You are completely convinced that George W. Bush is doing the Lord's work by pointing out that Charlie Weis is a mouthbreathing idiot and holding Fatty McIrish out to the public for ridicule. Honestly, lets go for 3 terms for W if he is this brilliant.
Then you sit down to start writing a blog post. You do a little (obviously very little, in case you haven't seen our posts) research. And, you find out that Charlie Weis has a developmentally disabled kid.
OUCH. I'm a jackass.
Ask yourself what you do next. Do you post this with this information with the same sarcastic wit or do you hold back?
Answer: You hold back...its like I just found the Wizard of Oz was really some dude behind a curtain. But for Weis' daughter, this post would be a record setter for length, cruelty, and incomprehensible ramblings.
However, its a dad trying to do something for his daughter and other similarly situated kids. I'm actually happy for Charlie and hope he and his family are able to help for those less fortunate.
So, in summary, Charlie Weis may not be that bad of person, however, I fully reserve the right to pile on after ND goes 9-3 against a tissue soft schedule.
and when you are drinking, you see the following message scroll along the bottom of the screen:
"Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis Appointed To President's Committee For People With Intellectual Disabilities"
WHAAAAAAT??? Could there be a more apt or appropriate idea from the White House. You are so excited about this perfect combination of your ideas and thoughts that you remember this even after your drunken stupor. You are completely convinced that George W. Bush is doing the Lord's work by pointing out that Charlie Weis is a mouthbreathing idiot and holding Fatty McIrish out to the public for ridicule. Honestly, lets go for 3 terms for W if he is this brilliant.
Then you sit down to start writing a blog post. You do a little (obviously very little, in case you haven't seen our posts) research. And, you find out that Charlie Weis has a developmentally disabled kid.
OUCH. I'm a jackass.
Ask yourself what you do next. Do you post this with this information with the same sarcastic wit or do you hold back?
Answer: You hold back...its like I just found the Wizard of Oz was really some dude behind a curtain. But for Weis' daughter, this post would be a record setter for length, cruelty, and incomprehensible ramblings.
However, its a dad trying to do something for his daughter and other similarly situated kids. I'm actually happy for Charlie and hope he and his family are able to help for those less fortunate.
So, in summary, Charlie Weis may not be that bad of person, however, I fully reserve the right to pile on after ND goes 9-3 against a tissue soft schedule.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Spring Polls = Useless
Dear Commish,
Obviously in your many learned years, you still haven't realized that springtime polls are about as useful as tits on a bull. In order to directly address your concerns, I must point you to another fine blog called "Buckeye Commentary." If you follow this link, you will see a composite spreadsheet of all the major websites spring rankings. What do you see? Well, you see that Ohio State is a concensus Top 3 team. Now, look at the teams with the composite scores. The SEC has 5 teams and the Big 10 has 4 teams that make the composite Top 25. The whole conference strength debate is tiresome and deserving of its own post, so I will only briefly address your unsupported allegations.
Who had a better year last year, Todd Boeckman or Matt Stafford? Look at the stats:
Boeckman: 181/299 (63.9%), 2,379 passing yards, 7.96 yards per attempt, 25 TD, 14 Int and a QB rating of 148.95
Stafford: 194/348 (55.7%), 2,523 pass yards, 7.25 yards per attempt, 19 TD, 10 Int and a QB rating of 128.93
How about your comment regarding Boeckman not being able to compare to a SEC champion QB. Once again, a completely unsupported argument that shows a lack of dedication to research or facts. Here are your Matt Flynn stats: 202/359 (56.3%), 2,407 yards, 6.71 yards per attempt, 21 TD, 11 Int and QB rating of 125.76.
Now, as to the viability of preseason polls, lets look at last years preseason polls. We can all make educated guesses, but look at how the experts did last year. After reviewing the link, you can tell that there were 11 teams that were expected to be good but weren't even ranked in the Top 25 at the end of the year. Almost half of the teams that the "experts" thought would be good...weren't so good. That's just one of the things that makes college football amazing. You don't know who is going to be good from year to year (not that I won't try like hell during my exclusive 35 team preview to be published in mid-June on this very site).
As for your final point, you are honestly willing to bet that the winner of UF/UGA gets into the BCS Championship game. I am willing to take that bet. The loser of the bet has to go drinking in a shirt provided by the winner and there must be a digital camera available to memorialize the outing.
Obviously in your many learned years, you still haven't realized that springtime polls are about as useful as tits on a bull. In order to directly address your concerns, I must point you to another fine blog called "Buckeye Commentary." If you follow this link, you will see a composite spreadsheet of all the major websites spring rankings. What do you see? Well, you see that Ohio State is a concensus Top 3 team. Now, look at the teams with the composite scores. The SEC has 5 teams and the Big 10 has 4 teams that make the composite Top 25. The whole conference strength debate is tiresome and deserving of its own post, so I will only briefly address your unsupported allegations.
Who had a better year last year, Todd Boeckman or Matt Stafford? Look at the stats:
Boeckman: 181/299 (63.9%), 2,379 passing yards, 7.96 yards per attempt, 25 TD, 14 Int and a QB rating of 148.95
Stafford: 194/348 (55.7%), 2,523 pass yards, 7.25 yards per attempt, 19 TD, 10 Int and a QB rating of 128.93
How about your comment regarding Boeckman not being able to compare to a SEC champion QB. Once again, a completely unsupported argument that shows a lack of dedication to research or facts. Here are your Matt Flynn stats: 202/359 (56.3%), 2,407 yards, 6.71 yards per attempt, 21 TD, 11 Int and QB rating of 125.76.
Now, as to the viability of preseason polls, lets look at last years preseason polls. We can all make educated guesses, but look at how the experts did last year. After reviewing the link, you can tell that there were 11 teams that were expected to be good but weren't even ranked in the Top 25 at the end of the year. Almost half of the teams that the "experts" thought would be good...weren't so good. That's just one of the things that makes college football amazing. You don't know who is going to be good from year to year (not that I won't try like hell during my exclusive 35 team preview to be published in mid-June on this very site).
As for your final point, you are honestly willing to bet that the winner of UF/UGA gets into the BCS Championship game. I am willing to take that bet. The loser of the bet has to go drinking in a shirt provided by the winner and there must be a digital camera available to memorialize the outing.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
True...it's a down time...but we must press
Okay, I've always thought Stewart Mandel was a bit of an idiot. Then he went and picked Ohio State #2 coming out of the spring. Boeckman is still the quarterback!!!
Jeezz. He gets paid to write that crap....unbelievable. William, you watched the Red and Gray or whatever color of the week you call it. B-man stinks. No arm, no accuracy. That will work in the Big-11. Not in the SEC Championship....I mean the BCS Championship game.
The winner of the Florida/Georgia game will win the BCS. Mark it down.
Jeezz. He gets paid to write that crap....unbelievable. William, you watched the Red and Gray or whatever color of the week you call it. B-man stinks. No arm, no accuracy. That will work in the Big-11. Not in the SEC Championship....I mean the BCS Championship game.
The winner of the Florida/Georgia game will win the BCS. Mark it down.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
We picked a bad time to start a college football blog
As the headline says, this is a bad time to start a college football blog. We are in the nuclear winter that is (a) a dead recruiting period; (b) all of the spring practices are over; and (c) the only things going on are idiots getting kicked off of teams or projections of next year's draft.
Seriously, is there anything going on? Sportscenter had a special on Nick Saban. Ugh. That's not news. I'm sure there will also be specials on Les Miles, Rich Rodriguez, Steve Spurrier, and maybe even Paul Johnson thrown in for good measure.
That said, why did we start this blog? Its because there is one thing that permeates every day of our collective thinking and it is college football. Sure, the Commish and I vehemently disagree regarding the merits of conferences, styles of play, and whether jorts are an essential element of any wardrobe, but we both agree that college football is the king of fandom. Anyone can root for a professional team, but not everyone had the stamina to root for a college program. In college, the names change more frequently, you may or may not have a connection to a big-time program, and a region's identity is more closely connected to the team. As an example, lets compare two random places. When you think of Madison, Wisconsin, you think of the Bret Bielema and the Badger football team. Before that, you knew Madison was the home to the fat guy that looked like he should be on the Sopranos and that Brooks Bollinger was the starting QB for 87 consecutive years. In contract, Washington, DC elicits thoughts of corrupt politicians, high crime rates, and horrible traffic. If you think of the Redskins first, you are a mouth-breather.
Hopefully, there will be some more interesting news this week, other than the consistently undeserved praise heaped on Matt Stafford for being an average QB on an underachieving team.
Seriously, is there anything going on? Sportscenter had a special on Nick Saban. Ugh. That's not news. I'm sure there will also be specials on Les Miles, Rich Rodriguez, Steve Spurrier, and maybe even Paul Johnson thrown in for good measure.
That said, why did we start this blog? Its because there is one thing that permeates every day of our collective thinking and it is college football. Sure, the Commish and I vehemently disagree regarding the merits of conferences, styles of play, and whether jorts are an essential element of any wardrobe, but we both agree that college football is the king of fandom. Anyone can root for a professional team, but not everyone had the stamina to root for a college program. In college, the names change more frequently, you may or may not have a connection to a big-time program, and a region's identity is more closely connected to the team. As an example, lets compare two random places. When you think of Madison, Wisconsin, you think of the Bret Bielema and the Badger football team. Before that, you knew Madison was the home to the fat guy that looked like he should be on the Sopranos and that Brooks Bollinger was the starting QB for 87 consecutive years. In contract, Washington, DC elicits thoughts of corrupt politicians, high crime rates, and horrible traffic. If you think of the Redskins first, you are a mouth-breather.
Hopefully, there will be some more interesting news this week, other than the consistently undeserved praise heaped on Matt Stafford for being an average QB on an underachieving team.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Caleb Campbell cont
William, I must also comment on this situation. Mr. Campbell, Cadet Campbell, owes service, time, dedication, to serve in harms way, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, or elsewhere where terror rears it's ugly head.
This is a systemic problem that the Academies need to address. Tax payers are paying their hard earned money so the West Points, Colorado Springs's, and Annapolis's can train combat ready leaders. Not 3rd string NFL players!!!! ESPN was calling this a feel good story. What a shame.
Uncle Sam is sending troops on 3rd...4th...5th tours of duty. They are undermanned, overworked, overstressed, and we are letting one guy out of his commitment to play football? While I love football and appreciate what football does at the collegiate level, there is a huge difference between UT, FSU, UF, USC....and West Point. Football should not drive policy or decisions....but it does. Football equals money....and exposure. Caleb should serve his time...at least one tour of duty in combat...then come back a hero and play football. Long live Roger Staubach...or David Robinson....Tidwell.
Drop the pads, pick up a rifle, and join your classmates after graduation in combat.
This is a systemic problem that the Academies need to address. Tax payers are paying their hard earned money so the West Points, Colorado Springs's, and Annapolis's can train combat ready leaders. Not 3rd string NFL players!!!! ESPN was calling this a feel good story. What a shame.
Uncle Sam is sending troops on 3rd...4th...5th tours of duty. They are undermanned, overworked, overstressed, and we are letting one guy out of his commitment to play football? While I love football and appreciate what football does at the collegiate level, there is a huge difference between UT, FSU, UF, USC....and West Point. Football should not drive policy or decisions....but it does. Football equals money....and exposure. Caleb should serve his time...at least one tour of duty in combat...then come back a hero and play football. Long live Roger Staubach...or David Robinson....Tidwell.
Drop the pads, pick up a rifle, and join your classmates after graduation in combat.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Unless you have been living under a rock, you may have heard that Caleb Campbell was selected by the Detroit Lions in last week’s NFL draft. At his selection, the crowd chanted USA, he was in uniform, and everyone in attendance (including the talking heads) agreed that this was great for the country.
However, these people are COMPLETE IDIOTS AND ABSOLUTELY WRONG.
Caleb Campbell attends the United States Military Academy (aka West Point). As you know, West Point prides itself on producing fine leaders for the military and the nation in general. Most people have heard of West Point’s motto, “Duty, Honor, Country.” This mantra is supposed to remind cadets of their loyalties.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
APR not a BCS strength
The NCAA released its annual Academic Progress Report for colleges and recognized certain schools for outstanding performance. You can find the full list of nominees here.
Lets take a quick look at the football teams. See if anything surprises you:
Brown University
Bucknell University
Colgate University
College of the Holy Cross
College of William and Mary
Columbia University-Barnard College
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Duke University
Furman University
Harvard University
Princeton University
Rice University
Rutgers, State Univ of New Jersey, New Brunswick
Stanford University
U.S. Air Force Academy
U.S. Naval Academy
University of Dayton
University of New Hampshire
University of Pennsylvania
University of Richmond
Villanova University
Wofford College
Yale University
and we're back. Anything surprise you? Of course a few things surprised you.
First, New Hampshire has a football team! That's surprising.
Second, the Ivy league is well represented. If I actually cared about non FBS teams, I would find out if an Ivy team is doing the equivalent of the walk of shame right now. Unfortunately for you, I don't care.
Third, where the hell is West Point? Shouldn't they be ashamed?
Fourth, what an outstanding showing by the BCS schools. Duke and Rutgers and Stanford. . . and . . . and ... whoops, no one else (Rice isn't a BCS school). Everyone knows that Duke sucks because they get a bunch of smart kids, but why is Rutgers there? Must be an easy school. Obviously, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt should no longer be considered academically superior since they were trounced by Wofford and Dayton in the classroom.
Continuing with the BCS and academic themes, can everyone stop pretending that Vince Young took the same classes as Sarah Miller, UT's latest Rhodes Scholar. Vince Young is stupid, Reggie Bush was paid more at USC than in New Orleans, and Michigan players take easy classes. Everyone is OUTRAGED, when these same transgressions are advanced every 18 months against different teams. Listen, Tim Tebow isn't going to Yale Law School, he is prepping for his next career (ostensibly the NFL) by staying eligible. Once you understand this fact, you will enjoy college football. Until then, keep believing that your NY Jets will not suck.
Lets take a quick look at the football teams. See if anything surprises you:
Brown University
Bucknell University
Colgate University
College of the Holy Cross
College of William and Mary
Columbia University-Barnard College
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Duke University
Furman University
Harvard University
Princeton University
Rice University
Rutgers, State Univ of New Jersey, New Brunswick
Stanford University
U.S. Air Force Academy
U.S. Naval Academy
University of Dayton
University of New Hampshire
University of Pennsylvania
University of Richmond
Villanova University
Wofford College
Yale University
and we're back. Anything surprise you? Of course a few things surprised you.
First, New Hampshire has a football team! That's surprising.
Second, the Ivy league is well represented. If I actually cared about non FBS teams, I would find out if an Ivy team is doing the equivalent of the walk of shame right now. Unfortunately for you, I don't care.
Third, where the hell is West Point? Shouldn't they be ashamed?
Fourth, what an outstanding showing by the BCS schools. Duke and Rutgers and Stanford. . . and . . . and ... whoops, no one else (Rice isn't a BCS school). Everyone knows that Duke sucks because they get a bunch of smart kids, but why is Rutgers there? Must be an easy school. Obviously, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt should no longer be considered academically superior since they were trounced by Wofford and Dayton in the classroom.
Continuing with the BCS and academic themes, can everyone stop pretending that Vince Young took the same classes as Sarah Miller, UT's latest Rhodes Scholar. Vince Young is stupid, Reggie Bush was paid more at USC than in New Orleans, and Michigan players take easy classes. Everyone is OUTRAGED, when these same transgressions are advanced every 18 months against different teams. Listen, Tim Tebow isn't going to Yale Law School, he is prepping for his next career (ostensibly the NFL) by staying eligible. Once you understand this fact, you will enjoy college football. Until then, keep believing that your NY Jets will not suck.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
It's Draft Day
It's Draft Day!!! After many long days living in the shadows of NHL (who cares), WNBA (who cares), and MLS (who cares), football is back on center stage. While on the professional level, the NFL provides the opportunity for our favorite college stars to showcase their talent and skillz (with a z).
Today is a culmanation of many years of hard work, tireless dedication on the college gridiron. The draft. Who will go #1? Oh wait, we already know that. Well how bout who will go #2? Nice, good question. St. Louis....you are on the clock.
Gotta run to the bathroom.
Out.
Today is a culmanation of many years of hard work, tireless dedication on the college gridiron. The draft. Who will go #1? Oh wait, we already know that. Well how bout who will go #2? Nice, good question. St. Louis....you are on the clock.
Gotta run to the bathroom.
Out.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
REQUIRED READING
Stewart Mandel (whose book Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls is one of the greatest literary achievements since Homer was writing) has another outstanding article here.
Essentially, Mandel argues that NFL scouts are idiots. The NFL consistently ignores college production for "measurables" (i.e. 40-yard dash, cone drill, bench press, etc.). The NFL takes so much time picking apart a college player's film that they forgot to take the 30,000 foot view. For instance, if a player was solid in college, had good stats, and consistently outperformed his opponent, that is only a minor factor in the NFL's eyes. On the other hand, if a guy started one year and had good stats (Akili Smith), he will be drafted higher than he should be. Similarly, if someone is fast and strong, his impact on ACTUAL FOOTBALL GAMES will be ignored (Vernon Gholston). While I have some disagreements with Mandel's list (Chad Henne still makes crappy decisions despite being a four year starter for the Wolverines), his overall point is well taken. In summary, don't get too excited when your favorite NFL team gets a really fast cornerback because he probably can't catch the ball and gets burned deep on a regular basis.
Essentially, Mandel argues that NFL scouts are idiots. The NFL consistently ignores college production for "measurables" (i.e. 40-yard dash, cone drill, bench press, etc.). The NFL takes so much time picking apart a college player's film that they forgot to take the 30,000 foot view. For instance, if a player was solid in college, had good stats, and consistently outperformed his opponent, that is only a minor factor in the NFL's eyes. On the other hand, if a guy started one year and had good stats (Akili Smith), he will be drafted higher than he should be. Similarly, if someone is fast and strong, his impact on ACTUAL FOOTBALL GAMES will be ignored (Vernon Gholston). While I have some disagreements with Mandel's list (Chad Henne still makes crappy decisions despite being a four year starter for the Wolverines), his overall point is well taken. In summary, don't get too excited when your favorite NFL team gets a really fast cornerback because he probably can't catch the ball and gets burned deep on a regular basis.
OSU and USC both undefeated...impossible
As you see below, the Commish may not have thoroughly researched his post. In fact, I guarantee that there is absolutely no way, barring an Act of God, that both Ohio State and USC go undefeated.
Hey Commish, you might want to check out who plays in L.A. on September 13, 2008.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
William Outstanding has learned a lot
William, not of the Billy Shakespeare variety, Outstanding...not great...but Outstanding....has learned many things in this offseason. But with the beauty of "College Football Experts" and ESPN Classic highlights of any Notre Dame football game (how bout them Navy Midshipmen!), does the college football season really ever end???
Yes. It does. And it hurts. Really bad. Like watching all those Tressel-sucking blowhards cry when Tebow and Urband rolled in the BCS Championship. Or like watching all those Tressel-sucking blowhards cry when Dorsey and Co. rolled in the BCS Championship.
Do you see a trend?
I'll keep this short and sweet. Much to talk about this offseason. But 3 things I did learn this offseason during Spring practices...
1) SEC is clearly the most dominant conference. Period.
2) Pac-10 and Big-10 (11) are horribly week. USC and Ohio State will go undefeated barring Al Gore and his global warming cronies are right and we are really on our last days on Earth. (Better get ready for a big party them....I'm going out in style...no doubt).
3) Any idiot can create a blog about the beauty, passion, love of college football. Join the fun, waste some time, piss off your wife, and we will most likely end up where we started. Ain't that the fun?!
Yes. It does. And it hurts. Really bad. Like watching all those Tressel-sucking blowhards cry when Tebow and Urband rolled in the BCS Championship. Or like watching all those Tressel-sucking blowhards cry when Dorsey and Co. rolled in the BCS Championship.
Do you see a trend?
I'll keep this short and sweet. Much to talk about this offseason. But 3 things I did learn this offseason during Spring practices...
1) SEC is clearly the most dominant conference. Period.
2) Pac-10 and Big-10 (11) are horribly week. USC and Ohio State will go undefeated barring Al Gore and his global warming cronies are right and we are really on our last days on Earth. (Better get ready for a big party them....I'm going out in style...no doubt).
3) Any idiot can create a blog about the beauty, passion, love of college football. Join the fun, waste some time, piss off your wife, and we will most likely end up where we started. Ain't that the fun?!
Navy/Ohio State
In keeping with Ohio State's tradition of scheduling one extremely difficult opponent per season, Ohio State has agreed to a two-game series with the United States Naval Academy.
Coach Jim Tressel hopes that the excitement and test provided by Navy's 230 pound linemen and 5'6" running backs will prepare the Buckeyes for yet another defeat in the BCS Championship game in 2009. After the eagerly anticipated Navy game, Ohio State's 2009 schedule is considerably smoother than the difficult 2007 schedule. For instance, rather than facing a low-tier away game against a PAC-10 team (Washington) like 2007, OSU plays a team called the University of Southern California at the cozy confines of Ohio Stadium in 2009. It goes without saying that the speed and athleticism displayed by Navy will readily prepare Navy for a comparatively easy game against the Trojans.
Coach Jim Tressel hopes that the excitement and test provided by Navy's 230 pound linemen and 5'6" running backs will prepare the Buckeyes for yet another defeat in the BCS Championship game in 2009. After the eagerly anticipated Navy game, Ohio State's 2009 schedule is considerably smoother than the difficult 2007 schedule. For instance, rather than facing a low-tier away game against a PAC-10 team (Washington) like 2007, OSU plays a team called the University of Southern California at the cozy confines of Ohio Stadium in 2009. It goes without saying that the speed and athleticism displayed by Navy will readily prepare Navy for a comparatively easy game against the Trojans.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
What did you learn from Spring Football?
Because I didn't learn a damn thing.
I learned that Chris Rainey doesn't understand that when someone says "Go" as in "Ready, Set, Go", you are supposed to move.
I learned that Joe Schad thinks that a 10-25 performance by Jimmy Clausen makes him the best quarterback in the country.
I learned that Todd Boeckman still thinks he can throw up rainbows and have his receivers catch them.
I learned that Rich Rodriguez likes to yell NASCAR when running UM's practices.
I learned that Mike Gundy may be a bigger dick than I thought.
I learned that Army is going to run the wishbone...not the spread...not the flexbone...but the honest to God wishbone.
I learned that I will watch spring football practices instead of working in the yard on a beautiful day.
I learned that Nebraska fans have too much money since they will pay $95 for tickets to a spring game. Seriously, a secondary market for spring football tickets? AS-I-NINE
I learned that Jevan Snead will finally have his own team this season. Unfortunately, that team is still Ole Miss.
I learned that Penn State is going to suck balls...again.
I learned that ESPN's non-BCS correspondent believes that non-BCS=Notre Dame and only Notre Dame.
I learned that Charlie Weis is still fat.
I learned that Curtis Painter is coming back to Purdue for his 84th consecutive season as starting quarterback.
Finally, I learned that any group of idiots can start a college football blog.
I learned that Chris Rainey doesn't understand that when someone says "Go" as in "Ready, Set, Go", you are supposed to move.
I learned that Joe Schad thinks that a 10-25 performance by Jimmy Clausen makes him the best quarterback in the country.
I learned that Todd Boeckman still thinks he can throw up rainbows and have his receivers catch them.
I learned that Rich Rodriguez likes to yell NASCAR when running UM's practices.
I learned that Mike Gundy may be a bigger dick than I thought.
I learned that Army is going to run the wishbone...not the spread...not the flexbone...but the honest to God wishbone.
I learned that I will watch spring football practices instead of working in the yard on a beautiful day.
I learned that Nebraska fans have too much money since they will pay $95 for tickets to a spring game. Seriously, a secondary market for spring football tickets? AS-I-NINE
I learned that Jevan Snead will finally have his own team this season. Unfortunately, that team is still Ole Miss.
I learned that Penn State is going to suck balls...again.
I learned that ESPN's non-BCS correspondent believes that non-BCS=Notre Dame and only Notre Dame.
I learned that Charlie Weis is still fat.
I learned that Curtis Painter is coming back to Purdue for his 84th consecutive season as starting quarterback.
Finally, I learned that any group of idiots can start a college football blog.
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