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.
Friday, June 27, 2008
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.
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