Posts tagged college football
enlightened conflict college football 2011
Nov 30th
Every year I seem to get motivated to enlighten everyone on college football. This year it is the bowl games where I feel it is time to enlighten.
Let me begin with some assumptions:
- Oregon will be Pac-12 champ (beating a 6-6 chump UCLA)
- LSU will destroy Georgia (assuming they don’t decide to just go directly to New Orleans and forget there is a game in the Georgia Dome)
- Virginia Tech will beat a dangerously good but seemingly lost Clemson
- Wisconsin is gonna thump Michigan State for ruining its season earlier in the year with the luckiest play of the entire NCAA season
- Oklahoma State will beat Oklahoma because it won’t come down to their field goal kicker.
- Louisville wins the Big East (which is absolutely irrelevant because I am not sure they are even a top 20 team)
Next.
I am going to ignore the BCS and polls (because I have never understood how some teams end up where they are anyway … oh … sure I do .. the polls are based at the beginning of the year on how you finished the year before … and name brand status) and suggest that there is LSU and then a bunch of teams who are good enough to win an important game against a very good team.
And there are some teams in the top 15 teams who will are not on my list of teams that could do the “win the big game”.
Georgia, Stanford, South Carolina, Oklahoma and a couple of others are good teams but using the “eye test” they just aren’t that good. All teams this year seem flawed (even LSU on offense) but some teams, even though they have a good record, are really just not that good.
I also believe if you don’t win your conference you shouldn’t play in a BCS championship game. That unfortunately knocks out 2 teams, Boise State & Alabama, from contention (although I will also point out another reason why Bama should go somewhere else and play with someone else).
Regardless. Let me enlighten you …
1. No one outside of Alabama wants to see LSU play Alabama (that includes LSU people).
No one wants this game. Why would they? LSU has won … in Alabama home stadium … in one of the world’s most boring ugly games of the century. This game would prove nothing more than what we already know … they are both good teams. They both have good defenses. They are both offensively challenged. They both have 2 of the best coaches in college football.
Let them now go out and really prove it. Take on the best of the rest and if they win we know they are the top 2 and that LSU won when they played.
Alabama had their chance and blew it (or maybe they lost to a better team). Sorry. No do-overs. No mulligans. Go take your game elsewhere and take it out on someone else.
Plus (ok … here comes some heresy). Is Alabama really that good? Maybe they need to give us some more proof. Other than a good win against a flawed Penn State team in UnHappy Valley the best thing on their resume is a loss … to LSU. Now. Just to prove I haven’t completely lost it I am not suggesting Bama isn’t a very good team. I am simply enlightening people to the fact that they really haven’t beaten a bunch of very good teams (uh oh, here is where all the SEC lovers come out of the woodwork and start giving me some good ole fashion conflict whoop-ass). Maybe instead of begging for a rematch they should just go out and beat someone on a neutral field.
2. Broncos. Oh. That is the Denver Broncos not Boise State.
What the heck. Let the Denver Broncos play LSU. They are playing a college offense with a college quarterback with an NFL-like defense.
The Broncos last game? The special teams got three field goals and a 31-yard punt return that setup their lone touchdown. And they have no offense other than the fact it is heavy on Tebow. Last game Tebow carried 22 times (a record for a quarterback since the NFL-AFL merger) for 67 yards. He is not an overly skilled quarterback. Look. I bet he is a great guy and he is certainly a great leader.
But. I have one stat for you. 0-4.
That is what he was at half time one game. Huh? My quarterback was 0-4? Yup. I swear to you that this is really the Air Force Academy (or Georgia Tech) in NFL uniforms. The NCAA should be questioning some players on what they are doing with their Sundays. That’s why all those Broncos players are wearing those Darth Vader visors … it’s a cover up. The Broncos are clearly a top 5 BCS contender. Let Tebow play another season. Bring on LSU.
3. Teams with losses (or maybe I should call this the teams you don’t want to play for just one game because they are really really good even though they have lost some games)
There are some really dangerously good one game teams this season. Their records may not be the best but no one really would want to play a one game season with them.
- Wisconsin
I don’t know if it’s just because they play in Canada or because they only show their games on ESPN3 but no one talks about the Badgers (maybe if they were something different than a Badger?). These guys are good. Really good. And really big. And they could beat anyone on any given Saturday. And maybe even some teams that play on Sunday. And unlike LSU or Alabama they have a real quarterback to go along with a Heisman worthy running back.
- Virginia Tech
Quietly Virginia Tech has won seven in a row. The team has gotten progressively better as the season has unfolded behind the play of an evolving defense and the maturation of the offense. These guys are rarely flashy. These guys never seem to have what it takes to sustain a season. Ok. Maybe it’s that like some other teams they get dinged in the bowls for some early season struggles. I know I should always look at full season results but a part of me says … “look at the team at the end of the year and tell me what you think.”
That said. Right now. One game. One day. Any field. They are very very dangerous. And as long as they don’t wear one of their wacky uniforms they would never embarrass themselves in a big game.
- USC.
Ok. There is no doubt which team is the best in college football this season – LSU. But if there’s another team out there that looks scary to play right now … it is the one that is making being put in the NCAA outhouse look like a Port-a-Potty mansion.
That’s the Trojans who have become the anointed “Team Nobody Wants To Play” (that is a direct pull from FoxSports).
Of course, nobody has to because the Trojans are banned from a bowl. The reality is that since a miserable showing against ASU it has gone 7-1, beating Notre Dame in South Bend, Oregon in Eugene and UCLA in one of the most lopsided games in that rivalry and lost a multiple overtime game to a good Stanford team that they could have won if there had been one more second left in regulation.
USC finished its regular season as one of the half-dozen or so best programs in the country and maybe the hottest team in the NCAA. An LSU – USC game would be awesome.
- Air Force Academy (disguised as the Denver Broncos).
Tim Tebow lost eligibility but has recreated the entire program in Denver (sorry … couldn’t resist bringing it up again).
- Boise State (the real college Broncos).
Say what you want about their schedule. Say what you want about living in Idaho. Say what you want about playing on Smurf Turf. No one wants to play these guys in a bowl game. They win.
Maybe because they actually play like a team. A complete cohesive team without any superstar (and they play with a chip on their shoulder).
A dangerous team to play in a bowl game. In fact I would suggest that over time Boise and USC may be the most dangerous bowl game opponents of all time.
4. Field goal kickers
I am not sure anyone would ever call this “the year of the field goal kickers.”
I haven’t done any research to confirm my feeling but I am not sure I can remember a year that has had more games, and important games, decided by missed field goals.
It was not a good year to be a field goal kicker trotting out onto the field looking to be the hero. Because many more were goats.
If some of those field goals were made the BCS standings would look very very different. Okla State, Boise State, Oregon and maybe even Alabama has a different record.
5. Good teams outside the SEC
Could everyone remember that outside of LSU and Alabama the SEC doesn’t have any elite teams? Please? I would have rephrased that if Marcus Lattimore hadn’t been hurt. With Lattimore and that Gamecock defense South Carolina could have been elite. There are some good teams but it is those 2 and a cloud of dust.
Oh. And there are some pretty horrible teams in the SEC this year. I am not claiming they are the Big East but playing in the SEC was no great shakes this year. And I am probably the only one in the country that doesn’t think Alabama is that good. Defense? Awesome. Offense? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm … they will struggle to run up the score on anyone (even Georgia Southern).
My point?
SEC fans just take a break on your elitism (this year).
Your good is good. Really good. But conference wise? C’mon. Even you have to admit it was a down year.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm … and if you do … does that mean that possibly you assess Alabama’s resume a little differently? Oops. Another enlightenment thought that will generate some conflict.
6. Heisman is for best player isn’t it?
I get confused on this.
I vaguely remember that the Heisman was for the best college football player.
Period. Regardless of the record of the team they were playing on (mostly because if you didn’t do it that way you would be penalizing kids who made the wrong college choice).
Oh. But we don’t do it that way.
So all of a sudden to win a Heisman your team has to be in a BCS game. What’s up with that?
Andrew Luck. Yup. He is good. As is Trent Richardson. But what about Montee Ball (who they call MoneyBall because he scores so many touchdowns)? And Robert Griffin 3? And, yes, Case Keenum deserves discussion. And what about Tyrone Mathieu? Ok. I admit. The Heisman is tough. Comparing what Case Keenum has done to the level of his competition versus, say, what Trent Richardson faces weekly is silly. On the other hand Keenum is significantly more valuable to the Cougars than Richardson is to the Tide. What I mean is that if you take each player off of his respective squad for several weeks and check which team has the greatest drop-off. Both are terrific players …. but terrific in different ways.
I say all that to give my enlightened vote (which will certainly generate some conflict).
Kellen Moore.
Does anybody think that Boise State is a top ten team without Kellen Moore? And with the overall stats he has how can he not be in the discussion?
Oh. And I am probably the only person in America who isn’t sure Luck is the best quarterback in NCAA. Oops. Different post.
Anyway.
I have two words for everyone. Paul Hornung. Only player to win Heisman on a losing team. And you now what? He was a fucking good player and best in college football and deserved the Heisman.
7. The 2011 enlightened bowl line up
So. What would I do if I could ignore all the polls and BCS mumbo jumbo.
BCS championship game:
LSU. Just give it to them. Oh. We can’t. And Alabama is a no-go because they had a chance … and lost. Ok. Let LSU finish proving they are the best. Make them play either Wisconsin or Oklahoma State. Ok. Wisconsin. I believe Wisconsin is better (I am not sure Oklahoma State could keep the Oklahoma high school champion out of the end zone).
This would mean that LSU has already beaten the best of the Big Least, the SEC and the Pac 12 and this game would give them another ‘best’ to see what they do.
Being biased I would put USC in this game in a second. Being practical I cannot. USC is sitting on a toilet bowl watching everyone and hoping Barkley stays in college so they can smack someone in next year’s BCS championship game.
LSU versus Wisconsin. I don’t give a shit the Badgers have 2 losses. They are big & tough & have a quarterback & a great running back & an offensive line that could double as a herd of Herefords.
Other bowls:
Alabama versus Oregon. It’s the best Bama can do to find a comparison point against LSU to try and convince us they are better than LSU. Oregon is better now than when they played LSU in game 1. Let the Ducks see what they can do against Bama. And what Alabama can do against another set of butt-ugly uniforms.
Plus. LaMichael James versus Trent Richardson is a nice matchup. And Bama may be surprised when they play a team that actually has a real quarterback.
Oklahoma State versus Virginia Tech. I actually believe these 2 teams are slightly behind Wisconsin in talent. But are very very good.
Good defense against non stop offense. No offense against a defensive sieve.
What a great match up.
Stanford against Boise State.
Ok. No matter what anyone tells me Stanford is not that good (unless all their receivers are healthy). They are just not deep enough to have significant injuries.
Ok. No matter what anyone tells me Boise State is better than TCU. In fact Boise State is better than pretty much anyone thinks.
I would love to see Kellen Moore finish his career against Andrew Luck making a point that he is a pretty darn good quarterback in his own right.
Houston versus TCU (or Oklahoma or South Carolina or Georgia or whatever quasi-top ten team you want to throw in here).
No one will watch anyway. No one will care. Houston can go undefeated and whine about never getting a chance to play one of the big boys.
Oh. But they won’t win. TCU is good. And will smack Houston around like a dead fish on the wharf (assuming TCU players even know what a wharf is).
Note: insert any of the other team names I included above if you don’t like TCU.
Uh oh. No Big East teams in a big bowl game? Yup. None deserve it.
That’s it.
It was an odd year of college football. And if it wasn’t for a rash of bad field goal kicking it would have been absolutely boring.
An enlightening post? Heck. I don’t know. Fun to write. Sure to create conflict.
enlightened college football conflict analysis
Sep 2nd
Opening weekend in college football. My look at the top 25 and some other stuff and my enlightened expert analysis.
First.
Because I have been very very consistent on this issue I need to comment on BYU going independent (I have always believed the Mormons should just have an all-star team and beat the crap out of everyone). Oh. I also believe an all star team would constantly receive NCAA violations for too many tickets allocated for the wives section so maybe that is a vote against that idea.
Anyway. Awesome. The Mormon team can now be free to do what Dean Smith of UNC used to do. Promise incoming players they would schedule games where they were from or their families were. BYU can now travel the world to play maybe in Africa, Latin America or even Easter Island. Now THAT is a recruiting ploy (the bastards).
Second.
No Notre Dame in the top 25 so I don’t get to make any Charlie Weiss jokes or talk about jimmy c’losin’ or Knute spinning in his grave over their win loss record. But. Suffice it to say my prediction is they will be better than last year. Yeah. I know. I really stuck my neck out on that one.
Third.
The top 25. A quick look at the games enlightened conflict style.
No. 1 Alabama vs. San Jose State
Alabama plays ‘san’s Mark Ingram. No way Jose! Oh. Saban is still stuck on sport center set playing ginga with Mack Brown. Doesn’t matter. Bama fraternity parties will have more drunks then in the stands by the end of the 3rd quarter.
No. 2 Ohio State vs. Marshall
I still don’t think Pryor is a great quarterback. But. He is absolutely a thundering herd as he rolls down the field. He is kind of a Tebow-lite player. I didn’t like Tebow either. Doesn’t matter. Buckeyes won’t look as good as everyone wants them to look. Everyone will start questioning how good they are. But. They will win. And Tressell will sport a brand new argyle sweater vest which will wow the boys from West Virginia.
florida fan
No. 3 Florida vs. Miami (OH)
Don’t misread. This ain’t THE Miami. How Florida is number 3 is beyond me. Talented? Yes. Number 3? You gotta be nuts. Yeah. Gator country celebrates this week. Florida. Enjoy it while you can. By the end of the season you ain’t number 3.
No. 4 Texas vs. Rice
Longhorns eat rice. Makes for leaner beef. No mad cows here.
No. 5 Boise State vs. No. 6 Virginia Tech
Broncos leave the smurf turf to try and make a point they belong in college football instead of high school football. The Hokies are young and inexperienced and the crowd will be drunk. They will play lights out in the first half. Then Boise will remind themselves that if they lose they end up playing a bunch of games on silly looking turf in -5 degree weather and no one will care … and they win.
No. 7 TCU vs. No. 22 Oregon State
Whoever scheduled a game between Horned Frogs and Beavers should be given a raise. Purple and obnoxious beaver orange and black and random colors appear on the field will be offensive to the eye. The score? Who cares. Every fashion designer in the world will find inspiration in this game. Dammit. But beavers are bigger than frogs I believe.
No. 8 Oklahoma vs. Utah State
Oklahoma starts their run at another BCS bowl loss. They are better than everyone thinks they are. Doesn’t mean they won’t lose another bowl game but today they start showing everyone how good they are.
No. 9 Nebraska vs. Western Kentucky
This is awesome. This is probably the closest most Nebraska boys will ever get to Kentucky. The only hope for the Kentucky team is that all the Nebraska boys will be staring at their cheerleaders thinking “wow, that’s what girls are supposed to look like” and forget to play. Well. Won’t happen. But don’t be surprised if some second team Nebraska boys transfer to a southeast college afterwards.
No. 10 Iowa vs. Eastern Illinois
Nobody probably remembers but last year Iowa sucked in their first game and almost lost to some high school team in northern Iowa. Won’t happen this year. They will focus. That just means they will suck in their second game this year.
No. 11 Oregon vs. New Mexico
boise state
Well. having been in New Mexico I will first point out green and ducks are a rarity. So. The Lobos will come out and not only be befuddled by whatever wacky uniforms the Ducks are wearing but also spend at least a half researching this new color they are seeing as well as “what the fuck is a duck and do they only get that big in Oregon?” By then the game will be done and Nike will be happy and the Lobos can go home and talk about rain and this new amazing color called green and ‘have you ever seen that big a fucking duck?”
No. 12 Wisconsin vs. UNLV
So. Wisconsin chooses to go to Vegas to start the season. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Badgers are good but the cheese boys are just gonna be getting in from the tables and the strip clubs and this game is gonna be closer than everyone thinks. Plus. Let me go on record. Wisconsin suspends at least three players after this weekend.
No. 13 Miami (Fla.) vs. Florida A&M
Being 13 is nuts (they should be higher). Miami is pissed. The rattlers get crushed. And watch Miami (as long as they stay pissed) start their run up into the top 10.
No. 14 Penn State vs. Youngstown State
Joe Paterno forgets to bring his Depends. Keeps leaving the sidelines. No one notices. Penn state is already focused on next game. It doesn’t matter. Its games like this that make you wonder why college football just doesn’t have a preseason game before really having games count.
No. 15 Pittsburgh at No. 24 Utah
This will be an awesome game even if you don’t care about Mormons, Indians, wildlife or anything outside of SEC football. I have no clue who will win. But I will watch this one.
No. 16 LSU vs. No. 18 North Carolina
Another awesome game. Everyone seems to be picking LSU but I actually believe UNC will suck it up and win this one. Now. UNC will end up losing some bonehead games later on in the season and underachieve but this one? Yeah. I think they make Miles throw his hat on the ground in frustration.
No. 17 Georgia Tech vs. South Carolina State
Well. Just having been in Atlanta I think that the rambling wreck fans will have other things to do than attend this game. I think it is Pot Festival weekend. The engineers (fans) all go off and get stoned, go to the Varsity and pig out and wander into the stadium after the game is done to see that Tech won and then go off and eat pizza and do whatever engineers do for fun.
No. 19 Arkansas vs. Tennessee Tech
Ryan Mallett is awesome. He will look even awesomer against Tennessee Tech. If he stays in the game long enough he is gonna put up better numbers than a Texas Tech quarterback. I will say it here and now. Mallett is gonna be an awesome pro quarterback if he stays healthy.
No. 20 Florida State vs. Samford
At first I thought it was Stanford and I was going to call this the IQ versus no IQ game. Nuts. Missed opportunity. Regardless. Seminoles can save whatever IQ they may have for another game. In fact. Maybe they should use this opportunity to go to some classes and skip the game because they would win anyway.
No. 21 Georgia vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
I am assuming Georgia scheduled this game thinking somehow it would prepare them for the ‘real’ Louisiana game. Whatever. UGA has the best looking girls in the top 25. Hands down. That’s all that really matters.
auburn frat boy
No. 23 Auburn vs. Arkansas State
So. Here’s a random fact. Auburn is the only team in the SEC to retain their entire coaching staff from last year (USA Today). Huh? Who cares? This is one of these stupid games that will tell us absolutely nothing about how good any team is. I hope it is 100 degrees and 90% humidity and everyone is miserable. Because if you tune into his game you will be miserable. The fans may as well share in your pain.
No. 24 West Virginia vs. Coastal Carolina
WTF. Who schedules these games? Ok. I admit. I liked the Mountaineers offense with Rodriguez and I do think they have a cool logo. Sorry. That’s all I got for this game. If West Virginia loses this game they should go to Chile and utilize their mining skills and get those miners out and stay there until December doing that.
enlightened look at nfl draft
Apr 21st
Another sporting event (if you can call it sporting but it is certainly an event) has appeared on the horizon. The NFL draft. I love it because it is still an extension of college football and it is a crapshoot. 
And ESPN has figured out how to put a bunch of young men in an audience of drunken fans looking woefully nervous on whether they will not only make millions of dollars (or lose millions of dollars) or whether they will just look plain foolish sitting there in an audience with people who have nothing to do with the draft. I love the people who attend it (unfortunately I haven’t been invited back since the last time I attended – see picture at right). And, of course, the buildup and rumors and discussion and everything associated with looking back at college football is awesome.
Anyway.
Before I go thru my unique view on the draft here are a couple of things I have liked this year:
- The Jon Gruden interviews of the top quarterbacks. Awesome. I am not a big fan of Gruden’s talking style but he knows his shit and he didn’t really hold back on critique. My gut tells me he sees something in Tebow the rest of us don’t yet and that intrigues me.
- The ESPN analysts. They have done an awesome job of keeping the bullshit to the minimum. In fact they seem to be more honest about the flaws (and vocal) than any year in my memory.
So. As you prepare for the three day draft extravaganza here are some random thoughts for you:
Alabama
Nick Saban is like having General Grant taking over Robert E. Lee’s army. Bear Bryant is spinning in his grave. Nick Saban wins in college and wins in the NFL. Now that Pete Carroll has left the college game I am not sure there is a better college coach out there that can build an effective college team and effective NFL players. I still don’t get the elephant mascot (are there elephants in Alabama?) but they have a couple of monsters going in this year’s draft. And next year’s. And probably the year after. If you are an NFL team maybe you can just buy stock in Alabama and receive a player as a dividend and skip the draft.
University of South Carolina
I still haven’t forgiven them for George Rogers winning a Heisman when a Trojan should have, getting drafted high and sucking in the NFL. In fact I believe he set the Gamecocks program back for years. Even the ole ball coach can’t save them. I am pretty sure no Gamecock will go in the early rounds this year but who cares.
Notre Dame
I have been really vocal on how I think Tebow is going to suck in the pros (but hope I am wrong). Clausen is another one (except I am not sure I want to be wrong). His hands are small so he struggles to hold onto the ball. 
He stares down receivers (imagine what Terrell Owens would say to him in a huddle after getting killed when Jimmy had stared at TO a couple of times in a row as he came across the middle). Anyone who thinks they can build a team around him has been smoking something good under the golden dome.
I still don’t get why people don’t talk about Golden Tate. Big. Willing to go across the middle. Metal clamps posing as hands. Hard worker. Best thing for ND? Weiss got drafted early this year after deciding to not come back.
Penn State
For everything I said about Saban being one of the best coaches at building a great college team and great NFL players, well, just think maybe the opposite with Paterno. He builds okay college teams (they almost always seem to underperform with players who should perform better) and then when they get to the NFL they truly hit their underperforming stride. Any NFL team drafting a Nittany Lion is in a downward spiral.
Missouri
I know nothing about Missouri other than they have a kickass journalism school, a great bar called Harpo’s and I wanted to post this picture.
Auburn
Bo Jackson. It’s all been downhill since Bo. Anyway. I am pretty sure the reason why a lot of Auburn players don’t get drafted really high is they refuse to take the IQ test. I am pretty sure no one actually graduates from Auburn. 
I am pretty sure they throw awesome parties and a home football game is a three day event (no classes on Friday). I am pretty sure if you wait and draft an Auburn interior lineman or linebacker in the late rounds no one will notice until they make the pro bowl several years down the road. Their late rounders are strewn throughout the NFL (but they still don’t take IQ tests).
Utah
Utah probably had a good team before Urban Meyer and the other Mormon schools around them started winning but who knew. I am still unclear why anyone, let alone a good player, would actually go to college in Utah instead of Boise State or BYU but the few players who actually get drafted do well.
Small colleges
Every year some small college player sneaks into the first couple of rounds that no one has ever heard of, everyone is dubious that someone in a small college can compete with the ‘big boys’ in the ‘big boys league’ and then they end up in the pro bowl before ¾ of the ‘big boys.’ 
Even better? Despite the entire hullabaloo (it has been a long time since I have typed that word) with the draft and the top 25 programs probably over 60% of the NFL rosters come from schools rarely discussed.
Plus. Small colleges typically keep things in perspective with regard to their programs (see “win or lose we still booze”).
BYU
The NFL draft is the first thing I would use the next time their coach wants to renegotiate his salary. No one from BYU ever gets drafted. Every year BYU wins 10+ games. He has to live in Utah surrounded by a lot of salt. Half the players he recruits in high school go off to someplace around the world on a mission before he can coach them 2 years later. Either give him more money or a couple more wives with prepaid credit cards.
Tennessee
Draft ‘em. Maybe all that orange saps their abilities and once you get them into a different color they regain their powers. Interesting concept. Someone should do a study on the affects of orange on people.
Georgia
I am still not sure I was wrong about Stafford yet (I didn’t think he would be a good pro quarterback … and one year does not make a pro quarterback). But. In general if I were a betting man I would put money on any UGA player that gets drafted will be successful in the NFL. Whether you have actually heard of them or not for some reason they produce when they get into the Big game.
North Carolina
UNC fans
For some reason I find it amusing that some of the most incorrigible NFL athletes come from the Bible belt. Anyway. Butch Davis is not only a good coach but he is a great recruiter. The stream of UNC players entering into the NFL draft similar to the good ole days of when his Hurricanes were streaming may not be today but very very soon.
Kansas
I am going to miss Massive Mangini prowling the sidelines.
I wish Kansas and Kansas State would just have a combined team and then maybe they would win more often.
I am sure people get drafted from Kansas but they are mostly in the Army I bet.
Florida
Forget Tim Tebow. In fact forget any Florida quarterback. But. Every year they produce a Percy Harvin in the draft. Doesn’t matter which side of the ball you are talking about there is one every year. A really good college player that is shrouded in doubts by the grandmasters of NFL knowledge and some GM sucks it up, ignores the pundits and drafts him (and is a winner down the road). The Florida players you have to be careful with? The ones who everybody agrees will be great. I know. I know. It doesn’t seem logical and I am sure if I did some regression analysis I could figure out the path to proper draft selection but it’s easier for me to point out the obvious and let someone else do the background work. Plus. I do love the gator mouth arm cheer at the games.
Florida State
It’s a team that year in and year out can’t seem to stop the team they are playing against from scoring when they need them to not score yet year in and year out they place monster defensive players into the NFL. I still cannot figure out why FSU cannot get a great quarterback but beyond that position if someone gets drafted by FSU they will be a good draft selection for that team. I don’t care where they show up in mock drafts.
Arkansas
The best guy drafted out of Arkansas recently (if not ever before some random offensive lineman) is a running back no one paid any attention to and has a name similar to Felix the cat. The reason why I include Arkansas is because I love a team called the razorbacks and their quarterback would have been the first drafted if he had come out this year. Mallett is the real deal. Big. Cannon for an arm. Being coached by a coach who knows how to get him ready for the NFL. And he is throwing the ball in Arkansas. Successfully I may add. He will be the best thing since Billy C came out of Arkansas.
USC
Weird draft for SC. Awesome NFL type tight end. Fails a drug test. Awesome NFL type defensive lineman. Suggested he takes some plays off. Awesome NFL type safety. Concerns he can’t play coverage. They probably will have 4 other players in top 4 or 5 rounds. Probably end up having 8 to 10 players in NFL. The good news for SC? They drafted everyone from the Tennessee high school draft and will reload fast.
Sign Apocalypse is Upon Us: Worst waste of money I have seen in a long time
Jan 10th
“Political action committee makes case for playoff with ad” is the headline on this news article.
So. First. There is something called a “political action committee for the creation of a college football playoff.”
Ok. WTF. For a country claiming that time is the most valuable resource and the fact that none of us have enough time in a day to do the things we want to do…how can someone, let alone a group of what I assume are intelligent people, invest a minute of their day on something like this? I only hope it doesn’t come at the expense of maybe…oh…a meeting to create jobs for their constituents.
Second. They aired television advertising in Dallas, Salt Lake City and Boise, Idaho ahead of Thursday’s national title game between Texas and Alabama. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…inexpensive air time (not) surrounding maybe one of the most watched games of the year (expensive). Where are they getting the money? Ok. even if it is “donations from concerned citizens” could someone have maybe turned to those concerned citizens and said something like “I truly appreciate your interest in this issue but would it be okay of we use your money to maybe fund some support programs to the unemployed in key areas or childhood education programs or SOMETHING NOT AS STUPID AS CREATING A COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF!”
Third. They elected to showcase the fact that two undefeated teams, TCU and Boise State, are not getting a chance to play for the title. Now. It is a nice television ad. But c’mon. How many people outside of Fort Worth and Boise Idaho really care that they aren’t playing in a BCS championship game. But that’s not the point (although someone had to advise them and I am not sure they consulted with the sharpest knife in the drawer).
This is insanity. This is a sign the apocalypse is truly upon us. Sometimes I wonder where people’s priorities lay. In this case I believe they are lying in a spot where only the blind must live for if they can’t see what is going around them to do something like this that has to be the only explanation.
2009 BCS (football) Reflections
Jan 10th
Note: For a look back at my bowl game predictions, click here.
Anyway. Now that the college football season is over here are some things I would like to see for 2010 and thoughts after the bowl season.
A Mormon all-star team (best of Utah, BYU and Boise State).
I know. I know. I am a broken record on this. But this all-star team deserves to be in a BCS championship game. Heck (or hell), all three were in bowl games. And the games. Utah? Win. BYU? Win. Boise State? Win. Imagine if their “best of all three” team played the game at a common Missionary location (lots of new 25 year old guys to come off the bench). Wow. Win.
Look. I will never be wrong on this one. Well. That is unless some Mormon religious scholar discovers the bible suggests that when God referred to “go forth and play football” he really meant soccer. Combined they finished 32 and 5 this year. Boise State, while I don’t believe they are the best team in the nation, I do believe they are very very good and on any one day the can beat any team occupying the number one spot in the polls (especially if someone dares to walk onto the “smurf turf”).
Eliminate The Stupid Conference Games.
I have learned that these conference games make great TV, play an odd role as a semi-playoff system and I hate them. It is kind of like having the old system (where conferences agreed who was going to play in a bowl game contractually) and the BCS system. So sometimes some very good teams have to sit out this extra game because for some reason they don’t make it to the “conference championship” and get left home (well. not really with 94 bowl games, but you know what I mean). Conferences are too big. They are meaningless. Make the conferences smaller again and have some great continuous rivalries (which is what makes college conference games tough anyway).
A Mandatory Mix and Match Saturday.
Sure. A logistical nightmare. Sure. A financial boon for NCAA. About midway thru season or 3-5ths thru all college teams have a mandatory open Saturday. Figure out a mix and match schedule forcing teams to play each other where they are in rankings no matter what conference they are in. Penn State has to travel to TCU. Florida has to go to Boise State. Navy goes to UCLA. Make the better high ranked team travel to lesser rated team so they lose home field and we get to see how good they really are. Make someone beat Boise state on the smurf turf.
Nike and Penn State.
Let’s have Nike design uniforms for Penn state. (Think Oregon uniforms at Penn State). The Ducks may have the ugliest and coolest uniforms in NCAA depending on the week. Penn State always has the blandest every week. Give Nike a year and Penn State will become the Grateful Dead of the NCAA in their happy valley. And Paterno will retire for sure.
Tim Tebow.
He had 203 rushes in the regular season (heck. Mark Ingram had 249). That was probably more rushes per game then 50% of the starting tailbacks in the other top 25 teams had in their games. Oh, that’s right, Tebow is a quarterback, not a running back.
Ok. I get pretty beat up every time I write about good ole Tim. Bring out the punching bag again. I still believe he is a good running back lining up at quarterback. For all you “ChrisTims” let me say hold onto your religion and this last thought about Tebow. While I believe he would suck as a pro quarterback I cannot think of another time in my life I would be more than glad to be proven wrong. The kid is a winner with a great work ethic and a huge heart. I would be ecstatic if he proves me an idiot and made it in the NFL (but I still don’t think it’s gonna happen).
What we can Learn from The Armed Forces Teams.
Ok. We only saw two of them in bowl games – Air force and Navy (but, hey, there are only 4, cause I don’t think the Coast Guard has a team, so not bad). Anyway. They both won but while cool it isn’t what we can learn. Class. That’s it. What do I mean?
A 101 yard kickoff return. The kid is frickin excited. He hands the ball to the referee and then celebrates with his team.
A 70+ run from scrimmage. Big play. Kid is frickin excited. Lightly flips ball to ref and then celebrates with his team.
A kid bashes his way into the end zone. Gets up after seemingly pummeled by everyone on the other team. Hands the ball to the ref and then celebrates with his team.
You get it. I don’t mind kids celebrating (and I think some of the celebration penalties are kind of wacky) but as Barry Sanders used to say “act like you have done it before.” Navy and Air Force. Class acts. Every team in US should watch the film as a code of conduct.
The existing Bowl System ain’t Bad.
What I like about the overall bowl system is it has a habit of matching up good midsize teams against good midsize teams, the exception midsize college team gets a chance against one of the big boys, the really bad big boys who shouldn’t have made a bowl game usually get stuck playing against another big boy who shouldn’t have made a bowl and then there are the big boy games (and I am not going to haggle over how sometimes they get the actual matchups wrong).
Look. If bowl games were only 3 quarters maybe a mid size team should be matched up against one of the big boys. But I like watching all 4 quarters and the big boys have…well…a lot of big boys playing for them and inevitably they just wear down the midsize teams. So. With that said I believe the overall bowl system works just fine (although there are still too many bowls)
Coaches make a Difference in College Football
If you don’t think coaches make a difference in college football (beyond the Notre Dame example) just look at the bowl season:
Bobby Bowden. I am fairly sure the team and coaches ignored every play he called and he spent the entire game wandering the sidelines saying “dadgummit that’s the wrong play”. But his team wasn’t going to let him go out a loser (and they were a mediocre team at best so this was a big thing).
Mike Leach. Sure Texas Tech won. But for god’s sake Michigan State suspended 18 players for the game. The water boy had 2 carries for Michigan State. Mike Leach made all the calls from the sideline during the season. He spent the entire bowl game locked in a broom closet and the Red Raiders’ offense didn’t click. They would have been fun to watch if he had been there.
Brian Kelly. Who I feel most sorry for is Florida. They wanted to play a bowl game. Instead they played a flag football game at the company picnic. Kelly made all calls from the sideline during the season and they were an offensive machine. In addition his entire staff is interviewing for jobs while all the kids are running around the practice field. The bowl game? The offense was a broken windup toy. Florida romps.
The Idaho coach. His team sucks in the first half. They look like, well, baked potatoes rather than Vandals. He looks in the camera on his way to the locker room and in a ra
spy voice only a mother could love says “Watch the second half. You’re gonna love it”. Lo and behold they score with no time left and with no hesitation he sends ‘em out there for 2. To win or lose the game. Of course they get the two. Ok. Wouldn’t you kill for a coach like that?
Coaches Part 2 – firings for mistreating big men with pads who could kill you if they wanted
There is something wacky happening within the coaching ranks. Guys who have been doing their job, and doing it well, are becoming poster children for big man abuse. Hey. I am not for stupid abuse of power positions but this is football, these are 19 year olds, there are a wide variety of backgrounds and the coach needs to get everyone on his board fast and win. Right now Woody Hayes, John McKay, Vince Lombardi, Knute Rockne are turning over in their graves. Okay. Spinning. I fear the inmates are positioning themselves to run the asylum. I don’t like this trend. Let them coach. True examples of abuse won’t be permitted; we know that, so let’s stop seeking out silly examples to be made.
The SEC Mirage
You know. The SEC conference always has a couple of either great or very very good teams. I get it. But every conference can say the same. And every year the SEC goes out of conference and gets smacked around. The SEC is a mirage to me (uh oh. Heresy. Or maybe simple idiocy.) Anyway. The SEC. I don’t get it. Simply because within conference they week in and week out kick each other around (which oh by the way every conference does) they are constantly anointed “the toughest conference in America.” They went 6 and 4 in this year’s bowl schedule. Not dominant overall. Anyway. I don’t get it.
My “real deals” (the ones who I believe will do well in NFL)
First. They got the Heisman right this year. They would have gotten it right with either Ingram or Gerhart. They are both trucks who can run over anything in their way and still out run people after they have stopped to stomp on someone along the way. Both are real deals to me.
Second. I don’t get the Colt McCoy ravings. Really good college quarterback. NFL? Not so much. Now Jordan Shipley ? Where’s the love dude? He is this year’s Percy Harvin. I think he will be great in NFL.
Third. There are several really good receivers this year but I still stick by Golden Tate . Big guy. Tough guy. Strong hands. If he doesn’t get hurt I see him crossing the middle of the field snatching passes and bowling over some cornerback trying to arm tackle him for a decade or so.
Fourth. Ndamukong Suh. He’s a monster. Nothing else needs to be said.
Fifth. Everyone talked about Taylor Mays at USC (and yes he is a monster and a freak of nature) but he is going to have to learn to not just hit but tackle when he gets to NFL. The guy to watch will be Anthony McCoy tight end. He is a wide receiver in a tight end body. No one seemed to notice USC struggled offensively every game he didn’t play and kicked ass every time he played.
My Enlightened Predictions of the College Bowl Conflicts (Ignorance is bliss in this Case)
Dec 22nd
This is a REALLY long post but there are REALLY too many bowl games, and I ain’t gonna short change one. I am going to make the call on every one. I promise no in-depth analysis and in fact I let my border collie select a couple where dog mascots were involved.
College football is awesome despite the 94 bowl games.
I love college football. College basketball just has so many damn games it’s hard to know what is really important until NCAA tournament time. And pro sports are just so passionless and teamless to me. This season started out gangbusters with all those supposed top ten teams getting kicked around every weekend. Every weekend seemed to have at least one great game. Having TCU and Cincinnati going undefeated as well as each of them going out and beating some non-conference, pretty high profile teams was awesome.
So. Let’s go bowling. here are my warped view predictions for all 94 (really 34) bowl games (note: because some games are complete they are easier to predict):
New Mexico Bowl: Wyoming vs. Fresno State
It is the day of the Cowboys. Saints go down to the ‘Boys. Bulldogs wrassled to ground by Cowboys. Wyoming is so happy to be out of Wyoming they drag the game out as long as they can (unfortunately for them only two overtimes). I am not sure anyone watched the game.
St. Petersburg Bowl: Rutgers vs. Central Florida
The Scarlet Knights had to win because they were playing a religious defender role of St. Petersburg – the patron saint of blue hairs. The seniors across the United States rejoice with a Rutgers win but bemoan the cut back of Medicare in the Senate. Fair trade off for all who can remember what the trade off was in the beginning.
New Orleans Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Middle Tennessee
(Editor’s note: This prediction was written on Monday, before Middle Tenn. beat Southern Miss. 42-32.) This game is being played tonight…but…Brett Favre played at Southern Miss. Oh. And Middle Tennessee are the Blue Balls…oops…I mean Blue Raiders…huh? Southern Mississippi easy. But. Regardless. There are too many vowels in this bowl game.
Las Vegas Bowl: Brigham Young vs. Oregon State (8:00 pm EST Tue Dec 22, 2009)
Cougars versus Beavers. C’mon. No brainer. But, uh oh. Mormons visit Sin City. This looked like an easy pick judging by mascots but Oregon State recruits some “professional escorts” to be cheerleaders, BYU is significantly distracted (and actually pick out several second and third wives during the game) and the Beavers damn BYU to a loss.
Poinsettia Bowl: Utah vs. California (8:00 pm EST Wed Dec 23, 2009)
Cal attended the class that reminded them eating Poinsettias is poisonous. That gets them off on the right foot at the pregame banquet. But then the actual game arrives. Utes have arrows. Bears get shot by arrows. Bears become pincushion for Utes’ target practice and become rug in main lobby of Poinsettia headquarters.
Hawaii Bowl: SMU vs. Nevada (8:00 pm EST Thu Dec 24, 2009)
Both teams drive the road to Hilo, get stoned out of their minds on some great Hawaii grass, start wearing hula skirts and drive the trainers crazy during the game with their ongoing munchies. Mustangs cannot keep their noses out of the feedbag all game long and Nevada shakes off the grass skirts long enough to run into the end zone more than SMU to pull off the Ganja Bowl win.
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Ohio vs. Marshall (1:00 pm EST Sat Dec 26, 2009)
OMG. Who cares? Pizza pizza. That’s all I can say. There will be a Thundering Herd toward the closest Little Caesars after the game so they can have extra pepperoni to take the sting off of losing to a team called Ohio without State after it.
Meineke Bowl: North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh (4:30 pm EST Sat Dec 26, 2009)
C’mon. This is a no brainer. The winner gets free mufflers. North Carolina has horse & buggies. Pennsylvania makes cars. And. Pittsburgh can melt them down and rejuvenate the city economy. Oh. And let me remind everyone if Pitt had won their game against Cincinnati they would be in a BCS game. How far the Cats have fallen. But the mufflers prove motivation to drive to victory.
