Monday Musings: The Big Ten Didn’t Look Like “Murderer’s Row”

The second week of bowls has given us a lot to talk/think about this week.

1. Murderer’s Row got murdered. We all know that Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee stuck his foot in his mouth back in November with his comments that playing the Big Ten conference schedule was “like murderer’s row every week.” We just didn’t realize how far his foot went in his mouth. Murderer’s row got murdered New Year’s Day. The Big Ten was 0-5 in bowl games, and many of them were not pretty. Michigan was destroyed 52-14 by Mississippi State. Michigan State was obliterated by Alabama 49-7. Penn State played horrible against a bad Florida team and lost 37-24. Northwestern couldn’t hang with Texas Tech long enough and lost 45-38. Last, but not least, Big Ten Champion Wisconsin lost to none other than … TCU. Five teams—that’s half the conference. So, if the Big Ten is murderer’s row, then what does that make the SEC (three of the five Big Ten opponents were SEC teams)? A mine field? A rainstorm of nuclear bombs?

2. Where’s the backup quarterback? Penn State quarterback Matthew McGloin had a terrible game in the Outback Bowl against Florida. He was just 17 of 41 for 211 yards, with one touchdown and 5 interceptions. At what point do you bring in the back up quarterback? No surprise that it was an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown that put the nail in the coffin.

3. Nothing says New Year’s Day like infomercials. I turned the television to ABC to watch the Rose Bowl and found an infomercial. Later that night, I turned back to ABC to see what was in place of the Fiesta Bowl. More infomercials. What kind of a decision was that to move the biggest bowl games of the day to cable? How do you cost justify running infomercials on a Saturday during prime time? I don’t think they paid anywhere close to the amount advertisers would have paid for commercials during the Rose and Fiesta Bowls. ESPN has commitments to air plenty of snoozer “sporting” events during the year, so why not schedule the World Series of Poker or some fascinating X games while you broadcast the bowls on your sister station ABC.

4. Not like it used to be. Notre Dame and Miami renewed their rivalry in the Sun Bowl. It was 30-3 in the fourth quarter. Not quite the drama that we were used to 20 years ago. At least no fights broke out this time.

5. A plus-one system for the FSC? A plus-one system can’t be agreed upon for the football bowl subdivision of college football, but what about one for the Florida State Championship? With UCF beating a SEC team in its bowl to finish 11-3 and Florida State beating another SEC team in its bowl to finish 10-4, who is the best team in the state of Florida? I would love to see UCF and Florida State play one last game to settle the state championship.

6. The Holiday Bowl really was a holiday. Nebraska took the name of its bowl game a little too literally. Losing 19-7 to the same Washington Huskies that they beat 56-21 earlier this year, in Seattle, the Cornhuskers shouldn’t have even bothered to show up for the game. It’s a good thing that the Holiday Bowl payout is one of the better non-BCS bowl game payouts; otherwise, that would have been a total waste for Nebraska.

7. Upset alert. Five ranked teams lost to unranked or lower ranked teams last week. Ironically, Oklahoma wasn’t one of them. Number 12 Missouri lost to unranked Iowa. North Carolina State took down number 22 West Virginia. Number 20 South Carolina fell to number 23 Florida State. Number 18 Nebraska mailed it in against Washington. The 9th ranked Michigan State Spartans were clobbered by number 16 Alabama. LSU and Nevada better be paying attention.

8. Model of consistency. Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon had his 12th consecutive 100-yard receiving game when he logged 117 yards against Arizona in the Alamo Bowl. That is a new NCAA record for consecutive 100-yard receiving games and for the most receiving yards by a sophomore (sorry, Larry Fitzgerald). Blackmon reached the 100-yard milestone in every game played this year.

9. Time to relieve Rich Rod. I have argued for Michigan to retain Rich Rodriguez for 2011, but now I am switching sides. The 52-14 loss to Mississippi State shows that the players don’t want, and won’t, play for him. Michigan brass made it clear they were waiting for the bowl game to make a final decision. Okay men, time to rise up. One last chance to save your coach’s job. The players made it known how they feel. Don’t forget that Rodriguez doesn’t want to make the coaching changes necessary to improve the defense, either.

10. Loophole Lovers. The NCAA loves loopholes. It became known this week that the real reason that the five suspended Ohio State players were allowed to participate in the upcoming Sugar Bowl is because a loophole in the rules that allows suspended players to play in bowl games because of “the unique opportunity these events provide at the end of a season.” What about redshirted players? Why not let them play as well? This might be the only time in their careers that they make it to a bowl game. As if this loophole wasn’t enough, the NCAA needed to create another one with the Cam Newton situation earlier in the season.

Poll Results: Which coach will have more success at his new school?

This poll has closed, and Al Golden (Miami) had 56% of the vote to Will Muschamp's 44%. I guess voters think that the conference affiliation will make a difference.

If I had voted, I would say Muschamp. I just think that Florida is in a better position than Miami. Until a coach goes into Miami and turns it around, I expect the coach at Florida to be more successful than the coach at Miami. Coaching really is the variable that all success in college football hinges on.

Thank you to everyone who voted. Don't forget to vote in this week's poll: "Has Nike gone overboard with the Pro Combat uniforms?"

Poll Results: Which non-BCS bowl has the best match up?

The latest poll has closed, and the best non-BCS bowl match up is Boise State vs. Utah in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, so said 41% of voters. Alabama vs. Michigan State was a very close second with 39% of the vote. South Carolina vs. Florida State was a distant third (12%). It was a tie for fourth with both Notre Dame vs. Miami and West Virginia vs. North Carolina State receiving 4%.

I like the Alabama vs. Michigan State game. Two teams that were very, very close to playing in BCS bowl games, but at the same time, so far away.

Thank you to everyone who voted. Don't forget to vote in this week's question: "Which coach will have more success at his new school?"

Game of the Week: Virginia Tech Hokies at Miami Hurricanes

Two months ago it was hard to believe, but the Virignia Tech Hokies can clinch a spot in the ACC Championship game with a win this Saturday. All they have to do is beat a Miami Hurricane squad that will still be without starting quarterback Jacory Harris. Harris' absence might, actually, be a good thing for Miami. Freshman Stephen Morris is 2-0 as a starter, and he nearly brought the Hurricanes back from a 24-0 fourth quarter deficit coming off the bench against Virginia. Morris is 28-48 for 516 yards with 2 TDs and 2 interceptions in the last two games. Harris was just 9-25 for 150 yards last year against Virginia Tech.

Hokie quarterback Tyrod Taylor has been stellar this year. He is 9th in the nation in pass efficiency. He is also the team's second leading rusher. Taylor, however, has not been stellar against Miami. The last two years, he has averaged less than 90 yards passing per game while completing less than half of his passes.

While Virginia Tech is red hot (8 game win streak), don't expect victory to come easy. The Hurricanes won the last time these two met in Miami (16-14). They have revenge on their minds as well. Virginia Tech overwhelmed then #9 Miami 31-7 last year.

KICKOFF: 3:30 PM
TV: ESPN, ESPN3.com

Monday Musings: LaMichael James is the Oregon Ducks’ Secret to Success

Well, it's not Monday anymore, but these are my musings after last weekend.

1. Play of the year. Forget Michigan State’s fake field goal to beat Notre Dame in overtime. Iowa defensive back Tyler Sash picked off Kirk Cousins at the end of the first quarter. Even though he was in front of the receiver, Sash made the decision to pitch the ball back to Micah Hyde. During the exchange the Michigan State player fell to the turf and Hyde was able to run across the field and down the opposite sideline for a 66-yard touchdown. That made the game 17-0. The route was on. This one play summed up everything that had happened up to that point in the game, and what would happen the rest of the way. This was Iowa’s day.

2. Secret to Success. Anyone else watch Oregon play and wonder how they have so many guys running all alone 15-20 yards down field? The answer is LaMichael James. James commands respect. He averages seven yards per carry. If you want to stop Oregon, you have to stop LaMichael James. When Oregon either hands the ball to James or fakes a hand off to him nearly every play, all 11 guys on defense are watching number 21. By the time the defense realizes James doesn’t have the ball, Oregon’s receivers are 5-10 yards past them.

3. One and done. Even though the BCS number 1 didn’t lose, there is a new team a top the BCS standings. No team has held the number one spot for more than one week. Number one Oregon plays Washington and number two Auburn plays Chattanooga this week. Those teams won’t exactly help your computer ranking. Number 3 TCU, however, plays number 5 Utah. With a win, will TCU become our fifth BCS number one in as many weeks?

4. Hello Helu. Roy Helu, Jr., Nebraska’s “forgotten” back reintroduced himself to the college football world and the Missouri secondary. Playing in the shadow of Taylor Martinez this year, Helu carried the load rushing 28 times for 307 yards and 3 TDs on Saturday. Those touchdowns were for 66, 73, and 53 yards.

5. Could not ask for more. Marcus Lattimore carried the Gamecocks to a victory against Tennessee. The Vols were staging a late comeback, but Lattimore took over and diffused the upset attempt. He ran for 40 and 19 yards on back-to-back carries to get South Carolina to the one yard line where Stephan Garcia snuck in to put the game away. Lattimore ended the day with 29 carries for 184 yards and 1 TD.

6. 42 points in 30 minutes and you still lose. Utah State scored 42 second half points but still came up short against Nevada. That’s because the Aggies were unable to score at all in the first half, while Nevada built a 35-0 lead. Nevada added 21 more in the second half.

7. U are done. Miami quarterback Jacory Harris left the game early with a concussion and is now questionable for this week. At 5-3, Miami’s season is over if Harris misses this week’s game against Maryland (6-2). With Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and South Florida waiting down the line, Miami might not make it to a bowl if Harris can’t come back.

8. One win away. Joe Paterno has reached 399 wins. His next win will get him to 400. Could happen as early as this Saturday against Northwestern, but should not be any later than November 20 against Indiana.

9. Forfeit your AQ spot. With no team in the top 25, this year, the Big East champion does not deserve to be in a BCS bowl. Pittsburgh (5-3) leads the conference and holds the tie breaker over Syracuse (6-2) and Rutgers (4-3). That means Pitt must lose two of its final four games to lose that AQ spot. No three loss team deserves to play in a BCS bowl.

10. Still on top. Michigan might be falling to the bottom of the Big Ten standings, but Denard Robinson is still on top of the rushing list. His 1,287 yards is 77 more than number two LaMichael James. Four more games to go for Robinson to make history.

Monday Musings: 10 Thoughts About Week 6

College football turned in a fantastic weekend. Several games came down to the last minute. Some more mid-season rivalry games were unexpected blowouts, while other games were much closer than expected.

1. Bad week to be unbeaten. With targets on their backs, the undefeated teams were tested and several failed. Five undefeated teams lost (Kansas State, Northwestern, Alabama, Arizona, and Michigan). Two others were severely tested (Auburn and LSU).

2. What a different a week makes. Colorado beat Georgia last week, 29-27. This week, the Buffs were whipped by Missouri 26-0, while Georgia whipped Tennessee 41-14.

3. A bad day to be UM. Michigan lost to in-state rival Michigan State 34-17, ruining the Wolverines' perfect record. Miami lost even worse in their rivalry game, 45-17.

4. A Boost for Boise State. The Broncos got a boost in the polls this week. They moved up one spot to number 3 in each poll and gained 7 first place votes in the AP and one in the USA Today. Certainly Oregon State's win over previously undefeated Arizona helped contribute to changing voters' minds, as well as Alabama's loss.

5. Back to the little kid table. Iowa State thought they were on the way up to the next level after last year's 7-6 campaign. Saturday, the Cyclones gave up 41 points--in the first half. You still have a long way to go.

6. He's human. Denard Robinson was playing out of this world in the first five games. Saturday saw him limited to 86 yards rushing and saw him throw three interceptions.

7. No more last second field goals. USC has lost back-to-back games to Washington and Stanford on last second field goals. No 4-2 team is closer to being 6-0 than the Trojans.

8. Game of his life. South Carolina quarterback played the game of his life in the upset of Alabama. His stat line was 17-20 (85%), 201 yards, 3 TD, 1 Interception. That is what it takes to beat at team like the Crimson Tide.

9. Half a day off. Baylor and Texas Tech gave their defenses half of the day off. At halftime the score in their game was 35-28. The defenses did play in the second half as each team scored only 10 points.

10. Learn to share. BYU held on to the ball for 45:01 in their 24-21 win over San Diego State. The Aztecs just wanted 2 more minutes.

Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 6, 2010
Game of the Week: Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Wolverines
Game Predictions, Week 6, 2010
USC Trojans: Still No Institutional Control
Weekly Trivia: Single Season Rushing Leader
Heisman Trophy Hopefuls, Week 5, 2010

Poll Results: Who is the ACC Favorite?

The Clemson Tigers are the ACC favorite, according to 36 percent of voters. The Miami Hurricanes came in second with 22%, followed by Virginia Tech (18%), North Carolina State (9%), Georgia Tech (8%), and Florida State (7%).

Thank you to everyone who voted. Don't forget to vote in this week's poll: Which top 5 team will lose first?

Game of the Week: Miami Hurricanes at Ohio State Buckeyes

College football has a lot of great games this week: Alabama vs. Penn State, Oklahoma vs. Florida State, Notre Dame vs. Michigan, and even Florida vs. South Florida is compelling after the Gators' lackluster play last week. None of these games, however, is as big as the showdown at the 'Shoe: Ohio State vs. Miami. While the Oklahoma-Florida State contest comes close, this game between the Buckeyes and the Hurricanes will have the most bearing on the national championship and Heisman Trophy races than all of the others.

Each team has had a few extra days to prepare after they easily disposed of Marshall and Florida A&M in their openers over a week ago. Both Miami and Ohio State need this win for many of the same reasons. Besides the national championship and Heisman implications, the winning team will get a big boost to its national image. Since these two teams last met to play for the 2002 National Championship, their national images have been tarnished.

Miami had won its last 34 games before the controversial loss to Ohio State, which was Larry Coker's only loss in his first two season on the job for Miami. Four years later, Coker had lost control of the program. Miami had slipped to 7-6, and the Hurricanes had several off the field issues. Miami fell even further (5-7) in Randy Shannon's first season (2007). Shannon has been working diligently to bring Miami back to the top. A win on Saturday would go a long way in accomplishing that.

Ohio State has had great success on the field since they last played Miami, winning 73 games in the seven years that have followed. The Buckeyes' problem has been that on the rare occasions that they do lose, they lose ugly. Those ugly losses have usually been on big stages: 41-14 against Florida in the 2006 National Championship game, 38-24 against LSU in the 2007 National Championship game, and back-to-back losses to USC in 2008 and 2009. The Rose Bowl win at the end of last season helped, but beating a rising Miami squad will silence a greater number of critics.

Ohio State and Miami both have experienced players. They both have talented players. The team that will end on top will be the one that is hungrier for the win.

If you missed College Football Haven's Top 25 this week, click here.
If you missed College Football Haven's Heisman Hopefuls this week, click here.
If you missed this week's trivia question, click here.
If you missed this week's game predictions, click here.

Heisman Trophy Hopefuls, Week 1, 2010

The race is still wide open after week one. Several players posted eye-popping stats, however, they were playing vastly inferior competition. While some players had un-Heisman worthy performances, I don't plan to take anyone off the list until week 3. It is very rare that a player has an outstanding game every time he steps on the field. I added a section at the end called "On the radar." These are players who shined but were not on the original list. If they continue to play the way they did Saturday, then they will be added to the list soon. Terrell Pryor, Christian Ponder, Jacory Harris, Ryan Mallett, and Case Keenum form the lead pack right now, but Matt Barkely would be my early leader simply because Hawaii was a more formidable foe. Those who need to step it up are Jaquizz Rodgers, Jake Locker, Ryan Williams, Dion Lewis, and Landry Jones.

Mark Ingram, Alabama
2009: 271 rushes, 1,658 yards, 17 TD
2010: --
Last: Did not play vs. San Jose State

John Clay, Wisconsin
2009: 287 rushes, 1,517 yards, 18 TD
2010: 17 rushes, 123 yards, 2 TD
Last: 17 rushes, 123 yards, 2 TD

Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech
2009: 293 rushes, 1,655 yards, 21 TD
2010: 21 rushes, 44 yards, 2 TD
Last: 21 rushes, 44 yards, 2 TD

Jaquizz Rodgers, Oregon State
2009: 273 rushes, 1,440 yards, 21 TD
2010: 18 rushes, 75 yards, 1 TD
Last: 18 rushes, 75 yards, 1 TD

Dion Lewis, Pitt
2009: 325 rushes, 1,799 yards, 17 TD
2010: 25 rushes, 75 yards, 1 TD
Last: 25 rushes, 75 yards, 1 TD

Terrell Pryor, Ohio State
2009: 167-295 (56.6%), 2094 yards, 18 TD, 11 Int / 162 rushes, 779 yards, 7 TD
2010: 17-25 (68%), 247 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT / 8 rushes, 17 yards
Last: 17-25 (68%), 247 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT / 8 rushes, 17 yards

Jake Locker, Washington
2009: 230-395 (58.2%), 2,800 yards, 21 TD, 11 Int / 112 rushes, 388 yards, 7 TD
2010: 20-37 (54.1%), 266 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int / 11 rushes, 29 yards, 1 TD
Last: 20-37 (54.1%), 266 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int / 11 rushes, 29 yards, 1 TD

Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
2009: 225-403 (55.8%), 3,627 yards, 30 TD, 7 Int
2010: 21-24 (87.5%), 301 yards, 3 TD, 1 Int
Last: 21-24 (87.5%), 301 yards, 3 TD, 1 Int

Christian Ponder, Florida State
2009: 227-330 (68.8%), 2,717 yards, 14 TD, 7 INT
2010: 12-14 (85.7%), 167 yards, 4 TD, 1 Int
Last: 12-14 (85.7%), 167 yards, 4 TD, 1 Int

Jacory Harris, Miami
2009: 242-406 (59.6%), 3,352 yards, 24 TD, 17 INT
2010: 12-15 (80%), 210 yards, 3 TD, 0 Int
Last: 12-15 (80%), 210 yards, 3 TD, 0 Int

Landry Jones, Oklahoma
2009: 261-449 (58.1%), 3,198 yards, 26 TD, 14 INT
2010: 17-36 (47.2%), 217 yards, 2 TD, 2 Int
Last: 17-36 (47.2%), 217 yards, 2 TD, 2 Int

Matt Barkley, USC
2009: 211-352 (59.9%), 2,735 yards, 15 TD, 14 INT
2010: 18-23 (78.3%), 257 yards, 5 TD, 0 Int
Last: 18-23 (78.3%), 257 yards, 5 TD, 0 Int

Jerrod Johnson, Texas A&M
2009: 296-497 (59.6%), 3,579 yards, 30 TD, 8 Int / 145 rush, 508 yards, 8 TD
2010: 28-40 (70%), 322 yards, 2 TD, 0 Int
Last: 28-40 (70%), 322 yards, 2 TD, 0 Int

Kellen Moore, Boise State
2009: 277-431 (64.3%), 3,536 yards, 39 TD, 3 INT
2010: 23-38 (60.5%), 215 yards, 3 TD, 0 Int
Last: 23-38 (60.5%), 215 yards, 3 TD, 0 Int

Case Keenum, Houston
2009: 492-700 (70.3%), 5,671 yards, 44 TD, 15 INT
2010: 17-22 (77.3%), 274 yards, 5 TD, 2 Int
Last: 17-22 (77.3%), 274 yards, 5 TD, 2 Int

ON THE RADAR: Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State; DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma; Daniel Thomas, Kansas State; Andrew Luck, Stanford; Greg McElroy, Alabama; Denard Robinson, Michigan; Cameron Newton, Auburn

Did you miss the College Football Haven Week 1 Top 25? Check it out here

Heisman Trophy Hopefuls, Preseason 2010

The collge football season can’t get underway without looking at who might win the Heisman Trophy. Last year was supposed to be the year of the quarterbacks: Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, and Tim Tebow. It turned out to be the year of the running backs with Alabama’s Mark Ingram edging out Stanford’s Toby Gerhart by the slimmest margin in history. While Ingram is back, the race is wide open this year.

Jake Locker and Terrell Pryor are getting the most publicity right now, but they will have plenty of company. Several players made a name for themselves last year, and with big performances this year they could be sitting in New York come December. Others showed that they have the tools to be successful and put themselves on the Heisman radar. If they play to their potential this year, they could be handed a ticket to New York as well.

Here is the College Football Haven preseason Heisman Hopefuls (of course, this list is ALWAYS subject to change and players will be added and dropped as the season progresses).

Mark Ingram, Alabama
2009: 271 rushes, 1,658 yards, 17 TD
2010:--
Last:--

John Clay, Wisconsin
2009: 287 rushes, 1,517 yards, 18 TD
2010:--
Last:--

Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech
2009: 293 rushes, 1,655 yards, 21 TD
2010:--
Last:--

Jaquizz Rodgers, Oregon State
2009: 273 rushes, 1,440 yards, 21 TD
2010:--
Last:--

Dion Lewis, Pitt
2009: 325 rushes, 1,799 yards, 17 TD
2010:--
Last:--

Terrell Pryor, Ohio State
2009: 167-295 (56.6%), 2094 yards, 18 TD, 11 Int / 162 rushes, 779 yards, 7 TD
2010:--
Last:--

Jake Locker, Washington
2009: 230-395 (58.2%), 2,800 yards, 21 TD, 11 Int / 112 rushes, 388 yards, 7 TD
2010:--
Last:--

Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
2009: 225-403 (55.8%), 3,627 yards, 30 TD, 7 Int
2010:--
Last:--

Christian Ponder, Florida State
2009: 227-330 (68.8%), 2,717 yards, 14 TD, 7 INT
2010:--
Last:--

Jacory Harris, Miami
2009: 242-406 (59.6%), 3,352 yards, 24 TD, 17 INT
2010:--
Last:--

Landry Jones, Oklahoma
2009: 261-449 (58.1%), 3,198 yards, 26 TD, 14 INT
2010:--
Last:--

Matt Barkley, USC
2009: 211-352 (59.9%), 2,735 yards, 15 TD, 14 INT
2010:--
Last:--

Jerrod Johnson, Texas A&M
2009: 296-497 (59.6%), 3,579 yards, 30 TD, 8 Int / 145 rush, 508 yards, 8 TD
2010:--
Last:--

Kellen Moore, Boise State
2009: 277-431 (64.3%), 3,536 yards, 39 TD, 3 INT
2010:--
Last:--

Case Keenum, Houston
2009: 492-700 (70.3%), 5,671 yards, 44 TD, 15 INT
2010:--
Last:--

Did you miss the College Football Haven Preseason Top 25? Check it out here

Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Football Season Preview 2010

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has been a little down the last few years, but 2010 just might be the year that the conference champion makes it to the BCS title game.

1. Who will win the conference? Miami Hurricanes. The team is very disappointed with the way 2009 ended. They are going to play like men on a mission this year. Nothing will satisfy their hunger except an ACC championship. Last year their youthfulness caught up with them. That won’t be the case this year.

2. Who is the top returning player? Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech. Williams quietly ran for 1,655 yards last year. I say quietly because that was the fifth most in the nation and only three yards less than Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. Williams also scored 22 touchdowns and eclipsed the 100 yard mark 10 times.

3. Which team will be the most improved? Florida State Seminoles. After floundering in mediocrity for four years, Florida State made a coaching change at the end of last year. That change will pay immediate dividends. The ‘Noles will win the Atlantic division.

4. What will be the biggest surprise? The return of Mark Herzlich to the field for Boston College. Herzlich used his redshirt year to fight bone cancer. Now he is back. While playing time will be limited to start, by season’s end he will be playing a lot and making a difference.

5. Which coach is on the hottest seat? Tom O’Brien, North Carolina State. Since the Wolfpack hired him away from Boston College after the 2006 season, O’Brien has not delivered. North Carolina State has a record of 16-21 over the last three years.

The Scam: Automatic Qualifying Conference Champions

Note: This is the first part of a four part series on the Bowl Championship Series. Links to the other three parts are found at the end of this article.

The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is a scam. Why? The provision that grants automatic qualifying status to certain conference champions. The BCS toots its own horn about how great it is because it guarantees that the number one and two teams will play in a bowl game to finish each year. Okay, so where does the need for automatic qualification come in? First a little history, so we can understand the real answer to this question.

Historically, bowl games had agreements with one or two conferences for the right to host certain teams in their games at the end of the year. The bowl games operated completely independent of any entity that ranked the top teams in college football. As attention to both bowl games and the rankings increased, the desire to see the top two teams play each other at the end of the year increased.

In 1992 the Bowl Coalition was created between the Big East Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big 8, Southeastern Conference (SEC), Southwest Conference (SWC), and Notre Dame with the expressed intent to create better possibilities for a bowl game to feature number one and two. This coalition involved the Cotton, Orange, Sugar, Fiesta, Gator, and John Hancock bowls.

The Bowl Coalition was dumped in 1995 for the Bowl Alliance. The Bowl Alliance consisted of the same five conferences, but reduced bowl participation to the Orange, Sugar, and Fiesta bowls. Each conference champion would automatically qualify for one of these bowls and one at-large team would be selected. Theoretically, that at-large team could be from any conference in NCAA Division 1-A football.

That brings us to the BCS. The BCS brought all the “major” conferences and bowl games together for the first time in 1998. The Pac-10, the Big 10, and the Rose Bowl joined the others to form the BCS. In 1996, the Big 8 and SWC had consolidated, more or less, to form the Big 12, so the official make up of the BCS was the Big East, the ACC, the SEC, the Big 10, the Big 12, the Pac-10, and Notre Dame, as well as the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange bowls. The BCS continued the automatic qualifying status for champions from the six participating conferences. Notre Dame could automatically qualify if it had 9 wins and was ranked in the BCS top 10. Teams from outside the six participating conferences could automatically qualify if they were ranked in the BCS top 6.

In most cases, I give people the benefit of the doubt and believe they act with good intentions. In the case of the Bowl Coalition/Bowl Alliance/BCS, it is pretty hard to accept that some other interests besides matching the top two teams in the same bowl were not driving this process. All that would have been necessary to accomplish the declared intent was to have an agreement between the bowls that the bowl with the number two ranked team would release its rights to that team so that team could play in the same bowl as the number one ranked team. Of course the bowl losing the number two ranked team would want retribution for its losses, but I think retribution would be a minor detail that could be worked out easily and beneficial to all. Furthermore, if we are talking about having the top two teams play, why wasn’t the Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, and BCS all inclusive—all bowls, all teams. When was it ever decreed that a team from a conference with ties to one of the other bowls could not be number one or two? If a team from one of these outsider conferences and bowls was number one, why would that team not deserve to play for the championship in its affiliated bowl? Limiting the conferences and bowls involved and by giving automatic qualifying status to those conference champions was self-serving and collusive. The real intent was to have number one and number two play every year in a bowl game and to ensure that number one and two were teams from this select group of conferences.

Digging into history a little further makes this whole bowl confederation look very sketchy. I am still scratching my head wondering how the Big East and the ACC were able to gain favored nations status if the organizers’ motives were pure.

First, the Big East did not even exist until 1991 (Bowl Coalition began in 1992), so there was little to no historical evidence that this conference was important in accomplishing the objective to have number one and number two play in a bowl. Now, it is true that the University of Miami, Florida, technically was a Big East member and won the national championship in 1991 (as well as in 1983, 1987, 1989 as an independent), the Hurricanes played only two conference games that year. Now that 20 years have passed, the evidence we do have is that the Miami Dynasty unraveled shortly after it became affiliated with a conference.

Second, the ACC was a glorified Western Athletic Conference (WAC) before the 1992 season. Sure, Clemson won the national championship in 1981 and Georgia Tech split the national championship in 1990, but that is it. Once in a decade the ACC champion was relevant. The WAC was having the same level of success as the ACC during this timeframe. In 1992, however, Florida State left the ranks of the independents to join the ACC. Florida State was 53-8 and ranked in the top 5 from 1987-1991. Again, the evidence we have post-1991 is that the ACC, as a whole, was mediocre; the Seminoles dominated the ACC for the next decade. Furthermore, the ACC has never fielded an at-large BCS team.

Let’s be honest with ourselves and accept that the only reason the Big East is an automatic qualifying conference is Miami, and the only reason for the ACC is Florida State. No entity stating that it was trying to match number one and number two in a bowl game would have any credibility if it left these two national powerhouses out. However, all credibility would be lost if several schools were being hand picked like Notre Dame was.

Now, back to the original question, where does the need for automatic qualification come in? The short answer is it is not needed, all it is merely a cover up. I will uncover this cover up tomorrow. Don’t miss it!

Part 2: The Cover Up: Overall Conference Strength
Part 3: The Evidence: Performance on the Field
Part 4: The Solution: It's About Conference Champions

Sources:
www.bcsfootball.org/news/story?id=4819366
www.shrpsports.com/cf/

PERSPECTIVE: True Score

The University of Miami (FL) won the national championship in 2001 with a perfect record. They nearly repeated the championship and the perfect record in 2002. Their only loss was due to a controversial call in the national championship game against Ohio State. As the 2003 season opened, all the prognosticators were still gushing about how good Miami was and that they were legitimate national championship game material. Miami played Louisiana Tech in the first game of the season, and won 48-9. I watched this game and heard the TV analysts repeat what they were saying before the game: "Miami is going to challenge for the national championship." I sat there and wondered if they had just watched the same game that I had watched. I knew right then and there that Miami was not going to be in the national championship discussion at the end of the year. Sure enough, Miami lost two consecutive games November 1 and 8, and was barely ranked in the top 10 heading into bowl season.

What did I see that those TV analysts and the other "experts" did not see? I saw the "True Score" of the Miami-Louisiana Tech game. Twenty-one of Miami's 48 points came from a punt return for a touchdown, a defensive fumble return for a touchdown, and an interception return for a touchdown. That means that the Miami offense accounted for 27 points. The "True Score" for this game was 27-9. Legitimate national championship contenders score 60+ points against a team like Louisiana Tech when they have a special teams and two defensive touchdowns. On the surface, 48-9 looked impressive, but the "True Score" revealed that the Miami offense had some major issues that were later exposed when they lost 31-7 to Virginia Tech, and 10-6 to Tennessee.

Texas is a team this year that does not fair well with the "True Score" test. They beat Colorado 38-14 two weeks ago. On the surface, a 24 point win over a conference foe is admirable. However, Texas was only winning 17-14 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter when the defense returned an interception 92 yards for a touchdown. Subsequently, Texas scored on a punt return with 12:29 to play in the fourth quarter. Factor out these two scores and Texas won by a "True Score" of only 24-14. I know I am not unique in saying this, but keep your eyes open; Texas will be lucky to go undefeated this year.

To clarify, the "True Score" works by taking out scores that occur a low percentage of the time. Defensive and special teams scores are rare. Hail Mary and other long pass plays, as well as scores off of trick plays, also qualify for elimination from the score when calculating the "True Score." This does not mean that the points that teams get from these scores are illegitimate. Points are points no matter how they come, and wins still are wins if you beat the other team with one of these plays. The purpose of the "True Score" is to help you properly evaluate a teams performance and predict results over the course of a year. As I said, these are scoring plays that do not happen often. You can't count on a touchdown off of a kick return every game. The offense has to be able to sustain drives down the field and score touchdowns on a regular basis if you expect to have a high winning percentage or to go undefeated.

HEISMAN HOPEFULS, WEEK 3

No one was eliminated from the list after week 3, however, Jevan Snead may be cut next week if he doesn't put up better numbers. Jimmy Clausen solidified himself as number 2 in my mind, while Jahvid Best pulled further in front of everyone else with his 5 touchdowns. The overall quarterback play is down this year, which gives Case Keenum a better chance to be added to the list in a few more weeks. He did not play this week, so his status did not change. Tate Forcier looked more like a freshman and will need some pretty impressive games to ever be added to the list, but Jacory Harris, Miami (FL), has gotten off to a good start and could be on the list next month. One final note for clarification, on quarterbacks the first TD number is the touchdown passes and the second in parentheses is rushing touchdowns in addition to the passing touchdowns, so 2 TD (2 rush TD) means the quarterback accounted for 4 touchdowns.

Tim Tebow, Florida, 14 completions 19 attempts, 115 yards, 1 INT (1 rush TD),(39-58, 540, 5 TD, 1 INT, 3 rush TD)

Colt McCoy, Texas, 24-34, 205, 1 TD, 2 INT (75-110, 859, 6 TD, 4 INT, 1 rush TD)

Max Hall, BYU, 20-31, 306, 2 TD, 3 INT, (70-101, 944, 6 TD, 6 INT)

Jevan Snead, Ole Miss, 16-28, 209, 3 TD (28-50, 384, 5 TD, 2 INT)

Jahvid Best, Cal, 26-131, 5 TD (53-412, 8 TD, 1 TD catch)

Daryl Clark, Penn State, 16-26, 167, 2 TD, 1 INT (65-97, 760, 8 TD, 3 INT)

Jaquizz Rodgers, Oregon State, 20-73, 1 TD (62-342, 5 TD)

Kellen Moore, Boise State, 18-26, 181, 3 TD, (53-81, 685, 8 TD, 1 INT)

Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame, 22-31, 300, 2 TD (62-91, 951, 9 TD)

Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State, 9 receptions 161 yards, 2 TD (17-323, 4 TD, 1 punt TD)

PERSPECTIVE: NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULES

Is it just me or has the first two weeks of the college football season felt different this year than in has the last few years? I am talking about the existence of quality non-conference games. September had almost become a pre-season for college football with few good teams playing each other. They scheduled Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams or bottom of the barrel Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams to feast on. This year has been different. In the first two weeks alone, we have seen the following match ups that were actually meaningful:

Week 1

• BYU vs. Oklahoma
• Oklahoma State vs. Georgia
• Miami vs. Florida State
• Alabama vs. Virginia Tech
• Boise State vs. Oregon
• Missouri vs. Illinois

Week 2

• USC vs. Ohio State
• Michigan vs. Notre Dame
• Oklahoma State vs. Houston
• Fresno State vs. Wisconsin
• UCLA vs. Tennessee

With the advent of the BCS, it has become evident that an undefeated conference champion from the SEC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-10, or ACC is guaranteed a spot in the national title game (barring a situation like 2004 when 3 conference champions were undefeated). The schools in this conference found it unnecessary to schedule quality opponents out of conference because of the perceived strength of their conference schedule. Teams not part of the six conferences must go undefeated to even be recognized by the BCS because of the perceived weakness of the other conferences. The end result has been boring match ups to start the year. Fortunately, it appears that the outcries from fans have started to turn around the trend to schedule overmatched opponents. Personally, I would like to see a rule implemented that no FBS team can play a FCS team.