College Football Haven continues its year end review by looking at the Pac-10.
Early in the year, the Pac-10 commanded a lot of respect as a league full of high powered offenses. By season’s end, only Oregon and Stanford were ranked in the top 25. Here is how the season turned out in comparison to the preseason predictions in the 5 Step Drop: Pac 10.
Showing posts with label Pac-10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pac-10. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday Musings: College Football Is America's New Pasttime
The Monday Musings has a baseball flavor to it this week. Perhaps it symbolizes the official passing of the torch that football is the new "America's Pasttime." To that I say ...
1. Play Ball! Illinois and Northwestern faced off in a game at Wrigley Field. About the time they were wrapping up, Army and Notre Dame were kicking off at Yankee Stadium. Without the understanding that these sites have some history hosting college football games, I would think that this whole neutral site fad had gone too far.
2. I thought baseball was over. While some teams were playing in baseball venues, others were scoring at the rate of a baseball game. The 9-6 score in the Texas A&M-Nebraska game looks more like some thing out of the College baseball World Series than a Big XII gridiron battle.
3. 56 points … in the first half. South Carolina scored 56 points in first half against Troy. The boys of Troy should be grateful that Steve Spurrier called off the dogs early. Wisconsin had just 38 points last week when they put up 83 on Indiana. Who knows how many the Gamecocks could have ended with.
4. That was different. LSU won a shootout this week against Ole Miss, 43-36. The Tigers have the best defense in the SEC, and they typically win in a grind it out defensive battle. LSU had not allowed more than 30 points all year.
5. The future is now. BYU had a freshman as their leading passer, rusher, and receiver in their 40-7 win over New Mexico. True freshman Jake Heaps was the leading passer (231 yards). Another true freshman Joshua Quezada was the leading rusher (107 yards), and redshirt freshman Cody Hoffman was the leading receiver (71 yards).
6. The Big Dud. Stanford and Cal faced off in their rivalry game dubbed The Big Game. After the Bears scared Oregon, 15-13, last week it looked like this would be a classic showdown in the rivalry. Imagine the place it would have in Cal legends recounting how they spoiled Stanford's dream season and BCS hopes. Well, it was 31-0 at half time and 45-0 after three quarters of play. The Big Game turned into the big dud.
7. Why should we throw the ball? Illinois struggled to find a reason to throw the ball on Saturday. Mikel Leshoure was so effective running the ball, there was no reason to do anything else. Leshoure averaged 10 yards a carry, and he carried the ball 33 times. For those not so savvy with math, that equates to 330 yards. That is a good passing game for any quarterback, and a good rushing day for three running backs.
8. Fact or fallacy? Fallacy. Boise State dispelled all those complaints about the unfair blue-on-blue advantage that they have at home. Friday, the Broncos took to their blue field with orange uniforms. Fresno State still couldn't keep track of them, and the Broncos galloped to a 51-0 win. What's the excuse now? They look like construction barrels, so the Fresno State defense tried to avoid them? Nice try.
9. Road block. USC lost their third consecutive game to Oregon State in Corvallis. Astonishing! You have to go all the way back to 2004--the undefeated, undisputed national championship--to find the last USC victory over Oregon State on the road. In 2006 and 2008, the Trojans were able to use late game rallies to make it close, and almost pull out a win, but this year there was none of that. It started ugly and ended ugly.
10. Back to baseball. Jake Locker passed up millions to come back for his senior season. He even passed up hundreds of thousands of dollars this summer by not participating in Los Angeles Angels baseball work outs. After another miserable performance (10-21, 68 yards, 1 Int) even in victory, Locker's best move might be going straight back to baseball.
1. Play Ball! Illinois and Northwestern faced off in a game at Wrigley Field. About the time they were wrapping up, Army and Notre Dame were kicking off at Yankee Stadium. Without the understanding that these sites have some history hosting college football games, I would think that this whole neutral site fad had gone too far.
2. I thought baseball was over. While some teams were playing in baseball venues, others were scoring at the rate of a baseball game. The 9-6 score in the Texas A&M-Nebraska game looks more like some thing out of the College baseball World Series than a Big XII gridiron battle.
3. 56 points … in the first half. South Carolina scored 56 points in first half against Troy. The boys of Troy should be grateful that Steve Spurrier called off the dogs early. Wisconsin had just 38 points last week when they put up 83 on Indiana. Who knows how many the Gamecocks could have ended with.
4. That was different. LSU won a shootout this week against Ole Miss, 43-36. The Tigers have the best defense in the SEC, and they typically win in a grind it out defensive battle. LSU had not allowed more than 30 points all year.
5. The future is now. BYU had a freshman as their leading passer, rusher, and receiver in their 40-7 win over New Mexico. True freshman Jake Heaps was the leading passer (231 yards). Another true freshman Joshua Quezada was the leading rusher (107 yards), and redshirt freshman Cody Hoffman was the leading receiver (71 yards).
6. The Big Dud. Stanford and Cal faced off in their rivalry game dubbed The Big Game. After the Bears scared Oregon, 15-13, last week it looked like this would be a classic showdown in the rivalry. Imagine the place it would have in Cal legends recounting how they spoiled Stanford's dream season and BCS hopes. Well, it was 31-0 at half time and 45-0 after three quarters of play. The Big Game turned into the big dud.
7. Why should we throw the ball? Illinois struggled to find a reason to throw the ball on Saturday. Mikel Leshoure was so effective running the ball, there was no reason to do anything else. Leshoure averaged 10 yards a carry, and he carried the ball 33 times. For those not so savvy with math, that equates to 330 yards. That is a good passing game for any quarterback, and a good rushing day for three running backs.
8. Fact or fallacy? Fallacy. Boise State dispelled all those complaints about the unfair blue-on-blue advantage that they have at home. Friday, the Broncos took to their blue field with orange uniforms. Fresno State still couldn't keep track of them, and the Broncos galloped to a 51-0 win. What's the excuse now? They look like construction barrels, so the Fresno State defense tried to avoid them? Nice try.
9. Road block. USC lost their third consecutive game to Oregon State in Corvallis. Astonishing! You have to go all the way back to 2004--the undefeated, undisputed national championship--to find the last USC victory over Oregon State on the road. In 2006 and 2008, the Trojans were able to use late game rallies to make it close, and almost pull out a win, but this year there was none of that. It started ugly and ended ugly.
10. Back to baseball. Jake Locker passed up millions to come back for his senior season. He even passed up hundreds of thousands of dollars this summer by not participating in Los Angeles Angels baseball work outs. After another miserable performance (10-21, 68 yards, 1 Int) even in victory, Locker's best move might be going straight back to baseball.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday Musings: Wisconsin Badgers Leave Me Speechless
It was another great weekend for college football. With more on the line late in the year, some teams are measuring up while others are melting down.
1. Speechless. The 83-20 score to the Wisconsin Badgers-Indiana Hoosiers game left me speechless. Do you still get style points for this, or is putting up that many points bad taste? Oh, and the Badgers did it without starting running back John Clay. What about Indiana? Why should the Hoosiers get to be in a BCS automatic qualifying conference? Interestingly enough, the game was tied at 10 early in the second quarter. Nothing like a 66-3 run to put a game away.
2. A Novelty No More. Georgia Tech is just 5-5 this year, only 10 games removed from a BCS Bowl. Now that Paul Johnson and his triple option are in their third year, the novelty of the option has worn off. Defenses are used to it and we see just how good the Yellow Jackets really are. It was fun while it lasted.
3. Not This Time. Days after finally firing Dan Hawkins, since he blew a 28 point lead against Kansas in the final 11 minutes. This week against Iowa State, Colorado led by 27 with 11 minutes to play. The Buffs gave up only seven points this time for a 34-14 win.
4. Burning the Midnight Oil. Why are most Pac-10 games played at night? Pac-10 people complain about an East Coast Bias and that they have a bad TV package. Well, play your games when people outside your time zone are still awake and more people will tune in and you will be treated more fairly.
5. Overrated? The Utah Utes rose to number 5 in the BCS with their 8-0 start. They have been outscored 75-10 in back-to-back losses to TCU and Notre Dame. TCU I can understand, but Notre Dame? They have been the Fight less Irish for almost 5 years now.
6. Down year for the…Sun Belt Conference. May sound like an oxymoron since the Sun Belt is considered the weakest FBS conference. I predicted five bowl eligible teams at the beginning of the year. Right now, they will be lucky to have two. FIU (4-5) leads the conference after they beat Troy (5-4). It looks like that hard out of conference schedule is paying off for FIU. Troy is the only team with a winning record. Middle Tennessee State was supposed to be the new king of the conference, but the Dwight Dasher mess to start the year seems to have had lasting effects.
7. Validated. Northwestern finally got a quality win when they beat Iowa, 21-17. The Wildcats had previously beaten Vanderbilt, Illinois State, Rice, Central Michigan, Minnesota, and Indiana (four of those wins were by 5 points or less). Losses had come to Michigan State, Penn State, and Purdue.
8. Points In A Hurry. Teams that didn’t need the ball very long to score this week included San Diego State (35 points in 19:09, 1.83 points per minute), Boise State (52 points in 27:16, 1.91 points per minute), and Wisconsin (83 points in 32:27, 2.56 points per minute). Not sure which is more impressive: Wisconsin’s 83 or San Diego State’s 35. Normally, when you have the ball less than 20 minutes in a game you get blown out, but the Aztecs gave the number 3 team in the nation a pretty good scare.
9. Touch = Touchdown. BYU wide receiver Luke Ashworth caught four passes Saturday. All four touches resulted in touchdowns. If that is not impressive enough, he did it all in the first half.
10. Was it worth it? Texas Tech desperately wanted to get out of Mike Leach’s expensive contract last year. He had only been the most successful coach in Texas Tech history. This year the Red Raiders are 5-5, so far. Is a 0.500 record really worth saving $800,000?
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Poll Results: Will the NCAA rule regarding Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman or BCS controversy?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 11, 2010
Game of the Week: South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators
Game Predictions, Week 11, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Conference Championships for UCF Golden Knights
Boise State Broncos Got The BCS Blues
Heisman Hopefuls: Auburn QB Cam Newton Controls The Race In More Ways Than One
1. Speechless. The 83-20 score to the Wisconsin Badgers-Indiana Hoosiers game left me speechless. Do you still get style points for this, or is putting up that many points bad taste? Oh, and the Badgers did it without starting running back John Clay. What about Indiana? Why should the Hoosiers get to be in a BCS automatic qualifying conference? Interestingly enough, the game was tied at 10 early in the second quarter. Nothing like a 66-3 run to put a game away.
2. A Novelty No More. Georgia Tech is just 5-5 this year, only 10 games removed from a BCS Bowl. Now that Paul Johnson and his triple option are in their third year, the novelty of the option has worn off. Defenses are used to it and we see just how good the Yellow Jackets really are. It was fun while it lasted.
3. Not This Time. Days after finally firing Dan Hawkins, since he blew a 28 point lead against Kansas in the final 11 minutes. This week against Iowa State, Colorado led by 27 with 11 minutes to play. The Buffs gave up only seven points this time for a 34-14 win.
4. Burning the Midnight Oil. Why are most Pac-10 games played at night? Pac-10 people complain about an East Coast Bias and that they have a bad TV package. Well, play your games when people outside your time zone are still awake and more people will tune in and you will be treated more fairly.
5. Overrated? The Utah Utes rose to number 5 in the BCS with their 8-0 start. They have been outscored 75-10 in back-to-back losses to TCU and Notre Dame. TCU I can understand, but Notre Dame? They have been the Fight less Irish for almost 5 years now.
6. Down year for the…Sun Belt Conference. May sound like an oxymoron since the Sun Belt is considered the weakest FBS conference. I predicted five bowl eligible teams at the beginning of the year. Right now, they will be lucky to have two. FIU (4-5) leads the conference after they beat Troy (5-4). It looks like that hard out of conference schedule is paying off for FIU. Troy is the only team with a winning record. Middle Tennessee State was supposed to be the new king of the conference, but the Dwight Dasher mess to start the year seems to have had lasting effects.
7. Validated. Northwestern finally got a quality win when they beat Iowa, 21-17. The Wildcats had previously beaten Vanderbilt, Illinois State, Rice, Central Michigan, Minnesota, and Indiana (four of those wins were by 5 points or less). Losses had come to Michigan State, Penn State, and Purdue.
8. Points In A Hurry. Teams that didn’t need the ball very long to score this week included San Diego State (35 points in 19:09, 1.83 points per minute), Boise State (52 points in 27:16, 1.91 points per minute), and Wisconsin (83 points in 32:27, 2.56 points per minute). Not sure which is more impressive: Wisconsin’s 83 or San Diego State’s 35. Normally, when you have the ball less than 20 minutes in a game you get blown out, but the Aztecs gave the number 3 team in the nation a pretty good scare.
9. Touch = Touchdown. BYU wide receiver Luke Ashworth caught four passes Saturday. All four touches resulted in touchdowns. If that is not impressive enough, he did it all in the first half.
10. Was it worth it? Texas Tech desperately wanted to get out of Mike Leach’s expensive contract last year. He had only been the most successful coach in Texas Tech history. This year the Red Raiders are 5-5, so far. Is a 0.500 record really worth saving $800,000?
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Poll Results: Will the NCAA rule regarding Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman or BCS controversy?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 11, 2010
Game of the Week: South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators
Game Predictions, Week 11, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Conference Championships for UCF Golden Knights
Boise State Broncos Got The BCS Blues
Heisman Hopefuls: Auburn QB Cam Newton Controls The Race In More Ways Than One
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday Musings: BCS = Broken Championship System
After another fantastic set of games this weekend for college football, here are my 10 thoughts for Week 8.
1. BCS = Broken Championship System. Two out of the three components in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) are human polls—the USA Today Coaches poll and the Harris Interactive Poll. This has been done with the expressed intent to give the human element more control over the top teams than the computer element. The Oregon Ducks have been number one in each of these polls the last two weeks, yet Oregon is not number one in the BCS, for the second consecutive week. Oklahoma was number one last week, and Auburn is number one this week. Someone needs to fix those computers. Even with only one third the weight, they are deciding who is number one.
2. How was this game close? The Auburn Tigers out gained the LSU Tigers 526 to 243 in total offense on Saturday. Why did Auburn have to stop LSU on a fourth down with 3:20 to play to win this game? With 526 yards you should have a lot more points. For example, Oregon “only” needed 582 yards to get 60. Why couldn’t Auburn muster more than 24?
3. We are legit. The Missouri Tigers (7-0), the Baylor Bears (6-2), and the Syracuse Orangemen (5-2) made this statement Saturday. All had glossy to semi-glossy records, but no one knew how much stock to put into these records. After Missouri beat Oklahoma, Baylor beat #22 Kansas State, and Syracuse beat #20 West Virginia, we all know that they are legitimate leaders in their conferences.
4. Progress in Pullman. The Washington State Cougars still aren’t winning games, but at least they are scoring points and making some of these losses respectable. Just a 10 point loss to Stanford. USC is the only Pac-10 team to beat the Cougars by more than 20. That includes Oregon, Stanford, and Arizona.
5. Worth the wait? Tyrod Taylor is finally starting to play up to his sky high expectations. He is fourth in the nation in pass efficiency with a 171.1 rating—this is by far the highest rating of his career. He has 527 rushing yards with a 6.2 yard per carry average. Taylor already has 15 TD passes, which is two more than he had all of last season. His completion percentage is up almost 9 percent to 63.9%. He is also on pace for his highest passing yards in a season.
6. Short lived success. Cincinnati and Georgia Tech are the latest teams to join the list of teams having reached a BCS bowl and quickly fell back to middle of the pack or worse in their conferences. Wake Forest, Louisville, Kansas, and Illinois all had a spike in wins to play in a BCS game, but quickly fell below 0.500. After playing in BCS bowls last year, Cincinnati is currently at 3-4, and Georgia Tech is 5-3 with the meat of their schedule still to come.
7. Green means go. Teams with green as a school color rolled up impressive amounts of total offense. Baylor: 682 yards; Hawaii: 614 yards; South Florida: 590 yards; Oregon 582. It was even good for one player named green. Hawaii running back Alex Green ran for 172 yards and four touchdowns on just 14 carries.
8. Yellow means go faster? In driver’s ed I was taught that you are supposed to slow down and stop when the light changes to yellow. When Oregon changed from green to yellow home jerseys, they sped up. The Ducks put up 60 points Thursday night, but what was more impressive is that they did it with only 21:29 possession time. No Oregon drive was longer than 3:37.
9. Three in a row. For the third straight week a number one ranked team lost. Alabama was the first, Ohio State was the second, and now Oklahoma fell. Will Auburn or Oregon make it four this week? Oregon faces a stiffer test with USC, but don’t count out Mississippi from pulling off the unexpected upset of Auburn. No one expected the Rebels to beat number 4 Florida two years ago.
10. Which was worse? Virginia Tech’s loss to James Madison in week two, or Texas’ loss to Iowa State this week? Okay, this is a bit of a stretch to put those two losses in the same sentence, especially since one is a 4-3 FCS team and the other is a 4-4 FBS team. However, after Iowa State lost 68-27 and 52-0 in back-to-back weeks, how do the Longhorns not put up at least 30? Sure you’re coming off an emotional win over Nebraska, but this loss looks really, really bad.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Poll Results: Will either #1 Oklahoma or #2 Oregon play in the BCS National Championship Game?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 8, 2010
Game of the Week: LSU Tigers at Auburn Tigers
Game Predictions, Week 8, 2010
Weekly Trivia: LSU starting 7-0
Heisman Trophy Hopefuls, Week 7, 2010
1. BCS = Broken Championship System. Two out of the three components in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) are human polls—the USA Today Coaches poll and the Harris Interactive Poll. This has been done with the expressed intent to give the human element more control over the top teams than the computer element. The Oregon Ducks have been number one in each of these polls the last two weeks, yet Oregon is not number one in the BCS, for the second consecutive week. Oklahoma was number one last week, and Auburn is number one this week. Someone needs to fix those computers. Even with only one third the weight, they are deciding who is number one.
2. How was this game close? The Auburn Tigers out gained the LSU Tigers 526 to 243 in total offense on Saturday. Why did Auburn have to stop LSU on a fourth down with 3:20 to play to win this game? With 526 yards you should have a lot more points. For example, Oregon “only” needed 582 yards to get 60. Why couldn’t Auburn muster more than 24?
3. We are legit. The Missouri Tigers (7-0), the Baylor Bears (6-2), and the Syracuse Orangemen (5-2) made this statement Saturday. All had glossy to semi-glossy records, but no one knew how much stock to put into these records. After Missouri beat Oklahoma, Baylor beat #22 Kansas State, and Syracuse beat #20 West Virginia, we all know that they are legitimate leaders in their conferences.
4. Progress in Pullman. The Washington State Cougars still aren’t winning games, but at least they are scoring points and making some of these losses respectable. Just a 10 point loss to Stanford. USC is the only Pac-10 team to beat the Cougars by more than 20. That includes Oregon, Stanford, and Arizona.
5. Worth the wait? Tyrod Taylor is finally starting to play up to his sky high expectations. He is fourth in the nation in pass efficiency with a 171.1 rating—this is by far the highest rating of his career. He has 527 rushing yards with a 6.2 yard per carry average. Taylor already has 15 TD passes, which is two more than he had all of last season. His completion percentage is up almost 9 percent to 63.9%. He is also on pace for his highest passing yards in a season.
6. Short lived success. Cincinnati and Georgia Tech are the latest teams to join the list of teams having reached a BCS bowl and quickly fell back to middle of the pack or worse in their conferences. Wake Forest, Louisville, Kansas, and Illinois all had a spike in wins to play in a BCS game, but quickly fell below 0.500. After playing in BCS bowls last year, Cincinnati is currently at 3-4, and Georgia Tech is 5-3 with the meat of their schedule still to come.
7. Green means go. Teams with green as a school color rolled up impressive amounts of total offense. Baylor: 682 yards; Hawaii: 614 yards; South Florida: 590 yards; Oregon 582. It was even good for one player named green. Hawaii running back Alex Green ran for 172 yards and four touchdowns on just 14 carries.
8. Yellow means go faster? In driver’s ed I was taught that you are supposed to slow down and stop when the light changes to yellow. When Oregon changed from green to yellow home jerseys, they sped up. The Ducks put up 60 points Thursday night, but what was more impressive is that they did it with only 21:29 possession time. No Oregon drive was longer than 3:37.
9. Three in a row. For the third straight week a number one ranked team lost. Alabama was the first, Ohio State was the second, and now Oklahoma fell. Will Auburn or Oregon make it four this week? Oregon faces a stiffer test with USC, but don’t count out Mississippi from pulling off the unexpected upset of Auburn. No one expected the Rebels to beat number 4 Florida two years ago.
10. Which was worse? Virginia Tech’s loss to James Madison in week two, or Texas’ loss to Iowa State this week? Okay, this is a bit of a stretch to put those two losses in the same sentence, especially since one is a 4-3 FCS team and the other is a 4-4 FBS team. However, after Iowa State lost 68-27 and 52-0 in back-to-back weeks, how do the Longhorns not put up at least 30? Sure you’re coming off an emotional win over Nebraska, but this loss looks really, really bad.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Poll Results: Will either #1 Oklahoma or #2 Oregon play in the BCS National Championship Game?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 8, 2010
Game of the Week: LSU Tigers at Auburn Tigers
Game Predictions, Week 8, 2010
Weekly Trivia: LSU starting 7-0
Heisman Trophy Hopefuls, Week 7, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Monday Musings: 10 Thoughts About Week 5
Week 5 was supposed to be another exciting week of top 10 games and the Red River Rivalry. Conference schedules started to be in full force, too. The top 10 games fizzled, but the conference play sizzled. Here are this week’s Monday Musings.
1. The SEC is officially down. The preview of the SEC championship game was a very lopsided 31-6 blowout. Georgia is 1-4. LSU is in contention for the title “worst 5-0 team.” Ole Miss lost to Jacksonville State. Tennessee squeaked past UAB in overtime. In a year that Alabama had to replace virtually its entire defense, they look to be tested only twice (Arkansas and Auburn), and that is with six conference teams having two weeks to prepare for the Crimson Tide.
2. The torch is officially passed. Tim Tebow was king of college football for the last three years. Everyone was star struck with the quarterback in Gainesville. He accumulated eye popping offensive stats. With Tebow off to the NFL, the torch has been passed to Denard Robinson. Get ready for a three year love fest with the sophomore quarterback in Ann Arbor. Robinson accounted for 5 TDs on Saturday as he passed for nearly 300 yards and ran for over 200 more. On the season he has a 179 pass efficiency rating and leads the nation in rushing (908 yards) by nearly 200 yards!
3. The worst 5-0 team. LSU makes a strong push for this title, but Northwestern definitely takes the cake. The Wildcats biggest win is 37-3 over Illinois State. The rest of the wins are one point over Minnesota (1-4), five points over Central Michigan (2-3), 17 points over Rice (1-4), and two points over Vanderbilt (1-3). Got a problem with this Northwestern? Well, you have a chance to show me something October 23 against Michigan State.
4. What is your favorite color? The Temple Owls love the color brown. With running back Bernard Pierce out with an ankle sprain, Matt Brown picked up the slack and carried 28 times for 226 yards and 4 TDs. Temple needed every yard to beat Army 42-35 and move to 4-1 on the year.
5. The warning light better be on. With the conference schedule swinging into full force, some top teams better have taken notice to what happened Saturday, or they will not be among the ranks of the unbeatens much longer. Ohio State struggled to beat Illinois. They better shape things up in Columbus before they face the likes of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan. LSU barely escaped Tennessee in a game best described as a “comedy of errors.” Oklahoma, congratulations on finally beating Texas. It wasn’t pretty, but you did it. Now, get back to work so you don’t lose to a Big 12 North team.
6. Gutsiest call. Chip Kelly reached into the Sean Payton bag of tricks and used an onsides kick to get back in the game against Stanford. Down 21-10 early in the second quarter following a 29-yard TD pass by Darron Thomas, Oregon recovered an onsides kick and drove down to make it a four point game.
7. Hear come the Hokies and Beavers. We all knew that Virginia Tech and Oregon State were slow starting teams. Much to the satisfaction of Boise, Idaho, both teams are ramping up their speed. Virginia Tech is on a three game win streak after downing previously undefeated North Carolina State, 41-30. The Hokies are 2-0 and first in the Coastal division of the ACC. Oregon State got a solid win against Arizona State to move to 2-2, but isn’t that what we all expected? Remember those two losses are to top 5 teams. Oregon State is ready to play the spoiler role in the Pac-10 and if they play their cards right, they will find themselves in Pasadena.
8. The worst FBS team. While some teams have been astonishingly good and fun to watch, others have been atrociously bad and painful to watch. The sad part is deciding the worst college football team is harder than choosing the worst 5-0 team. In the end, the winner (or loser) is New Mexico. Whether it is Oregon or UNLV, New Mexico has not been competitive in any of their games.
9. Doomed to fail? After Gene Chizik was hired by Auburn, all the experts and pundits said Chizik was in a situation where it was impossible to succeed. He had a 5-19 record at Iowa State in two years. The public backlash was huge. Charles Barkley even got mixed up in it. Eighteen games, a 13-5 record, a top 10 ranking, a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, and the Chizik hire appears to have paid off.
10. No surprise this time. The last two years, Iowa has surprised everyone and knocked off an undefeated Penn State team. The Hawkeye’s 24-3 win over the Nittany Lions this weekend came as no surprise to anyone. Penn State is reloading on offense and Iowa is expected to push Ohio State for the Big Ten title.
For the results to last week's opinion poll, click here.
For the latest College Football Haven Top 25, click here.
1. The SEC is officially down. The preview of the SEC championship game was a very lopsided 31-6 blowout. Georgia is 1-4. LSU is in contention for the title “worst 5-0 team.” Ole Miss lost to Jacksonville State. Tennessee squeaked past UAB in overtime. In a year that Alabama had to replace virtually its entire defense, they look to be tested only twice (Arkansas and Auburn), and that is with six conference teams having two weeks to prepare for the Crimson Tide.
2. The torch is officially passed. Tim Tebow was king of college football for the last three years. Everyone was star struck with the quarterback in Gainesville. He accumulated eye popping offensive stats. With Tebow off to the NFL, the torch has been passed to Denard Robinson. Get ready for a three year love fest with the sophomore quarterback in Ann Arbor. Robinson accounted for 5 TDs on Saturday as he passed for nearly 300 yards and ran for over 200 more. On the season he has a 179 pass efficiency rating and leads the nation in rushing (908 yards) by nearly 200 yards!
3. The worst 5-0 team. LSU makes a strong push for this title, but Northwestern definitely takes the cake. The Wildcats biggest win is 37-3 over Illinois State. The rest of the wins are one point over Minnesota (1-4), five points over Central Michigan (2-3), 17 points over Rice (1-4), and two points over Vanderbilt (1-3). Got a problem with this Northwestern? Well, you have a chance to show me something October 23 against Michigan State.
4. What is your favorite color? The Temple Owls love the color brown. With running back Bernard Pierce out with an ankle sprain, Matt Brown picked up the slack and carried 28 times for 226 yards and 4 TDs. Temple needed every yard to beat Army 42-35 and move to 4-1 on the year.
5. The warning light better be on. With the conference schedule swinging into full force, some top teams better have taken notice to what happened Saturday, or they will not be among the ranks of the unbeatens much longer. Ohio State struggled to beat Illinois. They better shape things up in Columbus before they face the likes of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan. LSU barely escaped Tennessee in a game best described as a “comedy of errors.” Oklahoma, congratulations on finally beating Texas. It wasn’t pretty, but you did it. Now, get back to work so you don’t lose to a Big 12 North team.
6. Gutsiest call. Chip Kelly reached into the Sean Payton bag of tricks and used an onsides kick to get back in the game against Stanford. Down 21-10 early in the second quarter following a 29-yard TD pass by Darron Thomas, Oregon recovered an onsides kick and drove down to make it a four point game.
7. Hear come the Hokies and Beavers. We all knew that Virginia Tech and Oregon State were slow starting teams. Much to the satisfaction of Boise, Idaho, both teams are ramping up their speed. Virginia Tech is on a three game win streak after downing previously undefeated North Carolina State, 41-30. The Hokies are 2-0 and first in the Coastal division of the ACC. Oregon State got a solid win against Arizona State to move to 2-2, but isn’t that what we all expected? Remember those two losses are to top 5 teams. Oregon State is ready to play the spoiler role in the Pac-10 and if they play their cards right, they will find themselves in Pasadena.
8. The worst FBS team. While some teams have been astonishingly good and fun to watch, others have been atrociously bad and painful to watch. The sad part is deciding the worst college football team is harder than choosing the worst 5-0 team. In the end, the winner (or loser) is New Mexico. Whether it is Oregon or UNLV, New Mexico has not been competitive in any of their games.
9. Doomed to fail? After Gene Chizik was hired by Auburn, all the experts and pundits said Chizik was in a situation where it was impossible to succeed. He had a 5-19 record at Iowa State in two years. The public backlash was huge. Charles Barkley even got mixed up in it. Eighteen games, a 13-5 record, a top 10 ranking, a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, and the Chizik hire appears to have paid off.
10. No surprise this time. The last two years, Iowa has surprised everyone and knocked off an undefeated Penn State team. The Hawkeye’s 24-3 win over the Nittany Lions this weekend came as no surprise to anyone. Penn State is reloading on offense and Iowa is expected to push Ohio State for the Big Ten title.
For the results to last week's opinion poll, click here.
For the latest College Football Haven Top 25, click here.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Game of the Week: Stanford Cardinals at Oregon Ducks
The Pac-10 schedule makers look like geniuses. Who knew that with the losses that the Stanford Cardinals (Toby Gerhart) and the Oregon Ducks (Jeremiah Masoli) suffered from last year to this year that these two teams would both be a very dominant 4-0? Throw in the fact that Stanford upset Oregon 51-42 last year the week after Oregon knocked off USC, and this game has become THE marquee matchup on a weekend that also features Alabama vs. Florida and the Red River Rivalry (Oklahoma vs. Texas).
I apologize, but I have been very busy this week and cannot do a full preview of this game. Here is a link to the STATS, LLC preview on ESPN.com: http://espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=302752483
I apologize, but I have been very busy this week and cannot do a full preview of this game. Here is a link to the STATS, LLC preview on ESPN.com: http://espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=302752483
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Boise State Broncos: How to Guarantee A Spot in the BCS Title Game
Dear Boise State Broncos,
Congratulations on a 3-0 start that includes wins over your two toughest opponents. As a college football fan for over two decades, I am aware of your plight to play for a national championship. Boise State is a small school with much less tradition, fans, and money. You have to fight for the more established members of college football to recognize and validate you. After a great 2009 season that saw you post a perfect 14-0 record and win your second BCS bowl game, you came into 2010 with faint hopes that another perfect season would land you in the BCS National Championship game. With 20 out of 22 starters back from last year, anything less than an undefeated season will be a disappointment.
This year started just as planned. You beat the Virginia Tech Hokies on national television in a hostile environment. Problems started in week two. Virginia Tech lost to a FCS opponent. Now the Hokies don't appear to be the juggernaut so many thought they would be. Poof, that loss by Virginia Tech cost you seven first place votes in the AP poll. Oregon State came to town, and you comfortably won that game. Rather than sing your praises for beating another quality team that figured to contend for an automatic bid in a BCS game, the pundits are downgrading the Beavers. (Never mind that they have played two top 5 teams closer than anyone expected.)
That brings me to the purpose of my letter. I know Virginia Tech's loss and the pessimism about Oregon State are a blow to your cause, but don't despair. I have the formula that will guarantee you a spot in the game January 10, in Glendale.
This year you have some unexpected allies: your conference members. Normally, playing them hurts you more than it helps; this year is different. In fact, even your future Mountain West Conference member Wyoming gives you a boost. WAC teams have played many of the teams you are going to be competing with for one of those two BCS National Championship game spots. As an added bonus, your WAC counterparts have fared reasonably well. The BCS system puts an emphasis on two things: winning games and winning with style. What you need to do is win with more style than those other teams did. Here are the key games:
Wyoming, September 18
One week before (September 11) the Wyoming Cowboys went to Austin, Texas and lost to the Longhorns 34-7. Texas was ranked number 5 at the time and they could be the Big XII champion at the end of the year. The Big XII champion has played in the national title game the last two years. Therefore, you needed to beat Wyoming worse than Texas did, and you did, 51-6. If Texas finishes the year 12-1, your 45 point win over the Cowboys should give you the edge over Texas.
San Jose State, October 16
The San Jose State Spartans did you a double favor. They played number 1 Alabama the opening week (lost 48-3) and number 9 Wisconsin the following week (lost 28-14). Alabama is the favorite to win the SEC, and we all know that the SEC champion has won the last four national championships. The Crimson Tide set a pretty high standard with the 48-3 victory, but it is not unreasonable. You beat SJSU 45-7 last year. You will play the Spartans in San Jose as well. A more stylish road win against San Jose State should help your case. Wisconsin probably won't win the Big Ten, but if they do voters and computers should give you preference if you have a better win against SJSU than the Badgers did.
Hawaii, November 6
The Hawaii Warriors pushed USC in an opening day 49-36 loss. While Oregon and Stanford are getting the attention in the Pac-10 right now, USC is still undefeated. Make sure you beat Hawaii by a minimum of 14 points, but I would recommend you double that to 28.
Idaho, November 12
The most impressive team in the Big XII this year has been number 6 Nebraska. Winning the Big XII championship and finishing undefeated appears a distinct possibility. The Cornhuskers played Idaho on September 11 and won 38-17. A 21-point win. Improving on that seems reasonable. You did beat the Vandals 63-25 last year, which was Idaho's best team since the state's first potato crop.
Nevada, November 26
Worst case scenario, Nevada will be 9-2 when this game is played. The Wolf Pack made waves September 18 when they beat the Cal Bears 52-31. Cal doesn't figure to be a player in the Pac-10 race (although don't rule out a rivalry upset over Stanford), but with this win on their resume and currently a top 25 team, a win over Nevada could count as another quality win.
Utah State, December 4
The Utah State Aggies went into Norman, Oklahoma on September 4, and almost came out winners. The Sooners claimed a narrow 31-24 victory. This is where you can pick up a lot of ground, Broncos. A 30+ point win over Utah State will easily get you the nod over Oklahoma if they are the Big XII champs.
There you have it. Of course, you will want to win all your games by a minimum of two touchdowns, but these five games that you still have to play are the most important ones on your schedule. Win with more style in these games and your spot in the BCS National Championship game is secure.
See you in Glendale.
If you missed College Football Haven's Top 25 this week, click here.
If you missed Monday Musings 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.
Congratulations on a 3-0 start that includes wins over your two toughest opponents. As a college football fan for over two decades, I am aware of your plight to play for a national championship. Boise State is a small school with much less tradition, fans, and money. You have to fight for the more established members of college football to recognize and validate you. After a great 2009 season that saw you post a perfect 14-0 record and win your second BCS bowl game, you came into 2010 with faint hopes that another perfect season would land you in the BCS National Championship game. With 20 out of 22 starters back from last year, anything less than an undefeated season will be a disappointment.
This year started just as planned. You beat the Virginia Tech Hokies on national television in a hostile environment. Problems started in week two. Virginia Tech lost to a FCS opponent. Now the Hokies don't appear to be the juggernaut so many thought they would be. Poof, that loss by Virginia Tech cost you seven first place votes in the AP poll. Oregon State came to town, and you comfortably won that game. Rather than sing your praises for beating another quality team that figured to contend for an automatic bid in a BCS game, the pundits are downgrading the Beavers. (Never mind that they have played two top 5 teams closer than anyone expected.)
That brings me to the purpose of my letter. I know Virginia Tech's loss and the pessimism about Oregon State are a blow to your cause, but don't despair. I have the formula that will guarantee you a spot in the game January 10, in Glendale.
This year you have some unexpected allies: your conference members. Normally, playing them hurts you more than it helps; this year is different. In fact, even your future Mountain West Conference member Wyoming gives you a boost. WAC teams have played many of the teams you are going to be competing with for one of those two BCS National Championship game spots. As an added bonus, your WAC counterparts have fared reasonably well. The BCS system puts an emphasis on two things: winning games and winning with style. What you need to do is win with more style than those other teams did. Here are the key games:
Wyoming, September 18
One week before (September 11) the Wyoming Cowboys went to Austin, Texas and lost to the Longhorns 34-7. Texas was ranked number 5 at the time and they could be the Big XII champion at the end of the year. The Big XII champion has played in the national title game the last two years. Therefore, you needed to beat Wyoming worse than Texas did, and you did, 51-6. If Texas finishes the year 12-1, your 45 point win over the Cowboys should give you the edge over Texas.
San Jose State, October 16
The San Jose State Spartans did you a double favor. They played number 1 Alabama the opening week (lost 48-3) and number 9 Wisconsin the following week (lost 28-14). Alabama is the favorite to win the SEC, and we all know that the SEC champion has won the last four national championships. The Crimson Tide set a pretty high standard with the 48-3 victory, but it is not unreasonable. You beat SJSU 45-7 last year. You will play the Spartans in San Jose as well. A more stylish road win against San Jose State should help your case. Wisconsin probably won't win the Big Ten, but if they do voters and computers should give you preference if you have a better win against SJSU than the Badgers did.
Hawaii, November 6
The Hawaii Warriors pushed USC in an opening day 49-36 loss. While Oregon and Stanford are getting the attention in the Pac-10 right now, USC is still undefeated. Make sure you beat Hawaii by a minimum of 14 points, but I would recommend you double that to 28.
Idaho, November 12
The most impressive team in the Big XII this year has been number 6 Nebraska. Winning the Big XII championship and finishing undefeated appears a distinct possibility. The Cornhuskers played Idaho on September 11 and won 38-17. A 21-point win. Improving on that seems reasonable. You did beat the Vandals 63-25 last year, which was Idaho's best team since the state's first potato crop.
Nevada, November 26
Worst case scenario, Nevada will be 9-2 when this game is played. The Wolf Pack made waves September 18 when they beat the Cal Bears 52-31. Cal doesn't figure to be a player in the Pac-10 race (although don't rule out a rivalry upset over Stanford), but with this win on their resume and currently a top 25 team, a win over Nevada could count as another quality win.
Utah State, December 4
The Utah State Aggies went into Norman, Oklahoma on September 4, and almost came out winners. The Sooners claimed a narrow 31-24 victory. This is where you can pick up a lot of ground, Broncos. A 30+ point win over Utah State will easily get you the nod over Oklahoma if they are the Big XII champs.
There you have it. Of course, you will want to win all your games by a minimum of two touchdowns, but these five games that you still have to play are the most important ones on your schedule. Win with more style in these games and your spot in the BCS National Championship game is secure.
See you in Glendale.
If you missed College Football Haven's Top 25 this week, click here.
If you missed Monday Musings 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.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday Musings: 10 Thoughts About Week 4
The first month of the 2010 college football season finished this weekend, and it showed. The games got tighter and the stakes have risen, but the fun and excitement keeps coming. Here are this week’s musings.
1. In the Pitts. The Pittsburgh Panthers were the clear favorites in the Big East this preseason. Now the Panthers sit at 1-2. The lone win came against New Hampshire. The second loss came at home to Miami, 31-3. Dion Lewis has gone from fab-freshman to sub-par-sophomore. Lewis is averaging less than 50 yards a game and just three yards even per rush.
2. Weapon of choice: the pistol. Nevada made the pistol offense famous, and they are riding its popularity, and success, to a 4-0 record and top 25 ranking. The Wolf Pack isn’t the only team using it these days. Alabama used the pistol regularly against Arkansas this weekend, and UCLA used the pistol to shoot down Bevo, 34-12.
3. How did Bowling Green manage to win a game? Michigan played musical chairs at quarterback, but the offense didn’t skip a beat. Denard Robinson and Tate Forcier both sustained injuries, but Michigan still rolled up 721 yards total offense and put 65 points on the board. Robinson had 128 yards rushing on five carries, Forcier was a perfect 12-12 passing the ball, and Michigan converted 10 of 12 third downs. The only way to win is to play a team with a worse defense or play a team with no offense, but Bowling Green does have one win on the year (44-28 over Marshall).
4. Who is better: Pac-10 or SEC? The Pac-10 might be giving the SEC competition for the title “Best Conference in College Football.” With the exception of Washington and Washington State, the Pac-10 is very strong. The other eight teams are a combined 23-8, and all eight losses are to undefeated teams. The Pac-10 has two upsets of top 10 teams to its credit as well.
5. The best QB in the ACC. Russell Wilson, North Carolina State, is asserting himself as the best signal caller in the ACC. Veterans Jacory Harris, Christian Ponder, and Tyrod Taylor were expected to be the cream of the ACC crop this year. Wilson has outplayed them all, to date, and he bested Josh Nesbitt on Saturday. After throwing a pick-6 that closed a 17 point lead to three, Wilson recovered and threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to push the lead back to 10.
6. Mississippi Mud Slide. The Ole Miss Rebels bounced back from an abysmal loss to Vanderbilt to inundate the Fresno State Bulldogs. Jeremiah Masoli was 8-12 passing for 153 yards, and Brandon Boldin ran for 228 yards on just 19 carries. Ole Miss had 578 yards of total offense and scored 55 points.
7. Will this be the year? The Nevada Wolf Pack has not beaten Boise State since 1998. Nevada hasn’t been 4-0 since 1991. They have been close the last few years. When Boise and Nevada meet on November 26, will the Wolf Pack pull of a monumental upset?
8. Good thing conference play is starting. With six teams in the Big 12 undefeated and seven teams in the Big 10 undefeated, it is a good thing that conference play is starting this week. Nothing is better to separate the contenders from the pretenders. We all remember how Michigan fell from 4-0 to miss a bowl last year. With Texas and Iowa not among the unbeaten teams in each conference, it is hard to believe that the win-loss records really reflect how good teams are at this point.
9. Moral victories are multiplying. The Florida International Golden Panthers notched another moral victory this weekend. FIU is 0-3 with a 19-14 loss to Rutgers, a 27-21 loss to Texas A&M, and a 42-28 loss to Maryland. The head coach said they were not going to take satisfaction in these moral victories, but they do represent how far FIU has come. Just two years ago, FIU lost 40-10 to Kansas, and 42-0 to Iowa.
10. Lost or won? Did Alabama win the game against Arkansas, or did the Razorbacks lose it? Arkansas led most of the game. They had a commanding 20-7 lead in the second half. Alabama cut that lead to three with six minutes to play. All Arkansas had to do was hold on to the ball and run the clock out. Not only did they fail to do that, but Ryan Mallett threw an interception on the third play of the drive. This miscue gift wrapped the winning touchdown for Alabama.
For the latest College Football Haven Top 25, click here.
1. In the Pitts. The Pittsburgh Panthers were the clear favorites in the Big East this preseason. Now the Panthers sit at 1-2. The lone win came against New Hampshire. The second loss came at home to Miami, 31-3. Dion Lewis has gone from fab-freshman to sub-par-sophomore. Lewis is averaging less than 50 yards a game and just three yards even per rush.
2. Weapon of choice: the pistol. Nevada made the pistol offense famous, and they are riding its popularity, and success, to a 4-0 record and top 25 ranking. The Wolf Pack isn’t the only team using it these days. Alabama used the pistol regularly against Arkansas this weekend, and UCLA used the pistol to shoot down Bevo, 34-12.
3. How did Bowling Green manage to win a game? Michigan played musical chairs at quarterback, but the offense didn’t skip a beat. Denard Robinson and Tate Forcier both sustained injuries, but Michigan still rolled up 721 yards total offense and put 65 points on the board. Robinson had 128 yards rushing on five carries, Forcier was a perfect 12-12 passing the ball, and Michigan converted 10 of 12 third downs. The only way to win is to play a team with a worse defense or play a team with no offense, but Bowling Green does have one win on the year (44-28 over Marshall).
4. Who is better: Pac-10 or SEC? The Pac-10 might be giving the SEC competition for the title “Best Conference in College Football.” With the exception of Washington and Washington State, the Pac-10 is very strong. The other eight teams are a combined 23-8, and all eight losses are to undefeated teams. The Pac-10 has two upsets of top 10 teams to its credit as well.
5. The best QB in the ACC. Russell Wilson, North Carolina State, is asserting himself as the best signal caller in the ACC. Veterans Jacory Harris, Christian Ponder, and Tyrod Taylor were expected to be the cream of the ACC crop this year. Wilson has outplayed them all, to date, and he bested Josh Nesbitt on Saturday. After throwing a pick-6 that closed a 17 point lead to three, Wilson recovered and threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to push the lead back to 10.
6. Mississippi Mud Slide. The Ole Miss Rebels bounced back from an abysmal loss to Vanderbilt to inundate the Fresno State Bulldogs. Jeremiah Masoli was 8-12 passing for 153 yards, and Brandon Boldin ran for 228 yards on just 19 carries. Ole Miss had 578 yards of total offense and scored 55 points.
7. Will this be the year? The Nevada Wolf Pack has not beaten Boise State since 1998. Nevada hasn’t been 4-0 since 1991. They have been close the last few years. When Boise and Nevada meet on November 26, will the Wolf Pack pull of a monumental upset?
8. Good thing conference play is starting. With six teams in the Big 12 undefeated and seven teams in the Big 10 undefeated, it is a good thing that conference play is starting this week. Nothing is better to separate the contenders from the pretenders. We all remember how Michigan fell from 4-0 to miss a bowl last year. With Texas and Iowa not among the unbeaten teams in each conference, it is hard to believe that the win-loss records really reflect how good teams are at this point.
9. Moral victories are multiplying. The Florida International Golden Panthers notched another moral victory this weekend. FIU is 0-3 with a 19-14 loss to Rutgers, a 27-21 loss to Texas A&M, and a 42-28 loss to Maryland. The head coach said they were not going to take satisfaction in these moral victories, but they do represent how far FIU has come. Just two years ago, FIU lost 40-10 to Kansas, and 42-0 to Iowa.
10. Lost or won? Did Alabama win the game against Arkansas, or did the Razorbacks lose it? Arkansas led most of the game. They had a commanding 20-7 lead in the second half. Alabama cut that lead to three with six minutes to play. All Arkansas had to do was hold on to the ball and run the clock out. Not only did they fail to do that, but Ryan Mallett threw an interception on the third play of the drive. This miscue gift wrapped the winning touchdown for Alabama.
For the latest College Football Haven Top 25, click here.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Monday Musings: 10 Thoughts About Week 3
College Football turned in another memorable weekend. It was packed with memorable performances, unexpected events, and defining moments for teams, players, and coaches. Here are this week's musings.
1. Here we go again. Last year, the Michigan Wolverines started hot (4-0) and we all thought they were back. They only won one game the rest of the year (63-6 against Delaware State). That has made me hesitant to get excited about Michigan this year. The shootout with UMass on Saturday didn't help. Will Michigan keep winning once Big Ten play starts?
2. Houston, we have a problem. A week after Houston appeared to be in excellent shape with a ground game to go with their potent passing attack, the Cougars lost their first and second string quarterbacks. Case Keenum was the life blood of that team. Now, a season full of so much promise, is most likely shattered.
3. The ACC favorite is who? The North Carolina State Wolfpack looks to be the team to beat in the ACC. They are the only 3-0 team, and behind the arm of Russell Wilson they are legit. Tom O'Brien had struggled so far at NCState, but he looks to have assembled a solid team he can win with.
4. Escaped by their whiskers. The Wisconsin Badgers survived a scare Saturday by Arizona State. A blocked extra point attempt with 4:09 to play made the difference. Wisconsin has one more game to figure things out before Big Ten play starts. They might be 3-0 at this point, but none of their wins have been dominant.
5. Can we shorten the game to 3 quarters? This question was asked by FIU, and everyone playing Oregon. The Florida International Golden Panthers had a 20-6 lead going into the fourth quarter, only to see Texas A&M score 21 fourth quarter points to win 27-20. Oregon is humiliating everyone, do we really need to rub it in and play the final 15 minutes?
6. 'Bamas Best Back. Mark Ingram made it clear that he is, not only, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. He is the best Alabama Crimson Tide running back. Back from injury, Ingram took his first carry of the season 48 yards. He had over 100 yards in the first quarter. He averaged 16.8 yards per carry, and scored two touchdowns. Trent Richardson is a very good player, but let's refrain from saying he is better than Ingram.
7. This is why you came back? Many experts felt Jake Locker would have pushed Sam Bradford for the number one pick in last April's NFL draft. Locker decided to stay for his senior year. I don't think he came back for games like the one on Saturday: 4-20 passing for 71 yards and 2 interceptions. Here's an idea, let's go back nine months and Locker can declare for the NFL draft and Jimmy Clausen can stay for his senior year.
8. The Pac-10 packed a punch. Although Washington didn't look so hot, several Pac-10 teams did. Arizona came up with the biggest upset of the year by knocking off Iowa, 34-27. Stanford continued to roll with a 68-24 trashing of Wake Forest. UCLA rebounded with a 31-13 win over upstart Houston. While it was just Portland State, Oregon still exceeded expectations (69 points in 45 minutes). Even Arizona State represented well in a loss at Wisconsin. The losses by Washington and Cal hurt the conference, but everyone else came through.
9. You conned me. UConn had us all fooled. The Huskies are not measuring up to contender status in the Big East. A 20 point loss to Michigan in the opener (UMass only lost by 5). A 14 point loss to Temple this week. Temple might win the MAC, but if you expect to contend in a BCS AQ conference, you put away MAC schools easy.
10. The most overrated play. Michigan State faked a field goal in overtime to beat Notre Dame. It was a risky call, and it looked cool from the camera angle on television, but don't buy into the hype that this one play was the gutsiest play of the college football season. The Michigan State head coach even explained that they didn't have much confidence in their kicker. My props to Michigan State for getting the win over one of their rivals and for executing the play well, but let's not blow this out of proportion.
For the latest College Football Haven Top 25, click here.
1. Here we go again. Last year, the Michigan Wolverines started hot (4-0) and we all thought they were back. They only won one game the rest of the year (63-6 against Delaware State). That has made me hesitant to get excited about Michigan this year. The shootout with UMass on Saturday didn't help. Will Michigan keep winning once Big Ten play starts?
2. Houston, we have a problem. A week after Houston appeared to be in excellent shape with a ground game to go with their potent passing attack, the Cougars lost their first and second string quarterbacks. Case Keenum was the life blood of that team. Now, a season full of so much promise, is most likely shattered.
3. The ACC favorite is who? The North Carolina State Wolfpack looks to be the team to beat in the ACC. They are the only 3-0 team, and behind the arm of Russell Wilson they are legit. Tom O'Brien had struggled so far at NCState, but he looks to have assembled a solid team he can win with.
4. Escaped by their whiskers. The Wisconsin Badgers survived a scare Saturday by Arizona State. A blocked extra point attempt with 4:09 to play made the difference. Wisconsin has one more game to figure things out before Big Ten play starts. They might be 3-0 at this point, but none of their wins have been dominant.
5. Can we shorten the game to 3 quarters? This question was asked by FIU, and everyone playing Oregon. The Florida International Golden Panthers had a 20-6 lead going into the fourth quarter, only to see Texas A&M score 21 fourth quarter points to win 27-20. Oregon is humiliating everyone, do we really need to rub it in and play the final 15 minutes?
6. 'Bamas Best Back. Mark Ingram made it clear that he is, not only, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. He is the best Alabama Crimson Tide running back. Back from injury, Ingram took his first carry of the season 48 yards. He had over 100 yards in the first quarter. He averaged 16.8 yards per carry, and scored two touchdowns. Trent Richardson is a very good player, but let's refrain from saying he is better than Ingram.
7. This is why you came back? Many experts felt Jake Locker would have pushed Sam Bradford for the number one pick in last April's NFL draft. Locker decided to stay for his senior year. I don't think he came back for games like the one on Saturday: 4-20 passing for 71 yards and 2 interceptions. Here's an idea, let's go back nine months and Locker can declare for the NFL draft and Jimmy Clausen can stay for his senior year.
8. The Pac-10 packed a punch. Although Washington didn't look so hot, several Pac-10 teams did. Arizona came up with the biggest upset of the year by knocking off Iowa, 34-27. Stanford continued to roll with a 68-24 trashing of Wake Forest. UCLA rebounded with a 31-13 win over upstart Houston. While it was just Portland State, Oregon still exceeded expectations (69 points in 45 minutes). Even Arizona State represented well in a loss at Wisconsin. The losses by Washington and Cal hurt the conference, but everyone else came through.
9. You conned me. UConn had us all fooled. The Huskies are not measuring up to contender status in the Big East. A 20 point loss to Michigan in the opener (UMass only lost by 5). A 14 point loss to Temple this week. Temple might win the MAC, but if you expect to contend in a BCS AQ conference, you put away MAC schools easy.
10. The most overrated play. Michigan State faked a field goal in overtime to beat Notre Dame. It was a risky call, and it looked cool from the camera angle on television, but don't buy into the hype that this one play was the gutsiest play of the college football season. The Michigan State head coach even explained that they didn't have much confidence in their kicker. My props to Michigan State for getting the win over one of their rivals and for executing the play well, but let's not blow this out of proportion.
For the latest College Football Haven Top 25, click here.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Game of the Week: Iowa Hawkeyes at Arizona Wildcats
The Arizona Wildcats have surprised several people this year. The Iowa Hawkeyes are living up to their high expectations. Saturday night, each team will find out how close or far they are from where they need to be to reach their 2010 goals.
Arizona has been overlooked in a wide open Pac-10 this year. Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, USC, and even Washington got attention in the preseason, but Arizona is making people notice them. They have outscored their first two opponents 93-8, while rolling up over 1,000 yards of total offense.
After winning a BCS bowl last year, Iowa is expected to push Ohio State for the Big Ten title and, possibly, a spot in the BCS National Championship game. Ricky Stanzi has stepped up his game and the offense has more fire power than a year ago.
On paper, Iowa is clearly the better team, but don’t count Arizona out. If I am a Hawkeye, I am concerned about the start time of this game: 9:30 p.m. local Iowa time. When this game ends, it will already be Sunday in Iowa. I don’t think the Iowa players are used to playing so late at night. I would also be concerned about the revenge factor. Iowa beat Arizona 27-17 last year. Since this is the first real game for Arizona, that means the Arizona players have been staring at this game since January.
Arizona has been overlooked in a wide open Pac-10 this year. Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, USC, and even Washington got attention in the preseason, but Arizona is making people notice them. They have outscored their first two opponents 93-8, while rolling up over 1,000 yards of total offense.
After winning a BCS bowl last year, Iowa is expected to push Ohio State for the Big Ten title and, possibly, a spot in the BCS National Championship game. Ricky Stanzi has stepped up his game and the offense has more fire power than a year ago.
On paper, Iowa is clearly the better team, but don’t count Arizona out. If I am a Hawkeye, I am concerned about the start time of this game: 9:30 p.m. local Iowa time. When this game ends, it will already be Sunday in Iowa. I don’t think the Iowa players are used to playing so late at night. I would also be concerned about the revenge factor. Iowa beat Arizona 27-17 last year. Since this is the first real game for Arizona, that means the Arizona players have been staring at this game since January.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Monday Musings: 10 Thoughts About College Football, Week 2
Week 2 of the 2010 college football season is in the books. It was another week full of surprises and outstanding play. Looking back on the weekend, here are my Monday Musings:
1. Steve Spurrier's solution for South Carolina. Steve Spurrier has struggled to win at South Carolina the same way he won at Florida. He may have found the solution. Running back Marcus Lattimore took the Gamecocks on his back Saturday in a pivotal game against Georgia. The freshman rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns.
2. The year of the Dakotas. In week 1, Kansas lost to North Dakota State, 6-3. This week Minnesota lost to South Dakota, 41-38. Everyone circle September 25 on your calenders. Suddenly the North Dakota State-South Dakota game has become must see TV.
3. Houston, we have a run game. We all know that the Houston Cougars have a potent passing attack. Well, it looks like they found a run game to compliment it. Bryce Beall ripped off 195 yards on the ground this week against UTEP. With Case Keenum day-to-day following a concussion, Houston might have to rely on the services of Beall this week against UCLA.
4. This is the best you've got, ACC? The top teams in the ACC did not represent the conference well this week. Miami didn't even push Ohio State. Georgia Tech lost to the aforementioned Kansas team. Florida State was less of a challenge to Oklahoma than Utah State. However, the worst of the weekend was Virginia Tech coming up empty at home against James Madison. Is it time to auction off that BCS spot to the highest bidder?
5. The next move for the Pac-10. This one is so obvious that no studies need to be done. Just cast the votes and announce it later today. It is time to kick out Washington State and replace them with Boise State. From stadium size to media market it is an even swap. The quality of the product in Boise, however, is vastly superior to the product in Pullman. After dropping their opener 65-17 to Oklahoma State, the Cougars had to outscore the Montana State Bobcats 16-0 in the fourth quarter to pull out a 23-22 win and snap a 10 game losing streak.
6. That's more like it. Not to be outdone in futility, future Pac-10 member Colorado returned to its losing ways. The CU Buffaloes showed a different identity than we have become accustomed to in their opener against Colorado State (24-3 win). This week, the Buffs were back to normal. The Cal Bears hung 52 points on Colorado in a 45 point victory. Somehow, Colorado was able to win the third quarter 7-0.
7. Bye, bye, national title hopes. No I am not referring to Virginia Tech, although they can kiss the national championship good-bye as well. I am alluding to the Sun Belt Conference. Ok, maybe they didn't really have any national title aspirations in the first place. However, they are officially out of the picture now. With Florida Atlantic, Troy, FIU, and Louisiana-Monroe all losing this week, no Sun Belt member is still undefeated.
8. The nation's leading rusher is who? A quarterback. With his 258 yard outburst against Notre Dame, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson is the nation's leading rusher with 455 yards. He has a 41 yard edge on Kendall Hunter from Oklahoma State. Robinson ran for 197 yards against Connecticut in the season opener. It appears he could maintain this lead for awhile.
9. The best 0-2 team. Vanderbilt. The Commodores lost a 23-21 decision to Northwestern in the season opener. They were in striking distance (10-3) going into the fourth quarter against LSU this week. Not too bad considering they lost their head coach only a few weeks before fall camp opened.
10. The worst 2-0 team. Arizona State. What substance is there in wins against Portland State and Northern Arizona? The next two weeks (Wisconsin and Oregon) should even the Sun Devil's record.
For the new College Football Haven Top 25, click here.
1. Steve Spurrier's solution for South Carolina. Steve Spurrier has struggled to win at South Carolina the same way he won at Florida. He may have found the solution. Running back Marcus Lattimore took the Gamecocks on his back Saturday in a pivotal game against Georgia. The freshman rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns.
2. The year of the Dakotas. In week 1, Kansas lost to North Dakota State, 6-3. This week Minnesota lost to South Dakota, 41-38. Everyone circle September 25 on your calenders. Suddenly the North Dakota State-South Dakota game has become must see TV.
3. Houston, we have a run game. We all know that the Houston Cougars have a potent passing attack. Well, it looks like they found a run game to compliment it. Bryce Beall ripped off 195 yards on the ground this week against UTEP. With Case Keenum day-to-day following a concussion, Houston might have to rely on the services of Beall this week against UCLA.
4. This is the best you've got, ACC? The top teams in the ACC did not represent the conference well this week. Miami didn't even push Ohio State. Georgia Tech lost to the aforementioned Kansas team. Florida State was less of a challenge to Oklahoma than Utah State. However, the worst of the weekend was Virginia Tech coming up empty at home against James Madison. Is it time to auction off that BCS spot to the highest bidder?
5. The next move for the Pac-10. This one is so obvious that no studies need to be done. Just cast the votes and announce it later today. It is time to kick out Washington State and replace them with Boise State. From stadium size to media market it is an even swap. The quality of the product in Boise, however, is vastly superior to the product in Pullman. After dropping their opener 65-17 to Oklahoma State, the Cougars had to outscore the Montana State Bobcats 16-0 in the fourth quarter to pull out a 23-22 win and snap a 10 game losing streak.
6. That's more like it. Not to be outdone in futility, future Pac-10 member Colorado returned to its losing ways. The CU Buffaloes showed a different identity than we have become accustomed to in their opener against Colorado State (24-3 win). This week, the Buffs were back to normal. The Cal Bears hung 52 points on Colorado in a 45 point victory. Somehow, Colorado was able to win the third quarter 7-0.
7. Bye, bye, national title hopes. No I am not referring to Virginia Tech, although they can kiss the national championship good-bye as well. I am alluding to the Sun Belt Conference. Ok, maybe they didn't really have any national title aspirations in the first place. However, they are officially out of the picture now. With Florida Atlantic, Troy, FIU, and Louisiana-Monroe all losing this week, no Sun Belt member is still undefeated.
8. The nation's leading rusher is who? A quarterback. With his 258 yard outburst against Notre Dame, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson is the nation's leading rusher with 455 yards. He has a 41 yard edge on Kendall Hunter from Oklahoma State. Robinson ran for 197 yards against Connecticut in the season opener. It appears he could maintain this lead for awhile.
9. The best 0-2 team. Vanderbilt. The Commodores lost a 23-21 decision to Northwestern in the season opener. They were in striking distance (10-3) going into the fourth quarter against LSU this week. Not too bad considering they lost their head coach only a few weeks before fall camp opened.
10. The worst 2-0 team. Arizona State. What substance is there in wins against Portland State and Northern Arizona? The next two weeks (Wisconsin and Oregon) should even the Sun Devil's record.
For the new College Football Haven Top 25, click here.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Game Predictions, Week 1
The game predictions each week will be pretty simple and straight forward. I will select around 20-25 games that I find interesting, but that also represent each FBS conference. Feel free to chime in with your picks, or at least where you agree or disagree. If I leave out a game that really interests you, throw out your prediction for that.
Thursday, September 2
Pittsburgh at Utah: 24-21, Pitt
Northern Illinois at Iowa State: 21-14, Northern Illinois
Florida Atlantic at UAB: 17-10, UAB
Southern Mississippi at South Carolina: 31-24, South Carolina
USC at Hawaii: 38-7, USC
Minnesota at Middle Tennessee: 31-10, Minnesota
Friday, September 3
Arizona at Toledo: 21-17, Arizona
Saturday, September 4
TCU vs. Oregon State: 24-13 TCU
LSU vs. North Carolina: 28-14, LSU
Illinois vs. Missouri: 31-28, Missouri
Colorado vs. Colorado State: 21-13, Colorado
Kentucky at Louisville: 28-20, Kentucky
North Texas at Clemson: 34-13, Clemson
Troy at Bowling Green: 24-10, Bowling Green
New Mexico at Oregon: 28-10, Oregon
Purdue at Notre Dame: 21-13 Notre Dame
Memphis at Mississippi State: 31-10, Mississippi State
Cincinnati at Fresno State: 24-21, Fresno State
Western Michigan at Michigan State: 24-10, Michigan State
Connecticut at Michigan: 31-30, Michigan
Sunday, September 5
SMU at Texas Tech: 34-27, SMU
Monday, September 6
Virginia Tech vs. Boise State: 21-17, Boise State
Navy vs. Maryland: 31-17, Navy
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.
Thursday, September 2
Pittsburgh at Utah: 24-21, Pitt
Northern Illinois at Iowa State: 21-14, Northern Illinois
Florida Atlantic at UAB: 17-10, UAB
Southern Mississippi at South Carolina: 31-24, South Carolina
USC at Hawaii: 38-7, USC
Minnesota at Middle Tennessee: 31-10, Minnesota
Friday, September 3
Arizona at Toledo: 21-17, Arizona
Saturday, September 4
TCU vs. Oregon State: 24-13 TCU
LSU vs. North Carolina: 28-14, LSU
Illinois vs. Missouri: 31-28, Missouri
Colorado vs. Colorado State: 21-13, Colorado
Kentucky at Louisville: 28-20, Kentucky
North Texas at Clemson: 34-13, Clemson
Troy at Bowling Green: 24-10, Bowling Green
New Mexico at Oregon: 28-10, Oregon
Purdue at Notre Dame: 21-13 Notre Dame
Memphis at Mississippi State: 31-10, Mississippi State
Cincinnati at Fresno State: 24-21, Fresno State
Western Michigan at Michigan State: 24-10, Michigan State
Connecticut at Michigan: 31-30, Michigan
Sunday, September 5
SMU at Texas Tech: 34-27, SMU
Monday, September 6
Virginia Tech vs. Boise State: 21-17, Boise State
Navy vs. Maryland: 31-17, Navy
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.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
5 Step Drop: Pac-10 Conference Football 2010
The Pac-10 made a lot of noise during the offseason from player suspensions at Oregon and conference expansion adding Utah and Colorado to NCAA sanctions for USC. Now, the Pac-10 is ready to make some noise on the field. Here are five questions for the upcoming season.
1. Who will win the conference? USC Trojans/Oregon State Beavers. On paper, USC will have the best record and be atop the standings. However, the NCAA will not allow USC to play in a bowl game this year. The honor of representing the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl will fall to Oregon State. Depending on how you define conference champion, it will be one of these two teams.
2. Who is the top returning player? Jaquizz Rodgers, Oregon State. The diminutive Rodgers logged 1,440 yards on the ground in 2009 and found the end zone 22 times. Rodgers is capable of turning a routine run into a big gain at anytime. He is on everyone's Heisman Trophy watch.
3. Which team will be the most improved? Washington Huskies. For the second straight year, Washington will show marked improvement from the year before. Jake Locker's decision to stay for his senior year and Steve Sarkisian now in his second year as head coach are big reasons why. Make no mistake, though, these are not the only reasons why Washington will be in the hunt for the Pac-10 title late in the year. This Washington team has a lot of talent on both sides of the ball.
4. What will be the biggest surprise? With the consensus being that Oregon's off the field issues will have little effect on the Ducks success this year (Oregon is ranked number 11 in both the AP and USA Today polls), the biggest surprise will be that those off the field issues will greatly effect Oregon. This is going to be a four loss year for Chip Kelly and his crew.
5. Which coach is on the hottest seat? Dennis Erickson, Arizona State. After an impressive 10-3 season in 2007, the Sun Devils have only won 9 games, combined, the last two years. If things don't turn around so Arizona State is in the top tier of the Pac-10 this year, Erickson will find himself back in retirement.
1. Who will win the conference? USC Trojans/Oregon State Beavers. On paper, USC will have the best record and be atop the standings. However, the NCAA will not allow USC to play in a bowl game this year. The honor of representing the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl will fall to Oregon State. Depending on how you define conference champion, it will be one of these two teams.
2. Who is the top returning player? Jaquizz Rodgers, Oregon State. The diminutive Rodgers logged 1,440 yards on the ground in 2009 and found the end zone 22 times. Rodgers is capable of turning a routine run into a big gain at anytime. He is on everyone's Heisman Trophy watch.
3. Which team will be the most improved? Washington Huskies. For the second straight year, Washington will show marked improvement from the year before. Jake Locker's decision to stay for his senior year and Steve Sarkisian now in his second year as head coach are big reasons why. Make no mistake, though, these are not the only reasons why Washington will be in the hunt for the Pac-10 title late in the year. This Washington team has a lot of talent on both sides of the ball.
4. What will be the biggest surprise? With the consensus being that Oregon's off the field issues will have little effect on the Ducks success this year (Oregon is ranked number 11 in both the AP and USA Today polls), the biggest surprise will be that those off the field issues will greatly effect Oregon. This is going to be a four loss year for Chip Kelly and his crew.
5. Which coach is on the hottest seat? Dennis Erickson, Arizona State. After an impressive 10-3 season in 2007, the Sun Devils have only won 9 games, combined, the last two years. If things don't turn around so Arizona State is in the top tier of the Pac-10 this year, Erickson will find himself back in retirement.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
2010 College Football Preview: 10 Questions
The 2010 college football season will kick off in just two weeks! College Football Haven has the top 10 questions for 2010, plus one bonus question for making it to the end.
1. Is this Joe Paterno’s last ride? Last year we saw the departure of the legendary Bobby Bowden. Now that Bowden is gone, Joe Pa is assured that when he retires he will have more wins than any FBS coach. With 394 wins to his name, he should eclipse the 400 win plateau this year. These two factors just might be enough to get him to finally hang it up after 45 years.
2. Will an SEC team win the National Championship? It has happened for the last four years. Whether the SEC champion has been undefeated or has had two losses, they have made it to the BCS national championship game and come out the victor every time. The SEC championship could be a rematch of Florida and Alabama. If this is the case, I don’t expect either team to be undefeated, so whether the winner makes it to Glendale will depend on how the other automatic qualifying (AQ) champions fare. Two undefeated teams (Ohio State and Oklahoma, perhaps) and the SEC champion will be on the outside looking in. If only one AQ champion is undefeated and so is Boise State or TCU, then the SEC champ probably gets in.
3. Will Boise State or TCU play in the National Championship game? They are both in a very favorable position starting at numbers 5 and 7, respectively, in the USA Today preseason top 25. After the way they played last year, if one of them finishes undefeated, and no other team in the nation is undefeated, then I like their chances to be in the BCS top two. If one AQ champion is undefeated, then Boise State and TCU will have to fight for that second spot. Both teams have earned a shot to prove themselves if they are undefeated, but in the end, they probably won’t make it over a one loss SEC champion.
4. Is this Rich Rodriguez’s break through year at Michigan? With his track record at Tulane and West Virginia, many expected the Wolverines to be a force in the Big Ten last year. Instead, Michigan dropped 7 of 8 league games and finished 5-7. It was a good strategic move by Michigan to hire Rodriguez, but if he doesn’t get things done this year, he is probably gone. That being said, I think Michigan will be back in a bowl and Rich Rod will be on the sidelines in 2011.
5. Will SMU continue its resurgence? While Rodriguez continued to struggle in his second year, June Jones was flourishing in his second year at SMU. The Mustanges went from one win to 8, and slaughtered Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. Kyle Padron returns at quarterback so I fully expect the Mustangs to gallop in the lead pack of Conference USA and could win the conference in a photo finish.
6. Are select teams auditioning for invitations to join better conferences? The Big Ten doesn’t appear to be satisfied with 12 teams. Pitt, Rutgers, Maryland, and maybe even Virginia are prime candidates. The Big XII may be happy with 10 teams for now, but it won’t be long before they are back to 12. The Memphis faithful are hungry to make the jump to big time football. BYU has made it clear that they are looking for something better than the Mountain West Conference. These teams may find that the way they play on Saturdays was the difference maker in whether they got an invite or not.
7. Can Jeremiah Masoli redeem himself? With a second chance at Ole Miss, the former Oregon Duck may get the last quack. I find it hard to imagine that he won’t be the Rebels starting quarterback. How quickly he can grasp the offense and gel with his teammates will determine his success. He will have a respectable year, but what will determine the winner in this situation will be how well Oregon does without him.
8. Will Jake Locker live up to the hype? For three years we have heard about the phenomenal athleticism and potential of Jake Locker. This summer he went back east on a whirlwind media tour to promote his Heisman Trophy candidacy. Many consider him to be the future number one draft pick in the 2011 NFL draft. With all this fanfare you would think that his college career resembled that of Tim Tebow. On the contrary, Locker has not played in a bowl, nor has he passed for more than 3,000 yards in a season. I predict that Locker will break both these trends this year. Locker and Washington are poised for a breakout year in Steve Sarkisian’s second year as head coach.
9. Who will represent the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl? No conference race is more wide open than the Pac-10. USC has a bowl ban, so even if they win the conference, they won’t play in the Rose Bowl. Oregon had a good chance to make a repeat showing until they lost Masoli and had a rash of other off the field issues that affected the team. Stanford is making strides, but replacing Tody Gerhart will keep the Rose Bowl out of reach. Same goes for Cal without Jahvid Best. Washington and UCLA are dark horses that I wouldn’t count out. In the end, this is Oregon State’s year. The Beavers will get off to a typically slow start, but when the conference games roll around Jaquizz Rodgers and company will be ready.
10. Will Case Keenum break the NCAA record for career passing yards? With back-to-back 5,000 yard passing seasons and 12,950 yards to his credit, Keenum is only 4,123 yards away from breaking Timmy Chang’s record (17,072). Barring injury, Keenum will break this record with ease. The better question might be how high will he push this mark?
Bonus: How will they react? With the way 2009 ended and the events during the offseason, I am curious to know how several teams will react to what happened. Their reactions will go a long way in shaping how the 2010 season plays out.
• USC: Pete Carroll left for the NFL, and the NCAA finally ruled in the Reggie Bush case. With no bowl game to play for and some players transferring, how will the men of Troy react? USC has a lot of pride, and, like him or not, Lane Kiffen overachieved last year at Tennessee. I see USC bouncing back from last year’s 9-4 campaign and playing with a chip on their shoulder. Even with Carroll gone, the end result will be typical of the Pete Carroll years.
• Nebraska: The Cornhuskers nearly pulled off the biggest win of the season last year in the Big XII championship game. We saw them vent some frustration in the 33-0 beat down of Arizona in the Holiday Bowl, but something tells me that Bo Pelini and his boys are not satisfied. Look for them to be breathing fire this year and play with great emotion as they try to take care of some unfinished business and leave the Big XII as champions.
• Texas: It looked like it would never come, but Texas now faces life without Colt McCoy. We all got a taste of the future when McCoy went down in the BCS Championship game. While Garrett Gilbert will have a nice career in Austin, Texas will drop two games this year.
• Oregon: No one is happier that the season is starting than Chip Kelly. After an offseason to forget, with an alarming number of players violating team rules and having run ins with the law, Kelly is relieved to finally move on. If the players handle this well, then Oregon will still be better than most teams in the Pac-10. However, if the locker room is divided and they are dwelling on the off-the-field issues, the Ducks might struggle to finish with a winning record and leave the fan base wondering what might have been.
• Florida: The Gators face a situation similar to Texas. In Gainesville, the Tim Tebow era is over. It is impossible to replace a guy like him. Florida will have to move on the best they can with John Brantley. Besides losing Tebow, Florida nearly lost their coach. After announcing his resignation, Urban Meyer quickly changed it to a leave of absence. While everything seems to be smooth sailing again, how many of the players are worrying whether Coach Meyer will survive the rigors of the year? Although the Gators are the preseason number 3 team, this year is going to be bumpier than the last two. If Meyer and the players hit the panic button when things aren’t as peachy as they were with Tebow around, then this could end as a disappointing year.
• Temple: The Temple Owls were the biggest surprise last year. They won 9 games for the first time since 1979. They were a win against Ohio away from playing for the MAC Championship. Temple has Heisman Trophy aspirations for running back Bernard Pierce. Is Temple hungry for more or did they take their foot off the gas after the surprising success in 2009?
• Florida State: Bobby Bowden is not at Florida State for the first time since 1975. While new head coach Jimbo Fisher has been in the program for the last few years, he is making sure that everyone knows there is a new sheriff in town. The reaction, so far, has not been good. Players are dropping from the roster like flies. Florida State has lost several players in the last few weeks for a lot more reasons than injury. The Seminoles sputtered during Bowden’s final few years. Will the coaching change bring a resurgence, or will it further cripple the program as players struggle to adjust to the new expectations?
• Alabama: They are the defending national champions and now they are number one to start the year, despite having seven players drafted. The preseason number one is a curse, and so is Alabama’s schedule with six conference teams having byes the week before playing the Crimson Tide. Will Alabama have enough drive to repeat to end the season where they are starting? In 2009, they were coming off of back-to-back losses in the SEC Championship game and the Sugar Bowl. Where is the motivation going to come from after a perfect 14-0 national championship season?
1. Is this Joe Paterno’s last ride? Last year we saw the departure of the legendary Bobby Bowden. Now that Bowden is gone, Joe Pa is assured that when he retires he will have more wins than any FBS coach. With 394 wins to his name, he should eclipse the 400 win plateau this year. These two factors just might be enough to get him to finally hang it up after 45 years.
2. Will an SEC team win the National Championship? It has happened for the last four years. Whether the SEC champion has been undefeated or has had two losses, they have made it to the BCS national championship game and come out the victor every time. The SEC championship could be a rematch of Florida and Alabama. If this is the case, I don’t expect either team to be undefeated, so whether the winner makes it to Glendale will depend on how the other automatic qualifying (AQ) champions fare. Two undefeated teams (Ohio State and Oklahoma, perhaps) and the SEC champion will be on the outside looking in. If only one AQ champion is undefeated and so is Boise State or TCU, then the SEC champ probably gets in.
3. Will Boise State or TCU play in the National Championship game? They are both in a very favorable position starting at numbers 5 and 7, respectively, in the USA Today preseason top 25. After the way they played last year, if one of them finishes undefeated, and no other team in the nation is undefeated, then I like their chances to be in the BCS top two. If one AQ champion is undefeated, then Boise State and TCU will have to fight for that second spot. Both teams have earned a shot to prove themselves if they are undefeated, but in the end, they probably won’t make it over a one loss SEC champion.
4. Is this Rich Rodriguez’s break through year at Michigan? With his track record at Tulane and West Virginia, many expected the Wolverines to be a force in the Big Ten last year. Instead, Michigan dropped 7 of 8 league games and finished 5-7. It was a good strategic move by Michigan to hire Rodriguez, but if he doesn’t get things done this year, he is probably gone. That being said, I think Michigan will be back in a bowl and Rich Rod will be on the sidelines in 2011.
5. Will SMU continue its resurgence? While Rodriguez continued to struggle in his second year, June Jones was flourishing in his second year at SMU. The Mustanges went from one win to 8, and slaughtered Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. Kyle Padron returns at quarterback so I fully expect the Mustangs to gallop in the lead pack of Conference USA and could win the conference in a photo finish.
6. Are select teams auditioning for invitations to join better conferences? The Big Ten doesn’t appear to be satisfied with 12 teams. Pitt, Rutgers, Maryland, and maybe even Virginia are prime candidates. The Big XII may be happy with 10 teams for now, but it won’t be long before they are back to 12. The Memphis faithful are hungry to make the jump to big time football. BYU has made it clear that they are looking for something better than the Mountain West Conference. These teams may find that the way they play on Saturdays was the difference maker in whether they got an invite or not.
7. Can Jeremiah Masoli redeem himself? With a second chance at Ole Miss, the former Oregon Duck may get the last quack. I find it hard to imagine that he won’t be the Rebels starting quarterback. How quickly he can grasp the offense and gel with his teammates will determine his success. He will have a respectable year, but what will determine the winner in this situation will be how well Oregon does without him.
8. Will Jake Locker live up to the hype? For three years we have heard about the phenomenal athleticism and potential of Jake Locker. This summer he went back east on a whirlwind media tour to promote his Heisman Trophy candidacy. Many consider him to be the future number one draft pick in the 2011 NFL draft. With all this fanfare you would think that his college career resembled that of Tim Tebow. On the contrary, Locker has not played in a bowl, nor has he passed for more than 3,000 yards in a season. I predict that Locker will break both these trends this year. Locker and Washington are poised for a breakout year in Steve Sarkisian’s second year as head coach.
9. Who will represent the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl? No conference race is more wide open than the Pac-10. USC has a bowl ban, so even if they win the conference, they won’t play in the Rose Bowl. Oregon had a good chance to make a repeat showing until they lost Masoli and had a rash of other off the field issues that affected the team. Stanford is making strides, but replacing Tody Gerhart will keep the Rose Bowl out of reach. Same goes for Cal without Jahvid Best. Washington and UCLA are dark horses that I wouldn’t count out. In the end, this is Oregon State’s year. The Beavers will get off to a typically slow start, but when the conference games roll around Jaquizz Rodgers and company will be ready.
10. Will Case Keenum break the NCAA record for career passing yards? With back-to-back 5,000 yard passing seasons and 12,950 yards to his credit, Keenum is only 4,123 yards away from breaking Timmy Chang’s record (17,072). Barring injury, Keenum will break this record with ease. The better question might be how high will he push this mark?
Bonus: How will they react? With the way 2009 ended and the events during the offseason, I am curious to know how several teams will react to what happened. Their reactions will go a long way in shaping how the 2010 season plays out.
• USC: Pete Carroll left for the NFL, and the NCAA finally ruled in the Reggie Bush case. With no bowl game to play for and some players transferring, how will the men of Troy react? USC has a lot of pride, and, like him or not, Lane Kiffen overachieved last year at Tennessee. I see USC bouncing back from last year’s 9-4 campaign and playing with a chip on their shoulder. Even with Carroll gone, the end result will be typical of the Pete Carroll years.
• Nebraska: The Cornhuskers nearly pulled off the biggest win of the season last year in the Big XII championship game. We saw them vent some frustration in the 33-0 beat down of Arizona in the Holiday Bowl, but something tells me that Bo Pelini and his boys are not satisfied. Look for them to be breathing fire this year and play with great emotion as they try to take care of some unfinished business and leave the Big XII as champions.
• Texas: It looked like it would never come, but Texas now faces life without Colt McCoy. We all got a taste of the future when McCoy went down in the BCS Championship game. While Garrett Gilbert will have a nice career in Austin, Texas will drop two games this year.
• Oregon: No one is happier that the season is starting than Chip Kelly. After an offseason to forget, with an alarming number of players violating team rules and having run ins with the law, Kelly is relieved to finally move on. If the players handle this well, then Oregon will still be better than most teams in the Pac-10. However, if the locker room is divided and they are dwelling on the off-the-field issues, the Ducks might struggle to finish with a winning record and leave the fan base wondering what might have been.
• Florida: The Gators face a situation similar to Texas. In Gainesville, the Tim Tebow era is over. It is impossible to replace a guy like him. Florida will have to move on the best they can with John Brantley. Besides losing Tebow, Florida nearly lost their coach. After announcing his resignation, Urban Meyer quickly changed it to a leave of absence. While everything seems to be smooth sailing again, how many of the players are worrying whether Coach Meyer will survive the rigors of the year? Although the Gators are the preseason number 3 team, this year is going to be bumpier than the last two. If Meyer and the players hit the panic button when things aren’t as peachy as they were with Tebow around, then this could end as a disappointing year.
• Temple: The Temple Owls were the biggest surprise last year. They won 9 games for the first time since 1979. They were a win against Ohio away from playing for the MAC Championship. Temple has Heisman Trophy aspirations for running back Bernard Pierce. Is Temple hungry for more or did they take their foot off the gas after the surprising success in 2009?
• Florida State: Bobby Bowden is not at Florida State for the first time since 1975. While new head coach Jimbo Fisher has been in the program for the last few years, he is making sure that everyone knows there is a new sheriff in town. The reaction, so far, has not been good. Players are dropping from the roster like flies. Florida State has lost several players in the last few weeks for a lot more reasons than injury. The Seminoles sputtered during Bowden’s final few years. Will the coaching change bring a resurgence, or will it further cripple the program as players struggle to adjust to the new expectations?
• Alabama: They are the defending national champions and now they are number one to start the year, despite having seven players drafted. The preseason number one is a curse, and so is Alabama’s schedule with six conference teams having byes the week before playing the Crimson Tide. Will Alabama have enough drive to repeat to end the season where they are starting? In 2009, they were coming off of back-to-back losses in the SEC Championship game and the Sugar Bowl. Where is the motivation going to come from after a perfect 14-0 national championship season?
Friday, July 9, 2010
Poll Results: What was the best expansion move?
Nebraska to the Big 10 received the most votes for best expansion move (44%). Boise State to the MWC was second with 33%, and Utah to the Pac 12 received the rest of the votes. Thank you to all who voted.
Don't forget to take a few seconds to vote in the new poll: Who will be the best quarterback in 2010?
Don't forget to take a few seconds to vote in the new poll: Who will be the best quarterback in 2010?
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Lessons Learned from Conference Expansion
Now that most of the dust has settled from conference expansion, let's see what we have learned.
1. Notre Dame is not the most powerful school in the country. That designation now belongs to Texas. Texas was able to turn college football on its head and then put it back on its feet, all in less than one week. The Longhorns had grown men fearing for their futures and desperately begging Texas to keep the status quo. Most importantly, Texas was able to leverage more money and control in the Big 12.
2. Expansion is all about money. Being good in football or basketball took a back row seat to other factors like the size of a school's local media market, the number of television sets that watch a school's games, and the impact on travel costs. Each conference did not hide that they would not expand if the current membership would not receive as much TV and other monies. Schools that have not fielded competitive teams in years (Colorado) were viewed more favorably than schools that win more than anyone else (Boise State). Schools that are very logical additions geographically (Pitt) are being rejected for schools that expand the conference footprint (Nebraska).
3. There are no loyalties. Each school will do what is best for it. While conferences were created to better the collective group, that won't stop one part of that group from leaving if a better offer comes along. Utah, with a BYU grad as school president and a former BYU player as its head football coach, had no concern about the impacts of its move on BYU and the rest of the Mountain West. Colorado couldn't accept the Pac-10's invite fast enough to throw Baylor to the curb. While doom and gloom was being forecasted for Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, and Iowa State, Nebraska happily jumped to the safety of the Big 10. The Boise State Broncos probably have not thought twice about how the WAC will be the Sun Belt of the West once they leave.
4. The Pac-10 is properly situation on the left coast. I, for one, was shocked to see the way certain schools in that conference openly opposed the addition of religious schools like Baylor and BYU. Come on, this is sports we are talking about. Why are you going to let liberal ideas get in the way of a good sports competition? Each conference has its own identity, but it is hard to find another conference that cares more about its identity than the Pac-10.
5. The power of the people. From the outset last December, all conferences proclaimed that this would be a 12 to 18 month process. That did not stop fans and media from talking about expansion and postulating expansion scenarios. Facts and data were being thrown out left and right arguing the merits of School A vs. School B. Demands for updates and leaks to the media fueled the fire. The people were heard and a mere six months later, the Big 10 and Pac 10 have made their moves (as well as the Mountain West, but that was more reactionary). The Big 12 is uncertain what it will do, but be assured that whatever timetable is set will be sped up by the people pushing for a resolve.
1. Notre Dame is not the most powerful school in the country. That designation now belongs to Texas. Texas was able to turn college football on its head and then put it back on its feet, all in less than one week. The Longhorns had grown men fearing for their futures and desperately begging Texas to keep the status quo. Most importantly, Texas was able to leverage more money and control in the Big 12.
2. Expansion is all about money. Being good in football or basketball took a back row seat to other factors like the size of a school's local media market, the number of television sets that watch a school's games, and the impact on travel costs. Each conference did not hide that they would not expand if the current membership would not receive as much TV and other monies. Schools that have not fielded competitive teams in years (Colorado) were viewed more favorably than schools that win more than anyone else (Boise State). Schools that are very logical additions geographically (Pitt) are being rejected for schools that expand the conference footprint (Nebraska).
3. There are no loyalties. Each school will do what is best for it. While conferences were created to better the collective group, that won't stop one part of that group from leaving if a better offer comes along. Utah, with a BYU grad as school president and a former BYU player as its head football coach, had no concern about the impacts of its move on BYU and the rest of the Mountain West. Colorado couldn't accept the Pac-10's invite fast enough to throw Baylor to the curb. While doom and gloom was being forecasted for Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, and Iowa State, Nebraska happily jumped to the safety of the Big 10. The Boise State Broncos probably have not thought twice about how the WAC will be the Sun Belt of the West once they leave.
4. The Pac-10 is properly situation on the left coast. I, for one, was shocked to see the way certain schools in that conference openly opposed the addition of religious schools like Baylor and BYU. Come on, this is sports we are talking about. Why are you going to let liberal ideas get in the way of a good sports competition? Each conference has its own identity, but it is hard to find another conference that cares more about its identity than the Pac-10.
5. The power of the people. From the outset last December, all conferences proclaimed that this would be a 12 to 18 month process. That did not stop fans and media from talking about expansion and postulating expansion scenarios. Facts and data were being thrown out left and right arguing the merits of School A vs. School B. Demands for updates and leaks to the media fueled the fire. The people were heard and a mere six months later, the Big 10 and Pac 10 have made their moves (as well as the Mountain West, but that was more reactionary). The Big 12 is uncertain what it will do, but be assured that whatever timetable is set will be sped up by the people pushing for a resolve.
Monday, June 14, 2010
CU says see you later to Big XII
Thursday, June 10, 2010, the Pac-10 announced that Colorado University will become the conference's 11th member. This change will become official in the summer of 2011. While many new rumors about Pac-10 expansion errupted less than a week before this annoucement, the first offical move was the oldest rumor. Colorado and Utah were the two teams first mentioned for Pac-10 expansion, which was thought to be a simple and fairly painless process to get the Pac-10 to 12 teams with a football championship game and improved television contract.
Now conference expansion has turned into a soap opera, with the Pac-10 being right in the middle of it all. Colorado made this move before other members of the Big XII to cut off attempts by Baylor to force its way into the Pac-10 and leave Colorado as the odd team out.
This move does not surprise me in the least. Colorado football has been down for several years, and what better way to infuse some life into the program than changing conferences. There is finally something to be excited about, which might translate into 2 or 3 more wins, which would translate into more excitement and better recruiting, which ... . You get the point; it's the snowball effect. Colorado pretty much hit rock bottom, so there is very little risk in this move.
Now conference expansion has turned into a soap opera, with the Pac-10 being right in the middle of it all. Colorado made this move before other members of the Big XII to cut off attempts by Baylor to force its way into the Pac-10 and leave Colorado as the odd team out.
This move does not surprise me in the least. Colorado football has been down for several years, and what better way to infuse some life into the program than changing conferences. There is finally something to be excited about, which might translate into 2 or 3 more wins, which would translate into more excitement and better recruiting, which ... . You get the point; it's the snowball effect. Colorado pretty much hit rock bottom, so there is very little risk in this move.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
The Big 12 Will Be Fine
Let's say Nebraska and Missouri leave the Big 12 for the Big 10. Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Colorado then follow suit and leave for the Pac-10. Now what? Well, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Baylor, first of all, I can assure you that the sun will rise the next day, and when it does rise here is the plan for you.
The Big 12 leftovers will be in a favorable situation, for being leftovers. Being positioned in the middle of the country, they have the option now of picking and choosing from the strong schools on the west and east of them. Take your time, because you will have time, and look at the following candidates.
Mountain West (MWC)
Air Force, BYU, TCU, and Utah
Big East
Cincinnati, Louisville
Conference USA
Houston, SMU, Southern Mississippi, and Tulsa
These schools provide two key ingredients: 1) An expanded conference footprint, while maintaining the traditional Big 12 footprint, and 2) A conference that could still be an automatic qualifyier in the BCS. You can pick your size, anywhere from 9 to 12 teams (5-8 in addition to the four leftovers). Here are some scenarios:
Kansas
Kansas State
Baylor
Iowa State
Houston
TCU or SMU
Cincinnati
BYU or Utah
Air Force
As long as you take TCU over SMU, this conference should be stong enough for a BCS AQ. The only problem is that long term, SMU might be better at getting attention in Dallas/Ft. Worth and Texas in general. :
Kansas
Kansas State
Baylor
Iowa State
Houston
TCU or SMU
Cincinnati
BYU
Utah
Air Force
Louisville
Southern Mississippi
This will give you 12 teams to hold a championship game. You are taking a chance on BCS AQ status with Louisville, but the basketball showdowns with Kansas could be too irresistable. Hopefully with both BYU and Utah, the conference will be strong enough to get AQ status.
The moral of this post is to keep your heads high Jayhawks, Wildcats, Bears, and Cyclones. The Big 12 has a future, and it might not be all that bad.
The Big 12 leftovers will be in a favorable situation, for being leftovers. Being positioned in the middle of the country, they have the option now of picking and choosing from the strong schools on the west and east of them. Take your time, because you will have time, and look at the following candidates.
Mountain West (MWC)
Air Force, BYU, TCU, and Utah
Big East
Cincinnati, Louisville
Conference USA
Houston, SMU, Southern Mississippi, and Tulsa
These schools provide two key ingredients: 1) An expanded conference footprint, while maintaining the traditional Big 12 footprint, and 2) A conference that could still be an automatic qualifyier in the BCS. You can pick your size, anywhere from 9 to 12 teams (5-8 in addition to the four leftovers). Here are some scenarios:
Kansas
Kansas State
Baylor
Iowa State
Houston
TCU or SMU
Cincinnati
BYU or Utah
Air Force
As long as you take TCU over SMU, this conference should be stong enough for a BCS AQ. The only problem is that long term, SMU might be better at getting attention in Dallas/Ft. Worth and Texas in general. :
Kansas
Kansas State
Baylor
Iowa State
Houston
TCU or SMU
Cincinnati
BYU
Utah
Air Force
Louisville
Southern Mississippi
This will give you 12 teams to hold a championship game. You are taking a chance on BCS AQ status with Louisville, but the basketball showdowns with Kansas could be too irresistable. Hopefully with both BYU and Utah, the conference will be strong enough to get AQ status.
The moral of this post is to keep your heads high Jayhawks, Wildcats, Bears, and Cyclones. The Big 12 has a future, and it might not be all that bad.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Conference Expansion Craziness
Sorry I have not posted a real article or anything for such a long time. Thank you to those who still frequented the site and have been participating in the opinion polls.
We are in the middle of what is supposed to be the quiet time for college football. Letter of Intent day is long passed and the spring football practice sessions wrapped up weeks ago. Classes are out and the coaches can't have contact with the players. Yet, the conference expansion craze is generating enough headlines and discussion to make this as busy as the regular season. Let's quickly run down the popular possibilities for each conference in expansion.
Big 10
We will start with the one that is responsible for this mess.
Plan A is to add Notre Dame to reach 12 and hold a championship game.
Plan B seems to be to take teams from the Big 12 and Big East to reach 14. Top candidates include the Big 12's Nebraska and Missouri and the Big East's Rutgers, Syracuse, and Pitt.
Pac-10
Plan A is to change the rule for championship games to conferences with 10 teams, as opposed to the current minimum of 12.
Plan A-1 emerged just last weekend to add six Big 12 schools that would include Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and either Colorado or Baylor.
Plan B Add Colorado and Utah to reach 12 and get a championship game to leverage a better TV deal and start a Pac-12 Network.
Big 12
Plan A is to weather the storm by keeping the nucleus of Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. They would prefer not to lose any team, but if Missouri goes they will survive.
Plan B add BYU, Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, Arkansas, or another team NOT IN THE CURRENT BIG 12 FOOTPRINT to replace Missouri.
SEC
Plan A is to wait and see what happens knowing most likely they won't have to do anything.
Plan B is to expand to 16 teams by attacking the ACC and/or Big 12. Popular candidates include Texas, Texas A&M, Florida State, Miami, Clemson, and Georgia Tech.
Big East
Plan A is to give Notre Dame an ultimatum to join the conference for football or lose membership for its other sports. This is viewed as the best hope for survival, regardless of Notre Dame's response. The idea is to stop radical changes by forcing Notre Dame to join the Big 10 or, in their dreams, to stabilize the Big East by having Notre Dame as a football school.
Plan B die.
Plan C reach into the mid-majors again and repopulate the conference after the dust settles.
THE REST
Plan A is to wait and see. The Mountain West Conference (MWC) made this clear yesterday in a press conference announcing that Boise State would not be added. The ACC will only add teams if it loses teams or 16 becomes the new 12. The rest of the mid-majors won't expand unless one of the major conferences disbands and they feel they can capitalize with one of the once privileged "BCS schools."
With all these options on the table, which make the most sense and are the most likely?
Big 10 Plan A. Probably not going to happen. Notre Dame is being very vocal about wanting to stay independent, which means that is probably the message the boosters are sending. Notre Dame will listen to its boosters more than the Big 10.
Big 10 Plan B. Rumors are that Nebraska and Missouri to the Big 10 is immenent and could be annouced very soon. I think this has a high probability of happening, but not this month. Expansion is as big of a decision for these conferences as marraige is to an individual. The conferences will take the time that they need. These two teams would bring the total to 13 for the Big 10, which means one Big East team needs to come along. Pitt has the best football program, but offers the least new market. Rutgers has shown promise and the head coach is committed to the school, but how much market do the Scarlet Knights really bring? Syracuse has been putrid in football, but is great in basketball. However, the Orangemen seem to have the potential of delivering the most TV sets. I would rank the likelihood of these teams joining the Big 10 as 1-Rutgers, 2-Pitt, 3-Syracuse.
Pac-10 Plan A and A-1. Until the news broke about the 6 Big 12 schools I thought changing the championship game rule was going to happen and the Pac-10 would not change. If the numbers add up for Texas, I think the six Big 12 teams will end up joining the Pac. I have no expertise in projecting TV revenues, but I think there is a good chance that Texas would stand to profit with this arrangement with the Pac-10. If not, I think this opens a new can of worms for the top teams from the Pac and the top teams from the Big 12 to form a new 12-16 team conference hand picking the teams that would make the $$$ numbers work.
Pac-10 Plan B. What was once the most likely and reasonable scenario is as good as dead, I think. If this was such a great idea, the Pac-10 would not be bending over backwards to try and make other scenarios work.
Big 12 Plan A. Your guess is as good as mine about keeping the Big 12 nucleus together. It is hard to imagine that the Big 12 could cease to exist, but at this point we have to accept that it just might.
Big 12 Plan B. If Missouri is the only school to replace you can rule out Arkansas and Memphis as candidates. It won't happen. Cincinnati is very unlikely as well. I think it will come down to Louisville or BYU. Anyone who knows me will know that BYU would be my preference, but my gut feeling tells me that the Big 12 would prefer to expand east, not west. A presence east of the Mississippi could be very valuable.
SEC Plan A. This is the plan I envision the SEC following. Even if conferences expand to 16 teams now, the SEC is in a position to wait and see if these expansions really work. If they do, the SEC is strong enough to rip teams away from almost anyone.
Big East Plan A. I don't see the ultimatum happening. I really think the Big East will go down (Plan B) without much of a fight if two or more teams are taken. Raiding other conferences will prove fruitless because the Big East will be so weakened that BCS automatic qualifying status will be lost.
To summarize, the biggest players in the conference expansion game are: Notre Dame, Texas, and the NCAA rule for minimum teams required for a championship game. Notre Dame is capable of keeping the structure of eastern college football largely in tact by joining the Big East. Texas is capable of exploding the structure of college football nationwide by breaking up the Big 12. An NCAA rule change could keep everything status quo. Not only would it satisfy the Pac 10, it could satisfy the Big 10, or keep the Big 12 from expanding if one or two teams leave.
We are in the middle of what is supposed to be the quiet time for college football. Letter of Intent day is long passed and the spring football practice sessions wrapped up weeks ago. Classes are out and the coaches can't have contact with the players. Yet, the conference expansion craze is generating enough headlines and discussion to make this as busy as the regular season. Let's quickly run down the popular possibilities for each conference in expansion.
Big 10
We will start with the one that is responsible for this mess.
Plan A is to add Notre Dame to reach 12 and hold a championship game.
Plan B seems to be to take teams from the Big 12 and Big East to reach 14. Top candidates include the Big 12's Nebraska and Missouri and the Big East's Rutgers, Syracuse, and Pitt.
Pac-10
Plan A is to change the rule for championship games to conferences with 10 teams, as opposed to the current minimum of 12.
Plan A-1 emerged just last weekend to add six Big 12 schools that would include Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and either Colorado or Baylor.
Plan B Add Colorado and Utah to reach 12 and get a championship game to leverage a better TV deal and start a Pac-12 Network.
Big 12
Plan A is to weather the storm by keeping the nucleus of Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. They would prefer not to lose any team, but if Missouri goes they will survive.
Plan B add BYU, Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, Arkansas, or another team NOT IN THE CURRENT BIG 12 FOOTPRINT to replace Missouri.
SEC
Plan A is to wait and see what happens knowing most likely they won't have to do anything.
Plan B is to expand to 16 teams by attacking the ACC and/or Big 12. Popular candidates include Texas, Texas A&M, Florida State, Miami, Clemson, and Georgia Tech.
Big East
Plan A is to give Notre Dame an ultimatum to join the conference for football or lose membership for its other sports. This is viewed as the best hope for survival, regardless of Notre Dame's response. The idea is to stop radical changes by forcing Notre Dame to join the Big 10 or, in their dreams, to stabilize the Big East by having Notre Dame as a football school.
Plan B die.
Plan C reach into the mid-majors again and repopulate the conference after the dust settles.
THE REST
Plan A is to wait and see. The Mountain West Conference (MWC) made this clear yesterday in a press conference announcing that Boise State would not be added. The ACC will only add teams if it loses teams or 16 becomes the new 12. The rest of the mid-majors won't expand unless one of the major conferences disbands and they feel they can capitalize with one of the once privileged "BCS schools."
With all these options on the table, which make the most sense and are the most likely?
Big 10 Plan A. Probably not going to happen. Notre Dame is being very vocal about wanting to stay independent, which means that is probably the message the boosters are sending. Notre Dame will listen to its boosters more than the Big 10.
Big 10 Plan B. Rumors are that Nebraska and Missouri to the Big 10 is immenent and could be annouced very soon. I think this has a high probability of happening, but not this month. Expansion is as big of a decision for these conferences as marraige is to an individual. The conferences will take the time that they need. These two teams would bring the total to 13 for the Big 10, which means one Big East team needs to come along. Pitt has the best football program, but offers the least new market. Rutgers has shown promise and the head coach is committed to the school, but how much market do the Scarlet Knights really bring? Syracuse has been putrid in football, but is great in basketball. However, the Orangemen seem to have the potential of delivering the most TV sets. I would rank the likelihood of these teams joining the Big 10 as 1-Rutgers, 2-Pitt, 3-Syracuse.
Pac-10 Plan A and A-1. Until the news broke about the 6 Big 12 schools I thought changing the championship game rule was going to happen and the Pac-10 would not change. If the numbers add up for Texas, I think the six Big 12 teams will end up joining the Pac. I have no expertise in projecting TV revenues, but I think there is a good chance that Texas would stand to profit with this arrangement with the Pac-10. If not, I think this opens a new can of worms for the top teams from the Pac and the top teams from the Big 12 to form a new 12-16 team conference hand picking the teams that would make the $$$ numbers work.
Pac-10 Plan B. What was once the most likely and reasonable scenario is as good as dead, I think. If this was such a great idea, the Pac-10 would not be bending over backwards to try and make other scenarios work.
Big 12 Plan A. Your guess is as good as mine about keeping the Big 12 nucleus together. It is hard to imagine that the Big 12 could cease to exist, but at this point we have to accept that it just might.
Big 12 Plan B. If Missouri is the only school to replace you can rule out Arkansas and Memphis as candidates. It won't happen. Cincinnati is very unlikely as well. I think it will come down to Louisville or BYU. Anyone who knows me will know that BYU would be my preference, but my gut feeling tells me that the Big 12 would prefer to expand east, not west. A presence east of the Mississippi could be very valuable.
SEC Plan A. This is the plan I envision the SEC following. Even if conferences expand to 16 teams now, the SEC is in a position to wait and see if these expansions really work. If they do, the SEC is strong enough to rip teams away from almost anyone.
Big East Plan A. I don't see the ultimatum happening. I really think the Big East will go down (Plan B) without much of a fight if two or more teams are taken. Raiding other conferences will prove fruitless because the Big East will be so weakened that BCS automatic qualifying status will be lost.
To summarize, the biggest players in the conference expansion game are: Notre Dame, Texas, and the NCAA rule for minimum teams required for a championship game. Notre Dame is capable of keeping the structure of eastern college football largely in tact by joining the Big East. Texas is capable of exploding the structure of college football nationwide by breaking up the Big 12. An NCAA rule change could keep everything status quo. Not only would it satisfy the Pac 10, it could satisfy the Big 10, or keep the Big 12 from expanding if one or two teams leave.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Evidence: Performance on the Field
This is the third part of the BCS Bash series. For part one, click here. For part two, click here.
We all come to a point in life when we have to make a decision, but the best choice is not clear. However, after we make and carry out that decision, we are able to judge if the decision we made. The Bowl Alliance decided to include the Big East, Big 8, Southwest, Atlantic Coast, and Southeastern conferences and to exclude the Western Athletic, Mid-America, and Big West conferences. The Bowl Alliance decided to have the participants in its three bowl games be the conference champions of the five included conferences, plus one at-large team. The BCS made these same decisions three years later. (Note: The Big 8 and Southwest conferences merged in 1996 to form the Big 12. For clarity, I will refer only to the Big 12 for the rest of this article.)
The declared intent was still to match number one and number two in a bowl game, but the actions of the organizers sent a clear message that participating in the elite bowls was for conference champions. If you are a champion you have automatic access. If you are not a champion get in line and hope your name is called. The automatic access, however, was not granted to all conference champions because not all conference champions were viewed as equal. Champions of the SEC, ACC, Big East, and Big 12 were in a higher class than the other conference champions. They were given automatic qualifying status because they were "extra special." The other conference champions were merely mediocre.
This is America and we have the freedom of speech, so there is nothing illegal with anyone making that statement. In America you are also innocent until proven guilty, so let’s take this to the judge.
Court is now in session. Charges have come against the Bowl Alliance/BCS for unjustly limiting the automatic qualifying status for conference champions to the ACC, SEC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, and Pac-10. The prosecution argues that for anyone to be a conference champion, they earn that distinction through their performance on the field of play. If these six conference champions are so superior to the other conference champions, their performance on the field of play will reflect that.
Exhibit one is the win-loss record and winning percentage before bowl games for the conference champions for the automatic qualifying conferences dating back to 1996.
Year....ACC....SEC....Big East..Big 10...Big 12...Pac-10
1996....11-0...11-1......10-1.........10-1.....8-4......11-0
1997....10-1...11-1.......9-3.........11-0....12-0......10-1
1998....11-1...12-0.......8-3.........10-1....11-2......10-1
1999....11-0...10-2......11-0..........9-2....11-1.......8-3
2000....10-1....9-3......11-0.........10-1....10-2......10-1
2001....10-1....9-3......11-0.........10-1....10-2......10-1
2002.....9-4...12-1......12-0.........13-0....11-2......10-2
2003....10-2...12-1......10-2.........10-2....11-3......11-1
2004....10-2...12-0.......8-3..........9-2....12-0......12-0
2005.....8-4...10-2......10-1.........10-1....12-0......12-0
2006....11-2...12-1......11-1.........12-0....11-2......10-2
2007....11-2...11-2......10-2.........11-1....11-2......10-2
2008.....9-4...12-1......11-2.........11-1....12-1......11-1
2009....11-2...13-0......12-0.........10-2....13-0......10-2
Total 143-26..157-17..143-19....154-17..157-19...145-17
Win % 0.846...0.902...0.882.....0.901...0.892....0.895
Relevance: The ACC champion had the lowest winning percentage (0.846) among the conference champions awarded automatic qualification to a BCS bowl. If this winning percentage is significantly higher than that of the conference champions not awarded automatic qualification to a BCS bowl, then the BCS is justified for excluding those other conferences.
Exhibit two is another table that shows the win-loss record and winning percentage before bowl games for the conference champions for the non-automatic qualifying conferences dating back to 1996.
Year...MWC*...WAC**...MAC...Conf. USA
1996...13-1.......8-3........8-3.........8-3
1997...10-2.......6-5.......10-2.........8-3
1998...11-1.......8-3.......11-1........11-0
1999....8-3.......8-4.......12-0.........8-3
2000....9-2......10-1........7-5.........9-2
2001...12-1.......7-4........9-2........10-2
2002...10-3......11-1.......10-2.........9-2
2003....9-2......12-1.......12-1.........9-3
2004...11-0......11-0........9-3........10-1
2005...10-1.......9-3........7-5.........8-4
2006...10-2......12-0........9-4........10-3
2007...10-2......12-0........8-5........10-3
2008...12-0......12-0........8-5.........9-4
2009...12-0......13-0.......11-2.........9-4
Total 147-20...139-25......131-40.... 128-37
Win%..0.880...0.847.......0.766......0.775
* = The Mountain West Conference (MWC) did not exist prior to the 1999 season. The data used for 1996-1998 are the records of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) champion since the MWC members competed in that conference at that time and all WAC champions during that time are now members of the MWC.
** = Most of the teams comprising the WAC today were members of the Big West Conference from 1996-1998, so the records of the Big West Champion was used for those years.
(Note: The Sun Belt Conference did not exist prior to 2001, so for lack of data, the Sun Belt Conference was not used in this comparison.)
Relevance: On the field of play, both the MWC and the WAC champions, over a 14 year period, have sustained better on the field performance than the ACC champion. The WAC champion’s winning percentage was 0.001 better, and the MWC champion’s winning percentage was 0.034 better. It is also important to point out that the MWC champion’s wining percentage was only 0.002 less than the Big East champion. The performance on the field of play by the WAC and the MWC champions has exceeded that of the ACC. The MWC champion is even on par with the Big East champion.
Exhibit three is the results of the “BCS Busters” against teams from automatic qualifying conferences.
2004: Utah 35, Pittsburgh 7 (Pittsburgh was the Big East Champion)
2006: Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42 (Oklahoma was the Big 12 Champion)
2007: Georgia 41, Hawaii 10
2008: Utah 31, Alabama 17
Overall Record: 3-1 (2-0 versus automatic qualifying conference champions)
Relevance: On the field of play, non-automatic qualifying conference champions have won 75% of the time they have played in BCS bowl games against teams from AQ conferences, and 100% of the time these non-automatic qualifying conference champions have played automatic qualifying champions.
While Hawaii lost to Georgia by 31 points that does not hurt my case. Teams from conferences with AQ status have lost by 31 points or more in Bowl Alliance or BCS games on six occasions.
Florida lost to Nebraska by 38 points in 1995
Florida State lost to Florida by 32 points in 1996
Notre Dame lost to Oregon State by 32 points in 2000
Maryland lost to Florida by 33 points in 2001
Oklahoma lost to USC by 36 points in 2004
Illinois lost to USC by 32 points in 2007
The BCS’s decision to exclude cannot be justified by Hawaii’s blowout loss since it is not the only time that a BCS game has had such an outcome. In fact, Hawaii did not have the greatest losing margin of all teams in BCS games in 2007. On the other side of the coin, Utah won in 2004 by 28 points, which begs the question, “Why would such a superior conference champion lose so lopsidedly?”
Exhibit four is the changes in conference make up. Since the Bowl Alliance formed in 1995, the composition of the Big 8, the ACC and the Big East have all changed. The Big 8 added teams from the SWC and the ACC swiped teams from the Big East. The Big East, however, reached into the pile of leftovers (teams not in a conference granted automatic qualifying status) and added three teams. Since the Big East added teams, three out of five years one of the former outsiders won the conference.
Relevance: While the Big East conducted research to determine the best candidates to add to the conference, the Big East did not need authorization by the BCS. The BCS did not conduct its own analysis of performance on the field of play and conclude who were the three most qualified teams in college football for membership in the exclusive BCS circle. The precedent established in 1995 changed the rules for conference expansion. The ACC added teams from a fellow AQ conference, but if a conference was going to reach outside the AQ boundaries, then the BCS should have to approve the move.
Furthermore, the immediate success of these new Big East members shows that, on the field of play, teams from conferences without an automatic qualifying conference champion are NOT inferior to the teams in conferences with an automatic qualifying conference champion.
Exhibit five is that the expressed purpose of the Bowl Alliance, which the BCS continued, was to create a system that would match the number one and number two ranked teams in the same bowl game.
Relevance: On two occasions (Nebraska in 2001 and Oklahoma in 2003) teams who were not conference champions played for the national championship. To play for the national championship, a team must be ranked either number one or number two. Since teams who were not conference champions qualified for the national championship game, the BCS showed that automatic qualifying status for conference champions was not necessary to accomplish its intent. Therefore, one or more of the parties involved in creating the Bowl Alliance and the BCS were working to protect special interests by creating the automatic qualifying status for a limited number of conferences in college football.
Closing Arguments: The defendant will, undoubtedly, attempt to counter my evidence with the strength of schedule for teams from the conferences with automatic qualifying champions. I rebut that argument by reiterating what was covered yesterday regarding “overall conference strength.” This notion of “strength of schedule” is a false perception born out of misconceptions that have, unfortunately, corrupted all forms of rankings and ratings for college football. When the issue is automatic qualifying status for conference champions, the only evidence that matters is performance on the field.
Specific to exhibit three, the defendant might rebut by incorporating regular season head-to-head competition of teams from conferences with automatic qualifying status versus teams from conferences without automatic qualifying status. That is irrelevant evidence. First, any head-to-head comparison should be between conference champions in the year that both teams were conference champions. Second, head-to-head competition is not a criterion used for selection of any team to the BCS bowls. USC and Notre Dame have both played in BCS bowls in the same year, regardless of the results on the field of play in the regular season. The same can be said for Florida and Florida State. Even in 2008, USC embarrassed Ohio State during the season, but both played in BCS bowls. The tables in exhibits one and two include all regular season games. Any head-to-head competitions that occurred are a part of those records. Bringing in regular season head-to-head competition is another bad cover up. It would be like lying: once you lie, you have to use another lie to cover it up. Regular season head-to-head competition would be using an injustice to cover up the original injustice.
The evidence I have presented clearly shows that two conference champions that don’t have automatic qualifying status have performed equally on the field of play to the conference champions that do have automatic qualifying status.
When we find out that we made a bad decision, we take corrective action. The BCS needs to take corrective action. Like most corrective action, it will hurt the wrongdoer. Fortunately in this case, the corrective action is simple. For now, though, we have had enough for one day. Come back tomorrow for The Solution.
Part 4: The Solution: It's About Conference Champions
Sources:
www.shrpsports.com/cf/
www.bcsfootball.org/news/story?id=4809942
We all come to a point in life when we have to make a decision, but the best choice is not clear. However, after we make and carry out that decision, we are able to judge if the decision we made. The Bowl Alliance decided to include the Big East, Big 8, Southwest, Atlantic Coast, and Southeastern conferences and to exclude the Western Athletic, Mid-America, and Big West conferences. The Bowl Alliance decided to have the participants in its three bowl games be the conference champions of the five included conferences, plus one at-large team. The BCS made these same decisions three years later. (Note: The Big 8 and Southwest conferences merged in 1996 to form the Big 12. For clarity, I will refer only to the Big 12 for the rest of this article.)
The declared intent was still to match number one and number two in a bowl game, but the actions of the organizers sent a clear message that participating in the elite bowls was for conference champions. If you are a champion you have automatic access. If you are not a champion get in line and hope your name is called. The automatic access, however, was not granted to all conference champions because not all conference champions were viewed as equal. Champions of the SEC, ACC, Big East, and Big 12 were in a higher class than the other conference champions. They were given automatic qualifying status because they were "extra special." The other conference champions were merely mediocre.
This is America and we have the freedom of speech, so there is nothing illegal with anyone making that statement. In America you are also innocent until proven guilty, so let’s take this to the judge.
Court is now in session. Charges have come against the Bowl Alliance/BCS for unjustly limiting the automatic qualifying status for conference champions to the ACC, SEC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, and Pac-10. The prosecution argues that for anyone to be a conference champion, they earn that distinction through their performance on the field of play. If these six conference champions are so superior to the other conference champions, their performance on the field of play will reflect that.
Exhibit one is the win-loss record and winning percentage before bowl games for the conference champions for the automatic qualifying conferences dating back to 1996.
Year....ACC....SEC....Big East..Big 10...Big 12...Pac-10
1996....11-0...11-1......10-1.........10-1.....8-4......11-0
1997....10-1...11-1.......9-3.........11-0....12-0......10-1
1998....11-1...12-0.......8-3.........10-1....11-2......10-1
1999....11-0...10-2......11-0..........9-2....11-1.......8-3
2000....10-1....9-3......11-0.........10-1....10-2......10-1
2001....10-1....9-3......11-0.........10-1....10-2......10-1
2002.....9-4...12-1......12-0.........13-0....11-2......10-2
2003....10-2...12-1......10-2.........10-2....11-3......11-1
2004....10-2...12-0.......8-3..........9-2....12-0......12-0
2005.....8-4...10-2......10-1.........10-1....12-0......12-0
2006....11-2...12-1......11-1.........12-0....11-2......10-2
2007....11-2...11-2......10-2.........11-1....11-2......10-2
2008.....9-4...12-1......11-2.........11-1....12-1......11-1
2009....11-2...13-0......12-0.........10-2....13-0......10-2
Total 143-26..157-17..143-19....154-17..157-19...145-17
Win % 0.846...0.902...0.882.....0.901...0.892....0.895
Relevance: The ACC champion had the lowest winning percentage (0.846) among the conference champions awarded automatic qualification to a BCS bowl. If this winning percentage is significantly higher than that of the conference champions not awarded automatic qualification to a BCS bowl, then the BCS is justified for excluding those other conferences.
Exhibit two is another table that shows the win-loss record and winning percentage before bowl games for the conference champions for the non-automatic qualifying conferences dating back to 1996.
Year...MWC*...WAC**...MAC...Conf. USA
1996...13-1.......8-3........8-3.........8-3
1997...10-2.......6-5.......10-2.........8-3
1998...11-1.......8-3.......11-1........11-0
1999....8-3.......8-4.......12-0.........8-3
2000....9-2......10-1........7-5.........9-2
2001...12-1.......7-4........9-2........10-2
2002...10-3......11-1.......10-2.........9-2
2003....9-2......12-1.......12-1.........9-3
2004...11-0......11-0........9-3........10-1
2005...10-1.......9-3........7-5.........8-4
2006...10-2......12-0........9-4........10-3
2007...10-2......12-0........8-5........10-3
2008...12-0......12-0........8-5.........9-4
2009...12-0......13-0.......11-2.........9-4
Total 147-20...139-25......131-40.... 128-37
Win%..0.880...0.847.......0.766......0.775
* = The Mountain West Conference (MWC) did not exist prior to the 1999 season. The data used for 1996-1998 are the records of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) champion since the MWC members competed in that conference at that time and all WAC champions during that time are now members of the MWC.
** = Most of the teams comprising the WAC today were members of the Big West Conference from 1996-1998, so the records of the Big West Champion was used for those years.
(Note: The Sun Belt Conference did not exist prior to 2001, so for lack of data, the Sun Belt Conference was not used in this comparison.)
Relevance: On the field of play, both the MWC and the WAC champions, over a 14 year period, have sustained better on the field performance than the ACC champion. The WAC champion’s winning percentage was 0.001 better, and the MWC champion’s winning percentage was 0.034 better. It is also important to point out that the MWC champion’s wining percentage was only 0.002 less than the Big East champion. The performance on the field of play by the WAC and the MWC champions has exceeded that of the ACC. The MWC champion is even on par with the Big East champion.
Exhibit three is the results of the “BCS Busters” against teams from automatic qualifying conferences.
2004: Utah 35, Pittsburgh 7 (Pittsburgh was the Big East Champion)
2006: Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42 (Oklahoma was the Big 12 Champion)
2007: Georgia 41, Hawaii 10
2008: Utah 31, Alabama 17
Overall Record: 3-1 (2-0 versus automatic qualifying conference champions)
Relevance: On the field of play, non-automatic qualifying conference champions have won 75% of the time they have played in BCS bowl games against teams from AQ conferences, and 100% of the time these non-automatic qualifying conference champions have played automatic qualifying champions.
While Hawaii lost to Georgia by 31 points that does not hurt my case. Teams from conferences with AQ status have lost by 31 points or more in Bowl Alliance or BCS games on six occasions.
Florida lost to Nebraska by 38 points in 1995
Florida State lost to Florida by 32 points in 1996
Notre Dame lost to Oregon State by 32 points in 2000
Maryland lost to Florida by 33 points in 2001
Oklahoma lost to USC by 36 points in 2004
Illinois lost to USC by 32 points in 2007
The BCS’s decision to exclude cannot be justified by Hawaii’s blowout loss since it is not the only time that a BCS game has had such an outcome. In fact, Hawaii did not have the greatest losing margin of all teams in BCS games in 2007. On the other side of the coin, Utah won in 2004 by 28 points, which begs the question, “Why would such a superior conference champion lose so lopsidedly?”
Exhibit four is the changes in conference make up. Since the Bowl Alliance formed in 1995, the composition of the Big 8, the ACC and the Big East have all changed. The Big 8 added teams from the SWC and the ACC swiped teams from the Big East. The Big East, however, reached into the pile of leftovers (teams not in a conference granted automatic qualifying status) and added three teams. Since the Big East added teams, three out of five years one of the former outsiders won the conference.
Relevance: While the Big East conducted research to determine the best candidates to add to the conference, the Big East did not need authorization by the BCS. The BCS did not conduct its own analysis of performance on the field of play and conclude who were the three most qualified teams in college football for membership in the exclusive BCS circle. The precedent established in 1995 changed the rules for conference expansion. The ACC added teams from a fellow AQ conference, but if a conference was going to reach outside the AQ boundaries, then the BCS should have to approve the move.
Furthermore, the immediate success of these new Big East members shows that, on the field of play, teams from conferences without an automatic qualifying conference champion are NOT inferior to the teams in conferences with an automatic qualifying conference champion.
Exhibit five is that the expressed purpose of the Bowl Alliance, which the BCS continued, was to create a system that would match the number one and number two ranked teams in the same bowl game.
Relevance: On two occasions (Nebraska in 2001 and Oklahoma in 2003) teams who were not conference champions played for the national championship. To play for the national championship, a team must be ranked either number one or number two. Since teams who were not conference champions qualified for the national championship game, the BCS showed that automatic qualifying status for conference champions was not necessary to accomplish its intent. Therefore, one or more of the parties involved in creating the Bowl Alliance and the BCS were working to protect special interests by creating the automatic qualifying status for a limited number of conferences in college football.
Closing Arguments: The defendant will, undoubtedly, attempt to counter my evidence with the strength of schedule for teams from the conferences with automatic qualifying champions. I rebut that argument by reiterating what was covered yesterday regarding “overall conference strength.” This notion of “strength of schedule” is a false perception born out of misconceptions that have, unfortunately, corrupted all forms of rankings and ratings for college football. When the issue is automatic qualifying status for conference champions, the only evidence that matters is performance on the field.
Specific to exhibit three, the defendant might rebut by incorporating regular season head-to-head competition of teams from conferences with automatic qualifying status versus teams from conferences without automatic qualifying status. That is irrelevant evidence. First, any head-to-head comparison should be between conference champions in the year that both teams were conference champions. Second, head-to-head competition is not a criterion used for selection of any team to the BCS bowls. USC and Notre Dame have both played in BCS bowls in the same year, regardless of the results on the field of play in the regular season. The same can be said for Florida and Florida State. Even in 2008, USC embarrassed Ohio State during the season, but both played in BCS bowls. The tables in exhibits one and two include all regular season games. Any head-to-head competitions that occurred are a part of those records. Bringing in regular season head-to-head competition is another bad cover up. It would be like lying: once you lie, you have to use another lie to cover it up. Regular season head-to-head competition would be using an injustice to cover up the original injustice.
The evidence I have presented clearly shows that two conference champions that don’t have automatic qualifying status have performed equally on the field of play to the conference champions that do have automatic qualifying status.
When we find out that we made a bad decision, we take corrective action. The BCS needs to take corrective action. Like most corrective action, it will hurt the wrongdoer. Fortunately in this case, the corrective action is simple. For now, though, we have had enough for one day. Come back tomorrow for The Solution.
Part 4: The Solution: It's About Conference Champions
Sources:
www.shrpsports.com/cf/
www.bcsfootball.org/news/story?id=4809942
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