Ah, another glorious day in college football. An overview of the highlights shall commence.
#1 Florida-41, Kentucky-7
Look, I appreciate a good football story as much as the next guy, but the Tim Tebow overload is approaching ridiculous proportions. Yes, he's one of the best ever at the college level. It goes without saying that he's important to his team. But having to hear about how he took a separate flight to the game because the flu is spreading around Florida is not that interesting.
Also, while I pity him for getting knocked out of the game, one must wonder why he was still in the game! I mean, seriously, the score was 31-7 when Timmy got hurt. Since he was feeling bad (at least according to the media) he should have been taken out when they jumped out to that ridiculous 1st quarter lead. Instead, Urban "I have no soul" Meyer opted to leave him in and show Kentucky a thing or 2 about football. I feel little sympathy for Florida, and none at all for Meyer. You're crushing an inferior team, so there's no point in having your theoretically ailing starter out there.
In conclusion, aside from 1 player playing sick and then getting hurt, this game was about as dull as dirt. Let's move on.
UTEP-7, #2 Texas-64
Food for thought: Texas' nonconference schedule features the following teams: UL Monroe, Wyoming, UTEP, and Central Florida. They play in a conference that is beginning to look more and more overrated as the weeks go on.
Conclusion: If, for some reason, the Longhorns lose to any of their conference foes, their national title shot may be totally done. Simple reason: 4 of their wins (assuming they beat UCF, which they should) will come against the cupcake-iest of cupcakes. So, beware, Longhorn fans. The eyes of the BCS computers are upon you.
Arkansas-7, #3 Alabama-35
A good SEC team crushes a not-so-good SEC team. In this battle of the evil coaches, the truly evil Nick Saban beats the lesser of 2 evils Bobby Petrino. Other than their 1st game against Virginia Tech (which they won by 10), Alabama really doesn't have much of a challenge game until they play LSU later this year. They might run into some trouble against Mississippi, who'll be trying to prove that the loss to South Carolina was a fluke, but my money's on Alabama to make it back to the SEC Championship, and maybe contend with Florida for a slot in the national title game.
Iowa-21, #5 Penn State-10
Well, dang. Looks like no JoePa national title this year. Which is sad, because he seems like a nice old fellow who harmlessly wanders the sidelines, wondering where his pizza is. Still, I think we might have safely eliminated the Big 10 + 1 from contention for the national title with this loss. It's sort of a pity and sort of a good thing, as sending a Big 10 team to the title game would inevitably lead to 700,000 stories about how Ohio State and Penn State had done poorly and so on...
As for Iowa, after barely escaping from a 1-AA team in their opener, they've proven that they're a real contender in the Big 10. Time to see if they can hold up under that scrutiny, or if they're destined for another season of mediocrity. Those Michigan and Ohio State games should help prove whether they're real or not.
#6 Cal-3, Oregon-42
I don't know that I've ever seen a Top 10 team beaten in such a complete manner by an unranked school. Cal's "supercharged run offense" looked beyond pathetic in a fairly mediocre performance against Oregon, the same team that was pretty well handled by the Boise State Broncos.
Jahvid Best, pimped by ESPN last week as the greatest RB in college football, was held to 55 yards. I could feed you more statistics, but that one explains the most. Oregon didn't show any mercy, and unlike that Boise State game, they managed not to punch anyone.
Also: Next week Southern Cal plays California in the battle of the disappointing PAC-10 teams!
#7 LSU-30, Mississippi State-26
LSU barely escaped with their #7 (and now higher) ranking intact. MSU should have won this game, but they decided to get too cute down on the goal line. I appreciate the idea of a play-action pass on 3rd and goal, but LSU did a good job of sniffing out the trick play. Hats off to LSU for playing tight defense, but one wonders what the Mississippi State coordinator was thinking. MSU ran for 151 yards, and you really have to ask why they didn't just run it 4 straight times down on the goal line...
In other news, life will get interesting for LSU when they go to Georgia next week followed by a visit from Florida into Death Valley. If they can get out of that exchange 1-1, consider it a major victory for the Tigers. If they somehow get out 2-0...they might turn into national title favorites.
#8 Boise State-49, Bowling Green-14
I'm fairly sure I don't have to review this game. Boise's itching to prove that they're national title contenders, and this demolition of Bowling Green is a byproduct. Since Boise's in a non-qualifying conference AND they have already played the real big threat on their schedule (Oregon), you're going to see blowouts like this for the remainder of the year. Know why? Because they need to show voters and computers that they can beat up on cupcake teams just like the big boys always do.
It's sad, but I hope the Broncos do weasel their way into a title game. Even if they lose, the outcry from the auto-qualifiers could create the case for...well, you know.
#9 Miami-7, #11 Virginia Tech-31
The Hokie defense showed up, and Jacory Harris went from Heisman candidate to middle-of-the-road ACC QB. Mr. Harris isn't a bad quarterback, he just isn't the second incarnation of Matt Ryan (meaning he might win an ACC Championship, unlike Mr. Ryan). Miami was touted and Tech was ignored by ESPN and the rest of the sports media, but the tables turned on that miserably rainy day in Blacksburg, much to this blogger's delight.
What really got me was that the Miami defense which was so good at shutting down Georgia Tech's running attack last week looked pretty crummy against the Virginia Tech run attack. Tech's not a mystery team, Tyrod Taylor only threw for 4 completions and 98 yards, while the running back stable ran for 272. I'm curious how that happened, since Miami held Georgia Tech to 95 yards last week.
To conclude (since I could go on all day about this), Virginia Tech is on top of the ACC this week. They still have some trap games approaching, and in the crazy conference on the coast, it seems that anyone can lose on any given week. Miami, meanwhile, should shoot whoever made their schedule, since they face Oklahoma next week. If the Hurricanes can win that one, they'll be looking at a downhill run toward the end of the season. Where things will get interesting is if Georgia Tech beats Virginia Tech who beat Miami who beat Georgia Tech. In that case, I vote for a coin flip...
Washington State-6, #12 Southern Cal-27
A nifty, if unconvincing, return to the Trojans' winning ways. Matt Barkley came back (and Pete can use that as an excuse for why they lost last week) and the Trojans beat a lesser team. I didn't see this game, and frankly I don't think I missed anything.
In a serious note, let's all send well-wishes and prayers toward Southern Cal running back Stafon Johnson who was badly hurt in a weightlifting accident. It's a reminder of how dangerous even the training that these kids go through can be. Plus, it's a reminder that no matter how important football may seem, or how much we may hate certain schools, football is still just a game.
Get well soon, Stafon.
Illinois-0, #13 Ohio State-30
Well, looks like FireRonZook.com might get started back up. Illinois has been fairly mediocre this year, and while Illini fans aren't anywhere near as crazy as Gator fans, they will only take so much abuse. And a 30-0 loss is pretty bad.
As for Ohio State, it looks like they're still top dogs in the Big 10 + 1 for now. If they can beat Penn State in Happy Valley on November 7, we'll be looking at another Rose Bowl trip for Columbus' favorite nuts. Ohio State is a strong football team, and they can stick with the competition in big games. The key, however, is beating the competition, something they have not done recently...
Fresno State-20, #14 Cincinnati-28
A close game that was never really thrilling, this was an example of how Fresno State is this close to being a powerful threat to the BCS. At present, they're Boise State Lite: Not strong enough to actually beat big schools, but not weak enough to be considered a cupcake game. Fresno has arguably the craziest schedule in D-1 football, and they deserve to be commended for it. Their conference is admittedly weak, but they have a nonconference schedule that is quite a threat. Mind you, their lone cupcake is also their lone win, so we mustn't laud the Bulldogs too heavily just yet.
As for the Bearcats (What the heck is a Bearcat? Seriously, a Virginia Tech Hokie fan is asking what your mascot is. This should tell you something. Friggin' Ohioans...) they looked pretty good against a good team, and as far as this season is concerned, they look like the top of the Big East. That's not that major of a statement.
#15 TCU-14, Clemson-10
A few years ago this would have come as a major shock. Now, it's more of a common occurrence: a school from a mid-major beating a BCS conference school. In this case, last year's uber-disappointing Clemson squad follows up a fairly handy win over Boston College with a loss against a small conference foe. Clemson is performing better since unceremoniously deposing Tommy Bowden, but it still isn't a return to greatness. They're 2-2 with the wins coming against BC and Middle Tennessee State. BC was picked to fall and fall hard by most pundits, and Middle Tennessee State isn't exactly a superteam. It remains to be seen if Clemson can beat anyone who is a real threat. They'll get their chance on October 24 when they go to Miami.
As for TCU, they can crash the BCS party only if they go undefeated. Other than 2 (bad) ACC foes, they do not play any BCS schools, and their conference is fairly weak. The "prove it" games will come at BYU and when Utah comes to town. If this conference wants to send someone to the BCS bowls, they will have the other teams throw their games against TCU and let the Horned Frogs go undefeated.
Grambling-6, #16 Oklahoma State-56
Oklahoma State continues to "bounce back" from the loss against Houston by playing these little nobody schools. It's a little sick that they get to move up in the polls by beating up on crummy schools while Miami will surely fall below them after playing its 3rd (and soon to be 4th) ranked team in a row. Sorry, Cowboys, I'm less than impressed.
Texas Tech-28, #17 Houston-29
Speaking of Houston, they played Texas Tech this week. Texas Tech has had a rough go of things recently, playing Texas and then Houston on the road back-to-back. Mind you, last year with Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, this would have been an upset. This year, methinks that we're looking at a down team. Look for Texas Tech to make one of those obscure little bowls that get played in early December and that have sponsors like Big Al's House of Staplers.
As for Houston, they're in the buster discussion, and this close win at home really helps. Beating a team that lost to Texas by 10 looks really good on the schedule. The Cougars perform well against their foes, and their schedule is getting easier. Houston could, potentially get themselves into a very big bowl if the chips fall right. Otherwise, look for them to make it into a semi-major bowl. Like the Cotton Bowl...
South Florida-17, #18 Florida State-7
Will the real Florida State please stand up? I think that this team right here was the real Florida State, personally. Their ranking was based entirely on good preseason position and a single win over a top-10 ranked team. Lest we forget, this is a Seminole team that needed a 4th Quarter comeback to beat Jacksonville State.
South Florida hasn't played anyone that good yet, and they really won't this season. Their only 2 ranked opponents left are Cincinnati and Miami. A win against Cincinnati on the 15th of October would virtually cinch the Big East for the Bulls, so that's one to circle for those of you who look forward to undeserving teams in BCS bowls!
Colorado State-23, #19 BYU-42
Utah is a boring state.
Southern Miss-28, #20 Kansas-35
This was a great one if you like defense-free football. In a statistical touch, both of the second-longest winning streaks in the country got snapped this week. Southern Miss and Ole Miss both had 8 game streaks leading into this week, and neither made it out of the week with a win.
Kansas, meanwhile, looks to cruise to 6-0 until a showdown on the 24th with Oklahoma. A win there would certainly shut the Sooners out of the National Championship discussion, and potentially put the Jayhawks into it. But Kansas' schedule doesn't get any easier after that with Texas and a resurgent Nebraska team on the board.
Arizona State-17, #21 Georgia-20
Georgia is an alright SEC school and Arizona State is an alright PAC-10 school. Therefore, I am not going to discuss this game any further.
#22 North Carolina-7, Georgia Tech-24
Well, the Yellow Jackets did really well in their bounce back game. UNC looked fairly hapless against the same Georgia Tech defense that Jacory Harris ripped apart last week. This was a strange game, frankly, in that UNC apparently ignored the film on Georgia Tech and let the Yellow Jackets run all over them. Georgia Tech ran for 317 yards, exactly 300 more than UNC ran for. That's pathetic on Carolina's part. I mean, it's OK to run for almost nothing if you're throwing the ball well, but Carolina didn't pass well either. In short, the Sticky Feet got fairly well smacked around by the same bugs that got squashed last week.
Indiana-33, #23 Michigan-36
Dear Michigan,
Hi, it's me again, I wrote you last week. You're still playing mediocre foes and barely beating them. Your current signature win is against perpetually overrated Notre Dame, you have not left home yet, and your team is still climbing in the rankings. I am not sure how you pulled this off, but I applaud this uncanny ability to pull wool over voters' eyes. I look forward to seeing you in a BCS or semi-major bowl while teams with actual tough schedules get shafted and sent to the Big Al's House of Staplers' Wagon Bowl in Paducah, Kentucky.
Sincerely,
Bones
#24 Washington-14, Stanford-34
So...Washington...your ranking was based on wins against Idaho and Southern Cal. You play Stanford the next week and what happens? You lose. To Stanford. Take note, the Cardinal aren't an awful team by any stretch of anyone's imagination. But the Huskies aren't the 24th best team in the country, they just beat a good school and got rewarded for it with 1 week back in the Top 25. Back to mediocrity!
UL Lafayette-0, #25 Nebraska-35
I guess Nebraska felt like they had to crush the Ragin Cajuns. I'm not sure why, but they ripped up the smaller school on offense and defense, leading to a rather uninteresting conclusion to the Top 25. And now...
Tales from the Bottom 95:
Pity about Wake Forest dropping a late one to BC, though Riley Skinner went from hero to zero in a very short amount of time...Rutgers beat mediocre Maryland...Auburn's offense which was so bad that it got last year's coordinator AND coach fired has scored at least 37 points in every game thus far. They haven't played anyone who's really GOOD yet, but it's a start. This week at Tennessee should actually tell us more...Notre Dame went from being "back" to barely edging out Purdue this weekend. Sure it was a good comeback, but against a team that lost to Northern Illinois, it's not that major of an accomplishment...Tennessee beat Ohio. That would have been impressive if it was a different school with Ohio in the name. As is, it's just a win over a lesser school as UT begins their run of 4 straight games against SEC foes this week against Auburn...
That's all for now, see you Thursday/Friday!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday in Review?
Wow, I'm actually doing my job. Heck, let's take a look at the game. Singular...
#4 Ole Miss-10, South Carolina-16
Well, here we have another case AGAINST pre-season rankings. Sure, Ole Miss had the nations second-longest winning streak during their meteoric rise to #4, but they didn't beat anyone who was overwhelmingly good during that time period.
Please don't get me wrong, the victory over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl showed just how overrated the Big 12 was last year, but other than that Ole Miss didn't do that much. (Yes, I know they beat Florida in the Swamp last year. That was not, however, part of the 8 game win streak, so it doesn't count as part of the argument)
Mississippi is not a bad football team, they just weren't the 4th best football team in the country. Frankly, I would take most of the top 15 over them in a neutral sight game.
South Carolina, meanwhile looked good on defense and mediocre on offense. They kept Jevan Snead off his game for the entire game. Wow, that was a redundant sentence.
Oh, and Steve Spurrier is still a total jerk.
#4 Ole Miss-10, South Carolina-16
Well, here we have another case AGAINST pre-season rankings. Sure, Ole Miss had the nations second-longest winning streak during their meteoric rise to #4, but they didn't beat anyone who was overwhelmingly good during that time period.
Please don't get me wrong, the victory over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl showed just how overrated the Big 12 was last year, but other than that Ole Miss didn't do that much. (Yes, I know they beat Florida in the Swamp last year. That was not, however, part of the 8 game win streak, so it doesn't count as part of the argument)
Mississippi is not a bad football team, they just weren't the 4th best football team in the country. Frankly, I would take most of the top 15 over them in a neutral sight game.
South Carolina, meanwhile looked good on defense and mediocre on offense. They kept Jevan Snead off his game for the entire game. Wow, that was a redundant sentence.
Oh, and Steve Spurrier is still a total jerk.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday in Review 9/19/09
Wow. What a day to make the first full Saturday in Review of the year. May as well get crackin'. We'll do the usual (Top 25 rundown with news on the Bottom 95 underneath) Let's start at the top:
Tennessee-13, #1 Florida-23
Well, I'll admit that this one surprised me more than a little. I figured we'd be talking about who would replace Lane Kiffin since he got eviscerated in Gainesville. Instead we saw a Florida team that looked a bit vulnerable, a decent Tennessee defense, and a surprisingly close game. Most disturbing for the Gators was how Tim Tebow was contained by a team that no one really considers a threat in the SEC. Sure, he ran for 76 yards and threw for 115, but it was Tennessee. I'm intrigued to see the Gators in Death Valley against LSU when October arrives.
As for the Vols, they ran a hyperconservative offense and kept it close. I'm not sure if they can win with "exciting" (read: spread offense) football this year. I'm also not sure they have to. I'll be the first to admit that Virginia Tech has built their reputation on conservative football. (NOTE: This week proved that Tech can be exciting, see below) I wish Tennessee luck, and I think we might see their hideous, Construction Zone Orange colored font on our countdown this year.
Final note from this game: Tennessee's QB Jonathan Crompton is the most hated man in Knoxville. Tim Tebow is Superman in Gainesville. Tebow had 115 yards, 1 INT, and 1 lost fumble. Crompton had 93 yards and 2 INTs. Seriously, kids. The only difference (at least in this game) was marketing. Just a thought...
Texas Tech-24, #2 Texas-34
This one wasn't surprising. A good team beat a not-as-good team by a reasonable margin. Heck, you don't even need me to review it. I will now use this space for personal expostulation...
If I saw that ad with the GameDay Crew and Mack Brown singing again...I would put an axe through my TV. It was funny at first. One time. After that, it got irritating, and now it's outright infuriating. I get it. You don't freestyle. Please cut it out. Aaaand let's move on to the upset of the day...
#3 USC-13, Washington-16
This game isn't too surprising, even though it's an unranked team beating a highly ranked one. Sure, Washington was winless last year, but having your opponent's former offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator on the sideline has to help...
As for Southern Cal, this sort of defeat happens on a regular basis. It's almost expected of them. The one (read that one, not 2) year they won the national title this millennium was the one year they went undefeated in conference. I really can't wait for the articles claiming that they would have won with Matt Barkley and how this game means nothing and how they should be national champs. Can't wait.
North Texas-7, #4 Alabama-53
I refuse to review this. It's a cupcake game that a team of Bama's caliber has no business playing.
Temple-6, #5 Penn State
I wonder, do teams feel obligated to play one another because they're in the same state? Because this is another one of those matchups that shouldn't happen. After all the crap the Big 10 + 1 have taken for their ability (or lack thereof) to win nonconference games, one of the 3 best teams in conference chooses to face the powerhouse that is Temple?!
Also, the night this game happened, a friend of mine and I text messaged one another regarding the possibility of a Penn State National Title. Here's what we got (all errors are [sic] in advance):
Wes: i'm hoping penn state runs the tables lol
Me: Haha. JoePa!
Wes: where am i?? wheres my pizza
Me: Sir, we just won the national title.
Wes: i need my ensure! get outa my way.....stupid confetti
Me: Sir, we need a shot of you and the trophy.
Wes: my hip!
Me: Sigh... I'll get the stretcher...
Wes: hahahahah we just role played them winning the natl championship....if it happens itll happen just as we said
I agree completely. Also, for continuity purposes: Utah is a boring state.
SE Louisiana-6, #5 Ole Miss-52
(See Bama review, replace "Bama" with "Ole Miss." Move on.)
Florida State-54, #7 BYU-28
Seriously, BYU. You get a shot at running the table and getting into the BCS, and instead you decide not to play defense at home against a team that nearly lost to Jacksonville State last week at home! This really hurts those of us who were hoping for a BYU-Boise State-TCU-Utah-Houston showdown in the BCS this year. It also hurts the argument for a playoff.
However, it DOES help that this makes the ACC look good. No articles about how awful the conference is this week. Just articles on how much better BC would be with Matt Ryan. I'll accept that.
#8 Cal-35, Minnesota-21
Hmmm. This one's problematic. Cal won, and went on the road to do so. Still, I think it's fair to say that the Golden Bears aren't a dominant team. From what I saw, USC will give them trouble, but the good news is that the Bears play them at home. The bad news is, aside from Jahvid Best, Cal looked quite underwhelming against a Minnesota team that stuck with them up until the final moments of the 4th quarter
UL Lafayette-3, #9 LSU-31
This in-state "rivalry" is another excuse for an easy win without being an official "cupcake" game. LSU is a National Championship contender just about every year, while UL Lafayette is normally at the bottom of the worst conference in Division 1-A football. LSU shouldn't play them, and they shouldn't annually get to smack Tulane around in the ultra-one-sided Battle for the Tiger Rag. Try scheduling some real teams for a change. If you lose the games, but are still a good team, then you can make the case for a playoff.
#10 Boise State-51, Fresno State-34
Wow...defense optional football. 987 total yards of offense. (Comparison Stat: Tennessee and Florida combined for 533 yards.) Boise looks like the last, best hope for an undefeated team to crash the BCS this year. Boise's schedule is pretty easy (only real threats: at Tulsa and at Hawaii in consecutive weeks during October) and almost all of the other BCS busters were cut out of the picture during this early upside down week of football.
Fresno, meanwhile, has one of the toughest schedules in football, and they should be applauded for it. Even if they lose every single one of their 7 road games, they at least have the backbone to play these foes, many of whom are outside of their own conference. By comparison other teams' crappy schedules (click those words for some truly amusing scheduling) should be torn up and redrawn, not rewarded with bowl games.
#11 (Really?) Ohio State-38, Toledo-0
Look, I know I pick on the Buckeyes. Some might say too much. These people are from Ohio, though, and they don't count.
Seriously, though, Ohio State is a great example of what's wrong with the BCS: It rewards teams that are the top dog in a seriously weak conference. Ohio State is sitting pretty at #11 (and moving up!) because they play no one! They played USC close, which is admirable, but a loss is a loss. Ohio State's other nonconference games: Navy (barely won), this thrashing of Toledo, and New Mexico State. If they win their conference, they go to the Rose Bowl. Heck, if the chips fall right, they can still easily go to the national title game! So...yeah, you might say this bothers me.
Tulsa-0, #12 Oklahoma-35
While I pity the loss of Sam Bradford, it really happened at the best possible time for Oklahoma. Their games after the QB went down were against Idaho State and Tulsa. The big question is: Who will start for OU when they roll into Miami on October 3? Really, it doesn't matter: Big 12 teams don't respond well to teams with actual defenses, which is why Nebraska will soon be back atop that conference. As you can tell, this game interested me about as much as last year's Oklahoma v. Tulsa grain growing competition. Riveting TV...
#19 Nebraska-15, #13 Virginia Tech-16
A great finish in a game that, frankly, should not have been that close. Tyrod Taylor made an amazing final throw, but he was allowed to do so because the Nebraska D-line committed the unforgivable sin of standing there while he scrambled. Had the lineman taking Taylor down as he threw the ball simply run forward when he was clear (about 2 seconds before he actually did run at the QB), then Tech's got 4th and goal instead of a relatively easy touchdown.
Nebraska's offense was killed by some decent defense and some bad officiating. Before the real Midwestern griping begins, allow me to state that the officials were from the Big 12, not the ACC or another conference. So Nebraska has no one to blame but themselves. Shoulda paid higher.
#14 Georgia Tech-17, #20 Miami-33
Miami's defense looked nothing short of amazing in quashing the option attack of Georgia Tech. While far too much attention is lavished on Miami's (good, but not great) quarterback, their defense forced Georgia Tech into doing the only thing that they are incapable of doing: Throwing the football.
When a specialist team like the Yellow Jackets is forced to become "normal" the results are usually not pretty. It would be like forcing Texas Tech to run the football: Unpleasant for the offense, and easy for the defense.
As for Miami, they scored easily on a team that's middle-of-the-road on defense, which does bode well. Still, I won't buy into the hype that "The U" is back until they win a tough road game at Virginia Tech this coming week. If that happens, however, then I'll be aboard the Miami train right until it inexplicably crashes against Central Florida or Duke. Remember, kids, they are an ACC team...
Texas State-21 (I don't even know their colors...), #15 TCU-56
TCU, in trying to prove they can hang with the big boys, has decided to schedule like the big boys. That is to say, they schedule an opponent they can crush early in the season so that they only have to win 5 real games to make a bowl. Know what? So long as the system that rewards such scheduling is in place, you'll see this repeated every year. I have a suggestion to fix it: It starts with "p" and ends in "layoff."
Rice-24, #16 Oklahoma State-41
Oklahoma State bounced back nicely from their practically inexplicable loss to Houston last week. In fairness, when your whole nonconference schedule is played at home and 3 of the 4 opposing teams aren't in BCS conferences, it would be nice not to have to look at this as a bounce-back game. Still, good to see that 50% of the time a Big 12 team can beat a Conference USA foe. Let's see how they do against 1-AA Grambling State in this coming week's cupcake bakeoff in Stillwater.
#17 Cincinnati-28, Oregon State-18
Now, I didn't watch this one, but judging from the score, I do have an observation:
Cincinnati should be ranked higher than Southern Cal. Why? Because they can win at Oregon State, something the Trojans seem to be incapable of doing...
#18 Utah-24, Oregon-31
It was a bad day for the BCS-buster demographic. Scratch that, it was a horrible day for the BCS-buster demographic, a fact that makes me a bit sad, if unsurprised.
The Utes needed to win this game to: A) Make the case they were as good as Boise and thus deserving of a BCS bid and B) prove they can beat BCS teams in their own home stadiums, something that teams from automatic qualifying conferences are expected to do week in and week out. It's an unpleasant fact, but many times these giant killer teams only play the big boys once a year (admittedly the big schools' cowardly fault) at a major stadium, and then again at a neutral site. Having been to a bowl game I will say this with 100% confidence: it is much easier to beat a big school in a bowl than it is to beat them at their place.
Let's use a big school on the mend as an example: Tennessee. The Vols have not been a real threat in college football for a few years, yet I still venture that many teams pause before thinking they can face 102,000 fans in Neyland Stadium with ease. UCLA came in last week and won at Neyland because they face teams with large fan bases and are used to the environment. If Boise, TCU, Utah, Houston, and BYU rolled into Neyland to play Tennessee, I think maybe 1 of them comes away with a win (Boise). Move the game to a neutral site, and I think the number jumps to 3 of the smaller schools getting the win. Move the games to the smaller schools and force UT to play there, and I think 4 of the smaller schools win (Houston, I'm pretty sure is a fluke) (NOTE: I've been wrong before...) And the sad fact is, that's using a crummy school as an example. Go into a decent school and you might be seeing a buster beat-down
In conclusion, if you want to make the BCS, you have to prove you'd make it in a BCS conference. It's that simple, and Utah failed the test. Alabama lost 1 conference game last year and got shut out of the championship, as did Southern Cal. If you want to hang out with them, you must be willing to suffer the same fate for losing.
Oh, and Utah is a boring state.
Duke-16, #22 Kansas-44
Kansas fans, don't get too excited. Congrats on your 4th victory all-time against the ACC (<-Not sarcasm, as the last ACC win came against Virginia Tech), but to be fair you beat friggin' Duke. Not that major of an accomplishment. #23 Georgia-52, Arkansas-41
Just one question: When did the "defense first" SEC turn into the Big 12? I'm just kidding.
This is one game between 2 teams square in the middle of the conference: Neither as bad as Vandy or Mississippi State, neither anywhere near as good as Florida or Alabama. This score is what statisticians call an outlier: it's an exception rather than a rule.
East Carolina-17, #24 North Carolina-31
I saw a stat on how few points Carolina had allowed early on during this game. It said they had allowed 9 points per game thus far in the season, as well as having one of the top ranked defenses in the nation.
My problems with this statement:
They have played 2 teams.
These 2 teams are the Citadel (1-AA Southern Conference) and UConn (Big (L)East)
They barely (as in, shouldn't have) won one of these 2 games
Using 2 games as an "assessment tool" for how well your season will go is totally idiotic. By this logic, the NFL's Drew Brees will throw, like, 700 TD passes this year and half the NFL and college football teams will not win a game.
As a totally unrelated note: I'm sure ECU's quarterback Pinkney has been playing college football for, like, 9 years. Just an observation.
East Michigan-17, #25 Michigan-45
Dear Michigan,
I appreciate that you're a storied program with loads of talent, pro alumni, and recruiting violations, but until you beat someone other than overrated Notre Dame I refuse to believe that you are "back" on the football landscape. Also, please quit insulting my intelligence by playing 8 home games. That's just ridiculous. Heck, even Ohio State had enough backbone to schedule USC.
Sincerely,
Bones
Tales from the Bottom 95 (or, random thoughts and opinions about everyone else.)
First off, UVa finally has a chance to win a game, and they successfully blew a 4th quarter lead. I look forward to seeing Al Groh get out of this one...Boston College's decision to get rid of Jeff Jagodzinski has worked out really well. The team looks flaccid, got killed in its first real game, and Jags doesn't have a job anymore. The rest of the ACC, I'm sure, appreciates it...Speaking of ACC, Maryland has really looked awful this year. Barely beating a 1-AA school last week, then losing to Middle Tennessee State this week...Note that I didn't drink the "Notre Dame is back" Kool-Aid, and they're proving why again. Barely beating MSU at home, not a good sign...Everyone paid attention to Cal sort of nudging itself past Minnesota, but the other Pac-10/Big 10 + 1 matchup actually went the way of the Midwestern team. Good job and a good win for the Iowa Hawkeyes...Syracuse beat Northwestern in the "Who cares?" Bowl this week...Vandy lost to Mississippi State in the battle for the SEC cellar...Vandy's lone win? My alma mater: Western Carolina (0-3)...Auburn seems to have found something they lost last year: an offense...West Virginia, meanwhile, is reeling without Rich Rodriguez and Pat White. They're probably the second or third best team in their conference, which would be good news if they were in any BCS conference but the Big East...
That's all for this week! See you soon with a Rankings Rant!
Tennessee-13, #1 Florida-23
Well, I'll admit that this one surprised me more than a little. I figured we'd be talking about who would replace Lane Kiffin since he got eviscerated in Gainesville. Instead we saw a Florida team that looked a bit vulnerable, a decent Tennessee defense, and a surprisingly close game. Most disturbing for the Gators was how Tim Tebow was contained by a team that no one really considers a threat in the SEC. Sure, he ran for 76 yards and threw for 115, but it was Tennessee. I'm intrigued to see the Gators in Death Valley against LSU when October arrives.
As for the Vols, they ran a hyperconservative offense and kept it close. I'm not sure if they can win with "exciting" (read: spread offense) football this year. I'm also not sure they have to. I'll be the first to admit that Virginia Tech has built their reputation on conservative football. (NOTE: This week proved that Tech can be exciting, see below) I wish Tennessee luck, and I think we might see their hideous, Construction Zone Orange colored font on our countdown this year.
Final note from this game: Tennessee's QB Jonathan Crompton is the most hated man in Knoxville. Tim Tebow is Superman in Gainesville. Tebow had 115 yards, 1 INT, and 1 lost fumble. Crompton had 93 yards and 2 INTs. Seriously, kids. The only difference (at least in this game) was marketing. Just a thought...
Texas Tech-24, #2 Texas-34
This one wasn't surprising. A good team beat a not-as-good team by a reasonable margin. Heck, you don't even need me to review it. I will now use this space for personal expostulation...
If I saw that ad with the GameDay Crew and Mack Brown singing again...I would put an axe through my TV. It was funny at first. One time. After that, it got irritating, and now it's outright infuriating. I get it. You don't freestyle. Please cut it out. Aaaand let's move on to the upset of the day...
#3 USC-13, Washington-16
This game isn't too surprising, even though it's an unranked team beating a highly ranked one. Sure, Washington was winless last year, but having your opponent's former offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator on the sideline has to help...
As for Southern Cal, this sort of defeat happens on a regular basis. It's almost expected of them. The one (read that one, not 2) year they won the national title this millennium was the one year they went undefeated in conference. I really can't wait for the articles claiming that they would have won with Matt Barkley and how this game means nothing and how they should be national champs. Can't wait.
North Texas-7, #4 Alabama-53
I refuse to review this. It's a cupcake game that a team of Bama's caliber has no business playing.
Temple-6, #5 Penn State
I wonder, do teams feel obligated to play one another because they're in the same state? Because this is another one of those matchups that shouldn't happen. After all the crap the Big 10 + 1 have taken for their ability (or lack thereof) to win nonconference games, one of the 3 best teams in conference chooses to face the powerhouse that is Temple?!
Also, the night this game happened, a friend of mine and I text messaged one another regarding the possibility of a Penn State National Title. Here's what we got (all errors are [sic] in advance):
Wes: i'm hoping penn state runs the tables lol
Me: Haha. JoePa!
Wes: where am i?? wheres my pizza
Me: Sir, we just won the national title.
Wes: i need my ensure! get outa my way.....stupid confetti
Me: Sir, we need a shot of you and the trophy.
Wes: my hip!
Me: Sigh... I'll get the stretcher...
Wes: hahahahah we just role played them winning the natl championship....if it happens itll happen just as we said
I agree completely. Also, for continuity purposes: Utah is a boring state.
SE Louisiana-6, #5 Ole Miss-52
(See Bama review, replace "Bama" with "Ole Miss." Move on.)
Florida State-54, #7 BYU-28
Seriously, BYU. You get a shot at running the table and getting into the BCS, and instead you decide not to play defense at home against a team that nearly lost to Jacksonville State last week at home! This really hurts those of us who were hoping for a BYU-Boise State-TCU-Utah-Houston showdown in the BCS this year. It also hurts the argument for a playoff.
However, it DOES help that this makes the ACC look good. No articles about how awful the conference is this week. Just articles on how much better BC would be with Matt Ryan. I'll accept that.
#8 Cal-35, Minnesota-21
Hmmm. This one's problematic. Cal won, and went on the road to do so. Still, I think it's fair to say that the Golden Bears aren't a dominant team. From what I saw, USC will give them trouble, but the good news is that the Bears play them at home. The bad news is, aside from Jahvid Best, Cal looked quite underwhelming against a Minnesota team that stuck with them up until the final moments of the 4th quarter
UL Lafayette-3, #9 LSU-31
This in-state "rivalry" is another excuse for an easy win without being an official "cupcake" game. LSU is a National Championship contender just about every year, while UL Lafayette is normally at the bottom of the worst conference in Division 1-A football. LSU shouldn't play them, and they shouldn't annually get to smack Tulane around in the ultra-one-sided Battle for the Tiger Rag. Try scheduling some real teams for a change. If you lose the games, but are still a good team, then you can make the case for a playoff.
#10 Boise State-51, Fresno State-34
Wow...defense optional football. 987 total yards of offense. (Comparison Stat: Tennessee and Florida combined for 533 yards.) Boise looks like the last, best hope for an undefeated team to crash the BCS this year. Boise's schedule is pretty easy (only real threats: at Tulsa and at Hawaii in consecutive weeks during October) and almost all of the other BCS busters were cut out of the picture during this early upside down week of football.
Fresno, meanwhile, has one of the toughest schedules in football, and they should be applauded for it. Even if they lose every single one of their 7 road games, they at least have the backbone to play these foes, many of whom are outside of their own conference. By comparison other teams' crappy schedules (click those words for some truly amusing scheduling) should be torn up and redrawn, not rewarded with bowl games.
#11 (Really?) Ohio State-38, Toledo-0
Look, I know I pick on the Buckeyes. Some might say too much. These people are from Ohio, though, and they don't count.
Seriously, though, Ohio State is a great example of what's wrong with the BCS: It rewards teams that are the top dog in a seriously weak conference. Ohio State is sitting pretty at #11 (and moving up!) because they play no one! They played USC close, which is admirable, but a loss is a loss. Ohio State's other nonconference games: Navy (barely won), this thrashing of Toledo, and New Mexico State. If they win their conference, they go to the Rose Bowl. Heck, if the chips fall right, they can still easily go to the national title game! So...yeah, you might say this bothers me.
Tulsa-0, #12 Oklahoma-35
While I pity the loss of Sam Bradford, it really happened at the best possible time for Oklahoma. Their games after the QB went down were against Idaho State and Tulsa. The big question is: Who will start for OU when they roll into Miami on October 3? Really, it doesn't matter: Big 12 teams don't respond well to teams with actual defenses, which is why Nebraska will soon be back atop that conference. As you can tell, this game interested me about as much as last year's Oklahoma v. Tulsa grain growing competition. Riveting TV...
#19 Nebraska-15, #13 Virginia Tech-16
A great finish in a game that, frankly, should not have been that close. Tyrod Taylor made an amazing final throw, but he was allowed to do so because the Nebraska D-line committed the unforgivable sin of standing there while he scrambled. Had the lineman taking Taylor down as he threw the ball simply run forward when he was clear (about 2 seconds before he actually did run at the QB), then Tech's got 4th and goal instead of a relatively easy touchdown.
Nebraska's offense was killed by some decent defense and some bad officiating. Before the real Midwestern griping begins, allow me to state that the officials were from the Big 12, not the ACC or another conference. So Nebraska has no one to blame but themselves. Shoulda paid higher.
#14 Georgia Tech-17, #20 Miami-33
Miami's defense looked nothing short of amazing in quashing the option attack of Georgia Tech. While far too much attention is lavished on Miami's (good, but not great) quarterback, their defense forced Georgia Tech into doing the only thing that they are incapable of doing: Throwing the football.
When a specialist team like the Yellow Jackets is forced to become "normal" the results are usually not pretty. It would be like forcing Texas Tech to run the football: Unpleasant for the offense, and easy for the defense.
As for Miami, they scored easily on a team that's middle-of-the-road on defense, which does bode well. Still, I won't buy into the hype that "The U" is back until they win a tough road game at Virginia Tech this coming week. If that happens, however, then I'll be aboard the Miami train right until it inexplicably crashes against Central Florida or Duke. Remember, kids, they are an ACC team...
Texas State-21 (I don't even know their colors...), #15 TCU-56
TCU, in trying to prove they can hang with the big boys, has decided to schedule like the big boys. That is to say, they schedule an opponent they can crush early in the season so that they only have to win 5 real games to make a bowl. Know what? So long as the system that rewards such scheduling is in place, you'll see this repeated every year. I have a suggestion to fix it: It starts with "p" and ends in "layoff."
Rice-24, #16 Oklahoma State-41
Oklahoma State bounced back nicely from their practically inexplicable loss to Houston last week. In fairness, when your whole nonconference schedule is played at home and 3 of the 4 opposing teams aren't in BCS conferences, it would be nice not to have to look at this as a bounce-back game. Still, good to see that 50% of the time a Big 12 team can beat a Conference USA foe. Let's see how they do against 1-AA Grambling State in this coming week's cupcake bakeoff in Stillwater.
#17 Cincinnati-28, Oregon State-18
Now, I didn't watch this one, but judging from the score, I do have an observation:
Cincinnati should be ranked higher than Southern Cal. Why? Because they can win at Oregon State, something the Trojans seem to be incapable of doing...
#18 Utah-24, Oregon-31
It was a bad day for the BCS-buster demographic. Scratch that, it was a horrible day for the BCS-buster demographic, a fact that makes me a bit sad, if unsurprised.
The Utes needed to win this game to: A) Make the case they were as good as Boise and thus deserving of a BCS bid and B) prove they can beat BCS teams in their own home stadiums, something that teams from automatic qualifying conferences are expected to do week in and week out. It's an unpleasant fact, but many times these giant killer teams only play the big boys once a year (admittedly the big schools' cowardly fault) at a major stadium, and then again at a neutral site. Having been to a bowl game I will say this with 100% confidence: it is much easier to beat a big school in a bowl than it is to beat them at their place.
Let's use a big school on the mend as an example: Tennessee. The Vols have not been a real threat in college football for a few years, yet I still venture that many teams pause before thinking they can face 102,000 fans in Neyland Stadium with ease. UCLA came in last week and won at Neyland because they face teams with large fan bases and are used to the environment. If Boise, TCU, Utah, Houston, and BYU rolled into Neyland to play Tennessee, I think maybe 1 of them comes away with a win (Boise). Move the game to a neutral site, and I think the number jumps to 3 of the smaller schools getting the win. Move the games to the smaller schools and force UT to play there, and I think 4 of the smaller schools win (Houston, I'm pretty sure is a fluke) (NOTE: I've been wrong before...) And the sad fact is, that's using a crummy school as an example. Go into a decent school and you might be seeing a buster beat-down
In conclusion, if you want to make the BCS, you have to prove you'd make it in a BCS conference. It's that simple, and Utah failed the test. Alabama lost 1 conference game last year and got shut out of the championship, as did Southern Cal. If you want to hang out with them, you must be willing to suffer the same fate for losing.
Oh, and Utah is a boring state.
Duke-16, #22 Kansas-44
Kansas fans, don't get too excited. Congrats on your 4th victory all-time against the ACC (<-Not sarcasm, as the last ACC win came against Virginia Tech), but to be fair you beat friggin' Duke. Not that major of an accomplishment. #23 Georgia-52, Arkansas-41
Just one question: When did the "defense first" SEC turn into the Big 12? I'm just kidding.
This is one game between 2 teams square in the middle of the conference: Neither as bad as Vandy or Mississippi State, neither anywhere near as good as Florida or Alabama. This score is what statisticians call an outlier: it's an exception rather than a rule.
East Carolina-17, #24 North Carolina-31
I saw a stat on how few points Carolina had allowed early on during this game. It said they had allowed 9 points per game thus far in the season, as well as having one of the top ranked defenses in the nation.
My problems with this statement:
They have played 2 teams.
These 2 teams are the Citadel (1-AA Southern Conference) and UConn (Big (L)East)
They barely (as in, shouldn't have) won one of these 2 games
Using 2 games as an "assessment tool" for how well your season will go is totally idiotic. By this logic, the NFL's Drew Brees will throw, like, 700 TD passes this year and half the NFL and college football teams will not win a game.
As a totally unrelated note: I'm sure ECU's quarterback Pinkney has been playing college football for, like, 9 years. Just an observation.
East Michigan-17, #25 Michigan-45
Dear Michigan,
I appreciate that you're a storied program with loads of talent, pro alumni, and recruiting violations, but until you beat someone other than overrated Notre Dame I refuse to believe that you are "back" on the football landscape. Also, please quit insulting my intelligence by playing 8 home games. That's just ridiculous. Heck, even Ohio State had enough backbone to schedule USC.
Sincerely,
Bones
Tales from the Bottom 95 (or, random thoughts and opinions about everyone else.)
First off, UVa finally has a chance to win a game, and they successfully blew a 4th quarter lead. I look forward to seeing Al Groh get out of this one...Boston College's decision to get rid of Jeff Jagodzinski has worked out really well. The team looks flaccid, got killed in its first real game, and Jags doesn't have a job anymore. The rest of the ACC, I'm sure, appreciates it...Speaking of ACC, Maryland has really looked awful this year. Barely beating a 1-AA school last week, then losing to Middle Tennessee State this week...Note that I didn't drink the "Notre Dame is back" Kool-Aid, and they're proving why again. Barely beating MSU at home, not a good sign...Everyone paid attention to Cal sort of nudging itself past Minnesota, but the other Pac-10/Big 10 + 1 matchup actually went the way of the Midwestern team. Good job and a good win for the Iowa Hawkeyes...Syracuse beat Northwestern in the "Who cares?" Bowl this week...Vandy lost to Mississippi State in the battle for the SEC cellar...Vandy's lone win? My alma mater: Western Carolina (0-3)...Auburn seems to have found something they lost last year: an offense...West Virginia, meanwhile, is reeling without Rich Rodriguez and Pat White. They're probably the second or third best team in their conference, which would be good news if they were in any BCS conference but the Big East...
That's all for this week! See you soon with a Rankings Rant!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Unfortunate timing...
As you well know, posts on this blog are generally glacially paced to begin with. Unfortunately, yours truly had to have hernia surgery last week, so I missed the first 2 weeks of the blog season, though I did watch the game. Here's a recap of some reactions I had (many while on painkillers):
First off, good job by BYU and Houston. I don't think (see previous post) that there were BCS-employed snipers in the stands, trying to off the players. Seriously, an excellent job by the little schools that could, and a rather pathetic showing by the Big 12 during this first 2 week period (this includes the first half of that Texas-Wyoming game).
Secondly, Ohio State did pretty well in the "Collision in Columbus" game vs. USC. Problem was...USC had a running game. Not a quarterback who proved to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. If I were USC's running back, I would be seriously ticked off at the media and my own coach. "Great job by Matt Barkley," say the sports pundits. Yeah, great job of handing the football to his teammate. Woo.
The Virginia Tech-Alabama game didn't go so hot for the Hokies. Sure, the score was close, but the yardage sure wasn't. Tech bounced back and thrashed Marshall, so this week's game against Nebraska should be informative of Tech as a football team.
Speaking of the ACC...the conference looked dang bad on opening week. 2 losses to 1-AA teams, a loss for the best team in the conference, and a thrashing of Maryland at the hands of California. UVa has looked nothing short of horrific during it's first 2 games. As a Hokie fan, I'm not too bothered by it...
Aaaand that's it. Might try a review of the Thursday night Miami-GT
First off, good job by BYU and Houston. I don't think (see previous post) that there were BCS-employed snipers in the stands, trying to off the players. Seriously, an excellent job by the little schools that could, and a rather pathetic showing by the Big 12 during this first 2 week period (this includes the first half of that Texas-Wyoming game).
Secondly, Ohio State did pretty well in the "Collision in Columbus" game vs. USC. Problem was...USC had a running game. Not a quarterback who proved to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. If I were USC's running back, I would be seriously ticked off at the media and my own coach. "Great job by Matt Barkley," say the sports pundits. Yeah, great job of handing the football to his teammate. Woo.
The Virginia Tech-Alabama game didn't go so hot for the Hokies. Sure, the score was close, but the yardage sure wasn't. Tech bounced back and thrashed Marshall, so this week's game against Nebraska should be informative of Tech as a football team.
Speaking of the ACC...the conference looked dang bad on opening week. 2 losses to 1-AA teams, a loss for the best team in the conference, and a thrashing of Maryland at the hands of California. UVa has looked nothing short of horrific during it's first 2 games. As a Hokie fan, I'm not too bothered by it...
Aaaand that's it. Might try a review of the Thursday night Miami-GT
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Back to having a purpose!
Well, it's finally here! September 3 is the start of the college football season, and I'm pleased to note that, even though it's the first week of the season, there are some actual games!
Oregon and Boise State match up tonight in a battle on that hideous blue turf. Plus, South Carolina is about to go against NC State in a matchup of....uh....football teams!
Either way, football of the college variety has returned, and with it profoundly stupid sportswriting! Mr. Wilbon, take it away! Wilbon, who's awesome on PTI (<-Honestly not sarcasm), opens up this article with some stuff about why he's cheering for Boise State. I have no problem with this. Heck, Boise holds a soft spot in everyone outside of Oklahoma's heart. They're the team that's helped hurt the BCS. It's great. I agree with Wilbon for 3 whole sentences. Then, the idiocy begins in earnest:
College football hates party crashers
No, the BCS hates party crashers. College football loves them. For crying out loud, upsets and trick plays are some of the best viewing there is. Yeah, ratings are lower. The school's in Idaho, what do you expect? This article could get ugly...
The powers that be — that would be the people who run the BCS — want you to focus on the ACC, Big East, Southeastern Conference, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pacific-10 and divert your eyes from those little giant killers, notably Boise State, Texas Christian, Utah and Brigham Young.
Number of wins for these "Giant Killers" against BCS conference foes during the 06-08 seasons:
TCU: 5 (2 wins against Stanford and Baylor each, and 1 against Texas Tech.)
Utah: 5 (Michigan, UCLA, Louisville, Oregon State, Alabama)
BYU: 5 (Oregon, Arizona, UCLA (twice), and Washington)
Boise State: 3 (Oregon State, Oklahoma, Oregon)
Look, I appreciate good, upstart football, but this isn't giant killing. It's like beating up on Goliath's little brother. It's just not that impressive to beat Oregon State, a now-mediocre Michigan, and other teams scribbling at the bottom of their BCS-bound conferences. (Hawaii sucked, remember?)
They certainly don't want you to remember that the Mountain West was 6-1 against the Pac-10 last season and that three teams from the Mountain West (Utah, TCU and BYU) were all ranked above the ACC champion (always overrated Virginia Tech) going into the 2008 bowl season.
OK, first off, you're an idiot. "Always overrated" I guess is slang for "willing to play nonconference foes that don't suck." Seriously, if legitimate BCS schools scheduled Stanford, Baylor, and UCLA over and over again, they'd be accused of padding the schedule (*cough* Tennessee *cough*). And, as App State and Michigan proved, rankings (other than that #1 and #2 in the computer) are near meaningless. It doesn't matter if you're #3 or #30, you're going to a bowl, but it's not the national championship. Therefore, most of America won't care.
Teams from the Mountain West aren't going to a National Championship game. Not under the current system. Lobby for a playoff, don't grasp at straws!
The Broncos, voted 16th in the coaches' poll but a top-10 team in some preseason forecasts, are ranked high enough to have a chance to be No. 2 in the BCS ratings at the end of the regular season, but only if they beat Oregon impressively to start the season.
Or do. Either way.... Moving on, here in a country with a growing deficit, a terrorist threat, and a raging healthcare debate, Wilbon then stumps for some good ol' fashioned Congressional hearings. Let's see the argument:
[Inquiries] might not be out of the question given the increasing annoyance in legislative circles with some of the systematic inequities — like the ACC getting $18.6 million last year from BCS games while the Mountain West got $9.8 million, even though Mountain West teams were so much better than the ACC teams.
OK, couple of things here. 1) Where's your evidence that the MWC schools were better than the ACC. When did the conferences play one another?! The good MWC schools did well. The crappy ones did crappy. Same in the ACC, but I'll take Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech over Boise State and BYU any day.
As for the money thing...yeah, I'm in favor of a playoff. Don't drag Congress into it. This system is already unfair: Big schools take in more money than little ones by virtue of size alone. Once again: Idaho...not the center of the universe.
There's then some spotlighting of talented players from the little schools and some whining about the National Championships won by BYU and others, but it's time for this post to end.
In conclusion, college football's back, and I can't wait for the first Saturday in Review!
Oregon and Boise State match up tonight in a battle on that hideous blue turf. Plus, South Carolina is about to go against NC State in a matchup of....uh....football teams!
Either way, football of the college variety has returned, and with it profoundly stupid sportswriting! Mr. Wilbon, take it away! Wilbon, who's awesome on PTI (<-Honestly not sarcasm), opens up this article with some stuff about why he's cheering for Boise State. I have no problem with this. Heck, Boise holds a soft spot in everyone outside of Oklahoma's heart. They're the team that's helped hurt the BCS. It's great. I agree with Wilbon for 3 whole sentences. Then, the idiocy begins in earnest:
College football hates party crashers
No, the BCS hates party crashers. College football loves them. For crying out loud, upsets and trick plays are some of the best viewing there is. Yeah, ratings are lower. The school's in Idaho, what do you expect? This article could get ugly...
The powers that be — that would be the people who run the BCS — want you to focus on the ACC, Big East, Southeastern Conference, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pacific-10 and divert your eyes from those little giant killers, notably Boise State, Texas Christian, Utah and Brigham Young.
Number of wins for these "Giant Killers" against BCS conference foes during the 06-08 seasons:
TCU: 5 (2 wins against Stanford and Baylor each, and 1 against Texas Tech.)
Utah: 5 (Michigan, UCLA, Louisville, Oregon State, Alabama)
BYU: 5 (Oregon, Arizona, UCLA (twice), and Washington)
Boise State: 3 (Oregon State, Oklahoma, Oregon)
Look, I appreciate good, upstart football, but this isn't giant killing. It's like beating up on Goliath's little brother. It's just not that impressive to beat Oregon State, a now-mediocre Michigan, and other teams scribbling at the bottom of their BCS-bound conferences. (Hawaii sucked, remember?)
They certainly don't want you to remember that the Mountain West was 6-1 against the Pac-10 last season and that three teams from the Mountain West (Utah, TCU and BYU) were all ranked above the ACC champion (always overrated Virginia Tech) going into the 2008 bowl season.
OK, first off, you're an idiot. "Always overrated" I guess is slang for "willing to play nonconference foes that don't suck." Seriously, if legitimate BCS schools scheduled Stanford, Baylor, and UCLA over and over again, they'd be accused of padding the schedule (*cough* Tennessee *cough*). And, as App State and Michigan proved, rankings (other than that #1 and #2 in the computer) are near meaningless. It doesn't matter if you're #3 or #30, you're going to a bowl, but it's not the national championship. Therefore, most of America won't care.
Teams from the Mountain West aren't going to a National Championship game. Not under the current system. Lobby for a playoff, don't grasp at straws!
The Broncos, voted 16th in the coaches' poll but a top-10 team in some preseason forecasts, are ranked high enough to have a chance to be No. 2 in the BCS ratings at the end of the regular season, but only if they beat Oregon impressively to start the season.
Or do. Either way.... Moving on, here in a country with a growing deficit, a terrorist threat, and a raging healthcare debate, Wilbon then stumps for some good ol' fashioned Congressional hearings. Let's see the argument:
[Inquiries] might not be out of the question given the increasing annoyance in legislative circles with some of the systematic inequities — like the ACC getting $18.6 million last year from BCS games while the Mountain West got $9.8 million, even though Mountain West teams were so much better than the ACC teams.
OK, couple of things here. 1) Where's your evidence that the MWC schools were better than the ACC. When did the conferences play one another?! The good MWC schools did well. The crappy ones did crappy. Same in the ACC, but I'll take Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech over Boise State and BYU any day.
As for the money thing...yeah, I'm in favor of a playoff. Don't drag Congress into it. This system is already unfair: Big schools take in more money than little ones by virtue of size alone. Once again: Idaho...not the center of the universe.
There's then some spotlighting of talented players from the little schools and some whining about the National Championships won by BYU and others, but it's time for this post to end.
In conclusion, college football's back, and I can't wait for the first Saturday in Review!
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