Saturday in Review 11/12/11

I have a totally legitimate reason for this week's shorter-than-average post.

*LSU and 'Bama looked fairly dopey in the first half of their games. No offense to the literally hundreds of articles on the Internet that claim they were "recovering" from their matchup last week, but if that were the case they'd have struggled the whole game. It doesn't make any sense to say that it required six days plus thirty minutes of football to recover. No, this was just a case of teams slacking off against largely inferior foes. Both squads pulled away in the second half, after all.

*Oregon State's offense, which appears to be led by Methuselah, keeps right on clicking. I don't want to take away anything from this team, I really don't, but does anyone else figure that they might have an advantage, what with a quarterback that's at least five years older than everyone else on the field? I'm not talking about his NFL prospects (I couldn't care less about those) but I'm just saying that having an older QB does confer an advantage. The only other example I can think of off the top of my head is Chris Weinke, but I'm sure there's others. Feel free to help me out (or call me an idiot) in the comments section.

*Oregon takes down Stanford again, and the Best Quarterback Evar didn't look so hot in the process. Still got him pegged as the Heisman winner, provided he doesn't lay another egg. Oregon has inexplicably reentered the talk of the national title game. But if I don't want a 'Bama/LSU rematch (and I don't), then I sure as heck don't want a rematch of a much less entertaining LSU/Oregon game from earlier in the season. (Yes, I assume LSU will go undefeated. Secretly I hope that's wrong, too.) Changes to teams be danged, every squad only gets a maximum of 14 games a year, and we don't need out-of-conference rematches in a sport with 120 teams and a 70 team postseason!

*If you haven't heard, another Boise State kicker missed another field goal and sent the team out of the BCS for the second straight year. Here's the thing: mock the kicker if you must, but putting a game as team-oriented as football in the hands of a single player is an indictment of the whole team, not just the kicker. The kicker didn't allow 36 points at home. Also TCU isn't bad, so Boise can cling to the fact that they only lose to good teams...

*Elsewhere in the non-AQ category, Houston steamrolled another hapless conference foe. I'm seriously going to be a Southern Miss fan if Houston and Southern Miss meet in the Conference USA championship game. Because, frankly, I believe that if Houston runs the table and goes to the BCS, we're gonna see a repeat of Hawaii/Georgia.

*Virginia Tech is a game away from taking a trip to the ACC Championship game for a (sigh) rematch with Clemson. Beating UNC this week is critical for the Hokies, but they also have to take down rival Virginia to earn a trip to Charlotte. At least one side of the ACC is up for grabs, what with Clemson clinching this week in a surprisingly close win over Wake Forest. Congrats to the Tigers.

*Texas A&M played Kansas State close in yet another example of K-State playing well above its ability. Oh, it was also an example of why college overtime is simultaneously awesome and idiotic: Yes, 4 OTs is a very cool, edge-of-your-seat thing to see. It's also why both teams scored nearly half their points in overtime: because the field is too dang short.

*Auburn will hopefully go back to being unranked. A 45-7 drubbing by Georgia might actually convince voters that the Tigers aren't the same team as last year's title winners. Well, for a week at least...

*Missouri sent Texas crashing back to Earth. It'll be interesting to see how the Longhorns do against Kansas State this weekend. One thing's for certain: Mack Brown can get away with a performance like this for maybe one more season. Texas is probably the richest football recruiting ground in the country, the school has its own network, and they're tied for fourth in their 10 team conference. Not good.

*West Virginia defeats Cincinnati to plunge the Big East further into the mire. The Big East is falling apart off the field, and it's sort of funny that it seems no one wants to win what could be the last Big East football championship.

*Baylor needed overtime to beat Kansas? Now that's the Baylor I know and love...OK, the Baylor I know and ignore...

And now Tales from the Bottom 95

Toledo and Western Michigan played a game that ended 66-63. Last time their basketball programs played, the final score was 73-60...Louisville's coach blamed his team's loss to Pitt on Call of Duty. You can't make this stuff up...Vandy smashed Kentucky. That's bad news for the Tennessee Volunteers, who have to figure out a way to beat Vandy and Kentucky to make a bowl...Eastern Michigan is nearly bowl eligible, just two seasons removed from an 0-12 campaign. Good work, Eagles!...UVa broke their losing streak to Duke...The bottom half of the Pac-12 is simply awful...The once proud Florida State/Miami rivalry devolved into a poorly played festival of turnovers on Saturday...Rutgers took down Army in the battle of the knights...Hawaii fell to Nevada.

That's all for this week! See you next time!

Penn State: An Opinion

Allow me to start by saying that it's impossible to add much to the discussion surrounding Penn State. In the time frame since I started typing this post on Wednesday night, Joe Paterno went from "retiring at the end of the season" to "fired." Events are moving so rapidly that by the time you read this post, it might be laughably out of date. Even so, I feel that it's important for anyone who enjoys sports at any level to get involved in a discussion regarding sports and morality, and if this post starts one of those discussions, then it has accomplished its mission.

First, we must assume that the accused party, Mr. Sandusky, is merely "the accused" until he is proven otherwise. It is nauseating to many that we must do so, but that assumption is what separates the American system of justice from the despotic methods used in other, less-fortunate parts of the world. If we were accused of a crime, we would want a fair trial. Like it or not, Mr. Sandusky is entitled to the same, and we would all do well to remember that, even if he quickly confesses to the crimes of which he has been accused.

What we are witnessing at Penn State is a tragedy for reasons that are utterly unrelated to sports. The victims of these crimes of abuse will bear the emotional scars for the remainder of their lives. Amidst the hullabaloo of coaches and school officials getting fired it's going to be easy to forget that the victims' health cannot, in many cases, ever be fully restored. Regardless of one's feelings regarding Paterno, Sandusky, Penn State, or college football in general, we must not shuffle the victims along like the MacGuffins in a sordid tale of corruption at the top. They are human beings, and deserve to be treated as such. Remember that they are the victims of a disturbingly common crime, and that their high-profile case should not serve to mask thousands of others like them who go quietly unnoticed because they are abused by a scoutmaster or sales clerk instead of a football coach.

The sports aspect of the story goes far deeper, I believe, than anyone cares to recognize. We accept that our sports culture, especially that of college football, is one that is tainted. Scandals at major universities throughout the nation defined this offseason, and each was treated by fans with the knowing sigh of a man walking down a well-tread path. We laugh, joke, prod, and kid about the infidelities of these institutions, as though corruption and dishonesty are just little sideshows we must endure between games. I confess that I have taken this attitude, and in retrospect it sickens me that I, that we, could be so flippant. Accepting dirtiness is what led us here. Believing that college football would always be a look-the-other way culture has enabled the permanent scarring of dozens of children in Pennsylvania. Taking minor violations as "facts of life" in sports has come back to kick us between the teeth.

Football fans move on quickly. I guess it's the nature of the fast-paced game, coupled with a 24-hour sports media that bombards us with every story until we're sick of it. We will, as fans of the game, move on from this grim milestone. Joy will return to Happy Valley and to college football in general, but with that joy should come wisdom. This is our opportunity to make something positive of this tragedy, to stop shrugging off minor violations, to stop turning our heads from truths we don't want to see, and to make the sport something we can enjoy without having to feel guilty about it later.

Let's make the most of that opportunity.

Saturday in Review 10/29/11

A good weekend of football to be certain! Fair warning: anyone caught using many days late Halloween puns in the comments section will be shot.

Baylor-24, #3 Oklahoma State-59

I've said it before and I'll say it again: jump on the Oklahoma State bandwagon at your own peril. I am legitimately curious to see how well this team will perform when it runs up against a good defense. The Big 12 really seems to be the conference of the glass cannon; every team in the league seems to be capable of posting huge numbers of points while allowing equally huge numbers of points. Oklahoma State has allowed at least 24 points in all but one of its games.

Yes, most of those opposing teams' points came late, but Oklahoma State has yet to play the best defensive team in their conference: the rival Oklahoma Sooners, and defense still trumps offense. Assuming that the Cowboys get through their remaining schedule and the Sooners, it's highly likely they'd have to play LSU or Alabama in the national title game. Regular readers note that I always pick defense over offense, especially in bowls. Therefore, if it comes down to Oklahoma State vs. SEC champ, I'm taking the SEC team all the way. (Especially if it's Alabama and their under-a-touchdown-allowed-per-game scoring defense.)

And Baylor...well, at least they're not getting laughed at anymore. Sure, they're an even more extreme example of imbalance than the Oklahoma State team cited above (Baylor's stats: 9th best scoring offense in the country, 115th scoring defense), but at least the Bears aren't the Big 12's doormat anymore! That's Kansas's job...

#5 Clemson-17, Georgia Tech-31

Virtually every fanbase whose team has not lived up to past glory has a set of fans who choose to live in the past. Miami fans still think it's the '80s, Notre Dame fans still think it's the '70s, Virginia Tech fans are starting to become entrenched in 1999, and Clemson fans are locked in their nuclear fallout shelters with "Vote for Reagan" slogans and anti-Soviet propaganda decorating the walls around their "Tigers: 1981 National Champs" poster. This season seemed like it could be the year that Clemson fans got to update their calendars, but alas, it was not to be.

Clemson struggled to defend the option, which is sort of mind-blowing when you consider how well Miami and UVa did just that in the previous two weeks. The Georgia Tech defense played well, and Clemson just couldn't get anything going it seemed. Near-comebacks were cut short by defensive stands and turnovers, and the ACC faded out of the national championship race once again. Don't get me wrong, this wasn't totally unexpected. Once Clemson hammered beat Virginia Tech, this was supposed to be the matchup to decide which ACC school got to compete for a title. Then Georgia Tech stumbled along the way, meaning that they could do little but spoil Clemson's national title hopes. Which they did.

Ah well, that's ACC football. Let's just sit back and enjoy it, take some time to watch more madness unfold as one team (likely still Clemson) plays its way to a BCS bowl and the other 11 sort of squabble for the other bowl slots the conference gets. Those of us who love football will shake our heads and stare. My friends who are Carolina fans are already counting the days to basketball season. What fun.

#6 Stanford-56, USC-48 (3OT)

Alright, before we go any further, I want you to read this previous post. Go ahead, I'll wait.

There. Now I don't have to go on a rant against overtime. I do have to gripe, however, about Southern California's presence in the non-essential AP rankings. Why were the Trojans ranked 20th? They have beaten precisely one decent nonconference foe, and precisely zero decent conference foes. Look at the record: a 2 point win against the worst team in the Big 10, a drubbing of a mediocre team in the worst AQ conference, and 3 in-conference wins against teams which are all 1-4 or 1-5 in the Pac-12. Aside from a good win on the road against Notre Dame, the Trojans did absolutely nothing of note until this Saturday, when they took Heisman winner (it's OK, just accept it) Andrew Luck and the Cardinal into OT. Now that I've made my case that Southern Cal isn't very good (and they aren't), let's extrapolate:

Stanford could be in real trouble here. They will likely smash Oregon State this weekend, but their game against Oregon looms large as the deciding factor in which team will go to the Pac-12 championship. Right now, it's tough to see the Cardinal winning that one. But no worries, Luck has ESPN on his side and a catchy last name, so unless Stanford loses 2 of its remaining 4 games, he'll still going to win the Heisman.

Side note: Mad props to Lane Kiffin for criticizing the officiating in Saturday's game. I detest Southern Cal, but I detest bad officiating more, especially since it is the root cause of my Southern Cal hatred. Oh, and they fined Kiffin $10,000 for being a critic, which is wrong but also kinda funny. I assume Tennessee and/or the Ghost of Al Davis was involved.

Washington State-28, #7 Oregon-43

Sweet, an easy one. Oregon crushed th--Oh what the heck?! How was this game this close? Maybe that Oregon/Stanford game will be good after all.

#9 Oklahoma-58, #8 Kansas State-17

Kansas State, meet reality. Reality, Kansas State. OK, good that you've been introduced, that will really help save time.

OU should do pretty well with its remaining schedule up until the big game with Oklahoma State. Kansas State has a chance to play spoiler against OSU, but the Wildcats had been playing beyond their ability all season long. We may be in for a Wisconsin-style slide from this team.

#10 Arkansas-31, Vandy-28

Arkansas really shouldn't have won this game. They shouldn't have been in it, and without a freak 94 yard fumble return for a touchdown, this game would have ended up being something like 35-24 Vandy. As it stands, Arkansas is looking much more mediocre than they should be, but if Sports Illustrated is to be believed, then the whole SEC is mediocre aside from #1 and #2. I don't think it's as bad as the article makes it sound, but games like these certainly make the case that the top of the SEC isn't quite as dominant as it has been in recent years.

#11 Michigan State-3, #14 Nebraska-24

MSU came out and did...well, nothing. This was a hideous offensive performance and it can be credited as much to incompetence as to Nebraska's defense. Don't get me wrong, the Huskers ran well and the Spartans had trouble against the Blackshirts, but if it was only Nebraska's defense slowing MSU down then the score would have been closer. It seems that Michigan State is in very real danger of repeating last season's theme: spoiling things for schools in their conference, but stumbling into a tie with the conference leaders. Look for MSU to make another glorious trip to the Champs Sports Bowl or something similar.

Nebraska's still in the hunt for the division title of what I will call the "West" division of the Big 10, and it looks like their November 19 game with Michigan will determine the winner of that branch of the Big However Many We Have. Provided, of course, that Michigan doesn't pull their now-annual yearly fall-apart routine.

#12 Virginia Tech-14, Duke-10

I really hope this is Tech underestimating Duke. Because, frankly, about 115 of the D1 teams out there would have beaten Tech the way they played this weekend. But many smashed soda cans and a few curse words later on my end, the Hokies emerged with a narrow win over one of the worst teams in the ACC. They'd best get their stuff together in the next week, or the Thursday game against Georgia Tech will be an uglier version of the GT/Clemson score above.

Also: Duke is going to have real trouble making a bowl, but they're not out of it yet.

#13 South Carolina-14, Tennessee-3

The Vols defense is just about where it needs to be. They have to start playing solid D for 4 quarters, but the defense is there. The offense? Not so much. Even with Tyler Bray at the helm, the Vols were racking up points against largely inferior competition. They always seem to have a front-loaded schedule, though, which is a product of the bygone era when Tennessee was a national power. Things will get easier for everyone's favorite band of Knoxvillians, provided that they survive to late November.

South Carolina's in trouble, though. They're clinging to a high ranking for another week, but the game against Arkansas will be a real test of whether or not they can beat a good opponent without Marcus Lattimore. We shall see...

#15 Wisconsin-29, Ohio State-33

If I were Wisconsin's coach, my secondary would be running up and down stairways reciting the play-by-play calls of the two Hail Marys that have beaten the Badgers in back to back weeks. There's no excuse to get burned twice in a row like that, especially in scenarios when you know the opponent's throwing deep! Yes, it was 2 fluke plays in a row, but those 2 plays have turned Wisconsin from undefeated title contender to barely ranked also-ran.

Also, congrats to Ohio State on winning a big game. Now, go back to obscurity. We'll call you if we need you to upset Michigan or something.

Missouri-38, #16 Texas A&M-31

Analogy time! 2nd half : Texas A&M lead :: crowbar : kneecap

I don't think this requires any further explanation.

Rice-34, #17 Houston-73

Congrats to Houston's Case Keenum for taking the all-time TD record. Good job! Also, your strength of schedule is pathetic and your team will get destroyed the second it encounters a semi-competent defense. OK, bye!

Purdue-14, #18 Michigan-36

Purdue exists to defeat one ranked foe per year. This year it was Illinois, so Michigan got a free pass here. I'm curious to see if Michigan can beat Iowa this weekend, or if their 3-1 conference record is a result of playing 3 of the worst 4 teams in the Big 10 and one decent one. My bet is...well, you already know what my bet is.

Illinois-7, #19 Penn State-10

This wasn't so much good defense as "our offenses don't work really well in a snowstorm." The result is a game with literally 3 highlights: 2 TDs and a field goal. I'm all for low-scoring games, but not when they're incompetently played. Penn State is currently ranked much higher than they should be. However, JoePa did get the D-1 record for coaching wins, thereby surpassing Methuselah for that coveted title.

Iowa State-41, #20 Texas Tech-7

Texas Tech served its purpose last week. The team's entire season led up to that splendid victory in Norman, which has been followed by this debacle. Iowa State hammered Tech from beginning to end, and I can't put a silver lining on it because there isn't one. This isn't so much a "hangover" game as it is a "we're still drunk on victory, so much so we might have to go to the emergency room" game.

Colorado-14, #21 Arizona State-48

Very few things are consistent in this crazy world. But you can set your watch by Colorado football, ever since the 2006 season. I kinda wonder, now that conference expansion/realignment is well and proper nuts, if the Pac-12 regrets adding Colorado. Not Utah, yet. The Utes were in a non-major conference and they're in the process of building up a team. Colorado, meanwhile, has been in a major conference since at least 1982 and they're not competitive. The Pac-12 probably wishes they'd held out for a more Pacific-area team, like West Virginia or Miami...

Arizona State? Eh, it's so hard to tell about teams in the lowest 5 slots of the top 25. The Sun Devils' loss to Illinois looks worse by the week, but the only other team to beat them was a home-standing Oregon squad. Because ASU plays some seriously bad competition in their final 3 weeks, it looks as though the Pac-12's championship game will be our next opportunity to see how good/bad the Sun Devils are.

#22 Georgia-24, Florida-20

So, does Florida's climb to #12 in the rankings playing the likes of UAB seem silly to anyone else now after they went 0 for October? I thought so!

Georgia, meanwhile, has pretty much saved their coach's job. Richt seems like a nice enough fellow, but he'd best start competing for SEC Championships if he wants to keep his job for a long time. That may not be a fair expectation of anyone, but it's the way things are in Athens.

Ole Miss-23, #23 Auburn-41

Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt is going to be fired. He needs to start doing outlandish things to entertain us before his coaching career in Oxford ends. Kick punts on 2nd down! Fire live ammunition skyward to signal playcalls! Run over the opposing coach with a car on the field. That's what I'm talking about.

Auburn, meanwhile, is still riding high (OK, not high, but they're still ranked) based on the strength of their national championship last year. The Tigers really aren't the 23rd best team in the country, the computers just have a machine crush on them.

Kansas-0, #24 Texas-43

Kansas is awful. Texas still isn't that great and their personal propaganda network has benefited them about as much as Notre Dame's private deal with NBC has helped the Fighting Irish. That is all.

#25 West Virginia-41, Rutgers-31

Sadly, the return of Eric LeGrand didn't lift Rutgers to the victory they wanted over West Virginia, but for me (and many others) seeing LeGrand on the field again was the highlight of this game. Keep getting better, young man.

And now Tales from the Bottom 95

NC State has been really bad in the ACC this year...Syracuse smashed the Big East's lone ranked team last week and then went out and lost to Louisville...UNC dashed Wake Forest upon the rocks of reality...Again...Mississippi State beat Kentucky in a battle of unranked SEC teams. Hooray?...Notre Dame beat the snot out of Navy, so I guess one aspect of college football's back to normal...and poor Ol' Hawaii had to travel to Idaho. Yeah, think about that the next time you complain about going anywhere.

That's all for this week! See you next time!