Imagine “BCS Madness” in basketball

18 02 2010

Every day brings about an argument with my roommates about sports.  These days, a visitor would likely hear me quibbling with one of them over the number of Big East teams that deserve to be dancing in March.  During the college football season, the arguments predictably led to a debate over the current playoff system.

Which is why my eyes lit up when my roommate suggested what very few, if any, had ever thought of.

“What if college basketball used the BCS system?” he asked.

Hmm…what if?

I should say right now that I love March Madness.  The tournament is a lot of fun, and I would never want to see it go away.  But before you dismiss the following idea, consider the proposal below.

Let’s say college basketball did use the BCS system.  There would be no tournament.  The two best teams out of 347 Division 1 teams would play for the national championship.  As for the rest?  The next 32 could play in the NIT perhaps.  Or maybe I develop “bowl” games for the 62 next-best.  Either way, it’s not important.  What is important is how college basketball would determine its national champion.

My roommate and I agree that if the BCS is used, it would have to triple the field to six eligible teams because there are about three times as many D1 basketball schools (347) as FBS football schools (120).  So six teams make the BCS championship, and the champion is determined as follows:

#6 at #3 (winner plays at #2)
#5 at #4 (winner plays at #1)

Winner of 1 vs 4/5 plays winner of 2 vs 3/6 on a neutral court for the title.

Easy enough.

Now on to how to determine the six eligible teams.

The BCS uses the Coaches Poll, Harris Poll and average of six BCS computers to determine the football rankings.  In college basketball, there is a Coaches Poll but not a Harris Poll.  I suggest replacing Harris with RPI.  Though I think the AP Poll is more valid than the Coaches Poll, using both AP and Coaches Polls would not be good because the top six are usually identical.

Four of the six BCS computers also rank college basketball teams (Anderson & Hester and Richard Billingsley do not), so I can use the same computer methods. Ken Pomeroy will be used as a fifth computer.  Because there are only five computers, I will throw out only the median ranking, rather than the highest and/or lowest.

So who would be eligible to play for a national championship right now?

The top six in the Coaches Poll are Kansas, Kentucky, Villanova, Purdue, Syracuse and Duke.

The RPI reads Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, Syracuse, West Virginia and Villanova.

All five computers have Kansas ranked #1.  Since both the Coaches and RPI also have the Jayhawks #1, it’s easy to give them the #1 seed in the basketball BCS.  Their average is 1.

Kentucky does not do too well in the computer rankings.  Only the Colley Matrix has the Wildcats #2.  The median is 4 and the average is 4.5.  Averaging together with the Coaches and RPI gives them a 3.17.

Pomeroy’s computer is going to bring Villanova down.  The Wildcats are ranked #15 in that computer, bring the computer average to 5.75 and the overall average to 4.92.

Purdue got a big win over Ohio State Wednesday, but they are still a consistent 6 in all but one computer, giving them a 5.75 computer average.  Overall, the Boilermakers are a 6.25 because of their low RPI.

Syracuse has a huge game with Georgetown tonight that could alter the rankings, but for now, the Orange have a computer average of 3.25 and an overall average of 4.08.

Duke is ranked sixth in the Coaches Poll but has the #2 RPI.  The Blue Devils have a computer average of 4.5 and an overall average of 4.17.

Outside the top six, West Virginia seems to be the most likely contender.  However, the computers spit out an average of 8.67 for the Mountaineers, giving them an overall average of 6.89.  Purdue’s 6.25 barely beats West Virginia for the sixth spot.

The only other team in consideration is Kansas State.  The Wildcats’ computer average is 9.25, pulling the overall average down to 7.75.

So the six teams in the tournament happen to be the top six in the Coaches Poll.  The matchups are as follows:

(6) Purdue at (3) Syracuse
(5) Villanova at (4) Duke

Purdue/Syracuse at (2) Kentucky
Villanova/Duke at (1) Kansas

Championship on neutral court

I know you are lying if you say you would be even the slightest bit intrigued by this.  Imagine how West Virginia fans would feel.  The Mountaineers are the TCU of college basketball.  Then again, West Virginia did lose to Purdue, who has the sixth and final spot.

How fun would it be to watch college basketball every night, knowing that a loss by any of the top six could make way for #7 or #8 to slide up into the field.

Consider reducing the field to four teams.  Then Villanova, ranked #3 in the Coaches Poll, would be out.

Again, this is purely just for fun.  Everyone imagines what it would be like if college football used college basketball’s system.

Thank you, roomie, for making me imagine the opposite.  Even for just one day.


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Categories : Sports

Big Ten, Pac 10 expansion news

11 02 2010

Check out the following articles about the Big Ten looking into expanding with Texas, the Pac 10 taking Colorado and/or a Mountain West school, and new replacements for the Big 12 when Missouri likely leaves.

Pac 10 commish: Now is the time to consider expansion
Pac 10 could launch cannonball on non-BCS with conference cannibalism
Expansion would boost Pac 10 but leave wake of disruption
It’s finally out there: Texas to the Big Ten
More expansion: a proposed new look


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Categories : Sports

Government wasting time with BCS

31 01 2010

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) – Utah is the man you may know best as the senator who is trying to persuade the U.S. Government to take legal action against the BCS – the system used to determine college football’s national champion.  You may also be interested to know that the Justice Department is now looking into whether the system violates antitrust laws.

Ridiculous, I know.

First of all, let me give you some information about Hatch.  He’s a Utah state Senator.  Hmm…I do remember a college football team that went 13-0 just last year but didn’t play in the BCS National Championship game.  Hatch couldn’t possibly be lobbying on behalf of his own state’s university, could he?

Actually, yes.

I bet you don’t know that Hatch has done this before.  The IRS mistakenly released a confidential tax filing showing that pharmaceutical companies and the pharmaceutical industry’s lobbying group wrote $172,500 in checks to the Utah Families Foundation.  What is the Utah Families Foundation, you ask?  It’s the charity that Hatch helped start, and the same charity that has filed taxes illegally for almost 10 years, according to the Washington Times.

Oops.

Now is an appropriate time to also point out that the industries main lobbying group also paid Hatch’s son Scott to be its lobbyist in Washington D.C.

Now, it appears as though Hatch wants money again – this time on behalf of the University of Utah.  After all, he didn’t speak up when Boise State went undefeated in 2006, or when Hawaii ran the table in 2007, or when TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State were perfect in 2009.  But as long as Utah can grab a few extra bucks, it’s all good.

Sounds like an honest guy to me.

But for those of us who like the BCS system, we need not worry.  Hatch will probably be supporting the system by the end of the week.  That is, if his actions are anything like his stance on polygamy, where he first supported polygamists, then was later on record condoning it. He flip-flopped on the issue.  I call that the “classic John Kerry move.”

So if all of you hopeless playoff optimists want to trust this guy to bring a “December/January/in general” Madness to college football, go ahead.  I’ll continue to have my doubts.

So now the Justice Department wants to see if the system violates antitrust laws.  Well, as far as I can tell, there is competition.  Some competition (the SEC), is just worlds better than other competition (Mountain West, WAC).

Hey Justice Department – I have a law you can investigate.  How about the “we’re only undefeated because Tulsa dropped a wide open pass” law.  Or the “we know we have a week conference schedule, but we still schedule division 1-AA teams to come play us at home, then only beat them by 18 points” law.  Oh, and look into the “we gave up 35 points against Louisiana Tech, 34 against Fresno State and 33 against Nevada, but we know we could hold Florida, Alabama and Texas to single digits” law.  Yes, I’m talking about the 2009 Boise State team, the only other unbeaten team besides Alabama.

The key for these teams is scheduling four very difficult games out of conference, knowing you should get eight wins in the conference.  Then maybe they’ll have a chance to play for a championship.  A lack of antitrust laws didn’t keep the Broncos, Warriors, Bearcats, Horned Frogs or anyone else from reaching the title game.  Poor scheduling, and poor play even in some of the wins kept them out.

If you’re happy with the Justice Department looking into this, then you must not care about the war that Obama refuses to get us out of, the bailout that is putting the country further in debt or the inevitable tax increases to come.  If this is such a serious issue, then why hasn’t it already been addressed?  If the BCS was illegal, it could not have possibly lasted this long.

Does the regular season mean anything?  According to Hatch, the answer is no.  A playoff system likely means 9-3 teams have a chance to win it all.  And how would the seeds be determined?  I’m guessing they would use…ah…the BCS rankings.  I can see it now: the playoff system takes the teams ranked 1-8, then a senator from the state the school ranked #9 is from writes a letter to Congress saying it’s not fair.  Then the playoff expands, as it does in every other sport, and all of a sudden teams are playing games during finals week, on Christmas Day, in January once classes start and on into February, where the championship is played on Valentine’s Day.

Sounds good to me.

Not.


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Categories : Sports

The top 100 sports stories of the decade

10 01 2010

I ranked these in order of importance, number of people it affected, and how dramatic the story was.  Feel free to comment or post your own rankings.

100)  NHL starts winter classic
The NHL had its first ever “Winter Classic” on New Year’s Day 2008 as the Buffalo Sabres hosted Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins outdoors in front of 71,000 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.  The Penguins won in an overtime shootout.

99)  Pirates set losing seasons mark
The Pittsburgh Pirates became the first franchise in sports history to have 17 consecutive losing seasons when they finished the 2009 season 62-99.  The last time the Pirates had a winning season was 1992, when the team won the division.

98)  Celtics edge Bulls in dramatic series
The 2009 NBA playoffs featured an opening round series that saw the second seeded Boston Celtics defeat the seventh seeded Chicago Bulls in seven games. Four of the seven games went to overtime, and there were seven total overtime periods.

97)  Four UNC players taken in top 14
The UNC draft class of 2005 was so talented, four players were taken in the top 14 of the NBA draft.  The Hawks took Marvin Williams #2, the Bobcats took Raymond Felton #5 and Sean May #13, and the T’Wolves took Rashad McCants #14.

96)  Rocco Mediate takes Woods to 91st hole
One of the most exciting playoffs in golf took place at the 2008 U.S. Open.  Relatively unknown Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods were tied after 72 holes.  After the 18-hole playoff, the two were still tied until Woods bested Mediate on hole 91.

95)  Tim Tebow sets college football legacy
Florida Gator quarterback Tim Tebow sat behind senior Chris Leak as a freshman and watched the Gators win a national championship in 2006.  He became the starter in 2007, won another national title in 2008, and was a Heisman winner.

94)  UConn women go 39-0 twice
The most dominant women’s hoops team of the decade was the Connecticut Huskies.  In 2002, the women claim their second of five decade championships with a perfect 39-0 season.  In 2009, they would go a perfect 39-0 again.

93)  Kevin Everett suffers life-threatening injury
One of the scariest injuries of the decade was when Buffalo Bill Kevin Everett suffered a career-ending and life-threatening cervical spine injury on opening day in 2007.  Everett was able to walk again even after doctors said he would not.

92)  Paul Tagliabue steps down as NFL commissioner
Paul Tagliabue stepped down as commissioner of the NFL in 2006 after 17 years at the helm.  During Tagliabue’s time there were no lockouts or strikes, and he introduced a strict salary cap and six new franchises to the league.

91)  Four one-seeds reach Final Four.
For the first time, March Madness produces four #1 seeds in its Final Four as North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis and UCLA all made it to San Antonio in 2008.  Not surprisingly, the attendance for the ‘08 tournament was the highest in history.

90)  Texas upsets USC in Rose Bowl
Numbers one and two all season, Texas met USC in Pasadena for the national championship in the 2006 Rose Bowl.  Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush led an explosive USC offense, but Vince Young got the last laugh as Texas won 41-38.

89)  Thirteen pitchers throw no-hitters in 2000s
Hideo Nomo, A.J. Burnett, Bud Smith, Derek Lowe, Kevin Millwood, Randy Johnson, Anibal Sánchez, Mark Buehrle (2), Justin Verlander, Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, Carlos Zambrano and Jonathan Sánchez threw no hitters this decade.

88)  Jimmie Johnson wins AP male athlete of the year
In 2009, NASCAR racer Jimmie Johnson became the first racing athlete to ever win the AP Male Athlete of the Year Award.  Johnson won the Sprint Cup Series for the fourth consecutive year in 2009, and has been in the top five every year since 2002.

87)  Phillies become first franchise to lose 10,000
The Philadelphia Phillies became the first sports franchise to lose 10,000 games, losing number 10,000 on July 15, 2007.  Ironically, the Phillies weren’t losers that year – they won the NL East.  The Atlanta Braves have the second-most losses.

86)  Pacman Jones suspended for legal troubles
Adam “Pacman” Jones was arrested in 2005 for assault, in 2006 for disorderly conduct, and in 2007 for a shooting and drug deals, among other incidents.  The NFL suspended Pacman for a total of 22 games in the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

85)  Ravens win Super Bowl with stellar defense
The Ravens throttled the New York Giants 31-7 to win Super Bowl XXXV.  Baltimore proved it doesn’t need flash to win.  Trent Dilfer did just enough, and the defense dominated, allowing the fewest points and rush yards in a single season.

84)  Golden State shocks Dallas
The eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors defeated the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the first round of the 2007 NBA playoffs.  The Warriors, coached by former Dallas coach Don Nelson, were the first eight seed to win a best of seven series.

83)  Ohio State (#1) defeats rival Michigan (#2)
The 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes defeated their hated rival Michigan Wolverines 42-39 in the last regular season game for both teams.  The matchup featured the rivalry with a #1 ranking, the Big Ten title and a national title berth on the line.

82)  Biggio records hit number 3,000
Craig Biggio, a 20-year veteran with the Houston Astros, recorded hit number 3,000 on July 28, 2007 against the Colorado Rockies.  Biggio was the 27th player to join the club.  Less than a month later, he announced he would retire.

81)  Titans advance with Music City Miracle
Down one with 16 seconds left, the Tennessee Titans used a throwback on a kickoff return to score a touchdown and beat the Buffalo Bills 22-16 in the 2000 Wild Card round.  Frank Wycheck threw laterally to Kevin Dyson, who took it 75 yards to win.

80)  Super Mario rescues Jayhawks with three pointer
Dead in the water through 38 minutes, the Kansas Jayhawks stage a dramatic comeback, helped by Memphis Tiger missed free throws, to win the 2008 national championship game.  Mario Chalmers’ three with two seconds left forced overtime.

79)  Tom Watson makes historic British open run
Tom Watson made a historic run at the British Open Championship in 2009.  The 59-year-old veteran led most of the tournament and had the gallery on his side, but three-putted the 72nd hole to fall into a playoff.  He lost to Stewart Cink.

78)  Lakers defeat Kings in epic seven-game series
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings in seven games in the 2002 Western Conference Finals.  Robert Horry’s last-second three wins game four, Mike Bibby’s shot wins game five, and the Lakers take the last two of the dramatic series.

77)  Expos move to Washington
The Montreal Expos moved to Washington D.C. and became the Nationals after the 2004 season after 35 years in Canada.  Major League Baseball bought the team, and the league decided to make the move to the U.S.

76)  Detroit Lions go 0-16
The Detroit Lions made NFL history in a bad way in 2008-2009 by becoming the first NFL team to lose every game of a 16-game schedule.  Daunte Culpepper quarterbacked for most of the season, and Ron Marinelli coached the team.

75)  Rachel Alexandra wins Preakness
Racehorse Rachel Alexandra made history in 2009 by becoming the first Filly in 85 years to win the Preakness Stakes.  Alexandra actually won eight major races in 2008 and 2009, and has won nine races in a row.  She will race again in 2010.

74)  Rockies win 21 of 22 to make playoffs
One of the best stretches of baseball came in 2007.  The Colorado Rockies won 21 of 22 games, including a dramatic one-game playoff, to win the NL Wild Card.  They would sweep their way to the World Series before falling to Boston.

73)  Penguins get revenge on Wings to win Stanley Cup
One year after losing to the Detroit Red Wings in six, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2009, defeating the Wings in seven games.  Every team won on home ice through the first six, but Pittsburgh steals game seven in Detroit.

72)  Weinke becomes oldest player ever to win Heisman
After leading Florida State to two consecutive national championship games, Chris Weinke threw for 4,167 yards in his senior year and won the Heisman Trophy in 2000 at age 28.  Florida State went to its third straight national championship.

71)  Spurs continue decade’s best dynasty
Say what you want about the Lakers, the best NBA team this decade was San Antonio.  After winning its first championship to close the 1990s, the consistent Spurs tacked on three more this decade – in ‘02-’03, ‘04-’05, and ‘06-’07.

70)  Yankees begin, close decade with championship
The New York Yankees won the Subway Series, beating the crosstown rival Mets in 2000.  The Bronx Bombers then went the rest of the decade without winning a title – an unusual feat for them – until beating the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009.

69)  McMahon’s XFL falls flat
In 2001, WWF owner Vince McMahon created the “Xtreme Football League.”  A league with custom-name jerseys and rules to “toughen” the game did not go over well, and the league failed after one season due to low TV ratings and attendance.

68)  Home teams win dramatic one-game playoffs
In 2007, the Colorado Rockies scored three runs in the bottom of the 13th to beat visiting San Diego 9-8.  In 2008, the Chicago White Sox rode a Jim Thome HR to a 1-0 win over Minnesota.  In 2009, Minnesota walked off in 12 to beat Detroit 6-5.

67)  Marlins win the World Series
No World Series winner was more unpredictable than Florida’s 2003 run.  After being in the NL East basement, they fired manager Jeff Torborg, replaced him with Jack McKeon, and shocked the Giants, Cubs and Yankees to win as a Wild Card.

66)  LeBron arrives in the NBA
The 2003 -2004 season was the first for LeBron James, the number one overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers straight out of high school.  James quickly became one of the most dominant players in the league, and has an MVP and a gold medal.

65)  Terrell Owens can’t stay in one place
Terrell Owens, one of the greatest wide receivers in the NFL, might be better known for his unwillingness to cooperate.  Owens left the San Francisco 49ers in 2003 and played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills.

64)  Florida wins back-to-back basketball titles
Lead by a superb frontcourt that included Joakim Noah and Al Hortford, the Florida Gators won back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007.  All five starters returned after the surprise first title to help lead the dominant Gators.

63)  Armstrong finishes third in return to Tour
After three years of not racing in the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong returned to professional cycling in 2009.  His goal was to “raise awareness of the global cancer burden.”  His third-place finish in the 2009 Tour was inspirational for many.

62)  Syracuse defeats UConn after six overtimes
In one of the most exciting college basketball games of all time, the Syracuse Orange defeated the Connecticut Huskies in the 2009 Big East quarterfinals.  Eric Devendorf’s shot was waved off at the end of regulation, setting the stage for 6 OTs.

61)  Steve McNair shot and killed
Among the tragic losses in 2009 was former NFL MVP Steve McNair, who was shot and killed by his mistress in a murder-suicide.  McNair played for the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens and was selected to the Pro Bowl three times.

60)  Schottenheimer fired after 14-2 season
The 2006-2007 San Diego Chargers went 14-2, but lost in the AFC divisional round to the New England Patriots.  Head coach Marty Schottenheimer was fired one month later.  The move puzzled many because of his success during the season.

59)  Zidane headbutts Materazzi
A bizarre scene took place during the 2006 World Cup final match when Zinedine Zidane, France’s best player, inexplicably head butted Italy’s Marco Materazzi in overtime.  Zidane was ejected, and Italy won the World Cup in a shootout.

58)  Celtics complete largest turnaround in NBA history
The 2006-2007 season was a terrible one for the 24-58 Boston Celtics.  But Danny Ainge traded for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, and the Celtics went 66-16 in ‘07-’08, a 42 game improvement.  They beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

57)  Nadal overtakes Federer as world’s #1
Rafael Nadal sat number two behind Roger Federer for 158 weeks before taking the world’s number one ranking away from him in August 2008.  Nadal and Federer played each other four times that year, and Nadal won all four to help boost him.

56)  Boise State shocks Oklahoma in Fiesta Bowl
The undefeated Boise State Broncos defeated the favored Oklahoma Sooners with a bundle of trick plays in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.  A hook-and-ladder tied the game with seconds remaining, and a Statue-of-Liberty play won the game in overtime.

55)  Williams gets into legal trouble
In 2002, former NBA star Jayson Williams was on trial for the murder of a limousine driver, though the charge was reduced to manslaughter.  In February, he was Tasered after a violent hotel incident, and was arrested after a May bar fight.

54)  Mets blow seven game lead in September
One year after owning the best record in the National League, the 2007 Mets seemed poised to finish what they couldn’t in 2006.  But in the last 17 games of the season, the Mets blew a seven game lead, allowing the Phillies to win the NL East.

53)  Adrian Peterson sets single game rushing record
One of the greatest single-game performances in NFL history occurred on Nov. 4, 2007 when Adrian Peterson set the single-game rushing record with 295 rushing yards.  Corey Dillon ran for 278 in 2000, and Jamal Lewis ran for 295 in 2003.

52)  Ichiro comes to America, brings hit barrage
The Seattle Mariners signed Ichiro Suzuki, one of Japan’s most prolific hitters, in 2001.  He has 200+ hits in each of his first nine seasons, including an MLB-record 262 hits in 2004.  He already has 2,030 hits in his MLB career.

51)  Manning finally beats New England, wins a ring
Peyton Manning had not beat the Patriots in the playoffs.  But in the 2007 AFC Championship game, that all changed.  Manning’s Colts beat New England 38-34, overcoming an 18-point deficit, then beat Chicago 29-17 to win the Super Bowl.

50)  Pete Sampras retires
Tennis legend Pete Sampras officially announced retirement in August of 2003.  Sampras won 14 Grand Slam singles titles, which was a record until Federer broke it at the 2009 Wimbledon.  He was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007.

49)  Stallworth suspended for 2009 season following manslaughter
NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth plead guilty to DUI and second degree manslaughter after killing a pedestrian while driving in 2009.  Stallworth served just 24 days in jail, but the NFL suspended him for the entire 2009 season.

48)  Michael Phelps’ behavior questionable
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps ran into trouble a few times.  In 2004, he was sentenced to 18 months probation for pleading guilty to driving under the influence.  In 2009, pictures were released showing Phelps smoking marijuana.

47)  Grady Little leaves Pedro in
With a 5-2 eighth inning lead in game seven of the 2003 ALCS against rival New York, Red Sox manager Grady Little decided to leave starter Pedro Martinez in the game following three straight hits.  Pedro blew the lead, and the Red Sox lost.

46)  Annika Sorenstam plays with the men
One of the most successful female golfers of all time, Annika Sorenstam may be best known for playing in the 2003 Bank of America Colonial – a men’s PGA Tour event.  She also won 10 LPGA majors and 72 tournaments overall, both records.

45)  Pat Tillman dies while serving in the Army
Pat Tillman, the former linebacker and safety for the Arizona Cardinals, left the team in 2002 to enlist in the U.S. Army after the attacks of 9/11.  Tillman died while serving his country in Afghanistan in 2004, supposedly by friendly fire.

44)  Roy Williams finally wins a national championship
The only thing that had eluded college coaching great Roy Williams was a national championship.  That finally came in 2005 as Williams’ North Carolina Tar Heels defeated Illinois in the championship.  Williams would win another title in 2009.

43)  Division 1-AA Appalachian State defeats Michigan
In 2007, Appalachian State defeated then #5 Michigan 34-32 in the ‘Big House’ in one of the biggest upsets in college football history.  The win was the first by an FCS team over a ranked FBS team, and led to FCS teams being eligible for the AP Poll.

42)  Cal Ripken Jr. retires
One of baseball’s most beloved players decided to call it quits in 2001 after 21 years in the league, all with the Baltimore Orioles.  Ripken hit a home run in the 2001 All-Star game and was named MVP of the game.  He has 3,184 lifetime hits.

41)  Phil Jackson returns as coach of Lakers
Phil Jackson left Chicago following Michael Jordan’s retirement, only to return one year later to open the decade as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.  The Lakers have won four NBA championships in Jackson’s nine years as coach, including 2009.

40)  Griffey has injury-ridden decade
After playing 11 seasons with the Seattle Mariners, Ken Griffey Jr. was injured in each of his nine seasons with the Reds to open the decade.  Many think that the steroid-free slugger would have the most HRs of all time if not for the injuries.

39)  Players brawl with fans during NBA game
A disturbing scene took place during a Detroit Pistons home game against Indiana in 2004.  After a hard foul led to some pushing and shoving, fans sparked a brawl with Pacer players.  The NBA suspended nine players and two fans faced charges.

38)  Nick Saban leaves LSU for the NFL
Nick Saban spent the first five years of the decade at LSU, winning two BCS bowls and a national championship in 2003.  But when the Miami Dolphins offered him $5 million and control of all operations, Saban left, but went 15-17 in two seasons.

37)  Brett Favre retires, then unretires…twice
One of the greatest and most well-liked quarterbacks of all time called it quits in 2007, then returned with the Jets after Green Bay wouldn’t take him back.  After one season in New York, he retired again, only to come back with Minnesota.

36)  Kobe scores 81 points
Kobe Bryant had one of the greatest single-game performances of all-time on Jan. 22, 2006 against the Toronto Raptors when he scored 81 points.  Bryant shot 60 percent, making seven threes and scoring 55 of the 81 points in the second half.

35)  Serena Williams takes over women’s tennis
Williams became the #1 ranked tennis player for the first time in July of 2002, and has been ranked #1 five different times.  She had all four Grand Slam titles at once in 2002-2003, and has won 23 Grand Slams overall, including doubles.

34)  Tim Donaghy bet on games he officiated
One of the black stains of the NBA occurred when Tim Donaghy, an NBA referee from 1994-2007, pleaded guilty to betting on NBA games he officiated.  It was believed that he purposely miscalled games to affect point spreads and win his bets.

33)  Danica Patrick first woman to win a race
Patrick became the first woman to ever win a race when she won the Indy Japan 300 in 2008.  She started racing in the Indy Car Series in 2005, where she was named rookie of the year.  She is arguably the most influential female athlete.

32)  Michigan legend Bo Schembechler dies
Michigan coaching legend Bo Schembechler died in 2006, one day before the Wolverines took on rival Ohio State.  Schembechler coaches the Wolverines from 1969-1989, compiling a 234-65-8 overall record.  He also coached at Miami.

31)  New England becomes NFL team of the decade
A Drew Bledsoe injury made way for an unknown QB named Tom Brady in 2001.  Brady took New England to the Super Bowl, winning that and two more after that.  The Patriots seemed destined to win the 2002 Super Bowl following 9/11.

30)  Unlikely pair throw perfect games
Randy Johnson is considered to be one of the most dominant and powerful pitchers in baseball history, while Mark Buehrle is known better as a finesse, fast worker.  Both threw perfect games this decade – Johnson in 2004, Buehrle in 2009.

29)  Marion Jones admits to steroid use
Marion Jones, a dominant track and field athlete, was forced to forfeit her five gold medals from the 2000 Olympic games after admitting that she took steroids before the games.  Jones was sentenced to six months in jail, which she served in 2008.

28)  White Sox break 88-year drought
Lost in the losing streaks of the Cubs and Red Sox was the Chicago White Sox’ drought, which was actually longer than Boston’s.  The White Sox broke the streak by winning the World Series in 2005, highlighted by an 11-1 postseason.

27)  David Beckham signs with the L.A. Galaxy
David Beckham, one of the world’s top soccer players, left Real Madrid in 2007 to play soccer in the United States.  Beckham had hoped to boost the popularity of the sport in America, a country considered to be behind the curve with soccer talent.

26)  George Mason goes to the final four
Cinderella’s slipper fit the Patriots perfectly in 2006.  George Mason entered the NCAA men’s basketball tournament as a #11 seed and upset Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and Connecticut before falling to Florida in the semifinals.

25)  Katrina forces New Orleans teams to relocate
The massive destruction Hurricane Katrina put on New Orleans in 2005 forced the city’s Hornets and Saints to relocate.  The Saints played home games in Baton Rouge and San Antonio, while the Hornets played two seasons in Oklahoma City.

24)  2006 Duke lacrosse scandal proved false
A North Carolina Central student accused three Duke lacrosse players of raping her.  Though the accusations were later deemed false, the scandal forced the cancellation of the rest of the season, and coach Mike Pressler resigned.

23)  NBA creates one and done rule
Prior to 2006, high school players were allowed to enter the NBA draft, so players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett never went to college.  The new rule forced players like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose to spend a year in school.

22)  NHL lockout cancels 2004-2005 season
A dispute between players and owners over salary issues, including a salary cap, caused the cancellation of the entire season.  It was the first time an entire pro sports season had been cancelled, but resulted in the new salary cap we have today.

21)  Steelers win record six Super Bowls
In 2005-2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers won their record-tying fifth Super Bowl under Bill Cowher as a #6 seed, beating Seattle 21-10.  Three years later, the Steelers would do it again, winning a 27-23 thriller over Arizona for the record.

20)  Tiger Woods scandal shakes golf
Tiger Woods, considered by many to be the greatest golfer of all time, was accused of having an affair with a nightclub manager.  The next day, he crashed his car, leading to media attention surrounding his personal life and family.

19)  Federer emerges as most dominant man in tennis
Roger Federer became the world’s number one ranked tennis player in 2004 and held that ranking for 237 consecutive weeks.  He briefly fell to #2, but regained the #1 ranking to close the decade.  He has 15 Grand Slam titles – the most all time.

18)  USA men’s basketball team slips at Worlds, Olympics
Loaded with a slew of NBA All-Stars, the USA men’s basketball team finishes sixth at the 2002 World Championships, then settles for bronze in the 2004 Olympics.  It’s the lowest finish by the team ever at Worlds and tied for lowest at the Olympics.

17)  ‘Iron Mike’ era ends with loss to Lewis
In one of the most publicized and highly anticipated fights in boxing history, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis tangled on June 8, 2002.  Lewis dominated, KOing Tyson in the eighth round.  Tyson would fight a few more times before finally retiring.

16)  Dale Earnhardt Sr. dies
A tragic final-lap crash at the 2001 Daytona 500 took the life of one of NASCAR’s all-time greats.  Earnhardt won 76 races and seven Winston Cup Series titles.  After Earnhardt’s death, NASCAR focuses on safety with safer cars and tracks.

15)  BCS creates controversy beginning in 2004
In 2004, the Auburn Tigers became the first undefeated BCS team to be left out of the BCS National Championship.  Utah went undefeated in 2004 and 2008, Boise ran the table in 2006 and 2009, and TCU and Cincinnati went undefeated in 2009.

14)  Kobe Bryant accused of rape
Arguably the best player in the NBA was accused of rape by a woman in Denver.  Bryant was acquitted of sexual assault charges but admitted committing adultery.  The golden boy of the NBA was no longer considered to be a role model by many.

13)  Bartman sparks big inning for opponents
In 2003, the die-hard Cubs fan took a would-have-been out away from Moises Alou, extending Luis Castillo’s at-bat in game six of the NLCS.  The Marlins, down 3-2 in the series and 3-0 in the game, won both.  The curse of the billy-goat lives on.

12)  Michael Vick indicted for dog fighting
Former overall number one draft pick Michael Vick, who two years earlier had led the Atlanta Falcons to the NFC championship, was indicted on dog fighting charges in July of 2007.  He would spend a year in prison before returning to the NFL in 2009.

11)  Team USA spectacular in 2002, not so much in 2006
Team USA soccer gave America a thrill in 2002, making it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup before eventually falling to Germany 1-0.  The Americans upset Portugal and Mexico along the way.  In 2006, they failed to win a game in the Cup.

10)  Jordan indecisive about retirement…again
After Michael Jordan had called it quits following his sixth NBA championship, the love of the game brought him back again.  Jordan played two seasons with the Washington Wizards before retiring. He was inducted into the hall of fame in 2009.

9)  Barry Bonds sets *HR records
In 2001, Barry Bonds broke Mark McGwire’s single season home run mark by belting 73 long balls.  Six years later, Bonds would pass Hank Aaron for most HRs all time with his 756th.  The authenticity of these records may forever be debated.

8)  Patriots go perfect, only to lose in Super Bowl XLIV
The New England Patriots had the perfect team and the perfect record.  They were the first team to ever finish a 16-game regular season unbeaten.  But the New York Giants had other plans.  Eli Manning and company upset New England 17-14.

7)  Sports goes on after 9/11
In a time when America could have caved and crumbled after the attacks of 9/11, the sports world did not.  The NFL postponed all games for week two, and the MLB postponed its games for three days.  But, like America, sports went on.

6)  Lance Armstrong wins seven straight Tour De France titles
American Lance Armstrong dominated cycling for years, winning the Tour De France the first six times in the decade, and seven dating back to 1999.  What may have been more remarkable about the streak was that he is a cancer survivor.

5)  Boston Red Sox end curse of the Babe
Because the Red Sox were so close for so many years, it almost appeared as though the curse of the Babe would never be broken.  But the rival Yankees set a perfect stage for a remarkable turnaround, blowing a 3-0 ALCS lead to the division rivals.

4)  Usain Bolt breaks sprinting world records
Perhaps no one dominates their sport the way Jamaican Usain Bolt dominates sprinting.  In Beijing in 2008, he won three golds and set three world records in the 100, 200 and 4×100.  A year later, he would break his own 100 and 200 records.

3)  Michael Phelps rakes in the gold
In the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, Phelps took six gold medals and two bronze medals – an incredible feat for a 19-year-old.  In Beijing in 2008, he was even more remarkable, breaking Mark Spitz’ record by winning eight golds.

2)  Diamondbacks beat Yankees in 2001 World Series
The Yankees tugged on America’s heartstrings in the first sports championship post-9/11.  New York, for the first time, were the good guys.  But after Pettitte got rocked and Rivera blew game seven, it was the cardiac ‘Backs who prevailed.

1)  Steroids forever change baseball
Nothing has changed the landscape of sports more than the recent steroid saga.  Players, records, teams and championships will forever have asterisks next to them thanks to the likes of McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, Palmeiro, Clemens and Rodriguez.

Bonus – What we didn’t see this decade:
- Triple Crown winner in horse racing
- Triple Crown winner in Major League Baseball
- Cubs winning the World Series
- True Grand Slam in golf
- Eagles winning the Super Bowl


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Categories : Sports

Picking all 34 bowl games

19 12 2009

Bowl season gets underway Saturday with the first of 34 bowl games.  Damn, that’s 68 bowl bids.  I guess when a team loads up on FCS and Sun Belt teams in the nonconference, being bowl eligible doesn’t mean much.  But here we are anyway, and I’ll attempt to pick all 34, though I will likely only watch about half of them.

New Mexico Bowl – Fresno State vs Wyoming
Fresno finished strong with a dramatic overtime win over Illinois in Champaign.  A loaded schedule included losses to Wisconsin, Cincinnati and Boise State, but that should have them ready.  Props for Dave Christensen for getting Wyoming back to a bowl in his first season.
Pick:  Fresno State

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl – Central Florida vs Rutgers
When Rutgers lost by 32 at home to Cincinnati in week one, things weren’t looking good.  But the Scarlet Knights pulled it together and finished 8-4 in a surprisingly competitive Big East.  However, Central Florida basically has a home game here, and containing Tim Brown’s big play ability will be key.  Rutgers’ D ranks 99th.
Pick:  Central Florida

New Orleans Bowl – Southern Mississippi vs Middle Tennessee State
Sub Belt runner-up Middle Tennessee’s lone conference loss was to Troy, and 9-3 should be considered a success.  Al logic says pick the Blue Raiders, but I’m going against my logic on this.  Southern Mississippi had some heartbreaking losses against good teams, which will ultimately have them prepared for this game.
Pick:  Southern Mississippi

Las Vegas Bowl – Oregon State vs BYU
The Beavers were just a few plays away from playing Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.  Instead, they settle for Vegas and a great matchup with BYU.  The Beavers played five teams in the top 25, while the Cougars played just two.  Max Hall should have fun with the Beaver defense, but Oregon State will win a high-scoring game.
Pick:  Oregon State

Poinsettia Bowl – Utah vs California
Jahvid Best should be ready for this game, but how well he will do coming back from the concussion is unknown.  The Golden Bears, ranked as high as #6 earlier this year, fell after back to back blowout losses mid-season.  Utah’s defense is #20 in the country, while Cal ranks at #70.
Pick:  Utah

Sheraton Bowl – Nevada vs SMU
SMU will snap its 25 year bowl drought when it takes the field in Honolulu on Christmas Eve to play Nevada.  The Wolfpack got hot at the end of the season, winning eight of their final nine after an 0-3 start.  SMU will be happy to be here.  Nevada isn’t leaving without a win.
Pick:  Nevada

Little Caesars Bowl – Marshall vs Ohio
One of only two bowls north of the Mason Dixon line takes place in Detroit between two virtually equal teams.  Marshall is 6-6 but has played a tougher schedule.  Ohio is 9-4 after a MAC Championship loss to Central Michigan.  Ohio did play Tennessee and UConn tough.
Pick:  Ohio

Meineke Car Care Bowl – Pittsburgh vs North Carolina
Like Oregon State, Pittsburgh has to be crushed knowing that an Orange Bowl date with Georgia Tech was probably one or two plays away.  After a heartbreaking loss to Cincinnati, the Panthers settle for a “neutral” site game in Charlotte with the Heels.  Carolina’s defense will keep it close, but the ‘Heels just can’t score.
Pick:  Pittsburgh

Emerald Bowl – Boston College vs USC
I’m really entertained to see what the line on this game will turn out to be.  Right now it’s USC -9, and I’ll take the Trojans to cover.  Boston College has a terrible offense, and USC’s defense can be good despite some poor games.  This is a weird bowl to see USC playing in, and you know they are peeved about it.  Watch out BC.
Pick:  USC

Music City Bowl – Kentucky vs Clemson
Clemson, suffering from the Pitt/Oregon State virus, will have to watch their team take on a -not-as-good-as-their-record Kentucky team.  I’ve thought the ‘Cats were overrated all year, and Clemson has a chance to prove me right.  Kentucky’s rush D is ranked #100.  C.J. Spiller will have a field day.
Pick:  Clemson

Independence Bowl – Texas A&M vs Georgia
The interesting matchup here is Georgia’s fairly good defense against Texas A&M’s explosive offense.  The Aggies lit up Texas’ third ranked D and can do it again when they play the Bulldogs.  But the Aggie defense is awful, and Georgia should have its chances to score as well.
Pick:  Georgia

EagleBank Bowl – UCLA vs Temple
Games like this are the toughest to pick.  UCLA is 6-6, but with the #11 schedule in the nation.  Temple is 9-3, but had the sixth easiest schedule.  UCLA’s offense is ranked #88.  Temple’s is #89.  UCLA’s defense is #39, Temple’s is #37.  I’ll take the Bruins because of the schedule.
Pick:  UCLA

Champs Sports Bowl – Miami vs Wisconsin
Another game with no distinct advantage is a good one which features two 9-3 teams.  Wisconsin’s loss to Northwestern cost them their shot at a New Year’s Day bowl game despite a better overall record than the Wildcats.  Jacory Harris will make enough plays to push the ‘Canes to victory in their home state.
Pick:  Miami

Humanitarian Bowl – Bowling Green vs Idaho
Idaho fans were on a roller coaster early this season with the team’s 6-1 start.  But that vanished after the Vandals lost four of their final five, and they limp into Boise, where they lost on the same field by 38.  This time, Tyler Sheehan and Bowling Green are the opponents.  Limiting Sheehan’s big plays will be key for Idaho.
Pick:  Idaho

Holiday Bowl – Arizona vs Nebraska
Geographically, Arizona has the edge, but Husker fans will travel to watch their near Big 12 champions play.  Both defenses are really good, which is why I think 17 points may be enough.  The difference is that Arizona can score, and has, against good teams.  The Huskers haven’t shown consistent offense all season.
Pick:  Arizona

Armed Forces Bowl – Houston vs Air Force
The Armed Forces have their team, the Falcons, in this game.  Awaiting the Falcons is the #1 offense in the nation – the Houston Cougars.  Case Keenum and James Cleveland will be faced with its toughest task of the season with the Falcons’ #10 defense.  It’s Keenum’s chance to prove he deserved an invite to New York.
Pick:  Houston

Sun Bowl – Oklahoma vs Stanford
How about this high-profile matchup?  Last year, the final score of the Sun Bowl was 3-0.  This year Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart and the Cardinal will need more than that to beat the Sooners.  Gerhart will look to add to his nation-best 26 touchdowns against the seventh ranked Sooner rush defense.
Pick:  Stanford

Texas Bowl – Navy vs Missouri
Missouri became the first team in college football history to scout its bowl opponent in a live game, as the Army/Navy game took place after the bowl selection process.  It’s Navy’s fourth ranked rush attack vs Missouri’s #12 rush defense.  Navy’s only chance is if they can find a way to pass.
Pick:  Missouri

Insight Bowl – Minnesota vs Iowa State
The Insight Bowl took the Cyclones, who are bowling for the first time since 2001.  That decision makes for a good game.  Neither team’s offense or defense is any good, but the Gophers at least have a respectable defense.  Iowa State can’t stop anyone.
Pick:  Minnesota

Chick-fil-A Bowl – Virginia Tech vs Tennessee
Here’s a game that I don’t think will be close.  Virginia Tech has an outstanding defense, and Tennessee doesn’t do much to move the ball.  The Vols defense may keep it respectable for a while, but eventually Virginia Tech, who was ranked as high as number four even after the ‘Bama loss, will pull away.
Pick:  Virginia Tech

Outback Bowl – Northwestern vs Auburn
Would you believe me if I told you Auburn has played seven top 30 teams?  That’s right, seven.  The Tigers won three of those games, but it’s more about the fact that they played those games that has them prepared for this New Year’s Day dandy.  Northwestern played well at the end of the year and won’t go down without a fight.
Pick:  Auburn

Capital One Bowl – Penn State vs LSU
The best bowl game of the season is in Orlando.  LSU played Florida and Alabama tough, but Penn State will be a monstrous challenge as well.  The Lions’ D is eighth best in the country, and LSU has the twelfth worst offense in the nation.  It’s going to be tough for the Tigers to score.
Pick:  Penn State

Gator Bowl – West Virginia vs Florida State
How ironic is it that Bobby Bowden’s last game is against the team he used to coach?  As fun as the Bowden storyline should be, the Seminoles have no business being in this game.  Other ACC schools (Clemson, Miami) have to be peeved about the ‘Noles getting the Gator bid.
Pick:  West Virginia

International Bowl – South Florida vs Northern Illinois
Sophomore quarterback Chandler Harnish has been very efficient for Northern Illinois, but they haven’t played a team nearly as good as South Florida since a week one loss to Wisconsin.  The Bulls played tough in a good Big East conference.  The only bowl not played in the U.S. should be a fun one.
Pick:  South Florida

Papajohns.com Bowl – South Carolina vs Connecticut
Middle-of-the-pack teams clash in the only bowl named for a pizza.  UConn lost all five games by four points or fewer, which is quite unbelievable when you think about it.  A few bounces going the other way could make this team 12-0.  Four of South Carolina’s five losses came by double digits.
Pick:  Connecticut

Cotton Bowl – Oklahoma State vs Mississippi
Both of these teams started the season in the top 10 and had national championship aspirations.  Jevan Snead was supposed to win the Heisman and go #1.  Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter and Dez Bryant were supposed to combine to form the best offense in the country.  This is a game of disappointment.
Pick:  Mississippi

Liberty Bowl – Arkansas vs East Carolina
The Pirates were awfully impressive in capturing their second straight Conference USA championship by knocking off Houston.  Their reward is a date with Arkansas.  Ryan Mallett had a heck of a year that went unnoticed because the Hogs lost five games.
Pick:  Arkansas

Alamo Bowl – Michigan State vs Texas Tech
Everyone knew this would be a down year for Texas Tech following the losses of Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, but 8-4 is surprisingly respectable for the Red Raiders.  First year starter Taylor Potts threw for more than 3,000 yards, and he’ll have another big game against the Spartans.
Pick:  Texas Tech

GMAC Bowl – Central Michigan vs Troy
Central Michigan’s turnaround led to a MAC championship.  Now Butch Jones is bolting for Cincinnati to fill the void left by Brian Kelly.  Coach or no coach, the Chippewas should have no trouble moving the ball at will against Troy.  Troy has the offense to keep it close, so look for a high-scoring game.
Pick:  Central Michigan

Rose Bowl – Ohio State vs Oregon
Jeremiah Masoli and the Ducks could have folded after losing to Boise State to open the season.  Instead, the Ducks won 10 of 11, dethroned USC to win the Pac 10, and earned a Rose Bowl berth.  Ohio State is on the other end, making this the best BCS game on this year’s slate.
Pick:  Oregon

Sugar Bowl – Cincinnati vs Florida
Tim Tebow lost the game he wanted to win more than anything.  Now he plays his last college game against a team without a coach.  Cincinnati has scored a lot of points on a lot of people, but they haven’t faced a defense like Florida’s.  Tebow won’t let the Gators lose this one.
Pick:  Florida

Fiesta Bowl – Boise State vs TCU
We can talk all we want about the fact that these are two non-BCS teams playing each other, or about them both being undefeated, or about them playing in the national championship game.  But the matchup is what it is, and it should be entertaining.  TCU won last year, and they’ll repeat this year.
Pick:  TCU

Orange Bowl – Iowa vs Georgia Tech
The Hawkeyes were an overtime loss away from winning the Big Ten, but they’ll take their first BCS bowl game since the era began.  Awaiting Iowa and its #11 defense is Georgia Tech’s second ranked rush offense, led by Jonathan Dwyer and Josh Nesbitt.
Pick:  Georgia Tech

BCS National Championship – Alabama vs Texas
Which Texas team will show up?  The Horns that blew out Okie State in Stillwater?  It better be.  The team that “beat” Nebraska?  Stay home.  We know the Tide and Heisman winner Mark Ingram will be there.  Both teams have good enough defenses to keep from getting blown out.  Bottom line: roll Tide.
Pick:  Alabama


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Categories : Sports

Five must-see bowls, five snoozers

8 12 2009

The 2009-2010 bowl season is sure to produce some interesting storylines, even if the games may not be great.  In the Sugar Bowl, a top five offense will clash with a top five defense.  In Dallas, a Cotton Bowl matchup features two teams with explosive offenses who both have to feel disappointed to be in that game.  The day after Christmas, USC will play a bowl game.  Six days later, Bobby Bowden will coach his final game, against his former team.  Three days after that, two non-BCS schools will meet in a BCS bowl.

Here, I give you five bowls to watch even if it means skipping work or family reunions, and five bowls with which you can hit the snooze button.

Sleep through…

5)  Chick-fil-A Bowl:  When Virginia Tech meets Tennessee on New Year’s Eve, things will get ugly.  The Hokies have to consider this season a disappointment, yet they have a chance for another 10-win season under Frank Beamer.  The Hokie defense will make life miserable for a vanilla Tennessee offense and should win comfortably.  Alternative suggestion: start your New Year’s Eve plans early.

4)  Fiesta Bowl: Is the BCS really this scared?  Two of the past three years, a BCS buster has knocked off a powerhouse.  So logically, the BCS puts its two undefeated busters up against each other as to not ruin this system by having another Oklahoma or Alabama fall in the spotlight.  I thought the point of these teams making it to a BCS game was to see how they matched up with BCS schools.  Now we’ll never know.  Alternative suggestion: rewind time and put TCU up against Georgia Tech and Iowa against Boise State.

3)  Texas Bowl: Navy still has one more game to play, meaning they lose two weeks of preparation on Missouri, whom they will play on New Year’s Eve in Houston.  Not only that, but Navy can’t throw the ball.  In fact, they won a game this year in which they didn’t even attempt a pass.  If they try to run, Missouri will stuff it (12th in the nation against the run).  If they try to throw, they will be out of their element.  On the other side, the Tigers have scored at least 32 points in five straight games.  It won’t be close.  Alternative suggestion: see Chick-fil-A Bowl suggestion.

2)  Gator Bowl: That’s really nice of the Gator Bowl to invite Bobby Bowden to play his last game there.  So cute.  Too bad the whole nation will be watching a different 1 p.m. New Year’s Day bowl instead.  Bowden and Florida State do not belong in this game after a .500 finish.  Not only that, but they are going up against a talented West Virginia team which ended the season with wins over Pitt and Rutgers, and a near shocker in Cincinnati.  The ‘Noles don’t have a defense, and West Virginia will exploit that early and often.  Alternative suggestion: watch ABC (see below for why).

1)  Emerald Bowl: Yes, the most boring yet comedic thing to watch will be Boston College trying to move the ball on USC’s defense.  Despite the Trojans’ struggles this season, the defense has been relatively stable against bad offenses, and Boston College’s is ranked 97th in the country.  Give Pete Carroll a month to prepare for anyone, and they’re in trouble.  The Eagles don’t have a chance, especially in San Francisco.  Alternative suggestion: leave one Christmas present unopened so you have something to look forward to the next day.

Must-see games

5)  Holiday Bowl: What a dandy this will be.  Heisman candidate Ndamukong Suh and the ninth ranked Nebraska defense faces a top 20 defense in Arizona.  Normally I like Nebraska in this game, but the game being in San Diego neutralizes things.  Arizona is riding high after winning at USC, and Nebraska is feeling good about their “win” against Texas.  Double digits may be enough to win this game.

4)  Rose Bowl: The best BCS matchup features the perennial Big Ten champion Ohio State Buckeyes and…someone other than USC.  This alone makes it a must watch, but considering it’s the Ducks, a team that got white-hot after an opening night loss to Boise State, it should be a classic.  Terrelle Pryor and Jeremiah Masoli should set off plenty of fireworks.

3)  Las Vegas Bowl: It’s amazing that a team can go from playing on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl to playing in a bowl on Dec. 22.  But that’s exactly what happened to the Oregon State Beavers after a heartbreaking loss in Eugene Thursday night.  In comes BYU, a team with lofty expectations before being trampled at home by Florida State, then TCU.  And if there’s anyone who can take apart the Beavers, it’s underrated senior quarterback Max Hall, who is ahead of Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow and Kellen Moore in passing yards per game despite fewer passing attempts.  Buckle up for an offensive explosion.

2)  Poinsettia Bowl: Ironically, last year’s Poinsettia Bowl featured Boise State and TCU, with a final scored of 17-16.  This year the San Diego bowl game should be equally entertaining.  Two teams ranked in the preseason top 25 meet, and this will be about Utah’s defense trying to stop California’s Jahvid Best, who will be returning from a concussion suffered last month.  Both teams are out to prove that early season losses were a fluke.

1)  Capital One Bowl: The best bowl game of the season takes place in Orlando on New Year’s Day.  LSU will face Penn State, and if you recall, things were looking up for these teams in November.  Penn State had Ohio State coming to Happy Valley for the conference championship, while LSU actually held a lead on Alabama.  Neither team came through though, and wind up here instead.  The key to this game is LSU’s defense.  They must hold Penn State down, because the Tiger offense, ranked #108 in the country, won’t have a lot of opportunities against Penn State’s eighth ranked defense.


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Categories : Sports

Reactions following Big 12 Championship

6 12 2009

After Hunter Lawrence booted the Longhorns into the national championship, many had strong feelings about the game, the officiating, and the BCS.  Yes, the officials favored the ‘Horns all night (see “bogus pass interference calls”).  Yes, there was controversy.  Yes, Mack Brown should be put in the same group with Bill Belichick and Les Miles for having the worst clock management of all time in a must-win situation.  Yes, Colt McCoy played it off like he knew what he was doing when in reality he had no idea.  And most importantly, the officials got it right by adding one second to the clock to allow for a game-winning field goal attempt.

All of this didn’t sit too well with some people.  Take a look at some of the reactions to last night’s drama.

Pelinis angry with officials following loss

Parrish advocates playoff after Cincinnati, TCU left out

Big 12 refs needed Texas to avoid upset

Quite possibly the best thing I heard about that game came from by roommate, who described what he thought the ‘Horns were thinking on that drive:

“Let’s do everything we can to fuck this up and not play for the national title.”


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Categories : Sports

UCLA? No, it’s OU who fell hardest

30 11 2009

Ben Howland’s Bruins are bad.  There’s no getting around that.  For the first time ever, UCLA went winless in a tournament.  But for as bad as the Bruins have been, there’s a BCS stench that smells just a little bit worse, and it comes from Norman.

That’s because the Sooners of Oklahoma, ranked #18 to start the season, are just 3-3 and haven’t played a ranked team yet.  In fact, they haven’t even played a BCS conference team yet.

UCLA is constantly being talked about as the most disappointing team in the country.  Yes, they have been playing below expectations, but they lost four of their top five scorers from a season ago to the NBA and have just three seniors on the roster.  They’ve also lost to two ranked teams.  OU hasn’t played one.

The Sooners lost Blake Griffin, but return superb freshman Willy Warren, as well as Tony Crocker and have a good freshman class headlined by Steven Pledger.  Still three straight losses have the Sooners desperate for quality wins before Big 12 play.  Oklahoma needs to beat Gonzaga in Washington.  They need to take care of Arkansas and Arizona at home.  And in conference, they will probably have to win 10 or more.  Otherwise, losses to Virginia Commonwealth, San Diego and Houston will look bad.

No one is talking about OU’s bad start because they were hidden away in Anchorage playing in the Great Alaska Shootout.  UCLA meanwhile, was on ESPN, as was most of the 76 Classic in Anaheim.  In a conference that features the nations two best teams, Oklahoma better get it together fast, otherwise, this season may end up as disappointing as the football season.


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Categories : Sports

The case for Case

27 11 2009

Every Heisman contender has a Heisman moment – that game where, when it’s over, you say to yourself “wow, he really deserves the Heisman trophy.” After watching Colt McCoy rip Texas A&M to shreds tonight, I sort of had that feeling. Sort of.

After all, it’s easy to make a case for McCoy. He is 12-0, and likely headed for the national championship. He now has 27 touchdown passes and nine interceptions to go along with nearly 3,500 yards. However, the nine interceptions is more than he had in 13 games last season. And in order to match his touchdown and yardage total from a year ago, he needs seven TD passes and about 400 yards in the next two games. Even if he does that, he will have needed 14 games to do what he did in 13 in 2008. To go along with those monster 2008 numbers, he had 591 rushing yards. This year he has just 368, and only because he rushed for 175 tonight. He also has nine fewer rushing touchdowns.

Here’s the question: should we compare a Heisman candidate’s numbers to those of a season ago? My answer is no. But the voters will. And McCoy’s superior 2008 season wasn’t good enough to win the Heisman. Why should this year be different?

So what about Mark Ingram? The Alabama sophomore is 11-0, likely 12-0 after the Iron Bowl, and is averaging 6.8 yards per carry and 127 yards per game. He seems to be getting most of the talk right now, but why? Is it because the Tide are #2 in the nation? Because he plays for a school with a rich tradition? Because he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated?  He only has 12 touchdowns.  We might as well throw UTEP’s Donald Buckrem in the mix as well.  He has more yards, yards per game and touchdowns than Ingram.  And he certainly doesn’t have the offensive line Ingram has.

So do you give it to Ingram, with worse numbers than a handful of running backs from non-BCS schools, because those running backs don’t have to run against SEC opponents?

Here’s another running back you may not know about – Toby Gerhart.  He plays for Stanford.  Stanford is in the Pac 10, and believe it or not, it’s the best conference in the country.  Don’t believe me?  Read this.

Gerhart plays for a school who’s playing nine teams from the best conference in football, plus bowl eligible Notre Dame.  All in all, Stanford has a schedule ranking (13)  that’s 28 places higher than Alabama (41) and 43 places higher than Texas (56).  Gerhart has rushed for 1,531 yards, second only to Buckrem, and has 23 rushing touchdowns, second to no one.  But his team is 7-4.  So I ask, should we give the Heisman to a guy with better numbers but a worse record?  Tim Tebow won the award the year he went 9-4, but finished third the year he won a national championship at 13-1.

It’s taken me a while to get to this option, but I now present you with the only one that makes sense: Case Keenum.  Say what you want about his strength of schedule or the Houston play calling.  I’m about to shut you up.

Keenum is 9-2, and almost surely to be 11-2 following a Conference USA championship in a few weeks.  He is more than 1,000 yards ahead of the next highest passer in the country.  That’s unreal.  Forget the schedule.  He’s a machine.  1,000 yards?  Are you kidding?  He doesn’t have a Jordan Shipley on his team.  There’s no Mark Ingram or Toby Gerhart to balance the offense.  This is a one man show.  Defenses know exactly what’s coming and still can’t stop it.  That’s impressive.  His 36 touchdowns leads the nation going away.  He’s the only player in the country throwing for more than 400 yards per game.  And for those of you saying that his pass attempts are inflated, try wrapping this number around your head: six interceptions.  Six.  in 553 pass attempts.  McCoy has three more in 161 fewer attempts.  And McCoy has a line that doesn’t let anyone touch him.

Keenum, unlike McCoy, will best his 2008 numbers, blow away all 2009 QBs in every statistical category, and, sadly, probably won’t even be invited to New York.  But he should be.  And he should win it.  This is a very interesting race, and the other contenders have too many question marks surrounding their legitimacy.  For once, give it to the little guy, on the little team.

My Heisman ballot:

1)  Case Keenum
2)  Colt McCoy
3)  Toby Gerhart


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Categories : Sports

Dear BCS – your system is just fine

23 11 2009

Guest columnist Kyle Goeke

Non BCS conferences are here to stay.  Over the past five years, it has become apparent that these conferences want two things: to be recognized with the big boys and (more importantly) to be paid like the big boys.  A berth in a BCS bowl game is worth $18 million to each conference that gets a bid (which gets split evenly to the schools).  That’s right…in 2007, the terrible 1-11 Idaho Vandals received about $2 million because their conference brethren Hawaii got a BCS bid.  So no wonder these non-BCS conferences want their piece of the pie.

Every decision these commissioners and college presidents make is about money.  Why do you think college football hasn’t switched to a playoff format?  Because they’ll make more money pushing a “win or go home” regular season.  Think about it: a 32 team playoff would include Temple, a 16 team playoff would have three-loss Virginia Tech, and an eight team playoff has two loss LSU.  Some people out there even want a four team (Plus One) playoff.  A four team playoff makes sense…only, who are you going to leave out?  Boise State? Cincinnati?  TCU?  Those three teams can all make the case for the fourth spot.  A four team playoff would create just as much chaos as the system that’s in place now.

Anyways…I hate to ramble.  I’m new to this blog thing.  Here is my suggestion: keep the system the way it is.  It has worked thus far (with the exception of the 2004 Auburn Tigers).  Also, these non BCS schools keep complaining that their team is the best, and yet they can’t play for a title.  I asked Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel about this dilemma a few weeks ago at Tiger Talk (Buffalo Wild Wings 40 cent boneless Monday’s!!!).  He has actually experienced this situation from both perspectives.  He was the head coach at Toledo in 2000 when they failed to make a bowl appearance after a 10-1 regular season (Chester Taylor destroyed the MAC that year).  Pinkel believes that it takes a lot of emotion and preparation to beat a top ranked conference foe.  It takes even more to beat that top ranked team and then come out the next week ready for the next tough team.  Could Boise St. beat Florida?  I think so.  Could Boise St. beat Florida and then come out the next week ready to take on Alabama?  No way.  Kentucky had a two game stretch like that earlier in the season.  Boise St. beat Oregon at home in the first game of the season.  That is literally all they have to show for this season (other than nail biters with Tulsa and Louisiana Tech).  TCU has had a tougher schedule.  It’s not their fault that Clemson lost to Maryland or that Virginia is god-awful.  But Texas State?  Get that game off your schedule if you want to be taken seriously.  They have beaten BYU and Utah badly…but they have not had a two game stretch of good teams yet.

To my suggestion: the winner of the WAC and the MWC should meet during Championship weekend.  The winner of this game should get an automatic bid to a BCS bowl so they can get in on the $$$ action.  Enough of Boise St./Hawaii fans and TCU/Utah fans angry that their team doesn’t get a chance.  Let the winner of that game have a chance at the BCS title game…if they are in the top two of course.  This way they can make the claim that they’ve actually played someone.  I’m sure I went way too long with this blog.  Thanks for reading.


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