Sunday Morning Quarterback: FanPosts

About Last Night - BCS Championship Game Thoughts

2013-01-08T21:59:23Z

Last night’s Alabama-Notre Dame BCS championship matchup was supposed to be an epic game for the ages – billed as "Dynasty vs. Destiny." Instead, it turned out to be a snoozer for the ages. Since it’s still legal in the United States for Crimson Tide RB Eddie Lacy to run over a grown man, the Dynasty side of the equation won in a blowout, 42-14. From the start, Notre Dame looked outmatched. About the only luck the Fighting Irish had was that a lot of people probably went to bed before witnessing the entirety of the destruction.

Today, one of my friends summed up the game like this: "Well, looks like Notre Dame had no business being ranked first. The end."

Not surprisingly, criticism afterwards revolved around whether Notre Dame even deserved to be in the game at all. Yes, they were undefeated, but maybe in reality that record was a fraud. Maybe the triple-overtime win against Pitt didn’t signify a team that could come back from anything but rather a team that had to try really, really hard to beat Pitt. Maybe even though the Irish defense was heralded, their tendency to take the wrong angles on tackles would be heavily exposed against an above average team. Maybe a one-loss Oregon should have been in the game. Maybe we should have just had a rematch of the SEC Championship.

The soon-to-be playoff system should eliminate some of these maybes, but it still may not stop a dynasty. Watching the Crimson Tide hit on all cylinders last night, it’s easy to imagine that the same fate that Notre Dame suffered could very well have happened to Oregon or any other team, for that matter. The Tide did what great teams do: they brought their A-game to the big game – and someone was going to pay.

But it is interesting to look at to what extent both Alabama and Notre Dame’s schedules prepared them for last night’s moment. The Crimson Tide went through what seemed like a moderate SEC schedule that turned out to be difficult in different ways. LSU, Texas A&M, and Georgia all brought their best games when they played Alabama. To get through it all, the Tide needed depth; the roles of talented freshmen like T.J. Yeldon and Amari Cooper expanded even more when others went down with long-term injuries. They needed poise to pull out a last-minute win against LSU in Baton Rouge at night. They needed focus after the loss to Texas A&M. And they needed perseverance in the SEC Championship game against Georgia. Through it all, this team learned how to put itself in the best position to win in each game, whether it was a regular season game, a conference championship, or the national championship.

Meanwhile, for all of Notre Dame’s achievements this season, their schedule didn’t turn out to be as difficult as it first looked. Michigan and Michigan State underperformed while USC underachieved. Oklahoma was good, but was exposed against teams like K-State and in the Cotton Bowl against the Aggies. The Fighting Irish played Stanford before the Cardinal got really good, beat Oregon, and won the Pac-12 and the Rose Bowl. It was difficult to judge the Irish because, while they were finding different ways to win – a goal-line stand here, improved quarterback play there – they weren’t necessarily putting all the parts together for the grand stage in Miami. Last night, it showed.

After the game, SEC fans exhalted the triumph of "grown man football", but those men also grow over the course of a season. A playoff system may do a better job of separating the men from the boys before the big game, but team schedules – and how teams use those games to build a playoff-ready team – will still matter a lot. Just because the system is changing doesn’t mean grown man football is going away anytime soon, no matter who is on the other side of the field. Last night, that was as clear as the crystal football the Crimson Tide hoisted in victory.

Today, one of my friends summed up the game like this: "Well, looks like Notre Dame had no business being ranked first. The end."

Goodbye Everyone

2012-12-03T00:08:50Z

I have enjoyed being part of this community these past few months, but I'm afraid that I plan on discontinuing writing posts from now on.

I will of course come back time to time to check on the latest news, but due to the inactivity of the community, I no longer feel that it is necessary to continue posting my thoughts and views. These past few months have all been part of a blogging project assigned to me as part of a writing course I am taking at my university, which I shall leave unnamed.

My goal was to insert myself into a community and become an active contributor and I feel that I have done that, and I thank all those that genuinely liked my posts and left comments, which enhanced the blogging experience for me. I tried my best to post about current, and interesting topics relating to college football. Although I was able to spark some conversation, it was not as much as I had hoped for and gotten from other blogs.

Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable experience. And since I know by the time you have read this far into the post you're all brokenhearted, lumpy-throated, and tired of holding back tears, I shall leave you with this quote from Dr. Seuss,

"Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened."

I have enjoyed being part of this community these past few months, but I'm afraid that I plan on discontinuing writing posts from now on.

"Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened."

Time to Ready up for the Post Season

2012-12-02T20:38:20Z

It seems like it went by pretty fast, December 1st marked the end of the college football regular season.

As always in college football, there were a plenty of surprises and things ended up far different from what was at first predicted. Here are the Preseason AP top 25 rankings:

1	USC (25)	0-0	1445
2	Alabama (17)	0-0	1411
3	LSU (16)	0-0	1402
4	Oklahoma (1)	0-0	1286
5	Oregon	0-0	1274
6	Georgia	0-0	1107
7	Florida State	0-0	1093
8	Michigan (1)	0-0	1000
9	South Carolina	0-0	994
10	Arkansas	0-0	963
11	West Virginia	0-0	856
12	Wisconsin	0-0	838
13	Michigan State	0-0	742
14	Clemson	0-0	615
15	Texas	0-0	569
16	Virginia Tech	0-0	548
17	Nebraska	0-0	485
18	Ohio State	0-0	474
19	Oklahoma State	0-0	430
20	TCU	0-0	397
21	Stanford	0-0	383
22	Kansas State	0-0	300
23	Florida	0-0	214
24	Boise State	0-0	212
25	Louisville	0-0	105

Now here are the current AP rankings:

1	Notre Dame (60)	12-0	1500
2	Alabama	12-1	1424
3	Ohio State	12-0	1302
4	Florida	11-1	1279
5	Oregon	11-1	1250
6	Georgia	11-2	1213
7	Kansas State	11-1	1129
8	Stanford	11-2	1094
9	LSU	10-2	1051
10	Texas A&M	10-2	1025
11	South Carolina	10-2	907
12	Oklahoma	10-2	851
13	Florida State	11-2	789
14	Clemson	10-2	691
15	Oregon State	9-3	638
16	Northern Illinois	12-1	534
17	UCLA	9-4	440
18	Utah State	10-2	379
19	Michigan	8-4	306
20	Boise State	10-2	276
21	Northwestern	9-3	266
22	Louisville	10-2	248
23	Nebraska	10-3	227
24	San Jose State	10-2	157
25	Kent State	11-2	117

As you can see, USC seems to have been the biggest disappointment of the season, but no worries, they aren't alone in that category for sure.

No doubt this was an interesting season, as Alabama stayed on top of the BCS rankings longer than ever before, then fell off as Oregon and K-State rose to the top, who then fell off as Notre Dame rose to the top, as Alabama found a way past Georgia in the SEC title game and back into the BCS Championship game.

Currently the bowl games are being released and personally I am excited to see Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl.

It seems like it went by pretty fast, December 1st marked the end of the college football regular season.

As always in college football, there were a plenty of surprises and things ended up far different from what was at first predicted. Here are the Preseason AP top 25 rankings:

1	USC (25)	0-0	1445
2	Alabama (17)	0-0	1411
3	LSU (16)	0-0	1402
4	Oklahoma (1)	0-0	1286
5	Oregon	0-0	1274
6	Georgia	0-0	1107
7	Florida State	0-0	1093
8	Michigan (1)	0-0	1000
9	South Carolina	0-0	994
10	Arkansas	0-0	963
11	West Virginia	0-0	856
12	Wisconsin	0-0	838
13	Michigan State	0-0	742
14	Clemson	0-0	615
15	Texas	0-0	569
16	Virginia Tech	0-0	548
17	Nebraska	0-0	485
18	Ohio State	0-0	474
19	Oklahoma State	0-0	430
20	TCU	0-0	397
21	Stanford	0-0	383
22	Kansas State	0-0	300
23	Florida	0-0	214
24	Boise State	0-0	212
25	Louisville	0-0	105

Now here are the current AP rankings:

1	Notre Dame (60)	12-0	1500
2	Alabama	12-1	1424
3	Ohio State	12-0	1302
4	Florida	11-1	1279
5	Oregon	11-1	1250
6	Georgia	11-2	1213
7	Kansas State	11-1	1129
8	Stanford	11-2	1094
9	LSU	10-2	1051
10	Texas A&M	10-2	1025
11	South Carolina	10-2	907
12	Oklahoma	10-2	851
13	Florida State	11-2	789
14	Clemson	10-2	691
15	Oregon State	9-3	638
16	Northern Illinois	12-1	534
17	UCLA	9-4	440
18	Utah State	10-2	379
19	Michigan	8-4	306
20	Boise State	10-2	276
21	Northwestern	9-3	266
22	Louisville	10-2	248
23	Nebraska	10-3	227
24	San Jose State	10-2	157
25	Kent State	11-2	117

As you can see, USC seems to have been the biggest disappointment of the season, but no worries, they aren't alone in that category for sure.

Currently the bowl games are being released and personally I am excited to see Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Who Should Play in Title Game?

2012-11-25T21:08:46Z

With Notre Dame handling USC yesterday, they have locked up their spot in the title game, but after Notre Dame, there were six other schools that had realistic hopes to make it to the big stage.

The article above, written by Andy Staples over at Sports Illustrated, laid out all that needed to happen for the six, single loss teams that trailed behind Notre Dame to get a chance at reaching the #2 BCS ranking that would earn them their shot at the title.

These teams, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Oregon, Florida State, and Kansas State, all have at least been ranked #4 or high during the course of this season. Now since Florida has beaten Florida State, FSU's hopes of making it to the title of are pretty much gone with the wind.

Florida could have been in a promising situation if the Irish blew it against USC, as Staples laid down what needed to happen for things to go Florida's way when he said that they need to, "Beat Florida State on Saturday. Hope for a Notre Dame loss. Failing that, hope Alabama or Georgia loses Saturday and then wins the SEC Championship."

With that being said, even though the Gators got the W over the Noles, nothing else went their way, as all three of the teams that needed lose, all won.

With Florida and Florida State out of contention for the #2 spot, that left Alabama and Georgia as the two likely candidates, which would be decided next weekend when they meet in the SEC title game to cap of the regular season.

However, the previous #1 and #2 teams, Kansas State and Oregon, who I personally was hoping to see in the BCS Champion game, both blew their shot at the title game during the same week, may still have something to hope for as Staples writes:

Oregon (10-1): Beat Oregon State. Hope UCLA beats Stanford, giving the Ducks the Pac-12 North title. Hope Notre Dame loses to USC. Hope Florida loses to Florida State. Hope Georgia loses Saturday to Georgia Tech. (Or hope Alabama loses to Auburn, likely making LSU the SEC West champ.) Beat UCLA in the Pac-12 title game. Hope Georgia wins the SEC title on Dec. 1. (Or hope two-loss LSU is in the game and beats Georgia.) If Florida did not lose to Florida State, hope human voters engage in massive anti-SEC conspiracy.

Staples continues on to describe an even less likely turn of events that Kansas State requires as he writes:

Kansas State (10-1): Hope Oregon loses to Oregon State. Hope Notre Dame loses to USC. Hope Florida State beats Florida and then loses the ACC title game. Hope Alabama and Georgia lose Saturday and the SEC produces a two-loss champion. Hope the Men In Black Neuralizer is an actual thing. Attempt to erase the memory of the Baylor game from as many minds as possible. Beat Texas.

Except for Notre Dame, the three SEC teams have the clearest paths to the title game. So cheer hard for the Irish, SEC haters. They're probably the only hope you have left.

With Notre Dame handling USC yesterday, they have locked up their spot in the title game, but after Notre Dame, there were six other schools that had realistic hopes to make it to the big stage.

With that being said, even though the Gators got the W over the Noles, nothing else went their way, as all three of the teams that needed lose, all won.

Oregon (10-1): Beat Oregon State. Hope UCLA beats Stanford, giving the Ducks the Pac-12 North title. Hope Notre Dame loses to USC. Hope Florida loses to Florida State. Hope Georgia loses Saturday to Georgia Tech. (Or hope Alabama loses to Auburn, likely making LSU the SEC West champ.) Beat UCLA in the Pac-12 title game. Hope Georgia wins the SEC title on Dec. 1. (Or hope two-loss LSU is in the game and beats Georgia.) If Florida did not lose to Florida State, hope human voters engage in massive anti-SEC conspiracy.

Staples continues on to describe an even less likely turn of events that Kansas State requires as he writes:

Kansas State (10-1): Hope Oregon loses to Oregon State. Hope Notre Dame loses to USC. Hope Florida State beats Florida and then loses the ACC title game. Hope Alabama and Georgia lose Saturday and the SEC produces a two-loss champion. Hope the Men In Black Neuralizer is an actual thing. Attempt to erase the memory of the Baylor game from as many minds as possible. Beat Texas.

Except for Notre Dame, the three SEC teams have the clearest paths to the title game. So cheer hard for the Irish, SEC haters. They're probably the only hope you have left.

Big East and other College Football News

2012-11-25T02:21:12Z

Today was an interesting day for the Big East as the top two contenders, Rutgers and Louisville, both lost their Big East contest today. Now the winner of the Big East is still to be determined next when Rutgers and Louisville finally meet, where Rutgers can secure the title and its spot in the Orange Bowl, but what makes it so interesting is that if Rutgers is not able to rebound from its lost next week and Louisville is able to come out on top, and if Cincinnati also is able to win its match-up against Connecticut, then the Big East title will be split four ways.

If things turn out this way then the team who would get the nod for the Orange Bowl would be the highest ranked team, which is in all likelihood to be Louisville. Rutgers and Syracuse would both be able to boast having a share of the conference title as they head to their new conferences next year, the Big 10 and ACC, respectively.

In other related college football news, if Notre Dame is able to hold on tonight vs USC it looks like they will have earned a spot in the Championship game vs Alabama. Personally, I was routing for Oregon and K-State to make it to the big stage for the final dance, especially after the Tide blew it a couple weeks ago. Seeing both Oregon and K-State lose on the same weekend after finally breaking into the top 2 BCS ranking slots was about the most surprising turn of events this season, among other things.

Interesting Weekend for College Football

2012-11-11T02:35:31Z

Alabama finally lossing is obviously the biggest surprise of the weekend. I was routing for LSU last weekend thinking that if the Tigers couldn't pull off the upset then Alabama would likely go undefeated during the regular season. Alabama was en rout for another exciting come back bid but fell one pass completion short, which was on fourth down with about 1:36 remaining in the game.

So first we must ask: How did the Crimson Tide lose? Well, they finished -3 in the turnover margin. Last week the Tide finished -2 in the turnover margin vs LSU, but were able to make a comeback victory. Unfortunately they weren't so fortunate this time around. Great teams like Alabama are able to make big plays and dig themselves out of a hole when the game is on the line, but great teams shouldn't find themselves in a hole very often because fourth quarter comebacks require not only a lot of talent and poise, but also a little bit of luck that is liable to not go your way. So as I have said before, turnovers are the single most important statistic in college football that decides games and turnovers are what very well may have destroyed the Crimson Tide's shot at the BCS Championship, but I believe they can still find their way back to the #2 spot if everything goes their way in November ( ex. Some other top teams need to blow it).

In other news, which is likely to be overshadowed by the defeat of #1 Alabama, undefeated #9 Louisville suffered their first lost today against 5-5 Syracuse. The Cards finished -2 in the turnover margin. Although the loss will inevitably cause Louisville's #9 BCS ranking to take a hit, they are still likely to make it to the Orange Bowl, given that they win their final two Big East contests. First vs 4-6 UCONN next week. Followed by, what should essentially be the "Big East Championship Game", 8-1 Rutgers.

I am feeling like it's only a matter of time before the Gators blow it (again). Today they avoided having to go into overtime with Louisiana-Lafayette (Sun Belt Conference) by returning a blocked punt for a TD with 2 seconds left in the game. The Gators went into half time up 10-3, then went into the 4th quarter down 13-17. It has been two weeks in a row now that the Gators have nearly been upset. The Gators will face Jacksonville State next week and will finish the season off with in state rival Florida State. Awhile ago I would have said they only have one threat left on their schedule, but now I'm not so sure.

Klein and Te'o make college football about football again

2012-11-07T16:39:23Z

When I was a child — not so very long ago — sports were fun. My mother ran a daycare out of our house and my fellow young hellions and I would often be shoveled out the door and into the summer sun to save my mom's furniture and decorations from almost certain peril. We would play for hours with nothing but a football or basketball, pretending we were Joe Montana or Marcus Allen or Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. To us, the athletes we saw on TV weren't real. They were fantasies. They were gods that resembled men and women but did things no real man or woman could ever hope to do. And we loved them. We idolized them. We wanted to be them.

Eventually my friends and I came in from the hot summer sun. Mom washed the grass stains from our clothes and the dirt off of our faces, and we grew up. The summer of our collective childhood turned to fall as we reached junior high. The outdoor games we used to play were pulled from the heavens of our imaginations and brought down to earth. No more were we allowed to dream of being George Brett or Wayne Gretzky. Organized school sports — for most of us anyway — served as a daily reminder that we were nothing more than the antithesis of Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. We were not gods but mere mortals and the best service we ever did our school as athletes was to insure that the benches on the sidelines didn't blow away in the strong Kansas winds.

This sudden awakening gave way to an understanding that our time was likely better spent in front of the television than on the playing field. So as the years progressed, one by one we traded our seats on the bench for seats on the couch and flipped on SportsCenter, where we hoped that perhaps we could live our dreams vicariously through the gods that flashed in front of our eyes in the highlights.

In between those highlights though, the mortality of the gods we had come to worship shown through in the bright shiny red sheen of the SportsCenter logo. It seemed that for every story of triumph on the field, there came one of tragedy off of it. Athletes of all sports, colors, shapes and sizes showed that too often, they had come to believe that they were in fact the gods that we fans had framed them as being and that the rules of mere mortals need not apply.

Baseball players, Olympic runners, race car drivers and even my personal favorite — college athletes — had all taken turns to show me at my young age that sports were not just simple, innocent fun. Sports were a multi-billion dollar business full of contracts, agents, signing bonuses and endorsement deals. Only a few short years removed from learning the truth about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, I was now being subjected to daily reminders that once the jerseys came off at the end of the game, athletes across all sports once again became human, and along with that came humanity's constant, unceasing companion — imperfection.

Over the years I've watched with increasingly jaded eyes as Super Bowls, World Series, national championships, gold medals and Heisman trophies have been overshadowed by scandal. After high school I was made the sports editor of a small community college newspaper and witnessed first hand that even at that seemingly insignificant level, sports were not immune to the tarnish of such things as embezzlement and recruiting violations.

This past year — as I found myself resembling what some may refer to as an adult — I was just beginning to think that I could no longer be shocked when perhaps the darkest cloud to ever form over the sports world in my lifetime positioned itself firmly over State College, PA. There is no need to discuss the details here except to say that it cast a dark shadow over my favorite time of year — the beginning of college football season.

This was not the first time college football has been the subject of corruption. The sport has endured its fair share of abhorrence and ill repute throughout the years as it has grown into a titan of the industry. The money and media attention in major sports affect college athletes perhaps more than those of any other type due to their youth and the sudden shift many higher level athletes experience when transitioning from the relative obscurity of their high school lives to the bright lights of the major college stage.

As we enter the twilight of the 2012 college football season though, two young men seem to be rising above the rest that may start the cleansing process on the image of this sport and — if we're truly lucky — all sports in general.

If you look around at different lists which media members have conceived to try to predict the finalists for this years Heisman trophy, two names almost invariably hover near the top. Collin Klein and Manti Te'o. Klein and Te'o's paths will most likely converge later this year in New York City but the circumstances which led to their respective arrivals there, while very different, are also quite similar.

Te'o came out of high school in Honolulu, Hawaii as a highly touted five-star linebacker who had his choice of top programs. He chose tradition rich Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana which — despite it's glorious football past — had been near doomed to relative mediocrity in recent years. Te'o made his commitment to the Irish official in February of 2009 and by December head coach Charlie Weis had been replaced by former Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Brian Kelly.

Klein — a product of home schooling that instilled him not only with a quality education, but also deep seeded religious morals and maturity beyond his few years — finished his high school football career in Loveland, Colo. a year earlier than Te'o, and to much less fanfare. Whereas Te'o would have been welcomed with open arms on virtually any college gridiron nationwide, Klein had no such luck. He was branded a three-star quarterback prospect and only had two athletic offers. Either he could take a short trip east to the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley to play basketball, or he could head much further east to Manhattan, Kan. to try to help rebuild a program that had really only known success for one decade in its long history — Kansas State. Klein chose K-State only to watch head coach Ron Prince's career collapse by the following November, replaced by the man he replaced — legendary head coach Bill Snyder.

Two men playing on opposite sides of the football field leave high school with opposite prospects and join universities with opposite football traditions only to see the men who recruited them endure the same fate and be replaced by men with the same promise.

Improvement.

As we can see so far this year, the two coaches have each managed to follow through on that promise, due in no small part to the efforts of their respective stars. Klein and Te'o have led their teams to undefeated records through nine games. Both are fast becoming household names throughout the Midwest and the entire country. And both have achieved all of it while being fierce, fiery competitors on the field and model students and citizens off it.

Both young men have had to overcome vastly different challenges to get to where they are today. Klein's challenge was purely athletic — proving his worth first to his coach, then his team and the country by showing outstanding unmatched leadership, humility and discipline. The seriousness with which Klein approaches the game of football is unquestioned, but the innocent, good natured humor and unwavering discipline he displays outside the sport shows that he is capable of easily separating his competitive fire as an athlete from his daily life as a normal human being.

Te'o — whose quality as a football player has never been in question — faced his challenges off the field when unfathomable personal tragedy struck with both his girlfriend and grandmother succumbing to cancer earlier this year. Te'o used his tragedy as a platform not to draw attention to himself, but to help others who may be going through the same pain he has suffered. One example of the fulfillment of this new mission is the letter he sent to 12 year old Bridget Smith who was suffering the same fate that had claimed two of his own loved ones — cancer. Though young Bridget was already in a coma at the time her parents received the letter, knowing that a young man with countless other things on his mind and a no doubt grueling schedule of classes, meetings and practices would take the time to personally show his support for their pain surely lifted the spirits of Brian and Louise Smith as they watched their daughters life slowly fade away.

While the difficulty of their respective challenges cannot and should not be compared, Te'o and Klein have responded with great character — both showing an unshakable faith in a higher power that they each believe is leading them to something much greater than gridiron glory.

No matter your faith, it's apparent that these two young men possess great strength both in their intangible values and their tangible physical nature. The story of their lives is far from its end, but this much is clear: If I had a young son or daughter and a back yard for them to play in, I would be proud if they chose to spend their play time pretending to be Collin Klein or Manti Te'o. Wherever the story goes from here — at least for a few months in the fall of 2012 — they've managed to bring the innocent fun back to sports.

Improvement.

Week 11 Poll

2012-11-04T22:03:11Z

Wow, what a Saturday of football that was.

Triple OT was needed for Notre Dame to finally get past a four win Pitt team (I could write a 1000 words on why I'm not a huge believer in the Irish, though are undefeated and have played a good schedule). Oregon's offensive engines once impress to no end. Kenjon Barner's dazzling and historic 321 yards against a historically rich tradition of run defense for USC only solidifies Oregon's dominance in the 2012 season.

A bit of a setback in Manhattan, KS as K-State loses Optimus Klien for a quarter and a half though the Wildcat defense showed up in impressive form, causing 5 turnovers and capitalizing on one and with a punt return for a TD to boot.

While Alabama was favored to win, they were awfully shy of the spread Vegas predicted. The Crimson Tide needed AJ McCarron's most impressive drive of his career that saw him complete four of seven passes for 72 yards, including the game winning touchdown to snap LSU's current home winning streak at 22 games.

Despite Alabama's SEC west clinching win, I only move them up one spot, leap-frogging Oregon due to the Ducks' lackluster defense which has been holding teams to under 35 points with a yearly average of 19 points.

And lastly we saw West "By God" Virginia's phoniness shine through again as they dropped yet another conference game. Well, nice knowing you Mountaineers for the 2012 season, we'll see you next year. Hey, not everyone can change conferences and play a worse brand of defense than they played the previous year in a lesser league.

1. K-State

2. Alabama

3. Oregon

4. ND

5. Georgia

6. Florida State

7. Florida

8. Clemson

9. LSU

10. Louisville

11. Oregon State

12. South Carolina

13. Stanford

14. Oklahoma

15. TAMU

16. Nebraska

17. La Tech

18. Texas

19. USC

20. Miss. St

21. UCLA

22. Toledo

23. Rutgers

24. Texas Tech

25. Northwestern

Wow, what a Saturday of football that was.

1. K-State

2. Alabama

3. Oregon

4. ND

5. Georgia

6. Florida State

7. Florida

8. Clemson

9. LSU

10. Louisville

11. Oregon State

12. South Carolina

13. Stanford

14. Oklahoma

15. TAMU

16. Nebraska

17. La Tech

18. Texas

19. USC

20. Miss. St

21. UCLA

22. Toledo

23. Rutgers

24. Texas Tech

25. Northwestern

Top Games to Look Forward to in November

2012-11-02T01:23:43Z

1. November 3rd Alabama at LSU: Starting with this weekend, look for a highly anticipated match-up against two teams that have both won the BCS National Championship in the past 5 years. LSU is known for finding a way to hit Alabama where it hurts, something other teams have not had any luck on. If LSU finds a way to deal Alabama their first loss, it would definitely throw several questions up in the air as to who will end up playing in the title game.

2. November 24 Notre Dame at USC: November 24th will be the season finale for quite a few teams, and an eventful day it shall be indeed. As for Notre Dame, their season finale won't be an easy one. Expect both the Fightin' Irish and the Trojans to come out looking to impress before bowl season begins. If Notre Dame doesn't have any slip up and if USC at least gives Oregon a run for its money, this game could hold more meaning than it may seem to at first.

3. November 24 Oregon at Oregon State: If Oregon hopes to make it to the BCS Championship came, they will need to handle instate rival Oregon State first. Look for this to be an electric, high scoring affair, which of course seems to describe the majority of matches involving Oregon.

4. November 24 Florida at Florida State: Florida will need to have an impressive November if they wish to undo the damage done by their 9-17 loss to Georgia. With Missouri being the only respectable team on their schedule prior to facing off with FSU, the Gators need to have a convincing victory in order to have any chance at getting back in on the title race. While on the other hand, Florida State finds themselves in a nearly identical predicament. Expect a lot of hyp to be surrounding this game.

5. November 24 South Carolina at Clemson: Both these teams had a feasible shot of being in the top 5 right now if they did not lose key games. Look for this season finale to be an intense one, as each team will most likely be in a situation that requires an impressive victory for one last final boost in the BCS rankings before bowl season begins.

Week 10 Poll

2012-10-29T18:33:41Z

My top three don’t change. As usual another overrated SEC team fell that played no one previously and was getting the benefit of playing in a power conference.

Still unsure why SEC is touted as the best conference when the teams not named Alabama have terrible offenses (Florida’s WRs only caught 4 passes).

I will give Notre Dame some serious credit, though I think we can tab Oklahoma and USC as the latest schadenfreude teams.

Unfortunately for Oregon the PAC-10 is starting to get exposed. How does a team favored by 47 or 49, depending on your betting service, drop in the BCS after winning by 54? Is there where we start saying that’s the BCS being the BCS? (If you don’t get it Google: Manny being Manny.)

1. K-State
2. Oregon
3. Alabama
4. Notre Dame
5. LSU
6. Georgia
7. Florida
8. Florida State
9. Clemson
10. Louisville
11. Oregon State
12. South Carolina
13. Stanford
14. Oklahoma
15. Mississippi St.
16. USC
17. Texas Tech
18. Texas A&M
19. La Tech
20. West Virginia
21. Nebraska
22. Boise St.
23. Arizona
24. Washington
25. Oklahoma St.

A Snake Bitten Honey Badger

2012-10-29T15:08:12Z

Tenacious. Opportunistic. Fierce. Fearless. Intelligent. All those words are often used to describe the real honey badger that lives in the prairies of Central and South Africa as well parts of India and Saudi Arabia.

Immature. Selfish. Stubborn. Careless. Damaged. All those words will now be used to describe the former Heisman runner-up and once promising cornerback from LSU who held the nicknamed the Honey Badger.

Tyrann Mathieu, LSU's former Honey Badger, was arrested last Thursday along with three other former LSU football players: Jordan Jefferson, Karnel Hatcher and Derrick Bryant. While Jordan and Mathieu were charger with lesser violations (simple possession of marijuana according to Baton Rouge Police) than the other two former players. This exemplifies the notion that Mathieu still hasn't learned from his previous mistakes. What's the saying: Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me?

Mathieu had been kicked off the football team earlier in the year for team violations. According to team officials it was for failing multiple marijuana tests, along with possible NCAA violations that involved Tyrann’s likeness used on flyers promoting Era Nation’s (a group of childhood friends who formed a rap group) CD release party. Mathieu says he no longer associates with those guys yet up until a week ago or so his Twitter handle (TM7_Era) included a shout out to Era Nation which has been subsequently shutdown.

After a one month stint at Houston’s John Lucas Rehabilitation Center, Tryann said he was going to continue to workout at the campus rec center (since he was banned from football facilities) and immerse himself in his studies and plan to come back for the 2013 football season. However, something went awfully wrong with his plan and now Mathieu finds himself not too far off from following in his father’s footsteps in more ways than he would probably would like.

Known as Cornbread, Darrin Hayes - Tyrann's paternal father, who was built similarly to Tryann and played a lot like Tryann. At 5-8 and 175 lbs, Hayes was recruited by Georgia Tech, UCLA, Tulane, Mississippi and Louisiana Tech but because he couldn't qualify academically Hayes enrolled at Alcorn State so he could practice with the team as he worked to quality for the other schools. In Sport’s Illustrated article profiling Tyrann Mathieu, Hayes’ former coach, the legendary Marino Casem, recalled Hayes playing the role of NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice while he was playing for Mississippi Valley State better than Jerry himself. Casem said Hayes didn’t have a lot of size but he had all the rest.

Darrin Hayes never played a down at Alcorn State due to being kicked out of school for having a gun on campus and soon fell into drug problems and was arrested and convicted for robbing a store shortly there after. After serving two years during which his daughter (one of Tryann’s three siblings from three different women) was rumored to have called her mother’s current boyfriend "daddy", he was sentenced to life without parole for second degree murder of the boyfriend. At the time Tyrann was two years old with a struggling mom and went to live with his grandparents and then on to his uncle Tryone and wife Shelia after his grandfather had passed away.

Now 18 years later, Mathieu seems to be actually following in his fathers footsteps in more ways than one. Once known as ‘lil Bread, Mathieu hasn’t stayed the course of his plan. He was given a second chance because he had talent. So much talent that he could have applied for the NFL draft as sophomore after a meteoric rise that saw him become the runner-up in the 2011 Heisman vote where he had a knack for preserving a win or having a prominent role in LSU's 13 wins during last year’s national title runner-up season. After he decided to come back for his junior year, Mathieu just needed to stay out of trouble, pass his classes and continue his Honey Badger role for LSU as he was projected to be late first round or second round draft pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

Now that all seems to be for not. Failing multiple drug tests, getting kicked off of one of college football’s most dominant programs and now arrested. Mathieu hasn't seemed to learn from his mistakes or from the mistakes of his father, who like him had all the opportunity for a better life right in front him. Unlike the real honey badger who is intelligent, opportunistic, and fearless this honey badger is selfish, careless, and unintelligent. Mathieu, now more so than after he was kicked off the team, is facing a much tougher road and must break the cycle so he doesn't just make the same mistakes as his father; so he doesn't becomes his father.

Georgia is Better Than I Thought

2012-10-28T20:07:21Z

I must admit, I expected Florida to mop the floor with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Instead, I was surprised to find that the Bulldogs took the lead in the first quarter and held on to it for the entire game to come out with a 17-9 victory over the favored Gators. Now most would say that Georgia vs Florida rivalry games could always go either way, especially since Georgia came out on top in last year's match as well, but I took the position that this years Gator team was far improved from last year's disappointing season and would be fired up to get revenge from 2011's 20-24 loss.

Of course Florida's six turnovers played a handy role in their defeat, but I always give credit where due as Georgia did what they had to do to get the W. Georgia did commit three turnovers themselves in the first half, but were able to come out and go through the second half turnover free, while Florida committed three of their six total turnovers.

Do I think Florida would have won if they didn't have six turnovers? Probably. But good defenses find ways to create turnovers and it's only fair to give credit to the Bulldogs' defense for showing up big. Georgia's offense didn't was really able to get things going so it had to rely on the defense and the defense was able to handle business.

So considering all the times I've said that Georgia shouldn't even be ranked, I hereby apologize to the Georgia football program for underestimating them.

I must admit, I expected Florida to mop the floor with the Georgia Bulldogs.

So considering all the times I've said that Georgia shouldn't even be ranked, I hereby apologize to the Georgia football program for underestimating them.

Upset Alert: #16 Louisville vs USF

2012-10-19T03:51:50Z

This Saturday at 3:30 PM EST if you were to tune your TVs to NBC or ESPN3, I predict that you may see one of the few upsets of the day.

#16 Louisville will take on unranked USF with the home field advantage, which also happens to be their homecoming game. The Cardinals are 6-0 and are entering their second Big East conference game of the season 1-0, their first Big East victory coming last week against Pitt.

Louisville has played a somewhat solid schedule, and they have been able to come out with the W every week so far. However, their only convincing wins came in weeks 1 and 2 when they beat Kentucky 32-14 and Missouri State 35-7. A victory over either of these teams isn't much to brag about though. Their following victories over North Carolina, FIU and Southern Mississippi were all determined by a touchdown or less. And then their victory over Pitt was by a 10 point margin.

So far every week Louisville has appeared to be in danger of losing, but it is only fair that credit is given where due, seeing that each time they have found a way come out on top.

South Florida on the other hand has lost four games in a row now, and is definitely looking to turn their season around after having last week off on bye. The Bulls first lost to Rutgers in week 3, which catapulted Rutgers into the top 25, and then took a few more steps backward in the following week by losing to Ball State. The Bulls then played a pretty solid game against then ranked #4 Florida State, but came up short after making some detrimental mistakes. USF was looking to rebound the next week as they traveled to face Temple, but was again upset for the 2nd time in 3 weeks.

Penalties and turnovers have played a major role in all of the Bull's losses. If USF were to fix themselves in those two areas, the first half of the season may have turned out much differently. USF has shown that they can score points and that the defense can be stingy, all they need to do is put together some consistency.

USF has fallen to 2-4 and is 0-2 in conference play. Not many would deny that the Bulls are indeed a talented team. They just need to get their stuff together and I believe coming out of their bye week it is now or never for the South Florida Bulls and they know that more than anyone else. Nobody is giving the Bulls much of a chance, but as Louisville's past wins have shown, the Cardinals are indeed very beatable.

I'm putting the Cardinals on upset alert and picking the Bulls to knock off #16 Louisville in about a 3-10 point game.

This Saturday at 3:30 PM EST if you were to tune your TVs to NBC or ESPN3, I predict that you may see one of the few upsets of the day.

So far every week Louisville has appeared to be in danger of losing, but it is only fair that credit is given where due, seeing that each time they have found a way come out on top.

I'm putting the Cardinals on upset alert and picking the Bulls to knock off #16 Louisville in about a 3-10 point game.

West Virginia Gets Smashed by Texas Tech

2012-10-14T04:25:14Z

Contrary to public opinion, to me there is nothing stunning about the Mountaineer's 14-49 loss to Texas Tech.

I never thought very highly of West Virginia. I for one still cannot understand how the then #9 Mountaineers gave up 63 points against then #25 Baylor, and as a result Baylor gets dropped from the rankings and WVU moves up to #6? But anyways, we all know Geno Smith and the offense are quite explosive, but I can never think highly of a team that does an average job on defense against teams that they should be blowing out, and then gives up no less than 45 points to teams that should be more of a challenge.

Today West Virginia's lack of defense finally caught up to them as they lost to Texas Tech 14-49. You don't need to be a sports analyst to know that all it would require to take down WVU is to keep Geno Smith off the field, although that has proven to be very difficult seeing that opposing offenses score so quickly.

Well, the first thing you think when you see the #5 team in the nation lose to an unranked team is that WVU must have made some crucial errors right? Nope. West Virginia did not have a single turnover, and only committed 2 penalties for a total of 10 yards. Texas Tech on the other hand committed 2 turnovers and 5 penalties for 41 yards.

I'll never deny that WVU can put points on the board, but I have also known that they would begin facing serious problems in games that the offense couldn't get going. I was actually impressed that they were able to keep it up as long as they did. If the Mountaineers want to bounce back from their loss and finish the season strong, they need to spend a lot of time cleaning up that defense.

Contrary to public opinion, to me there is nothing stunning about the Mountaineer's 14-49 loss to Texas Tech.

What Makes a Good Team so Good?

2012-10-07T12:30:33Z

What's the difference between an average team, a good team, and a great team? Well, we can't really determine which teams are which until the end of the season and all games have been played, but by simply looking at statistics such as turnovers lost, turnovers forced, 3rd down efficiency on both offense and defense, and penalties can give us a good idea as to which teams will likely turn out the be one of the best in the nation if they keep doing what they are doing,

For example, through 5 games team A has thrown 12 touchdowns and has rushed for an additional 10 touchdowns. Also, they have lost 3 turnovers, but forced 15 turnovers. That makes them + 12 in the turnover margin, which should be considered the most important statistic in college football. What team is this? The #1 ranked team in the nation, Alabama.

Another good example is #6 South Carolina. South Carolina has a very stingy defense and it shows as in their first five games they have forced 73 third down situations. Of those 73 third downs, their opponents have only been able to get the first down 20 times. That is about 27% third down efficiency for their opponents, making South Carolina's defense 73% efficient on 3rd down situations. Their opponents have also gone for it on fourth down 10 times, and only converted 3 the of them.

#7 Kansas State is a good football team because they are a disciplined football team. Throughout the first 5 games of the season, they have only committed a total of 9 penalties. Many teams have committed more penalties in a single game than Kansas State has all season. By not committing penalties Kansas State doesn't do what many potentially good teams around the nation constantly do, and that's shooting themselves in the foot, causing them to lose game against teams they should not be losing against.

When two good teams face off head to head what starts to separate the good teams for the great ones, after turnovers, 3rd downs and penalties, are things like red zone production and big play ability. Of course these aren't the only things that define very good football teams, but they are no doubt a trend among the elite programs around the nation that compete for the national championship.