The Cynic's Guide to College Football, Week 14

Random thoughts from a holiday and football weekend:

• Football games just feel better when you’re wearing long underwear.
• Is there some way to amend the Geneva Convention to allow us to bring human rights violations charges against the NFL and TV network gurus who were cruel enough to subject us to Tennessee at Detroit on Thanksgiving Day?
• At what point did our society become so degraded that we are willing to trample someone to death (literally) to get to Wal-Mart?!?!
• Someone will have to let me know if anything interesting happens in the world of sports radio. This is the time of year when I turn it off as three out of every four callers, who apparently really like to hear themselves talk, just gripe about the BCS and/or lack of a playoff system. It’s about as productive as me calling in to complain about the law of gravity being biased against us fat guys.

Anyway, on with the countdown.

1. Somewhere, Bob Stoops Has Some Incriminating Photos of Bill Gates

Oklahoma fans have now and forever lost the right to bitch about the BCS. Or their computer tech support. This is the third time in six years that the system, for right or wrong, has given the Sooners a controversial shot at the national championship game. Following the 2003 season, OU was given a title game berth despite being blown out by Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship game (the human voters dropped OU to #3, but they stayed #1 in the computers). The next year, OU was given the nod over an undefeated Auburn to play USC in the title game. And now this year, thanks to some, um, creativity by the Big 12 brain trust, the BCS rankings put OU one win away from another title game, getting the nod over Texas, which beat Oklahoma on a neutral field in October.

I’m not saying that any of these breaks wasn’t necessarily warranted. OU is certainly playing some of the best ball in country right now. But after three times of being the beneficiary of BCS computers, OU fans will have to find something new to gripe about from now until eternity or college football has a playoff (my money’s on eternity).

Texas fans, address your complaints to this guy.

2. Genuine Faux Rivalry Games

Most college football rivalries I get. Sure, the in-state rivalries are a natural. But beyond that, inter-state rivalries that result as being the two biggest kids on a respective block (e.g. Ohio State/Michigan, Florida/Georgia, Oklahoma/Texas, etc.) generally have one thing in common—for the most part they are relatively a battle of equals. Sure, one school may go through a bad stretch and lose a few in a row. But, over the long haul, you don’t often see a one-sided interstate rivalry. That’s why I always find the Colorado/Nebraska game so interesting.

Nebraska leads the all-time series 47-18-2. CU has never won more than two in a row against the Huskers and has just 8 wins in the series since 1962, when Bob Devaney was hired at Nebraska. (Devaney and Tom Osborne were a combined 31-4-1 against CU.) It got so bad that one of America’s great novelists, James A. Michener, went so far as to write about it (see below). Nevertheless, in the 1980’s, then-CU coach Bill McCartney declared it a “rivalry” and went so far as to decree that CU athletic department staff wouldn’t be allowed to wear red or drive red cars. (Check out the Husker blog Double Extra Point for a good history of the series.) And while the rivalry talk hasn’t necessarily translated on the field (NU is 19-7-1 since McCartney was hired in 1982), it definitely brings out something in the CU players. Colorado easily played their best and most physical game of the season last Friday, pushing the Huskers to the limit and only falling when Alex Henery’s school record 57-yard field goal cleared the crossbar.

So is CU/NU a real rivalry? Would it be considered a rivalry if the creation of the Big 12’s divisional alignment hadn’t done away with the annual Thanksgiving weekend clash between Nebraska and Oklahoma? Or is this just a case of TV executives needing to shoehorn a “rivalry” game in a Friday afternoon slot? Whatever the answer, the game was definitely worthy of rivalry status.

“Each Year Colorado enthusiasts vowed that this year they would defeat Nebraska, and each year their hopes were dashed.” --James A. Michener, Centennial

3. Les Miles. International Man of Mystery.

Look, I know he has a national championship and a couple of big wins over Bob Stoops to his credit. But can we still say that the jury is still out on Les Miles? Over the last two months, LSU has lost five of eight games. Their only three wins in that stretch have come against South Carolina, Tulane and Troy. Sure, losing guys like Glenn Dorsey and Bo Pelini hurt, but I don’t think anyone expected it to be losing-to-Ole-Miss-on-Senior-Day bad or losing-four-straight-SEC-games bad. Long term, here is what I mean by the jury still being out—Les Miles has virtually never had to play with his own recruits. He was the head coach at Oklahoma State for four years, going 28-21 courtesy of many of the recruits of former OSU coach Bob Simmons. And now he’s been at LSU four years, winning last year’s national title with mostly Nick Saban recruits. Only once in his life has he been in a job more than five years (offensive line coach at Michigan from 1987-94). So it remains to be seen whether he can actually recruit and be successful with his own recruits.

Look, I’m not saying that he can’t or won’t have long-tern success. Or that this season wouldn’t have been different if Ryan Perriloux’s brain hadn’t been the subject of an FDA recall. I’m just saying that, if Les Miles is going to be recognized as an elite coach in the annals of college football history, he’s going to have to prove that he can recruit and coach.

Wonder if Snoop has any eligibili-bizil left?

4. My, How Time Flies

Remember that time when Georgia was the #1 team in the country? When all you heard was about how many starters the Bulldogs returned from a team whose biggest claim to fame a year ago was beating up on Hawaii? Remember? Yeah, me neither. This week, Georgia was up 28-12 at halftime on archrival Georgia Tech. Then they gave up 26 unanswered points in the third quarter and 409 rushing yards en route to a 45-42 loss to the Yellow Jackets. Get this—the Bulldogs defense gave up 45 points in spite of GT completing only one pass. In their last four games, the Bulldogs were destroyed by Florida (49-10), barely managed to eke out wins over Kentucky and Auburn (42-38 and 17-13, respectively) and now lost to Georgia Tech. Calling this season a disappointment for UGA would be a massive understatement, and limping down the homestretch will leave Bulldog fans wishing they were back at the Cocktail Party.

It’s gonna take more than one to forget this season.

5. The (Black) Eye of the Tiger

And speaking of disappointment, let’s examine Missouri’s season.

National title hopes gone? Check.

Heisman hopes for your star QB gone? Check.

Losing in the snow to your archrival? Check.

Being the fifth straight team to give up 60 to Oklahoma? Check back next week.

Mongo only pawn in game of life.

6. Take a Kid to a Game

And for my one positive note, I just wanted to comment on a personal experience I had last weekend. I’ve been fortunate enough to see some really great college football games over the years. I’ve been there when my favorite team and my alma mater (different schools—it’s a long story) each won national championships. I’ve been there to see them beat their biggest rivals. I’ve seen blowouts, I’ve seen nailbiters and I’ve seen losses. I’ve met many of my football heroes and killed more brain cells at tailgate parties than I care to admit. But I learned something this weekend: there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, that can top the feeling of seeing your son or daughter experience your team’s football game day traditions for the first time. Seeing my daughter high-fiving the mascot, getting her picture taken with the cheerleaders and inhaling her first stadium dog—it just doesn’t get any better than that. Oh, and the game was good, too.

Throw the Flag: The Cynic’s Guide to College Football, Week 5

We’re now roughly a third of the way through the regular season and what have we learned? That after the SEC and Big 12 there is a really big gap to the third best conference. That there’s something to be said for brains (Stanford, Northwestern, Duke and Vanderbilt are a combined 15-3). That no matter how high or low the expectations, Tommy Bowden will continue to not meet them. That Tennessee is in a whole lot of trouble. That if the Mountain West isn’t the third or fourth best conference in the country, they can certainly do a very good imitation of it. And that there’s still a lot to love about this crazy, mixed up sport. Unfortunately, there’s also a downside. And it’s my job to find it. So here are this week’s lowlights.


1. God Bless You, Oregon State.

Early last week, USC coach Pete Carroll raised a few eyebrows when he said that USC’s schedule was “ridiculously difficult.” Whether or not he was talking about Oregon State we’ll never know, but let’s all thank the Beavers anyway for saving us from the scourge of the “what ifers.” Prior to last Thursday’s game against the Beavers, I can’t tell you how many articles I read asking, “What if USC, the Big 12 champion and SEC champion all run the table?” The worst were the conspiracy theorists who were convinced that the BCS, the polls, daylight savings time, ESPN and the Knights Templar were all engaged in some massive conspiracy to keep their team/conference out of the BCS title game. Fortunately, Oregon State saved us from a few weeks of whining. (Although a few more wins under Penn State’s belt and they can reignite the “controversy.”)

It’s a little early for Halloween, but that didn’t stop the orange-and-black of Oregon State.

(For my money, the only ones more annoying than the BCS conspiracy theorists are the playoff gurus. You know, that guy in your office who not only insists that college football needs a playoff but spends every waking moment calling sports radio shows and frequenting message boards to outline his own version of a workable playoff system. Yes, we all know a playoff would be nice. No, you’re not the first person to come up with a system that could work. And no, it’s not gonna happen. Accept it. Move on.)

2. Bad Manners

Note to Georgia: if you’re going to ask your fans to shell out their hard-earned money to buy black clothing for a game, the least you can do is bother to show up on time. I mean, whatever happened to Southern courtesy?

Was Alabama just that good? Or was Georgia just that bad? Yes to both. True, the Tide dominated UGA in pretty much every phase of the game. But the Bulldogs certainly did their share to make this game a lot less interesting. Look at Alabama’s first possession for example: with Alabama driving, Georgia CB Prince Miller was called for pass interference in the end zone, moving the Tide into striking distance. Three plays later, Akeem Dent was flagged for roughing the passer, which negated a fumble recovered by Georgia. Bama scored two plays later and the rout was on. That pretty much summed up the first half—even when Bama didn’t do something right, the Bulldogs would screw something up and turn it into a net gain for the Crimson Tide.

To their credit, the Dawgs did turn things around and play much better in the second half, outscoring Bama 30-10. But playing half the game won’t cut it. Black jerseys may be slimming and fashionable, but there’s no such thing as fashionably late in football.

The black body paint will be easier to remove than these fans’ memories of the game.

3. Iowa: Not the Last Axe to Fall?

There’s a saying that the cover up is usually worse than the crime. And while I would certainly never maintain that to be the situation in a rape case, things are rapidly unraveling at the University of Iowa. Last week, two top university officials were fired for failing to properly respond to rape allegations against two Hawkeye football players. This case has been percolating for some time and, while I don’t claim to be a legal expert or know how this will end, something tells me things are going to get darker yet. Throw in LB Dezman Moses’ public intoxication arrest last week and that brings the total up to 19 Iowa players arrested in the last two years. Before the season, I predicted that this would be Kirk Ferentz’s last season on the Iowa sidelines. It’s possible to keep your job with lots of legal problems and off-field issues (see also Paterno, Joe). It’s possible to keep your job if you’re not achieving fan expectations (see also Fulmer, Philip). But it’s awfully hard to do both (see also Barnett, Gary). After three straight ten-win seasons from 2002-2004, Iowa has gone 7-5, 6-7 and 6-6 in the three years since. And, since starting 3-0, the Hawkeyes have now lost back-to-back games to the likes of Pittsburgh and Northwestern. For a coach who was once considered to be the next can’t-miss coaching superstar, another Big 10 collapse and .500ish season likely won’t cut it.

4. Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Staying in the Big 10, did anyone have a worse ten seconds than Indiana on Saturday? Here’s the scenario: Playing at home, the Hoosiers were down to Michigan State most of the day. With two minutes to play in the third quarter, they trail 34-29 and are backed up to their own one yard line. After two plays, they’d moved it to the three when, on third and eight, Indiana QB Ben Chappell hit WR Terrance Turner who, with the Bloomington crowd going nuts, proceeds to jet 97 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. They just missed one little thing—a little piece of yellow cloth sitting in the end zone. Holding. In the end zone. Safety. So instead of getting seven points on the board, the Hoosiers gave two more—and the ball—to the Spartans. Absolutely killer. With that nine-point swing, the air pretty much went out of everyone wearing Hoosier red and Indiana wouldn’t challenge for the lead again.

Fortunately, many Hoosier fans were spared having to see the horror.
(Photo courtesy The Wiz of Odds.)

5. Cheaters Never Win. Yeah, Right.

For some really interesting reading (and surprisingly thorough research by sports blog standards) about the seamy underbelly of college football, check out Barking Carnival’s ten-part (!) series on the history of cheating.


6. Notes from the Road

And on the plus side this week, I had the opportunity to attend Saturday night’s aforementioned Virginia Tech/Nebraska game. Met lots of great Husker and Hokie fans at The Watering Hole, Misty’s and Sidetracks the night before the game. And, if you’re a sports fan at all, be sure to add Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium to your “list of college football shrines I must see before I die.” While both teams have struggled at times this season, I got to see a glimpse of the future, and I have to say that things are looking up for both programs.

Tyrod Taylor did a lot of things well. He was able to keep plays alive with his legs and made some nice throws on key third down plays. Most importantly, he did a good job of managing the game and not trying to force the issue. While I’ve been critical of Virginia Tech’s offense this season, I came away impressed with Taylor and, if he continues to mature, he could be a very good quarterback. Combine that with the Hokies’ stout defense and special teams, and they could be a force in the ACC.

As for Nebraska, they still have their problems. After four years of Bill Callahan’s pass-happy offense, the Huskers’ offensive linemen really don’t know how to run block. The defense still has too many mental mistakes and missed tackles. But the effort is definitely there. VT scored to go up 18 with 6:54 left in the third quarter. A year ago, this team would have folded like a cheap lawn chair. This year, the Cornhuskers kept fighting, pulled to within five and gave themselves a shot to win the game in the final seconds. While it may not be in the near future (three of NU’s next five games are vs. #4 Missouri, at #7 Texas Tech and at #1 Oklahoma), brighter days are ahead for the Huskers.

Oh, and did I mention I got to meet Erin Andrews after the game? So not a bad weekend.

A good way to close out a football weekend.

Rev picks 'Em: Week Five

The first groundshaking event of the college football season happened while you were sleeping last night, with USC falling to lowly Oregon State 27-21. USC was supposed to walk through the PAC-10, right?

Photo: LA Times

This completely shakes up the college football race, and at this moment it appears to be a two league race between the SEC and Big XII to crash the BCS Championship game. On the SEC side, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and LSU are all in the top 10, two teams from the East Division and two teams from the West Division. Likewise, the Big XII has Oklahoma, Mizzou, Texas and Texas Tech in the top 10 – Mizzou is in the North, OU, Texas and Texas Tech are all in the South. The race begins in earnest this week for the SEC, with Alabama squaring off against Georgia in Athens.

The interesting subplot to all of this is both of these leagues tend to beat each other up during the season, so it’s not completely out of the question that all of the teams listed above could end the season with two or more losses in league play. Assuming that’s the case, then the door is wide open again for the Big Ten. Ohio State made it to two consecutive BCS title games by taking care of business in conference. And while OSU most likely will not be returning to the title game this year, two Big Ten teams – Wisconsin and Penn State – are in position to make a run. Of the two, Wisconsin has the easier road, getting Ohio State and their head to head matchup vs. Penn State at home. Penn State, of course, has to travel to Madison and also has to travel to Ohio State to play the Buckeyes.

Of course, USC could run out the rest of their schedule and all the teams mentioned above could lose a bunch of games they’re not supposed to. In which case, we’re right back where we started.

The Rev’ went 7-3 last week, bringing the season tally to 29-11. We’re starting to get into the heart of the football season with intra-conference matchups across the board. This is when the season really gets interesting, so here we go:

10 points: Tennessee (1-2) vs. # 16 AUBURN (3-1): Auburn will be looking for blood after last week’s close loss to LSU at home. Good thing for them the Vols are coming to town. Tennessee is just not a good team right now and they won’t be able to move the ball against Auburn’s stout defense. Auburn really needs help on offense though – they looked confused at times last week against LSU (although in Auburn’s defense, many teams look confused against LSU). Auburn QB Chris Todd looked shaky, and shaky doesn’t win in the SEC. If things don’t get better, the chorus will get louder for sophomore QB Kodi Burns - an electrifying runner - to see some time.

9 points: #8 WISCONSIN (3-0) vs. Michigan (1-2): Wisconsin travels to the Big House as a 6.5 point favorite, and they should cover with ease. Both teams are coming off a bye week, but really, is a week long enough to sort out the mess that is Michigan football right now?

8 points: Virginia (1-2) vs. DUKE (2-1): As mentioned on this site earlier, Duke is the FAVORITE in this game, the first time they’ve been favored in six years. As of press time, Vegas had not been flooded with any noticeable amounts of cash to swing it the other way, and the line still remains a solid 6.5 points.

7 points: #21 FRESNO STATE (2-1) vs. UCLA (1-2): Fresno State could just as easily be 3-0 entering this game – their only loss came against a good Wisconsin team, losing 13-10. The good vibes from UCLA’s opening win vs. Tennessee have clearly dissipated – the Bruins got shellacked by BYU 59-0 and lost at Arizona 31-10 in consecutive weeks. Fresno State always seems to trip up a team from a major BCS conference each year, and while they nearly missed on Wisconsin, they will most likely finish it off vs. UCLA.

6 points: PURDUE (2-1) vs. Notre Dame (2-1): Purdue had a high-powered Oregon team on the ropes before letting that game slip away from them. Purdue’s a pretty decent team, probably no better than fifth in the Big Ten, but that should be enough to beat Notre Dame. I’m not convinced the Irish are near as good as they think they are.

5 points: Colorado (3-0) vs. FLORIDA STATE (2-1): Colorado is now 3-0, the best shape the program’s been in quite some time. They knocked-off a diminished West Virginia team last week, 17-14, on a field goal in overtime. Meanwhile, Florida State just continues to sputter. Wake Forest took it to the Noles last week in Tallahassee, the second consecutive time the Deacons have beaten the Noles on their home field. Florida State doesn’t have any more room for “boo-boos” as head-coach-in waiting Jimbo Fisher says, so expect the Noles to come out with a little more fire vs. the Buffaloes. Florida State’s laying 6, and I expect Colorado will cover that spread.

4 points: Stanford (2-2) vs. WASHINGTON (0-3): Might this be the week the Huskies get on the board? UW’s a 3.5 point favorite at home, and Stanford’s not really all that good, so it is conceivable that the Huskies will win.

3 points: VIRGINIA TECH (3-1) vs. Nebraska (3-0): This should be an interesting matchup pitting two aggressive and undisciplined defenses against each other. Nebraska is unbeaten, but they haven’t beaten any team of consequence so far. The Hokies, meanwhile, seem to have gained some footing with QB Tyrod Taylor under center, beating Georgia Tech and North Carolina in consecutive weeks. This one will be awfully tough for the Hokies to pull off … but I’m sticking with them here.

2 points: Illinois (2-1) vs. #12 PENN STATE (4-0): After suffering withering press coverage and multiple player suspensions and dismissals, the Nittany Lions have come through it unscathed at 4-0. This game will be a barometer for how good Penn State really is. Illinois will challenge the Lions offensively, with speed to burn at the QB and WR position. Illinois played spoiler in the Big Ten last year en route to a Rose Bowl berth, and their only loss this year is to Mizzou, a team well on its way to the Big XII North championship. Penn State is a 13.5 point favorite, but that’s a little high. Like some other games this week, I like the favorite to win the game but the underdog should cover the spread.

1 point: #10 Alabama (4-0) vs. #3 GEORGIA (4-0): Putting aside USC’s whitewash of Ohio State, this game is, so far, the game of the year of the 2008 college football season. The Crimson Tide appear to be among the very best in all of college football in only year two under coach Nick Saban. Georgia, meanwhile, has lived up to its early season hype, surviving an intra-conference slugfest with South Carolina and dismantling Arizona State last week in Tempe. Georgia is donning black unis for the game for only the third time, and Sanford Stadium is guaranteed to be a uniquely inhospitable locale when Alabama rolls in tomorrow evening. Alabama has played above expectations early this season and I think the more experienced Georgia team will be a bit too much for the Tide to handle this week. Georgia by a FG.

SEASON RECORD: 29-11

UGA will not be outdone by Turner Field

Georgia loves being #1 when it comes to going #1.

Back in September, CNN/Health noted a study indicating Men more likely not to wash after bathroom use, noting "Atlanta's Turner Field baseball stadium again was the worst. Only 57 percent of guys there washed up, compared to 95 percent of women."

Well, folks, the dirty south is back up to their dirty ways.

UGA asks stadium fans not to flush

"...part of the university's "Every Drop Counts" water conservation effort in the drought that's struck Georgia and much of the Southeast."

Bigs ups for a helluva campaign name, especially in relation to going #1.