The Cynic's Guide to College Football, Week 11

My apologies for the lateness of this week’s entry. Much like Phil Fulmer and Ron Prince, I’m a short-timer in my current job. (Unlike them, I’m pulling a Nick Saban and heading for greener pastures of my own accord.) But as a result, I’m suddenly being inundated with requests for “work” and “information,” which has greatly cut into my writing time. As such, this will be an abbreviated version of The Guide this week. But, like most coaches on a short leash, I promise that next week will be better.

1. Rocky Bottom

I wrote about Phil Fulmer losing his job last week and, while I hate to pick on a guy while he’s down, I wouldn’t be doing my job of writing about bad football if I didn’t at least note the Volunteers’ 13-7 loss to Wyoming last weekend. As one local newspaper columnist put it, “UT Stands for Utter Travesty.” Others said it was the worst UT loss in more than 30 years, if not longer. Let me put this as gently as I can. They lost at home. On Homecoming. To Wyoming. You know, dead last in scoring offense and 112th in total offense Wyoming? You know, held to seven points or less five times this season Wyoming? As much fun as we all made of Michigan’s loss to Appalachian State last year, this one is way worse. Appalachian State, while a small I-AA team, was at least a good team. I can’t say remotely the same about Wyoming. Or Tennessee.

Make the hurting stop.

Photo courtesy : Loserswithsocks

2. Sometimes They Just Make It Too Easy

In honor of Movember, the Oregon State football team has stopped shaving this month.

Insert your own beaver shaving joke here.

OSU’s new middle linebacker

3. When Sportswriters Attack

Mainstream sportswriters have lots of critical comments (some deserved) about sports bloggers. But the most common is that, as opposed to traditional news outlets, bloggers “aren’t accountable, their information doesn’t have to be factual, they can just put it out there and criticize and never have to be questioned about it.” Well, if that’s the case, the Kansas City Star’s Jason Whitlock would make one hell of a blogger.

As the Wiz of Odds first noted, earlier this week, Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis announced that he would be taking over playcalling duties from offensive coordinator Mike Haywood. Whitlock went ballistic, calling Weis “a bully and a coward” and accusing the rotund coach of “throw[ing] his offensive coordinator under the bus.”

Just one small problem with Whitlock’s theory: Haywood won’t be calling the plays because he’s not with the team this week following a death in the family.

Look, I’m not by any means a Charlie Weis or Notre Dame fan. Personally, I think they’re perfect for each other—smug, egomaniacal, overpaid and an overinflated sense of worth. But then I could say the same about certain sportswriters.

Whitlock at work on another hard-hitting piece of investigative journalism.

4. Rooting for the Good Guys

In honor of Veteran’s Day this week, I thought I should mention that the service academies are quietly putting together some pretty good teams. Navy, even without Paul Johnson at the helm, are 6-3 and have a realistic shot at a nine-win season (remaining games vs. Notre Dame, @ Northern Illinois and vs. Army). Air Force is flying high (pun intended) at 8-2 and, in a normal year in which Utah, TCU and BYU were not all top-20 teams, would be competing for the MWC title. And Army, well, they’re 3-7. But they’re still more man than you or I. So to all of our cadets, service men and women and veterans, a big thank you for all that you do.

No matter who gets the Commander in Chief’s Trophy, the U.S. of A. is the big winner.

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