sports ramblings
LSU-Bama II for National Championship
These are the two best teams in the country. People might not want a rematch, might hate defensive football. Hate Saban or the Mad Hatter but the bottom line – these are the most talented, best coached teams in the country right now.
Reasons Alabama could win:
1. They are healthy…for the most part. There are a couple of defensive backs that are still on the mend but Barrow is back, rest of crew is healthy. Of course…so is LSU.
2. It’s hard to beat the same time twice in the same season. aka: Revenge factor.
3. Saban’s had 2 months to prepare. The first game was about Jarrett Lee then JJ comes in. A bit of confusion and adjustment resulted. This time, Tide will be focused on JJ.
4. Alabama left alot of points on field at last meeting. 19 if you are being generous.
Reason LSU could win:
1. They are healthy. See above.
2. BUT if they weren’t – they are the deepest team ever. It doesn’t seem to matter who goes down or gets suspended or arrested, there’s another guy with just as much speed and talent right behing him. Next Guy Up really is the culture at LSU. Every position is like this.
3. Superdome, aka LSU South. The dome is nuts when full. Super nuts with the Saints. Insane nuts for LSU. Ridiculous for National Championship games. Off the planet crazy if Saints in playoffs, full, and LSU is playing for the National Championship. Alabama travels about the best in the country, especially to the Sugar Bowl. Second to only…LSU.
4. Special Teams. It’s not just that LSU has incredible special teams – returners who can go the distance, kickers that don’t miss, and the ability to pull of the best fakes in the world. It’s also that Alabama’s special teams are the other kind of special. Like short bus kind of special. This is a huge advantage for the Bayou Bengals.
3 days and counting. LSU is 3 point favorite. This sounds about right.
Monday can’t get here fast enough.
BCS, Rematches Part 2
So I ended up being wrong. I thought that the human polls would vote OSU into the title game, not wanting to see another LSU-Bama game, pitting the conference champions against each other. Instead, the human element voted Alabama as #2 and into the National Championship game.
I would have been okay if Oklahoma State had been voted to go instead of Alabama. Disappointed but not “they was robbed!!!” upset. And I get that some OSU fans are a bit upset about not going to National Championship game but the BCS once again did what it was designed to do.
Before you go all postal on me, hear me out.
The BCS system was designed to accomplish 2 goals.
Goal 1: Put the top 2 teams in a championship game.
Goal 2: Do this without a playoff so that the Bowl System could still make all their money.
I don’t like it but it’s done it’s job every single year. Sure, every other sport in every other division has a playoff. But major college football isn’t about the championship. Never really has been. It’s been about the tradition, the money, the writers, the money, and the money. Before the BCS, the top 2 teams never met. Ever. Okay, maybe once every 15 or 20 years.
The BCS was the ultimate solution between those who really wanted a champion and the billion dollar behemoth of the Bowl system.
Don’t believe me? Look at the Sugar Bowl invitations this year. Or the Orange Bowl. They don’t care about the best match-up. Who is going to bring the most fans and hence, the most money.
As far Alabama as #2 team in the country? It’s fairly accurate. Alabama lost to LSU in OT. They fell in the rankings behind all the undefeated teams at the time – in which OSU was one. Then they all lost to teams they really should not have lost to. So that opened the door for Alabama to get back in at 2.
As far as toughness of schedule – OSU beat 4 top 25 teams (ranked at time they played them). Alabama got 5 on the schedule and beat 4 of them, lost to #1. So the rankings did have to come down to – who did each team lose to.
LSU averaged 40 points a game (minus the Alabama game). Alabama averaged 39 against the same competition (minus the LSU game). Margin of victory was practically identical. Both teams just manhandled every team they played — once they woke up after being bored in the first half.
What the BCS did cheat us out of this year was one heck of a playoff. Can you imagine this Elite Eight – LSU, OSU, Alabama, Stanford, Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Boise State. That would be 4 awesome weeks of football right there. That same four weeks we have to wait until January 9th.
BCS, Rematches, and The Hypocrisy of the Press
By now every one knows the situation of the BCS. LSU is the best team in the land and is sitting at Number 1. After them comes a host of one-loss teams that unfortunately will have to rely on politicking and the press to get a shot at the national championship game.
Here’s the lineup: Alabama (loss to LSU), Stanford (loss to Oregon), Virginia Tech (loss to Clemson – don’t ask me how), Oklahoma State (loss to Iowa State), Boise State (TCU), and then undefeated Houston which honestly is a joke but that’s another story for another time.
Which one ‘deserves’ the shot at LSU – given they beat (or don’t) Georgia? Let’s filter through some of the rhetoric.
Must win their conference championship. Really? So Stanford’s game against a pitiful UCLA team that just lost to USC by 50 is the ticket to the BCS Championship? The two best teams in the Pac-12 aren’t even in the game (Oregon and USC). The Big 10 champion will have two losses, so they are out. Big-12? Oh wait — they don’t have a championship game anymore because Texas didn’t want that game to ruin their shot at a BCS title.
Houston wins their conference – put them in, right? Oh but they aren’t part of the “club” of BCS schools so they are out. Virginia Tech makes a compelling argument but…
Pick the two best schools. This is where the losses matter. Iowa State, LSU, Clemson, Oregon – which is the best loss? Traditionally this is how the voters decide giving Alabama the most compelling argument but…
Every game counts means no rematch. This is the BCS slogan – every game counts. The playoffs are all season long. Which sounds great until you realize that even if LSU loses they are in the National Championship game due to the BCS rankings. So every game except the conference championship counts? Or maybe the BCS guys should say “every game counts but some more so than others.” some count more than
What we need is a playoff! Here is where the hypocrisy of the press really kicks in. I hear all the cries for a playoff but if that were the case – here are our top 10 teams and seedings.
LSU vs. Arkansas (rematch)
Alabama vs. Boise State
OSU vs. Houston
Stanford vs. Va Tech
If you had the top 10 you’ve added Oregon and Oklahoma. You see where I’m going with this?
Exactly – a playoff would have the possibility of 3 rematches, possibly more during the playoffs. So those who are calling for a playoff system, rematches could (and most likely would) happen every single year. If you want a playoff – not wanting a rematch can’t really be your war cry.
So what’s the solution?
There isn’t one. Some team is going to get the short end of the stick no matter how you slice it. There isn’t a “fair” way to determine the FBS National Champion. And there will never be until a playoff system is in place.
In the meantime — all I’m saying is Roll Tide, anyway.
The Unfiltered Truth About Tebow
It’s not rocket science why Tim Tebow is so polarizing. It’s part Jesus…and part Tim Tebow.
Listen, I cringe at the “Tebowing” kneeling posture that has somehow become larger than planking. But do you know how many football players kneel on one knee before a game or on the sideline to get focused before the game? Take a look the next time you get a chance. There’s quite a bit. The fact that Tebow is praying when he does it instead of listening to rap music that celebrates guns, drugs, sex, and more sex seems to really bother most of the other NFL teams, ESPN, NFL Network and FOX Sports.
I can understand the hesitancy and skepticism of most people. We’ve been sold the fakes so many times that our first instinct now is to dismiss Tebow as another nut job that one day is going to get found out. How many “Jesus” players have ended up in the news with drug charges, late night arrests, and overall fairly selfish behavior in life?
Then there is the actual gameplay of Tebow. He plays like a linebacker, talks like a pastor, leads like a general, and has a competitive fire of the likes we haven’t seen since….Michael Jordan. We don’t know what in the world to do with him. How is he 4-1?
Every player that has ever played with him says the same exact thing. I believe in him. He’s the biggest competitor on the team. He’s a beast. He can’t throw an out pattern to save his life but he can run over the middle linebacker, get up and do it again on the next play. He’s smart enough to figure out what the defense is doing and what he SHOULD do with the ball. He just can’t always do it. He’s what Ray Lewis would have been like as a quarterback.
I don’t think Tebow is the long-term answer for the Broncos. This run has been nice in terms of the record but it’s painful to watch. And one bad game by the defense renders this offense completely obsolete. See the Lions game.
However, I’m tired of announcers and players trashing and making fun of Tebow because instead of buying bling and Bentleys, he’s building hospitals in the Philippines. Instead of being a jerk and talking in 3rd person, he walks by kids with jerseys and hats and signs autographs until he’s pulled away.
I’m pulling for him. I hope he gets this throwing the ball accurately thing down. Because if he does, he’s going to be a beast of a quarterback and a heck of a leader.
But if he doesn’t get it figured out – the only thing that will be true is that he’s not an NFL quarterback. I’m guessing he’ll still sign autographs, build hospitals, and talk about Jesus.
And that’ll be okay too.
If he only had gone to Alabama.
Alabama is ready for a rematch with LSU
My buddy Wayne ‘the Italian Stallion’ Galli sent me this. It’s to funny to not send it along.
The Debate of Going To The Broncos Game
I have a great friend that has season tickets to the Kansas City Chiefs. I’ve known this family for year and we are incredibly close but there is one thing that comes between us…two times a year. They are die-hard Chief fans. I am a die-hard Bronco fan.
Last year, he took Cooper and Amy to the game at Arrowhead. I’ve been to a game at Arrowhead – Broncos, 1st ever Thanksgiving game at Arrowhead in fact. At that time – it was as loud as I can imagine a venue to be. He offered me tickets again this year and I really wanted to go but I just couldn’t swing it.
Besides that, the last few times I’ve gone to a professional football game, it’s been a bit dodgy.
Raider-Bronco game @ Invesco field, 2009. Broncos give up 24 unanswered points in the second half and get thoroughly embarrassed. That was just more fuel for the handful of Raider fans around us to drop more F bombs than a Samuel L. Jackson movie. It didn’t matter how many kids were around. They kept drinking and kept swearing. It was one of the few times I imagined throwing someone off the top deck of a stadium.
Chief-Bronco game @ Arrowhead, Thanksgiving night, 2008. You know the problem with night games? It gives bone-head fans all day to prove their bone-headedness. It was just me and Cooper for this go around. It was Jake Plummer’s last official start in the NFL. Cutler ended up starting the next week.
Any rate, we wore our Broncos gear and had a great time until it was time to leave. Even though we lost, I made sure that we stayed as late as we could to avoid the doofus’ in the ramps going to out to the car. On the way, several fights broke out between Bronco and Chief fans. I managed to get Coop and I out of there with little incident. There was an older Chief fan that sat next to us through out the game and he walked down with us, running block as best as he could.
On the way to the car, I noticed a Bronco fan with a busted nose, blood running down his Eddie McCaffrey jersey. Appropriate, I thought.
He said – “Hey man, I need some help. I was hit by a Chief fan.” What did you do?
“I told ‘em all to go …” well, just let your imagination roam and that’s pretty much what he said.
I kept walking and said to Cooper – I can’t imagine why anyone would want to punch that guy.
A buddy of mine was at the Bills-Chief game earlier this year and he had beer and food thrown at him as he was sporting Bills gear. No Bills fan should ever get anything thrown at them as being a Bills fan is enough embarrassment as it is. It’s not his fault that the Chiefs are terrible and can’t decide if they are a horrible team that plays well every now and then or a good team that plays horrible every now and then.
Fortunately for me, the Broncos are consistent. They are just a bad team right now. Tebow is painful to watch and I think Elway/Fox are geniuses for playing him out this year so that every Tebow fan in the country can see the train wreck for what it is. Now…Tebow at linebacker? Or tight end? That would be freakin’ awesome.
Any rate, I’ll watch the game from the comfort of the house with no beer being thrown at me or F bombs launched. And if by some miracle the Broncos pull this one out…I’ll gloat only for a few moments as the rematch is coming in a short few weeks.
Football Thoughts, Week of Oct 2
College Football
Can you imagine how good Alabama would be with a good kick-off team? After the initial 10-3 lead by Florida, it was over. The defense is just smothering fast and Trent Richardson is a beast.
All this really means is that when LSU comes to town, the nation will be watching. After a sluggish start, LSU cranked it up and won easily against Kentucky.
Denver Broncos
I really don’t know what else to write about the Broncos. The “Tebow” package that Fox talked about this week ended up being 1 play for 1 yard. Orton who is supposed to give this team the best chance of winning looks pathetic. Underthrows a wide Lloyd one play, over throws the next. More interceptions than TD’s. A few pick 6′s. I can’t believe that Quinn and/or Tebow could do much worse.
And I’m not a pro-Tebow guy at all. He’s a Gator. I just don’t understand the mentality – if the 2012 QB is not on the roster, then play all of them to see what you’ve got in game situations. At least entertain us, right? Cue Gladiator sound bite.
The only brights spots are the 2011 rookies. Miller and Moore – they look very good given they have 4 NFL games as experience. Makes me confident for future drafts. Doesn’t take away the ridiculousness of our offense.
I thought I would dislike McDaniels less after he went. Turns out I was wrong. I can’t stand him even more than when he was here. He killed the Broncos.
Not that any of that would have mattered against the Packers. They are so good. It is clear how far the Broncos have to go to be Super Bowl contenders again. And it is a long, long, long way.
Fantasy
Mike Geer put the beat down on me this week. So 3-1, tied for 1st. Got my first win in the 12th Ave league.
Weekend Football Thoughts, September 24
Meant to post this last week — got lost in the draft folder.
College
LSU jumped Oklahoma for the #1 spot. Apparently West Virgina is a powerhouse team to be feared. Not that it matters. In a few weeks, Alabama-LSU will enter the cage match of the season in Tuscaloosa. That is going to be one crazy good game.
Alabama manhandled Arkansas. In past years, Arkansas would hang around and make every Alabama fan nervous but ‘Bama would prevail…as long as the Tide could make field goals. (I was at that game…ugggghhhh.) But this year – Alabama just beat them up. The Hogs’ offense is plenty sophisticated and will put up a lot of points this year. But Alabama just physically dominated. It was like watching the big bully prove that he wasn’t just talk but could actually kick your butt.
Alabama’s offense is another story altogether. It’s the antithesis of Arkansas. There are two guys that make that thing go – Lacey and Richardson. And it’s Bowling Ball 1 and Bowling Ball 2. But there isn’t a QB in the state of Alabama that really strikes fear in anybody. Maybe the guy playing for Hoover High. It’s a weakness that could really hurt the Tide later in the year…but then again, if offenses only score 10 points a game…
Pro Football
It’s debatable which team is more painful to watch – the Chiefs or the Broncos. I’m not sure if KC can win a game at this point. They just find ways to lose that aren’t even imaginable.
The Broncos…another day in Orton’s paradise. Play well enough to be average. The problem with this scenario is this – Broncos could lose every game on their schedule and it might not be bad enough to get Luck.
Minnesota and Seattle are taking football back decades. KC is as well but even if the Broncs split with them, where else is KC going to win? Same question for Denver – who else can they beat?
KC plays Minnesota next week, Broncs get the Packers. KC could win. Should win. Broncs will be lucky to make it to halftime.
But nobody circles the wagons like the Bills!!!! Way to go, Bills.
Pac-12 will stay 12 But Everything Is Still Fine In The Big 12
I wrote this a couple of weeks ago how the Big 12 is toast. Not everyone agreed.
Today these 3 gems land.
Gem 1 – Pac-12 will stay at 12 because they could not get any assurances from…wait for it…TEXAS that it would agree to equal revenue sharing in the conference.
Gem 3 – Missouri is rumored to be the 14th team for the SEC. (Which would move Auburn to the SEC East…not sure what I think about that. They’d do pretty good over there.)
We’ve been down this road before with Missouri and the Big 10. That didn’t end well for the Tigers and personally, I don’t think we need another Tiger mascot in the SEC. But I digress… My hunch is that if Oklahoma gets want it wants and stays – Missouri will stay as well.
For the rest of the schools, it seems like it’s just a big game of wait and see.
Football Thoughts, Week of September 18
College Football
OU manages to survive at FSU
Was it the defense or was the FSU offense that bad? I really think this is OU’s only real test this season. Their only real obstacle left in front of them is themselves. If they show up and play the way they are capable, they should win out with their schedule. Of course, that’s the trick with OU – showing up and playing. That’s why we play ‘em.
LSU escapes
Interesting stat that ESPN popped up during the game – Mississippi State has only defeated Ole Miss in the SEC West under Dan Mullen’s tenure. He’s gone winless against the rest of the division. Mullen is generally seen as a great coach and has MSU headed in the right direction but that just goes to show you how tough the SEC West really is. The East is another story altogether.
Alabama cruises, Arkansas sort of cruises
Both teams cruised out to huge early leads against severely overmatched opponents. Arkansas then kinda got a little sloppy but my hunch is Petrino will use that to keep the Hogs focused on Alabama this week. Alabama’s defense is allowing 2.5 yards a play this year. Arkansas’ offense will be the first real test though. Great offense against great defense in a great venue. Roll Tide. This game will be a doosey – in the words of Keith Jackson.
NFL
The Chefs (misspelled on purpose) are atrocious. 84-10. That’s how they have been manhandled by the Bills and the Lions. And it’s not just the injuries. This team looks out-coached, out-hustled, and out-everything else. Half of them look like they don’t even want to be there Is this just more evidence that Haley’s act wears thin on players? Maybe.
The Broncos won against that Bengals but not before they tried to give the game back to them a couple of times.
“Here, you win the game.”
“No, really. It’s your turn. You win.”
“No, I instist, you’re the home team. You win.”
A 2 point win against a Marvin Lewis coached, bad Bengals team is not something to get excited about. They should have won this game going away. They didn’t. And that pretty much says all we need to know. They are going to play hard under John Fox but the talent isn’t there anymore. They are all playing for other teams (thank you Josh McDaniels) and this win just delays the inevitable.
Nobody circles the wagons like the Bills. I could become a Bills fan after watching them the past two weeks. They are fun to watch. And they beat the Raiders. I like that.
Fantasy Football Update:
2 leagues this year with polar opposite results.
TABC League – been in this league for 8 or 9 years. This is my worst year because I wasn’t available for the draft. I did the auto draft. Worst. Decision. Ever. I had 9 RBs, 1 QB (Flacco…really?) and the rest WRs. It was atrocious. I’m just punting this year. Not even really going to the waiver wire because it’s just that bad. I’m 0-2 and it doesn’t look good the rest of the way. Not even been remotely close in any of the games.
WHFL – Newly formed Western Hills league. Pretty much had the draft of my life this year. I was buried at the #11 pick. So I just picked up Andre Johnson at 11, then Tom Brady at 14. Genius. So far, I have been on the right end of two big blowouts. Could be the year.
Football Thoughts, Week of September 11
Alabama
The defense is every bit as good as advertised. The offense and special teams needs some work. Their next test will be Arkansas in a couple of weeks. The pundits are saying that the Tide is rolling towards another national championship. I’m thinking that may be premature. Every one in the stadium knows that #3 is getting the ball and that just isn’t a great recipe for a season long run to the Championship. AJ McCarron will have to develop as well as a wideout other than Maze.
Auburn
As Coop and I were watching the game wind down, I told Cooper that the right call would be to throw now with 10 seconds left that way MSU has two plays. MSU runs and Auburn’s safety makes one heck of a play. I’m not sure if MSU just choked away a win or if Auburn is that resilient. Either way, Auburn is 2-0 and while they aren’t as talented or dominant as they were last year – they still play hard, still play the WHOLE game.
Georgia & South Carolina
Uga now has a different meaning. Watching Georgia self-destruct in that game was painful even for me. Murray still makes those one or two bone-head plays a game that just makes you go – “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??” Which should totally sound familiar for South Carolina fans as they have watched Garcia…dare I use the phrase ‘grow up?’ Shame for Mark Richt – who will probably lose his job after this season.
NFL
The Broncos…here’s the deal. I’m not anti-Orton. It’s just that we’ve seen this ineptness the last 4 years. Dink, dink, short run, turnover, field goals instead of touchdowns, penalties, and unable to finish games. It is clear that Orton is an average quarterback who at times plays awful but generally speaking will play to the level of talent around him. He isn’t going to put the team on his shoulders and take them to the next level.
What we don’t know is what we’ve got in Quinn or Tebow. And since it is apparent that the Broncos are going to be in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, wouldn’t it be great to figure out what you’ve got with Tebow or Quinn? Maybe they do know what they’ve got and it’s so bad they are just trying to get as much as they can in trade value from the other teams. The 23-20 score is so deceptive. The game really wasn’t that close and it was a slow, ugly game. Penalty Bowl.
The cool thing? The Orange Jerseys!!! Love that look!
The only team that I thought looked worse than the Broncs this past weekend was the Chiefs. And unless there is a major attitude change in KC, they could be the worse team in the NFL. They didn’t look ready to play and completely out-coached on Sunday. Could be a long season for the Chefs.
Opening Weekend of College Football
I didn’t have a lot of time to watch football this weekend. That is something I will correct this coming weekend. BUT here are my thoughts of what I did see…
1. Georgia – played liked they look in those hideous uniforms. Awful look…just awful. BUT not as bad as…
2. Maryland – After Saturday night I didn’t think it was possible to have an uglier uniform. Monday night, Maryland proved me wrong.
3. Georgia, part 2 – they look slow, overwhelmed, outcoached, and Murray (QB) looks lost without AJ Green. South Carolina is next on the docket for the Dawgs. Doesn’t look good.
4. LSU – the game wasn’t as close as the score. I think LSU could have stayed out on that field all night long. After halftime, they just manhandled Oregon. Here’s the bad news though – Oregon can recover. LSU must now tackle the SEC West.
5. Alabama – found their QB whether Saban makes it official or not. Simms came in after half and threw 2 picks, 1 of which led to Kent State’s only score. McCarron may not be lighting it up like Saban wants but he’s not an INT machine.
6. Baylor over TCU – shocked but happy. Baylor has a few more upsets in them.
7. USF over Notre Dame – not shocked but absolutely livid that ND got ranked in the first place. How does that happen? Kelly looked like a total jerk on sideline, not sure how he is going to manage the rest of the year. Yanking your “stud” starting QB after 15 minutes of play is either over-reacting or he really isn’t a “stud” starting QB.
8. BYU just sealed Houston Nutt’s fate at Ole Miss. This was Nutt’s MO at Arkansas as well. Play well enough to win for 3 quarters then lose it in the 4th. He just can’t seem to get his teams to finish.
9. LSU jumps Alabama in the polls. Not really surprised about this. LSU beats a #5 Oregon, which probably should not have been ranked that high but that’s not the point. The point is if LSU and Alabama didn’t play each other – it would matter. They do – it doesn’t.
10. #4 Boise State – I don’t like it but they aren’t going anywhere the rest of the season. They beat Georgia (which at the end of the season is not going to be that big of a win, I suspect) and now it’s just off to the races to see which teams knock each other out of the BCS Championship race where Boise State will be waiting for them.
11. Auburn’s flirting with disaster. Utah State hasn’t had a winning season in like 13 years. They were 4-8 last year. Was this just Auburn’s traditional slow start or are they really in deep weeds? We will know after Mississippi State comes calling.
I’m A Winner!!
Last week I told you about Drew Litton. He was (and still is) my favorite cartoonist. I actually won the Caption of The Week Contest. Which means I got my name on the cartoon drawing!!
I might need to get this all big and in color.
The Elephant in the Big 12 Room
A&M made it official today that they will be leaving the Big 12 which is actually only 10 teams and only a couple of them are really big but all of that is really beside the point. As I’m listening to sports radio and the local hub-bub, it’s fascinating to me some of the responses and questions I’m hearing. It’s almost as if these people are sharing a brain with Big 12 Dan Beebe.
Here is some of the ridiculousness I’ve heard today…
“Why would A&M leave the Big 12 to go get beat up in the SEC every year?”
I’ve got about 8 to 10 million reasons why. That’s how much more money a year they will make in the revenue sharing SEC than in the non-revenue sharing Big 12. Plus, a good year in the Big 12 means maybe the Cotton Bowl or Capital One Bowl. A good year in the SEC is the Sugar Bowl or potentially the BCS Championship Game.
“They will lose all of their recruits in Texas if they leave the Big 12.”
Are you serious? Your top-shelf athletes are going to stay and play in the Big 12 versus the SEC where they will play against NFL talent every week? They will choose the Big 12 – whose national champion contenders get manhandled every year – over the SEC where the last 5 national champions have come from? Don’t think so.
“It’s A&M fault that we are going through this whole re-alignment thing again.”
Are you sure about that? The “Texas” Network and the Texas greed in the Big 12 is what is killing the Big 12. Move the championship game to Dallas, move the headquarters to Texas, give Texas their own network, don’t share revenue because that would mean less money for Texas. Are you seeing a pattern? Who will stay for that?
One would think that after Nebraska and Colorado left, the lesson would be learned. It obviously hasn’t. Texas released a statement today saying they are behind the Big 12 all the way and are full supporters of the conference. Of course they are – no other conference would let them have their own network or let them be the one to stop revenue sharing.
“It’s okay, we will just get SMU, TCU, BYU, Notre Dame, Arkansas, or whoever else to take their place.”
First, let’s get this straight. Notre Dame and Arkansas are NOT coming to the Big 12. That would be a dramatic pay cut as well as a dramatic step down in prestige. Neither is TCU who just joined the Big East or some other insignificant conference like that. BYU just committed to stay in Mountain West and you can pretty much count on that school keeping its word.
That leaves really only SMU and Houston in the mix. Does anyone really believe that SMU and Houston will be better for the Big 12 than Colorado, Nebraska, and Texas A&M? Accepting those teams would basically saying to the world – we are going to be the Big 2 + the Flat 10.
Bottom line – the Big 12 is in serious trouble and Don Beebe has yet to show he can lead in the complicated world of NCAA realignment.
Personally, I’m happy for A&M. They are going to fit in great in the tradition rich SEC if they end up finding themselves there. That makes the SEC West the murder’s row in football – Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Mississippi, and Texas A&M.
It will make our personal holidays a bit more tense as Amy is from a long line of Aggies. Her brother, her father, her uncle, her grandfather, and probably a few more generations after that as well are all from Aggieland.
Looks like our family will be a bastion of War Eagle, Gig ‘Em, and Roll Tide.
The best conference in football is about to get even better.
I might just have to be a Michigan State fan this year…
Saw this on Walt Mueller’s blog. Kirk Cousins, the starting quarterback for Michigan State, was asked to speak on behalf of the players at the Big 10 Football Season kickoff.
This is a speech….
The 2011-2012 Broncos
The Quarterback Controversy
I’m not sure why there is all this drama in Denver surrounding the QB. Orton is by far the best QB on the roster. With no rules keeping the #3 QB out of the lineup this year, whether Tebow is #2 or #3 is pretty much irrelevant.
The question during the lock-out was whether or not Elway/Fox/Xander wanted to play for the wins now (start Orton) OR play for the draft/see what we’ve got left after the McDaniels fiasco (start Tebow). They’ve made their decision – try to win now.
The pressure is when you spend a 1st round pick on a player, you want production out of them as soon as possible. But let’s face it – McDaniels Experiment was an unmitigated disaster in this area. His first round picks were atrocious. Knowshon Moreno, Robert Ayers, Demaryius Thomas, and Tim Tebow. None of them have produced like 1st round picks should produce. Maybe time will vindicate these picks but until they do, Bronco fans just need to take their medicine and chill. Tebow was an expensive draft pick but that isn’t going to make him a better QB.
Personally, I’m a little disappointed. Orton is a known commodity, would have liked to rolled the dice with Tebow. Worse case scenario is we get the first pick in the 2012 draft and HELLO, Andrew Luck!! But Orton is the guy so here we go.
Monday, Sep 12 Oakland Raiders W
I will never pick the Raiders. Never. Wear your flack jackets.
Sunday, Sep 18 Cincinnati Bengals W
How does Marvin Lewis keep his job but Shanny loses his? Mysteries of the universe. Had Bowlen not fired McDaniels, the Broncos were well on their way to becoming the Bengals.
Sunday, Sep 25 @Tennessee Titans W
Tennessee should win this one but with Chris Johnson doing his hold-out thing. Plus the whole QB situation there is not very good. I’m picking the W but that means that the Broncos would be 3-0…which I really don’t think will happen.
Sunday, Oct 2 @Green Bay Packers L
I was at the Monday night game Favre threw the dagger on the first play of overtime his last season with the Packers. Never have I heard a stadium that loud get that quiet. This one will not be that close.
Sunday, Oct 9 San Diego Chargers L
I can’t stand Philip Rivers but that offense is going to put up some points. And the Chargers have owned the Broncos lately.
Sunday, Oct 23 @Miami Dolphins W
How weird would this game have been if Orton had been traded? First of all, Miami would have won. As it stands now, Miami looks lost at the QB position. Why they didn’t get one in the off season is a mystery.
Sunday, Oct 30 Detroit Lions L
Mainly because I think Detroit is going to be one of those teams that just beats people up every week. Even without Stafford last year, they scored a lot of points. Detroit is vulnerable in the secondary but not too many teams will have time to figure that out.
Sunday, Nov 6 @Oakland Raiders W
Terrelle Pryor will be the quarterback by now. Not because he is better than Jason Campbell but because this organization has a gift in ruining a good thing before it matures into a great thing.
Sunday, Nov 13 @Kansas City Chiefs L
Broncos split this series last year. As much as I would love to sweep the Chefs this year…I don’t think the Broncos have the talent to do it. And the Chefs are better this year than last. It’s a shame their schedule is going to hose them.
Thursday, Nov 17 New York Jets L
I hate this game. Between two division rival games on a Thursday night. In the glory years, this would be a game that Denver would dominate. We are not in the glory years.
Sunday, Nov 27 @San Diego Chargers L
Road game, Chargers will be playing for something and the Broncos won’t.
Sunday, Dec 4 @Minnesota Vikings L
Dome, turf, away game, and Minnesota. Plus I think the Vikings will be decent.
Sunday, Dec 11 Chicago Bears W
This game is circled, starred, and highlighted on the fans’ calendar. And with the hideous O-line of the Bears versus the Broncos front 7, Cutler could get hit early and often in this match. Go Broncos.
Sunday, Dec 18 New England Patriots L
Remember when Hoodie, Jr ran off the field in victory? So does Hoodie, Sr. This one will be over at halftime.
Saturday, Dec 24 @Buffalo Bills W
I almost called this a tie. A winter game in Buffalo? It will be cold and one boring game. But I must pick the Broncs because I don’t want Mike Geer giving me grief.
Sunday, Jan 1 Kansas City Chiefs W
The Chiefs just don’t always put it all together at Mile High. That’s what I’m counting on.
Final record: 8-8
That’s probably to high. The Buffalo game and the Raiders games I had to pick to win regardless what I really think. 6-10 is more realistic.
Go Broncos anyway.
My Football Ramblings: College Edition
Roll tide, y’all.
Alabama
They are ranked #1 by SI, #2 by ESPN. The defense is that good. In fact, that defense could be nasty, slobber knocking, old school good. And then there is Trent Richardson that many are saying is better than Mark Ingram. So…an incredible running game plus a nasty defense is going to be a hard formula to beat. The problem is they play in the SEC. Specifically the SEC West.
That means LSU and Arkansas both of which have the talent to go undefeated as well. The rest of the nation is very happy about this. Let the SEC beat each other up. LSU’s biggest weakness is their head coach. Arkansas is the injury bug which hit this last week – Knile Davis could be lost for the season. That would be a huge loss. Arkansas is still a dangerous team without him…just won’t have that home run threat.
Miami Hurricanes
I was living in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area when the SMU scandal broke and basically killed the Southwest Conference and big time college football in the DFW area. SMU has never recovered from the death penalty and now they are talking about using it on Miami.
There are a couple of differences in the situations. First, SMU had been warned 3 times in as many years about these issues. Second, the SMU situation was that University staff and state politicians were in on the action. Third, SMU was good. Hey-O!
I’m not sure if the Death Penalty should be used here or not. It will most definitely kill the program at “the U” and in this culture of conference shake up – could very well be the end of the ACC.
I do think the NCAA and public in general is spending a lot of useless time and money on trying to solve this problem. More enforcement officers will not stop this. Harsher penalties will not stop this.
On Paying Athletes
This will not work either. It does nothing toward solving the problem except make it worse. Going to pay the bench, practice player the same as the starting QB? What about all the other sports on campus – going to start paying them? Remember Title IX? Got to pay women athletes as well.
“But those athletes make millions of dollars for the system…” Yes. They do. And it takes millions of dollars to run those programs. And playing major college sports puts that athlete in a position to make millions of dollars later in their life and to have opportunities that the average college student never gets. And these athletes get into schools they otherwise would have never gotten into. And tuition, books, fee, room and board are paid for. Plus all the cool gear of the team, plus the per diam for meals…the travel…
So what is going to help?
I’m trying to figure out when Personal Responsibility went out the window. The NCAA punishes the schools, the fans, they punish the future potential students with limited scholarships. But when do the actual people who took the benefits and gave the benefits get punished?
Why not make it illegal for the kid who takes money to play ever again in college sports? Why not ban the head coach or AD or president from working on the college level who is found negligent or “loss of institutional control?” Why not get a federal law on the books and have jail time for the violators and instead of the state or federal government paying for it, have the BCS pay for that since it makes so much money anyway?
The Eyes of Texas…
I can’t see how in the world the Texas/ESPN deal is even legal under the NCAA rules given all the other rules that we’ve learned to live with. For some reason everyone inside the Big 12 is keeping quiet on the issue while everyone outside the Big 12 is pretty upset about it. The money it will make sounds obscene and obviously Texas will benefit from that but in terms of making the football program better, I’m not sure how much it will help. Texas already has year after year one of the 10 best recruiting classes, top 3 facilities in the nation, and is located in the middle of one of the best states for high school football.
Big 12 or the Flat 10
Could the Big 12 could survive A&M leaving the conference? I don’t think so. Mainly because I don’t think it will be just A&M leaving.
Just play this out – if A&M bolts to SEC, they will add another team. For years the SEC has wanted Florida St or Clemson. (For that matter – Georgia Tech used to be in the SEC.) That opens up for the ACC to add another team – possibly two if Miami gets the death penalty. What is keeping Kansas, Kansas State or Missouri in the Big 12 if the ACC came calling? If I’m Kansas and the ACC came calling – I’m jumping at that opportunity.
My point is this – traditional, geographical rivalries aren’t enough to keep conferences together. Nor are they huge obstacles in forming new conferences anymore. As long as Texas functions as the big, bad, bully in the conference, I think these other teams will be looking for a more equitable deal elsewhere.
National Champion Contenders
Oklahoma
Good – they have a great schedule this year. Texas is down, Big 12 is down, OSU is well – OSU. On paper, looks like Oklahoma has the easiest path to an undefeated season other than Boise State.
Bad – OU has a history of losing a game early in the season that they had no business losing. If they do that this year, they’ll be out of the running for the National Championship.
Oregon
Good – that ridiculous offense is mostly back and there really isn’t anyone (save Stanford) that is going to stop them in the Pac-10.
Bad – Season opener is against LSU. Can the Ducks survive an early season stumble? I think they can but they will need some help. Namely, LSU losing to somebody else.
LSU
Good – Probably the most talented starting lineup in the country. They have it all – offense, defense and special teams.
Bad – Schedule and bar fights. Opener with Oregon, At Alabama, and then the rest of the SEC West plus whoever comes out of the East. The Alabama game is the one to circle.
Alabama
Roll Tide.
Good – The defense is going to be just NASTY. Trent Richardson. Nick Saban.
Bad – Quarterback and schedule. Penn State, SEC West, LSU. Fortunately they have a home friendly, non-Bye week schedule. LSU/Alabama is the National Title game.
Boise State
Good – They are a talented team but I’m having a hard time with them being ranked in the top 5. Why?
Bad – They don’t play anybody. Georgia is their home opener. An average Georgia team that won 6 games last year. It’s the only game on the schedule to get amped up for. I want to see them play in a big conference with big games in big venues every week.
My Football Ramblings for a New Season: NFL Edition
The lockout is over so now hundreds of millionaires can get back to work. (Don’t you wish there was a sarcasm font?) Here are my thoughts going into the new season.
Denver Broncos
Orton is clearly the QB that gives the Broncos the best chance of winning this season. Thus far he is proven to be miles ahead of Tebow and Quinn. However, I don’t see the long-term point of playing him. He is not the “difference maker” for the Broncos to be a championship team. It’d be nice to see if the 1st round pick on Tebow was worth it or not before scrapping him altogether. Is getting 6 wins instead of 4 wins worth playing Orton at the expense of seeing what Tebow has got? I don’t think so.
New Rule Changes
Kicking off from the 35 instead of the 30 and forcing all players on the kicking team to be within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage before kicking were said to be done for player safety. I like the new rules. It should slow down those special teamers a bit and there is a chance for a few more onside kicks. I think they should have added one more rule to the mix, though. A touchback puts the ball on the 30 instead of the 20. Would really force punters and kickers to do more than just boom the ball out the back of the endzone.
Pryor and the Supplemental Draft
I don’t get the ruling by the Commissioner. 5 game suspension for circumventing the NFL draft rules? How about just tell him – see ya’ in the draft next April. Or just let him go to the supplemental draft with no suspension. What was the penalty for the Seahawks when Pete Carroll left USC under NCAA probation to coach? Oh yeah…there wasn’t one.
Lockout Fallout
With no offseason workouts, OTAs, or rookie camps, everyone pretty much knows that defense is going to be miles ahead of the offense this year. But the real losers in the lockout are teams that had coaching changes. New head coaches landed in Carolina, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Minnesota, Oakland, San Francisco, and Tennessee. Arizona, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Miami, New England, St. Louis, and Seattle all changed offensive coordinators. That could mean a rough year for these teams (save New England).
Worthless Preseason Predictions
Why even do this? Because I can and you need the laugh. I’ll post my annual Denver Bronco schedule later…
AFC
AFC West: Chargers
AFC North: Steelers
AFC East: Patriots
AFC South: Colts
Wildcards: Ravens, Jets
Comments: Chiefs will now play a harder schedule and with a new offensive coordinator. They will be competitive but not better than the Ravens or Jets for the wildcard.
Darkhorse Team That Could Surprise Us All: Texans. An average defense and that team is scary good.
AFC Champion: Steelers (through gritted teeth)
NFC
NFC West: Who really cares? I guess I’ll pick the Cardinals.
NFC North: Packers
NFC East: Eagles
NFC South: Saints
Wildcards: Falcons, Bucs
Comments: NFC South is so deep…and young. Packers, Falcons, or Saints could each win their way to the Super Bowl.
Darkhorse Team That Could Surprise Us All: Lions. They have a ferocious defense and if they can keep Stafford healthy, they will win a lot of games.
NFC Champion: Saints
Super Bowl Champion: Saints
Sorry Who Dat Nation. I hope I didn’t just secure your demise.
The Top Coaching Jobs In College Football?
Andy Staples has spoken. So I guess that’s that….except now I’m going to comment.
And yes, this is one of THOSE sports posts. Feel free to skip it all both of my woman readers.
Andy’s criteria was multi-faceted. Recruiting, how much money does the program make, prestige, expectations all played a part. Let’s hit the highlights.
1. Texas
2. Ohio State
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida
5. Georgia
6. LSU
7. Alabama
Andy said that Florida, Georgia, LSU and Alabama should be in a 4 way tie for the 4th place but his editors wouldn’t let him do that. So he went with this ranking due to expectations. Hard to really argue with these top 7. And for those who are wondering why in the world is Georgia even on the list? Because it is in the middle of the ATL and they don’t expect a national champion every year and they play in the SEC East where the only team you really need to beat is Florida. So it’s a top job. One that will probably be open after this season.
8. Penn State
9. Auburn
10. Oregon
11. USC
12. Michigan
13. Notre Dame
Here’s where the list gets interesting. Oregon. Really? On one hand, I wonder why it isn’t higher. You have Nike in your back pocket. There isn’t this huge expectation on the team like in the SEC. It’s a great place to live and they have like 115 different uniforms to choose from. But better than the tradition rich USC, Notre Dame, Michigan jobs? Hard to say. What isn’t hard to say is that this crew is still fairly safe in the top 20. That can’t be said for rest of the list.
14. Florida State
15. Nebraska
16. Tennessee
17. Virginia Tech
18. Arizona State
20. Oklahoma State
Andy actually did a great job explaining why he picked these schools. And while I think the top part of his list is solid, there are a lot of questions with teams 14-20.
Other schools that I’d coach at before I’d coach at any of the schools ranked 14 – 20:
Miami – in South Florida, football talent is thick down there. Great location. Downsides – not a true campus stadium, one option of many in Miami, never had a huge fan base. But couldn’t you argue that it is a better job than OSU or Arizona State?
Arkansas – SEC school, the expectations are not ridiculous high, new stadium/facilities, great college atmosphere. Downsides – have to recruit against both SEC schools and Big 12 giants Oklahoma and Texas. Very close to Virgina Tech in my mind in terms of ranking.
Boise State – think about it. Get to play a relatively cupcake schedule every year. Will win 10 games a year. Great underdog role. No real huge expectations to win national championship. Downside – recruiting to Idaho must be brutal. Blue field is now more annoying than anything.
Wisconsin – huge fan base, great college town, good tradition, big conference. It is freezing cold up there. But with the down years that are facing Michigan and Ohio State, there is a real opportunity for Wisconsin. If only that conference had a clue about dividing a conference.
TCU, Colorado, Texas A&M – I’m not saying these are great places to coach. I’m merely saying that I would think these places could be argued over places like Arizona State, Virgina Tech, and Florida State.
Let the debates begin.
I Want My Monday Night Back
Last night for the first time in forever, it hit me. I’ve come to hate the Final Four. Especially this year. HATE it.
Did misunderstand what I’m saying. I love everything up to the Final Four. I love college basketball, I love Selection Sunday. I think the Tourney is everything right about college sports just as much as the bowl system is everything wrong about college football. (I mean, really… a 6-6 team in a bowl game?)
I love cutting down the nets. I love Cinderellas – even when it means seeing KU choke away a shot at a national championship. I love that Butler and VCU made a run. I love the buzzer beaters heading into Final Four weekend. I love the upsets and I secretly love that every year it only takes a few hours on a Thursday afternoon to completely ruin a bracket.
But my distaste for the Final Four finally grew into hate this weekend.
I hate that the court looked like a postage stamp in the stadium. I hate that CBS’s HD cameras aren’t good enough to keep up with the game. I hate the stupid court side angles. If I wanted to pay a ridiculous amount of money for a bad seat, I would have done that. I have a television so that I don’t get those angles. I hate all the commercials that turns a college basketball game into a professional baseball game. I don’t need to ever see another Coke Zero or Mercedes Benz commercial…ever.
I hate the overkill of analysis or the cliches of Clark Kellogg and the 15,000 references to pumpkins. While I loved the insight of Steve Kerr, he makes Jim Nance look like an extravert.
I hate the defending of Jim Calhoun and John Calipari as if they are men of character in the same category of John Wooden or Coach K. If Final Fours have been vacated and suspensions handed down…they did something wrong. It’s more than just a misunderstanding. I hate that the NCAA can’t get suspensions right. If Calhoun or players are guilty of an infraction that is deserving of a suspension – suspend them. Immediately. Post-season or not. Make it punishment, not just an inconvenience. I hate that all the media talked about was the impressive tourney run by UConn from the Big East tourney to the Final Four and not that their coach and their program have had MAJOR recruiting and honesty issues THIS SEASON.
I hate tip-off at 9.20pm Eastern time. The very kids that we are trying to capture their imagination of playing basketball are in bed. Why not make Monday night a great event by having the 2 teams that lost on Saturday night play each other starting at 5, then the nightcap is the championship game?
I hate that last night’s game will be the last impression of this season. What a lame, horrible game. I have no idea why it played out that way. Butler going 2 for 21, UConn not fairing all that much better. Charles Barkley was the only honest sportscaster last night. “It’s great defense.” CB – “Uh…no. It’s ugly basketball. Defense doesn’t have anything to do with it.” I can’t remember seeing that bad of a shooting performance. Middle school? My pick-up games on Thursday morning?
I hate that it ended this way for Butler. Last year’s loss to Duke was tough but it was a close competitive game. There was always a sense that Butler could win against the mighty Duke. There was never that sense last night. Watching them miss lay-ups, open shots, even resorting to the last gasp trapping zone was painful. Never got the sense that they were going to overcome their horrific shooting. I hate that for them because they were a much better team than what they showed last night.
Ughhh. What an awful way to end a good tournament and my only hope is that the NCAA will vacate this years championship weekend. Don’t see that every happening ever.
To a better 2012…if the world doesn’t end by then.
Basketball Pastors
It all started with a direct message from an area youth pastor. I’d only talked with him a couple of times but really liked him. He’d ask if he and some other student workers could come play basketball in our gym sometime.
I said under one condition. They let me play and not laugh to my face. Behind my back was okay.
So this morning starting at 8.30ish, 10 guys who all had a connection to ministry somehow in various settings in the city, showed up to play basketball.
I was the oldest guy on the court. And quite possibly the slowest. The speed part honestly hasn’t changed all that much.
What a wake-up call. Especially after the first 5 minutes. Remember those days of spending hours in the gym playing basketball? Full-court? I made it two games to 11. Barely. My lungs reminded me that we haven’t really gotten any exercise in over a year. My shot looked great until the ball reached the rim or close to the rim. I’m going to be very sore tonight, never mind what I’ll feel like tomorrow.
But…there was a lot of laughter, a few falls, a skinned knee, a couple of airballs and some nice bank shots that I’m confident weren’t supposed to be bank shots but went in anyway. And I think God was pleased.
Why? Because I caught myself praying for these guys by name and by ministry as they were leaving the gym. We made plans for this to be an every Thursday morning thing. It will be good. Eventually I will get in shape…a different shape than what I am in right now. And I know I’ll pray more for these guys that I have in the past.
That’s always good.
Cutler’s Last Stand
This whole drama with Jay Cutler is fascinating to watch play out. Obviously, as a Bronco fan, I have a love/hate relationship with Cutler. Loved his talent and gun of an arm. Hated the way he acted his first few years in the league and how he handled himself in public.
I think the reaction that is coming out has very little to do with the injury and everything to do with how he has treated the media, fans, and teammates. To say Cutler isn’t tough or can’t take a hit is borderline insane. He took more hits and sacks this year than any QB in the league. Besides that, he played at Vandy. The boy can take a hit.
What he can’t seem to do is realize that there are other people in the world and that leadership is larger than what happens between the chalk.
If Cutler had stayed engaged, helped the other QB’s read coverages, call in plays, or even cheered a little, the reaction would have been next to nothing. But he didn’t. Instead he pouted, sulked, disengaged, and generally acted like that 5 year old kid that was made to eat his vegetables. THAT is the real issue with Cutler and will continue to be for the rest of his career unless there is some major attitude changes in him.
I’m coaching a 5th-6th grade girls basketball team this year and one of my players – while extremely talented – can get so distracted the first time one thing goes wrong. A bad call, a teammate not running the right play, getting fouled and not getting a call — all can send this girl into the Dark Zone. And I’m trying to help her see – hey, this is life. Stuff happens. Things break. It isn’t fair, it’s never going to be fair. Winners find ways to overcome, to deal with the situation in a redemptive way. Losers complain, pout, and generally make things worse.
I think Cutler was really hurt. I think the decision to pull him was out of his hands and in the hands of the doctors and trainers. But the decision to sit and pout and basically act like a 4-year old was his and his alone.
And that is what I think really ought to be critiqued.
Broncos Hire Two Johns in One Month
Which they probably needed more than two johns after the McDaniels disaster…but that’s another story.
John Fox — new head coach of Broncos.
On the cynical side – we have the only head coach in the NFL that did worse than the Broncos in 2011. Ohhh, the irony.
On the positive side – sure is easier to take this guy seriously in a press conference. He is one heck of a defensive coach. And let’s be honest, the ownership in Carolina didn’t exactly give him the resources to win. The Broncos will.
And the Broncos need a guy like John Fox for the time being. He’s stable, he’s mature, he’s approachable, and he can coach when given the talent.
So overall, I’m happy with the hire.