Saturday, December 31, 2011

Today's Picks

I could cry about how I lost three straight games with dogs who had double digit leads--but I won't. Or how I lost one game by a half point--but I won't. I have dropped six straight either way.
Today: Northwestern, Cincy, UCLA and Utah are four dogs that I like; Auburn is the sole favorite. Good luck.c

Friday, December 30, 2011

Today's Bowl Picks

There is way too much crying on Notre Dame blogs today. The program needed to be rebuilt and the signs are there that the future looks bright. And the comparisons to the era of Lou Holtz continue as the 1987 squad, in Holtz's second year, also looked lost in their 35-10 bowl loss to Texas A&M, said goodbye to star wide receiver Tim Brown and did not properly groom young QB Tony Rice. Like this squad they were facing a tough schedule the following year with loaded Michigan, Miami and USC squads. Not promising an undefeated title-winning team for 2012 but there is hope--especially if one of the young QBs fully steps up and grabs the starting job.
As for today's picks, I like Tulsa, Iowa State, Miss State and Iowa. I am still reeling from losing both ND and Washington yesterday in my friend's pool. College sports can be frustrating. Then again, the Fordham basketball team (a huge source of frustration for me over the years) stunned Georgia Tech yesterday to make everything seem okay in the end. Go Rams.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Today's Bowl Picks

I hit two more yesterday (I am picking against the spread btw) and was entertained by the DC game like anyone else. I almost went to that game and expected the shootout that did erupt between Air Force and Toledo.
Today I like Notre Dame mainly because I have my doubts about the FSU coaching staff and Washington because that spread is too big. Baylor went from lovable loser to big favorite in too sort a time. Betting against Heisman winners is normally profitable too.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

View From Bennett Ave

Penn State will have to surrender something to fill the opening at head coach. No experienced top guy will touch the job so either an experienced guy with baggage or a inexperienced but hopefully talented coach will take the job. Tom Clements may be the front runner with Munchak saying no and while he will certainly help the QB position, the current Green Bay QB coach is rather boring. I had the pleasure of interviewing him in the spring and while I view him as an underrated offensive mind he does not strike me as the kind of guy that will repair the program's image nor be a great recruiter. still he succeeds on every level and is ready for the opportunity. As a fan of his since I was 9, I hope he does well.

Today's Bowl Picks

Before I get into bowl selections I wanted to honor two Louisiana Tech players for their noble gesture made prior to their appearance in the Poinsettia Bowl. All WAC WR Quinton Patton and all WAC LB Adrien Cole each donated some of their bowl swag to the San Diego Make-a-Wish Foundation at an event leading up to the game. Both players donated their $300 Best Buy gift cards while Cole also added his $97 Tourneau Poinsettia Bowl watch. "They're just material things," said Cole. "They need it more than I do." With all of the negative crap circulating the sport, it is nice to present some good news.
Meanwhile, star Auburn back Michael Dyer has announced that he will will transfer. Dyer will not be able to donate any bowl swag this year as he is suspended for Auburn's bowl game. This is a tremendous blow to the Tigers.
As for picks I went with Air force and Texas today but I am not too excited about either pick.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Bowl Picks

I am having a great start to the bowl season, which, of course, means I am going to tank any day now.
That said, I like Western Michigan to beat Purdue today and North Carolina State over a young Louisville squad. In the first game I am riding the team that wants this game more and in the second I have firm belief in Tom O'Brien as a bowl coach.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Years.
As for bowl picks, I like Missouri today by 10 points. Off to the Muppets movie, finally, with me 6-year-old.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

Just in case you have not noticed, the bowls games have been not only up and running but quite compelling. It is a shame that the pre-Christmas action is normally ignored, but there has not only been some good action, with numerous games going down the wire, but also some of the top players in the country.
Which brings me to my point. The problem with the current bowl system, to me, is not so much the lack of a playoff format--because I do not feel that one can be pulled off adequately--but the lack of fairness with bowl allotments. This week, in games totally off the radar, we have two of the best programs in the country playing in TCU, who edged Louisiana Tech last night, and Boise State, who plays Arizona State tonight. Both of those teams deserve better placement than Ohio State and Florida, who meet up in the Gator Bowl, or Texas and Cal who square off in the Holiday Bowl. But the bowl system now is set up to favor the big conferences as they are expected to bring more fans and tv ratings. That is normally true but Boise, especially, has proven that they travel well and have enough intrigue around their possible bowl performance that they would also bring ratings. They have one of the top players in the country in QB Kellen Moore. Who wouldn't want to see them play in January?
My solution is to appoint a committee to fill the available bowl slots, doing away with the conference tie-ins. Programs with huge alumni bases will be respected as such, while up-and-comers who are attracting attention will also get so honored. More intriguing match-ups will be created and attendance on air and in person will be boosted. Teams that have great seasons will be rewarded, while teams whose play was bad enough to cost their coach his job (Michigan last year for example) will not earn spots in key games. The good of the sport will be served by presenting the best roll of games possible.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Today's Bowl Picks

The Beef O'Brady's Bowl kicks off the 2011-12 postseason slate with a less-than-thrilling match-up of Florida International and Marshall. FIU played the weakest schedule in FBS and went 8-4. Marshall won only six of 12 games but did upset Southern Miss and Louisville (also a victim of FIU). They suffered some stunning routs however but should do well here today. Pick: Marshall (but who will watch this one?)
The Humanitarian Bowl is no more as the blue turf at Boise State now hosts the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. While that is an oddly appropriate name, the game itself should be compelling. Utah State made an early impression this year by beating up on defending national champion Auburn before losing late, 42-38, on two TDs in the game's final minutes. The Aggies, who run the ball very well, had an inconsistent first half of the season with a stunning loss at home to Colorado State followed by a narrow loss to BYU and then a rout of Wyoming. From that high they fell hard, losing by 10 to Fresno--both CSU and Fresno will have new coaches next year so perhaps Utah State plays to the level of its competition. Once November hit, however, they ran off five straight victories to finish with a 7-5 mark. In his third season head coach Gary Andersen has done a great job building a program that now enjoys its first winning season in more than 10 years. Frank Solich at Ohio has had continued success in Athens, as his 8-4 record in 2011 marked his third season in five with at least eight wins. The Bobcats held off Temple for the MAC East crown before narrowly losing to Northern Illinois in the title game. Ohio also ran off four straight wins in November, including the huge 35-31 victory over Temple, and while they are still coached by the normally-conservative Solich, will throw the ball more that Utah State. Soph QB Tyler Tettleton broke 12 school records this season and finished with 26 TD passes. Pick: Utah State in OT.
What a surprise: New Orleans hosts a bowl game tonight featuring a local favorite. That sounds familiar. This time the beneficiary of home cooking is the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, who surprisingly won eight games this year under new coach Mark Hudspeth. Louisiana stunned squads like FIU and Troy behind an offense that topped 30 points nine times. San Diego State is one year ahead of Louisiana in turning around its program, having beaten Navy in a bowl last season. The Aztecs feature the exciting Ronnie Hillman at tailback. Pick: Louisiana in an upset.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

Boy, do Todd Graham and Arizona State deserve each other? ASU hires June Jones as head coach to replace Dennis Erickson but before he can sign the agreement the school gets a beating from alumni and fans against the hire (basically they did not want an older offensive guy to replace an older offensive guy). So they drop the offer and leave Jones hanging.
Graham meanwhile, a serial job changer who is now at his fourth school in six years, recently ripped those assistants from his staff (Calvin Magee, Tony Dixon, and Tony Dews) who departed to take jobs with Rich Rodriguez at Arizona. But clearly that was not a good sign. So too the inability for Pitt to win more than six games against a mediocre schedule. And now players and fans are left wondering what happened, while the imminent move to the ACC is not enough to elevate a Pitt job to an elite level--even with the potential gains in Pennsylvania recruiting in the wake of the Penn State scandal.
As for the Sun Devils they did get an experienced head coach who is in his 40s. But was it worth it? And the program needs to clean up the administration of athletics before ever hoping to produce a top ten team. Look for more mediocrity from both Pitt and ASU.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

RIP Joe Restic



Long-time Harvard coach Joe Restic passed away recently after a long illness. Restic (coach without cap in photo) won 117 games over a 23-year run at Harvard, where he won or shared five Ivy League titles. An offensive innovator, Restic shook up the Ivy with his multi-faceted offense, first perfected in the CFL, when he became head coach in Cambridge in 1971. Restic almost became a household name in 1981 when he was up for the Notre Dame head coaching job and one wonders what might have happened if he had beaten out Gerry Faust for the job.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

A Baylor QB won the Heisman? Unbelievable. But congrats to Robert Griffin, who seems like a likable guy. And he is certainly deserving, even if way too many QBs from his wide-open league win the trophy. But for beating TCU and OU and Texas, etc, he deserves some sort of honor. For making Baylor relevant he deserves the highest honor. I am tired of highlight plays carrying way too much weight, but again he deserves it so I am okay with Griffin winning.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Big East Update

Okay, okay so the name could not be more removed from reality. But perhaps the Big East is just trying to be innovative, that in today's society it makes perfect sense to have a conference with those ancient of rivals: Connecticut and San Diego State.
But really, the conference is stronger in football for the move. Boise, on the field, is at worst a wash with West Virginia. And as traditional the names Pittsburgh and Syracuse, there product on the field of late is no better than the other Big East newcomers. As for hoops, the depth is still there but no the league is not as good. But this is a college football site.
As to those folks snickering about the miles between schools, the reality is that you will only play a school on the other side of the country every other season. So that means one road game in four years. Not a problem in the least, in fact you would want to go to other recruiting zones every fourth year. Now the volleyball teams should not do that, but they are not and bringing your secondary sports on a road trip to Texas is a plus for recruiting in the Northeast.
And the conference is not losing its automatic BCS qualifying spot. Remember Cincinnati finished third overall in the BCS just two years ago. Yes the conference as been weak for two years now but the numbers are based on a larger period of time.

Friday, December 9, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

How crazy is the situation with Arizona State? I will have to check with my writing partner Bob, as he lives out there, but for now the story is that while ASU was trying to hammer out a deal with SMU coach June Jones to take over for fired Dennis Erickson--a deal that was dragging on apparently--the school got cold feet due to negative reaction by fans via twitter and the like and ex players via...I am not sure--angry phone calls? God I hope that is not true. You go through the hiring process and choose a successful head coach only to yank the offer due to fan reaction? Vinny from Tempe has a beef with Jones because he lost money on some Hawaii game six years ago? And this is not a school with a rich tradition, so what former players have such power? Randall McDaniel is voicing his opinion? The problem is clear--no true leadership as AD Lisa Love is being overshadowed by Steve Patterson, who was hired this year to oversee facilities. And there is also the problem of a fan base thinking that the sun Devils are more important than they really are. So you may want Jim Tressel, but does Tressel want you?

Thursday, December 8, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

My thoughts and prayers go to the Virginia Tech community.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

National Football Foundation Press Conference

I had the pleasure of attending the NFF morning press conference yesterday in which the 2011 College Football Hall of Fame class was re-introduced and the 2011 National Scholar-Athlete class was presented. As usual the event was pulled off with class and a true respect for the game and its players. Everyone got a chance to speak with Russell Maryland again earning class clown honors and Marty Lyons tearing up--again. The scholar-athletes were an impressive bunch and should do fine even if they do not make the NFL. The one-on-one interview process was a bit rushed but media are meant to have a crack at the players later that day at the dinner.
What was nice about the group of athletes voted into the Hall was that they represent different eras and different positions. While Deion Sanders and Eddie George were the big names, it was good to see four interior defensive linemen voted in and players like big Oregon State back Bill Enyart or former Florida wide receiver Carlos Alvarez get in as their careers are being overshadowed by today's games. I'll have more to report later.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

What We Learned Yesterday

Why do conference championship games almost always disappoint? The Big Ten delivered in their first attempt but the others were clunkers. Oh well, hopefully the bowl season will come through with some drama.
Oklahoma State deserves the spot opposite LSU in the BCS Title game. They have a better resume than Alabama and why would anyone want to see a rematch of Alabama-LSU? The problem is that there is an assumption that SEC teams are better than everyone else so that even though Alabama has not beaten anyone in a down year for the SEC, they are perceived to be superior than the Cowboys. Bama's best win is Arkansas, but they got the Razorbacks early in the year wen that team was ravaged by injury. And this notion that Okie State does not deserve to go because they lost to a mediocre Iowa State squad is ludicrous. When top SEC teams lose to .500 teams from their program it is evidence of the depth of the conference. When it happens elsewhere we are supposed to downgrade those clubs.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Today's Picks

Boy do I hope we have some compelling college football to watch today. Unfortunately we have a couple of re-matchs and I hate those. Still, there is a lot riding today on conference title games and a de facto Big 12 championship tilt between OU and Oklahoma State.
As for picks, not much excites me. I only have Michigan State getting 10 versus Wisconsin. I liked Cincy too, -8, but that game has already gotten underway.

Friday, December 2, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

The recent spate of coaching firings have been met with the annual yawn. After all, focus is on the winners and typically a coach being tossed aside has not won enough. The current group consists of guys who were unable to raise expectations, like Turner Gill at Kansas, or once they did--think Ray Sherman at Texas A&M or Houston Nutt at Mississippi--failed to meet them. The Pac 12 South became a study in the new volatility in coaching tenures. Southern Cal was the only program of the six in the south to play well. That UCLA "won" the crown with USC ineligible and despite getting blown out by the Trojans did not save coach Rick Neuheisel's job. That a bad Bruins club won the division then cost two other coaches their jobs with Mike Stoops out of Arizona in mid-season (okay before UCLA won but the writing was on the wall that the Cats were not going to win it) and Dennis Erickson done in Tempe at year's end. That same thinking was on display last year in the Big East when a mediocre Connecticut team's capture of that league's BCS bid forced change at West Virginia and Pitt because those programs were supposed to win.
So, sometimes the "best" openings are mirages in that the expectations are too high. Texas A&M has always thought they were better than they really are so that job--especially with the SEC beckoning--is not for the feint of heart. Arizona State may be the current plum with Penn State a bit tarnished but it is sometimes better to stay under the radar. I love the marriage of Washington State and Mike Leach for example. Leach will not be facing Big 12 defenses that had been forced to adjust to the wide open passing attacks so prevalent in that conference and should be able to pull some Texas talent up north. I pity the Pac 12 defensive coordinator who has to face the speedy spread rushing attack of Oregon and then the polished pro attack of USC before facing the passing attack of Leach. Good luck.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Big East Update

Big East bashing is now so rampant it is hard to get proper analysis from anyone. Yes it is difficult to get to excited about the teams battling for the conference crown but these are legitimate programs and the conference has had a solid record in bowl games (although it has been boosted by some easy match-ups). West Virginia is the program that everyone wants to win the conference--everyone, of course, except for Louisville and Cincinnati fans plus conference administrators. Being a BE fan I will root against the soon-to-be-gone West Virginia, but I do not want a complete bowl embarrassment so I'll pick Cincy over Louisville. Either way the conference definitely needs the winner to show up in January.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

Former Clemson and NFL standout defensive tackle, and current Stanford assistant coach, Chester McGlockton died this morning at 42 of an apparent heart attack. McGlockton was a supremely athletic big man who was a very good player for the Tigers but did not truly come into his own until he matured off the field as a professional. He then enjoyed four straight pro bowl seasons with the Raiders. Once the poster child for gifted malcontent as a youngster, McGlockton had turned his life around so much that he became known later in his life as a great family man and promising coach.

In the 1980s NFL teams began to embrace extremely large men as middle linemen on defense. A disturbing number of those men are beginning to pass away in their 30s and 40s. While the NFL is finally looking at the causes of concussions and their role on the declining health of many former players, they also have to take a close look at the effect large size has on their former players.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

He's Baaaaaaack

I am not sure what to make of Urban Meyer's return to the coaching ranks. I am not a big fan of the guy as a person, as I do believe the moniker Urban Liar is an appropriate one, but he is a good coach. Not a great coach, but very good. He will do well at OSU where he will get first crack at many talented local players while grabbing a few top-notch players from around the country. He will get full support from all involved and the probation and losses of scholarships is not too bad. Considering he is now in the same conference with Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, etc, he should be okay. Ohio State is a top 5, maybe top 3, program.
But there is more to it than that. At the heart of the recent OSU scandal was law breaking followed by a cover up by coach Jim Tressel. While we have no reason to believe Meyer would keep any NCAA rule violations to himself, he has a woeful record in recruiting the kind of kid who would break the laws in the first place. It took more than 20 arrests of Florida players before it became a school embarrassment (Meyer never seemed to notice)--how many in Columbus where there should be a zero policy for that type of behavior? And I believe the way he walked out on Florida was more cowardly than some legitimate move for his health and family. His coaching staff had been ripped to shreds by guys getting head coaching jobs, Tim Tebow graduated, his offense had been figured out and he was no longer the big guy in the conference with Nick Saban's success at Alabama. Suddenly he loved his family? The only way he could have proved me wrong was to stay away as how could a return be legitimate when you said you were leaving for health reasons and your family? He talks of working less, but that is impossible. Meyer won because he out-worked guys. Buckeye fans will expect nothing less than excellence even with probation.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

I am back from my trip and while not recharged at all--in fact I am exhausted--I am still an unabashed believer in college football. Part of the reason is that I was able to witness a fun college football atmosphere while seeing the sport as a part of a larger whole. I think what was best for me was to show some friends the Notre Dame campus, where the game is certainly important but not the be all and end all. There is no mention of football at the basilica or grotto, or in the administration building (topped by the golden dome), etc. And the folks in Boston College regalia looked a lot like the ones sporting the green (or more correctly the blue and gold). The game itself had its moments and was certainly the loudest for one without much national intrigue that I have ever witnessed.
Would I be so relieved if they had lost? Probably not. Does it eliminate all of my misgivings about the nature of the sport and the type of individual it attracts? Certainly not. But the sport is definitely worth fighting for.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

The Sandusky b.s. is really killing my enthusiasm for college football. Perhaps I have put too much time into the sport, or I have grown tired of constantly having to evaluate cheaters, greedy bastards and now molesters that I am tired. Maybe it is because I am constantly at National Football Foundation functions where the line is basically that college football is great for you.
Anyway, I am heading out to Notre Dame Saturday to see how much enthusiasm I have left. I'll report back soon.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

What We Learned Yesterday

Speed Kills
Sorry Stanford, but your wonderful run behind QB Andrew Luck has peaked with a place in the middle of the top ten. Being tough can only get you so far--and the Cardinal have climbed the heights of college football--but without elite speed Stanford cannot match up with teams like Oregon. And unfortunately they have to play Oregon every year.
Another Painful November Loss
Boise State is a very good program. But for the second straight year they lost to a very good and proud program, this time TCU, that wanted nothing better than to eliminate them from BCS Title Game consideration. This time they were "out-Boised" by the Horned Frogs who scored winning pts on 2-pt play. TCU then won game moments later on 4th-down stop only to have outcome delayed due to a ridiculous penalty as the refs were doing their best to help the home team. Then, like last year versus Nevada, a missed FG at game's end sent Boise to first loss of season.
Cowboys in Uncharted Territory
Can Oklahoma State really win out and go to the BCS Title Game? Texas Tech are now believers after getting spanked. With Stanford and Boise losing we are running out of teams that can prevent a rematch of LSU-Bama in the championship game. Of course, Georgia just may squash all of that by winning the SEC title. Let's wait and see.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Today's Picks

My computer just wiped out my first attempt to give you guidance with college football betting. Tat should tell you something.
The theme today is underdog, my favorite show as a kid.
I like:
West Virginia +3.5
Missouri +1.5
Penn State +3.5
Iowa +3
Kansas State +5
Army +9
Auburn +12
Washington +12
UCLA +7
Oregon +3.5

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Joe is Gone

I am trying to imagine how this story would have been shaped if it involved virtually any other program. Notre Dame would have had its own special coverage due to it being a Catholic university, but no other traditional power would have had this level of scrutiny other than PSU because Penn State was considered a program doing things the right way. Of course this is a unique case in which the head coach is 84 and has been at the school as an assistant and then head coach for 60 years. And due to Paterno's impressive coaching resume, the story shifted from Sandusky, the child molester, to Paterno, the coach who did not do enough.
Is Paterno worthy of both the vitriol and the support? Should he have been allowed to coach out the season, or fired over the phone? What is the correct reaction concerning Paterno? Anger for his not doing everything to protect the victims in this case, or understanding that he was not told all of the facts. Demand that e be fired or riotting if he does?
Although I want this case taken on its own merits and not shaped by anyone's dislike of Penn State that was formed by a jealousy over their ability to win without breaking rules (in ESPN's awful summation of Paterno's career they have him coming up with the novel concept of having a great program of players that also went to school as if PSU is unique in that way), it did become clear to me that Paterno needed to step down. It is unfortunate that he tried to last out the season, but it is also clear that he should have retired years ago. Perhaps a 60-year-old Paterno reacts differently if approached by a grad assistant with awful charges about a trusted friend (Sandusky is described as "gentle" and "kind" in an old Paterno autobiography). And this weird hiding behind a misconception of what happened in the shower that awful 2002 evening, that somehow Paterno was okay in what he did not do because he only thought it was horseplay or fondling. What would be okay about Sandusky being naked in a shower after hours with a 10-year-old boy? And what is okay about fondling? No sugar coating of the phrase "anal rape" would be enough to prevent Paterno from calling the police. That a high school had to do it after Sandusky the volunteer was caught with young wrestlers many years later is sad. Penn State failed miserably and everyone involved needs to pay a high price.
And what is to be done about Sandusky? Obviously he is going to jail for life, but it is difficult to understand how he can continue to live his life, wife by his side, with all that is happening. Clearly the sickness drives him, but to remain in the community all of these years despite being caught numerous times is really unfathomable. His doing so really drives home the point that once you hear anything like this you must get the authorities involved because no matter how the abuser spins it, he cannot stop himself. No level of embarassment stopped Sandusky.
And what does this case tell us about ourselves as a community? It is not pretty. A lot of people are talking tough about what they would have done to Sandusky if they saw him do anything, but there is no report of anyone challenging him or threatening him. He was caught numerous times and the only adult who seemed upset was the one mother from 1998. Why didn't any of the tough PSU players past and present, when they heard the rumor and innuendo (and they ALL did) confront the guy? Matt Millen is now trying to talk tough on ESPN when he not only never bothered to find out more about his former coach but he remained on the Board of Directors of his not-for-profit. We have seen this before in other sports, especially those that involve children like gymnastics and swimming, and I do not remember a case where someone beat up the adult responsible or where the adult responsible was stopped immediately and taken away from kids ASAP. Instead with these types of cases, where the predator is not some creepy guy in an overcoat but the person in whom you put a ton of trust--a family member, a priest, a coach--we find that a majority of people chose to keep quiet about what they discover. It is unbelievable and sad.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

I fully expected to be writing today about last night's big match-up between Alabama and LSU. But the situation surrounding former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky is so disturbing that it is hard to talk about football.
I do not even know where to begin. I really do not feel like recounting the allegations here, but they are easy enough to find. And as we have witnessed with the sex scandals that plagued the Catholic Church, responsible people decided that it was more important to cover up this situation than follow the law. That it was more important to cover up this situation than to get Sandusky help. That it was more important to cover up this situation than PROTECT INNOCENT CHILDREN.
Once again the game of college football has been overshadowed by off-the-field problems. But this time instead of the talk consisting of recruiting violations or conference shake-ups, we are discussing brutal crimes against children and the inability of people entrusted with the lives of thousands of young people to protect them.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Today's Picks

Wow. It is 11:45. Let me get my picks in.
Texas Tech +14 at Texas
Vandy +13 at Florida
Wisconsin -27 vs Purdue
Oregon State +21 at Stanford
ASU -9 at UCLA
LSU +5 at Bama and
Okie State-KSU under 70

Friday, November 4, 2011

SEC Update

When did every game but one for this weekend get cancelled? With the attention usually reserved for the Super Bowl, this Saturday night's LSU-Alabama clash has become as hyped as any game in recent memory. But the hype for the Super Bowl, while often annoying, is reasonable for the championship game of the most popular sport in the country. This one is for first place in the SEC West. Sure the top ranking is on the line, but remember, games of the century usually only remain so if one of the combatants wins the national title. Remember the big game of the 2006 season? It was Ohio State versus Michigan and that game has lost a lot of its legs with OSU eventually losing the BCS Title Game and Michigan's program going into the tank soon after.
Don't get me wrong. I want this game to be a classic. But talk does not make the game one. After all, look at most every Super Bowl bore.
I make a prediction tomorrow morning.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

I went to Fordham University, class of 1986, and when I was a student FU employed a solid Division III program plus good basketball (well the first couple of years anyway) and baseball teams. But some big-shot donors, remembering the good ol' days for Rams football of 40-50 years prior, decided that Fordham should return to football glory--other sports be damned. Now, 25 years later, Fordham has a bad FCS football team and a bad basketball team. In that quarter of a century, however, the respect for academics at Fordham has grown greatly. It seems that Fordham can achieve academic improvement without athletic success (by the large team sports; the FU softball, women's swimming and women's crew have all done very well in recent years). But the powers that be feel that FU can have it all: academic success and a football team to be proud of, despite any number of obstacles such a decision will bring from the lack of space for a larger football stadium to the inability to keep good coaches to the total lack of desire by the local community. It is an awfully large amount of money to spend chasing the dreams of 80-year-old donors.
And so, believing that my Rams should be very good in basketball and solid in a lower lever of football, I refused to go to West Point recently to watch the Rams tangle with the Cadets. Playing games against Army and Connecticut this year and Navy next are part of the plan to elevate the program. I won't get into the game so as not to embarrass anyone but we were barely a scrimmage for an Army team that just lost its starting QB. What was the point?

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

I finally got around to reading Jim Dent"s Resurrection about the 1964 football season at Notre Dame, and I was pleasantly surprised to see The USA Today College Football Encyclopedia in his bibliography. That is the first time I have seen my book referred to by another author and it certainly makes sense for Dent to have taken a gander at our work. While I did compile the Notre Dame statistics and lineup for that season, Bob Boyles was the one who wrote up the 1964 season. Great work Bob.
And what a fine year 1964 was for the Irish and for my family (my birth). Dent's book profiles the reclamation project brilliantly done by then first-year coach Ara Parseghian as he lifted Notre Dame from a dismal two-win season the year before to a near national championship. Dent does a fine job recreating the season as he follows it through the eyes of some of the players who were best utilized by the new coach. While the book is a natural for anyone interested in the history of Notre Dame football, it is a worthwhile read for fans nostalgic for a simpler time. What Parseghian accomplished was possible through sheer hard work and intelligent game planning. Now he would have to install his system and try to wait for the team to grasp the changes in concepts. While I certainly do not remember the 1964 season, I do remember the end of Ara's fine run as ND coach and I miss everything that he represented as a head coach.
One item near the end of the book that made me smile was Ara's talk to his team after their disappointing loss to USC at season's end that knocked them out of first place in the polls. While telling his team that he was proud of them, he also made it clear that he wanted them to act like Notre Dame men and to hold their heads high and not point fingers at the officiating crew, who made two huge calls that were questionable to say the least. I smiled because I thought of current Trojans coach Lane Kiffin who has been crying about the officiating from his loss to Stanford for a few days now and who still blames his team's loss to ND last season on a player. But the difference between Laney and Ara as head coaches and men are unbelievable huge.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

What We Learned Yesterday

First of all, Joe Paterno has officially run out of things to accomplish. Sure another Big Ten title and corresponding BCS bowl berth would be outstanding, but the team's three toughest conference games remain (Nebraska, at OSU, at Wisconsin). Win two and the first-ever Leaders title is yours. But before of all that is just the daily celebration that should be Paterno's remaining games/years/decades on the sideline.
Clemson realistically fell out of the BCS title game race with Saturday's loss to Georgia Tech. But the Tigers should be able to hold on for the Atlantic crown and a spot in the conference title game against the Virginia Tech-Georgia Tech winner (probably).
As for Stanford, they held on to knock off USC in triple overtime. But the Trojans showcased Stanford's weaknesses and Oregon was paying attention. But Luck is on their side, so perhaps they can remain in the national title game hunt.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

SEC Update

You really have to feel for Vandy as they narrowly lost to Arkansas today, but the future--or at least as long as they retain coach James Franklin--looks very bright. The Commodores outgained the mighty Arkansas O, 462-388, and controlled the game for 3.5 quarters as they looked for their first upset of a top ten team since 1974 (24-10 over no. 8 Florida). But a huge fumble on Hogs' 5YL, which was returned by star LB Jerry Franklin for 95y TD erased 8-pt lead and then team missed late FG ATT that would have sent game into OT. Sad.

More Picks

Oregon-35 over WSU, Rutgers +7 hosting West Virginia, Navy +23 against ND, Georgia -3 versus Florida, Kansas Sate +14 at home against OU, South Carolina -4, Arizona +4 at Wash.

Today's Picks-So Far

As it snows here in New York City, the time has come to share my early game predictions. I like Purdue getting 2 TDs at Michigan, Virginia Tech laying 15 at Duke and Michigan State getting 4 in Lincoln. More to follow.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Big East Update

You have to feel for stud back Ray Graham of Pitt, who was lost for the season last night with a 1st half knee injury. Graham became the latest star running back to be injured this year as it seems the over protection of QBs may well be bad luck for their backfield mates.

Either way. Pittsburgh's chances to remain in the Big East race were greatly compromised. Defending champion UConn looks like toast and South Florida, a preseason favorite, is sitting at 0-3, but everyone else has a shot. There is a key game in Jersey Saturday between a suddenly-reeling West Virginia squad and a team that they usually dominate in Rutgers, who can both do some of the things that Syracuse did defensively to the Mountaineers and will be inspired by just entering the stadium. That is because recovering teammate Eric LeGrand, who suffered his spinal injury last October, will lead them onto the field. The Scarlet Knights will be inspired.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

SEC Update

The LSU-Alabama game is not this weekend! It just seems that way due to coverage (over coverage?). There is still plenty of SEC action to grab your attention, beyond the behind-the-scenes machinations involving Missouri.
For one thing Florida-Georgia is this weekend and that game is usually fun, if a bit one-sided. But this year, the dominant team in the series in recent years, Florida, is the dog so the game should be compelling. The Bulldogs cannot rewrite their recent series history (only 3 wins in last 21 games) and need to get that out of their minds as they focus on a potential SEC East title. Still you wonder how they will handle adversity. As for the Gators, they obviously value this game as a rivalry and coach Muschamp played for Georgia. More importantly, they need to win to avoid falling to .500 at 4-4 with South Carolina and Florida State still to play.

The other key game in the SEC East takes place in Knoxville, where a struggling Vols team host a South Carolina squad trying desperately to hold onto their slim first place advantage. Tennessee is 0-4 in SEC play for the second straight year and have lost those games by an average of 32 points. They go with a true freshman at QB in Justin Worley against an SC club that has had two weeks to scheme plays for a number of offensive weapons not named Marcus Lattimore. If the Gamecocks can mix the ball around on O and pressure the kid on D, they'll remain number one in the East for one more week while sending the Vols to a second straight 0-5 conference start. SEC game number six this year? At Arkansas on November 12.

Speaking of the Hogs, they have a big game at Vanderbilt this weekend. I say that it is big as Arkansas needs to keep winning in an attempt to claim the unofficial number three ranking among SEC clubs. Although this is not a year for depth in the conference, being considered third best here always carries a lot of credit and a nice January bowl game. Of course, Arkansas has a sot to finish as the team considered second best in the SEC, but I'll believe a win at LSU later this year wen I see it.

Auburn-Mississippi was never much of a rivalry back 50 years ago when both were good because they did not play. The Tigers are 24-4 in the series since 1971 and should up that to 25-4 on Saturday. Meanwhile Mississippi State must get their act in gear this season and there is no better place to do that than in Lexington against the Wildcats.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

What the hell was Tony La Russa thinking last night? Reminded me of Les Miles.

Monday, October 24, 2011

What We Learned Saturday

Did anyone see that one (Texas Tech's upset of OU) coming? I was not surprised by Michigan State's upset of Wisconsin, but the Horned Frogs? They have had success versus Oklahoma in Lubbock, but, like everyone else, struggles in Norman where the Sooners had enjoyed a 32-game win streak in home conference games. They played there last year too and lost 45-7.
But to take a 31-7 lead at one point? That is amazing. QB Seth Doege was brilliant, completing 33-52 for 441y and 4 TDs. But the Tech offense has been good all season, scoring 40 against A&M and 38 against KSU. Tech lost those games as the defense was torched. But against a banged-up Sooner squad, Tech whipped OU for 2.5 quarters. Yes they allowed the
Sooners to rally, but that was to be expected and they did close out the Sooners. Texas Tech was the better team and who would have thunked that?
As for Michigan State, that final play was one for the ages. After being known for decades for hard hitting and conservative play, MSU is now starting to ring up more game-ending excitement on crazy plays.
But what did we learn? To play each game and never assume teams will win out or remain undefeated until playing a rival down the road. But we already knew that--could someone tell ESPN?

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Today's Picks

Last night's Syracuse win highlights a problem some bettors have picking games. When a program that is expected to be better plays what looks like a "revenge" game against a lesser rival that pulled the upset a year earlier. Take Texas's romp this year over an Iowa State team that stunned them last year. But some teams just know how to match up against another program's personnel, which I believe is the case with Syracuse (and another reason it was dumb for them to move to the ACC as I felt they could have earned a BCS bid or two in the BE) against West Virginia.
As far as today's games I like Kansas State, Okie State, Auburn, Nevada, Air Force, Army, Clemson, Purdue, Texas A&M, MSU, Northwestern and Wasington. Good luck.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Big East Update

The Big East is in the spotlight tonight with Louisville hosting a surprisingly 5-1 Rutgers and West Virginia traveling to Syracuse. With all of the turmoil surrounding the conference, the champion this year may be the one that can best drown out the distractions. The Mountaineers, also 5-1, will be looking for payback for a stunning home loss to the Orange last year. Previously they had won eight straight in the series and there is no reason to believe that they won't regain the Schwartzwalder Trophy tonight. What is worrisome for the home team is that they allowed USC QB Matt Barkley to throw five TD passes against them last month. How will they stop the explosive West Virginia passing attack?
As for the Rutgers-Louisville contest, points will be at a premium in a match-up of squads being carried by their respective stop units. With West Virginia up next for Rutgers, they had better get their work done versus a rebuilding Cardinal squad.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

Synthetic marijuana? I am too old to have encountered that in my day. But I hope the three Lousiana State football players--Tyrann Mathieu, Therold Simon and Spencer Ware--enjoyed themselves with it. Supposedly those players failed a drug test. I don't know. I do know that they have been suspended and that is huge with the Tigers Bowl against Auburn taking place this Saturday.
But I write this post to chastise members of the media for idiotic reporting. No, I am not angry that LSU has not confirmed the failed tests. Stories like these come out one way or another and if the regular press ignored them waiting for full evidence, they would have nothing to report. This is especially true with college programs that are usually tight-lipped. Do you think Auburn would ever admit to a knowledge of payment to Cam Newton's father, if indeed some member of their family paid him? No. Head coach Les Miles does not have to tell us why he is suspending these players. My problem is with the presentation. Mathieu, who has been over-hyped all season--is justifiably the lead here. But ESPN and CBS and others continue to write that "stars" Mathieu and Ware and another guy have been suspended. And that is where I--and Therold Simon's mom--beg too differ.
For one thing, LSU is winning because they hit you with a wave of tall guys, some of whom are quite big, who are all fast. With AA CB Patrick Peterson departed to the NFL, they entered the season devoid of stars. The only player to make Phil Steele's preseason all conference first team was CB Morris Claiborne, who had heretofore been known as the other guy opposite Peterson. But as LSU climbed the polls, ESPN had to create a superstar--how dare a team win a team sport as a collective! And so Mathieu became a Heisman candidate for his brilliant play early on and his nickname, the Honey Badger, became almost a mantra for Erin Andrews and others. But Mathieu, like the entire LSU D, is a bit too much hype. Good, yes, but not great. LSU has played four SEC games and has been fortunate to face backup QBs versus Florida and Tennessee and struggling (against everyone) QBs for Kentucky and Mississippi State. Yes they made some plays against Oregon, but the Ducks offense is not as good away from Eugene and had to deal with fumbles and injuries. The only other good offense they faced--that of West Virginia--torched them for 533y. I am sorry, but no great defense allows 533y, even if it was on the road and with a big 4th Q lead.
But Mathieu has become a star. Fine. And Ware is a solid player who leads a bevy of talented backs. He is no star, however. Meanwhile, ESPN had better put on the tapes of Simon before they continue to disrespect him. He is 4th on the team with 29 tackles and is first in passes broken up and defended. The team's sole pick of Oregon QB Darron Thomas? By Simon of course who had a big game that day. Meanwhile, Bleacherreport mentioned that he may or may not be an NFL prospect, despite being 6'3 and a playmaker as a sophomore. What his future NFL plans have to do with the story I cannot tell you.
So, report stories. But please get to know the players you supposedly cover.

Monday, October 17, 2011

SEC Update

Although national championship implications always dictate the press coverage of the SEC, for this season the races to win the East and West have each broken down to neat two-team races. Alabama and LSU have not lost to anyone and have a showdown November 5th that everyone expects to settle the divisional title and Georgia has only lost one conference game, to South Carolina, and SC has lost only to Alabama. Sure Arkansas is ranked highly and Auburn is already 3-1 in conference, but not one pundit gives either of them a chance out West, while the four other SEC East teams have already the stench of also-ran about them.

Both Alabama and Louisiana State play home games this weekend before off weeks on October 29. So neither of them have an advantage. LSU has the tougher opponent in Auburn but it is hard to imagine a Tiger squad that has yet to surpass 17 points in any of its past three games to pull off a road upset. The Tide will have the pleasure of sending rival Tennessee to an 0-4 SEC mark.

The intrigue is really in the East were a season-ending knee injury to star back Marcus Lattimore of South Carolina has buoyed Georgia's chances of claiming the division. But Georgia needs some outside help to overcome their loss to SC. The Gamecocks need to lose one of their remaining three conference games--at Tennessee, at Arkansas or home versus Florida while the Bulldogs sweep Florida in Jacksonville and Auburn and home games versus Auburn and Kentucky. That is very possible--especially with the inexperienced Connor Shaw at QB and replacements at tailback--but the Gamecocks could very well rally behind their young QB and backs. We have already witnessed a fired up Steve Spurrier, so there is something to be said for that possibility. The big problem is that every opposing defense schemed for Lattimore and will now put more pressure on Shaw and young skill talent like back Brandon Wilds and wide receiver Bruce Ellington--he of the SC hoops team--who has excelled out of the Wildcat. With a week off, Spurrier will need to come up with some more creative offensive schemes to make up for the loss of one of the nation's finest players.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

What We Learned Yesterday

The big eight undefeated teams all held serve once again yesterday, with no. 8 Clemson the one overcoming the biggest scare. Virtually all of the second tier of undefeated lost, with Michigan, Georgia Tech and Illinois all losing, but little Kansas State keeps chugging along.
The biggest news of the day centered on stars landing on the injury report, but I can update that reality when more news surfaces.
Meanwile, my daughter enjoyed the Boo at the Zoo yesterday in the Bronx. The hayride and costume parade were the biggest hits.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

The top teams have been holding serve all year--can we have a major upset, please! Come on Tennessee, do it for Mom Dooley. Longhorns--are you men? Someone please shake up the top ten.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

Boston College Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo has now retracted some of his comments made about ACC expansion but the gist of his remarks remain clear. BC does not want Connecticut in the conference. What role ESPN has ever played in this affair remain unclear and the main reason for BC's attitude against UConn are also a bit murky.
Is ESPN trying to play the role of kingmaker? It appears that way. What is clear is that the inability of the BE to sign on to the huge television offer from ESPN cost them a great deal with the future of the conference in doubt. It is unfathomable to think that ESPN, once spurned, played any role in the weakening of a conference that in many ways made the network what it is today. But why would DeFilippo make that up?
As for the desire by Boston College to challenge Connecticut's potential move to the ACC, I find that either reason offered by DeFilippo to be shortsighted. DeFilippo mentioned both that BC wanted to have ownership of New England in terms of ACC membership and that he was still angry at Connecticut for the lawsuit against BC when the Eagles left the BE. For one thing, no one cares that Boston College is the sole ACC team in New England and the lawsuit is getting a bit old now. Yes it got personal, but if UConn's joining the ACC helps your sports programs then you must get past it.
To be honest, every member of the ACC but BC should not care about UConn joining and BC should want them in. If football is indeed driving expansion, what does the Husky football program bring to the conference? And even if you would be fired up about adding their men's basketball team, how will it look in the very near future when they have a new coach? Meanwhile Boston College athletics--apart from hockey which, of course, is not in the ACC--have become virtually invisible. They desperately need a return to their rivalry with UConn, especially in the pro-oriented city of Boston. Being the sole ACC program from New England has done absolutely nothing for Boston College.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Big East Update

With the conference busy searching for programs that want to join it as football-only members--that's you Service Academies!--the teams currently in the conference are busy battling it out for a BCS berth (say what you will about it, it still counts).

Rutgers, of all teams, has taken the early lead with a two-game sweep of the traitorous duo, Syracuse and Pitt. While RU has played the Panthers well recently--Saturday's win was their fifth in seven games--no one expected a 34-10 rout. But Saturday's win showcased the need for Rutgers (I won't call them the Scarlet Knights since they opted for all black) to keep New Jersey talent home. QB Gary Nova, a frosh from Elmwood Park who led fabled Don Bosco HS to a national title, received his first start under center and played well, CB Logan Ryan of Berlin had two picks, including one he returned for finishing TD, and was named BE D player of the week, LB Khaseem Greene of Elizabeth (# 20 in photo tackling brother Ray Graham, who did play well with 164y rushing) led the team with 11 tackles, FB Joe Martinek of Hopatcong took a screen 60y for TD and LB Steve Beauharnais set up the team's first TD with an INT.

Rutgers still has five conference games remaining, but they play West Virginia, USF and Cincinnati at home. What is almost as important as winning is the impression they are making on prospects as they play as well as they have played in a few years during a picture-perfect day. Keep up the good play and the kids will come.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

Not one of the big three college football powers from the state of Florida is ranked in the AP top 25 for the first time since 1982. That is stunning, but not surprising for various reasons.
The obvious one is that the many talented players in the Sunshine State get recruited by all of the major powers. Miami, Florida and Florida State rode the surge in talented Florida high school players that began after the post-war state population growth to great heights beginning in the late 1970s. But all three of those powers won with experienced coaches who knew how to exploit all of that talent in men like Bobby Bowden, Steve Spurrier, Jimmy Johnson and Dennis
Erickson. Even coaches like Butch Davis and Howard Schnellenberger, who had limited or no head coaching experience, arrived at Coral Gables with extensive NFL experience.
But now, with the competition for in-state talent fiercer than ever, those three programs entrusted these difficult, yet plum, jobs to men without head coaching experience in the since-fired Randy Shannon, Jimbo Fisher and Will Muschamp. Why?
Don't get me wrong. Every great head coach was once just a coordinator somewhere. And yes there are some coaches, like Bob Stoops, who can do extemely well with their first crack at a head job. But the odds are against them. The overwhelming number of national championship coaches in the modern era have come from coaches who were head men elsewhere. The last nine national title coaches were men who had been head coaches at other schools before their title-winning position. The job has become so difficult that to expect guys without head experience to succeed at high-profile jobs is silly.
Making matters worse is the individuals hired for these jobs. The first was Shannon, who had done an excellent job as the Miami defensive coordinator and was a respected former Hurricane player. The problem with Shannon's hire was that the university expected him to win every game and clean up the program (in terms of player arrests and getting kids to class, not as we know now with player purchasing). So Shannon no longer took every troubled kid from the area and was tough on his players in terms of behavior. With the wall enclosing South Florida high schools now breached, Miami could not overcome a host of problems and slipped accordingly.
Florida State, meanwhile, jumped on LSU QB guru Jimbo Fisher as their coach-in-waiting while Bobby Bowden's career wound down. Replacing a legend like Bowden would have been tough for any coach but to expect a guy whose claim to fame was good quarterback meetings with Matt Mauck and JaMarcus Russell always seemed like a stretch to me. He could recruit but so can 50 other guys.
Florida was in a weird position due to Urban Meyer's mind changing over his future. But again, all the school had to do was look at its record with recent hires. Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer both won at second tier schools before winning titles with the Gators. Ron Zook was a former coordinator who could recruit. Sound familiar? Zook was fired after three seasons. So now they hire Muschamp, who seemed to have gotten the job because he is exciteable.
What is particularly stunning is that not one of these programs can even claim to have a better future. Miami will soon be put on probation. By the time Florida figures out a QB, offensive stars Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps will be playing in the pros and FSU will need a new QB next year too. It was telling that after FSU lost to Wake Forest yesterday, three of its higest-rated recruits for next year de-committed. The best Florida kids can go anywhere--why should they play for rebullding squads?

What We Learned Yesterday

As I have said many times before, the problem with the current coverage of college football is that the race for the BCS title game supersedes everything else. There are clearly 6-7 teams that are, at this point in the season, better than the rest. That's fine. But this is not the NFL where we only crown one champion and do not care about the rest. In college, one team will be crowned the BCS national champ. But one team is going to be ecstatic that they won the Big East, one team the ACC, etc. Why the media cannot understand this mystifies me. Wake Forest beating Florida State should have been a huge story. Instead it was covered the same way as the South Carolina beat down of Kentucky.

The other fascination with the media is with individual talent in this a team sport. Actually, let me correct that. Individual talent on the best teams that they happen to notice. Russell Wilson playing well for also-ran North Carolina State? Who cares. Russell Wilson playing well for undefeated Wisconsin? "That guy is incredible." And you do not have to transfer to get a boost. Robert Griffin has been pretty amazing when healthy his entire run at Baylor but needed to throw long passes to wide open receivers in the upset of TCU to get noticed. Part of the problem with the stars of the second tier teams is ignorance. The analysts spend so much time saying the same things about Alabama and Oklahoma that they miss the key players for the other teams. What could they say about Wake's win when they did not know who plays for the Deamon Deacs? Or how about Herbstreit yesterday praising Kansas State's defense for overcoming a lack of talent with grit and determination. While he correctly picked Kansas State to beat Missouri he forgot that the catalyst for KSU's undefeated season has been the superb play of linebacker Arthur Brown...a FIVE STAR RECRUIT who transferred from Miami. Brown has 38 tackles to lead the Wildcats. No one else is within 10 of that total.

So stop worrying about who will be atop the first BCS standings when they come out or who is leading the Heisman race and give us more coverage of Rutgers, Arizona State, Georgia Tech, etc. Why not?

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Early afternoon analysis

WAKE!
3-0 in the ACC for the first time in school history. Love it. More about FSU later.
Oklahoma does not like Texas--the program, not the state.
Al Davis was a nut, but he did have a great deal of influence. RIP.

Today's Picks

Round One:
OU -11
IU +14
Iowa +4
Oregon State +2.5
LSU -14
Kansas State +4
Good luck

Friday, October 7, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

Here's hoping LaMichael James gets back on the field at some point for Oregon this year. When we first saw the injury last night, I would have said that that was impossible for him to return. But he did a great job being there for his teammates after getting the aircast put on and then addressing the media. So there is hope.
So the Big 12 did not want TCU when it was formed and did not want TCU when Nebraska and Colorado left last year. Finally, with the conference losing Texas A&M and potentially Missouri, among others, they extend an offer and the Horned Frogs will jump? Sad.
And ARod was the one Yankee I did not want to see at the plate last night with two outs in the ninth--being a Yankee fan mind you--and I would have wanted anyone else on the roster. Even a pitcher. I knew for certain that he would strike out.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Pac 12 Update

Will tonight be another misleading glance at the Oregon Ducks? What I mean by that is that tonight's game is being played in Eugene and when Oregon hosts someone they really lay it on. Last year they scored 52 against Stanford, 60 versus UCLA, 53 in a contest against Washington and 48 versus Arizona. Can Cal hold them to less than 48?
At first glance you can make a case for it. The Bears played Oregon as well as anyone last season, holding the Ducks to 15 points on "only" 317 yards in a 15-13 Oregon victory. And in 2007, Cal won in Eugene. So maybe they can hang with the mighty Ducks, 24-point favorites.
Then again, maybe not. Cal was awful on the road last year, losing four of five games. This year they beat woeful Colorado on the road, but in OT, and then lost to a solid Washington team in Seattle. There is not much to believe that the Bears could repeat last year's close call.
There is not much else going on in conference play this weekend, unless Utah plays its A game versus ASU. If QB Jordan Wynn does not play however, due to an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, then I cannot see how the Utes could pull the upset there, unless the Sun Devils are looking ahead to next week's match-up against Oregon.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

ACC Update

It is time to celebrate all things Wake Forest! They have the crazy nickname and are located in a city that is unabashed about its love of tobacco. The QB's name is Tanner Price, which sounds like a character from To Kill a Mockingbird. And they are 2-0 in the ACC!
Ol' Tanner has a 152 rating for season, having thrown for 1,119y and 7 TDs. He is from Austin and, therefore, has to be good. Price's main target, Chris Givens, also hails from Texas (Wylie) and has 27 catches for 498y and 4 TDs. So, second tier Texas recruits are flourishing in Winston-Salem.

Umm, Wake plays Florida State and Virginia Tech the next two weekends. All hail Wake!

By the way, Virginia Tech plays Miami this weekend. Remember when that game was important?

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Big East Update

Here is some big news. The Big East has not disbanded. I know you would not think that it remained a football conference based on the coverage it receives, but the Big East is still playing football.
Meanwhile, the game of the week will be played in New Jersey. Rutgers has not yet left the conference--although that just might be because no other conference wants them--and they stand tied atop the Big East with a 1-0 mark with the team they host this weekend...Pitt. The winner of that contest will stand alone at 2-0 (in fairness to the rest, half of the conference has yet to play a game) and will have four wins overall. While the Panthers are playing better under new coach Todd Graham as the season progresses, the Scarlet Knights are relishing their below-the-radar standing. I fully expect this game to be tight and while the focus will be on Pitt back Ray Graham, the nation's leading rusher with 734y, and wide receiver Mohamed Sanu of RU, who already has 43 receptions, the key to the W just might be special teams.
In other action, West Virginia looks to avenge a costly loss last year that prevented a BCS berth when they host Connecticut. That could get ugly. There are no other conference games Saturday as the Big East slowly gets going. Louisville desperately needs an upset at UNC, although it is hard to see that happening, while Syracuse travels to Tulane in their quest to gain another win toward bowl eligibility.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

What We Learned Yesterday

Do you know what we learned yesterday? The very best teams are a lot better than everyone else. Apart from Clemson, who is moving up higher and higher each week, the best work yesterday was done by teams already highly ranked like Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Stanford. They further cemented their spots atop the polls. The big losers yesterday were the second tier teams, like South Carolina, Nebraska, Florida, Virginia Tech and Baylor, who fell from the undefeated ranks. And except for the odd upset, the juggling of the rankings this time of year usually does effect the second tier a lot more than the first. And so squads like Michigan, Kansas State, and Georgia Tech will replace some of those losers until the week comes along that claims them too.
Unfortunately the weight of the big programs can overwhelm some great stories among the lower-ranked and unranked teams. Take SMU, who won the Iron Skillet in Fort Worth for the first time since 1993. Although that program has made great strides, the school is still better known for cheating 25 years ago than winning today. Or Bill Snyder, who has Kansas State 4-0 as his 72nd birthday approaches. Great stuff.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Today's Picks, Part 2

There are a lot of nice picks for the later game's, so save your, ummm, tokens.
I love the dogs tonight, except for the first game listed:
Va Tech -7
ISU +9
Washington +10
Ball State +40
Florida +4.5
ECU +7
Nebraska +10

Today's Picks

I am going to try something new with my selections. Being that my overall record each week trumps my best bets, let's present the whole slate.
Here are my picks for the early games with more to come:
Northwestern +10 (best bet)
Michigan -20.5
Rutgers-Syracuse under 49
Army-Tulane under 53
Texas Tech -7
Miss State +7
LSU -30.5
Buffalo +28.5
Miami of Ohio +15.5
Nevada +28
Kansas State +3.5
Good luck.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Aggies Anguish

You have got to feel sorry for the Utah State Aggies, who have now lost three heart breakers--and it is not quite October. Tonight they blew a 24-13 lead with the winning TD for BYU coming on a deflection with 11 seconds left. And engineering the comeback for the Cougars? Former Utah State QB Riley Nelson, who came off bench in second half.

Big Ten Update

Opening weekend for the Big Ten promises to deliver some exciting games. The marquee contest is, of course, 4-0 Wisconsin hosting 4-0 Nebraska. I firmly believe that this game will go down to the wire as Wisconsin is slightly over-rated and the Huskers usually do well on the road. Nebraska will have to scheme well defensively to stop the potent Badger offense, while the Huskers offense will still be searching for balance.
There are some other interesting match-ups tomorrow, namely Ohio State versus Michigan State and Illinois hosting Northwestern. Both OSU and MSU have tossed recent clunkers and so the winner will be in good shape to move forward as a contender. The loser will fall to 3-2 and may not sniff the rankings for awhile. In the battle for the new Land of Lincoln Trophy, Northwestern looks to get back QB Dan Persa and avenge a blowout loss last year that he missed after injuring his Achilles the week before. The Illini, meanwhile, want to prove that their 4-0 start is no fluke.
I like all three of those games to be close.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Tonight's Pick

I like South Florida -3 at Pitt tonight. USF is the better team and bears Big East hopes for a high ranking. That will not mean much tonight but they are the better team.

Pac 12 Update

Since Oregon's opening day loss, the Pac 12 has made more of its headlines off the field. Stanford is the highest-ranked team in the conference and is the only undefeated team in the bunch. Unfortunately, they will be in a dogfight with Oregon all season for the Pac-12 North title as the two marquis programs in the conference are together, rightfully, in the same division. They square off November 12 in Palo Alto so the intrigue until then will center on who can play spoiler up North (Washington?) and who will take charge down South (Arizona State?).

This week's games should not help determine a North front runner as Stanford hosts UCLA and Oregon is off, but there are other key games as Washington travels to Utah, ASU hosts Oregon State (its no longer September so the Beavers might actually show up), USC hosts Arizona and WSU travels to Boulder. Arizona already has two conference losses--to the two best teams in the Pac-12--so they will have to play like a team possessed against the Men of Troy. But USC cannot afford to stumble there as it would give them a second loss and make catching an ASU team that beat them last week that much more difficult. Utah too has a conference loss and must win a huge game versus Washington. That is probably the one game to see this week (4pm kickoff Pacific time, FSN).

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Big 12 Update



Will Missouri leave? BYU join? Who knows, but I do know that as the Big 12 scrambles just to keep the conference alive, the play on the field has been superb. The Big 12 is 26-2 in non-conference play--the best in the country--with wins over Florida State, TCU, Iowa and Miami. There are a whopping 7 undefeated squads, although a couple play each other this weekend so that number will soon decrease. Four of the nation's top ten passing attacks, statistically, reside in the conference and the star power is evident on a weekly basis. Who needs Nebraska or Colorado?

But as I have mentioned before, play on the field does not seem to matter during these volatile times. Still, as college football fans, we can sit back and enjoy the show.

The race for top spot in the conference--and there will not be a end-of-the-season title game of course--is certainly wide open and play this weekend will do nothing to alter the perception that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are the front runners. OU plays Ball State, while OSU is off. Still the good slate of games Saturday will go a long way to determining who is up for challenging those big two.

Texas travels to Ames to take on Iowa State with the winner sporting an undefeated mark. The same is true for the winner of Baylor at Kansas State. The other undefeated team in the Big 12 is Texas Tech and they travel to Lawrence to play Kansas. So, expect five teams to go to sleep Saturday night with perfect records. Will Texas avenge last season's home loss to ISU or are the Cyclones their equal? Can KSU stop Robert Griffin and the explosive Baylor offense? Can Kansas finally beat Tech at home after going 0-6 so far against the Red Raiders?

Texas A&M may have had a setback in the second half Saturday, but plan to make plenty of noise the rest of the way. They will look to remain highly ranked with a win Saturday over Arkansas. The Razorbacks have swept the first two games of what was a mini series against A&M, but will now be a full-time rivalry with the Aggies move to the SEC. The game may be as important for the A&M psyche as their ranking after the Oklahoma State loss.

Is the Big 12 the best conference (on the field)? It is too early to tell, but it certainly looks the part. Perhaps a collective hatred of Texas is good for the quality of play.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

What We Learned Yesterday



Being that it is 1am here, Monday morning, I am referring to Saturday's slate of college games (although I would love to discuss the Giants big win in Philly).



LSU is looking more and more like the team to beat. They had an impressive September and have enough D talent to scare any team. West Virginia did rally a bit until they forgot that special teams play requires actual tackling and not two-hand touch. And Jarrett Lee will screw up somewhere, but based on the actual play on the field the Tigers have been the nation's most impressive team.



For one half, Texas A&M looked to be their match in their dominant performance against Oklahoma State. But then the Cowboys returned from the break to officially send the Aggies to the SEC with a 30-minute ass-whipping. That the Aggies stuck around until the end bodes well for the rest of their season, but it was still better being in Okie State's shows at game's end.



I'll breakdown the other top teams in a conference-by-conference analysis beginning tomorrow.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Today's Picks

All of my best bets today are early afternoon games, so you can get the anguish out of the way early.
San Diego State +10.5 at Michigan
Battle for Brady Hoke Bowl as former charges, led by his D Coordinator Rocky Long, may win game outright. Getting all of those points is a luxury.
Notre Dame -7 at Pittsburgh
Irish began roll last week. Panthers secondary and o-line are problems, which is troublesome against ND team with good passing attack and pass rush.
Temple +8.5 against Maryland
Owls play hard and continue to get disrespected in Vegas. Maryland has some weapons but will have battle in trenches.
Ohio +4 at Rutgers
One of the better MAC squads should take RU to the wire.
I also love the over in the Okie State-Texas A&M shootout, which is "only" 67.

Friday, September 23, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

The Big East had to be happy with Cincinnati's rout of North Carolina State last night. Sure it was one a-bit-under-the-radar game, but it was the first ACC-Big East battle since Pitt and Syracuse switched conferences. When you are feeling low, it is sometimes the little things that spark a comeback.
Tonight's BYU-Central Florida match-up is also under the radar, but it should be a good game. BYU is now desperate for a win, while the Knights are desperate for any kind of coverage. UCF won 11 games last year, including a victory over Georgia in the bowl game, and still generated barely a sigh. This game will feature the defenses and I think BYU wins a close one. They had better or their once promising season will spiral out of control.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

I am a bit confused about the level of attention being awarded the ACC for the moves they made this week in poaching Pitt and Syracuse from the Big East and potentially claiming UConn and Rutgers as well. If these moves were being made because they realized that the fight for basketball supremacy has long been usurped by their rival league, then sure I understand. If you cannot beat the Big East on the court, then steal some of its better programs. But everyone is stating that football is driving the ACC's expansion--as it is elsewhere--and if that is the case then I do not see what all the fuss is about.
Take Pittsburgh. The Panthers have been under-achieving for years. They do not sell out every game in a pro town and do not have a hot coach. I doubt many ACC fans could even name their coach. Yes Pittsburgh is a decent-size market, but it is again a pro town and the chances of a Pitt-North Carolina State game stirring the hometown is slim.
Syracuse is, of course, even smaller. And except for a few seasons in the 1980s and then again in the 1990s, the Orange have not had much to cheer about for close to 50 years. If this is all about football, I have a hard time understanding why Syracuse is so attractive.
It really is a matter of perception. If the Big East accepted East Carolina and Temple tomorrow to replace Pitt and Syracuse, the quality of the league on the football field would remain the same. But the country would perceive of the conference as nothing more than Conference USA with an automatic BCS berth. ECU is arguably the best program in the Tar Heel State at the moment and yet there is no cache in adding them. Temple is an up-and-coming football program with a rich basketball tradition but they were booted by the conference before. Expand even more by grabbing, say, Houston and Central Florida, and the Big East in football would be even stronger than before yet the perception would be that the ACC won the war. Odd.

Monday, September 19, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

I would love to present to you my anaylsis of the current college football season, but the powers that be in some college programs are too busy overshadowing their product with dopey announcements concerning their abandonment of one conference for another. That Pittsburgh and Syracuse even overshadowed the death of Dave Gavitt with their escape to the
ACC was the last straw for me. The Big East transformed Syracuse and Pitt into national programs and they should have remained loyal. I am tired of this b.s. and want the focus to return to the playing field.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Fashion Week 2011

Welcome to the reality show, "Football Fashion Week."


Admit it or not, fans, clothes make the man...or the team. The look of your favorite team really matters. Uniforms matter. Colors matter. The last thing you want is to be embarrassed by football uniforms. Some fans must be hiding in shame right now.


No doubt practicing for the NCAA-dictated ban on all-blue uniforms on its all-blue field, Boise State was dressed in all white in the neutral-site Georgia Dome, while continuing to avoid all sense of symmetry in helmet designs. I'll give them a grade of A-. The all-white duds helped Boise State assume its on-going role of "good guys" adopted by millions of BCS haters. Plus, the gigantic horse head on one side of the helmet allowed TV viewers to understand they were looking at the Broncos. Not so their Bulldog opponents.


To the benefit--and I use that term advisedly--of the Georgia Bulldogs, the uniform designers at Nike must have watched lots of episodes of Power Ranger TV shows and an endless loop of the 1975 sci-fi film "Rollerball" when standing at the drawing board, red and black markers in hand. Georgia's helmets were silver and set an all-time record for width of center stripe, which turned out red and a garish six inches across. The jerseys were a traditional red with small black numerals. For crying out loud, jersey numbers are supposed to stand in stark contrast to the base color so that both fans in the stands and TV viewers can have some sense of who is doing what. In case anyone has noticed, football players tend to get scattered all over the field as a play develops. Watching on TV, I had no idea what Bulldog was doing what; all I know is that they were doing it poorly. And what was with the back-of-jersey nameplates all spelling out "GEORGIA?" Traditionally (apparently an evil concept in Nike's world), the few schools that choose to include university names have stitched them across the front of the jersey. There was no available space on the Georgia shirt fronts, a spot taken by Nike's bomber squadron chevrons that first appeared on Oregon's oddball look a few years ago. Georgia's grade is an F. A week later the Dawgs went back to a traditional look.


Maryland hosted the Miami Hurricanes at the end of Week 1 and, under the design direction of the nearby UnderArmor company, set a new standard of bizarre. The Terrapins wore helmets that took symmetry and threw it under the bus: the right side of the plastic globe was ablaze with Harlequin checkers of yellow gold and black, while the left side depicted white and red crosses. Was this some commentary on the functions of the left and right sides of the human brain?


As outlandish as the quad-hued Terps appeared, there at least was historical inspiration in UnderArmor's touch. The state flag of Maryland sports black and gold checkers and red and white crosses. It is important to note the school lists all four colors as official and has often used all four on a uniform at once. For example, the 1953 national champion Terps employed red jerseys with white numerals and white helmets with a centered yellow-gold stripe, flanked by a pair of black stripes.


Maryland's 2011 fashion took some getting used to, but I'd give an incomplete B+ grade, knowing there is more to come from UnderArmor this year which could easily change the mark.


In week 2 of the season, Notre Dame and Michigan celebrated the first-ever night game at mammoth Michigan Stadium by donning throwback uniforms. Both looked pretty natty. Personally I like the occasional use of Kelly green by the Fighting Irish. While I can understand the Wolverines wishing to harken back to the halcyon '30s-'40s under Hall of Fame coach Fritz Crisler, why did Notre Dame wish to resemble losing coach Joe Kuharich's 1960 outfit that delivered a disastrous 2-8 record despite a decent amount of future pro talent?


Today's boisterous Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly was decked out in a sharp shade of green that would bring pride to his family heritage. But, the shamrock on a white visor made the poor guy appear to have celebrated St. Patrick's Day by wandering into a saloon on Chicago's Rush Street. Erin Go Bragh, Coach! I wish more coaches would take a page from the fashion playbook of Miami's Al Golden. For Kelly, a white shirt (like Golden's) and green tie might have lent enough class to help the Irish hold off Michigan's last moment winning rally. Or perhaps a bit better pass coverage might have done the trick.


What next? College football is renowned for follow-the-leader. All it would take is for one 5-star quarterback recruit to say, "I chose Maryland because of the really cool helmets!" to send every collegiate athletic director to seek designs more wild than the last. Such is college football these days where impressionable 17-year-olds make many of the decisions. Is Lady Gaga paying attention? There a future riches for you, Lady G.


Can we see ahead--long after Joe Paterno is gone--when notoriously conservative Penn State abandons its traditionally simple blue and white for the school's original colors of black and pink? Yes, it was once the Penn State Nittany Lions in black and pink! I can envision helmets in 2027 in a pink left half with a Paterno profile in black, and a black right side with a lion head logo in pink.


Lord, I hope not. For the record, Penn State slightly dulled down its "unies" this year by removing white collars and sleeve stripes from the contrasting blue jerseys. Good move, sort of.


--Bob Boyles

Monday, September 12, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

There were a number of television specials this past weekend concerning the role sports played in helping New York City and the nation heal 10 years ago. As I continue to mourn friends lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center, I wonder if that was truly the case.
For one thing, the tragedy that we label 9-11 was not a one-day affair. The attacks did take place on that day but for many of the families touched by the tragedy, the bad news was stretched over a period of weeks if not months. That the Mets won that first game back after the attacks was great and that the Yankees reached and nearly won the World Series was special too, but I am unsure if those games really helped heal the people truly affected by the events of 9-11.

Take my friend Vinnie Kane, a firefighter who died that day. By the next morning we heard that he was one of nine members of his house who did not return home that day. Remember, there was some hope that a survivor or two could be found. So for a few days his family waited. But by the weekend that slim bit of hope had to have been dashed. Then the Kanes had to squeeze his funeral into the busy schedule for both firefighters and their community out on the Rockaways that was particularly hard hit. The mass took place in early October just as the rest of the city was beginning to get back to normal. But in November, some part of Vin was found at the site and his family then "laid him to rest." Even if Vin and the Kane family were huge sports fans, I do not know how meaningless baseball or football games could have really helped his family through weeks of news. mostly bad, and weeks of mourning and suffering. And I also know that New York City would have recovered whether or not Mike Piazza hit that home run, even if it was pretty cool at the time.

You see I feel that the opposite is more true. That important events like 9-11 put everything, like our love for sports, into perspective. Friends and family are what matters. The old Paul Guido would have been frustrated about how pathetic Notre Dame and the New York Giants looked this weekend. But being that those games were wrapped around a picnic to honor Vinnie on Saturday and a trip to his old firehouse on Sunday, I was fine. After all, there are always more games or seasons in sports. In life, that is not always the case.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Today's Picks

I have a lot today, so let's get going.
Wisconsin -21 over Oregon State: Badgers rolling while Beavers always stink in Sept.
Toledo +18 versus Ohio State: Do you have the cojones?
Miss St -6 over Auburn: Bulldogs will score at will.
Cincinnati +4.5 against Tennessee: I liked this a lot better when it opened 2 pts higher.
Nevada +27 against Oregon: Hard to bet against Ducks but that is a ton of pts.
Alabama -10 against PSU: Will be close for 3 Qs until Penn State D wears down.
South Carolina -3 at Georgia: Double digit win.
Temple -15 versus Akron: Owls looked primed for continued success.
No. Illinois -4.5 at Kansas: Statement game for Huskies--until next week versus Wisconsin.
BYU +7 at Texas: Road warriors will need better QB play.
Ball State +20: Hangover Bowl will go to USF but Ball State covers.
Western Kentucky +10 over Navy: Spread makes sense at Navy.
Utah +9: at USC: Utes are just as good.
BC +7.5 at UCF: Eagles didn't look that bad against Northwestern.
Enjoy.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Farewell Lee Roy Selmon



Yet another superstar college football player from my youth has passed away with the recent death of legendary Oklahoma defensive lineman Lee Roy Selmon. I have never been a Sooner fan, yet I rooted for the Selmon brothers as they seemed to be talented members of a great family. The more I learned about the Selmons over the years bore that impression out as everyone had a kind word to say about each of them. But despite their natural friendliness and classroom success, the Selmons were terrific football players and their recruitment was the most important reason for the success enjoyed by OU during their time in Norman.



It has taken me a couple of days to write about Lee Roy's death because of my anger over the many obituaries I have read. I readily admit that the NFL is the most popular sport in this country, but college football is not far behind and Oklahoma football is arguably more significant than that of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Selmons's team. But the obits either ignored his tremendous career at Oklahoma or briefly mentioned it. Why? Because it is not pro football and today's sportswriters have grown up in the modern era where the pro game trumps all. Selmon was a college superstar, winning awards and national titles. That is as important as anything he did before or after. It is really stupid when ESPN makes this kind of mistake as they have been broadcasting college football for decades.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Tonight's Pick

What have we learned so far this young 2011 season? If you have dreams of BCS games dancing in your head, it is prudent to schedule Cupcake U. opening week. Oregon, Notre Dame, TCU and Georgia would all have been better off facing weaker competition this weekend. All four of those teams made the kind of mistakes that one could expect this early in the season. And while it is true that their opponents were in a similar boat, the reality is that most of the Top 25 played someone they could beat even if they played poorly. And compounding the issue for the four mentioned week one losers is that they do not even have a cupcake scheduled for week two, and so to avoid falling to 0-2 Oregon must beat Nevada, ND has to win a night game in Ann Arbor, TCU must win at Air Force and Georgia has to beat South Carolina.
Today I love SMU getting 15 points from an over-rated Texas A&M squad.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Today's Picks

My picks today are a work in progress. My best bet is Northwestern getting 3.5 at Boston College. Both teams look to improve on 7-win seasons and the Cats, with Dan Persa healthy, will be the surprise contender in the Big Ten Legends division. BC still has to prove that they can pass the ball, especially with star runner Montel Harris out with a knee injury. The extra half point was too good to pass up.
I also like East Carolina getting 21 from a South Carolina team that has had too much turmoil this off season and will be looking ahead to the Georgia game. I also think Colorado State (-6.5) will be a bowl team this year and will beat poor New Mexico by 2 TDs. And BYU will be a national contender this season and that path will begin today with a road win over an SEC opponent in Mississippi. Take the Cougars minus 3.
As far as the big games today, I like Notre Dame over USF by 14, Oregon to edge LSU by a FG and Boise State to beat Georgia by 7.
And didn't I write that today's picks are a work in progress? Well, Houston is going to beat UCLA by 10 to avenge last season's upset loss.

Opening Upset of 2011

TCU coach Gary Patterson could not have gotten much sleep last night. If he did, nightmares of Baylor wideouts racing past his DBs would have woken him up. Baylor beat TCU 50-48 thanks in large part to long passes completed against a rebuilt Horned Frogs secondary. But, most importantly, Baylor showed mettle enough to shake off 25 straight TCU points in marching down field late in 4th Q for the winning FG. That was impressive.
Can Baylor build off this win? They should be able to, as long as QB Robert Griffin stays healthy. Griffin completed 21-27 for 359y and 5 TDs. The defense still needs work. As for TCU, there is work to be done but that was to be expected after losing 13 starters. The 25-game regular season win streak is over and the key for coach Patterson is shaking off the loss and focusing on the MWC crown. Defense of that title, in their last season in conference, begins next week at Air Force. At least they will not give up 414y passing in that game.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Picks For Tonight

That was a nice comeback for Syracuse, even if it cost me a pick. The Big East needs all the wins it can get against other BCS conferences too.
There is Friday night football in Texas but it is a battle between Baylor and TCU. With the programs in the state Texas going every which way, this is a statement game for the Bears. I like them in an upset thanks to having the best QB on the field in Robert Griffin. He faces a tall task in the always-stout Horned Frogs defense. It should be a good game.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Tonight's Picks

I went for Wake, +6.5, the under in that game (49) and the over in the Wisconsin game (57). But I want good, clean fun.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

As any red-blooded college football fan I am excited about the upcoming opening weekend. Unfortunately the slate of games leaves a lot to be desired and the number of must-watch games are few. I'll watch Syracuse versus Wake on my computer Thursday night, tune into TCU-Baylor on Friday and then make sure I watch Notre Dame play South Florida on Saturday before the LSU-Oregon game that night. The night game, which is the premier game of the weekend, has lost a lot of juice with both teams accused of cheating and some Tigers suspended--including their QB--for fighting. Boise State plays Georgia that night too and hopefully Boise won't do to Georgia what Georgia did to them a few years ago (not that I am rooting for Georgia but I want a good game). Meanwhile it is interesting that the big, bad SEC is a dog in both of those contests.
I like it when the college game has center stage Labor Day weekend but am disappointed with the offerings. Still, it is college football and there will always be an interesting game when none expected. I'll be watching.

Monday, August 29, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

If LSU coach Les Miles needs any pointers on keeping his team focused this week before its big game with Oregon, all he has to do is call the coach of his first opponent from the 2010 season, Butch Davis. Now while he does not want the same fate as Davis--fired 10 months after the game--he can learn how Davis got a depleted UNC squad ready to go toe-to-toe with the heavily-favored Tigers. Many of the best players on that Carolina team were suspended because of dealings with an agent and so their is a similarity to a Bengals team that perhaps has not become that depleted, but has to play Oregon without key players such as QB Jordan Jefferson and dynamic play-maker Russell Shepard and amid a cloud of controversy. Like Davis, Miles needs to both believe in the depth of is talent, and get the remaining players to play like underdogs. Talented players with something to prove is a recipe for success and Miles was very good in getting his Oklahoma State squads to play like champions when they squared off against OU.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

View From Bennett Avenue

And another thing about the Miami mess, this notion that we cannot give anyone else the death penalty because it took SMU so long to recover from there's is ridiculous. SMU added two years onto the original NCAA-mandated one year of death and then moved their games to a small stadium. The goal was to eliminate the boosters by making Mustang football irrelevant, and it worked. Also the death penalty on SMU was another nail in the coffin of the Southwest Conference and so the Mustangs were forced to drop down to a lesser conference. Plus while Texas is loaded with players, SMU is an afterthought on the recruiting trail (which is why they always cheated).
Miami can take a year off and bounce back nicely with a committed athletic director and school president. There is so much talent in that area that they will look a lot like the Butch Davis squads of the late 1990s--talented but young. And in an ACC that may lose Florida State and/or Virginia Tech to the SEC, they will be able to compete for titles soon enough.
So don't cry for them Canes.