Redemption Day for Notre Dame Football

There is plenty of talk about how college football builds character and the evidence was on display at yesterday's Music City Bowl. Notre Dame won as embattled QB Everett Golson made key pass completions to set up the winning FG by equally struggling kicker Kyle Brindza. The ability of these two young men to make use of this second chance shows just how powerful college sports can be. And players were not the only ones taking advantage of second chances. Coach Brian Kelly admitted after the game that he did his job better yesterday than he did in November. And he was right. And the entire program needed this win badly to show that it can compete with the powers of the SEC West. The last time they played LSU was disastrous as was the last time they played the SEC. This win, even in a secondary bowl, will help eliminate some doubts should the Irish be in competition for a final four spot. They certainly proved that the talent level is high (that they were as talented as they are seemed to surprise the Tigers who must watch ESPN for scouting reports). As for LSU this game, as with any game the SEC plays out of conference, does not really matter. Sure some fans are beating up Les Miles but LSU is LSU. They can pull an insane amount of talent and have a set path to the national playoffs by being a conference power. They need to get the offense more balance and improve the entire run defense. As for me, I had fun at the game even though I bruised my hand with an excited thrust into the air that clipped a low-hanging ceiling. Nashville is a great town and I enjoyed showing it and big-time football to my nine-year-old, who is used to--and has fun at--games played in the Bronx or West Point. Next up for her is a game at LSU or ND.

Music City Bowl

Here in Nashville for an intriguing match-up--well, it would be if the game was played next September. While both teams are talented, especially with young up-and-coming players, they have had mixed results this year. Notre Dame is especially reeling after its late-season collapse and will have to prove from the opening kickoff that they can hang with an SEC power. They will get some of their key performers back from injury, which helps. LSU sometimes plays down to the level of their opponent, especially when unmotivated, as we saw last season when they struggled to put away an expected-to-be-outclassed Iowa squad in the Outback Bowl. Playing Notre Dame is usually motivation enough. This game could get out of hand early, especially with new Irish QB Malik Zaire's inexperience, but should the Irish play like they did versus Florida State then we have a chance to see two potential top ten teams and playoff contenders for next year in an evenly matched struggle. One can hope.

Jim Harbaugh

Harbaugh to Michigan has been a rumor for awhile. Being that it makes a ton of sense it should happen and may even be announced by tomorrow. As a fan of college football I am very happy to have a renowned football coach leave the NFL to return to the college ranks even though it comes with a ridiculous amount of money. Michigan desperately needs this to happen as they are clearly behind their two biggest rivals, OSU and MSU, in the current pecking order. As I have said before, Michigan thinks it is more important than it really is as a football program. That said, this move should elevate them back to challenging for conference titles and possibly inclusion in the national title race. The main potential problem is Harbaugh's reputation as a, well, jerk. That no longer flies in college football as it may have once--and Stanford is not a good example as they were turned around from 1-11 and were willing to put up with their coach. The type of recruit Michigan wants to get will not tolerate too much in your face coaching and Harbaugh has to balance his personality the way that Saban and Meyer do. It had better work for Michigan. They have a lot riding on this hire.

Duke Linebacker David Helton Wins Campbell Trophy

Not many people nationally know about the Campbell Trophy--it is not presented at some over-glitzy ESPN-created theme show--but if I was going to win one trophy for college football excellence, this would be the one. The Campbell, awarded for the past 25 years, goes to the college football player who best combines on-field success with academic qualifications and work in the community. With the Heisman Trophy quickly morphing into the best-player-who-gets-national-press-irregardless-of-off-the-field-issues award, the little-known Campbell is now the trophy that best showcases just how good college football can be. Linebacker David Helton, who topped a competitive group of young men, is the latest example of the best of the best I a sport that is proud of its ability to help mold men in the right way all the while the press harps on the bad apples. Which, of course, is why the name David Helton means very little nationally. Despite being a star member of a Duke squad that has now become an annual challenger for not only a bowl bid but a spot in the ACC title game, Helton gets virtually zero press. That is true of the entire Duke team in the era of the only teams worth covering are the ones fighting for national championships. That Helton holds a 3.64 in psychology while leading the ACC is tackles for a team that has won at least 18 games over the past two seasons is not worthy of attention in a celebrity era. His many volunteer efforts are greatly appreciated by the Duke community but he would have garnered more ink for driving drunk or punching a women in a club. He did not do that, of course, and is probably fine being a local hero. Fortunately the National Football Foundation exists to promote the less sexy but more important side of college football, the side that actually covers a majority of players. Helton and the rest of the finalists for the Campbell were honored at a wonderful dinner. Once again the NFF did the right thing but unfortunately not enough people cared or knew about it.

College Football Playoffs Set

I think I know what happened here. The committee had no idea how to choose between TCU and Baylor for one spot in the four-team playoffs that they booted them both. Or the committee is corrupt and chose the four teams with the most money. That is probably not the case but, of course, using a committee instead of a math formula allows that suggestion. Dropping TCU three spaces after a 52-pont win does not help. Alabama got everything they could have hoped for by not only playing against a third string QB but by avoiding the TCU and Baylor offenses. They also play close by, which is huge. Saban versus Meyer is fun but Saban seemed to have Meyer's number at the end of their rivalry. Let's all hope for some great games.

Pac 12 Championship

Is it me or have we reached overkill with the race to the final four this year? Tonight Oregon plays Arizona for the Pac 12 championship and a presumed spot in the final four--for Oregon if they win, not Arizona--and yet there does not seem to be enough buzz. Is it that Oregon is expected to win, as the spread in the game indicates? Maybe, but Arizona has beaten the Ducks two straight times so they know how to play this team. And both teams feature great players with Oregon featuring the country's most dynamic player in QB Marcus Mariota. To me Friday is the problem as we associate Friday night college football with less important games. I do expect a good game tonight and look forward to it. Oregon has a lot to prove to not only Arizona, who seems to have their number, but to the nation as they have been expected to contend every year for a national title since they reach the BCS championship game after the 2010 season but they have not even won the conference since 2011. Stanford was the hurdle they could not overcome the past two seasons but they wiped them out this year. Now redemption against Rich Rodriguez is in order to reach the playoffs. They should be able to get the job done in a close game.

CFB Playoffs

It is December 4 and the race to earn the four spots in the national championship playoffs is approaching the finish line. As with the BCS and even the old voting post bowl way of picking the national championship, the only way this works is if the right number of teams finishes clearly ahead of the pack. In 2005 Texas and USC were undefeated and clearly the best teams in the country and the BCS selected them to play for the national championship. Bingo. In 1977 after Notre Dame upset Texas in the Cotton Bowl there were a few teams with legitimate claims to the title. That was not so good. This year we have a chance to have four clear cut teams but are more likely to have some cloudiness, which should be expected. Should Alabama, Oregon, TCU and FSU win their games Saturday as favorites and Baylor and Ohio State lose then the current top four will be in and the only potential problem will be with seeding. That would leave us with four programs that have separated themselves from the rest and give us representation from four of the five power conferences. The biggest potential problem is with TCU and Baylor, if Baylor beats Kansas State and TCU does not stumble versus Iowa State. Even if we all think TCU is better than Baylor and even if we think there were some odd ref calls in the TCU-Baylor game, the committee would be setting a dangerous precedent if it picked a same-record TCU over Baylor being that Baylor won the head-to-head match-up. And before you counter that by saying that the road team, TCU, led throughout, the winner, Baylor, had 297 more yards. That is enough of a difference to raise an eyebrow if TCU gets the bid. The other thing about Baylor that bothers me is that the committee seems to be punishing them for a poor non-conference lineup--and I am all for that--but looking the other way with other teams. Remember when Mississippi State was the top ranked team in the country and looking for a final four spot? The Bulldogs played Southern Miss (3-9), UAB (6-6), South Alabama (6-6) and UT-Martin (6-6 in FCS). They also played Kentucky and Vandy from the SEC East. Yes they play some very good SEC West teams, but Baylor played TCU, West Virginia, OU, Kansas State (Saturday), and Texas. The difference is not overwhelming. So what's a fan to do? Well watch the games Saturday and hope for good action. Then we can bitch next week when the games are set. Have fun.

Brady Hoke Fired

Not exactly earth-shattering news but Hoke's removal finally ends the talk. But now comes the hard part as a football program with an interim AD must hit a home run with a coaching hire after consecutive failed effort with Hoke and predecessor Rich Rodriguez. The problem with Michigan is Michigan. The expectations are higher than the results have been and top coaches would rather try to win championships in easier situations. Remember when Michigan man Les Miles was rumored to take the Wolverines job in 2007 and then was wooed again four years later? Sure he would love to coach there but he has the same pressure to win at LSU with access to a greater amount of talent and can run players onto the field whether or not they break the law. He has won a title so running away from the SEC West is not needed. Why leave and face more scrutiny? The athletic director situation is a huge problem. No coach with options is going to take a job without knowing the name of his boss. Good ADs are too crucial to the success of a program. The guy Michigan fans want as much as Miles is Jim Harbaugh, but it is hard to imagine him going back to college. He wants to win the Super Bowl to bad and will want to stick it to the 49ers as soon as they split up. Good luck to the Wolverines as their success is good for the sport. They will need to think outside the box and deliver someone who can return the program to the upper echelon of the Big Ten. It may take awhile but talent is there.

ACC Football Update

The sound you heard throughout ACC country today was champagne corks popping as the conference swept four games against the dreaded SEC (well, SEC East) and in doing so firmed up Florida State's presumed spot in the final four playoff. Of course FSU still has to beat Georgia Tech in the ACC title game, something that looks tougher now than expected at the beginning of this season. The ACC is the little brother to their SEC neighbors and any sweep like this is sweet even if three of the four SEC victims are struggling and the fourth, Georgia, is inconsistent. The ACC will take what they get and build upon today's results, hoping to sway a recruit or two. All four of the ACC teams in question are ranked--while just one of the SEC teams was--but that helps those programs in the eyes of voters for the future. This is especially true for a Clemson team that always struggles against South Carolina and a Georgia Tech program that is supposed to struggle with athletic defenses like the one they saw today in Georgia. It is just another sign that the rest of the college football world is closing the gap with the SEC, although we will need a lot more key wins to confirm that.

SEC Update

Okay, okay I admit it. As someone who believes that the SEC has become grossly overrated--and that its overblown standing is bad for college football--I was happy that Missouri won its second straight East title yesterday. That they beat an SEC West team to do it made it even sweeter. Look I am not buying that Missouri was a mediocre program before joining the SEC. They were better than that but the Big 12 was underrated because of the SEC so it is with some irony that folks point to Mizzou as some mediocre team going to the SEC and then doing well. I also think it is great that a team that lost to Indiana won the SEC East. It happens. And yes it was fortunate that Mizzou pulled A&M and Arkansas but that happens and the Aggies were ranked when Missouri beat them and Arkansas was playing much better at year's end when the Tigers beat them. I also love that the Tigers were able to have a successful season without superstar wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, who was booted from school in April for repeated transgressions with pot and for being accused of throwing a woman down a flight of stairs. I wish he kept his head straight and I wish we could enjoy his play, but he screwed up and Missouri, despite the pressures of competing in the SEC, did the right thing and should be commended for that (OU did not but that is a separate story). As for the rest of the SEC, there is plenty of excitement slated for today. Can Alabama and Mississippi State keep their championship hopes alive while playing rivals Auburn and Mississippi who both once harbored title hopes? Can Florida upset FSU for both SEC pride and outgoing coach Will Muschamp? Georgia and South Carolina also have rivalry games against the ACC, so the conferences have a lot on the line today. While the conference focuses on national titles there is a great deal of opportunity today to prove that they are much better than everyone else. We'll see.

Pac 12 Update

The game of the week in conference play would normally be the Arizona-Arizona State clash this afternoon but neither team controls its own destiny. Both of these rivals sit at 6-2 in conference, tied with UCLA atop the South Division. Oregon wrapped up the North a very long time ago and awaits the South winner in Santa Clara. UCLA, however, is in the driver's seat and clinches the South with a win today against Stanford. A loss and the winner of Duel in the Desert gets the South nod. That is easy to remember. The Bruins are one of the teams that are tough to categorize. They have climbed back to the top ten yet does anyone trust them? They have been playing better of late with wins by double figures over Arizona, Washington and USC. But Stanford has owned them of late. then again Stanford is not the same Cardinal team of the recent past and they have yet to beat a Pac 12 team with a winning record for the conference season. I like the Bruins to pull away late. As for the battle of the Grand Canyon State, ASU seemed to be the clear favorite until they squandered a lead in the South race on November 15 by losing to a mediocre Oregon State squad. Arizona has had a great season and the game should be a good one. Winner, should UCLA also win, is the frontrunner for a Fiesta Bowl bid assuming Oregon beats UCLA in the conference championship game. Got it? I like Arizona in a close one. The Pacific Northwest teams are playing their state rivalry games tomorrow, which may be fun. And Notre Dame at USC is tomorrow, a game that had a lot riding on it a few weeks ago but will now help salve the wounds of the winner and prolong the agony of the loser.

Big 12 Update

Well here we go. Three teams remaining in the race for the Big 12 football championship with two games remaining. This should be fun. Baylor, Kansas State and TCU are all tied for first place with 6-1 records. All three are favored this week with TCU having the toughest test in heading to Austin Thursday to face the Longhorns. While I still cannot get over the absence of Texas A&M on UT's schedule for Thanksgiving week, I would expect Texas to be fired up nonetheless. Texas has won three straight in convincing fashion to become bowl eligible. They also swamped the Horned Frogs 30-7 last year in Lubbock, something TCU has not forgotten. TCU has a lot riding on this game and will need a full effort to beat a Texas team that is looking to keep up their good play of late. Baylor and Kansas each have opponents that will certainly want to play spoiler in rivals Teas Tech and Kansas, but even playing closely will be surprising. The key for both teams is staying healthy as they have to play each other in the finale in Waco on December 6. TCU meanwhile finishes with Iowa State in Lubbock so, unless there is a major surprise, each of the three teams remaining in the Big 12 race have one more tough game. But let's see what happens. As for the rest of the conference, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia are probably the only other teams to be bowl eligible this year. The Sooners have a shot at ten wins and should be focused on whipping rival Okie State, who is reeling, and then wining their bowl game. Texas is all about building momentum for year two under Charlie Strong, while West Virginia needs to continue the good play this season as they look to contend next year. An expected win Saturday over Iowa State and then a bowl win will give the Mountaineers eight wins for the season which would double last year's total. The other four? Play the kids, play hard and give yourselves something to build on.

College Football Picks

Here goes: Temple +11 at PSU Iowa -3.5 at Illinois IU +7 at RU Georgia Tech +3 hosting Clemson Rice +21.5 at Marshall Wake +17 at NC State Utah +8 at Stanford Miss State +8.5 at Bama Texas -3 at OKie state MSU -12 at Mary ASU -10 at Oregon State Good luck

Today's Picks

Penn State -7 at IU Georgia -10 at Kentucky Georgia Tech -3.5 at NC State Duke -4 at Cuse Duke-Cuse under 51 Troy -7 hosting Ga State Army +4.5 vs UConn WSU-Oregon State over 61 FSU -20.5 hosting UVA Wash +6 hosting UCLA BC +3 hosting Lou LSU +6.5 hosting Bama MSU -4 hosting OSU Utah +8.5 hosting Oregon Good luck everyone.

College Football Picks

Here goes: Duke +3.5 at Pitt OU-ISU over61 PSU=Mary under 48 Georgia -13 Iowa-3 TCU-WVA over 71 Kentucky +8 WSU +9 Mississippi -1.5 Stanford +8 KSU -13 Arizona +7 (BB)

ACC Update

The national focus regarding Florida State football seems to be on anything but tomorrow's game against a slid Louisville squad. From the controversy over the second to last play in the Notre Dame game to continued off-the-field problems for FSU players and the recent unveiling of the playoff rankings, there are plenty of distractions for the undefeated defending national champs. Say what you want about Jimbo Fisher, and he is giving plenty of fodder to critics, he has proven the ability to keep his players available, when perhaps some of them should not be, and focused when there is a task at hand. Beating Louisville will go a long way toward wrapping up the ACC Atlantic Division while solidifying the Noles' placement near or at the top of the rankings. Of course the Cardinals have something to say about that. Their defense will pose a challenge to FSU, especially when FSU runs the ball. Well, tries to run the ball. This game should come down to how well the Cardinals defense stops the FSU passing attack. If they can prevent Jameis Winston from getting into a groove they had an excellent chance of pulling the upset. As for the Louisville offense, you have to wonder if they can keep up. There really is no previous game to look back on from this season as the offense is at its healthiest now in time for the biggest game of the year. Expect coach Bobby Petrino to pull out all stops as he must see this game as a way to return to his past glory. The game should be fun and I feel will go down the wire. Can FSU hold on as they barely did against ND?

Here We Go

As the first ranking of teams by the final four committee approaches--the announcement comes tomorrow--the bad side effects of such a system have made themselves apparent. The only focus of the national media--when not moralizing on off-the-field issues--is on the teams still in the running for final four spots. Well not all the teams. Nobody is saying boo about teams like Utah. But the point is, they will not write about the actual games themselves nor any races for conferences championships or bowl berths. Players? You have to be a screw up. Quick, who lead the two divisions of the Big Ten? What are the two divisions of the Big Ten? ACC Coastal? Pac 12 South? Did you know Colorado State is 7-1? Georgia Southern 6-2? That Indiana RB Tevin Coleman has 1192y rushing? That Western Kentucky QB Brandon Doughty has thrown for 2871y and has a 24-4 TD-INT ratio? That Louisville S Gerod Holliman and Ole Miss CB Senquez Golson each have eight interceptions. But the only thing that matters, seemingly, is the number of SEC West teams that deserve a spot in the final four. Hours are spent trying to determine which teams will "win out" even though we are always wrong guessing eventual records of teams. Let the games play out and CELEBRATE the season as it unfolds.

Today's Picks

Let's get to it. Iowa +4.5 at Mary West Virginia +8 hosting Baylor KSU +7.5 at OU Florida Atlantic +4.5 hosting Western Ken Duke -3 hosting UVA Air Force -9 hosting New Mex Cincy -13 hosting SMU Cal +7 hosting UCLA MSU -17 at IU Ark +3.5 hosting Georgia Okie State +10 at TCU Wash +21 at Ore Good luck

Winston

What does this guy have to do to get suspended? Clearly he is challenging his head coach and school--but they do not care. After all, by consistently pushing off any investigation into this kid's multiple mistakes and potential crimes they are encouraging him to do more and more. And with the NCAA so toothless they can probably continue to push the envelope in keeping him on the field. The ACC is keeping quiet as they have only one program anyone respects so why bite that hand? Just as we saw with Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel, the powers that be clearly want this guy on the field and will continue to stall until they can release something inconsequential after the fact. That they're doing this encourages others to do the same--and we are now being overrun by Heisman winners embarrassing the sport instead of representing what is good about the it--and the future is daunting. The fact that two undefeated national powers are squaring off Saturday night and all anyone wants to talk about is this idiot's mistakes is sad and pathetic.

Today's Picks

Here we go (and yes I need to present my results so far at some point soon): Northwestern +4 at Minny Rice -1.5 at Army FSU -24 at Cuse Cincy +17.5 at Miami Georgia Tech -3.5 vs Duke Clemson -10 hosting Lou Aub -3 at Miss St UNC +17 at ND Bama -9.5 at Arkie Wash +3.5 at Cal LSU +1 at Florida LSU under 47 A&M -3 hosting Miss Air Force +7.5 at Utah State Good luck

Florida Football Broken Again?

Where do we go from here Florida fans? Just when you thought that maybe the dysfunction of last year had been exorcised by the team's fourth quarter rally this past Saturday that led to a 10-9 win over Tennessee and a 3-1 record, you had to pay attention to the news and realize that whatever good vibes you may have felt were long gone. More importantly a member of the Gators family--the backup QB that led rally--is being accused of sexual assault. And then as that QB Treon Harris is suspended while the Gainesville police are investigating the charges, the third string QB Skylar Mornhinweg gets into a fight with a teammate that requires minor medical treatment. With Florida fans already looking to tar and feather starting QB Jeff Driskel for his awful play, the team is treading water with LSU on the horizon. Obviously that what's-his-name Meyer coach made some deal with the devil for national championships and the devil is still collecting. Hopefully the accusations against Harris are proved false. If not, Florida needs to do right by the victim. As for the rest of the nonsense, the team needs to stay focused and stay out of trouble. Fight hard and climb to 7-8 wins and try desperately to turn the page on past troubles.

College Football Polls Blown Up

Does anyone want to be in the top ten? After the carnage Thursday night through yesterday the polls look a lot different than they did last week. The number of undefeated teams is shrinking rapidly and projected final fours need to be written in pencil. Who did survive? Well last year's championship battlers Florida State and Auburn are now 1-2 in the coaches' poll. Baylor, who has not played anyone, is third and Mississippi moved up seven spots to fourth. Notre Dame, Mississippi State (boy the Egg Bowl this year will be must watch TV), Alabama, Michigan State, Oklahoma and Georgia round out the top ten. Oregon, at 11th, finds itself out of the top ten while its slayer Arizona sits at 13 behind TCU. This is a fluid process and teams like TCU can prove they are real with continued good play and wouldn't you know it, they have Baylor scheduled for next week. This promises to be a crazy season although this past weekend was especially so.

BYU Season Derailed

You cannot have a much worse night than the one experienced yesterday by BYU. Not only did they lose to a three TD underdog, but that dog happened to be an in-state rival. They lost their perfect season and their chance to move up from 18th nationally on a weekend that promises upsets. Most importantly they lost star QB Taysom Hill to a fractured leg. The highest-ranked "other" program, not counting Notre Dame, the Cougars were aiming for an undefeated season and a major bowl. The national championship playoffs were probably out of reach but BYU was hoping to reach the top ten. Now they have to rebound without their star QB, a player who had elevated them to the little attention they did achieve in wins over Texas and Virginia. BYU can take solace in the performance by Utah State as the Aggies were led by their backup QB Darell Garretson, who threw for 321 yards and 3 TDs in replace of injured star QB Chuckie Keeton. Sub Christian Stewart did not play well but he will have to step it up quickly as three of the team's next four games are on the road. As for Utah State, the win--their first on the road in the Wagon Wheel rivalry since 1978--was a great boost with conference play coming up. The Aggies are in the very competitive Mountain division of the MWC and will need to continue playing at this high level with Air Force and Colorado State next up.

Today's Picks

Here we go: Illinois-Purdue under 54 ECU -41 over SMU Miss State -2 hosting Texas A&M No Texas +12 at IU ND +2 hosting Stanford USC -12 vs ASU Air Force +3.5 OU -4.5 Bama -6 at Miss NC State +14 at Clemson West Va -28 hosting KU Colorado +6 vs Oregon State Rice -7 vs Hawaii LSU-Auburn under 58 Rutgers -2 hosting Michigan Miami +1.5 at Tech Nebraska-MSU under 60 Good luck

First Televised College Football Game

Tonight's Fordham game--go Rams--against Lafayette, which will air on CBS Sports, will be a stepping point to a discussion of college football and sports broadcasting history. Recently, on September 30, the 75th anniversary of a milestone college football game came and went without too much fanfare (I must give credit to the Wall Street Journal for their article). On that day in 1939 the Fordham Rams scheduled a tune-up game against Waynesburg that was aired on NBC television. It was not only the first college football game ever aired on television but also beat the NFL to the punch by three weeks. Due to the need to be as close to their signal at the Empire State Building, NBC asked Fordham, a national power in the 1930s, to play the game at the then second-rate, now torn down, Triborough Stadium on Randall's Island. Used to playing before packed crowds at the Polo Grounds the Rams agreed to have the Waynesburg game televised and not the more important Alabama contest scheduled for a week later or any of the other contests against powers that came to New York that year like Pitt and Rice. Although Waynesburg opened the scoring on a 63-yard run by Bobby Brooks, the Rams soon took charge and coasted to a 34-7 win. The Rams outgained the visiting Yellow Jackets 337-157y. It is estimated that 1000 sets tuned in to the broadcast with Bill Stern supplying play-by-play and a young Mel Allen providing updates. Only one camera was used. On October 22nd the Brooklyn Dodgers football team hosted the Eagles on television to begin the media's long romance with the pro game. New York being the epicenter of television in 1939 allowed the Dodgers baseball team to become the first in that sport to host a televised game with the Reds in town in late August of that year and four months earlier the Columbia baseball team had the first-ever televised sporting event when they hosted Princeton. Then on February 28 of 1940 college basketball was first televised when Fordham played Pitt at Madison Square Garden. There will be a bigger production for tonight's game but hopefully a similar outcome.

Oregon Loss First in Wild Week?

Will this be one of those blow-up-the-top-ten weeks of college football? The potential carnage began with Arizona's upset of Oregon last night. The Ducks did not look like a top five team, but who has this year? After one month of spotty scheduling whereby only one maybe two of the top teams gets tested, this weekend features one tough game after another. Add in the fact that it is early enough for us to not even know how good some teams are and the potential for higher ranked teams falling to lesser ranked ones is greater. Clear the day and sit back. Should be fun. As for the game last night, Arizona impressively kept the pressure on Ducks QB Marcus Mariota--as we knew they, and everyone playing Oregon, would, but their offense impressively took what the D gave them and did not panic. When facing an explosive team like Oregon some offenses wilt under the pressure of having to keep pace but the opposite is always better. Take your time. Arizona scored four TDS and the shortest of the four drives was 71 yards and that one took a whopping 15 plays. Short passes, tough runs and the occasional Oregon penalty was all that was needed. And anyone questioning an Arizona offense built around freshman QB Anu Solomon, especially on the road in a tough environment, should remember that coach Rich Rodriguez has done this before (Pat White). As for the conference the game, and USC's win over Stanford, may be a sign that the power is shifting from the North to the South but it is only October 3. And on October 11 Tucson will be the place to be as the Cats host USC. You'll need to clear your evening for that one.

Time to Reboot Michigan Football

It seems clear to all that the Michigan football program will be under new management next year. The vultures circling around head coach Brady Hoke are growing more brazen. They smell blood and will not give up until Hoke is gone. It also seems clear that AD Dave Brandon will be thrown to the curb with him. Whether or not QB Shane Morris--and the school is finally admitting that he had suffered a "mild concussion"--should have returned to the game the other day is now becoming the driving force to folks hoping for change. That does the topic of brain injuries in football a disservice as we are cherry picking here. If Hoke was popular we would not be making as big a deal over this situation. But since he is not the story has grown bigger than if, say Nick Saban, had done the same. Now, of course, we can say that Saban would not have done this but let's make one thing clear. A lot of concussed football players are returned to games. Many successful coaches have made this same mistake. My point is that the importance of following protocol in this situation is the same for all coaches. Let's not make it too big a story in Ann Arbor because everyone already wanted the football program changed and then not make it a story somewhere else. The irony here is that Hoke was a goner because of the scoreboard. The team has fallen apart in this his fourth year and keeping Morris out of the game would not have saved his job. I am surprised that he has not been fired yet but perhaps the powers that be want to determine the fate of everyone responsible for this mess before acting here. Something does have to happen soon because the new coach will have to retain the excellent recruits Michigan has reeled in for next year. The wealth of talent on this team and the financial resources available still make this job attractive. But there is a big difficulty facing whomever does take the Michigan job. The Wolverines are surrounded by enemies in Michigan State, Notre Dame (now off the schedule but still a rival for local power) and Ohio State who are all in excellent health. There is only so much talent and press to go around. Michigan must hire someone up for the challenge of competing with these heavy hitters in the race for Midwestern supremacy. The job is not for the weak of heart.

Saturday's Picks

I sit at 20-26 but the time is right to go on a roll. Wyoming +29 at MSU. Spartans flat at start but win 28-7 or 30-10. Big Ten sched starts next week with prime time game against Nebraska. Rutgers -13 hosting Tulane. RU continues to roll in the under the radar games. Tennessee +17 at Georgia. I keep trusting the Vols, much to my detriment. CSU +9 at BC. Hunch. Teams are pretty close in talent. Maryland +4 at IU. Will the real Hoosiers please stand up. UNC +15 at Clemson. I'll pick this game but not watch it. La Tech +33 at Auburn. sure La Tech lost by 32 to OU opening week but everything is timing. they now get Auburn off a disappointing game, which normally would not be good, but one week before LSU. Cincy +17 at OSU. As Buckeyes try to crawl back to respectability, Bearcats have had this game circled for awhile. Let's see what gunner Kiel can do in a big spot. La-Monroe -14 hosting Troy. Not quite Achilles versus Hector as Troy is really bad. Air Force +13 hosting Boise. Odd spread as game should go down the wire. Duke +7 at Miami. Like Blue Devils to win outright. Notre Dame -10 versus Syracuse. Orange will be sky high but cannot stop Irish pass attack.

Big 12 Update

Daxx Garman? The new Oklahoma State QB, who led the Cowboys to a 45-35 win over Texas Tech last night, has had a crazy run at this football stuff. He last played meaningful games in high school in...2009. As a junior. Then he transferred high schools without playing as a senior. He ended up at Arizona anyway, but as a redshirt due to a lengthy depth chart. In 2012 he sat out as a transfer before sitting on the bench last year. And now with injuries he is the starter for a ranked program. There is some lesson there about patience but I do not have the time to figure it out. As for the game, well, neither Oklahoma State nor Texas Tech is going to win the Big 12. The Red Raiders for one have had such a crazy month that their season could really bottom out. Okie State is in a much better place but need to tighten up the defense before a brutal end to the season (at Kansas State, home versus Texas, at Baylor, at OU). Not much else going on this weekend unless the Texas-Kansas game interests you. It is not basketball season, so probably not. The loser of that game could also be in trouble. Baylor does have to play at Iowa State, where it lost two years ago, but since that game they have become one of the best teams in the country. Last season's 71-7 beat down probably left enough bad taste in the mouths of the Cyclones that something bad could happen but an upset is very unlikely. Oklahoma is off before a big road game at TCU next weekend.

ACC Update

Whether the ACC is truly Florida State and a bunch of other teams--as the media seems to spin it--will be played out this fall. In the interim the games have to be played so let's go. North Carolina State, with Florida State transfer QB Jacoby Brissett having already cracked the 1,000 yard mark with 1,005 yards plus a 10-1 TD-INT ratio, is surprisingly 4-0 but that comes with a caveat. Well two. They deserved to lose at least one game earlier this year and they host FSU this weekend. The Wolfpack used to be the occasional thorn in the side of the Seminoles back in the Chuck Amato days but that won't help them now. The Noles are entering a three-game stretch (State, Wake, Syracuse) that will test their focus and while Brissett will be inspired to play well against his former team, the visitors will seek to prove that they are as good as last year. And yes I just wrote about FSU without mentioning their QB. Another undefeated team with an intriguing match-up is Duke, which begins a gauntlet of four conferences road games over their next five contests with a trip to Miami. While the Canes have been underachieving they can get their season straightened out with a win over a team they once owned. The Blue Devils need to begin to claim the Coastal Division as their own and to do so they need to continue to showcase a balanced offense, led by senior QB Anthony Boone, and improve on a weak run defense. The Canes may be hard-pressed to exploit that weakness as poor line play has prevented them from running the ball consistently. But back Duke Johnson, who missed last year's game with an injury, will be looking to break out and the Blue Devils will be hard-pressed to fully contain him. I am looking at the over. A game that was supposed to be intriguing in August, UNC at Clemson is now a survivor game as the loser will be tagged as a disappointment. Another team looking to bounce back after a tough weekend is Syracuse, who draws Notre Dame in New Jersey. An Orange win would be nice for the ACC but the Irish are coming off a bye. Both programs need to make a statement in talent-rich New Jersey.

AAC Update

As conferences slowly move into conference play it is time to bring everyone up to date. The beleaguered American Athletic Conference does have one ranked team in the impressive East Carolina Pirates and one knocking on the door in Cincinnati. The AAC also has a number of opportunities to add big wins this weekend with opponents like Ohio State, Mississippi, TCU, Rutgers and Wisconsin on the slate. Looking for conference play? How does Temple at UConn thrill you? I didn't think so. The AAC is rooting for upsets this weekend and should Cincy go to Columbus and win then a second ranked team should be expected. Good luck.

Tonight's Pick

Well I sit at 19-25. Tonight is a fascinating game for many reasons but the main two are the SEC going on the road, outside the comfort zone against a solid team on a Thursday night. We can also see if KSU has figured out how to slow down an attack like this one. Last year when hosting Baylor and OU they dropped them both by 10. And with Auburn being a cover machine since Gus Malzahn took over I am going with them. Like the under as well as KSU D is not bad and KSU O will do whatever it can to eat clock. Auburn -8 Under 66

College Football Picks

10-15. Ehh. Here goes: UCF +11 at Missouri. Georgia southern +17 at GT West Virginia-Maryland over 60. Wyoming +44 at Oregon. South Carolina +7 hosting Georgia. Arkansas-TT over 67. Arkansas State +15 at Miami. South Alabama +13.5 hosting Miss State. UL Lafayette +28 at Miss. Illinois +13 at Washington. Minnesota +16 at TCU. La-Monroe +31.5 at LSU. Purdue +29 versus ND. Kentucky +19 at florida. Tennessee +21 at OU. UCLA -8 at UT. PSU -3.5 at RU. ASU -15.5 at Colorado. Nevada +18 at Arizona.

Tonight's Pick

I went .500 Saturday, which, of course, is not good enough. I am leaning to Louisiana Tech tonight against North Texas but not by enough to pull the trigger. I will take Houston +18.8 at BYU. I love BYU this year but the spread is an overreaction to BYU's 2-0 start being that they have blown out two programs, Texas and UConn, that are playing horrible football. Houston's loss to UTSA is not shameful as that program is excellent and the Cougars of Houston went toe-to-toe with the Cougars of BYU last year. They will lose tonight but by a lot closer than 18.5. I also like the over 58 in this game.

June Jones Resigns as SMU Coach

It is a bit ironic that SMU and June Jones ended their marriage-gone-bad while the college football world was focused on the NCAA reducing Penn State's penalties. That is because Jones was the latest coach to fail to return SMU to the glory it enjoyed before they received a death penalty that was not reduced despite the Mustangs doing all that was asked and more (but was it with integrity?) after being caught for the xth time paying for players. But that was then and this is now and SMU was always in the way of bigger programs who wanted to pay the very same players SMU bought. Anyway, Jones can go back to Hawaii and play golf with the incredible amount of money he earned returning SMU to mediocrity. He should have always stayed there as he was a perfect fit both schematically and personally for Hawaii but they could not afford the success he brought to the program. Hell, he took Hawaii to the Sugar Bowl. Think of that. Sure they got killed, but Hawaii? But his earning $800,000 annually was a problem for a state-run school without booster money for football. A private school in Dallas with booster money that could no longer go to five star prospects seemed like a good fit. Financially it was, but Jones wanted an even bigger program and his flirtations with ASU--remember that crazy situation with their boosters canceling him?--and Maryland left SMU fans with a bad taste in their mouths. But while he was winning they kept quiet, especially after he beat TCU in its stadium in OT in 2011. But it went all downhill quickly from there as the Mustangs stopped winning (12-15 since beginning of 2012) and Jones's refusal to recruit and don't-really-want-to-be-here body language doomed the situation. The Mustangs need to rebuild yet again. As for Jones, he will always have the crazy run-and-shoot days from Hawaii, which gave me something to check on when getting home late on a Saturday (loved hitting those ungodly overs).

Rest of Penn State Sanctions Lifted

The Penn State case was always a complicated one and without precedent (thank God this is a unique situation) the punishment handed down by the NCAA was not going to be met with approval by everyone. And when the NCAA announced the multiple years of bowl bans and scholarship losses, plus monetary fines, half of the population applauded them and the other half was upset. Well the other half just won out as the NCAA, after already reducing sanctions once before, wiped them out today while mentioning the magic word--"integrity". Everyone's first reaction when the Penn State scandal erupted was horror. It was a black and white situation. What Sandusky clearly did--and he had admitted a fair amount before--was wrong and then once the shower scene was brought to our attention, we all were aghast. But almost immediately the gray aspect of this came into play centered on what coach Joe Paterno knew etc, etc. I do not want to rehash that here. But as we see with the Ray Rice case, video is the be all and end all. The victims did not have video. Mike McQueary did not video the meeting he had with Paterno in which he told his boss something about what he saw. If there were videos of elements of what we think we know about the case Penn State may have gotten the death penalty. Look at Rice. Video of him dragging an unconscious girlfriend out of an elevator is two games. Video of him knocking her out--even though everyone knows he knocked her out--pretty much ends his career. As to the timing, I feel that it is in direct relationship to what happened on the field Saturday night. The Big Ten is falling apart and the quicker Penn State can return to the top ten the better. Not only will they need PSU in a decent bowl this winter, they also need one of their members in the final four by next year (this year seems long gone although it is only September). Having the cream of the conference, or at least four or five from the likes of OSU, Michigan, MSU, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Iowa, plus PSU, playing well and crowding the rankings will guarantee the conference winner a spot. Only one Big Ten team, Michigan State, is currently in the top 15 and all three of the conference teams ranked in the AP Poll sit at uninspiring 1-1 records. The conference needed a boost.

College Football Conference Recap Week Two

American Athletic: Only two wins for conference members this week and both were against lower division foes. Memphis had the best performance in a close loss to UCLA but the conference's free fall into oblivion continues. ACC: This conference was undefeated yesterday and only one member, BC, lost and that was to another ACC team, Pitt. Most of these wins are not worth mentioning but Virginia Tech's beat-down of Ohio State on the road adds a great pelt to the ACC tent. While this win may have been more about how badly OSU played, this is still a we-are-back statement win for the Hokies. They do not play FSU and Notre Dame this season but do have their toughest ACC Coastal competition on the road in October versus UNC and Pitt, followed by a home game against rival Miami. Big 12: If anyone thought that this conference race was going to involve anyone else but OU and Baylor they had better revisit those thoughts. Assuming that Baylor QB Bryce Petty's back problems heal as expected, those two teams are loaded with visions of a conference title. The hope was that Texas would rejoin them as a national contender but the problems in Austin run deep. With BYU routing Texas for the second straight year--no DC fired this time--the honeymoon period with new coach Charlie Strong is officially over. Players are being dismissed every week. That situation is ready to blow. Okie State and West Virginia had impressive losses last weekend but they were still losses, while ranked Kansas State had to rally to beat lowly ISU. Big Ten: Can it get any worse? Enough has been written about the woes of this once-grand conference--and I will have more to say later--but that was not only an awful day yesterday for the Big Ten, they have very little chance to rebound from it. The perception is that the conference stinks and yesterday's play converted that perception into reality. This is beyond PR. Good luck. Conference USA: There were some near misses, but misses nonetheless. UTSA has another shot this Saturday when they travel to Stillwater. Independents: This group of four is 6-1 on the season with wins over Michigan and Texas. Not bad. While Notre Dame gained the lion share of press today for a 31-0 win over Michigan, BYU has scored 76 points this year in two wins on the road. The Cougars are very good. MAC: While beating Big Ten teams no longer has the national cache that it once did, Central Michigan and Northern Illinois are still quite happy with their wins over Purdue and Northwestern. Mountain West: Wyoming has scored only 17 points in each of its two games but that is good enough for a 2-0 record. Good luck getting to 3-0 with Oregon on deck. Nevada is the only other 2-0 team remaining in the MWC and they get to play Arizona next. Should be closer than most think. Pac 12: The Pac 12 has a whopping nine teams sitting at 2-0. Yet beyond Oregon, and maybe USC, how many of them have looked impressive? Even the Trojans are lucky to have beaten a Stanford team that continually shot itself in the foot, but a marquee win is a marquee win. As for their crosstown rivals, UCLA, will the Bruins improve their play in time? They will beat Texas this Saturday but then face ASU on the road. SEC: The SEC was off this weekend. Right? Ole Miss and Vandy did play a conference game--well, the Rebels showed up. Vandy is done. Sun Belt: I am still trying to get a handle on which teams are now in the Sun Belt, but I do now know that New Mexico State and UL-Monroe are now atop the conference with matching 2-0, 1-0 records. And that is all those two schools have in common.

Today's Picks

Last Saturday was ugly, no ifs, ands or buts. Now I sit at 4-9 for the season. Back on the horse with these: Kansas State -13 at ISU. Akron +14 at PSU. So. Alabama -3 at Kent State. No. Illinois +7 at NW. Kentucky -13.5 vs Ohio. Maryland -13.5 at USF. Mississippi -20 at Vandy. ODU +17 at NC State. MSU +12.5 at Oregon. Auburn over 66. OSU under 47. CSU +9 at Boise. Enjoy

Human Must Be Eliminated (college football voters anyway)

Every time I see a college football poll I am reminded that it is impossible to get enough qualified people to decide which college football teams, playing games against different competition, should be ranked each week and, later this season, chosen to play in a final four championship-deciding playoff. Keeping the big guys up top, even with mediocre performances from Florida State and Alabama, is fine as they have earned that and you do not want to blow up the rankings for one game. But what does Ohio State have to do to lose its top ten ranking? They crashed at the end of last season and then lost QB Braxton Miller. They struggled for most of the Navy game and are not a top ten team at the moment. Why are they ranked ahead of Baylor? And why is UCLA ranked ahead of Stanford? They were outclassed by Stanford last year and then looked awful against lowly Virginia this past Saturday. And sorry fans from the Palmetto State but neither South Carolina nor Clemson should be ranked. How did North Carolina move up after struggling with Liberty (yes that Liberty). All of this is the main reason why there should not be a preseason poll as that places teams in positions that then get used during the season's voting. Louisville was pretty good last year and looked very good in week one against a better opponent, Miami, than Liberty, yet UNC, not as good as Louisville last year, remains ahead of the Cardinals. This normally corrects itself but wins over over-rated teams--think A&M over SC--greatly effect the polls and computers. Humans, or at least the bad college football voters, must go.

Today's Picks

I sit at 4-2 on the young season with today offering a big opportunity to set a tone for the year. It is also a day that I can pick a game that kicks off in the morning (well, morning to me). UCF-2 over Penn State in Ireland. Sure Bortles is gone but he left behind just about everyone else. Navy +15 versus OSU. Navy is not just a gimmicky team but one with talent and depth. Northwestern -10 hosting Cal. While the rebuilding continues with Cal, Northwestern should bounce back and contend in the Big Ten. Georgia-Clemson under 54. Clemson had its offensive weaponry gutted and will need to rely on defense in the early going while Georgia will pound the rock. LSU -5 against Wisconsin. Tigers seem vulnerable but five points? Washington -17.5 at Hawaii. Washington cupboard was not left bare while Hawaii program took a jolt with discussion of its demise. FSU -18 versus Oklahoma State. Cowboys only have 8 returning starters and lost 8 of top 9 tacklers. Seminoles pick their score.

Tonight's Pick

I went 3-1 last night and look to continue the roll. Tonight's card is weak but here goes. Arizona -24 hosting UNLV. Rich Rod lays it on. With Ka'Deem Carey gone I expect the Cats to pass more and with USC transfer Jesse Scroggins at QB and an excellent group of wideouts that should not be a problem tonight. My other pick is a two team tease with BYU knocked down to -9 at UConn and Bowling Green -1 versus Western Kentucky. Cougars travel with the best of them and should handle a rebuilding huskies team while in battle of new coaches, the Falcons have the better talent.

Northeast Football Dominates Opening Day

I grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey as a fan of the traditional New York pro teams and college teams from the Northeast. I was very aware of the stunning lack of respect given these teams, at least until Big East basketball became dominant. Just look at Penn State football in the late 60s and early 70s to see just how hard it was to command respect. And so I enjoy nights like the last one when Rutgers triumphed over Washington State 41-38 and Temple routed Vanderbilt 37-7. Did they beat top 25 teams? No. But considering that both squads were being treated as the Little Sisters of the Poor and both went on the road to beat bowl teams from 2013 it was a nice start to the season for these programs and the always-ignored Northeast. Rutgers did what they could not do last year when they went to the West Coast and lost narrowly to Fresno State to open the season. This year they ran down the Cougars' throats, as Paul James rushed for 173 yards, to offset WSU QB Connor Halliday's 532 yards passing with five touchdowns. The Scarlet Knights showed mettle by winning the fourth quarter 17-7. Temple, meanwhile, had to wait out lightning storms to throttle Vandy. The Owls forced seven turnovers--after picking up only 13 all of last year--and scored 27 points off of them while not allowing the home team to score an offensive point. The team already has as many interceptions this season, 3, as they did in 2013. Sophomore QB P.J. Walker led the offense with 207 yards passing with two TDs.

Aggies Rout South Carolina

One major college football game played in 2014 and one top ten team knocked off. Texas A&M proved that they are bigger than any one player by putting on an offensive exhibition in Columbia, South Carolina. Quarterback Kenny Hill not only proved that he is a capable replacement for you-know-who but he surpassed him by throwing for a school-record 511 yards. In leading A&M to seven TDs on its first 11 possessions, Hill completed 44-60 and threw three scoring passes. Although Texas A&M still has a tough schedule to play they did show an SEC Network audience that they are not rebuilding in 2014. As for SC, well perhaps its missing star was irreplaceable. The Gamecocks defense was putrid tonight and it is hard to see that they can be a national title contender after this game, no matter how early it was played. Hell, they only have eight days to prepare for ECU and QB Shane Carden.

Tonight's Picks

I like a few games tonight so here goes, being that it is already after 4pm my time. Louisiana Monroe -2 versus Wake Forest. Monroe is the better team and at home. Rebuilding effort begins for new Wake coach Dave Clawson. Boise State +10.5 versus Mississippi (Atlanta). Sure Pederson is gone but not much else as a loaded Boise team gets to do what it loves most--be a big dog against a bigger conference opponent. Rebels are loaded too but I am not a big fan of QB Bo Wallace. Temple +11.5 at Vandy. This spread is free falling and for good reason. The home team lost all of its skill position players from last year while the visitors have most back including exciting young QB P.J. Walker. Temple was 5-1 versus spread down the stretch with wins against Army and Memphis and 3-pt losses to UCF and Rutgers. They have an outside shot at a bowl game this year and will look to make some noise against the Dores. WSU-Rutgers over 61. Now Rutgers will run the ball tonight but still. with their secondary and the Cougars attack? That could be 50 right there. And the Scarlet Knights have a better offense than they showed last year, especially with Ralph Friedgen calling the plays. I expect to hit this over early in the 3rd. How does RU stop Connor Halliday?

New Wisconsin Quarterback

Wisconsin is a program that needs respect. They play football the right way and despite zero advantage in recruiting can still compete for Big Ten titles and January bowl games on a seemingly annual basis. And yet who says boo about the Badgers? The program is still transitioning into new coach Gary Andersen's vision--you will not recognize the defense this year--and one of the key components of that is the quarterback position. Now starting for the Badgers is Tanner McEvoy, who is athletic enough to have started three games at safety last year and best represents the dual-threat look Wisconsin now wants at the position. His reward? LSU on August 30th. I would bet that last year's starter Joel Stave will play some, especially if they need to air it out, but for now McEvoy is the man. All of us fellow graduates of Bergen Catholic High School are proud. Of course the main feature of Wisconsin's offense is star back Melvin Gordon and it will be interesting to see how he fares against the Tigers. LSU was run on last year and while they have talent in the front seven it remains to be seen if they can improve on last season's mediocre efforts at run defense. Gordon will be quite the challenge. The other challenge for an LSU program that has lost an incredible amount of the talent the past two seasons will be getting the youngsters ready to go on August 30 against a quality opponent. They too will have a new quarterback and may well go with both soph Anthony Jennings, who showed flashes last year off the bench, and frosh Brandon Harris. The main focus for fans of college football recruiting will be superstar recruit Leonard Fournette, who combination of speed and size is resonant of some of the great big backs in college football history. This is one of those games that will be fun to watch for both the quality of the effort and the unleashing of talent, new and old. I believe that the game goes down the wire and it will have major ramifications for the Big Ten come December if the Badgers can pull off the slight upset in Houston.

Braxton Miller Injury

It appears that the injury suffered by Braxton Miller--actually a re-injury via dislocation to his right shoulder--will end the star Ohio State QB 's 2014 season before the first game. Miller has come to represent the OSU offense and so any absence will require the team, of course, to readjust immediately. He had already been injured and operated on (not for dislocation but related) so this news, while shocking to fans, is not some out-of-the-blue scenario, but for a team with national title aspirations it cannot be considered anything but awful. Redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett had taken over the backup duties for the Buckeyes and will presumably become the starter, with Cardale Jones back to number two. Fortunately for the Buckeyes the schedule should allow them to prepare Barrett and Jones for the tougher, end of the season slate. Four of the team's first six games are at home with one, the opener, at a neutral field and the other against a young and talented Maryland team that is probably a year or two away from competing with a top ten team. Still, teams like Maryland, Navy, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech will not be that easy. The QBs need to be up to snuff by midseason as OSU plays at Penn State, Michigan State and Minnesota over a four game spread. That will decide whether or not they are a true contender for a Big Ten crown. Hopefully Miller is okay or, at the very least, can recover with enough time to resume playing QB. And hopefully the Buckeyes can recover from the loss of their team's leader and arguably best player. The other potential loser here is the Big Ten who has to have its champion reach the national four-team playoff. This injury makes that reality a great deal tougher.

Playoff Jockeying Begins

When the four-team playoff system to determine the college football national champion was established there were plenty of folks predicting two spots for the SEC and two spots for everyone else (little guys need not apply). Of course the season(s) will have to play out but the rest of college football cannot let the SEC be considered so much better than everyone else that its top two teams--heck even three teams--get to play for the national championship--even though we just had that happen three years ago. The key is to continue to offset the excellent job the SEC does promoting itself so that it is no longer given that the cream of the SEC is much better than champions from other conferences. The conference that has done the most to disrupt this notion, beyond what Florida State did on the football field last year, is the Big 12 and the Big 12 program that has been the most vocal is Oklahoma. One year ago OU coach Bob Stoops began the offensive by questioning just how good the SEC was when its bottom teams seem to stink year in and year out. Stoops blamed the writers for believing SEC "propaganda." Although he was correct the media just threw his argument back in his face as sour grapes. Stoops got the last laugh when his Sooners easily won the Sugar Bowl against favored Alabama this past January. then after Alabama coach Nick Saban attributed his team's performance in that game to not being up for a bowl game that did not have national championship implications, Stoops correctly ripped his counterpart for a lame excuse. And lame it was. But, again, these tit-for-tat quotes mean so much more than uncovering motive for a bowl game from last season. It is all about jockeying for the four spots in the playoff. The problem with this system or any system is that the top college football teams play different schedules. So computer numbers can only give us a portion of the picture. And so voters rely on their eyes but that is flawed as no voter can watch every game. How many Auburn games did experts watch last season? They were not expected to compete for a title so you can excuse folks for skipping games 1-3 (wins over Washington State, Arkansas State and Mississippi State). They lost game four by 14 to LSU and so after watching that game you could again excuse voters from watching Auburn's wins over Mississippi and Western Carolina. You get where I am going with this. Since it will be difficult to choose the four teams on years when we do not have four clear cut best teams--that is every year in college football history--the teams and conferences need to win the propaganda war now even before the season starts. And Alabama, who has enjoyed its recent status as king, needs to get the Sugar Bowl defeat out of the picture while OU must do the opposite. And every conference not named the SEC must promote itself better. And of course win on the field consistently through the season.

Boys Acting Badly

Well it is that time of the year again. No, not the opening of camps although that is coming soon for college football. It is the time for summer arrests and suspensions and we are getting word of more each day. While I am not condoning the bad behavior and feel that scholarship athletes--or scholarship band members--should be held at a higher standard and if they commit serious crimes then they should be punished swiftly, I do feel that we should put the seemingly large number of recent arrests in context. There are a lot of college football players. And while not every arrest makes the paper, nor even every crime leads to an arrest, the reality is that a very small number of college football players break the law. Punish them but do not point fingers at the sport. One of the most recent star players to be accused of a crime is TCU defensive end Devonte Fields, who has been suspended from the Horned Frogs after his ex-girlfriend accused him of punching her in the face and pointing a gun at her. That is serious and comes seven months after fields was involved in an altercation with armed men. There is something wrong here and TCU must do the right thing. This program has made great strides over the past decade and a half but has stumbled of late with a number of players arrested for their involvement in a drug selling operation and other players getting in trouble. And with the team trying to rebound from a 4-8 season we have this situation. But despite the pressure to not do so, coach Gary Patterson must punish his best player if he is indeed guilty. There is no way to get around that as the country needs to see that TCU players are held accountable for their actions.

College Football Trumps Soccer

Look, I love college football. Most of you do too. And I appreciate soccer and the World Cup and root for the U.S. plus Italy as I am Italian-American (I root for the U.S. if those two teams meet). But yesterday's bogus call in Brazil's tainted win over Croatia was the latest reason to prefer college football over soccer. Sure, we have plenty of cheating. God knows there is cheating going on in college football, from recruiting to giving advantages to chosen programs. I understand that and if someone proved that football officials were helping to throw games I would not be that surprised. But, the b.s. call in yesterday's match went a long way to deciding the match as it immediately led to the go-ahead score in a tight match during the second half. At the time that tainted goal was 33% of the game's scoring. There is nothing comparable in football and even the worst call you can think of, even those at game's end with the score close do not compare as the victims of the bad call had numerous opportunities to score throughout the game. Croatia had a handful. Giving a freebie to Brazil is similar to awarding a free touchdown to Alabama in a tied game with Vanderbilt in the fourth quarter and then allowing Vandy only one more drive. And remember that at least of third of Vandy's players would have to be defensive players. And that Bama would be allowed to keep scoring themselves. Etc, etc. It was a joke and allows the entire world to question the legitimacy of the sport and its finest showcase.

Pete Carroll Should Keep his Mouth Shut

There was not much gray area when discussing the sanctions that hit USC a few years ago. Most people either felt that they were justified as USC had lost some control over a program that had a number of transgressions or that the NCAA had hit the program too hard as some of the mistakes were committed by individual players and not the program as a whole. One thing both sides agreed on was that coach Pete Carroll knew the sanctions were coming and jumped on the Seattle Seahawks offer in 2010 to escape them. Being that he took the pro job only a few months before the NCAA made its announcement lent a lot of credence to that notion, shared by people on both sides of the debate. It really would be impossible for Carroll to prove otherwise. Yet there he was in a recent interview claiming that he did not jump ship. He left solely because of a wonderful offer and he claimed that he did not know when, or even if, sanctions were coming. He even said that if he had known of the sanctions and their severity he would have stayed to help the program get through troubled times. Please. How could anyone believe him? Why would anyone bother? Leaving to re-prove yourself in the pros is fine but saying you would stay to help clean up your own mess is disingenuous. And USC's hiring Kiffin made the situation even worse, but that is a different story.

Another Loaded College Football Hall of Fame Class

The sheer enormity of college football becomes readily apparent on the day the newest Hall of Fame class is announced as the number of great players and coaches from around the country increases with nary a protest as to qualifications (not sure about John Sciarra's merits, mind you, but he is probably a nice guy). The main bit of head scratching with each class is not over quality but timing. Players like Derrick Thomas, who would seem to be a shoo-in when first eligible years ago just got in with recent players, like Dre Bly of UNC who was good but not in Thomas's class. But Thomas's wait seemingly had nothing to do with his play on the field as the National Football Foundation voters tend to honor guys who remain active and are popular with individual chapters than players who were "just" talented and accomplished. But let's not quibble over when guys got in who final did make it as getting in trumps all. So congratulations to Bly, Tony Boselli of USC, Dave Butz of Purdue, Shane Conlan of Penn State, Joe Hamilton of Georgia Tech, John Huard of Maine, Darrin Nelson of Stanford, Willie Roaf of La Tech, Sciarra of UCLA, Sterling Sharpe of South Carolina, Leonard Smith of McNeese State, Thomas of Alabama, LaDainian Tomlinson of TCU and Wesley Walls of Mississippi plus coaches Mike Bellotti of Oregon plus Chico State and Jerry Moore who gained fame at Appalachian State. More to follow on each inductee.

Another QB, Another Arrest

Quarterback Philip Nelson was not a huge recruit. ESPN lists him as having been a two star QB in the class of 2012 while Scout and Rivals both awarded him three stars. He did, however, win the 2011 Minnesota Mr. Football Award and was probably a pretty big deal in his hometown of Mankato. And when he went to the home state Minnesota Gophers he cemented his status as a big fish in a somewhat small pond by eventually becoming a starter in his first year. Although he never became a star nationally he was competing for a starting job from the get go and in two years as a Gopher he threw for 2,179 in 18 games with a 17-14 TD-INT ratio. A good athlete, Nelson has also rushed for 548 yards with 6 TDs. A coaching change led him to seek a transfer and he landed at Rutgers where he expected to compete for the starting job when first eligible in 2015 at what is now another Big Ten program. But that all changed this past weekend when during an altercation as the bars in Mankato were shutting down--and yes another awful thing happened in the middle of the night after those involved had been drinking--Nelson delivered a coup de grace kick to the head of a downed victim, former Mankato State linebacker Isaac Kolstad. It may take awhile for the truth from that night to become unveiled and Kolstad seems to have been an original aggressor, but there really is no defense for kicking a downed man and Nelson's future is uncertain. Kolstad, more importantly, is fighting for his life and has suffered some amount of brain damage. Nelson's involvement in this attack is yet another incident of a college quarterback behaving badly. But unlike guys like Newton, Manziel and Winston, Nelson is not talented enough to expect protection and a lot of second chances. Sure, other positions have plenty of screw-ups but the QBs have to know that they are the story whenever something like this happens and now Nelson's future is uncertain. And, of course, he has to be involved with a Rutgers athletic department that must feel snake bit. Unless Nelson has a history of this behavior, at least this is one Rutgers black eye that does not seem self-inflicted.

College Football and the Draft

The draft always confounds me for two reasons. For one thing I am always amazed that the same writers who ignore most of the best players in college football during their careers can then have an opinion on them all during the draft process. Sure Johnny Manziel received too much press both as a college football player and a draftee, but other guys, like fellow first round pick from the QB position Blake Bortles, can get ignored while playing. Isn't ESPN, for one, embarrassed when evaluating Bortles that they basically ignored the guy when he was doing the kind of things that got him drafted? The regular college football media are so focused on over-covering guys like Manziel that they do not bother uncovering stories about interesting characters like former BC running back Andre Williams, who just so happened had an unbelievable year running the ball for the Eagles. But the focus is on a few programs and players and the coverage is sometimes driven by the sordid. Actually writing about good players is not going to win these guys any awards. And the basic writer cannot wrap his head around the constant change in rosters in college football and so waits until draft evaluators to tell them who is good and who is not. Which brings me to point number two. A lot of guys are very good in college football but do not project to the NFL. It is usually a numbers thing and guys like Shayne Skov of Stanford go undrafted due as much to a slow 40 time as anything. MSU's Max Bullough's does not have the hip movement to be a drafted NFL LB. Not dancer. Linebacker. The funniest was Teddy Bridgewater who was suddenly too damn skinny to be drafted high in the first round despite always being too damn skinny. The problem for me is that many very good football players who just do not have the measurables that the NFL desires--and remember the NFL did not bother to invite Wes Welker to the combine so it is often wrong--get forgotten. Not being a Johnny Manziel or a player for Alabama hurt them when they starred on the field; not having a bigger, faster body hurts them as pros. They each deserve more acclaim.

Winston and Manziel Remain Connected

I did take statistics back at Bergen Catholic High School but that was a long time ago. I do know that the series of off-the-field issues that now link the past two winners of the Heisman Trophy, Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston, to each other are clearly embarrassing to the players, their families their schools and college football. I just do not remember how many of the same type of thing forms a "cluster". And certainly the legal problems that swarmed around both players are quite different in nature and the purpose of this post is to neither point fingers or offer excuses. I want to make it clear that the coddling and over-promotion of young, amateur athletes--with the treatment of talented quarterbacks up there with the worst of it--is an underlying issue here and one that not only is not being addressed but is actually getting worse. Manziel as a product of the Texas High School football system has been considered more important than his classmates for a very long time. The way his family circles wagons around him when he makes mistakes with no sense of him bearing responsibility shows that he has a home situation that is contributing to his sense of entitlement beyond the high levels of such a sense for being a star QB from Texas. That the media hype train latched onto him during his redshirt freshman year at Texas A&M exacerbated the issue--especially after his head coach gave him a slap on the wrist after his being arrested the summer before that season. Too many adults in Manziel's life have made it clear to him that he could do no wrong--as long as he is winning football games. Winston is a somewhat different case in that he is a monster multi-sport star recruited by all. The sense of entitlement he seems to have comes I would guess from being a highly sought after young athlete. Coaches and other hanger ons tell these young men anything to get them to sign on the dotted line and it is rare that a recruiter's pitch--a successful pitch that is--would talk about the responsibilities that come with the scholarship being extended. The focus for both of these young men was their future earnings at sport. Becoming responsible members of society seems to be a secondary concern. And continual allowances for transgressions is not helping matters. If we go back to Cam Newton that makes three out of the last four Heisman winners having legal issues as college students. This is fast becoming a trend.

Florida State Looks Too Good

As a long-time fan of college football I was amazed at what FSU was able to do in mid-season of this year in never letting down. Every great team loses focus at some point during the regular season as they march to January. FSU, except perhaps in the first half of the BC game never did and beat everyone by at least two TDs. Most impressively they followed their dismantling of Clemson with routs over North Carolina State--to avenge an upset loss from last season--and rival Miami. After three straight games that they had circled preseason it would have been easy to ignore the upcoming opponents but the Noles put up consecutive 59-3 scores over Wake Forest and Syracuse. Dominant competition? Hell no. But they could have easily played sloppily in those games and won 24-7. That they then finished the season with blowouts of Florida and Duke was impressive as well. I cannot look at their performance this year and look at the talent on both sides of the ball and think this game tonight will be close. The Seminoles will begin to pull away by the second quarter.

Oklahoma Stuns Alabama

This was not supposed to happen. Alabama has now lost two in a row. Alabama lost with weeks to prepare. Oklahoma won with weeks to prepare. Alabama made inexcusable mistakes. A non SEC team beat Alabama. A QB most folks do not know outplayed Alabama's defense and counterpart A.J. McCarron. Bob Stoops beat Nick Saban despite giving him inspiration with his SEC hype is all propaganda. Alabama's NFL-caliber offensive line was embarrassed. etc. etc. There are many ways to analyze this game and the focus can easily remain on the "wow" factor of Oklahoma, of all programs, knocking off Alabama in a BCS game. The main benefit is to Bob Stoops's resume as he and his Sooners had become a second tier national power unable to compete with programs like Alabama (who could) or even LSU, Oregon, etc. Once the lost to Texas this year the Sooners disappeared from the national media. They clearly regrouped and only lost one game the rest of the way, on the road to Baylor. But until they beat Oklahoma State they had been largely forgotten. And suddenly as an underdog of all things they have thrived. The pressure of being a Sooner has been lifted somewhat and the team seems to be enjoying themselves. It helps that a young quarterback like Trevor Knight could emerge on such a big stage, but the reality is that Oklahoma has always had good coaches and good talent. They finally, with the help of a great offensive game plan, put it all together while showing the world that Alabama is human. As for Bama the main question now is how they adapt to handle spread offenses. They will have to pull away from trying to beat everyone up as in some circumstances yesterday their advantage in size did not help against a team playing hurry up with fast players. I also believe that they must improve their schedule as a way to prepare the squad for January. It has not hurt them in title games because they played an over-matched Notre Dame squad, an LSU team in a rematch and a Texas team that would have given them a much better game if its star QB did not get hurt. Oklahoma's schedule down the stretch, which included, from October 1 on, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Kansas State (plus clunkers Kansas and Iowa state) prepared them much better than Alabama's schedule of Georgia State, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, Chattanooga plus a middling Mississippi State and two ranked teams LSU and Auburn. The joke schedules that have helped them get into title games hurt them this year. The Crimson Tide play an even weaker schedule next year, which will get them into the four-team playoff. Who knows what will happen from there.

Central Florida States Case

I thought it was funny that no matter what UCF, and Louisville for that matter, did all season they never moved from the same mid teens position they held in the rankings all season. The media and coaches were determining themselves that the American Athletic was a lesser conference and its two representatives were not as good as their records indicated. Forget Louisville's play versus Florida last January--that was in the past--or UCF playing South Carolina down to the wire--well the Gamecocks were looking ahead to SEC play--these two teams could have been 20-1 and they would not have climbed higher than number 15. So now what? Louisville looked impressive in their bowl game, but it was against a reeling Miami program. Central then beats Baylor at their own game (outscoring everyone) and suddenly a top ten spot awaits. Of course both programs expect to lose their star QBS but that is a different matter. As far as last night's game, the play came in stark contrast to the Rose Bowl. Is this the future, if not present, of the sport? As much as I enjoyed UCF's forcing everyone to respect them, I hated a game where the early TDs did not matter. I do not like the NBA and so cannot put my head around games that combine for 80-100 points. But, again, I did enjoy UCF sticking it to the big guys. The Bortles kid made sure everyone knew he was one of the best players in the country--even if ESPN and the other media ignored him all season (you would have heard a lot more about him as the NFL draft takes center stage)--and coach George O'Leary, he of a past worthy of a minor Shakespearean play, reminding everyone that he always was a good coach. To be honest UCF reminds me a lot of last year's Baylor squad, who was hungry to say that they had arrived, that beating Kansas State was no upset. Both programs have an arrow pointing upward. Hopefully they will keep their coaches. Ditto that for Louisville.

100th Rose Bowl Delivers

Now that was worth waiting for. The Rose Bowl was once the be all and end all of the college football post-season and while that is no longer the case it was fitting that the 100th edition of this glorious game delivered a compelling match-up that returns luster to the game. Michigan State also returned a great deal of respect to the ragged Big Ten, which needs as many big wins and big programs as possible. The Spartans have a very favorable conference schedule for 2014 and should remain a highly-ranked team. A September road trip to Eugene may put them behind the eight ball early but they'll be more competitive in that game than others who have made that trip. After all, Stanford created the template for beating the Ducks.

What Is Next For Nebraska?

That was a nice little win for Nebraska today--and the Big Ten would love to go 2-1 today against the SEC--but the program definitely needs some consistently good play beginning next September. They need to refine the team's image (hit hard on both sides of the ball, run the ball as well as they did this year and get good game management from QB) and then get highly ranked and stay there. If this win today can be a jump start then they have the schedule next year to make some noise. After two tune-ups they head to the West Coast to play a Fresno State team with a first-year QB. Next up, Miami at home. Who knows what to expect from Miami next year but the Huskers should be able to win that one. Then we have the Big Ten sched and the Huskers avoid both Ohio State and Michigan. Unfortunately they have to go on the road to Iowa, Wisconsin, MSU and Northwestern. Split those four and sweep the rest--they should be favored in all of the others--and ten wins and a shot at the Big Ten title game are possible. Hopefully for their sake star IB Ameer Abdullah will not declare for the draft.

January 1 Is Finally Here

Have you had enough of clunker bowl games? Yeah sure A&M rallied but most of the rest of the games have been lousy. January 1 is here and while that does not promise great football--who plans on watching the Heart of Dallas Bowl this afternoon?--we at least do get the Rose Bowl plus some mediocre matchups of the Big Ten and the SEC. Hopefully some of these games will deliver competitive, thrilling football. The problem with the bowl lineup is the relationship with conferences that lock certain teams into certain bowls depending on the final standings of each conference. So today we have mediocre Big Ten teams littering the schedule thanks to the sheer number of television sets the conference delivers and of course a phalanx of SEC teams thanks to the PR effort their conference does to ensure that everyone thinks SEC teams are the best. Would you rather see LSU-Iowa or LSU-Louisville? Nebraska-Georgia or Notre Dame-Georgia? Or, what the heck, Louisville-Notre Dame? You know the group being gathered to choose the four teams who will fight for the NCAA title next winter? Select another group of ADs, writers, public relations and television execs and choose games that will get fans excited. The bowls will get pissed but if the matchup makes sense the fans will come. The premise that Nebraska fans, let's say, will travel no matter what (and they are awesome fans) is being disproved today as there are empty seats at the Gator Bowl. The team had a mediocre season, why should they play in January? Eliminate some lesser bowls, eliminate the conference tie-ins and give us fans better games. The fans will come and tune in.