View From Bennett Avenue

Another Saturday, another underwhelming performance by Florida. Meanwhile Alabama, Texas, TCU and Boise continued to look great, so much so that Florida's lack of style points stand out even more. There is not much to do about it as a fan as there will be no stopping the Gators from capturing a third national title in four years if they win out, but it does allow us all to root against them. I do not remember ever rooting for the Tide--wait there was the Sugar Bowl after the 1992 season against Miami--but will do so in the SEC Championship game. I'll root for Florida State too at the end of the regular season. And then if the Gators make it to the BCS Title game, I'll root for their opponent too. Sorry, but act like a champion on and off the field and I will give you my respect.

Remember When

With much ado being made about the race for the Heisman it is important to remember that we have had plenty of other years without clear-cut contenders. Take the 1962 chase, which was won by Oregon State QB Terry Baker, who edged LSU HB Jerry Stovall 707-618. Baker and Stovall each won their respective regions, the West and the South, with neither finishing in the top 5 in their "opponent's" regional voting. But Baker beat Stovall in the East and finished higher in the Midwest vote, won by T Bob Bell of Minnesota. The surprise was that Arkansas QB Billy Moore won the Southwest vote but did not get enough votes anywhere else to finish in the top 10 of the overall calculations. Eleven different players finished in the top three of a region out of a possible 15 including C-LB Lee Roy Jordan of Alabama, second in the South, E Pat Richter of Wisconsin, second in the Midwest, and TB Eldon Fortie of BYU, second out West.

Baker won despite his inability to get Oregon State to the Rose Bowl that season or to have the 9-2 Beavers finish in the top 10. One of his two losses that season occurred on October 13 as the Beavers lost to rival Washington in a close one, as recapped in The USA Today Encyclopedia of College Football:

Washington 14 OREGON STATE 13 (Portland): As typhoon-racked city of Portland cleaned up Friday night's mess, QB Terry Baker and E Vern Burke staged Oregon State (2-2) aerial show in clear post-storm air. Burke caught 7/103y, including 2 TDs in 2nd Q that provided 13-7 lead. Washington (3-0-1) DE Lee Bernhardi recovered Beavers FUM to set up methodical 60y drive to Huskies TD. Washington HB Charlie Mitchell stretched across GL from 2YL, and C-K Jim Norton booted winning conv in last 3 mins of game.

Weekly Picks

Bob's Picks for Nov. 14, 2009: Point Spreads always are based on Danny Sheridan's Wednesday spreads in USA TODAY.

Bob's picks last week Against-the-Spread (ATS): 1-1, Season: 19-20

All 2009 Games

Last Week ATS:

Favorites covered 20 (40%), failed to cover 30, 1 Push

Season ATS:

Favorites covered 203 (47.4%), failed to cover 225

Just Horsin' Around

There are so many attractive lines this week that it seems proper to just horse around and go for six big picks. If I can win at least five of them, I'll venture past the awful break-even mark I've been lounging on all season.

Here are my picks for the week of November 14:

All Saturday games:

Tennessee (+4.5) at MISSISSIPPI

Some experts had Ole Miss in the top five at season's start, but the Rebels have spit the bit. Although they might have one big game in them, it is hard to see how Jevon Snead can suddenly become the star quarterback that finished last year, especially against an ever-improving Tennessee defense. Some prized Tennessee recruits are facing an armed robbery charge this week, but intense coach Lane Kiffin is the type not to let his squad suffer a letdown when the Vols are one win from locking up a bowl berth. Mississippi's best defender, end Greg Hardy, is out injured. Pick: Tennessee +4.5

Nebraska -4 at KANSAS

Nebraska has a remedial offense but a defense that might rank with the best in school annals. Kansas, losers of four straight Big 12 games, can't stop anybody's offense lately and also has spit the bit. Pick: Nebraska -4

Stanford +10.5 at SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

As much as we like Stanford's style of pounding big thoroughbred Toby Gerhart at every defense, he appeared to be about out of gas at the end of the big Oregon upset last week. Can he bounce back after 233 carries in nine games? I can't see how the Cardinal team can be way up again so soon. Back home and ready to right the ship defensively, USC looks to return to old form. Pick: USC -10.5

Arizona (-1) at CALIFORNIA

The Bears were slow from the starting gate against Oregon State. Then they lost their best player, Jahvid Best, to a very scary injury. Best is at home recuperating. Don't look now, but the over-achieving Arizona Wildcats can get to their season finale against USC with the Rose Bowl on the line. I'll bet they wish they could have a do-over on that freak, edge-of-shoe, game-losing touchdown interception return perpetrated by Washington. Pick: Arizona -1

Houston (-4.5) at CENTRAL FLORIDA

What?! Houston, winners over Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Mississippi State and sitting on an 8-1 record (Can you say, "New Years Day Bowl Game?"), are a measly favorite over Central Florida, that has only one win over a winning team, and that's scrawny Marshall at 5-4? A friend of mine would call this a "Vegas Sucker Bet." I call it insanity. Is Las Vegas simply horsing around to see if we're paying attention late in the season? Pick: Houston -4.5

Tulane (+2.5) at RICE

I'll own up to having watched more horse racing than Tulane games this year, an accidental five seconds of last week's Breeder's Cup vs. zero seconds of the Green Wave. Then my natural finger twitch snapped in on the TV remote and it was back to the Big Ten Network for Northwestern-Iowa. I always say, never pick a team (Tulane) you haven't given the eyeball test. But, there are 20 Texas high schools capable of beating 0-9 Rice, despite last year's 10-win season. I hate to admit that, because I've always liked the Owls, going way back to the days of Frank Ryan, King Hill, and Buddy Dial. Really, is Las Vegas just horsing around with Rice as a favorite…over anybody? Pick: Tulane +2.5

Paul's Picks for Nov. 14, 2009

Paul's picks last week Against-the-Spread (ATS): 2-2, Season: 20-16

International Bowl Here I Come!

Barely above .500, I am targeting enough wins to become eligible for a minor bowl game. I must remain focused despite minor injuries and other distractions.

Here are my picks for the week of November 14:

Smu (-7) at UTEP

Bob and I are all over Conference USA this week. The Mustangs have become competitive in year two under June Jones, but face a Miner team that has done a better job this season in the spoiler's role than as favorite. Pick: UTEP +7

Unlv (+17) at AIR FORCE

With the Rebels playing out the string in the fifth year under coach Mark Sanford, it is difficult to see them muster much of a challenge to an Air Force program that has won six of last seven in the series. The Falcons have been very good under coach Troy Calhoun at beating the teams they are supposed to beat. Pick: Air Force -17

Florida (-15.5) at SOUTH CAROLINA

Every time I pick South Carolina to step up in class and deliver a big win they disappoint me. The Gators meanwhile have already wrapped up their spot in the SEC championship game, yet will find motivation from their desire to continually embarrass former Florida coach Steve Spurrier while quieting naysayers. Pick: Florida -15.5

Utah (+19.5) at TCU

The Horned Frogs are playing at such a high level that it is difficult to pick against them. But being favored by nearly three TDs against their nemesis, Utah, winners of five of six in the series? The Utes will do their best to control the ball, limit mistakes and get in the heads of the TCU players. The pressure is on TCU with conference title, BCS bowl berth and any chance to get into the BCS title game riding on this game. Pick: Utah +19.5

View From Bennett Avenue

I just finished reading an editorial by New York Times writer Pete Thamel that lambasts college football for not instituting a playoff system. Because of a lack of a playoff system college football this season is "sputtering to the finish." The term "lackluster" is used in the headline and later in the article he negatively compares the college game to the NFL version because the NFL playoff system guarantees that "the top teams are usually left to play each other."

There is so much wrong with his analysis that I am unsure of where to begin. For one thing there is the tone, which is one of someone who does not seem to appreciate the basic joys of college football. I began a text Sunday morning to a friend, Patrick Carroll, with the line "another great day in cfb." Unlike Mr. Thamel I enjoyed a slate of games that featured a heavyweight clash between Alabama and Louisiana State, a stunning performance by Stanford in beating Oregon, wild finishes involving ranked teams such as Cincinnati, Houston, Georgia Tech and USC and upsets of Northwestern over Iowa, Navy over Notre Dame (okay, so I a lifelong ND fan did not enjoy this one too much) and Nebraska over Oklahoma. I do not know what sport he was following, but college football delivered Saturday as it does every week.

Now the three teams atop the rankings are still there and have been there all season, which is something that drives him crazy. This is where the college game gets treated unfairly by the national media, especially by those who do not understand the sport. There are some years, such as 2005, where one or two or even three schools separate themselves from the pack. In other years, like the past few, we have multiple undefeated or one-loss teams all fighting to finish in the top two of the final regular season BCS poll. Prior to the BCS, the Alabama-Florida winner and Texas would have been contracted to play in different bowl games. With that now a thing of the past, they can meet in a BCS title game reminiscent of the 2005 season when USC and Texas pulled away from the others by mid-season and then met in a memorable title game. In the NFL, we actually have the same situation as the past two seasons can illuminate. Where was the suspense two years ago when everyone was waiting to coronate the Pats from late September on? Yes the Giants upset them in the Super Bowl, but so too in 2005 did Texas (a dog of more than a touchdown) shock a Trojans squad that was being ranked with the best of all-time. What is the difference? But then last season the NFL was so wide open that a mediocre Arizona Cardinals team that lost games during the regular season by scores of 56-35, 48-20 and 47-7 reached the Super Bowl. Where is Thamel's editorial decrying the lack of excitement in the NFL this season as New England, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, New Orleans and Arizona all look to be locks to win their respective division crowns? You get both types of seasons in both the pro and college game.

The next item on the list is that Thamel knows today, November 10, that the rest of the season lacks "a single competitive game left on the schedule that directly relates to the national title." That is completely wrong for two major reasons. One is that the games on the field have to be played out. Is it really impossible for Texas to lose to Texas A&M, who won this hard-fought series match-up two out of the last three years, and then fall behind a Cincinnati squad in the BCS standings, if the Bearcats can stay undefeated? Or for Alabama to drop road games at Mississippi State and Auburn or Florida to lost at South Carolina or to a Florida State squad playing for its aging coaching staff? He writes that there are "no elite teams" yet is upset that these three teams are running away with the national title picture. In 2006, a 10-1 USC squad was knocked out of the BCS title game on the final day of the regular season by a 6-5 UCLA team. In 2007, the final three weeks of the regular season saw massive upsets in Arizona beating Oregon, Texas Tech beating Oklahoma, Arkansas beating LSU and Pitt beating West Virginia, all of which shook up the BCS rankings. So, upsets occur. Watch the games!

The other major reason that the statement above, which mocks the rest of the regular season, is incorrect is that it misses the point about college athletics. Professional sports are set up in such a way that there is one champion and the rest of the teams are losers. The college game cannot be set up that way, and should not be set up that way. I am looking forward to next week's Ohio State game versus Iowa, which is a de facto playoff game for a spot in the Rose Bowl. Does it have any national title implications? No. Can it be a fun and competitive game? Sure. Do these two teams want to win that game more than any other because they want to win the Big Ten and get to the Rose Bowl? Absolutely. There is nothing like that in the pro game. And then the following week, Ohio State has to travel to Ann Arbor to face a Michigan squad that knows that they can restore a great deal of lost pride by upsetting the Buckeyes. Would the Redskins, let's say, want to beat the first-place Cowboys (as a Giants fan I cannot believe I typed those words) this season. Sure. Is it anywhere close to being the same as the Michigan-OSU level of emotion? Not by a mile.

Which gets back to Thamel's main argument that by not having a playoff system the college game is eliminating suspense from the end of the regular season…umm on the off years that teams pull away from the pack. That the Iowa-OSU game would be more important if the two teams were not just playing for the conference title and BCS game berth but for a shot at a playoff where they could possibly win the whole thing. But, of course, everyone is knocking the Big Ten this season. So the Big Ten's fight for a potential playoff spot would be the equivalent of this season's AFC West battle between San Diego and Denver--that is, two decent teams who do not look to be as good as some other AFC teams. Or it would if the two teams played each other in December, which they do not. In fact, San Diego's last six games are against non AFC West opponents. How stupid is that?

While a playoff system would cheapen the regular season, the main argument against it is economics. First of all you would have to have a 16-team system as there would be no way to determine at large teams fairly in an 8-team system. With eight teams the winners of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big Twelve, Pac Ten and SEC would eat up six spots. How would you then determine the remaining two spots when, using this season as an example, you would have too many deserving teams to choose from (Boise, TCU, the SEC title game loser, etc.)? So, let's go with a 16-team playoffs with the lesser bowls being used as sites for playoff games. But that would mean that the teams from up north would have a huge disadvantage as they would be playing on the road throughout the playoffs. But more importantly, how could they fill the seats for these games? Right now the Outback Bowl grabs teams from the Big Ten and SEC and gives their fans a month to book flights, hotel rooms and rental cars for a game played when they have off from work in a place where they would want to spend a winter vacation. Now you would be telling fans of the Iowa-Ohio State game that they would play December 12 in Orlando and if they win they will play the following weekend in Dallas and then the following weekend in Pasadena. Apart from some very wealthy folks who would have to have a lot of free time, it would not work. It somewhat works for hoops, but the arenas, which do not always sell out, are much smaller and the NCAA has teams play in the same site for two games. That works in basketball where you can play twice in three days. Giving some teams home games would be good for attendance, but bad for both the visitors and the current bowl system. If Oregon hosted three to four playoff games they would be a favorite for the national title. Having to win on the road for the month of December would make it nearly impossible for the Ducks to win. And, of course, their getting a home game in round one as the Pac Ten winner while Boise would have to go on the road will get Senator Hatch and his ilk all fired up again.

So for anyone unable to be excited by the rest of this college football season, I say good riddance to you. There are plenty of fans glad to take your tickets.

View From Bennett Avenue

Saturday was a beautiful day for football here in New York City and I made the trip to the Bronx to see Fordham take on Bucknell. The Rams did win the Patriot League contest, 21-7, as QB John Skelton threw for 305y but are stuck in a fifth place tie in the conference. With two winnable games on the schedule, Fordham has a good chance to be 6-5. That is okay I guess, but more was expected from the final season of Skelton, who led Fordham to the conference crown in 2007 and is on the radar of NFL scouts.

There will soon be pressure on the Fordham program to begin dominating their Patriot League rivals as the school has decided to begin awarding scholarships and to start scheduling FBS opponents. With Navy and Army, and possibly Connecticut, on future schedules, the Fordham program needs to become more competitive. As a member of the alumni, I am lukewarm about the prospects. It will be exciting to see Fordham tangle with bigger programs, but only if they will not be embarrassed. There have always been older donors who yearned for the days of playing the best teams in the nation, but that past can never be recovered. Money spent trying and failing to relive ancient days of football glory would be better spent on a basketball program that has fallen on hard times.

Pac 10 Update

Stanford RB Toby Gerhart for Heisman? Yeah I know. He plays out West, but not for Southern California. In other words, he has no chance. But he did rush for a school record 223y against Oregon Saturday in leading Stanford to one of the bigger school wins in recent memory. Stanford is, in fact, ranked for the first time since 2001 so things are going well. And the main reason the Cardinal are 6-3, 5-2 in Pac 10 play, is the rough and tough senior back who has already broken the school record for rushing yards in a season with 1,217y. With marquis match-ups against USC, Notre Dame and Cal upcoming, Gerhart just might sneak up on voters not used to watching Stanford football.

Remember When

In honor of the career of Florida State Defensive Coordinator Mickey Andrews, who announced this week that he will retire at the end of the year, Remember When turns back the clock to a memorable chapter in the Florida State-Clemson rivalry. The year was 1988 and preseason number one FSU, who had fallen to no. 10 after an opening day blowout loss to Miami, was pitted against no. 3 ranked Clemson on September 17. While Andrews's D did its job well that day it was the special teams that delivered a needed victory for the Seminoles, as told by The USA Today College Football Encyclopedia:

Florida State 24 CLEMSON 21: Only adventurous Florida State (2-1) coach Bobby Bowden would go for fake punt on 4th-and-4 on own 21YL, with score knotted at 21-21, 1:31 left. CB LeRoy Butler ran 76y with ball to set up 19y FG for K Richie Andrews with 32 secs left. On play, ball was snapped to FB Dayne Williams, while P Tim Corlew pretended it went to his right and over his head. Williams placed ball between Butler's feet and then joined O-line in blocking formation to right to "protect" Corlew. Tigers fell for fake and went for Corlew, leaving entire left side open for Butler. Clemson returner-CB Donnell Woolford knocked down Butler at 1YL. Bowden later said he remembered play from Jerry Claiborne, and opted for unusual gamble because tie result would have eliminated FSU from national title picture. Tigers (2-1) had knotted game only 1 min earlier on FB Tracy Johnson's 19y run. Special teams were fruitful for Seminoles as CB Deion Sanders returned 3rd Q punt 76y for team's 2nd TD. Clemson's opening score also had been trick play: WR Chip Davis pulled up on apparent E-around run and threw 61y TD to WR Gary Cooper.

Florida State would finish the season with an 11-1 record, good for third nationally behind Notre Dame and Miami. Clemson would go 10-2 that season and finish no. 9 in the nation.