Friday, December 30, 2011

More Bowl Talk

Last night this season's edition of the Alamo Bowl was written in the history books. There was just not much defence played. Was there? Baylor is a very good team but the defense has been suspect all season. One can easily see why the Bears were not in a "BCS" game year. Perhaps it is an Art Briles thing? Remember he came from the University of Houston where stellar offense and atrocious defense has been perfected.  I wonder if Baylor could have traded their defense with that of Texas. Now that would be a team that would be very difficult to stop. Oh well......victory was theirs none the less.

Today there are a slew of bowl games on tap. Only one team in the bunch is a top 25 squad (Oklahoma). Is anyone really all that interested in Iowa State vs Rutgers? C'mon. Oklahoma va Iowa? Probably the best game of the day will be the Tulsa/BYU match up. BYU has had a pretty good season and Tulsa, with Kinne behind center, is a good CUSA team. Might be worth watching. Or not.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Mack May Be On The Hot Seat Next Season

The Longhorns had a less than stellar year. A trip with a win to the Holiday Bowl just don't cut it for Texas fans. I would guess that Mack better reach a "BCS" game next year or at least one of the top tier non BCS games (Cotton or whatever they now call the "Citrus") or there will be blood.

There are a handful of teams that have fan expectation of competing for a "National Championship" year in and year out. Texas is one of them. The last time the Longhorns had a shot was a couple years back when Colt was "injured" in the title game with the Tide. Subsequently they were routed. Since then?......

It is interesting that some of these schools just have expectation of being in serious competition every year for the National Title. Florida, LSU, Bama, Auburn, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, Notre Dame (strange isn't it?), Texas Agriculture (stranger still), USC, Ohio State, Michigan and perhaps Oregon must be among the elite or a coach won't be around long. The fans at WVU, Va. Tech, Wisconsin, Arkansas, PSU, Miami, FSU, with perhaps UCLA (hard to believe I know), and Michigan State are almost as unrealistic. Boise State and BYU (Notre Dame lite) are somewhat special cases with often unrealistic expectations from their fan base.  At any rate, only two teams play for the title every year. 

It is damn hard to get there.

The Holiday Bowl

Texas pulled this one out of the hat. It was difficult to watch two very mediocre teams go at it. I actually thought that Cal would find a way to score a few more than the Longhorns. Texas has a very good defense but a barely competent offense. The Longhorn D certainly won another one for them. It would have been interesting to see just how far the Horns would have gone this season if they had any kind of offense at all. Their defense kept them in games resulting in a few wins that they probably should not have.

As it stands now. I would put the Longhorns perhaps the fifth (maybe sixth) best squad in the Texas college ranks. Yes I am counting IAA Sam Houston State in the mix. They would have a better than even shot at beating them this year.

Mack is well liked by the Texas faithful but there are some rumblins'. He needs to get his boys to step it up next season or it could well be his last.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Ho Hum

Last night Mizzou beat a rather forgettable North Carolina team in the Independence Bowl. Perhaps the bowl execs should have picked teams that "travel well." There was almost no one in attendance. It could be that even the fans of either team did not want to make the trip to Shreveport to watch two mediocre teams battle it out. Oh well.......I didn't watch much of it either.

Tonight the Belk Bowl (the what?) "must" be played.  Louisville and NC State both come in at 7-5 and it should be a fine match up. A" drop everything and watch" type of contest. The game is to be held in Charlotte so there might be a few State fans in the seats.

Before I forget, we also have the Little Caesars Bowl on this evening. The powerhouse WMU Broncos meet with the 6-6 Purdue Boilermakers. This might actually be a pretty good game and Detroit is within driving distance of the fan base of both schools but still it is unlikely that Ford Field will be sold out. After all that would require a trip to Detroit. Who wants to do that?

Let's see....Wednesday night the Military Bowl kicks off with Toledo and Air Force going at it. AFA is the best of the service academies this year, but that does not say a whole lot. A pretty good MWC team is about what we have with the Falcon squad. Probably not much more than that. Toledo is a good MAC team but that might be all. Pretty similar records and someone has to win. Toledo is probably the better team. They may be a bit better than their record. This one might actually be a good game, but really....Should it even be played at all?


The Holiday Bowl is another ho hum game. It has traditionally been a bowl for those that are just not quite up to snuff though. There will be fans in the seats most likely. Both schools have a large fan base and a lot of them are some pretty affluent folk. They may have nothing better to do than brave the frozen tundra in San Diego to watch a game. Wish I could join them. The game itself is borderline garbage, but a trip to San Diego would be something to look forward to.


Some of these "bowl" games are just a waste of time. I suppose someone makes some money somewhere, but do we really need to see such uninteresting match ups in the post season?

Sunday, December 25, 2011

WAC 0-3 in 2011 Bowls

Last night USM beat a fairly decent Nevada Wolfpack team to send the WAC to 0-3 for the bowl season. LA. Tech gave TCU all they could handle the other night but came up short and Utah State let one slip away against Ohio earlier in the bowl season. It is quite possible that the WAC is the weakest link in D1 ball. I do believe the Sun Belt and MAC are tougher conferences.

Where is the Blue/Gray Game When Needed

I miss the Blue/Gray game. If you remember it was played on Christmas Day for years and gave some of the lesser lights in the game a chance to showcase their talent before NFL scouts. It was fun to watch. I miss it.

I suppose it is customary in Western society to wish others a Merry Christmas and I do so now.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Coaches with Character and Cowardice Issues

A couple of coaches have been called out by ESPN. If the college football gods at that particular network are saying someone is a scumbag (well they stopped just short) then I guess one can take it to the bank. Can you guess who is tops on the scumbag list? Yep Todd Graham and Brian Kelly. I would submit, in the particular case of Graham, that he is not only scum but a coward. He did not have the decency to tell his players at Pitt that he was leaving. Perhaps he was frightened. He should be.

Those commentators are only saying what we observers of the college football world have been saying all along.

Character matters!!!

Craig James Senator?

Craig James, late of ESPN, is running for the U.S. Senate. He is a scumbag sure but if it gets his blabbering mouth off college football broadcasts then I say "go for it."

WAC 0-2 At This Point

The Mountain West finally got a victory under their belt with TCU's hard fought victory over the LA. Tech Bulldogs. It looked for while like TCU was not up to par. Perhaps they just didn't want to be there? They did find a way to win though. They are by far the better team but Louisiana Tech has nothing to be ashamed of. TCU is probably every bit as good as say a Stanford or Clemson.

There was some speculation that Dykes was under consideration for the Houston job but it appears he (says) he is with Louisiana Tech for the long haul. We will see.

Tonight is the MAACO Bowl (of Las Vegas) and we will get to see one of the better teams in the land playing 6-6 Arizona State. The television folk were trying to play this one up. That is their job sure, but for us fans this a ho hum game to say the least. Boise got ripped off in the grand scheme of things but that is nothing unusual. Most likely the only way for ASU to hang tough would be if the Bronco players just don't show up enough to give effort. I am sure they don't really want to be there but I think that the coaching staff and seniors will not allow any "drop off" in play.

Next year the Bronco's will be in a "BCS" conference. OF course with the departures from that league it is now no more of a power than CUSA (assuming it ever was). I have heard it called "Mountain West East" a time or two. There is some truth to that.

By the way, thus far I am not doing real well in Bowl predictions. There is time to step up though. Like TCU, perhaps I just didn't want to "be there" with the early games.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Another One in the Books

The Beef O' Brady Bowl (the what) is in the history books. I watched part of the game but had to switch over to Bomb Patrol Afghanistan. That is an interesting program and I watched the whole hour in its' entirety. Then back to the game. Score still the same. Did not miss much apparently.

Marshall with a game time 6-6 record has improved to 7-6. FIU was predicted to win the SBC but had somewhat of a meltdown. FIU is probably the better team but did not come through last night. The Sun Belt is beginning to get the respect from the "major" conferences in the past few years. There have been too many "upsets" for it to be otherwise.

I would submit that any 6-6 school from any conference is not bowl worthy. There were very few fans at the game last night and it seemed really like a waste of time for all concerned. It is hard to get excited about at 6-6 club. The minimum wins should be eight to qualify for a post season bid.

On a related note; it seems that FIU HC Mario Cristobal is being considered for the job at Pitt. "Stay where you are" would be my advice to him.

Tonight TCU meets WAC Champion Louisiana Tech. There are those who say that this is a complete mismatch and it well may be. At least the Horned Frogs are going to play a legitimate conference champion and bowl worthy opponent. Boise State got ripped off with a truly "who cares" game. None of the "big time" schools want any piece of BSU or TCU for that matter. It tends to be embarrassing for the BCS. Can't have that.

Next year TCU will be in the Big Twelve and BSU has chosen to play in the Big East. To get any respect at all schools have to flee to a BCS Conference. This works out well for TCU. The Big Twelve is a geographic fit. BSU and SDSU to the Big East? That is stupid.

Among the other faults of the corrupt BCS system is that it damages regional rivalries and affiliations. It needs to go.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Late Congrats

Congrats to St Xavier (Ill) in their victory over Carroll (MT) in the NAIA National Champhionship Game. These small schools are certainly under the radar but a title means every bit as much to them and their fans as those in the "big time." I hope some money was spent in the little town of Rome, GA. Times are hard.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

And The Rest of the 2011 Bowl Predictions

I have not started off all that well in predicting the early bowls but....does it really matter? On to the rest of the predictions for this season.


10.  Independence Bowl. NC vs Mizzou: This one is just not interesting to say the least. I am glad that each team here has won more than six games though. Probably a toss up but I will go with Mizzou to win.

11. Little Caesars Bowl: WMU vs Purdue: Another stinker. Purdue at 6-6 does not deserve to be here. WMU? Marginal. I have watched Purdue lose to Rice this season and that says a lot. A whole lot. Go with the Broncos here.

12. Belk Bowl. Louisville vs NC State: And yet another game that should not be played. NC State is marginally the better team here and should win. I will go with the Wolfpack in a close one.

13. Military Bowl. Toledo vs Air Force: Air Force has had a decent year and Toledo was somewhat of a disappointment. The Rockets are the better team and will win this one.

14. Holiday Bowl. California vs Texas: Ho hum....The Longhorns have a good defense and a horrible offense. I would imagine that IAA Sam Houston State would have a good chance of beating them. The Bears are well coached buy just not that good either. Someone has to win though and I will go with Cal.

15. Champs Bowl. Florida State vs Notre Dame: At least these two teams have won 8 games. That should be the minimum to qualify for the post season. FSU did not live up to the pre season hype but they are building. The Irish are just darn lucky to be here. I will go with the Seminoles in this one.

16. Alamo Bowl. Washington vs Baylor: If the Bears had not had a mid season melt down then would be looking at a BCS appearance. A very good team. Washington? Not so much. I will go with Baylor here with relative ease. I think right now Baylor could play with anyone.

17. Armed Forces Bowl. BYU vs Tulsa: This may be a good game. BYU has actually had a good season and perhaps don't get their due. Tulsa is a good CUSA team but probably not much more. It may be close but I will go with Tulsa to upset the Cougars.

18. Pinstripe Bowl. Iowa St vs Rutgers: This might be a good game. It probably should not be played but it may be fun to watch none the less. Iowa State at 6-6 actually has had a successful season. .500 for the Cyclones is a pretty good season. Rutgers is a pretty good Big East team but that really does not say a lot. I will go with the Cyclones here in a close one.

19. Music City Bowl. Mississippi State vs Wake Forest: Two 6-6 teams going head to head. Interesting. I suppose since both schools are within driving distance of Nashville that the game will put some money into the community. At least that is something. The game itself? Trash. I will go with Wake Forest to edge the powerful Bulldogs.

20. Insight Bowl. Iowa vs Oklahoma: The Sooners will win this one hands down. They are probably better than their record. Iowa may not be as good as theirs.

21. Car Care Bowl: TAMU vs Northwestern: This one is stupid. At least it is not named after a furniture store this year.  What are the Aggies even doing in a bowl? Northwestern also for that matter. The Aggies should win this game but probably won't. Horrible team for some reason. At least Sherman is gone and that has to help somewhat. Go with the Wildcats to edge the crew from College Station.

22. Sun Bowl. Georgia Tech vs Utah: This might be a decent game. Utah did not do real well this year and Georgia Tech has proven again to be pretenders. Go with the Utes in a close one.

23. Fight Hunger Bowl. UCLA vs Illinois: Well I have seen it all now. A team with a losing record playing in the post season. Illinois imploded this year and UCLA is just horrible. Go with Illinois. It may be close.

24. Liberty Bowl: Cincy vs Vandy: May be a pretty good game. Both schools are within driving distance of Memphis so there may be somewhat of a crowd. U of C is probably the better team but I think that Vandy will find a way to win.

25.Chick fill a Bowl. Virginia vs Auburn: The Cavs have improved greatly this season and Auburn fell off. That was to be expected though. This will be a close game and I will go with Virginia to win in an upset.

26. Ticket City Bowl: Houston vs PSU: PSU can't score. Houston can. Houston has some issues, as usual, on defense but should be able to run up the score here. Go with the Cougars. I feel bad for the PSU players. This season has been a disaster for them. I don't mean on the field of play.

27. Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs Florida: The Gator used to be a big time bowl. Not so much anymore it seems. Two 6-6 teams going at it. It appears that the locals just want to fill the stadium instead of having a quality match up. I will go with the Gators. I don't know why.

28. Capital One Bowl. Nebraska vs. South Carolina: This may be good. Both team are pretty decent but far from even approaching greatness. Both are well coached and it will come down to who makes the fewest mistakes. It is a toss up and I will go with South Carolina simply because I dislike the Cornhuskers. So much for objectivity.

29. Outback Bowl. Michigan State vs Georgia: This is a good game. Both are very good teams that had a few hick ups along the way. Georgia started out slow and that hurt them. MSU may be the better team here. Hard to say. Another toss up? I think so. MSU will find a way to beat the boys from Athens.

30. Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs Oregon: Another excellent match up. Both of these teams could, on a good day, be able to hang with Bama or LSU. I think the team from the frozen tundra will find a way to win here.

31. Fiesta Bowl. Stanford vs Oklahoma State: I actually think that Oklahoma State should be in in the "big game" but wasn't asked my opinion. The Cowboy are the better team here and will win. It may not be easy though.

32. Sugar Bowl. Michigan vs Virginia Tech: Boy New Orleans will see the money flowing in this year. Last night there was a larger than usual crowd at the New Orleans Bowl and now this and then of course the big game. Wow. I wonder what the economic impact is for the city with all this going on. Now the Sugar Bowl has always been a bit like Mardi Gras. A lot of boobies will be flashed and some folk will find themselves in Central Lock Up before all is said and done. That will suck for them but it is something they can tell their grandchildren. Oh yes. The game. Michigan will win. Virginia Tech has had a good year sure but they could not find a way to handle Clemson. That says something for sure. I would go with the Wolverines.

33. Orange Bowl: WVU vs Clemson: This is a BCS game? Oh well. Such is the system. That being said it may just be a good game to watch. WVU may be somewhat the better team but we will see. I go with WVU to win a close one.

34. Cotton Bowl: KSU vs Arkansas: An excellent match up. The Cotton really is one of the big bowls. Both of these are very very good teams but both have also had just a bit of luck to get where they are. This is a toss up but I think that the Hogs will have a hard time stopping the boring, but effective, offense of the Wildcats. Go with KSU in a very close game.

35. BBVA Compass Bowl. SMU vs Pitt: Well that P.O.S. Graham had done to the Panthers what he is known for doing. Winning with the prior coaches' players and then scooting. Oh well. This might yet be a good game. SMU is building and Pitt is in dissaray now. I go with the Mustangs to take advantage of that and edge the Panthers in a close one.

36. Go Daddy Bowl: Arkansas State vs Northern Illinois: A good game most likely. ASU coach has run off to Mississippi for some reason and that may hurt the Indians, err Red Wolves, somewhat. NIU is the better team and will win this one is a close one.

37. IAA (FCS) Championship Game: North Dakota State vs Sam Houston State: This will be a good game. I have watched both teams this year and have concluded that either would be able to compete in Division I this year. I think, after watching ND State yesterday, that they may be marginally the better team. I will go with the Bison to edge the Bearkats. The FCS (IAA), along with D2 and D3 do it the right way.

38. BCS "National Championship" Game: LSU vs Alabama: We have been here before. Hopefully there will be a bit more offense this time. LSU is the better team but will they be able to win? We will see. I go with another very close game that the Tigers will pull out of the hat.

It has been an interesting season for sure. The PSU thing has been a distraction and again the BCS system has caused further damage. It is best to just focus on the games instead of the nonsense.

More on This Graham

It is being reported that Todd Graham did not have the decency (cajones?) to meet with the Pitt players after deciding to take the job at Arizona State. Typical. Todd Graham a douchebag? Who knew? Well actually I think a lot of folk know this. More learning every day.

The Bowl Season Begins 2011

There was some fine Division I football played yesterday. No exaggeration. The MAC is 2-0 thus far and the MWC is 0-2. The Sun Belt is 1-0 and the WAC starts off at 0-1.

I did not watch much of the Temple/Wyoming game but it appears that Temple played the way they should have played all season. I still submit they are (or should be) the best team in the MAC.

Ohio surprised me a bit with a come back on the Aggies of Utah St. The last minute or so of that game was exciting and fun football.

The Cajuns are also a bit of a surprise. I thought that SDSU would handle them even in front of a hostile crowd at the "Mercedes" Super Dome. This coach seems to be the real deal. Wonder how long before he jumps to a "better" program.

Yep it was a fun day of football what with bowl games and lower division playoff games on tap.

Next up? The Beef O'Brady Bowl (the what?). This is one that should probably not be played. I will watch though being a fan of both the Sun Belt and CUSA.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Interesting Football

Last night I had two televisions going and watched both the DIII Championship Game and a IAA semi final. Pretty good football games. Congrats (again) to UW Whitewater.

Today Pittsburg State has won the D2 Championship by taking down Wayne State. Pretty good game also.

The best game of the day so far though was the ND State/Georgia Southern match up. The Bison pretty much took it to the boys from Georgia. If you recall this is the same Georgia Southern team that gave the Crimson Tide quite a problem a few weeks back. It is glaringly apparent to me that the best teams in IAA are capable of competing very well in the "Bowl Championship Subdivision." I would say that Georgia Southern would give the Georgia Bulldogs one hell of a hard time. It would think that Sam Houston State would certainly give most D1 teams in Texas fits, and I would bet that ND State could beat most of the Big Ten on any given day. Montana would probably have no trouble winning the WAC.

Now ND State will face off with SHSU in what should be a great game. These "lessor" divisions determine their national champion the real way. The right way. The BCS is ruining "big time" college ball. Give it some time and it will utterly destroy it.

Early Bowl Predictions 2011

So far this season I sit at 198-82 in the won/loss column. I will try my hand at some of the early bowl prediction and see where I land.

Before we get to all that however, I must congratulate UW Whitewater for again besting the Purple Raiders of Mt Union to become the Division III Champs. Also last night I watched the SHSU/Montana game and was quite impressed. The game was not near as close as the score. SHSU shot themselves in the foot with penalties but for the most part had their way with the Grizz. They are probably the 2nd or third best team in the Texas college ranks.  Will the Bearkats have what it takes to defeat Georgia Southern (who will win today) for the IAA Championship? We will see. On to the predictions.......



1. Pittsburg State vs Wayne State: Pittsburg State has been here before. One of the top programs in D2. They will be crowned division champion today. Go with the Gorillas.

2. Georgia Southern vs North Dakota State: I am going with Georgia Southern here. They gave the much ballyhooed Crimson Tide quite a scare earlier this season. I wish they would have won. North Dakota State is not far removed from D2 and has done a very good job in the IAA ranks. I will go with the team from Georgia to win and meet SHSU in the big game. Any team in the IAA semi finals would be a top 25 team in the ranks of D1 this year.

Now we come to the bowls. Too many of these games are of the "who cares" variety to be sure. A lot of 6-6 records there. 6-6 does not a post season team make in my humble opinion but no one asks me. I don't know why. That being said.....

3. New Mexico Bowl. Temple Vs Wyoming: Temple was a bit of a disappointment this year and Wyoming had a pretty good MWC season. A decent MWC team these Cowboys. This may be a good one and I will go with Wyoming in a close one.

4. Idaho Potato Bowl. Utah State vs Ohio: Utah State had a better than expected year but at 7-5 it is a bit hard to say they deserve a post season bid. Ohio had a good year in the Mid American and possibly deserves to go somewhere. Idaho it is...Utah State will again play above their potential here and win this one. Go with these particular Aggies from Utah.

5. New Orleans Bowl. San Diego State vs Louisiana Lafayette: Both teams had pretty darn good seasons. The Cajuns are a good Sun Belt team and SDSU is a good MWC team. This might be a good game. A good bit of money will be spent in the French Quarter and it would be nice to be there. Which team is the better? Probably SDSU. The Cajuns loss to Arizona is enough to give anyone pause. I will go with the Aztecs here to win. Hope not though. I am a Cajuns fan through and through. All apologies to Jayhawk.

6. Beef O'Brady's Bowl. FIU vs Marshall: This one should not be played probably. FIU is marginally deserving of a post season of sorts but Marshall is not. FIU was disappointing this season and I have not heard Mario Cristobal's name being thrown around  as much now as the next "savior" of a downtrodden "big time" program. That being said, the Panthers should be able to take it to the Herd. Go with FIU.

7. Poinsettia Bowl. TCU vs Louisiana Tech: Tech deserves this bowl as the winner of  the WAC. That conference race was down to the wire. TCU perhaps deserves somewhat of a better game, but it is not to be so. The Bulldogs may surprise though. They are a pretty good, very under the radar, team. It may be close but I will go with the Frogs here.

8. MAACO Bowl. Arizona State vs Boise State: This is hands down the most stupid of all the bowl games this year. Boise State belongs in a BCS, or a least a top tier non BCS bowl. Arizona State deserves no post season game at all. It is likely the Bronco players really don't want to be there and that may make the game somewhat closer than it should be. Boise State will win though. Probably rather easily.

9. Hawaii Bowl. Southern Miss vs Nevada: USM deserves a bowl and I suppose this one is decent. Nevada took it down to the wire in the WAC but fell just short. USM is the better team this year and should win this one. They do have a tendency to play down to the competition though. Remember the UAB game? They will have to bring the team that beat Houston and leave the squad that lost to the Blazers at the airport.


I will put the rest of the Bowl Predictions up later in the week. Have a good time and enjoy the games

Friday, December 16, 2011

SHSU

Tonight Sam Houston State squares off with Montana in a IAA semi final game. Montana has certainly been here before. SHSU? Not so much. I am going to go out on a limb here and pick the Bearkats to pull this one out of the hat. Win or lose one thing we do know for sure....Some "bigger" programs will be calling on Willie Fritz before long. Perhaps as early as tomorrow.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

This Graham Guy? Unreal

It seems that the much traveled Todd Graham has bolted from Pitt to ASU. Imagine that. This guy is nothing more than mercenary scum and if this doesn't prove it....what will? The fans of Rice and Tulsa could have told the Pitt faithful what they were getting with this POS. Funny thing, he is perhaps no great shakes as a coach anyway. He wins with previous coaches' recruits. He is more talented at fooling college administrators than Franchione ever was.

I remember a short few years back when Todd bolted Rice for Tulsa. The Marching Owl Band made an ass of him when Tulsa came calling to Rice Stadium. He demanded an apology. None was forthcoming. The "MOB" pulls no punches and apologizes to no one. I recently went to a Rice game and saw a person with a "Who knew that Todd Graham was a douche bag?" t shirt. There are a whole lot of people who are learning a bit about this Graham. "Douche bag" is a rather mild way to describe this dude. I can think of a few others.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Well I Guess It is Official

It certainly appears that reports of Sumlin moving on to TAMU are correct. His mistake. Oh, and Jim Mora Jr. is now the HC at UCLA. Uh, OK.............

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Football Today

There is (was) some college football being played today. The storied Army/Navy match up is in the books. Not really of much interest to most people (even service members) as neither team amounts to much and it is an officers' party anyway.

Over in IAA SHSU advanced further into the playoffs with a beat down of Montana State. I am happy for them but I look at the history of the Southland Conference in this tournament. Not so good. It could be things will work out for the boys from Huntsville this season though. Montana and of course Georgia Southern are strong teams in IAA. They are still in the hunt. North Dakota State is not too far removed from D2 ball and they are doing quite nicely in IAA. Interesting tournament this.

Over in D2 Pittsburg State and Delta State square off this evening. Good D2 programs both. They will meet Wayne State in the Championship game. Might be something to watch.

Of course Mt. Union will be in the D3 Championship. It almost goes without saying that the Purple Raiders will be there. They will meet either UW Whitewater or St Thomas (MN) for the right to be named national champion.

There is a huge difference between national champion in the lower ranks and "national champion" in the BCS. The lower divisions have a real tourney while Division I just has a corrupt system.

Ridiculous and criminal is this BCS.

Another Coach Makes A Stupid Mistake?

First it was Meyer to Ohio State. Not a smart move. Then we have Leach going to WSU. Even less of a smart move (to say the least). Now apparently (if the news reports are correct) Kevin Sumlin will be heading to TAMU. Now that is exceptionally idiotic.

Sumlin has done a great job in Houston although, in all honesty, it is debatable if he would amount to much without Case Keenum behind center. Hard to say. If last year is any indication.......
Be that as it may. Sumlin should certainly know better than to get mixed up with the crew from College Station. He has been there before as an assistant. The old "fool me once" saying comes to mind. Or perhaps it is the "touching a hot stove twice to make sure it burns" thing. Either way Sumlin is making a major mistake. So it goes......

One hopes the reports are erroneous.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Pat Hill Out At Fresno State. That Is Stupid

It is amazing what "administrators" do sometimes. Firing Pat Hill is perhaps one of the dumbest moves I have seen in a while. Yes the Bulldog program has been down a bit the last couple years. Yes they could not ever seem to deal with Boise State. Yes the "play anyone/anytime" policy of Hill's hurt his won/loss record. No matter. Hill is a darn good HC and would be an asset to a host of programs in D1 or IAA.

Those who made this decision are idiots. Mike Sherman is available for hire though and that ass Franchione may already be looking for an excuse to "move up." Anyone stupid enough to fire Hill may just be dumb enough to give either of those two a try.

You never know.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

BCS Honks and Hacks

Well the BCS has done what it is designed to do. So say the BCS hacks on ESPN anyway. In reality it has again been a disaster.

Is Alabama really deserving of another shot at LSU? Perhaps so. Perhaps not. Is OSU not just as deserving? How about Stanford or even Boise State? Why do Clemson and WVU get to play in a "big game" and Boise not?  Criminal. Now I guess the Broncos are going to be playing a 6-6 ASU team in some no name bowl.  What a joke. Why are KSU and Arkansas not playing in one of the "big games" either? The Cotton is a top notch destination sure but it does not have the payday of a "BCS" bowl.

I will say for the hundredth time that the BCS is ruining the game. It must go. Perhaps those silly OWS protesters could get involved in something that (perhaps) can be changed. Maybe they will bring a noose.......

Week 14 (2011) Analysis

This week I was 15-5 for a total of 198- 82. Actually I was 15-4 having inadvertently only done 19 games but why quibble? I will count the forgotten game as a "loss." Now in just a few short hours the bowl selections will begin. There will be some disappointed folk out there. The BCS just does not work. It will not work and is ruining the game. Yes I know I am beating a dead horse here but so be it.

Houston has blown their chance for a "major" bowl with the beat down taken at the hands of the Golden Eagles. Have to take care of business in this sport or you will find yourself on the outside looking in. The BCS honks are happy about this one I can assure you. Did not someone tell the USM crew that their victory was costing the conference millions? Do they not understand economics?

OSU made a case for being included in the BCS "National Championship" game. They made Oklahoma look just darn horrible. I think the average fan would rather see a OSU/LSU match up than another boring Bama/Tiger tilt. The Tigers have already proven to be better than the Tide. Well sort of anyway. They did win the game and that is all that matters. Could the Tigers handle the Cowboys? Probably so. It should be proven on the field though.

Virginia Tech has played themselves out of the argument. Their fans won't have a leg to stand on if they bray about being left out of the picture. Clemson has beaten them twice this year. That says something. Clemson is no great shakes. A good ACC team sure. That is about it.

Boise State still in the picture for BCS? We will see.

It will be interesting to see where WVU fits in. They edged the Bulls which is nice for them but....Do they really belong in a "BCS" game?

Wisconsin got a bit of revenge. A couple of different bounces of the ball this year and we would be talking about them as a national title contender. They are a fine football team.

Baylor is playing darn good ball right now. They went through a rough patch and destroyed their chances at a BCS bid. No one would like to face them right now though. Care to take bets about how well the Aggies will do in the SEC? Thought not. Wonder where KSU will fit in. Houston, Va Tech and the Sooners were ranked ahead of the Wildcats and all lost. Hmmmmm.

Arkansas State is a good under the radar football team. Are they just Sun Belt good or are they just plain good? That is a question that will be answered somewhere. They have had a fine year and perhaps should sneak into the BCS Top 25. Congrats to the Cajuns for going 8-4 and making it to the New Orleans Bowl. 8-4 is just above average sure, but it is a huge step up in Lafayette.  WKU had a better than expected year and North Texas seems to be trending upward (as they say). FAU at least won one game for old Howard. I will miss him. FIU and Troy (especially) were a bit of a disappointment.

Over in IAA  (along with D2 and D3) ball they determine the National Champion the right way. Some darn good teams in the "FCS." Sam Houston State is the only undefeated team but they are in the Southland Conference. The SLC does not typically do real well in the play offs. SHSU did take care of business yesterday however but it was pretty close.
In my opinion this will come down to Montana, Montana State, or Georgia Southern. One of those squads will be the champ when all is said and done. At least one of these teams would be a D1 top twenty (or at least top 25) squad.

In a few hours we will see where everybody lines up in the bowl picture. There will some howling from the folk at OSU I would wager. They will have a valid point.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Championship Weekend

Championship weekend begun last night. NIU came storming back on Ohio. I thought they would do just that. Ohio is a good MAC team but NIU is a pretty good team period. Oregon beat UCLA rather easily. I did not watch that game. It was a foregone conclusion who the victor would be. It looks as if Oregon chose not to run up the score.

Would UCLA be a destination for a good coach like Kevin Sumlin? I would like to see him stay in Houston but it is likely he will be heading to the "big time." Sometimes that works out. Often not. Ask that douche bag (as he is known at Rice) Todd Graham.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Sherman Out in Aggieland

Well Mike Sherman got the axe over at TAMU. That is not a surprise. He had a lot of talent to work this this year and the team just did not measure up. Not surprising. I didn't figure him for much. Not the scumbag that Franchione was of course, but he is no R.C. Slocum.

There is speculation that TAMU (along with Arizona State) is interested in Kevin Sumlin. He would be making a huge mistake to mess with either program. ASU will rarely be a force in the PAC 12 and the Aggies will do well to go 6-6 in the SEC. They may have to "schedule down" in their non conference games to pad the stats even to become "bowl eligible. If anyone is going to have any success whatsoever in College Station it needs to be a coach very familiar with the SEC. Yes Sumlin would make a huge mistake messing with those folk in College Station.

It would be nice to see him stay with the Cougars for a while but perhaps it is wise to strike out when hot. Sooner or later there will be a drastic falling off in Houston and he will be stuck or worse.  He could get "Schianoed." If he were to leave to take any job I would like him to make the move to Texas Tech. I am pretty sure that Tuberville will be the next to fall.

He should stay away from Arizona State and most certainly TAMU.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Mike Leach!! What Are You Thinking?

It is being reported that Mike Leach is to be the new HC at Washington State. Really Mike? You couldn't do better than that? UCLA is available as is Kansas. Oh well.........Of course the admin at Kansas ran off Mangino for being "rude" to his players. They probably couldn't roll with "The Pirate." Their loss (in both cases).........