Things I Will Miss

Oh wow.  It's August... whatever the heck the date is... and, you know what that means!  It's time to get Illegal Procedure wound up to full speed.  Or at least take it out of neutral...

There are plenty of boring sites, mostly full of speculative garbage, that help you follow recruiting or spring practice or the NFL draft.  I don't do any of that.  Mostly, during the off-season, I drink beer.  Then, once college football gets started, I drink more beer!  Only I watch college football at the same time. 

It's a remarkable system.  I highly recommend it.

At the beginning of the season, I don't like to spend much time looking back.  Last year is done and gone.  But I don't like to look too far forward either.  Should we really be talking about the favorites for the Heisman right now?  It's August... whatever the heck the date is... for God's sake. 

So I'm going to kind of look back and look ahead at the same time, and talk about things I will miss in this sure-to-be-terrific 2010 college football season...

Tim Tebow
Come on.  You know you're going to miss him.  He was the poster child for college football for the last three years.  He is still the center of attention in the NFL despite the fact that he has yet to play a meaningful down for the Denver Broncos.  He was a Heisman Trophy winner, a conference champion (twice) a national champion (twice), and a class act. 

And he may have had the most publicized concussion in the history of mankind.

Even those who claimed to hate him secretly wished they could have him as their quarterback.  It's okay, you guys.  You can admit it now.  It's time to fess up.

I thought his career in college football was nothing short of historic (and I said so here).  I hope he wins a couple of Super Bowls to go with the rest of his football credentials.

Just for kicks, I did a Google search for his name and came up with 2,030,000 results.  Good Lord. 

Speaking of the Lord...

The Notre Dame Mystique
If, indeed, there ever was a Notre Dame mystique, now that it is 2010 and the Irish have been  mediocre for more than two decades, can we all agree that the mystique is gone?  Vanished?  Kaput?

As if we didn't have enough proof on the football field, Touchdown Jesus was struck by lightning in June, and subsequently burned to the ground. Granted, it was a Touchdown Jesus in Monroe, Ohio, and not the one that has blessed Irish victories over the years, but that can't be a good omen, can it?

Notre Dame's Touchdown Jesus is still standing, but that's the only thing in South Bend about which that can be said.

I'd like to quote from a little piece I wrote last November called, When Irish Eyes Aren't Smiling (you can find it here):

Think about this for a minute. If you are an eighteen year old senior in high school now, and you probably didn't really start consciously watching college games on television until you were twelve or thirteen, that means your first meaningful memories of Notre Dame football were seeing them suffer through seasons of 5-7 (2003) and 6-6 (2004), and then watching them fire their second coach in four years.

Since I wrote that, they finished last season with a 6-6 record, fired Charlie Weis, and hired a good old Irishman named Brian Kelly.  Notre Dame fans apparently expect Kelly to immediately improve their offense, and then produce a defense out of thin air.  Good luck. 

When was the last time anybody besides Beano Cook seriously considered the Irish to be a contender for the national championship?  Beano has more chins than the Irish had victories last season.  And we're still waiting for Ron Powlus to claim one of the three Heisman's he was supposed to win.

Here's an interesting statistic I stole from somewhere:  Utah has more unbeaten seasons in the last six years (two) than Notre Dame has in the last thirty.  That's particularly relevant because the Utes visit South Bend on November 13.

As an aside, and just for the record, nobody should ever mention the Utes without also allowing you to view this classic scene from My Cousin Vinny:



Anyway...

Look at Notre Dame's first 6 games this year- Purdue, Michigan, at Michigan State, Stanford, at Boston College, and Pittsburgh.  Now try to convince me they're going to be better than 3-3 coming out of that stretch. 

The game in Baltimore against Navy is no gimme (haven't the Middies taken 2 of the last 3 from the Irish?).  In addition to the aforementioned game with Utah, there is the season finale at USC.  If, with a bit of help from above, they manage a 4-2 start, Notre Dame will still have at least three tough games remaining on their schedule.  And, with two losses more than likely before they even get past the second week of October, they will revert to being what they have been for the last twenty years - an afterthought.

Wave good-bye.  The Notre Dame Mystique.  Gone.

Bobby Bowden
As a Gator fan, there were few people that I despised over the years as much as Bobby Bowden.  In retrospect, I think that was a bit unfair.  I often thought he was a lax disciplinarian.  I thought he tolerated a defense that stretched the limits of the rules of sportsmanship in an effort to intimidate.  And I thought his whole "dadgummit" personality was mostly just an act to curry favor with the media.

I think I was at least partly right, but, at the same time, let's face it; I despised him because the Seminoles inflicted some serious pain on Florida under his direction.  Although the Gators still have a substantial lead in the overall series (33-19-2), the most telling statistic is the record during the Spurrier years, which many consider the beginning of the golden era of the Gator Nation.  While Steve Spurrier went 117-19 against everybody else in college football from 1990 to 2001, his record against Florida State was a frustrating 5-8-1.

But even that didn't keep me from feeling sympathy for Bowden when certain Seminoles decided to run him off campus at the end of last season.

In my view, he had earned the right to coach as long as he wanted to.  The way he was tossed aside made me a little nauseous.

Once again, I'd like to quote from a piece I wrote in October last year called Stand Still Bobby While I Get That Knife Out of Your Back (you can find it here).

Bobby Bowden gave you a football program that was worth watching, when you actually bothered to show up, and now you want to unceremoniously shove him out the door. Unbelievable.

You were willing to sit back and gloat during the decade and a half that your Seminoles dominated college football like no other team ever has. Let Bowden enjoy the twilight of his coaching career as much as you enjoyed its prime.

 But, the idiots in charge sent him packing, and I have to say I will miss seeing him on the sidelines this year.  The good news is - now I can go back to hating Florida State without reservation.

Rational Numbers
To mathematicians, a rational number is any number that can be expressed as the quotient a/b of two integers, with the denominator b not equal to zero.  I was never good at math, and I am only somewhat good at being rational.  But will someone please drive directly to the conference offices of the Big 10 and the Big
12 and ask them what the heck they think they're doing?

As it was, the rest of the nation collectively giggled for a few years when Penn State joined the Big 10 in 1993, thus making it an 11 team league.  But we kind of got used to it.  And I suppose you have to give them credit for coming up with the clever logo that had an "11" conveniently embedded in it.

Then came the off-season shuffling this year that saw Nebraska leave the Big 12 to join the Big 10, and Colorado leave the Big 12 to join the Pac 10.  None of this will take effect until after this season ends, but what you will end up with is a Big 10 that has 12 teams, and a Big 12 that has 10 teams. 

But both conferences are keeping their old names.  So much for rational numbers.

Yes, I know.  It sounds like something from a Woody Allen movie.  And I would probably laugh if it wasn't so... dumb.  Seriously.

While all this was going on, the Pac 10 also lured Utah away from the Mountain West.  But at least the Pac 10 is planning to change their name to the Pac 12. 

Note to self:  if ever I am the founder of a college athletic conference, don't put a number in the name.

Shameless Self-Promotion:
If you enjoy this blog, share it with friends.  Heck, you can share it with enemies if you want.  Comments are always appreciated.  You can leave comments here on the blog.  You can e-mail me at illegalprocedureblog@gmail.com.  Or you can send me messages by carrier pigeon if you happen to have a bird trained to follow the scent of Stella Artois or Conundrum.

I'm ready for some college football!!

One last thing.  I'd like to introduce a new feature that I will use at random when it pleases me.  It is nothing more than a handy wave file designed to make you smile.  I call it...

Instant Chuckle:

With No Tebow, What Will Gators Do on Third and Two?

Here’s a question for you. Can you name Florida’s fullback last year? Go ahead, think for a minute. I’ll wait.

Give up?

It was Tim Tebow, of course. I know, I know, technically, he was the quarterback. But, when Florida needed to pick up the tough yards inside, that’s who carried the ball. And not just last season, but, really, for the last four. As the saying goes, it has been like a Fargo winter; you knew what was coming, and that information did you no good whatsoever.

Even when everybody knew what to expect, it was almost always successful. The only notable exception was Florida’s last possession in the 2008 home loss to Mississippi when Tebow was unable to convert a fourth and one. But the disappointment of that game prompted “The Promise ,” and Florida plowed through their remaining opponents on the way to a second national championship in three years. So, even that worked out pretty well.

For those expecting to witness the demise of the Gators in the post-Tebow era, I have bad news for you. This year’s offense should be more diversified and less predictable. A solid nucleus returns on the offensive line. The backfield is fast and deep. There are a handful of young but gifted receivers. And redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley has a strong, accurate arm. Big plays could become routine. But here is the one unanswered question: With no Tebow, what will the Gators do on third and two?

Florida enters the fall with two fullbacks on the roster, neither of whom has ever touched the ball in a college game. The biggest of the returning running backs is Emmanuel Moody . When given the opportunity, he has shown himself to be capable, but has missed six games with injuries in two seasons since transferring from USC. At 5'11" and 212 pounds, he is reasonably sturdy, but won’t exactly cause nightmares for SEC defenders.

While he isn’t the brute force that Tebow was, Brantley, at 6'3", 218 pounds, is more of an athlete than most people realize. But Florida’s coaches won’t be eager to have him risk injury carrying the ball. Behind him on the depth chart there are only freshman.

During spring drills, without making a big deal of it, the Gators experimented with having quarterback-turned-tight end Jordan Reed run plays out of the shotgun. Reed is listed at 6'3", 240 pounds. Think back, for a moment, to the 2006 season, when a young bruiser named Tim Tebow frequently relieved Chris Leak in short yardage situations.

Perhaps Florida’s "fullback" this year will be a redshirt freshman tight end named Jordan Reed.

By the way, Florida did have a fullback last year, a senior named Rick Burgess. And he did touch the ball. Once. He returned a squib kickoff for eight yards against Mississippi State.

Upon Further Further Review (Week 14)

Pressure

By the time we have reached this point in every college football season for the past several years, I am tired, so I know the players and coaches involved must be exhausted. 

The physical grind is as tough as ever, but, these days, the psychological toll of being one of the top programs is absolutely ridiculous. 

I thought of this as I got the news Sunday night that Florida head coach Urban Meyer had checked into a hospital in the early morning hours after the Gators lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship game.  "I've lost a lot of weight this season," he said. "I just have to take better care of myself. It's been a tough season. A great season, but a tough season."

If there is one big difference between this year's Gators, and the championship teams of the past, it is the fact that they started at the top this year, rather than coming from behind. The pressure mounted weekly, and the media feeding frenzy was so persistent and shameless that I was actually embarassed for my former colleagues in the world of sports journalism.

Tim Tebow's concussion had to be the most scrutinized sports-related injury ever.  It literally got to the point where sports news websites would write an entire story just to tell us that there was nothing new to report.  I thought it was stupid at the time, and I said so.

Then, one Florida player is arrested, and it is immediately splashed on websites across the universe and scrolling across the bottom of the screen on each of ESPN's many channels.  Meanwhile, half of the Michigan State squad storms  a party like members of a goon squad, and assaults a room full of people.  Two players were kicked off the team, and eight others are suspended for the Spartans' trip to the Alamo Bowl against Texas Tech.  But, somehow, that gets buried at the back of the sports section.

I suppose there are rewards that come with riding the top of the rankings for most of the season, but the effect of the pressure, apparently, can  be enough to require hospitalization.


When Every Game Matters

I understand the desire to establish a college football playoff in the FBS (Division I).  On the surface, it seems like the American way.  Let them decide it on the field.  Play until there is only one team standing. 

But part of what makes major college football exciting is the fact that every game really does matter.  In past years, top teams could recover from an early loss, but not this year, not in a season in which five unbeatens still remain at the end. 

The stakes are enormous, and the pressure intense.  And look what we ended up with at the end; an SEC Championship game that was basically a play-in for the BCS Championship game; a Big 12 Championship game that meant all or nothing for Texas, and was obviously pretty important to Nebraska too; Oregon and Oregon State playing for the right to go to the Rose Bowl, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, and Georgia Tech and Clemson fighting to the bitter end for the top spot in their respective leagues, East Carolina squeaking by Houston to win Conference USA.

It was an exciting ending to an intriguing regular season.  And it was all the more intriguing because every game mattered.


Bandwagon Update

Since I proclaimed my new-found love for Idaho and Richmond back on October 27, they have had their share of struggles.  It appears that I do not have the luck of the Irish.  Or anybody else.  And neither do the teams that I adopt.


The Vandals lost four of their last five games, but still managed to finish 7-5, and earn a trip to the Humanitarian Bowl to play Bowling Green. 

While I'm sure head coach Robb Akey would have preferred a stronger finish, it is still the most regular season wins for Idaho since they went 7-4 in 1999.



Although they still have the coolest helmets ever, Richmond had some struggles of their own.

After starting the season with a win at Duke, and charging to an 8-0 record, the Spiders lost at home to Villanova on November 11, and then lost to Appalachian State in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs, finishing the season at 11-2. 

The biggest loss,though, may have come yesterday, when it was announced that head coach Mike London would be leaving to take the head coaching job at the University of Virginia.

With Tebow, We Are Witnessing History

Saturday afternoon, when I walked into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field, I knew I was about to be part of something special, but I didn’t really know how to define it. It was a feeling for which I had yet to find the right words, but the first thing I saw put it into perspective. Stadium cameras captured the image of a woman holding a sign, and the picture appeared on the giant video screens in each endzone: “We are witnessing history.”

It was Senior Day, the final home game for twenty-four Gators whose accomplishments will be scattered in Southeastern Conference and college football record books for years to come. And it was the last hurrah for Tim Tebow, the quarterback whose own tears as he was introduced before the game prompted an outpouring from tens of thousands of adoring fans. I might not have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself. After my eyes dried up.

I didn’t say much to anybody during the game. The 37-10 drubbing of arch rival Florida State didn’t really require audience participation. The outcome was never in doubt. I clapped quite a bit, cheered occasionally. Mostly, I watched. I looked around. I soaked it in.

During the second half, each time the Gator offense lined up for a play, little points of bright, white light exploded everywhere in the crowd. First dozens, then hundreds. The flash bulbs of those wanting to capture the memories.

Like most of the 90,907 people in attendance, I stayed until well after the game was over. Even Seminole fans lingered. Moments like that don’t happen too often.

Tim Tebow has endured more scrutiny than anyone his age should. His late-September concussion attracted media attention like no other sports-related injury ever. Some fans at opposing schools have even come to despise his constant presence in print and on television. They question his Christianity, insisting it is just for show. Surely, there is a different Tebow in there somewhere, one that is just like so many high-profile athletes; greedy, selfish, flawed. Surely, he is just using the limelight for his own gain. If not, how could he end up on ESPN so often?

I’ll tell you how. Because he is such a good story.

Tebow seeks the light, but not that kind of light. He is as competitive as any athlete I have ever seen, but he still wants you to realize there is more to life than just winning games. He is a young man who refuses to compromise in an age when everything is negotiable. He wants to help make the world a better place in an age when people have a hard time believing anyone could really want such a thing. If there are Tebow haters out there, it is not because they don’t want to be constantly reminded of what he is, but because they don’t want to be constantly reminded of what they aren’t.

If I stood for anything when I was twenty-two, it was probably my right to wear obscenely torn blue jeans, and not visit the barber as often as I should. Mission trip to the Phillipines? Not likely. Visiting prisoners? Or sick kids in the hospital?  Sorry. Try again.


I am not someone who has strong religious convictions, and I am not claiming to agree with everything he preaches, but I respect the fact that, for him, it’s not an act. It’s genuine. He lives according to his beliefs. And he cares in a way that few people ever bother to. In the Gator Nation, he has really made a difference.  Head coach Urban Meyer said, "I've never seen anything like it. He's made ‘unselfish’ kind of a cool thing."

So, Gator fans, myself included, stayed on Senior Day to watch Tebow make the rounds of the stadium wall one more time, wanting to give back some of what we have been given. It was worth the wait.

Even though he has won a Heisman Trophy, and been part of teams that won two SEC championships and two national championships, he is not the best athlete ever. He is not even the best quarterback ever, at least in terms of pure physical skill. But he may the best ever at pushing the people around him to be better. On the field. And off.

It will be interesting to see where Tebow ends up when his college career is over. Wherever he goes, we'll be watching.

After all, we are witnessing history.

My Crystal Ball Says...

...that I know what will happen in this week's key games. Always remember that I'm right, and your team sucks.



#25 California at #17 Stanford - Head coach Jim Harbaugh has Stanford playing with attitude.   They are getting a bit obnoxious about it too.  It's kind of like the bratty little middle school kid down the street that starting taking steroids and working out, and showed up in high school ready to kick your ass.  ESPN.com's Ted Miller says their style of play may even be going a bit beyond the rules.  On his Pac 10 blog, he writes, "There are a few more pokes and grabs and punches in the pile-up and scrum at the line of scrimmage than in the past when Stanford suited up."  But nobody seems to care about that if your name isn't Brandon Spikes.  Note to all the alleged experts who spent two weeks villifying Spikes:  check Dictionary.com for the word "hypocrite" and then get back to me.  After scoring a total of 106 points in the last two games, Stanford has become the new favorite topic in the college football world.  The fact that those points came against Oregon and USC makes it particularly intimidating, especially if you're a California team that managed only a field goal against both of those teams.  The Golden Bears will be without running back Jahvid Best who is still out after suffering a concussion two weeks ago on one of the scariest plays of the year.  Shane Vereen has been an adequate replacement for Best, but quarterback Kevin Riley is mistake-prone, and Cal's defense is lousy (71st in total defense).  The Stanford offense has turned into a juggernaut behind Toby Gerhart, the nation's third leading rusher. All of this points to a Stanford win.  And possibly a hefty dose of eye gouging.  Fear the Tree.

#11 Oregon at Arizona - I've watched Arizona play once this year, in last week's loss at California, and I was not impressed.  How this Wildcat squad managed to beat Oregon State and Stanford earlier in the year, I have no idea.  Oregon is 6th in the nation in rushing offense, and LaMichael James has 100 or more yards rushing in each of the last five games.  But Arizona is a respectable 21st in rushing defense.  Wildcat quarterback Nick Foles has somehow put up some decent numbers, but, to me, he is most notable for his Bonehead Play of the Week back in Week 6,  Both teams are still alive in the Pac 10 race.  Both need to win out.  Arizona plays well at home - their three losses all came in road games - but I think the  Ducks win the game, and also win the competition to see which team has the ugliest uniforms.

#8 LSU at Mississippi - For some reason, Mississippi seems to be a popular pick here.  Even the oddsmakers in Vegas have the Rebels as a 4 point favorite.  I don't get it.  LSU may not be flashy, but they still have great athletes.  Their only losses came at the hands of two of the top three teams in the land.  One thing is certain; they will tackle Dexter McCluster better than Tennesee did.  Speaking of Tennessee, have I mentioned recently that Lane Kiffin is not only a classless loudmouth, he's a lying classless loudmouth?  I did?  Good.  Anyway, let me throw out some amazing statistics for you.  LSU's offense may be rather pedestrian, but their defense has allowed only three rushing touchdowns this year.  That ties them with Florida and Texas for tops in the nation in terms of fewest rushing touchdowns allowed.  And they continue to improve;  they haven’t allowed a touchdown on the ground in their last six games. Also, it should be noted that LSU has prevailed in each of their last four trips to Oxford, which will mean absolutely nothing this Saturday, but it sounds like I know what I'm talking about when I say that.  Or type it.  Mississippi is a team that doesn't play well when saddled with expectations, and everyone seems to expect them to win this one.  I don't.  I think a healthy Jordan Jefferson at quarterback (he missed last week's game against Louisiana Tech with a sprained ankle) can avoid the Rebel pass rush, and I think the Tiger defense will return Jevan Snead to the state of mediocrity he was enjoying before the Tennessee defense rolled over for him.  Speaking of Tennessee, have I mentioned that Lane Kiffin is a lying, classless loudmouth?

Kansas at #3 Texas - Mark Mangino is immense.  What I mean to say is he's immensely proud of the turnaround he has managed at Kansas.  A team that was a perennial doormat in the Big 12 suddenly found itself at 12-1 after the 2007 season, and proud owners of an Orange Bowl victory. And you better believe he is proud, or he will thump you in the chest, and berate you in front of your teammates.  But, after a 5-0 start to this year, the Jayhawks have now lost five in a row, and, suddenly, they stink.  A visit to Austin, Texas is not likely to provide a cure for stinking.  The Longhorns have been, rather quietly, issuing a good old Southwest-style beatdown to everybody they have played.  They continue on the collision course that, in all likelihood, has them meeting the winner of the SEC Championship game for all the marbles.  Everybody knows about Texas QB Colt McCoy and his darling roommate Jordan Shipley.  You probably don't know that Kansas signal caller Todd Reesing has some pretty respectable passing numbers too.  It won't help.  Kansas will continue to stink.  And Texas will continue to issue good old Southwest-style beatdowns.  At least until they play for all the marbles.

Florida International at #1 Florida - The key question in this game is, if you're Urban Meyer, how long do you leave Tim Tebow out there?  You don't want him to spend an entire Saturday on the sidelines getting rusty when you have the Seminoles coming to town next week for a big rivalry game.  But, let's face it, the Gators could probably win this game with me playing quarterback.  Florida fans would like to see future star John Brantley get some work.  Florida International is coming off a big win over the North Texas Mean Green and... Okay, okay.  Forget the hype.  This is likely to be horrible, one-sided game that will be about as interesting as watching paint dry.  One thing I have learned is that, when I need something interesting to say, I find an obscure, but fascinating statistic.  The SEC blog on ESPN.com tells us, "The No. 1 team in the AP poll hasn't lost a November home game to a team with a losing record since 1961. That year, a 2-4-1 TCU team knocked off No. 1 Texas in Austin on Nov. 18."  The FIU Panthers are 3-7, and not likely to add another footnote to the college football history books against the Gators this weekend.

My Crystal Ball Says...

...that I know what will happen in this week's key games. Always remember that I'm right, and your team sucks.

#25 West Virginia at #5 Cincinnati - Like many college football fans, particularly those in SEC country, I am inclined to view any team from the league we jokingly call the Big Least as just another pretender.  West Virginia (7-2) has a good running back in Noel Devine, but he sprained his ankle when the Mountaineers nipped Louisville 17-9 last week.  Quarterback Jarrett Brown sprained his ankle too.  That's not good news for a team that is 7-2, but hasn't managed to beat anybody that is actually good.  It's hard to know what to think about Cincinnati (9-0).  They are off to their best start since 1951, when they won nine straight games before losing to Xavier.  I hate to get into comparative scores, but, this year, they hit the road and beat the same Oregon State team that has now beaten Stanford and Cal. Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a Mardy Gilyard fan, not just because he's a great receiver, but because, last year,  he made one of the kindest gestures I've ever seen in a college football game.  Here's the thing that really intrigues me.  Quarterback Tony Pike opened the year putting up great numbers (128 of 199 passing for 1633 yards with 15 TD's and 3 INT's).  Then he gets hurt, and sophomore Zach Collaros takes over and does even better (76 of 100 passing for 1229 yards with 10 TD's and 1 INT).  That's truly remarkable.  The Bearcats will win.  Not necessarily because they are great, but because they are playing the Mountaineers.  Another pretender from the Big Least.

 
#10 Iowa at #11 Ohio State - People in Big Ten country still believe that Iowa (9-1) has a chance of being an at-large BCS team after they lose to Ohio State (8-2).  And they will lose to Ohio State, so that's not really the issue here.  What concerns me is that a state that is well-known for the importance of its early primaries in presidential elections contains so many people who are apparently insane.  The Hawkeyes managed to win their first nine games, but they barely scraped by so often that the question wasn't if they would lose, but when.  In last week's loss to Northwestern, quarterback Ricky Stanzi injured his ankle badly enough that it required surgery.  You might think that other stars on the team would pick up the slack, but they don't have any.  So we're left with an Ohio State team that will clinch the Big Ten title Saturday when they beat Iowa.  They're not going to play for the national championship, but they'll be in the Rose Bowl against the winner of the Pac 10.  That's actually excellent news for Buckeyes fans who can comfort themselves with the knowledge that they won't have to sit through another beatdown at the hands of an SEC team. 
 
Stanford at #9 USC - I don't like USC (7-2), and I'm glad to see them suffering through a season in which they have sustained two losses.  So far.  Of course, there are many teams that would like to "suffer" through such a season.  The Trojans have won the last seven Pac 10 titles, but this year's crown is still up for grabs.  They've also won 47 of their last 48 games at home.  The lone loss in that stretch was Stanford's colossal upset in 2007, when they were 41 point underdogs.  Quarterback Matt Barkley is talented, but sometimes plays like the freshman that he is.  Last week at Arizona State, he completed just 7 of 22 passes, but the defense added a score on a pick six, and USC managed to win 14-9.  Despite what the alleged experts keep telling us, the defense isn't up to the usual standards either.  They are currently ranked 38th.  Among the defenses ranked ahead of them... Duke.  I'm not kidding.  Stanford (6-3), meanwhile, looks more like a Big Ten team of old than a Pac 10 patsy.  They have a strong offensive line, and a big, physical running back in the form of Toby Gerhart who is, rather quietly, the 2nd leading rusher in the nation.  Stanford also has Andy Luck, an effective passer with better than average escapability and a great name.  The alleged experts said Oregon couldn't just line up and run right through the Trojan defense two weeks ago.  But they did.  I think Stanford can do the same thing.  If they can avoid a letdown after last week's shootout win over Oregon, the Cardinal will prevail again.  Fear the Tree.
 
#16 Utah at #4 TCU - I've watched TCU (9-0) play a few times, and I'm convinced they are a well-coached team that can be competitive with anybody out there.  They have competent running backs, an efficient passer in Andy Dalton, and a defense that ranks 3rd behind Texas and Florida.  On top of that, Jeremy Kerley leads the Mountain West in kick returns and punt returns.  Utah (8-1) holds a 5-1 edge in the series, and managed to ambush TCU 13-10 in Salt Lake City last year, but, this season, they haven't been as impressive as the 2008 squad that also ambushed Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.  Since losing at Oregon in September, they've won six straight, and won nine of their last ten road games, dating back to last season.  But they've also changed quarterbacks in mid-season, replacing struggling junior Terrance Cain with promising freshman Jordan Wynn.  With the conference championship and a BCS bowl berth at stake, I think the Horned Frogs win convincingly.
 
#1 Florida at South Carolina - Every good Florida fan knows that there is always reason to fear the old Head Ball Coach.  They remember all too well how South Carolina snuck up on the Gators, and scored a 30-22 win in Columbia in 2005, Urban Meyer's first year at Florida.  And Spurrier has said that he will take more control over the play-calling Saturday in an effort to jump start his offense.  They averaged just 12.3 points in the last four games, after averaging 27.3 in the first six.  Quarterback Stephen Garcia is sharp at times, but inexplicably bone-headed at other times.  They are still 19th in total defense, and should present a challenge for a Florida offense that is having a hard time making big plays.  But, likewise, Florida's 2nd ranked defense should stifle the Gamecocks.  Florida has already clinched the SEC's Eastern Division, and just needs to survive until the huge showdown with Alabama.  Rainy weather could be a factor, but that should favor Florida and their ground game.  When in doubt, I'll take any team with Superman at quarterback.  This is one that will make their fans nervous for a while, but the Gators will win.

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Another Day, Another Gouge

It will be interesting to see how the college football world reacts to the news that eye gouging and dirty play isn't limited to someone named Brandon Spikes.

While reviewing video of a play during which a Florida State fumble was recovered by Clemson, someone on Tomahawk Nation.com, an FSU fan site, noticed that Tiger defensive end Andre Branch (#40 in orange in the video below) doing some gouging of his own on Seminole guard David Spurlock (#79 in white).

Watch carefully to the left of the fumble action...



For every alleged expert who claimed to be surprised and offended that such behavior occurs on the field, what are you going to say now?  Shouldn't you be just as surprised and offended at this?  Or does it only matter when it's one of the best defenders in the country on the nation's number one team?

I'm not saying this kind of thing is pretty, and I'm not saying it should be condoned, but if you are aren't willing to openly admit that it is relatively commonplace, you don't know the game well enough to have any credibility with me.

Let me ask you a question.  Do you think the plastic visors that some players fasten to their facemasks are there to help them see?

It only takes a few minutes of searching before you find examples like the video below.  It's Ohio State linebacker Curtis Terry (#55 in white) giving Florida's Tim Tebow a one-two punch before stepping on him.  All of this while Tebow is laying on the ground.  Why do you think Tebow wanted so badly to score that last touchdown in the BCS Championship Game after the 2006 season?



I assume the alleged experts will climb back on their high horses, and demand that Andre Branch be suspended.  And he should be.  For now, it's in the hands of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. 

But I hope they don't pretend that this is a sudden "rash" of bad behavior that was rare until recently.

One thing is certain.  When I watch college football on television this weekend, I will do so the way I have always done it.  With the sound turned down.

Upon Further Further Review (Week 10)

This week, the usual Monday feature is called Upon Further Further Review because, even with the help of video replay officials, college football referees can't seem to get it right...

ConCussed



If you have yet to see this fairly horrifying video of California's Jahvid Best going airborne for a touchdown against Oregon State, and landing on his head, it is not for the faint of heart.

Later, it was revealed that Best had missed two days of practice during the week because of a slight concussion suffered in the win at Arizona State.

While I am glad that it appears Best will be fine, what I want to know is where are all of the alleged experts who were ready to crucify Urban Meyer if Tim Tebow had emerged from the LSU game with anything more than a hangnail?

Why aren't they upset about this?

Irish Bad. Wolverines Worse

Way back in September, after Michigan's exciting win over Notre Dame, many of the alleged experts wanted us to believe that both of these traditional powers had returned to their rightful place of national prominence.

The day after the game, ESPN.com's Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg titled his entry "Michigan is back."

CBSSports.com's Gregg Doyel drooled, "...for close to four hours Saturday, Notre Dame and Michigan mattered again. And you might want to get used to it. Because they're back."

I thought they were wrong at the time, and I said so.

I'm wondering how they feel now.

Saturday, Notre Dame lost at home to Navy to fall to 6-3, and has games remaining at #12 Pittsburgh, against Connecticut, and at Stanford. And that Stanford game is looking tougher and tougher.

Michigan just lost at home to Purdue to fall to 5-5, and they're in the midst of a three game losing streak. They finish at #20 Wisconsin, and at home against #11 Ohio State.

Both coaches may be on the hot seat. And, in the case of Charlie Weis, that's a big seat.

Temple Strikes Gold(en)

Despite the incredibly stupid piece of propaganda included here, Temple coach Al Golden has to be a unanimous choice for Coach of the Year, doesn't he?

In the three years before Golden arrived in Philly, the Owls were 3-31.

Now, at 7-2, they are bowl-eligible for the first time since 1990. They haven't actually been to a bowl since 1979, when they beat California in the Garden State Bowl to finish 10-2.

If they win out, they will be the champions of the East Division of the MAC, and earn a berth in the league championship game.

Their last three games: at Akron, Kent State, at Ohio.

The problem: they average 16,646 fans at their home games. Bowl games aren't terribly inclined to invite a team that's going to leave a bunch of seats empty.

Okay, I Was Possibly Not Correct

I would like to apologize to anyone who read some of the things I've written and, from that, gotten the impression that I thought Penn State was a good team. I had that impression, but I was possibly... not correct.

Penn State is 8-2, but they have beaten a grand total of three teams that have winning records. Two of those teams were Temple and Eastern Illinois.

Given two chances to prove they can compete with the pack leaders in the Big Ten, they choked horribly. And both of those occasions were at home.

First, they were manhandled by Iowa in a 21-10 loss that wasn't as close as the score might indicate. Then came Saturday's 24-7 bludgeoning by an Ohio State team that has looked remarkably average until now.

There's always a temptation to think that Joe Pa is going to field a quality team, but, while this year's Nittany Lions will finish with a decent won-loss record, it's mostly because they've played a weak schedule.