Play is Under Review

Who will win it all? The 2009 edition Part 1

2009-02-11T17:00:00.000-06:00

We did this last year, and it basically came down to a missed free throw by Memphis. (Click on the link to get all of the history from last year.

OK, so let's look at factor number 1.

Free throws.

Only one team has won the championship while shooting under 65% from the line.

So who can we knock out of the top 15 RPI?

No one! Can you believe it?

Pitt (65.5%), Memphis (66.5%) and Louisville (66.4%) are cutting it close.

(Side note. Did you know that in the last three years Memphis went to the elite 8 twice and the championship game last year? Yet they have never won it. I bet they make another run this year. Maybe playing a "soft" schedule in February while the others are beating each other up, allows them to be fresh and ready for the tournament run.)

If you are looking for the flip side, Duke (72.4%) UNC (74.9%) Butler (72.9%) and Kansas (72.7%) are leading the field.

So, we'll move on to the other factors later.

Pitt, Memphis and Louisville...we've got our eyes on you.

If You Are a Bucs Fan, How Do you feel about this Headline???

2009-02-09T20:00:00.000-06:00

As seen on espn.com today...

QB of the future? Buccaneers re-sign McCown

Ouch....

Did A-Rod admit to Anything?

2009-02-09T19:22:00.002-06:00

Just listening to the Peter Gammons interview with A-Rod. And I have some questions.

Why didn't Gammons push him further?

Didn't A-Rod sound like he was following a script?

Doesn't he understand that the fans will forgive him if he is totally honest? Giving only part of the story (I took PED's, but I don't know which one, I don't know who gave them to me, etc) doesn't work.

We're to assume that the highest paid player in baseball, with all the resources around him, just took anything because the culture was "loosy goosy"?

And why do I even care?

I don't like baseball that much....

...and I assumed he and others were already using PED's.

Really???

2009-02-06T20:00:00.000-06:00

I can't wait until five years from now when we are laughing at this quote from Ian Thomsen's article...

Oklahoma sophomore power forward Blake Griffin. The 6-10, 250-pound Griffin is the consensus No. 1 pick and a potential All-Star.

"He's not a polished offensive player, but he's bigger and stronger than everyone he plays against right now,'' a GM said. "And that's another thing in college basketball: It's so small. There are 6-7 centers everywhere and 6-5 power forwards all over the place, and there's just very little size and length. And so that's why some of the big guys aren't quite as good, because they'll have such an adjustment to make in the NBA. But Blake Griffin is strong and quick and athletic, and he plays with intensity. He can't possibly fail.''

Isn't this the equivalent to an AD giving the coach a vote of confidence....

Kobe - Just Be Your Own Man...

2009-02-05T21:58:00.005-06:00

I think fans would love Kobe Bryant so much more, if only he would quit trying to be just like Mike. We get it, you idolize MJ, but do you have to imitate him in everything you do??

Brad Stevens to Coach at Alabama

2009-02-04T20:00:00.000-06:00

Probably won't happen, but I wanted any paranoid Butler fan to google this and actually get a result.

Actually, I'd love to have him as our coach. But it won't happen.

Oh, one man can dream can't he.....

The Offense has the Advantage

2009-02-02T20:00:00.001-06:00

Prevent or not to prevent....that is the question.

The answer is...it doesn't matter.

Arizona proved that if you play your regular defense, they'll just send Fitzgerald over the middle.

Pittsburgh proved that a prevent isn't always the way to go.

So does it just break down this way......

The offense let's loose. They have nothing to loose.

The defense is playing on edge. Don't give up a big play.

If both teams are playing that way, won't the offense win every time?

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

2008-11-28T09:15:00.005-06:00

Have you ever noticed that Gonzaga will always have one white guy on their team with floppy hair? And the guy is usually pretty good. Caught some of the Gonzaga-OK State game last night. The current floppy haired Bulldog is pretty good. He'll probably fall in line with some of the past.

Current player - Matt Boldin

I'm sure you remember Adam Morrison..

And what about Dan Dickau...

So there's hope to you floppy haired high school seniors out there. Just go play at Gonzaga.

We're Going to Be Better In January

2008-11-26T06:00:00.000-06:00

Just a quick update. Let's watch this quote and see if it happens.

'We're going to get better. We're going to be a better team in January than we are right now. We've come out here (to Maui) and played three good halves and one terrible half, the second half against Oregon. That was like a boxing match where they hit us in the nose and we didn't respond. So we talked about being more competitive.'

Let's check back in January and see....

Beating the Dead Horse

2008-11-18T20:30:00.001-06:00

I know you are tired of reading about why we don't have a college football playoff. And right now, I know there are very few articles out there clamoring for one. Except for our president-elect, it seems to be a dead issue.

But just wait.

If Oklahoma beats Texas Tech this weekend, causing an injustice to either Texas, Oklahoma or Texas Tech, everyone will cry foul.

So I'll keep bringing these issues up in order for you to "inform" those around you when they talk about how a certain "injustice" will force the NCAA to have a college football playoff.

If you have time, read Seth Davis's article about UAB recruit Demarcus Cousins and the fact that he wants a promise from the UAB that they will release him should Mike Davis leave.

(Now where would Davis go???? Maybe 60 miles west down the interstate??? Who knows??)

In the article, Seth Davis details out the one-sided letter of intent process. He wrote about it in more detail here.

In his article last year, he wrote that the Conference Commissioners turned the process over to the NCAA. (Now remember, the LOI is 100% in favor of the schools.) And here's what NCAA president Myles Brand said they would do with the process...

We're just there to reconcile the books. We send out the letters, we collect the information and we turn it over to the schools. So we're doing the paperwork, we're not running it.

Unfortunately for the schools, that hasn't been the case. Here's what has happened since then.

The Conference Commissioners Association handed over the administrative duties of the NLI program to the NCAA in October 2007. NCAA president Myles Brand told me at the time that his organization was only "doing the paperwork," but the NCAA is taking on an increasingly active role. This year, the organization decided for the first time to insert language at the very top stressing that the letter is voluntary. "We want these prospects to know what they're getting into," said the NCAA's Susan Peal, the director of the NLI. "Parents call me all the time [with questions], and I tell them hey, you don't have to sign the NLI. The coach will give you an athletics aid agreement, which has to accompany the NLI anyway. Now, will institutions let you do that? Maybe not, but it's worth asking the question."

So what does that have to do with a college playoff system?

Let's just say the BCS president's start thinking about turning over the football championship to the NCAA, under the promise that the NCAA will just be the "administrators" of the system. Do you think they'll remember how the LOI's have been handled?

Suddenly, the NCAA is thinking about someone other than the schools. (Remember, if a player leaves early, it hurts the school's APR score.) While it might be right, the presidents won't like it.

So there you go. Just one more point to use when the playoff debate comes up.

Remember. It ain't happening.

There Goes Our Chance to Go Undefeated

2008-11-17T20:30:00.000-06:00

Two weeks ago, a friend of mine made this statement:

"The Road to 36-0 starts tonight boys!"

He was planning on attending the first exhibition game of the year for the Alabama basketball team. With all of the optimism surrounding our Up Tempo team, why wouldn't you think the team would be good this year? They were even picked to win the SEC West.

And then I saw them play Thursday night. Same old high post offense, same offense against the zone, same old/same old....

However, the Tide won by 54 points. You had to think things were going to be better this year, and maybe they will. However, in Sunday night's season opener it sure wasn't.

In case you are still drinking the football kool-aid and didn't know it, the Tide dropped their season opener to Mercer Sunday night.

We've heard a whole lot about the speed and athleticism of this team. This is what Gottfried had to say before the second exhibition game...

“I’m excited about our team,” Gottfried said as he spoke about tonight’s 7 p.m. exhibition game against Belhaven. “I think we are a lot different. I like our speed and our quickness. We need to utilize that speed and quickness and that’s something we talk about everyday in our staff meeting. I think a lot of guys have improved. I think (senior forward) Alonzo Gee is better, I think (junior forward) Demetrius Jemison is better. Those guys have improved as they’ve gotten a year older. Senario Hillman has improved from a year ago, (Mikhail) Torrance has improved. We’ve still got some questions and concerns about our team, like everybody does, but I’m excited about the potential of the team.

You can be athletic as you want to be, but if you can't hit an outside shot, it won't matter. Which is exactly what happened in the game. The Tide couldn't hit an outside shot, they were outrebounded and needed a super human performance by Ronald Steele, just to get back in the game. But that's OK, because our guys learned a lot.

Did you know that? Sometimes they learn more when they lose than win they win. And knowledge is power, right?

Gottfried tried to find something positive to salvage from the loss.

“The message to the team was that we’ve got to learn from this,” he said. “Sometimes, you learn more from something like this than you do winning the game.”

So much for that 36-0 season....

Daniel Son, You are 11-0

2008-11-16T14:30:00.001-06:00

I've noticed something going on with Tide fans the last couple of weeks that we need to address. It all became quite clear during halftime of Alabama's win over Mississippi State Saturday night.

Just in case you just woke up from a coma, the Tide is now 11-0, has clinched a spot in the SEC championship, is ranked #1 in the nation and has a legitimate shot at the national championship.

During halftime of the game, there was a man walking behind me in the stadium. Here is his exact quote.

"We Suck!"

Now, I have a feeling alcohol may have been involved, so I just kept walking. But I really wanted to turn around and say something to him. And then I thought, nah, I'll just get him back with my ramblings on the blog. (YA! That will get him!)

My real thoughts were, "I'd like to introduce you to my friend who's a Mississippi State fan. He'll trade places with you right now if you'd like." And I had many more thoughts, but who cares, we're not terrible. So I can get over it.

Do you remember the movie Karate Kid? Do you remember how dominate the Cobra Kai looked in the final tournament? They won with style. Daniel, he just kept winning, even though it was ugly sometimes. But he still won.

And I think that is what is going on with Alabama right now. Everyone sees Florida winning big and they think, "Man, why don't we dominate like that?". Suddenly, Bama fans are getting concerned about what will happen on down the line. So they complain about running the ball so much, even though in the fourth quarter they have their opponents worn out. They'll complain that John Parker Wilson is not throwing to some "wide open" receivers, even though he's cut down his interceptions this year.

(Here's a quick tangent. Before you assume a receiver is wide open, watch where the safety is. Those guys can cover a lot of ground in the 5 seconds it takes the ball to get there. Also, make sure there is not a 300 lb lineman in the quarterbacks face.)

What's even more interesting, is if you ask Bama fans about the philosophy of having a dominate running game and a strong defense they will tell you they love it. But when they see it in action, they complain about it at the game. Just ask Gene Stallings, he was winning 10 games a year and folks were complaining about his style. During the game, no one likes seeing a couple of three and outs, but it's just going to happen.

Hey Bama fans, relax. Enjoy the season. These don't come around every year. Don't be afraid of the Cobra Kai, (I mean Florida) we'll get our chance in three weeks. First, let's savor the 11-0 season and see what happens against Auburn.

And if you think I used this analogy, just so I link to the great Joe Esposito hit, you're right...

A True Stud

2008-11-13T20:31:00.000-06:00

College Football Playoff Update

2008-11-12T20:30:00.001-06:00

There is none!!!

I know I sound like a broken record, but you will continue to read and hear these stories until you get the point. There is no financial incentive for the presidents to move to a playoff system.

Now, check out this news from the Sports Buisness Daily.

BCS Considering ESPN Proposal That Would Put Games On Cable

By John Ourand, Staff Writer

The BCS is considering a proposal from ESPN that would see all BCS bowl games, including the championship game, wind up on ESPN, sources familiar with the negotiations are saying. If the BCS ultimately accepts the bid, it would mark the first time all games in a major championship were not available on an over-the-air broadcast network. If the BCS opts to move to ESPN, it would continue a trend that has seen other leagues migrate playoff series exclusively from broadcast to cable. MLB, the NBA and the NHL all have placed playoff games on cable over the past few years. If ABC/ESPN ultimately wins the bid and moves even one BCS game to ESPN, it would trigger a clause in its Rose Bowl contract that would allow it to immediately take the annual game in Pasadena from its home of 21 years on ABC to the cable channel. Sources say Fox still has several days to accept the BCS’ proposal, which is seeking about a 50% annual increase over the current deal’s $82.5M annual fee. The BCS is looking for a 4-year, $500M deal, which would put the average annual payout at around $125M. Fox has proposed a 25% increase, which would average a little more than $102M per year. Though Fox still has several days to match, insiders say it is not likely to increase its bid by enough.

Did you catch that? With the current system, the BCS president's are looking at a 50% annual increase over the current deal. And as they keep getting more money, do you think they want to turn that over to the NCAA to spread out among all the institutions?

Ummmm.... I don't think so.

So keep that in mind as a future playoff is bantered around by media all over the country. When you make the argument that if we have a crazy scenario with four undefeated teams, we'll have to go to a playoff, remember what you've just read.

It's not gonna happen anytime soon my friend.

Also, the BCS finally responded to Obama's call for a playoff system...

One person who won't be swayed by President-elect Barack Obama's recent call for an eight-team national college football playoff is Oregon president David Frohnmayer, chair of the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee.

"We deeply respect the president-elect and we are glad that he is a fan of college football," Frohnmayer said in an e-mail response to ESPN Tuesday. "We have the most compelling regular season in all of sports, and I'm sure that contributes to Senator Obama's enjoyment of our great game."

Frohnmayer opposes a playoff for the former Division I-A. Other presidents on the committee are Rev. John Jenkins (Notre Dame), Robert Khayat (Ole Miss), Mark Nordenberg (Pittsburgh), John Peters (Northern Illinois), Harvey Perlman (Nebraska), Graham Spanier (Penn State) and Charles Steger (Virginia Tech.)

"My colleagues and I on the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee have discussed the future of postseason football on many occasions and we do not believe a playoff would be in the best interest of the sport, the student-athletes or our many other constituencies," Frohnmayer said.

Same story, different day. Am I getting through to you yet?

Penalties are Bad... Or Are They?

2008-11-11T21:00:00.002-06:00

In my continuing search to determine who will be the national champion this year, (Part one discussed experienced QB's if you missed it) I'm disturbed at the results of the second factor.

I feel pretty good about my system. It worked for college basketball. But maybe I'm just way off for college football, or selfishly, at least I hope I am.

If I called in to any talk radio show, posted on any message board, or wrote a post on a sports blog (Hey, wait a minute!) and said that highly penalized teams fair better under the BCS system, I would be laughed at. Mocked. Burned at the stakes. But that's what I'm about to write. I can't believe I'm about to do this, but alas, the facts are the facts.

Conventional wisdom would tell you that a team that is highly penalized will, at some point in the season, self destruct. After all, every game matters in college football and a couple of extra penalties could cost you a game. Which in turn would cost you a chance at a national championship.

But apparently, that's not the case. Take a look at the last five national champions and see how they ranked nationally in number of penalties:

2007 - LSU - 2nd

2006 - Florida - 1st

2005 - Texas - 14th

2004 - USC - 69th

2003 - LSU - 19th

Wow!

With the exception of USC in 2004, every national champion ranked in the top 20 in number of penalties. I've tried to wrap my mind around this, and the only explanation I can come up with is the best teams are the most aggressive. They push everything to limit and are willing to sacrifice a few penalties in order to get away with a few penalties as well.

So...

I guess it's OK to be a heavily penalized team?????

With that being said, let's look at the top 8 teams in the current BCS rankings and see where they rank.

Alabama - 105th - I will not be upset about this at all. As a Bama fan. I just can't!

Texas Tech - 5th

Texas - 34th

Florida - 17th

Oklahoma - 14th

USC - 5th (tied with Texas Tech)

Utah - 23rd

Penn State - 117th

Sadly, these rankings support what has been happening in the previous seasons.

So I guess, this Saturday, I'm going to cheer every time Alabama gets a penalty.

False Starts....

Holding....

Face Mask....

Offsides....

Delay of Game....

Bring em on!!!!!

Why Night Games Are So Loud

2008-11-10T20:30:00.000-06:00

No, I wasn’t there. But I read about it. The LSU PA Announcer came out and said..

The Sun has set in the West. It’s now Nighttime at Death Valley!!

And the crowd went wild.

What is it about night games that make the crowd louder? If you’ve been to any game in the SEC (really is there any other place to see a college football game?) it seems to be louder at night. Death Valley gets all of the attention from the media for being a hostile environment at night, but Jordan Hare, Bryant Denny, the Swamp… they can all be loud at night.

So what causes it?

Most people just assume that fans have had all day to get liquored up and they arrive to the stadium wild and crazy. Then they somehow keep that passion for 4 hours and root their team to a victory.

But think about that for a minute. Does that really make sense? Most drunks I have sat near at a game don’t even know what is going on. They will start rooting for the other team and will cheer whenever something good happens for either team. By the second quarter, they are about to pass out. After halftime, they are usually gone to find some more booze, and much to the delight of the fans around them, they never return.

I don’t want to discount the fact that alcohol plays a part. I’m sure there is a percentage of fans that have partaken and feel a little more comfortable to express themselves at the game. I just don’t see it as the driving factor behind a louder crowd at night.

So what is it?

It’s the sun, or the fact that there is no sun.

Have you ever noticed how much the sun takes a toll on you in the stadium? If you are sitting directly in the sunlight, it feels like it is about 1000 degrees outside. You can walk around the stadium for 2 hours before the game and be comfortable. Once you sit in your seat, the sun starts beaming down on you and you become miserable as the temperature has just increased by 50 degrees.

You’ll cheer if your team scores a touchdown, or has a big sack, but that’s about it. The only thing you are concerned about is “When will I get in the shade?” There is no way you can give your full attention to every play, because you are just trying to survive.

Since drinks run about $400 in the stadium you start finding ways to make those ice cubes last as long as possible. Anything that can substitute for a fan becomes one. It suddenly becomes a battle of wills just to get to the point when the sun goes behind the clouds, or behind the stadium.

We’ve all been in the crowd as you’ve moved from sunlight to shade. The relief around your section is unbelievable.

And it’s also so bright! Sunglasses don’t seem to help and you can’t see every play. So how in the world can you focus on the game?

But not at night games.

You don’t have to worry about the sun. You can cheer for your team on every play because the sun hasn’t sapped every last ounce of energy from you. Suddenly making a little extra noise on 3rd down seems possible. It’s like you have no care in the world.

No need to make that extra run to the concession stand, you’re not hot.

Two big guys sitting in between you? No problem, they aren’t sweating and stinking from the sun.

You start noticing the little things. Like whether a cornerback should turn around or not.

If you’re still not convinced, think about this. In basketball, there is no difference between a day and night game. The fans are fired up either way. What’s the only difference? No sun…….

"Just Another Day In The Park"

2008-11-08T20:27:00.006-06:00

Those were Javy Arenas's exact words after the game. Hilarious! An overtime win is just another day in the park. I don't think so....

Because of a wedding, I was unable to watch the whole game. I was able to catch most of the game on TV and for the first time this year, had to listen to some of the game on the radio. More on that in a moment.

When we got back home, the game was tied with about 4 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. At that point, I realized what the problem was for the Tide tonight. I did not have the shirt on that I have worn for every game this season. Obviously, I was directly responsible for the play of the game on the field.

And guess what happened.

As I was putting the shirt on (Oh yes I did!) John Parker Wilson scrambles for a 40 yard touchdown. Now that's an eerie feeling. Imagine what I was feeling at that moment. The shirt really does matter!!!!

Unfortunately, I didn't get it on in time to prevent the referees from making up a phantom holding call. Believe me, I'll have the shirt on the rest of the season.

As for listening to the game on the radio. First, under no circumstances should Eli Gold ever try to use his "Glen Coffee is coming out of the game, I guess we're having a coffee break" joke again. Can we all agree that this never happened? Second, I love the strategy to get Kenny Stabler back in the both. Pick every former player that would be horrible in the booth and let them be an analyst for one game. The only time Bob Bomhauer spoke up tonight was when they talked about his restaurant.

I also feel the pain of the LSU fans. I went through two seasons of watching my quarterback miss wide open receivers so I know your frustration.

Also, what was up with Roy Upchurch? Was he hurt? Suspended? I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

OK, elephant in the room..... Yes my boy Kareem was burned for a touchdown. Not his finest hour. But I'll stick with the eloquent words of Fred Smoot...

I could shut down Randy Moss for three quarters. I could run three touchdowns back. If he burns me to win the game, ya'll have forgotten everything I've done. Ain't but two people going to love you after that: your wife, if you've got one, and your mama."

In the case of Kareem Jackson, you can add one more person to the list. Under Review will still have a man crush on you KJ......

Crazy Uncle Les

2008-11-07T21:00:00.000-06:00

It's time to get ready for Crazy Uncle Les....

So They Are Against Us Too

2008-11-06T20:30:00.000-06:00

Believe me, I'm not going to let up on this point until everyone realizes what's actually going on with the BCS playoffs.

Chris Dufresne of the LA Times was interviewed by the Big Lead last week. Here's what he was asked...

Q: You have five minutes with BCS coordinator John Swofford to plead your case for a college football playoff. Go.

Here's his response:

I’ve had my five minutes with Swofford. In fact, I’ve spent 10 years talking to commissioners and answering this question and the answer is always the same: There isn’t going to be a playoff. It’s great for people to talk about but it’s not going to happen for reasons that are complex and convoluted.

Basically, the BCS wigs don’t want to mess with a spectacular regular season and a bowl system that has existed for 100 years. They don’t want college football to become college basketball, a back-ended sport where nothing matters but the tournament.

Don’t believe the student/athlete, second-semester football argument. That’s a crock. But there is no great desire to change the status quo. In fact, BCS commissioners voted not to change it until at least through 2013.

As a fan, I understand the frustration.

And he's partially right. We're not going to have a playoff. But he's fallen victim to the same old party line. It seems someone hasn't been reading the Play Is Under Review, have they? I've documented the reasons here.

But he says something that I find really interesting. Check this out...

As a writer, I wouldn’t change a thing because I would rather write about chaos than a four-team seeded playoff in which team A faces team B on a neutral site because that’s the fairest way to settle things?

I don’t need fair.

What I need is Jim Tressel refusing to vote in the coaches’ poll in 2006 because it would require him to reveal whether he voted for Michigan or Florida.What I need is 34 coaches in the USA Today poll being forced to switch their No.1 votes from USC to LSU in 2003 because they were required by contract to crown the winner of the BCS title game.

Unfortunately, the coaches’ No. 1 team didn’t make the BCS game, as USC finished No. 3 in the BCS standings behind Oklahoma and LSU.

You don’t get this kind of stuff with a playoff.

What a farce is to the public is actually oxygen to me.

Interesting....

So that's why you won't hear writers talk about it. It's easier to just write about the injustice than it is to question the reasons why.

Now it's not just the presidents against us, it's the writers too.

Wanted: Experienced QB's

2008-11-05T20:00:00.001-06:00

During the basketball season, I had some fun looking at what factors made up a championship basketball team. And though I caught grief for not picking Memphis to win it all, it turns out that their lack of consistency on the free throw line ultimately did them in.

So let's try to do the same thing with college football. Granted, it won't be the same because we don't have a playoff system, but we'll work with what we have.

(Isn't it funny to see Bob Stoops and Pete Carroll whine about the playoff system? When will someone in the press ask the pointed questions? Instead of yucking it up with the coach, why not ask them, "Have you talked with your president about this? Have you argued with your conference commissioner about this?" And I love how our president-elect would love to change this as well. Man, it's frustrating when no one will address the real issue.)

Can you answer this question off the top of your head? Name the starting QB's for the last seven BCS champions.

You probably don't even remember last year's, but here they are:

2007 - LSU - Matt Flynn
2006 - Florida - Chris Leak
2005 - Texas - Vince Young
2004 - USC - Matt Lienart
2003 - LSU - Matt Mauck
2002 - Ohio State - Craig Krenzal
2001 - Miami - Ken Dorsey

Notice any similarities here? All were either Juniors or Seniors with at least some experience entering the Championship Game. In fact, the only true exception is Matt Flynn and you may or may not remember that they are the only two loss team on this list.

So, experienced QB play is important. Tell me something we don't already know Play is Under Review!!

Here's my counter to that. If everyone knows that, then why were Oklahoma, LSU and Auburn all ranked in the top ten when their starting QB was not a junior or a senior with experience?

I've seen the importance of this first hand. After watching John Parker Wilson lead the Crimson Tide for 3 years, it's amazing to see the difference in his play this year. The stats may not show it, but the number of turnovers have been reduced and the number of sacks definitely have been reduced. He knows when to throw the ball away and he won't make plays that aren't there.

I still remember him just giving Auburn 14 points by turning the ball over twice in front of his end zone in 2006. You can't win close games when you do that. With experience those mistakes just seem to happen less and less.

And sadly, for all of those Tide fans that think next year may be even better... If my theory is correct, then.....well..... let's just not go there right now......maybe we have a Matt Flynn waiting in the wings.... Yea, that's it....I feel better now....

So, if experienced QB play is important, let's see who we can rule out down the stretch. And remember, there will be other factors. We'll get to them in the coming days. Be patient.

Still in the Mix

Alabama - JP Wilson - Senior - Experience

Texas Tech - Graham Harrell - Senior - Experience

Texas - Colt McCoy - Junior - Experience

Florida - Tim Tebow - Junior - Experience

Not Looking So Good

Penn State - Daryll Clark - Junior - 1st year starter

Oklahoma - Sam Bradford - Sophomore - 2nd year starter (Remember there hasn't been a freshman or sophomore in the last 7 years)

USC - Mark Sanchez - Junior - 1st year starter

So, it's not looking so good for Penn State, Oklahoma or USC. But if it were that easy, every team would groom a QB for a couple of years and then when a championship. So there has to be other factors, right??

Turn Around Update

2008-11-04T21:00:00.001-06:00

I received an e-mail from a reader in response to my mini-rant about whether the defensive backs should turn around.

It basically affirms what I believe, but describes it a little better than I do. Apparently, Saban has addressed this in a press conference earlier in the season, however, I have been unable to find it at this point.

The technique described is called "Pinning the Wide Receiver". Saban says it is the standard technique the Alabama defensive backs use in bump and run coverage (especially on the sideline). Here's what the e-mail said:

"A basic teaching for corners when it comes to defending the deep ball down the sideline is that you don't turn and look for the ball until you can get your elbow on the receiver's chest/ribs. That's called 'pinning' him. Then you turn and you're in position to make the play. The theory is that if you turn before then, you won't be in position to defend a well-thrown ball anyway.

So I guess we'll have to look and see if the DB is close enough to get his or her elbow in the receiver's chest or ribs. I'm guessing most of the time, that isn't the case.

Selective Memory

2008-11-03T20:30:00.003-06:00

Earlier this year, I wrote about the similarities between Indiana basketball and Alabama football. Since then, anytime I see something about the Hoosiers in the news, I read it just to see if I was correct in my analogy. (You may or not remember, but I received some comments from IU fans that thought I was way off base....we'll see)

In this week's Sports Illustrated, there is a story on the status of the Hoosier program under Cream. And, just like every other preseason column, it sure does paint everything out to be pretty rosy. Oh sure, they'll have a tough year, but fans are committed to the program going back in the right direction and are willing to wait. We'll see about that.

The article comes down pretty hard on Kelvin Sampson, and rightfully so. They blame him for taking a program known for staying out of trouble with the NCAA and turning them into the "Miami" of college basketball. (It doesn't actually say that, but you get the point.) Even better, they pretend that the program was squeky clean before Sampson arrived.

Here's a line from the article that I find interesting...

If Indiana was no longer the force that had won three NCAA titles under Knight, there was comfort in this: The school played by the rules. It wasn't just that Indiana had not been cited for a major NCAA violation since 1960. For all their differences, neither Knight nor Davis went in for those well-known shortcuts--e.g., offering a recruit's summer coach a salaried position; offering a scholarship to the marginally talented friend of a star player--so common elsewhere in college basketball. "There was pride in doing it the right way when few others were," says Angelo Pizzo, a Bloomington resident who wrote the screenplay for Hoosiers. "It was like, Indiana might lose a few games, but it won't lose its soul."

Oh really???? Indiana never offered a recruit's coach a salaried job under Knight or Davis? I love the statement made by Angelo Pizzo right after that comment. It just sounds so pompus.

There's one problem with that statement. It's just plain wrong. You see, as a resident of the hard streets of the south side of Tuscaloosa, I seem to remember one McDonald's All-American that signed with IU a couple of years ago. You might remember him, his name was D J White. At the time I found it interesting that suddenly Indiana was recruiting a player out of Alabama. (And yes, I get the connection between Mike Davis and Alabama)

However, you may not know that IU hired a high school basketball coach, ironically from the same high school White played at, to be an assistant coach at IU.

White’s high school coach, Thad Fitzpatrick, was an assistant on Davis’ staff for two seasons at Indiana. Now head basketball coach and assistant principal at Brookwood High, Fitzpatrick believes White has truly begun to reach his potential.

“I knew if things worked out for D.J., he had a chance to be really special, and he has become special,” Fitzpatrick said. “His game has always been very solid. He’s always been skilled, but I think he’s had a chance to take his game to another level.”

I'm sure it's just pure coincidence that the Hoosiers hired this high school coach for two years to work at an elite college and now he's back down at the high school level again. As we all know, before Sampson came to IU, they would never stoop to such tactics.

It gets even better. The same article documents IU doing the same thing again. Yes, it is a little more justifiable this time around, but where's the "pride in knowing you are doing the right thing"?

Crean appears willing to split the difference between the outdated rectitude of Knight and the recklessness of Sampson. In a sign-of-the-times personnel move, Crean hired Roshown McLeod as an assistant coach in August. A former standout at Duke and an NBA player, McLeod had been an influential and well-connected figure in AAU circles. McLeod played high school basketball at St. Anthony's, the New Jersey powerhouse and current school of guard Dominic Cheek, one of the country's top high school seniors. As recently as June, Cheek hadn't considered Indiana at all; now it's suddenly on his short list of schools. "[McLeod] came highly recommended by coaches I respect like Mike Krzyzewski and Lenny Wilkens," says Crean. "He played at a high level and can work with our wings and big men."

As I said in April, welcome to the Franchonie era Hoosiers.....

Follow The Money - Reminder

2008-11-02T15:28:00.003-06:00

As we get to the final stretch of the college football season. I'm going to repost my "manifesto" on why we do not have a playoff. Don't get fooled into thinking we'll have a playoff anytime soon. Don't fall into the trap that says "If we have a crazy enough scenario, then they will have to go to a playoff system."

From Jan 15, 2008

I was recently in a discussion with a friend about the rules of etiquette for being a fan. I asked him, "At what point in your frustration with the play of your team, can you give up on them and not watch them?" His response was that, as a fan (i.e. fanatic), you have to stick with your team in the good times and the bad. Part of being a fan is suffering with your team through the bad times and experiencing the joy of them getting better. And I agree with the logic. And because of that logic, it will be a long time before we have a playoff system in college football.

What does being a fan have to do with a college football playoff system? Last week, the University of Georgia President, Michael Adams, made headlines by saying he had a plan for a college football playoff system. This got everyone excited because it came from a university president. If a president could get behind it, the talking heads would say, then it might happen. But as usual, this article came out today. Basically, the presidents state they will "look into it" but there will be no playoff system next year.

I love a good sports conspiracy theory more than anyone. And I have been fascinated by talk radio and newspapers and how they cover this topic. Virtually everyone just argues with the BCS "logic" for why there will be no playoff system. The main arguments made by the BCS revolve around academics, the regular season, and the bowl system. In fact , Mike Slive (commissioner of the SEC) makes these points in a statement on the BCS website (http://www.bcsfootball.org/):

"There really is no interest exhibited presently by our presidents or chancellors or many others in having a playoff. I try to think about it in terms of, 'what is in the best interest of college football?' I think three principles need to be applied. One is that college football is part of higher education, part of the academic mission of our institutions and that's an important piece of the puzzle that's always going to be there. Two, football has a wonderful regular season, an exciting regular season that's maybe the best regular season of all sports. Three, we've had a wonderful 100-year relationship with the bowl system.

"So the postseason has to meld those three systems into something that is good for college football."

This leads college football fans and the talk show circuit to argue the merits of these points. It makes for fascinating talk and good ratings, especially when someone argues that the BCS works. Almost everyone "disagrees" with the system, yet everyone tunes in to the national title game and hopes something will change in the future. The rest of this post could be spent arguing against every point made by the BCS. Yet it is pointless, because those factors have nothing to do with whether we have a playoff system in college football.

The problem is, everyone has ignored the elephant in the room. Here's the real reason we don't have a playoff system. Under the current system, the presidents (BCS) control the flow of money generated from the BCS. If we were to go to a playoff system, the NCAA would control the flow of money earned from the playoffs. A playoff system would most likely generate more upfront money, but that doesn't mean that the presidents will get more money in the end. And since the main job of university presidents (and AD's for that matter) is to raise money, what incentive do they have to change the system?

So, why don't the presidents just come out and say that? Because if they do, they look greedy. Instead, they hide behind the arguments of academics and the relationship with the bowls and that makes them "look" better.

So what can a fan do? The only way for us to change the system is for fans to quit caring about the games. The TV money and donations would fall off and then the presidents would be forced to make changes. But guess what, it's not going to happen. If my team makes it to the championship game, I'm going to be with them to the end. I'll check the BCS standings every week and argue about a playoff system in which they would be included. I'll root for the teams ahead of them in the standings to lose. I'll be fanatical about how my team's conference is much tougher than another.

Meanwhile, the presidents will sit back and laugh. Sure, they will issue a statement saying they'll look into an "And-1" game or something like that. We as fans will get all excited. And because I'm a true fan of my team and can't give up on them regardless of the circumstances, it will be a long time before we see a playoff in college football.

So, let the presidents build up the "student-athlete". Let the media tell you the BCS works. Meanwhile, just remember, your donations for your football tickets are due in a couple of months.

Why The Celtics Won't Repeat This Year

2008-11-01T12:00:00.000-05:00

Who Scheduled this Cupcake?

2008-10-31T20:30:00.000-05:00

It's bound to happen. Probably around the middle of the show. It's as predictable as Kirk Herbstreit showing love for any Big 10 team.

One of the guys on the Gameday crew will call out Alabama for scheduling Arkansas State. Forgetting that Alabama played Clemson on Opening Day of the season while everyone else was playing a creampuff, they'll try to get the crowd fired up by asking Alabama to play a tougher team like Texas or Texas Tech. (Insert wild crown scream at this point)

Yet, I uncovered this little nugget about the game this Saturday.

Alabama was a relatively late addition to ASU’s schedule. The Red Wolves were originally scheduled to play Penn State — which is ranked third this week — but ESPN helped put together a deal that put Oregon State on the Nittany Lions’ schedule and added ASU to the Crimson Tide’s slate last December.

And yes, as a fan, I would love for the Tide to be playing USC or Ohio State this weekend. But I'll settle for the laughs I'll get from knowing the truth.