Friday, January 30, 2009

Podcast: Episode 22





After a longer-than-expected hiatus, we're back with another episode of An 'Eye and an 'Eer. College Football season never truly ends for Phil and Tom. Today we discuss the annoying development in recruiting that involves high school players trying to one up each other in how they announce their decision.

We also look at the best quarterback coming out of college and the Mountain West Conference's plea to be included in the Bowl Championship Series. We also give you our dream game for WVU and Ohio State.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Phil and Laurinaitis ... Buckeyes for life

Phil and James Laurinaitis probably have more in common than I realize. But now I know of at least one thing. Once a Buckeye always a Buckeye.

Podcast on hold


The fans of An 'Eye and an 'Eer: College Football Podcast are spread out all over the world. However, Phil and I both reside in different parts of Ohio. In case you haven't noticed our weather is real crappy today.

So Phil is stuck in his cubicle in Columbus. Yes, he braved the frozen tundra on I-70 or 270 or whatever overly crowded road that gets him to work each day. Now that he is at work he can't come home at lunch to record the podcast.

My situation is a little different. Working at an institution of higher education, our campus was closed today because we are blanketed with a sheet of ice. So I can't access my computer as well.

Stay tuned. We'll get it done tomorrow or Friday.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Two months and counting

Since we have a lot of WVU fans who regularly check out this blog. Here is some good news.

The Mountaineers begin spring practice on March 24 and the spring game is on April 18. So it's only a few months before Jarrett Brown takes over for Pat White.

It's up to Phil to update our OSU fans on the Buckeyes.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Pat White shows why he's an NFL QB

Every scout has a flaw.

Baseball scouts rely too heavily on radar guns. Football scouts rely to much on 40 times and 225 bench press reps. When it comes to evaluating future NFL quarterbacks, height and arm strength are the top two.

That's why they don't project West Virginia's Pat White as a pro quarterback. Then he apparently had a poor week of practice for the Senior Bowl. So what did he do in the game? Just took MVP honors and showed off a very strong and accurate arm.

Why can't the scouts look at his strengths? He's mobile. He's athletic. He's a winner. I know he's not Peyton Manning. But I'd bet he's a better pro than Vince Young or JaMarcus Russell.

So give me Pat White as my third stringer for a year and I'll bet he's No. 2 by Year 2. He'll be an outstanding back up and potentially a solid starter in the NFL. He's a new-breed Kordell Stewart. He just needs an opportunity.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

He's Michigan's problem now

RichRod goes 3-9 in his first year at Michigan and he goes around the state making fun of it. How long will the Michigan fans and administration tolerate this prick?

Now I just watch and laugh. Not my problem any longer.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Buckeyes fans rejoice

Archie Griffin and his back-to-back Heisman Trophys are sacred to Ohio State fans. When Tim Tebow won last season many of those fans feared Superman's potential to win in 2008.

Thank you Sam Bradford. Sort of. Now Bradford is the man challenging Griffin's place in history. And let's not forget that Tebow could win it again.

However, the very reliable Heisman site, HeismanPundit.com, says there is no reason to worry.

Friday, January 23, 2009

ESPN poll lacks prestige

If you have been following the daily releases of ESPN.com's "prestige poll," which is supposed to rank all of the schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision in order of prestige. So how do you rank prestige?

The final five were just released and Oklahoma is on top. Yep, that Oklahoma. What a crock.

This is why people hate ESPN. This is what the Worldwide Leader loves. Fans from schools like Notre Dame, Alabama, Florida and Ohio State get all worked up and flood the site with comments and hate mail to the offices in Bristol.

This poll is flawed in so many ways. My biggest complaint is the emphasis put on conference championships. Schools in Conference USA or the Big East are at a big disadvantage since these are relatively new conferences, therefore limiting their ability to earn as many points as say long-time participants of the SEC, Big 10 or Pac-10.

They put in some language about Independent schools earning bonus points if they ranked ahead of at least three of the big six conference champs in the final poll. Only Notre Dame really benefits from that rule.

Thanks for trying ESPN, but this list lacks credibility and ... prestige.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Nothing better to do links

Hope this saves you some time and gives you some recent college football news.

* At first glance, Nick Saban's snatching of Auburn coach James Willis seemed like a stomach punch to new coach Gene Chizik. On second glance, Saban may have been suckered.

* I've never thought too highly of South Florida's Jim Leavitt. Now he's proving even more what a paranoid, gutless coach he is.

* Finally, another "intelligent college football fan" who doesn't think a playoff is a better option for Division I.

* Good for Chris Smelley, the former South Carolina quarterback who was treated like a piece of meat by Steve Spurrier. Now he'll be playing baseball for the Crimson Tide.

* Maybe the Florida Gators miss former assistant coach Doc Holliday, who is now at WVU, more than anyone expected.

* Syracuse's biggest recruit may actually be at the University of North Carolina right now. Hey Butch, any restrictions on your transfers?

* Now this criticism of the BCS is one I can support.

* Piling on Rich Rodriguez continues. He, he, he he.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Instead of a podcast ...

With Phil and I taking a week off from the podcast, we decided to have an online discussion about some topics that are of interest to us right now. Email us any questions you would like us to answer in two weeks.

Here we go ...

In 2008, Alabama, Utah and Ole Miss were big surprises. Who do you believe could be the surprise team or teams of 2009?

Phil: Based on the second-year coach at a national power theory that seems to have some legs over the past decade (Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama last year) I'll take Nebraska and Bo Pelini. That mix of a new coach, players who have been losing and new infusion of talent always seems to pay off in the second year. The 'Huskers had a nice win over Clemson in the Gator Bowl, seem to have a nice core returning and a coach in his second year. Oh yeah, and they play in the Big 12 North which won't exactly be confused with the SEC East any time soon. Mizzou is really the only challenger.

Tom: This is a bit of a stretch, but I'm going with your theory of second year coaches and taking UCLA and Rick Neuheisel. The Bruins have a lot more to overcome than Nebraska, but Neuheisel is a great recruiter and the Pac-10 is a thin conference. This would allow UCLA to move up quickly. Getting past USC, Oregon and Arizona could still be a challenge, but that's what it takes to be the surprise team. So I'm rolling the dice with the Bruins.

What coach is on the hot seat in 2009?

Tom: There will be a handful of coaches whose jobs are on the line. I could see Rich Rodriguez at Michigan, Bill Stewart at WVU, Charlie Weis at Notre Dame and Al Groh at Virginia all needing improved seasons over 2008 to save their jobs. But Louisville's Steve Kragthorpe. Following a second straight losing season and a late-season collapse, the Cardinals fans are restless. By all accounts Kragthorpe is a good person and good football coach. But this wasn't supposed to be a rebuilding job. The news didn't get much better for Kragthorpe after heir-apparent at quarterback, Matt Simms, announced he is transferring.

Phil: Obviously the big name on the hot seat is going to be Charlie Weis at Notre Dame - especially if Jon Gruden doesn't get another job. Those rumors are already floating around. Another name that might be on the hot seat, for retirement purposes anyway, is Bobby Bowden. The NCAA is about to come down somewhat on the 'Noles for academic improprieties and with Jimbo Fisher there and drawing a nice salary, you have to think the FSU administration will send Bobby riding into the sunset.

What are your thoughts on your rival, Michigan, hiring former Syracuse coach Greg Robinson as the Wolverines defensive coordinator?

Phil: Not sure what to make of it, yet. Robinson was a fairly successful DC at Texas and in the NFL, but his stint at Syracuse was such an unmitigated disaster, it's hard to say what he'll accomplish at UM. Is his confidence shattered? Have offenses changed too much since he was calling signals? Or maybe he'll relish the chance to not be the man in charge anymore and be excited about not having that pressure. One thing is for sure, the UM defense will have a difficult time being worse than it was by the end of last season.

Tom: Robinson has been a successful D-Coordinator and I think he'll fit right in at Michigan. You're right, the Wolverines can't get any worse. He's still very well respected in coaching circles and he'll prove that he's a strong coordinator and miserable HC.

Speaking of coaches potentially on the hot seat, as an old-timey 'Canes fan, what do you make of Randy Shannon firing his offensive coordinator and now losing his defensive coordinator and then saying is he can't find the right fit at DC, he'll just be the DC himself?

Tom: So what he's saying is he wants to be the D-Coordinator. He probably was anyways and explains why the guy left. This is going to have a negative long-term impact on the Hurricanes, though. Who wants to go to Miami now and be a coordinator? Not anyone who is any good. Shannon is proving why he shouldn't be the head coach at the U.

Phil: Shannon's judgment just gets more and more questionable in my eyes. The whole saga surrounding the Robert Marve transfer when Shannon wanted to limit what schools he could go to and then firing Patrick Nix. Now, Bill Young leaves after a single season as DC? Granted it was for a big paycheck at his alma mater, Okie State, but it still sends an interesting message - and to me it seems that perhaps Randy Shannon is feeling the heat and not responding well.

Let's talk about the Buckeyes a little. It seems Jim Tressel's decision to go with freshman Terrelle Pryor over senior Todd Boeckman may have divided the locker room a bit this season. Now that the senior class is gone and a few juniors, can Tressel and Pryor garner the respect they need to lead the Buckeyes in 2009?

Phil: Certainly having the Pryor/Boeckman issue behind this team will help next year. I don't think there's anyone who is going to question Pryor as the quarterback and the 2009 edition of the Buckeyes will have a heavy emphasis on underclassmen. I think what might help is that this group won't have many players who were involved in the Florida or LSU losses or that played much in the loss to USC. I thought last year's group really had some confidence issues that came with those big losses.

Tom: You are way more in touch with this issue than I am, but I have to believe that this was a bigger distraction than anyone involved at OSU led on about. It seemed that many seniors underperformed for the Buckeyes this year and that players had picked sides. I believe Tressel is excited to see a changing of the guard taking place in Columbus.

Speaking of Bill Young going to Okie State for $700K, Illinois tried to hire Larry Johnson Sr. away from Penn State for $400,000. USC hired the former Denver offensive coordinator and rumor had it that they had budgeted up to $1 million for the gig. Are assistant coach salaries out of control?

Tom: The assistants who are getting the big bucks come in two forms. The first group is made up of the nation's top recruiters — WVU's Doc Holliday and Penn State's Johnson. The second group is made of the coaches in waiting — FSU's Jimbo Fisher and Texas' Will Muschamp. It's out of control when you put into perspective the economic times we are living in right now. But honestly, the assistant coaches were woefully underpaid for many years. I think it's about time for them to get paid. However, with the big paycheck come bigger expectations and less tolerance for short-term failure.

Phil: It seems as if the battle for assistant coaches is getting as brutal as recruiting. Realistically, as much as head coaches make, it was only a matter of time until assistant coach salaries skyrocketed, but this seems silly. Staff continuity used to be a huge thing, but now coaches seem more intent on bringing in all-star coaching staffs. Sounds good on paper, but you have to wonder if it will backfire. There are a lot of big egos in those rooms.

Don't cry ... Podcast returns next week

We know many of you look forward to our weekly podcast, but during the offseason we'll do the podcast every other week. So tune in next Wednesday for a new podcast from Phil-shy and Tom.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Sooners don't cry ... or do they?



Found this funny video over at With Leather and just couldn't resist posting. Not as timely as it would have been 10 days ago. But still worth it. I can just feel the love between UT and OU.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Early entrants



Well, Ohio State took it a bit on the chin from early entrants to the NFL Draft this year. While running back Beanie Wells was certainly no surprise, it was the departure of WR Brian Hartline and CB Donald Washington that was unexpected. Rumors had flown for awhile that both would be leaving this season, but it was still in kind of a "really?" sort of way.

I'll try to not judge their decisions as I'm certainly not privy to anyone's financial situation or personal history within the program. Hartline was OSU's big play guy this year at times, but struggled with consistency and was reportedly unhappy after the QB change was made from his friend Todd Boeckman. Washington was suspended for two games this year and never took back his starting job from Chimdi Chekwa, but he played frequently.

Both players were redshirt juniors, so perhaps they felt attached to the large senior class. Hartline I can somewhat understand as his draft position was unlikely to change next year. But Washington could have put another full year as a starter under his belt and likely been OSU's top corner, improving his stock from a late rounder to perhaps as high as the third round.

Oh well.

Here's the complete list of early entrants.

Did a tight end from Rice actually declare early?

More bad news, Pete




I guess we'll find out how indestructible the Pete Carroll/USC machine is this year. Not only did Mark Sanchez dare to disagree with Peter the Great on his NFL future, coaches seem to be on their way out in droves.

First, Steve Sarkisian took the job at Washington, then he proceeded to hire away USC defensive coordinator Nick Holt - who, it seems even took a pay cut to leave LA and get out from under Pete's thumb.

Now, new offensive coordinator Carl Smith, who has yet to call a play for the Trojans, decides to interview with the Browns.

Of course, any self-destruction of the Trojans is probably wishful thinking by the rest of college football. Pete knows what wins in college football is talent. And USC still has a truckload.

But, for the rest of us, it was nice to see a little of Pete's teflon chipped away thanks to the Sanchez press conference. There are things you can get bad pub about and it won't hurt you - being a jerk to the media, raging against officials or the BCS and whining about other coaches. But you can't be a jerk about your players leaving early for the NFL or withdrawing scholarships (ahem, Steve Spurrier) - because it can bite your recruiting.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Utah ... enough complaining



Utah is so cute.

Your team went 13-0 and defeated SEC power Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Now you had a fancy parade to celebrate the season. They even called Parade of "Champions."

Sort of has a youth football feel to it. Everyone is a winner. Everyone gets a trophy at the end of the season. Congratulations on a great season. You should be proud. But stop complaining about the system. If we had a playoff, the Utes would have lost in the first round.

No parade.

I also understand Coach Kyle Whittingham, proclaiming at the end of the rally: "Utes-Gators. Neutral site. Winner take all."

Really. Is that what you want?

A thorough butt-whipping by the Gators wouldn't give you anything to bitch about all offseason.

It was a great season. Leave it at that.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Is Carroll the only one who thinks Sanchez is wrong?



I watched Mark Sanchez play about three games this year. Not enough to evaluate his NFL potential, but enough to think he's one of the top three quarterbacks in this year's draft.

After watching his coach, Pete Carroll, whine his way through the news conference and basically tell every NFL GM that taking Sanchez is a 50-50 proposition, I thought I'd see what some of the experts had to say.

Above is video of Mel Kiper saying Sanchez could be the No. 1 overall pick. Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer was on Colin Cowherd's The Herd today and he said he went back and watched every game Sanchez played in this year and he considers him the best QB prospect because of his footwork and quick release.

So maybe Coach Pete owes Mr. Sanchez an apology today.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Pete Carroll: Stop being such a jerk



With all of those Blue Chip, 5-Star recruits you would think USC's Pete Carroll would just wish Mark Sanchez the best of luck in the NFL and move on with Mitch Mustain or Aaron Corp or Garrett Green or incoming frosh Matt Barkley.

Instead, Carroll came off as a spoiled, no-it-all baby during Sanchez' press conference. Sure you'd love the guy back for another year. Say, how did that work out for Matt Leinart?

Playoff? Not with TV ratings like this

It seems any "fan" of college football is clamoring for a playoff following the BCS Championship game. Here is more proof that the bowl system is very popular (and that Phil and I are right). Thanks to Jon Solomon at the Birmingham (Ala.) News for the ratings.

Bowl TV Ratings (with increase/decrease from last year)
BCS Title Game, 15.8 (+10%)
Rose, 11.7 (+5%)
Fiesta, 10.4 (+35%)
Sugar, 7.8 (+11%)
Capital One, 6.4 (-30%)
Orange, 5.4 (-27%)
Champs Sports, 4.5 (+41%)
Cotton, 4.4 (+26%)
Gator, 4.1 (+58%)
Emerald, 4.0 (+29%)
Meineke Car Care, 3.9 (+22%)
Alamo, 3.9 (+70%)
Holiday, 3.9 (+5%)
Chick-fil-A, 3.4 (-23%)
Poinsettia, 3.2 (+88%)
Outback, 2.7 (-7%)
Hawaii, 2.6 (+100%)
Music City, 2.4 (-29%)
Liberty, 2.3 (-34%)
Sun, 2.2 (-4%)
New Mexico, 2.2 (+29%)
Las Vegas, 2.2 (+5%)
Motor City, 2.1 (-9%)
Humanitarian, 2.1 (+200%)
EagleBank, 1.9 (New Bowl)
International, 1.8 (+29%)
Papajohns.com, 1.7 (-12%)
GMAC, 1.7 (+70%)
Armed Forces, 1.4 (-18%)
St. Petersburg, 1.1 (New Bowl)
Independence, 0.8 (-50%)
New Orleans, 0.7 (-50%)
Insight, 0.4 (0%)
Texas, 0.1 (-67%)

Average Bowl TV Rating By Conference
Big 12, 6.13 (7 games)
Big Ten, 5.70 (7 games)
SEC, 5.65 (8 games)
Pac-10, 4.80 (5 games)
Mountain West, 3.36 (5 games)
ACC, 3.34 (10 games)
Big East, 2.68 (6 games)
WAC, 2.18 (5 games)
Sun Belt, 1.40 (2 games)
MAC, 1.30 (5 games)
Conference USA, 1.22 (6 games)

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Podcast: Episode 21





Really, the College Football season is over? Where did it go?

Well the Florida Gators are National Champs and it's time to go into the off season. Phil and Tom won't spend too much time talking about recruiting, but in this episode we will discuss a future that includes a playoff, make some stupid predictions for 2009, decide if Tim Tebow is about to become the most hated player in College Football history and what underclassmen have made the worst decision to come out early for the NFL Draft.

Oh yea, and we'll talk about that BCS Championship game a little. We will continue to do the podcast, but now we are going to every other week until late summer.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Fulmer Cup predictions

Since we began this blog five months ago, 'Eye and I have gone to a new level of fanaticism in keeping up with the latest in college football. With the season complete I find new things to follow. I'm sure 'Eye was familiar with the Fulmer Cup, but it's new to me. It was created by the very popular and legendary college football blog Every Day Should Be Saturday.

To my surprise, WVU is the pre-offseason favorite to win this year's Fulmer Cup. Not really something to be proud of. This post by Miami Hawk Talk breaks down the potential Top 10 candidates in a real, and humorous manner. Have to admit, even I found it funny as they ripped the Mountaineers. 'Eye will be glad to know that Ohio State didn't land on the list, but The Big Ten has an impressive three teams in the running, including Michigan at No. 10.

So far, the Troy Trojans are in the lead for 2009.

UGA's unrealistic expectations



I'm trying to decide what is worse, Mark Davenport's performance on Palestra.net or Georgia's future with Joe Cox as the replacement to Matthew Stafford. At least expectations are realistic. UGA just wants another championship. When was that last one?

Monday, January 12, 2009

Live From New York ... It's a BCS parody

In an attempt to display some level of fair play or equal time, here is a pretty funny clip from Will Forte on Saturday Night Live where he pledges his love for the Bowl Championship Series. Not saying the BCS is perfect, but give me my bowls.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Little more Sooner bashing

Thought I was done beating up on the Oklahoma Sooners, but some last-minute perusing before bed led me to two pretty funny developments. First, someone has registered the website www.chokelahoma.com and then redirected it to www.soonersports.com. The second is the latest video/song from Ryan Parker at ryanparkersongs.com.

Enjoy.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

OU ... Sooner or later the new Ohio State

Here's a solution:

Next year, let Oklahoma and Ohio State play in a BCS bowl game. At least then one of them would win (someone would win right?).

For all those Big Ten and Ohio State haters, it's time to clear something up. Oklahoma is way more over-rated than the Buckeyes. In my eyes, the Sooners are now the nation's most over-rated program ... even ahead of Penn State, Virginia Tech and Georgia.

For some reason The Choke and the Sooners have been given a pass on their BCS futility and will probably be ranked in the Top 5 for 2009. The only group who really calls OU out is, of course, Texas Longhorns fans.

In my opinion, and I think the facts prove me right, Oklahoma has been more feeble in big games than the Buckeyes (don't tell me playing Texas Tech at home was a big game).

We all know Ohio State has lost three consecutive BCS games, including the title game in 2007 and 2008, and the disastrous trip out west to play USC earlier this season. How about the teflon Sooners? The Choke's boys have muffed their past five BCS contests:

2004: Lost to LSU, 21-14, in the BCS National Championship
2005: Lost to USC, 55-19, in the BCS National Championship
2007: Lost to Boise State, 43-42, in the Fiesta Bowl
2008: Lost to West Virginia, 48-28, in the Fiesta Bowl
2009: Lost to Florida, 24-14, in the BCS National Championship

It's moratorium time here. Even if Oklahoma is the lone undefeated team at the end of the 2009 regular season the Sooners are banned from the title game. Let's just say it's Florida and USC now so we can stop all of the playoff talk.

Gene Chizik all day, every day











We know the folks in the SEC are crazy about their football. But as I follow college football news around the nation, I can't decide if I'm impressed with the endless stories, videos and coverage of SEC football.

The Birmingham News and its stable of beat writers does an excellent job of covering Alabama, Auburn and SEC football in general. While the Tide remains the main focus, Auburn gets its fair share of coverage. Gene Chizik usually makes a daily appearance in the paper and online.

Above is a recent interview with Chizik that appeared on the Auburn blog on the Birmingham site, who may have been a good choice. He's put together a pretty good coaching staff and if given time might get Auburn back to the top of the SEC. He looks a little annoyed to have to do another interview, but he'll either get used to it in The Plains or flame out in a few years.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Sooners National Champions?



Maybe Bob Stoops should be the first caller. Might even be funnier to see Tim Tebow throwing these around during spring practice. (Tip of the cap to Awful Announcing for this video).

Our Top 25 (Jan. 9)

School (LR) Record
1. Florida (1) 13-1
2. USC (3) 12-1
3. Texas (2) 12-1
4. Utah (6) 13-0
5. Oklahoma (4) 12-2
6. Alabama (5) 12-2
7. Texas Christian (13) 11-2
8. Penn State (8) 11-2
9. Oregon (18) 10-3
10. Ohio State (10) 10-3
11. Mississippi (20) 9-4
12. Virginia Tech (19) 10-4
13. Boise State (7) 12-1
14. Georgia (15) 10-3
15. Missouri (NR) 10-4
16. Texas Tech (9) 11-2
17. Oklahoma State (14) 9-4
18. Cincinnati (11) 11-3
19. Oregon State (NR) 9-4
20. Florida State (24) 9-4
21. Iowa (22) 9-4
22. California (NR) 9-4
23. West Virginia (NR) 9-4
24. Georgia Tech (12) 9-4
25. Nebraska (NR) 9-4

Other receiving votes: LSU, Michigan State

FOX F-ups

'Eye and 'Eer have duly noted our disgust for the coverage that FOX-TV has tormented all of us to during the BCS Bowls. Well, it didn't get much better last night. Clearly, Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis were watching a different game than the rest of us. This exchange in the second quarter drove me nuts.

Brennaman was getting all jacked up for no reason. Isn't there someone talking to him in his earpiece to let him know he's f-ing up? The down and distance is right there at the top of the screen. Someone tell these idiots.

So when Brennaman and Davis are telling Bob Stoops to go for it on fourth down it is actually third down. They even seem surprised when the Sooners are stopped on third down why the offense isn't leaving the field.

This doesn't even touch on the poor play calling by BCS choke artist Stoops.


Thursday, January 8, 2009

Live Blog: for all the marbles, the BCS National Champeenship o the World

2:26 Fourth: That was quick. OU couldn't muster a first down. Heisman jinx continues as Bradford looked pretty average tonight. And the Tebow worship begins, although i think Percy Harvin was the best player in this game.

3:00 Fourth: By the way, Oklahoma, watch out for the shovel pass off the option action. criminy. how can that play work every time? and there's the jump pass. 24-14 Gators iwth the lead.

9:59 Fourth: OU driving again, but Gator DB makes a terrific play and snags an interception. If Florida can score a TD here, it could be awfully tough for OU to pull this one out.

11:00 Fourth - Gators have to settle for a field goal after Harvin goes out with a dinged ankle and Tebow throws two passes out of bounds. Thought this one was going to be over early tonight, but I have a feeling this last 10 minutes is going to drag on for awhile.

Momentum's name is Percy Harvin as he rips off 52 yards. Amazing how they can get the kid the ball in space. While 75 percent of this game has been penalty-laced crap, we could at least get a good finish.

And the Sooners tie it up, 14-14 as Bradford hits the TE on a nice play. Good drive by OU, taking advantages of some mismatches and some good throws from Bradford.

Start of the fourth: 14-7 Florida. Well, it finally got interesting. For awhile there I switched to PBS to watch History Detectives. But Tebow got everybody going by yelling a lot, which makes him the world's greatest leader. Anyway, nice drive and Gators go on top. OU has stopped being able to run the ball and keep getting stuffed on short yardage. And now the Gators block a field goal, but OU holds and gets the ball back.

Third qtr: This thing's kind of a snoozer. Tebow just missed Harvin on a go.

half: 7-7. OU with a big turnover right before halftime costs them three points. Interesting half. Lots of yards, but not a lot of points and three turnovers.

6:00 2nd: Big sequence as Tebow throws a pick. OU runs the ball to the 1, but a big stop from the Gators. of course, Fox wasn't sure what down it was. ugh. shouldn't these guys be better at this by now?

11:49 Now that's a response. Sooners tie it up on a beautiful drive that looked like it was being played in fast forward. A little surprised to see OU line up and run the ball so easily.

Start of the second qtr: Gators score on a nice throw by Tebow and a nice catch and dive into the EZ. 'Homa looks frustrated to me already. Maybe the pace will pick up a little at least.

1:43 Did Thom Brenaman just say Tim Tebow is "the unquestioned greatest leader in college football today." ??? Is it possible for anyone to describe this kid without going completely over the top.

Penalties kill a promising drive for the Sooners. Is OU trying to wheel route the Gators into submission?

9:20 First quarter - Tebow throws a pick because he waits too long to make the throw on the sideline. Jesus weeps.

First quarter - Both Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow have thrown incompletions. ESPN has new poll up: Who is more overrated? Just interviewed Skip Bayless who says the Heisman committee should by hung by their balls for not naming Colt McCoy Heisman winner. Outside the Lines announces new special: "Is Everyone Not what We Make them out to Be?"

Help me out ...

With the BCS title game just hours away, I still don't know whether to cheer for Florida or Oklahoma. Neither team is very appealing to me.

Bob Stoops is a horrible big-game coach, so maybe I'd like to see him change his fortunes (not really). Urban Meyer is pretty arrogant for someone who gets to coach and recruit one of nation's hotbeds for college players. It's easy to be cocky when you get to pick and choose the best players in the country and not work that hard.

Sam Bradford is just plain. He simple looking and his game is one dimensional. Sit in the pocket, hope for no pressure and pick apart a defense. Get pressure on him and he looks like Marcus Outzen. Tim Tebow .... OK, I know all of the great things about Tebow. He loves his family. He loves his country. He loves God. He's the perfect man. I'm just tired of Tebow.

Oklahoma has a huge offensive line and they mowed down opponents all season. Florida has crazy speed and no one can keep up with them.

So on and so.

I just don't know who to root for. So I'm open to pitches from our fans. Tell me who I should pull for tonight.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Podcast: Episode 20





The BCS Championship Game is tomorrow night, so it's time to provide a little analysis of the Florida Gators and Oklahoma Sooners, and of course, make our predictions. We also spend some time reflecting on the other BCS Bowl games, including Texas' come-from-behind win over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Other topics include Boston College's Jeff Jagodzinki (can you still call him the BC coach?), split national championships, Steve Spurrier, Mike Leach and the announcing during the bowls.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Is Matthew McConaughey retarded?



If you have watched the Texas Longhorns play a football game the past four years you know movie stud Matthew McConaughey is a huge UT fan. But have you ever watched him on the sidelines? He is either stoned or retarded. It's like he never stopped playing former Marshall coach Jack Lengyl in the movie "We Are Marshall."

You'll see in the video that he was at it again during the Longhorns' last-second victory over Ohio State on Tuesday.

Lamenting Lambert

There was a time when the football programs in the East cared about the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy. With the BCS and almost every team in a conference the significance of the honor is somewhat hollow these days.

On Monday, Penn State was awarded the Trophy for the 27th time—by far the most of any team.

According to Wikipedia, to be eligible for the Lambert Trophy, a school must be located in the East or play half its schedule against eligible Lambert teams. The territory includes New York, New Jersey, New England and Pennsylvania, while teams in the bordering states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia and the District of Columbia qualify if half their schedule features eligible teams. While they were members of the Big East Conference, Virginia Tech and Miami of Florida were also eligible. Current Big East members Cincinnati, Louisville and South Florida are now eligible.

Here are the 2008 Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy standings:
1. Penn State
2. Cincinnati
3. West Virginia
4. Pittsburgh
5. Rutgers
6. Boston College
7. Connecticut
8. South Florida
9. Navy
10. Buffalo

Monday, January 5, 2009

Gene DeFilippo: Starring as the crazy girlfriend

Here I thought Rich Rodriguez and Ed Pastilong had a dysfunctional relationship when the two worked together at WVU. Now comes the inevitable breakup at Boston College between Jeff Jagodzinski and AD Gene DeFilippo.

Jagodzinski is playing the role of cocky boyfriend, while DeFilippo is clearly over the line as the crazy, psycho girlfriend. It has all come to our attention over the last 24-36 hours.

See Jagodzinski has done a good job in two years with the Eagles after coaching for years in the NFL. Now the New York Jets are interested in interviewing Jags for its vacant head coaching job.

A panicky DeFilippo thinks his best option is to threaten Jags. Interview with the Jets and you are fired. Jags chuckles and says he's still interviewing with the Jets. If he doesn't get the NFL gig, Jags probably planned to call DeFilippo and tell him "I don't love the Jets. I'm in love with Boston College. The Jets didn't mean anything to me. It was a mistake. I'll never do it again."

But now comes word from the Boston Globe that Jags' two-year run at BC is probably over and that former East Carolina head coach Steve Logan (a great coach by the way) or defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani will take over.

DeFilippo needs PR help now. Talk about backfiring. This makes RichRod and Eddie look mature.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Preview: BCS National Championship Game

BCS National Championship Game
Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Florida vs. Oklahoma
Date: Jan. 8
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: FOX
Line: Florida -3

About Florida: After watching Gary Danielson do the SEC title game, here's what I know about the Gators: Tim Tebow, Tim Tebow, Tebow, Tim, Tim Tebow, some other guys, Tim Tebow, Holy Crap Tebow, Can you believe that, Tebow? Tebow. I assume there are other guys, but I can't make any guarantees.

Intangibles:
Gainesville: -2
Florida co-eds: +4
Steve Spurrier: -1
Galen Hall: -2
Ron Zook: -4

About Oklahoma: The Sooners average 147 points a game this year and Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy thanks to playing against the Big 12. On defense, the Sooners line up 11 guys and do their best to get in the way.

Intangibles:
Stoops' stupid visor: -4
Last four BCS games: -3
Billy Sims: +3
Billy Sims at Heisman ceremony: -3

Impact Player: Florida returner Brandon James is the fastest midget alive. Except for LSU's Trindon Holiday. Makes him hard to see on kick returns.

Bowl slogan: "This is for the national title. We've got a trophy and everything. That makes it real."

Little known fact: Football games usually take between two and a half and three hours. This one will take nearly four.

The Pick: Florida 38, Oklahoma 28

Bowl Preview: Fiesta Bowl



Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Ohio State vs. Texas

Date: Jan. 5
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: FOX
Line: Texas -8.5

About Ohio State:
If this were 1992, the Buckeyes would be renowned for their innovative offensive and defensive schemes. As it is, they look like they should be playing with leather helmets and drop kicks. Coach Jim Tressel is still convinced the punt and not turning the ball over are the two most important things in football. Scoring points is somewhere in the teens.

Intangibles:

Kirk Herbstreit: -4
Woody Hayes: +2
Average age of coaching staff; 84: -2
Last two national title games: -5

About Texas:
The Longhorns were one dropped interception from playing in the national title game (assuming a Big 12 championship win over Missouri. A fair assumption.) As it is, tough crap. Next time don't drop the interception. Colt McCoy and 10 other guys play on offense. Brian Orakpo and 10 other guys play on defense. Mack Brown is still the coach, although he's slowly morphing into the Bobby Bowden "I sit on a golf cart and say funny things" role.

Intangibles:

Bevo: +3
Austin: +2
Rest of Texas: -4
Matthew McConaghey: -2

Impact Player:
OSU guard Steve Rehring loves Christmas break. Steve loves eating. Steve doesn't like working out so much. Steve is big. Steve is slow. Steve is slower after Christmas break.

Bowl slogan: "The Fiesta Bowl proudly welcomes...what?! Ohio State AGAIN? Criminy. Why not just buy a timeshare."

Little known fact:
Hey Texas players, how about wearing some freaking underwear with those white pants? I'm tired of having to check out your junk every time you make a tackle.

Watchability (1-5):
4

The Pick: Texas 30, Ohio State 24

Update 2: Bowl Standings

With only three bowl games remaining the Pac-10 has wrapped up the Bowl Challenge Cup. The Big Ten could really use a win from Ohio State over Texas, while the Big 12 has a chance to add two more wins and improve to 5-2. A Florida win over Oklahoma in the BCS title game would give the SEC the most wins at six. The Mid American Conference needs Ball State to knock off Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl on Tuesday to get its only victory.

I'm surprised how well the Pac-10 played this bowl season, but it's a stretch to say it was the best conference this season. Utah's upset of Alabama and South Carolina's pitiful performance against Iowa dented the SEC claim to being the best.

If Texas and Oklahoma win the Big 12 should be considered the best. But let's wait and see.

Conference Bowl Standings
Pac-10 5-0
SEC 5-2
Big East 4-2
Big 12 3-2
Conference USA 3-2
Mountain West 3-2
Sun Belt 1-1
ACC 4-6
Western Athletic 1-4
Big Ten 1-5
MAC 0-4

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Dancing with Erin Andrews



This has been passed around a lot following the Rose Bowl, so let's start by giving credit to where I found this--Dr. Saturday.

Now tell me if you aren't jealous of USC's Rey Maualuga and his very brief close encounter with ESPN's Erin Andrews. She is awesome. Thanks Rey from college football fans everywhere.

Party crashers


I'm not here to figure out all of the what-ifs and possible scenarios that could lead to voters to give Utah a split of the national championship. But what a show the Utes put on in last night's Sugar Bowl.

Experts will give us thousands of reasons why mighty Nick Saban and his Crimson Tide were whipped by Utah in New Orleans. Really, it's simple. Utah showed up to play and was never intimidated by its much more respected opponent.

In Ian Rappaport's blog at the Birmingham News, Utah cornerback Sean Smith, made an observation about the Utes' opponent. "Maybe they were upset that they weren't in the national championship game," Smith said. "But you just don't go out and play like you don't want to be in the Sugar Bowl. I don't think they expected us to come out firing on all cylinders like we did."

Well put Mr. Smith.

I don't believe Utah is the best team in the nation. But last night the Utes played like it.

(Photo courtesy of Tuscaloosa News)

Friday, January 2, 2009

Late-Night bowl links

While watching Utah shock 'Bama, thought I'd do some random scanning of blogs around the nation. Here are some interesting posts that I have found this evening.
Good night.

Bowl Preview: Sugar Bowl




Nokia Sugar Bowl
SuperDome, New Orleans
Utah vs. Alabama

Date: Jan. 2
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: FOX
Line: Alabama -9.5

About Utah: A lovely state. I was there this past summer. Really cool. The football team? I dunno. They're undefeated, although it's unclear how and are the BCS Buster yearly sacrificial lamb. Remember Hawaii, last year? Yeah. They were undefeated too.

Intangibles:
Salt Lake City: +3
Mormons: -1
Park City: +2
Utes: +1

About Alabama: The evil genius of Nick Saban nearly prevailed this year as the Tide were a game away from playing in the national championship. Instead, they end up in the Sugar Bowl, which is fine with 'Bama fans - for now anyway, Nick. Saban runs the Tide like an NFL team. That scholarship is purely temporary if you're not performing.

Intangibles:
Bear Bryant: +3
Gene Stallings: +1
Mike Price: -2
Ray Perkins: -1
Bill Curry: -3
Mike DuBose: -5

Impact Player: Alabama OT Andre Smith. Oops. He got suspended. Well, that's an impact, I guess.

Bowl Slogan: "Have a Hurricane! Have three! Your mugger will be awaiting you at Exit 6. Come back soon!"

Little Known Fact: Bama is required by state law to have at least one player named "Travis" or "Cooper" on its roster.

Watchability (1-5): 3

The Pick: 'Bama 28, Utah 10

Bowl Preview: AutoZone Liberty Bowl

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl, Memphis
Kentucky vs. East Carolina

Date: Jan. 2
Time: 5 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Line: East Carolina -3

About Kentucky: Kentucky is in the SEC East. Rich Brooks is the coach. If they lose to East Carolina they might have their SEC membership revoked. Which probably would be best for Kentucky, so they could go play in Conference USA or something where they might win some games.

Intangibles:
Hal Mumme era: -6
That hilarious play against LSU: +2
Guy named "Dickie" on team: +3
Not basketball: -3

About East Carolina: The Pirates started the year hot, upsetting WVU and getting the first part of the mid-major, BCS buster, media love. Things quickly fell apart after a couple injuries and realization that ECU has the depth of an inflatable pool. Plus, their head coach is named Skip. That's funny.

Intangibles:
nice part of North Carolina: +2
Purple jerseys: -1
Liberty Bowl is a "big deal": -3
Lou Holtz lovefest for coaching staff: -3

Impact player: ECU QB Patrick Pinkney is pretty good. Or at least that's what I recall from the 15 seconds of East Carolina games I've watched this year.

Bowl Slogan: "January in Memphis. Don't forget your raincoat!"

Little Known Fact: You can totally sneak in booze to your tour of Graceland. This makes it infinitely more interesting.

Watchability (1-5): 1.5

The Pick: East Carolina 27, Kentucky 21

Bowl Preview: Cotton Bowl



AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic
Cotton Bowl, Dallas
Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss

Date: Jan. 2
Time: 2 p.m.
TV: FOX
Line: Texas Tech -4

About Texas Tech: Coach Mike Leach is a genius. We know this because game announcers tell us all about how he has a law degree. (OMG! a LAW degree? He's SO SMART! Nobody has one of those!) Unfortunately, he tends to coach like an idiot. Tech throws the ball all over hell's half-acre and looks pretty doing it, but Leach tends to make dumb decisions at key junctures. Anyway, as usual, Tech can score and move the ball. They were in the national title running until everyone realized they're Texas Tech.

Intangibles:
Leach pirate fetish: -1
Lubbock: -4
Red Raider guy on horse: +4

About Ole Miss: Good-ole boy wunderkind Houston Nutt looks like some kind of genius after taking to the Rebels to the Cotton Bowl thanks to Ed Orgeron's recruits. Nutt, is most certainly NOT a genius though, especially when it comes to text messaging. Anyway, the Rebels are a decent team and Nutt does get some credit. Jevan Snead is a decent QB and that Michael Oher dude on the OL is a total freak.

Intangibles:
Firing David Cutcliffe: -3
Firing Ed Orgeron: +3
more John Grisham novels: -2
Biloxi: -1
Gambling in Biloxi: +2

Impact player: While I was tempted to pick the defensive guy from Tech who gets all gussied up with crazy hair and makeup, I'll go with Snead who needs to play well for Ole Miss to hang around.

Bowl Slogan: "We used to be somebody!"

Little known fact: This is the final year the Cotton Bowl will be played in the traditional Fair Park location. Next year it will be played in the new Cowboys monolith. That sucks.

Watchability (1-5): 3

The Pick: Texas Tech 27, Ole Miss 24

Thursday, January 1, 2009

No surprise: Shonn Greene bolting for NFL



Not much of a surprise here, but Iowa's Shonn Greene makes it official. The Big Ten's MVP made the announcement after shredding South Carolina's defense for 121 yards and three scores in Iowa's 31-10 victory in the Outback Bowl.

Village People and Guinness

So halftime is where all of the fun in the sun was taking place at the 75th Brut Sun Bowl. Guess the Village People and the crowd set some sort of World Record for most people singing YMCA at the same time.



Thanks to the El Paso Times and Leonard Martinez for the video.

Sun Bowl highlights

You decide. Which one of these highlights of the Brut Sun Bowl highlights are more accurate?



Or this one?

Let the cheating begin

According to a report on ESPN.com, former Auburn football coach Terry Bowden will return to the sidelines in 2009 at Division II North Alabama.

You thought Terry cheated at Auburn. Think what he'll do at a D-2 school. He'll take all those sneaky, back-handed lessons he learned from his papa and elevate his cheating to a whole new scale.

He won't be at North Alabama long enough to face the NCAA probe and future punishment. This is just an audition for Terry, who hopes to land a bigger, more profile D-1 job. He hopes to get the West Virginia gig if Bill Stewart steps down or is forced out. But don't count on that one (unless Gov. Manchin steps in again).

Bowden, 52, has an impressive resume. He arrives in Florence, Ala., with a 111-53-2 record. He should do well at North Alabama. The Lions went 12-2 last season and advanced to the semifinals of the D-2 playoffs.

With a few "minor" violations, Bowden can certainly get them to the title game.

Bowl Preview: Orange Bowl

Orange Bowl
Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Fla.
Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati

Date: Jan. 1
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: FOX
Line: Cincinnati -2.5

About Virginia Tech:
I have no idea how this team made it to a BCS game. They’ve got a crappy offense and their defense is average. Hell, the special teams aren’t even that good this year. And somehow they get a favorable matchup in a BCS bowl. Man.

Intangibles:

Redshirting Tyrod Taylor: -4
Playing Tyrod Taylor: +2
Beamer neck thing: -2
Nicknamed “Hokies”: +3

About Cincinnati:
Brian Kelly is one of the best coaches in college football. Just ask him. Kelly is a wee-bit sure of himself. I guess that’s a perfect fit for the Bearcats who are about the 10th most important football team in Cincinnati – right after Cincinnati Woodward, High School. The ‘Cats have a varied offense and a decent defense.

Intangibles:
Clifton: -4
Skyline Chili: +5
Montgomery Inn BBQ: +6
Bengals and Reds: -5

Impact Player:
Cincinnati WR Dominick Goodman . Nice WR, but really might have been the best high school option QB I’ve ever seen. Would have loved to see him play for Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech.

Bowl slogan:
“Come to Miami! Please, come. Somebody come. We’ll give you the tickets, Please.”

Little known fact:
The Orange Bowl used to be an awesome game. Always had great matchups. Not so much, anymore.

Watchability (1-5): 2

The Pick:
Virginia Tech 24, Cincinnati 23

Bowl Preview: Rose Bowl

Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
Penn State vs. USC

Date: Jan. 1
Time: 4:30 p.m.
TV: ABC
Line: USC -9

About Penn State: Joe Paterno is old. He’s still coaching. Blah, blah, blah. Whatever. Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley should have been named Big 10 coach of the year. He’s the actual coach of this team. Anyway, the Nits are decent. Not really weak in any one area. But I find them boring.

Intangibles:
Obsession with aging Italian man: -5
Mount Nittany: +3
College Station State College Park Town: -3
Driving to College Station State College Park Town: -6

About USC: The Trojans are annually the greatest team in the history of organized football that never play for the national championship cause they fuck it up against some crap-ass Pac-10 team. Then Pete Carroll goes into his annual sob routine about how it’s not fair. Tough crap, Petey. Anyway, they’re good – again. Defense especially. Probably not the offense they’ve had but they’ll do.

Intangibles:
Song Girls: +5
Compton campus: -3
That bleeping fight song: -4
Sideline celebrity parade: -2

Impact Player: Penn State QB Darryl Clark must play a decent game and try not to crap down his leg like most Big 10 Qbs have done against the Trojans.

Bowl slogan: “Enjoy the parade. It’s usually more competitive than the game.”

Little known fact: USC is cheating. Dammit, they have to be cheating, don’t they? Cause this is getting annoying.

Watchability (1-5): 4

The Pick: USC 27, Penn State 21