What is Marinatto/Big East waiting for?

What the hell is Big East Commissioner John Marinatto waiting for?

He's new to the job, but just five years after Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami bolted for the ACC, the Big East is sitting idly by as the Big Ten and Pac-10 announce each is looking to expand in the next year.

Marinatto should immediately announce the conference is forming a fact-finding group that will look at expanding the Big East to 12 teams. He should also assure everyone that the group will do everything it can to retain all current members, since the Big East may be raided once again by the Big Ten.

Rutgers, Pittsburgh and Syracuse are all considered potential expansion partners with the Big Ten, especially if Big Ten commissioner James Delaney and his fact-finding group decide expanding to 14 teams is a better idea.

So Marinatto needs to be proactive and start thinking of the long-term sustainability of the Big East football schools. This could prove beneficial as he hopes to keep any Big East schools from listening to the Big Ten's overtures.

Remaining idle now will just increase the bashing by those who see the Big East as nothing more than a basketball conference.

There are a number of excellent options for the Big East ... elevating Villanova and Georgetown and adding Memphis, East Carolina, Central Florida or Navy is just one of them. But instead of just looking at the Big East we will soon present a proposal of going to eight Power Conferences.

Hopefully it will be more forward thinking than anything the Big East has to offer us.

Bowl Preview: Texas Bowl

Texas Bowl
Reliant Stadium, Houston
Missouri vs. Navy
Date: Dec. 31
Time: 3:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Line: Missouri -6.5

About Missouri (8-4): The Tigers started off poorly, before rebounding at the end of the year once they started playing within the Big 12 North Division. Same old, Mizzou, though. Lots of passes and lots of points. Not so much tackling.

Intangibles:
Show Me State: -2 (for poor attitude)
Show Me State: +2 (for confidence)
what the hell is in Missouri anyway?: -2

About Navy (9-4): The Midshipmen have had their typical good season. Beat Army, beat Air Force, beat most of the others, but not quite everybody. They run the wishbone, which is sweet. But they can't hang with the big boys, them or their stupid boats.

Intangibles:
Navy Seals: +2
"Navy Seals starring Charlie Sheen": -4
Played at Ohio State and didn't even sail there: -3

Impact player: Mizzou QB Blaine Gabbert has been good when he's healthy. He's healthy now. Look for many, many yards from Gabbert on many, many short passes.

Bowl slogan: "Houston: where the rats are very friendly and very large."

Little Known Fact: Dear Texas, Nobody wants to mess with you. In fact, most of us don't want anything to do with you. We don't want to visit. We don't even want to call. Lighten up.

Watchability (1-5): 2.3

The Pick: Missouri 34, Navy 28

Pick of the Week: No. 15

With just one regular season game remaining and since I am two games over .500 why not pick the Army-Navy game. However, stay tuned for the 'Eye's bowl predictions. They are always a touch snarky and he'll provide you some factoids that don't mean a thing.

Navy (-14.0) over Army
This game should be closer than it has been in recent years, including last year's 34-0 domination by the Midshipmen. Navy is riding a seven-game winning streak in which it has outscored Army 232-71. So a 14-point spread seems to be a pretty good bet. The Black Knights have made big strides in their first season under Rich Ellerson. Army is averaging 212.1 rushing yards per game and freshman QB Trent Steelman has played well. But Navy QB Ricky Dobbs has more experience, not to mention he's rushed for 23 TDs this season.
Pick: Navy 32, Army 17

Last Week: 3-2
Season Record: 36-34

Picks of the Week: No. 10

Next year I’ll flip a coin on each pick. Not sure I could do much worse than I am this season. I feel good about this week. Calling it now ... This is my first 5-0 week (you see how well my predictions have been all season).

Louisville (+20.0) over West Virginia
Anyone who has followed this Big East rivalry over the years realizes the Cardinals and Mountaineers always play close games ... No matter how much a team is favored. The Mountaineers have more talent and have home-field advantage, but lame-duck Steve Kragthorpe will pull a few magical tricks and keep this much closer than 20 points. Expect Noel Devine to have a monster game against a Louisville defense that struggled with Utah, Pitt and UConn.
Pick: West Virginia 34, Louisville 21

Notre Dame (-11.0) over Navy
The Irish defense will have its full with Navy’s triple-option, but No. 22 Notre Dame is at home and has plenty of momentum and one of the best rushing defenses in the nation. QB Jimmy Clausen has played like the top prospect from a few years ago, including a three-touchdown performance in last week’s 40-14 victory over Washington State. The Irish also get Michael Floyd back at receiver after a five-game absence. This one should never be in doubt.
Pick: Notre Dame 31, Navy 18

Fresno State (-8.0) over Idaho
After a rough start to the season, Pat Hill’s Bulldogs went 4-0 in October to improve to 5-3 and 4-1 in the WAC. The Vandals have been one of the biggest surprises of 2009 sitting at 7-2 and bowl-eligible. This one will be at the Kibbie Dome, where Idaho is 4-0. As much as I’d like to go with Robb Akey’s Vandals, Fresno is more accustomed to playing in big games so the Bulldogs get the edge this week.
Pick: Fresno State 44, Idaho 33

TCU (-24.5) over San Diego State
The Aztecs under first-year coach Brady Hoke are 4-4, but all four victories are against weak competition. Enter the No. 6 Horned Frogs, arguably the best non-BCS team in the nation and probably one of the top eight teams in the country. TCU senior DE Jerry Hughes will harass San Diego State QB Ryan Lindley all afternoon at Qualcomm Stadium.
Pick: TCU 48, San Diego State 10

Upset of the Week
Florida State (+8.5) over Clemson
Since I struggle to pick ACC games why not try one out for the upset of the week. If Clemson’s defense can apply plenty of pressure to Christian Ponder the Tigers will win this game easily. However, FSU seems rejuvenated and with only one Bowden in the stadium and on the heels of DC Mickey Andrews announcing his retirement, the Seminoles are going to find a way to slow C.J. Spiller and Clemson. The ‘Noles will put pressure on freshman QB Kyle Parker to win the game and force him into a crucial turnover late in the game.
Pick: Florida State 36, Clemson 31

Last Week: 3-2
Season Record: 23-22

Buckeyes getting pumped up

For our Buckeye fans here is the latest inspirational video to give each of you hope Ohio State will actually win a big game this season. Enjoy.

Very early bowl standings

Some analysts believe you can tell what conference is the best by bowl game records. I think it's helpful, but by no means a true evaluation. Now BCS Bowl records are important (Big East 3-0 since 2006).

Here is an early look at conference standings in bowls as Southern Miss of Conference USA and Troy of the Sun Belt are knotted at 7-7 late in the first quarter.

ACC 1-0
Big East 1-0
Pac-10 1-0
Mountain West 1-1
Conference USA 0-1
Independents 0-1
Western Athletic 0-1

Bowl Preview: Eaglebank Bowl

EagleBank Bowl
RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
Navy vs. Wake Forest
Date: Dec. 20
Time: 11 a.m.
TV: ESPN
Line: Wake Forest -3

About Navy: The Naval Academy lost successful coach Paul Johnson to Georgia Tech and replaced him with a Hawaiian guy with a really long name but not that one that played for the Steelers. They are very similar to every other Navy team of the past 20 years in that I can’t really name a single player and they don’t suck, but I know nothing beyond that.

Intangibles:
Run the Option +4 points
Traditional Unis: +5 points
Serve country: +7 points
“An Officer and a Gentleman” dress whites: +2 points
Tom Cruise shirtless Top Gun volleyball game: -6 points

About Wake Forest: A tiny Baptist school located somewhere in North Carolina, Wake Forest has risen to what it considers “prominence” thanks to coach Jim Grobe. Wake Forest won the ACC last year and played in a BCS bowl. The ACC. The Atlantic Coast Conference. Yes, they play football too. And Boston College is in it. I’im serious. No, I don’t know why.

Intangibles:
Nickname: Demon Deacons +7
Religion: Baptists +4 for enthusiasm
Tuition: $47,551 –105


Impact player: Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner. Cool name, dude. I’m pretty sure he was Donna’s boyfriend in the original 90210.

Bowl Slogan: “EagleBank, we’re pretty sure we’re still in business!”

Little Known Fact: Navy beat Wake Forest earlier this year in a game almost no one noticed.

Little Known Fact #2: Washington D.C., RFK Stadium is the only venue in the country that requires a tetanus shot before entry.

Watchability scale (1-5, 1 CSI: Miami; 5 It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia): 2

The Pick: Wake Forest 32, Navy 22

ACC Report

Special Report

Retired Coach Rick
ACC Correspondent

The ACC Championship Game was a flop in all areas.

Excitement, fans and interest was just like D.B. Cooper, "missing." No excuses it was a lousy game.

The ACC has 10 teams in bowl games. As of now it looks like the profile game for the ACC will be the Orange Bowl—pitting Virginia Tech (9-4) against Big East champ Cincinnati (11-2). The bottom end will be the EagleBank Bowl—Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Navy (8-4). I am picking the ACC to go 5-5 in their appearances.

The regular season was exciting. It was very hard finding teams that were consistent all year. I am sticking to my predictions for next year. Florida State, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Miami will be the best in the conference. North Carolina State will play the spoiler.

Observations from Saturday's Games (Dec. 6)

With West Virginia leading 10-7 at half of the Mountaineers' White Out against South Florida, there is no time to relax. But obligations are just that. So here go some observations from Saturday's games (and one from Friday).

1. Nice lids. It's too bad Army isn't more competitive in the Army-Navy game, but the Cadets were sporting some interesting uniforms and helmets Saturday. Army, instead of the traditional gold helmet, was donning camouflage helmets and matching pants. Nike made new blankets for the Army mules to match the new uniforms.

2. ACC Chumps. So, did anyone watch Virginia Tech rip Boston College in the ACC Championship? It doesn't look like it based on the empty seats at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. I'd say the stadium was no more than 40 percent full. The "new" ACC has been a joke since its inception.

3. Rilvary renewed. UCLA was totally outmanned by USC, but the Bruins showed great spunk in a 28-7 loss. They created turnovers and took an early lead. While 'Eye agree with me, Rick Neuheisel will have UCLA competing on a more level standing with the Trojans within two years.

4. Go with Gill. Would someone stand up and pay attention to the job Turner Gill has done at Buffalo? Well, it seems Auburn has gotten permission to speak with him for its opening. Could be an interesting fit since Gill has no SEC experience, but when you go 8-5 with the Buffalo Bulls and win the Mid-American Conference championship ... you can win and win big at Auburn.

5. Aloha Bearcats. It means hello and good-bye. With Big East champ Cincinnati playing at Hawaii tonight, will anyone see it, hear it or care about it?

6. Not so Pitt-iful. As tough as this is to say, Pitt has grown this year under Dave Wannstache. With its win over UConn and a win over Oklahoma State in the Sun Bowl the Panthers would have 10 wins this season. (Hey Lesean, you're ready for the NFL).

7. Mizzou mess. Missouri may have been the most overrated team this fall. The Tigers can't even score against a porous Oklahoma defense. The Big 12 needs to consider realignment so the best two teams actually get into the championship game.

8. Good pay. According to the Seattle Times, Steve Sarkisian will sign a five-year contract with Washington paying him $1.85 million a year. Good luck Steve. Mark your calendar. USC travels to Seattle on Sept. 19.

9. Looking good. East Carolina looked like the Pirates that opened the season with upset victories over Virginia Tech and West Virginia. ECU, behind a last-second field goal, defeated Tulsa 27-24 in the Conference USA championship. How long to Skip Holtz leaves? Seems Syracuse is hot and heavy after Lou's son.

10. Best game. I'm still trying to figure out what would be the best national championship game. I have a few options: Oklahoma-Florida, Oklahoma-Texas or Utah-Florida, Utah-Texas or Oklahoma-Utah. Any suggestions?

Picks of the Week

Three consecutive winning weeks has lifted me back over .500 (barely). There are some great games this week, so now let's see if I can make it four winners in a row.

Oklahoma (-16.5) over Missouri
I don't know how many times I've watched this game and it had national title implications. It almost always seems like the team that needs to win doesn't. So why pick Oklahoma? The Sooners offense has just been scary good the past five weeks, and Missouri is the third most disappointing team this fall (behind Georgia and WVU). Plus, even an injured Sam Bradford is better than most.
Pick: Oklahoma 44, Missouri 21

USC (-33) over UCLA
I don't see any way that the Bruins can actually win this game, but this one still scares me. I could see UCLA keeping it closer than expected because Pete Carroll may want to take it easy on the cross-town rival. Don't embarrass them too much this season and build up too much ill will. Also, it appears Mark Sanchez is having more trouble with his knee than anyone is letting on. However, I can't pick against the Trojans.
Pick: USC 48, UCLA 14

Boston College (even) over Virginia Tech
I've felt all season that Virginia Tech was too young and inexperienced to be in this game. Thanks to the parity in the ACC the Hokies will meet BC for the second consecutive year. The Eagles have also played better than expected and they'd like to avenge last year's loss that cost them a BCS bowl. This is by far the worst conference championship game of the weekend.
Pick: Boston College 18, Virginia Tech 17

Cincinnati (-7) over Hawaii
Like the three games before this one, something just isn't right about picking this game. The Bearcats should be an easy favorite. But Brian Kelly's team doesn't have much to play for. With the Big East title and BCS bowl game in the bag, this is a long trip for Cincinnati and it will be its 13th game of the season. Hawaii is always tough at home.
Pick: Cincinnati 37, Hawaii 27

Upset of the Week
Pittsburgh (+2.5) over Connecticut
As much as I would personally like to see UConn get the win in Storrs, Pitt will give the Huskies a hefty dose of Lesean McCoy and pull out a close game on the road. The win will also secure the No. 2 spot in the Big East and probably a spot in the Sun Bowl against Oklahoma State.
Pick: Pittsburgh 28, Connecticut 20

Bonus Pick Navy (-11) over Army
If you listened to the podcast this week you know how much I look forwad to this game each year. This game is just dripping in tradition, and as Phil mentioned, there's a whole lot of running and very little passing in this one. Navy has won the past six contests and eight of the last nine. Army's lone win during that stretch was 26-17 in 2002. There's a good chance Navy will make it nine out 10 (and cover the 11 points).
Pick: Navy 30, Army 9

Last Week: 4-1
Season: 28-27

Episode 15

The 2008 college football season is wrapping up, but there is still a great week of action and Phil and Tom do their best to cover it all during this week's podcast. It all starts with the Army-Navy game and then a bunch of conference championships mixed in between. Phil and Tom also take a look at how the BCS rankings have screwed up a great season by moving Oklahoma ahead of Texas, the coaching changes that are taking place and the USC-UCLA game. Don't forget to listen to this week's quick hitters. Phil gets a little long in his answers, but they are well worth the wait.

Funkier than you could ever imagine

To continue with the 'Eer's Run DMC theme..

Here's Charlie Weis during Saturday's all-too-close win at Navy, evidently trying discern whether or not the onside kick is legal.




Which of course, made me think of this

God Love It

Of course, I mean college football.

First, let's make it clear, there is no team that is either in or out of the national championship race. There just isn't. Well, except maybe Louisville. (Seriously, you're up 1 with 2:30 left and you're throwing the ball?)

Today has been one of those days that makes college football great, infuriating and completely unpredictable:

- Ole Miss beats #4 Florida AT The Swamp. Blocked extra point. Stopping the unstoppable force, Tim Tebow, on a fourth and one.

- Navy, NAVY, beats Wake Forest.

- Auburn wins despite never having the ball on the Tennessee side of the 50 in the second half.

- A Michigan team that looked completely incompetent in the first half and trailed Wisconsin 19-0, scores 27 unanswered points and holds on to win their Big Ten opener.

- It's still the first half, but Bama is completely dismantling Georgia, 31-0.

Navy-Ball State game

In case you aren't watching Navy at Ball State right now let's make one thing clear -- Ball State quarterback Nate Davis can really play. You don't hear about him in the national media quite so much, but I think this guy has NFL potential. He's extremely athletic and has the ability to play on BSU's basketball team. He was stud hoopster and football player at Bellaire High School in Ohio.

How did so many bigger school's miss on this guy?