From the Bench

Will Liberty Bowl Woes Continue?

Robert Shields

The Pirates, and I never remember a time in my life the Razorback football team playing a team whose mascot name was the pirates, probably have a tough day a head of them in the Liberty Bowl. On the upside for them, the Hogs have never won in it – they’ve had several close calls, but always came up short. Of course there is the time the refs robbed the Hogs and gave the game to Tennessee. The Vols won 14-13, but that was a long time ago.

A little more recently, Ken Hatfield, in his first season as the Razorback head coach, took the Hogs over to the Liberty Bowl and faced a really good Auburn team that starred Bo Jackson and gave David Bazzel his first claim to fame when he made a crushing hit on Jackson. The Hogs could have won, but a crucial play made that game more difficult. In the fourth quarter, with the Hogs trailing and driving into Auburn territory, Hatfield’s Hogs faced a fourth and short. Hatfield rolled the dice out of his flexbone and faked the dive play. The dive play would have probably kept the drive alive picking up the first down. The call was the perfect call, but poor execution. Bobby Joe Edmonds was wide open deep for the go-ahead touchdown. But the ball careened off his shoulder pads, and the Hogs lost 21-15.

The Hogs went back to the Liberty Bowl just a few years later under Hatfield and faced another SEC team, the Georgia Bulldogs. The Hogs were the better team, but you could feel that the Hogs did not want to be at that game, plus it was also a horrible weather game. The Hogs had underperformed that season and faced a massive blowout to Jimmie Johnson and The U and lost to Texas in the last seconds. It was a year of frustration for the Hogs. This game ended no differently and summed up the season. The game was tied at 17 to 17. Georgia was driving late and turned the ball over. The Hogs seemed to be on a course then with little to lose as they would certainly be able to kick a game-winning field goal or end with a tie. Fate struck, the Hogs threw an interception, and the table was turned. Georgia got to kick the game-winning field goal and won 20-17.

And even a little more recently, Danny Ford took his Hogs over to the Liberty Bowl several times in the regular season and played dreadfully. You may remember the game against Memphis when the Hogs scored late to close the gap to one point making it 15-16. Ford went for two and the Hogs failed on the conversion.

Going back to the beginning of this column, I stated the Pirates have a long day ahead of them. That statement was based on matching up the two teams. But I also believe in trends. The trend is the Hogs can’t win in the Liberty Bowl, which makes this game more intriguing if you’re superstitious. Ryan Mallett maybe being in Bobby Petrino’s doghouse is not a good sign.

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About the Notre Dame Hire

I get blamed for being a bad Razorback fan, and my canned answer is that when I write my column I am not a fan. If you want fan propaganda, the University of Arkansas has a whole department dedicated to it and they do a good job.

I admit, however, I am a closet Notre Dame fan. Did they hire the right coach? I hope so, but only time will tell. Notre Dame is a sleeping giant, so Navy and Connecticut and Syracuse need to get their licks in now.

USC struggled for years and went through several coaches, and then Pete Carroll showed up. Carroll was not necessarily highly regarded, but he turned out to be the perfect fit and woke that sleeping giant. The same can be said for Oklahoma, which went through several coaches after Switzer until Bob Stoops arrived. Stoops was only an assistant, yet he was the perfect fit.

The Irish need for Brian Kelly to be the right fit. What the Irish have been lacking all during the Weiss era was defense. Kelly will have to improve on that facet of the game, not offense, to bring Notre Dame back. I don’t remember seeing much defense at Cincinnati.


Send your Liberty Bowl experiences to fromthebench@yahoo.com

E-mail design competition concludes

I'm declaring this season's e-mail design competition a tie. Robyn Edwards started it and then Will Johnson took it to another level. Robyn's e-mails frequently used motion, which isn't duplicated in the copy. So just picture those dollar bills going down the drain. Congratulations to this year's winners. Here are their final entries.

Statman Mike's point analysis

Through 14 weeks, here’s how blindly picking would have worked out:

Home teams: 85 points (40-30)
Favorites: 80 points (40-30)
Underdogs: 71 points (30-40)
Visiting teams: 66 points (30-40)

Notes:
On neutral fields, the second team listed in the matchup was used as home. On even lines, the home team is considered the favorite. There were no games with even lines on a neutral field.

In conclusion: While the underdogs started off strong, they didn’t have the staying power.

Alabama crowned as winner of Slabby, the CFPA's national championship award

Oregon Ducks named team of the year,
Notre Dame gets season's skunk award


NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact Robert Shields
at fromthebench@yahoo.com.

CFPA Championship Committee Votes
Alabama as the 2009 National Champion

POOLSVILLE, USA (December 17, 2009) –– The College Football Prognosticators Association (CFPA) awards its national championship, the Slabby Trophy, prior to the beginning of bowl season in the tradition of how the Associated Press used to do it back in the day before the creation of the BCS.

The CFPA’s expert panel, which unlike most of these voting bodies out there that produce polls throughout the season has been diligently studying and watching college football all year, has concluded voting for the 2009 national champion with the following results.

1) Alabama
2) TCU
3) Texas
4) Cincinnati
5) Boise State and Oregon (tie)

Congratulations to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide for being voted as the best college football team in 2009 prior to playing out the nonsense mandated by the BCS computers and Harris Poll voters who have no idea what they are doing.

The championship committee, called the College Football Prognosticators Association, is comprised of 150 college football experts from across the country with a range of backgrounds that is a "who's who" of reporters, bankers, doctors, lawyers, ad wizards, lawn guys, bond guys, car guys, pilots, priests, principals, builders, teachers, bums, and nomads.

The mission of the CFPA recognizes that the Bowl Championship Series has become meaningless, detrimental, and exclusionary to college football. The outcome of such bowl games does not deliver a true national champion based on the merits of the season. The CFPA's national championship is the only award in college football that recognizes a true champion based on the team’s efforts during the regular season.

The CFPA national championship trophy, affectionately referred to as "Slabby," is a stone tablet weighing more than 75 pounds. It is proclaimed as the heaviest and most indestructible award in college football, and as a bonus is also all-weather. Each year, the elected national champion's name is added to the trophy and sent to the university's athletic department. The athletic director must then carry the tablet 10 feet in the Slabby Strength Challenge in order to keep the trophy the remainder of the year.

The CFPA has been in existence since 2002 and started awarding Slabby in 2004. Past winners of Slabby have been USC and Auburn (tie vote) in 2004, USC in 2005, Ohio State in 2006, LSU in 2007, and Florida in 2008.

Learn more about an alternative to the current system at Project Playoffs.


Oregon wins college football team of the year

As students of the game throughout the season, the CFPA also names a team of the year that is not necessarily the best team but played a difficult schedule and won the majority of those games.

Using a patented scientific formula the CFPA has sworn to secrecy to prevent its exploitation by the BCS and Powers That Be in college football, plus the input of 147 keen viewing eyes, the University of Oregon Ducks came out as this year's winner for embodying the skills and spirit of a great college football program.


Notre Dame named college football's skunk of year

Using the same methodology, the CFPA also names the football program that was the most disappointing of the season. For 2009, that team is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, which failed in every big game and concluded the season by dropping $18 million to rid the college of its head football coach.

Poolsville's Peppas contributes story to McSweeney's groundbreaking Panorama

From Arkansas Times:

Heard of McSweeny's, the Dave Eggers journal? Next week, it will roll out a one-time 312-page newspaper, Panorama, for the San Francisco area, where print hasn't been doing so hot. Eggers got his start in newspapers and still has a soft spot for them.

I'm happy to learn that Jeremy Peppas, UCA-er, veteran sportswriter and now a reporter for Stephens Media in Little Rock, will be on the illustrious roster of writers in Panorama. Peppas' article is on San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis. Peppas writes about his rise from the foster care system as a Bruceton, Tenn., high school student in 2002 to being an all-American at Ole Miss and then All-Pro.

Some copies of Panorama will be distributed at bookstores, such as Barnes and Noble.

Pick 36: The bowl games

Thirty-six games to go in the college football pool. Someone getting this e-mail is going to be $800 richer on January 8. Others are going to win $300 for second place, $200 for third place, $100 for fourth place, a $40 gift card for fifth place, the Beowulf's Mead prize package for the highest Catholic High graduate below fifth place, a $30 gift card for finishing with the worst point total (must have submitted picks for all games), and free entry next year for the winner of the consolation bowl challenge.

So here we go, for the glory of possessing the prestigious Ramon Escobar Trophy, select your winners and e-mail them back to me by 6 p.m. Friday. All bowl picks must be submitted at one time. When submitting your picks, please send them in order one under the other. Also note that the national championship game is worth double points.

Division I FCS Championship
Montana - Villanova
7 p.m., Dec. 18, ESPN2
Power ratings: Villanova by 6
* Underdog worth three points

Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl
Division III Championship
Mount Union - Wisconsin Whitewater
10 a.m., Dec. 19, ESPN2
No line

New Mexico Bowl
Wyoming - Fresno State
3:30 p.m., Dec. 19, ESPN
Line: Fresno State by 12
* Underdog worth four points

St. Petersburg Bowl
Rutgers - Central Florida
7 p.m., Dec. 19, ESPN
Line: Rutgers by 2

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Southern Miss - Middle Tennessee
7:30 p.m., Dec. 20, ESPN
Line: Southern Miss by 3

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl
BYU - Oregon State
7 p.m., Dec. 22, ESPN
Line: Oregon State by 2

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Utah - California
7 p.m., Dec. 23, ESPN
Line: California by 3

Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl
SMU - Nevada
7 p.m., Dec. 24, ESPN
Line: Nevada by 15
* Underdog worth five points

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Marshall - Ohio
Noon, Dec. 26, ESPN
Line: Ohio by 2

Meineke Car Care Bowl
North Carolina - Pittsburgh
3:30 p.m., Dec. 26, ESPN
Line: Pittsburgh by 3

Emerald Bowl
Boston College - USC
7 p.m., Dec. 26, ESPN
Line: USC by 9
* Underdog worth four points

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl
Clemson - Kentucky
7:30 p.m., Dec. 27, ESPN
Line: Clemson by 7
* Underdog worth three points

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Texas A&M - Georgia
4 p.m., Dec. 28, ESPN2
Line: Georgia by 7
* Underdog worth three points

EagleBank Bowl
Temple - UCLA
3:30 p.m., Dec. 29, ESPN
Line: UCLA by 4

Champs Sports Bowl
Miami - Wisconsin
7 p.m., Dec. 29, ESPN
Line: Miami by 3

Roady's Humanitarian Bowl
Bowling Green - Idaho
3:30 p.m., Dec. 30, ESPN
Line: Bowling Green by 1

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl
Nebraska - Arizona
7 p.m., Dec. 30, ESPN
Line: Arizona by 1

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Houston - Air Force
11 a.m., Dec. 31, ESPN
Line: Houston by 4

Brut Sun Bowl
Oklahoma - Stanford
1 p.m., Dec. 31, CBS
Line: Oklahoma by 8
* Underdog worth three points

Texas Bowl
Navy - Missouri
2:30 p.m., Dec. 31, ESPN
Line: Missouri by 6
* Underdog worth three points

Insight Bowl
Minnesota - Iowa State
5 p.m., Dec. 31, NFL Network
Line: Minnesota by 2

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Virginia Tech - Tennessee
6:30 p.m., Dec. 31, ESPN
Line: Virginia Tech by 4

Outback Bowl
Northwestern - Auburn
10 a.m., Jan. 1, ESPN
Line: Auburn by 7
* Underdog worth three points

Capital One Bowl
Penn State - LSU
Noon, Jan. 1, ABC
Line: Penn State by 2

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl
Florida State - West Virginia
Noon, Jan. 1, CBS
Line: West Virginia by 3

The Rose Bowl
Oregon - Ohio State
4 p.m., Jan. 1, ABC
Line: Oregon by 3

Allstate Sugar Bowl
Cincinnati - Florida
7:30 p.m., Jan. 1, Fox
Line: Florida by 10
* Underdog worth four points

International Bowl
South Florida - Northern Illinois
11 a.m., Jan. 2, ESPN2
Line: South Florida by 6
* Underdog worth three points

AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic
Oklahoma State - Ole Miss
1 p.m., Jan. 2, Fox
Line: Ole Miss by 3

PapaJohns.com Bowl
Connecticut - South Carolina
1 p.m., Jan. 2, ESPN
Line: South Carolina by 4

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
East Carolina - Arkansas
4:30 p.m., Jan. 2, ESPN
Line: Arkansas by 7
* Underdog worth three points

Valero Alamo Bowl
Michigan State - Texas Tech
8 p.m., Jan. 2, ESPN
Line: Texas Tech by 8
* Underdog worth three points

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Boise State - TCU
7 p.m., Jan. 4, Fox
Line: TCU by 7
* Underdog worth three points

FedEx Orange Bowl
Georgia Tech - Iowa
7 p.m., Jan. 5, Fox
Line: Georgia Tech by 4

GMAC Bowl
Troy - Central Michigan
6 p.m., Jan. 6, ESPN
Line: Central Michigan by 4

Citi BCS National Championship Game
Alabama - Texas
7 p.m., Jan. 7, ABC
Line: Alabama by 5
* Favorite worth four points
* Underdog worth six points

Good luck.
****#****

From the Bench

The Curious Case of Paul Petrino, Razorback Basketball, and Other Musings

Robert Shields

How desperate is Paul Petrino to get out of Fayetteville that he would leave a 7-5 team many consider on the rise with loads of talent at receiver and take the same offensive coordinator position for a team that just finished 3-9 and most likely will be changing head coaches if they have another losing season next year?

And did I mention the guy is the head coach’s brother, on top of all that?

Something about Petrino’s move to Illinois does not pass the smell test. What does he know that we don’t?

Does Petrino know that Ryan Mallett has decided to turn pro, so he doesn’t want to coordinate a struggling offense under a new quarterback who has had trouble just taking the snap from center (because the kids on these high school passing teams don’t do that much these days)? Or in other words, is he striking while the iron is hot?

Is basketball so bad at the UofA, it has driven Petrino to a school that might play some round ball?

Has Petrino had too many meals at Uncle Gaylord’s?

Whatever the issue is here, there is something strange going on in Hogland for a coach to think he is moving up by taking the same job in the bland Big Ten for a 3-9 Illinois team on the brink of firing its coach.

Maybe right now, money rules. Developing…

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Bringing Back Hawgball

If the Razorback basketball team loses, does anyone really care? Apathy kills a program quicker than anything except for an NCAA investigation. Speaking of which, remember when you actually worried that the NCAA might investigate. You don’t have to worry about it anymore

I get asked if the Razorback basketball team can be brought back from the graveyard it has been in since March 1, 2002. History has to be remembered first before we throw John Pelphrey under the bus. Nolan was fired in bad fashion, which resulted in the UA losing his natural successor, Mike Anderson, who more than certainly would have followed Nolan with more success than Stan Heath.

But instead, the UA scrambled and hired another coach that fit a certain criteria who had only one year of head-coaching experience. Five years passed under Heath losing to teams called the Catamounts and others like it which arrived by bus to Bud Walton Arena and losing in the NCAA tournament to a team like Bucknell. Result: Heath was fired.

The Program then hired a coach from Creighton named Dana Altman. Who left after a day when he led a very bad Hog call and had dinner with some big wigs in the Program. The University scrambled and hired a search firm that probably found the only guy willing to come to the Program after a five-year debacle and a nasty discrimination lawsuit from the firing of Nolan.

Essentially, through a combination of the administration, boosters, fans, and coaches, the Program over the last decade was run into the ditch and crushed and then set on fire. The Program has baggage.

So back to if the basketball Program can be resuscitated. It will be difficult. Basketball recruiting in the last 10 years has been very refined with summer basketball ruling the day. The rich teams now are getting richer, and SEC basketball is down. If you’re a great high school player, you’re not going to head to the SEC – you’re going to want to go to the ACC or Big East where great basketball is being played right now.

It’s going to take baby steps to bring Hawgball back. Maybe a start is Calipari being gone from Memphis so the Hogs can get back into that area and steal a kid or two. Or maybe we just right the wrong and rehire Nolan.

-

Heisman Goes to Still Not McFadden

Darren McFadden the second-most prolific runner in SEC history and did not win this bogus award. In a conference that puts an emphasis on defense and in particular stopping the run, McFadden passed a whole list of who’s who and other Heisman winners before his career was over, doing it all in three years and splitting time with the great Felix Jones.

Some of the names McFadden passed included Bo Jackson, Kevin Faulk, Garrison Hearst, and Emmitt Smith and any back at Alabama, Auburn or Tennessee, which has produced many good ones for the NFL. The only runner ahead of McFadden is the great Herschel Walker, and he won the Heisman. It took almost 25 years for a back to come along in the SEC to even come close to rivaling Walker, and I expect it will take another 25. When it happens, I bet that guy wins the Heisman.

Send your hopes and dreams to fromthebench@yahoo.com

For your Cosmo-reading wife, girlfriend, or pancake-house mistress, the perfect Christmas present is my latest book, “The Economics of Sex,” available at www.fruitbatbooks.com and Amazon.

First time at the Army Navy Game

In September, I was driving home from work and heard that tickets to the Army Navy game were going to be sold to the general public for the first time ever. I didn't even know the game was held in Philadelphia. Being a college football fan, that rivalry has to be one of the top 10, so I jumped on the chance to see it. I bought two tickets and Big O came up for the game.

Wow, was it cold. Not so much when the sun was up, but as soon as it ducked under the horizon, which happens around 4:30 PM up here, it felt 10 to 15 degrees colder. The high today was around 40. Tonight at 10:16 PM, it says 32. But sitting in the upper deck at Lincoln Financial field in Philadelphia, with a breeze rolling over us, mid-thirties is cold! The good thing about it… your beer doesn’t warm up. That’s right SEC fans, you can drink beer at a college game.

The last time I was at a game this cold was in 1993 when Auburn played in Fayetteville, AR, and it started snowing on Friday night. Fortunately, this time I was prepared: long johns, hand-warmers, and balaclava (I want to pronounce that like the greek desert). The saving grace was sitting on a blanket. I never knew I lost so much heat from my hiney. My feet were fine throughout the game. I had good boots on. But as soon as we left, my toes went numb and it was a pain to walk. My hand warmers jumped from my gloves to the boots, and everything was right in the world.

At least, everything was right for me. Big O wasn’t happy Army lost, but what do you expect when you only run three plays all game. Literally, they switched from the full-back dive to the option every other play. To mix it up, two other times during the first 3.5 quarters, they called a pass play. Finally, on the last 2 drives of the game, they threw the ball and marched down the field. Once they stopped at the 15 yard line (missed field goal), and again at the 4 yard line (turn over on downs with 30 seconds left). But they moved the ball. The Army defense was stopping them in the first half. The offense just didn’t hold up their end of the bargain.

But I wasn’t there to watch a boring, grind it on the ground game. Since Matt Dishongh seems to despise the gimmicky “forward pass,” he should change his allegiance to one of the military academies. The real reason you go to this game is for the tradition and rivalry. That was awesome. You really felt the 110 year history these two schools have playing each other. I still think the Auburn/Alabama rivalry is the greatest, but this one was incredible to see.

Plus, this rivalry has some innovative ideas that extend the competitiveness from the field to the stands. I think more schools should incorporate this first idea into their big games, particularly if they are played at a neutral site. Each school comes up with spirit videos, usually lasting 30 seconds to a minute, that disparage and degrade the other academy. They played the videos on the big screens for everyone in the stadium before the game and sprinkled a few in during stoppage of play. Here is a link to some of Navy’s last year to give you an idea.

I also witnessed a cheer off. Male cheerleaders held a female cheerleader up in the air with one hand. They start at the same time right in front of the both student sections and everyone is cheering for their school. Whoever drops first loses… and the other school gets to scream, yell and taunt you even more. Big O said this isn’t fair because all the Army cheer babes are bigger than their Navy counterpart.

The funniest thing I saw, probably of any game I’ve been to in 37.5 years happened today. Somehow, the Army cadets took the head of Navy’s mascot off and started throwing it around in the stands like a beach ball. The stadium camera was following the action on the big screen, including watching Navy cheerleaders amongst the cadets trying to chase down the head. Unfortunately it happened one minute before the national anthem so you never got to see how it ended.

One of the other aspects of the game that is great is the fact that it is about the military. From fly overs (4 Osprys… cool, but the calendar said 4 F-18s and 4 Apache helicopters; combining the plane with a helicopter in one vehicle doesn’t make up for the spectacle I thought I would see), to soldiers parachuting into the stadium (I rate that up there with having a huge golden eagle circle the stadium for pre-game), to swearing in enlisted navy men and women on the field. It was great being in a stadium full of people with a higher purpose than football game bragging rights and what bowl game their team will play in. They’re keeping our country safe and this is just a minor time out they get to enjoy before possibly giving their lives for our freedom.

You can see more photos of the game here.

E-mail design of the week

DJ U-Explicit Johnson closes in on this season's design title.

heisman haiku

As I was logging in to poolsville, I discovered something else. I saw pootsville.blogspot.com.
I didn't know Auburn fans started their own blog.
On that note heres my haiku:
The bowls have been picked
Tebow cried like a baby
No Heisman for you.

Five Things

1. So Texas manages to squeak into the BCS Mythical* National Championship game thanks to a video review of an incomplete pass.

While the call of putting 1 second on the clock was correct, it seemed like a strange thing to be reviewed. After all, if the exact same play had happened with 14:06 remaining in the fourth quarter there wouldn't have been a review to see if the clock should be at 14:01 or 14:00. If you won't review it in the first minute of the fourth quarter, should you be reviewing it in the last minute?

Sadly, the melange of computer rankings, power polls, human voters (except for the SportsJournalists.com poll) and whatnot in the BCS formula didn't penalize Texas for a sub-par Big 12 title game. Sure, Texas vs. Bama will be more entertaining than Bama vs. one of the undefeated mid-majors. But as an advocate of BCS anarchy, that's what I wanted to see.

Speaking of bowl anarchy, how about Rep. Joe Barton down in Texas? The wacky A&M alum is pushing Congress to meddle in the BCS. Yesterday, he got a House subcommittee to approve legislation that would ban the promotion of a "national championship game" unless it came via a playoff system.

You go, Joe. You go.

* - Mythical because there is no playoff system.

2. You really think your favorite team is excited about playing in the Beef O'Brady Bowl or spending New Year's Eve under lock-and-key in a hotel room or Christmas in Shreveport? No, of course not.

But they do love the freebies. From PS3s to iPods to HDTVs to more Nike gear than Elin Woods has shredded in the past two weeks, players make out like bandits when they go to a bowl game.

http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/64318

3. A few years ago, I had a Heisman vote. About the time I began blasting Houston Nutt with both barrels, I lost that honor. The state representative who doles out the ballots said it was because "I never see you in the press box at Arkansas games." He then promptly gave my old ballot to the Voice of the UCA Bears. At the time, UCA was a Division II athletic program. But I guess the radio guy was seeing tons more Heisman-worthy athletes in Estes Stadium than I was via CBS, ABC, ESPN and whatever other channels DirecTV brings into my house.

No, I'm not bitter. Why do you think that?

Anyway ...

Ndamukong (which means "House of Spears") Suh, the Nebraska DL, should win this year's Heisman. But he won't. In part, because Nebraska did a poor job promoting his candidacy. He's also hurt by few appearances on national TV. Also, as a defensive player, his on-field worth is difficult to quantify. It's easy for a voter to look at the stats produced by a QB, RB or even WR and see how that impacted the game. For a defensive player to win the Heisman, we'll need a Moneyball-esque revolution in college football. A stathead needs to develop formulas like baseball's PECOTA, VORP and DIPS for football.

Toby Gerhart, the Stanford RB, is also hurt by lack of exposure. Stanford played several night games, meaning 10 p.m. kickoffs on the East Coast. Despite piling up 26 TDs and 1,786 yards, Stanford is 8-4. That's another strike against him.

Mark Ingram, the Alabama RB, is the current leader at http://www.StiffArmTrophy.com, a site which tracks announced votes (like the Otis Kirk vote for Ryan Mallett ). He benefits from several nationally televised games and the SEC aura. He's get votes simply because so many have the mindset (rightfully so) that the SEC is the best football conference in the nation.

Honestly, I'm not sure who'll win. If I'd not been robbed of my ballot by cronyism among the IRPC, I'd vote Suh, Gerhart, Ingram.

4. Recurring Items

The SportsJournalists.com Top 25 is here.

Awful Announcing: Your Full 2009-2010 College Football Bowl Announcing Schedule

5. M8B Prediction

Will Navy (-14) cover against Army?



(Views expressed by the Magic 8 Ball do not necessarily reflect the views of this blog, the blog owner nor this post's author. Advice from the M8B is for entertainment purposes only and not for actual wagering ... even though the Magic 8 Ball is 10-6 this season.)

Letters to Ramon: Bonus Week and Slabby

"Nova -- in the greatest Wildcat victory since McClain and McLain rolled the Hoyas! Grand Valley State -- You never bet against GVS in December! That's like betting for Hootie in October! Navy -- Love that goat. Montana -- in honor of daddy Petrino." -- Dr. Alejandro

"William & Mary over Villanova (two to one are good odds unless you're fighting Chuck Norris). McCoy for Heisman (for the same reason Bradford won last year... 2nd place voting)." -- Lee D.

"Thanks for the shout-out, but i have no chance at the grand prize. ODAC pride!" -- DJ Rubber Gloves

"Mr. Wells states that he simply cannot pick William and Mary, Fr. Tribou's alma mater, to win a sporting event in a betting pool. He's afraid of the hauntings that would follow. As for me, I think Father T. was competitive and wanted to win... even in football. Baseball is a different story..." -- Anonymous

"Navy, though I'd laugh if UCLA got bounced from a bowl." -- Sean O.

"I'd better respond right away since I'm flying to Philly Friday and attending the Army/Navy game with Lee - Go Army, surely we can beat those Middies. Here are my choices guaranteed to keep me in the running for the lowest score of those who sent in most of the weekly entries: 1) Villanova (because Thomas Jefferson isn't starting for William & Mary this game); 2) NW Missouri (because I at least know what state that school is in); 3) Army (because 10 years wearing greens and fatigues trumps 2 years NROTC blues); 4) Montana (because they are really used to the cold); and 5) Gerhart (because Ingram was stopped cold - and not by his fourth quarter feigned hip pointer either - by Auburn's mighty run defense and Suh probably is unlikely to be chosen, notwithstanding deserving it, since he is on the defense and ESPN isn't out to get Peyton - I never forget). Last but not least - what is a "Scantron"? Regards and Go Big Blue (AU's)!" -- Big O

"Army–Navy: When was this a good game? Ever? And the weather in Philly as always shitty, which makes watching this game all the more unbearable. And it never means anything to the national picture - it’s just in the way of other good football games. In other words, I’ll be raking leaves. Appalachian State–Montana: Armanti Edwards’ shot at three national championships in four years. Great story. Last week they had payback on the defending champs (Richmond) who beat them in last year’s playoffs. I’ll be done raking leaves by 4. The Heisman Trophy: Ingram – not sure he’ll win, but I think his consistent strong play against SEC defenses should count for more than Gerhart’s. You have to love a RB that breaks into the defensive backfield and looks for guys to run over. Reminds me of Keith Jackson intercepting Drew May’s pass in that game at Quigley against Parkview, zigzagging down the field, literally running over our entire offense on the way to the end zone. Yeah, that left an impression." -- Jeff G.

"Montana - This might be THE game to watch this postseason. The weather guessers are predicting five inches of snow to fall DURING the game. Gerhart - Ingram leads right now, but I think Gerhart will rally to win a close race. Suh might finish with the most 1st place votes, but not get enough 2nds and 3rds to win. And Otis Kirk announced on a Fort Smith radio show that he'd put Ryan Mallett on his Heisman ballot because 'he's a uhhh better uhhh quarterback than Tebow or Colt McCoy, j-j-j-j-just look at, I mean, you know, his stats are better than those uhhhhh guys.'" -- Anonymous 2

"Can't we just for-go the Slabby award this year?If not, please forward me the names of any Auburn fan that votes for Alabama.I need to add them to the 'Dead To Me' list. I'm turning my ballot over to Steve Spurrier's sports intern." -- Lee D.

"Hard to not sound like a homer, but I assume everyone will be voting for Bama anyway. Since I'm cheering for them, I'll go Texas. Remember, they were like 2 TD underdogs to USC in 05. They can play some shut down defense. I'm not saying they will win. But I sincerely believe they can win, even if it's on their defensive strength alone. And everyone in Texas can carry 75 pounds for 10 feet. That's about the same as a decent sized brisket." -- Danny K.

"Ingram... My propaganda got him invited, but not enough for a "the winner is..." quote. Could happen, but doubt it. Where are the bonus points for the Heisman vote?" -- Ryan H.

"All previsous objections to selection before bowl games preserved & not waived, I vote for TCU." -- Big O

"Alabama, although I think that I should be able to vote for a three-way tie (who am I to say that going undefeated, no matter what conference you play in, is not worthy of a national championship). I am not including Boise State in the tie because the blue field annoys me." -- Kate D.

"We said a few weeks ago that we would NOT to go a bowl in Shreveport. What a crappy location! I'd had my fingers crossed for the Music City Bowl. Oh well ..." -- Hilary D.

"One time, I was unemployed and working a temp job to pay the bills. The job was expected to last for a week and a half, which would cover a lot of my expenses for the month. On the second day of the job, a Thursday, I received word I won 2 tickets to the NCAA Final Four, airfare, hotel, and car rental (down in Orlando, no less). The catch is I would have to leave the next morning, Friday, and would not return until the middle of the following week. Not only would I lose the money from the job, I would have to pay a lot while I was down there. I asked my boss if he needed me for those days. He told me he wouldn't make the decision for me, but that he could certainly use my help. I decided to stay and turned down the trip. On the third day of the job the boss pulled me into the office and said for me to come in on Monday but that he would not need me beyond that. I did the honorable thing and got crapped on for it. Well, it's time to crap back and, thankfully, Alabama gets to receive the full load. My vote goes to Cincinnati, who played just as many top 25 teams as Bama, played two of them on the road (not a neutral site), and didn't pad their victories with cream puffs like Chattanooga, N. Texas, and FIU!" -- Lee D.

"Ingram, but I want Gerhart to win. I wish they voted in multiple rounds so Tebow could be eliminated in the first round a la Chicago in its bid to host the Olympics." -- Glenn B.

"Villanova. On a side note, at first I thought it said Vilonia. I just about said road trip." -- Booty D

"The Heisman lost all credibility for me a few years ago - and even more so with including McCoy and Tebow in this year's list. But, I will pretend that it is legitimate and say Ingram." -- Kate D.

"Is that first one a basketball game? Villanova has a football team?" -- Danny K.

"I feel like I'm jumping off the cliff w/ Ingram as McCoy has total passing & rushing yardage for 2009 of 3,860 to Ingram's 1,864 & Gerhart's 1,885. On the flip side, it appears stiffarm has canvassed roughly 75% of the vote as of their last report last nite and they advise roughly 85% of the votes are cast. I'm saying the SE Conference + who 'Bama beat is going to make the difference (but that's just me) and I'll be eating a lot of crow if McCoy wins (had him typed in at one point) as my husband is adamant that's who it will be!" -- Janis M.

This week's games

In the tradition of Faldon's Five Things: 1) The lower divisions have come up with this bizarre concept called "playoffs" where more than two teams are allowed to play for the championship. If the top division did this, we might be looking at Ohio State traveling to the blue field of Boise State and Penn State going to Amon G. Carter Stadium at TCU in the first round, according to Project Playoffs. 2) Robert Shields has been complaining for years about the Army-Navy game not making the pool, and he has been complaining for days about not getting his five points for picking Nebraska. Now that the military's top brass have moved the game just for the pool, BR not only gets the game but also another chance for a five-point bonus. 3) I can't remember a year where the Heisman race was so wide open that it included some guy from Stanford and a defensive tackle promoted through Internet propaganda by Ryan Harris and his fellow Nebraska fans. 4) Oregon has been named the Poolsville team of the year for making the most appearances in the pool this season and finishing with a 6-2 pool record. The skunk of the year awards go to Notre Dame (0-4) and Clemson (0-3). For a full list of the pool records, check Poolsville on Facebook. 5) Who wanna give Ryan Mallett a Scantron?

For $800 and the Ramon Escobar Trophy, which Chris O'Brien plans to bring home for the pride of the ODAC, select your winners on this final weekly five of the season and e-mail them back to me by 5 p.m. Friday.

Note: All of the bowl games will be due next Friday (Dec. 18), so it might be a good idea to start taking a look at the match-ups.

Division I FCS Semifinals
William & Mary - Villanova
7 p.m., Friday, ESPN2
Power ratings: Villanova by 5
* Underdog worth three points

Division II Championship
Grand Valley State - NW Missouri State
Noon, Saturday, ESPN2
No line

Commander-in-Chief Trophy Series
Army - Navy
1:30 p.m., Saturday, CBS
Line: Navy by 14
* Underdog worth five points

Division I FCS Semifinals
Appalachian State - Montana
3 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Power ratings: Montana by 4

The Heisman Trophy
Gerhart, Ingram, McCoy, Suh, Tebow
7 p.m., Saturday, ESPN

Good luck.
****#****

Project Playoffs: Week 14 standings and seedings

Standings in realigned conferences with seedings for a 16-team playoff. Seedings are derived from the Massey Comparison Rankings, which take every poll and computer rating into account. There is no reason to consider the BCS rankings as the ultimate authority for determining the top 16.

First-round match-ups:
16 Arizona at 1 Alabama
15 Pittsburgh at 2 Texas
14 Iowa at 3 Florida
13 Penn State at 4 TCU
12 Miami at 5 Cincinnati
11 LSU at 6 Oregon
10 Ohio State at 7 Boise State
9 Georgia Tech at 8 Virginia Tech

Click here for a full explanation of Project Playoffs.

Southern
1 Alabama (13-0)
11 LSU (9-3)
Ole Miss (8-4)
Auburn (7-5)
Tennessee (7-5)
Mississippi State (5-7)
Southern Miss (7-5)
Vanderbilt (2-10)
Memphis (2-10)

Mid-South
2 Texas (13-0)
4 TCU (12-0)
Oklahoma State (9-3)
Arkansas (7-5)
Oklahoma (7-5)
Texas Tech (8-4)
Texas A&M (6-6)
Baylor (4-8)
UTEP (4-8)

Southeast
3 Florida (12-1)
9 Georgia Tech (11-2)
12 Miami (9-3)
Clemson (8-5)
Georgia (7-5)
South Carolina (7-5)
Florida State (6-6)
Central Florida (8-4)
South Florida (7-5)

North Central
5 Cincinnati (12-0)
10 Ohio State (10-2)
Notre Dame (6-6)
Michigan State (6-6)
Purdue (5-7)
Michigan (5-7)
Louisville (4-8)
Illinois (3-9)
Indiana (4-8)

Northwest
6 Oregon (10-2)
7 Boise State (13-0)
Oregon State (8-4)
BYU (10-2)
Utah (9-3)
Washington (5-7)
Air Force (7-5)
Colorado (3-9)
Washington State (1-11)

Atlantic
8 Virginia Tech (9-3)
North Carolina (8-4)
East Carolina (9-4)
Kentucky (7-5)
Wake Forest (5-7)
North Carolina State (5-7)
Duke (5-7)
Virginia (3-9)
Maryland (2-10)

Northeast
13 Penn State (10-2)
15 Pittsburgh (9-3)
West Virginia (9-3)
Boston College (8-4)
Connecticut (7-5)
Rutgers (8-4)
Navy (9-4)
Syracuse (4-8)
Army (5-6)

Midwest
14 Iowa (10-2)
Nebraska (9-4)
Wisconsin (9-3)
Missouri (8-4)
Northwestern (8-4)
Minnesota (6-6)
Kansas State (6-6)
Kansas (5-7)
Iowa State (6-6)

Southwest
16 Arizona (8-4)
USC (8-4)
Stanford (8-4)
California (8-4)
UCLA (6-6)
Fresno State (8-4)
Arizona State (4-8)
Hawaii (6-7)
New Mexico (1-11)

Con men gotta keep moving

Once the locals catch on to your scam, you have to high-tail it out of town.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1616064.html

From the Bench

Weekend Football Notes From My House Party

Robert Shields

SEC
For many Razorback fans, the outcome of the Alabama-Florida game was no huge surprise because the Hogs played both on the road this season. The Crimson Tide of Alabama dismantled the Hogs in the second half of the game. The Hogs had actually cut Bama’s lead to 14-7 early in the third quarter, but the rest of the game was complete domination against the Razorbacks. Conversely, the Hogs fought the Gators tooth and nail until the very end. The Gators got a few favorable calls and the rest is history.


Favorable Calls
Looking back at the Florida game, the officiating in that game is still deplorable. I will not say that it was bad because bad officiating happens all the time. In the Florida game, it was biased and everyone in the nation saw it. For the rest of the season, Florida had to carry the weight of every bad call that went in its favor as other teams also claimed bias when it was really just bad officiating. The amazing part of the call against the Hogs is that it was and still is the only time in the history of the SEC that officials were openly and publicly reprimanded, and that speaks volumes. It was against policy, but the call was so bad it had to be addressed because the integrity of the league was in question.


Review
I still hate official review using instant replay during the games for a whole host of reasons. Stated again, it elevates some calls to a higher level. For example, fumbles can be reviewed but not holding when in reality that can be just as important. Replay is significantly slowing the game. Replay breaks momentum of some teams and often gives the defense a breather at key points. Replay supplants the judgment of the guys on the field with a guy who is farther away watching TV and eating concessions. Replay is leading to worse officiating because the guys on the field know they are going to get bailed out by replay. I partially blame the bad officiating in the SEC this year on replay. There are judgment calls on every snap, and it’s the reason you even have officials. I say leave it with them on the field. They do a good job and they more often than not get very close plays right.


Review, I Still Hate It.
The Texas-Nebraska game was another quick reminder of why I hate reviews. If you did not see the game, the Texas coach lost his mind and decided to run a play with 8 seconds left with the clock still running (shades of LSU) while his team was in easy field goal range for the win. The Texas quarterback ran to the sideline being chased and hurled the ball way out of bounds. The clock read zero. Nebraska celebrated what it thought was a 12-10 victory.

The play was reviewed and the ball did hit the ground out of bounds with maybe a second left on the clock (if the clock keeper’s hand can be that accurate watching a ball hit the ground). Texas benefited from a technicality and got one second back on the clock, which is all they needed to get the field-goal team on the field for the game-winning field goal and win 13-12.

I then argued over this call that was reversed by review with friends. They were saying the call was correct. My position was that seconds are lost all the time during the game and nobody cares because the clock guys hands are just a second slow. All of a sudden when it matters for Texas we’re going to get technical to the Longhorns’ advantage. I charged that every play during the game should be reviewed to ensure the exact time is kept. They said that was ludicrous and I countered what just happened was bias under equal protection. I said if that play happened at any other point in the game, is it corrected? And they said probably not. They still maintained the refs got the call right. I then countered one more time. If it were the Hogs and the positions were reversed with Texas on defense and the Hogs on offense and the clock ran out, do you think the Hogs would get the second back on the clock? They fell silent.


Finishing Up
Liberty Bowl bound. A good trip for Hog fans.


Send why you like replay to fromthebench@yahoo.com

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A reason to support Duke football

The phone rang. I didn't recognize the number.
"This is Jeremy."
Jeremy, David Cutcliffe.
"Hey coach."
I hear you are working on something about Patrick.
(Patrick being Patrick Willis, the now 49ers linebacker, who played for Cutcliffe when he was the head coach at Ole Miss before the fools who support the Rebs ran him off for the disaster that was Orgeron. Cutcliffe is now at Duke and I was indeed working on an article about Willis.)
"Yes sir."
Well, I had heard that you were and I just wanted to make sure you had what you needed.
"Yes, sir. Mike MacIntyre was very helpful."
(MacIntyre is Cutcliffe's defensive coordinator at Duke and was an assistant with him at Ole Miss. He was also the guy who found Willis in tiny Bruceton, Tenn. and got him to Oxford.)
That's great. Coach Mac had said he spoke to a reporter about Patrick but I was just wanting to make sure.
"Yeah, he was great, we spoke for at least 30 minutes on the phone. He really helped me out. I appreciate it."
Good. Very good. me and Coach Mac are about to go out recruiting and I wish we could find some more like Patrick. I wish we could find a team of Patrick's. He could have played tailback, fullback, linebacker, safety, receiver. Just about anything and he would have been great.
"Yes, sir. I'm probably just one of a couple reporters in the country who saw Patrick play in high school and I knew that he, well, I still say he's the best high school player I have ever seen play."
So you know then.
"Oh, yes sir."
Must have been a wild ride for you to get from there to San Fransisco.
(I'm writing the article for McSweeney's and they are based there. Many people just assume that's where I live now. Even though I call Little Rock home. I haven't been correcting people.)
I'd think that Jackson, Tennessee to San Fransisco is about as far apart as you can get.
"Yes sir, I think that some would argue they aren't even in the same country."
Laughs ... I'd agree.
I'm sure you are done with it if you talked to Coach Mac, but I just wanted to tell you that Patrick is one of the best I've coached, but what really sets him apart from the others is that he was so coachable. First time, we met, he had a notebook in his hand and was taking notes and asking questions. He was a real student of the game. And that's what made him different. Physically, he was able to do anything he wanted. But he had a real drive to be better. Better every practice. Better every day. He was like any other in that regard. He was really driven.
"I've heard that from others."
Oh absolutely. He's still one of my favorites.
"I've heard that from others as well."
They'd be right. Time to get on my plane. Time to find another Patrick.
"Okay, and good luck. Thanks for calling."
No, thank you.

•••

What does it say about a Division I football coach. A guy making millions, to find a reporter. Get his number and call him, just to make sure the writer had what he needed? Not to get all sappy, but I think that Duke is pretty lucky to get Cutcliffe.

The quarterly issue of McSweeney's comes out Dec. 8.
Read more about it here.
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/SFPanoramaPR.html

I'm told my article will cover two pages, with photos. They are also running a full page cartoon poster.

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