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.
****#****

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

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.

E-mail designs of the week

Vote for your favorite.

Haiku for the coaches

There have been some notable dismissals in the college coaching ranks this week, here is a
haiku on the subject:
Job security
Not found in college football
Bowden and Weis, gone.

Letters to Ramon: Week 14

"0-5 one more time. Why not?" -- My D.

"Oregon — Though I hate that rap video and how Nike is Duck-erizing college uniforms across the nation. Did you see those Pro Combat outfits? Egads! LSU looked like Tulsa. Mizzou looked like a UFL team. The best football uniforms are the timeless ones. Respect tradition. Pitt — Seriously, some football team in the City of Champions needs to win this week. Florida — Going against the M8B here, but St. Timothy of Gainesville shall doth be trimpuhantth in his finalth SEC championshipth. (Hey, I just realized the translators of the King James Bible wrote the way Lou Holtz talks! Fitting, since he was alive when they were working on the translation.)" -- Hog Tattoo

"Not even playing for pride anymore, just seeking the elusive 0-5 to drop me into last place..." -- Aggie Mark

"O State Beavs... wasn't that a boy band?" -- Lee D.

"No way the refs let Saint Tebow lose his final SEC game." -- Brian R.

"I’ve been making my move. You knew I wouldn’t let Mr. Wells win without a fight. Have you ever seen Ramon and Alex Tejada in the same room? It’s either him or just a younger, sexier version of Ramon." -- Hinch

"The game of the ugliest unis goes to the Ducks, even though the Beavers unis are worse (but cooler name). Do you think the two schools got together and said, “Hey, no one east of the Rockies knows where Oregon is on a map, so maybe we need to take a page from Boise’s book and find a way to stand out by forcing people watch our game with sunglasses.”? Florida–Alabama: Can the game hold up to the season-long anticipation? I won’t know because I’ll be at my wife’s grandmother’s 90th birthday party. I’m serious." -- Jeff G.

"Oops, missed the time date on tonight's game, but here are my picks anyway: 1) Had I been timely, I would have picked Oregon, so go Oregon State; 2) Pittsburgh (but if Cincy wins I will look forward to them whipping Bama's rear in the Sugar Bowl - see third pick); 3) Gators (Tebow will 'will' it, if necessary - $aban may think he's the Messiah, but Tim seems to be the real thing, footballwise any way); 4) Georgia Tech (because the other other Tigers can't be trusted on any given Saturday); and 5) Texas (because TV networks demand it for revenue reasons). Doubt if I'll make it to Tampa, but love the gnashing of teeth over our getting picked!" -- Big O

"Why pay face value for a ticket and bad seats when I can go game day and get 30 yard line tickets for 1/2 off? I have only seen Arkansas win one bowl game in my lifetime. We will win the Liberty Bowl. Nothing like finishing the year off with a win. Remember that there won't be any football until September 2010." -- Joe C.

"Oregon State's coach is a douche bag. Going for it on 4th and 15 when you're in field goal range with 6 minutes left? 4th and 15! I turned the game off at that point. Idiot. So if the Cougars don't win tomorrow, I've got 4 tickets to the Liberty Bowl for sale. If they do win, it will be the highest scoring bowl game this year." -- Danny K.

Postscript:

"My season may be complete. I finally reach the exclusive 5-0 frame with 22 of my closest friends. Bring on the bowls. I’m only 42 pts out of first place." -- Jersey Boy

"I would say the same for Arkansas coaches if they lose to East Carolina." -- Seve Chang

"The referee had every right to angrily wave everyone off the field. He could have (if he wanted to) thrown a flag for delay of game – sideline infraction and given Texas an extra five yards. But I still want my 5 points for picking Nebraska." -- Ryan H.

"Dang it, I dropped out of the top 10. Damn you Oregon State!" -- Danny K.

"My first 5-0 ever!! I was celebrating Saturday night like I won the whole thing." -- Cory I.

"I disagree, the clock said '0.00', so you can't penalize the team for going onto the field. The fact that the time was put back on the clock was absolutely the right call. Was there a Husker or Aggie working the game clock? The time (about a second and a half from when the ball hit the ground way out of bounds) should have never ticked off. This is one great example where replay review worked well. That said, how in the world could UT be so careless with the clock? A huge travesty that would have cost them a spot in the title game. Much, much worse than the Chris Webber timeout in the NCAA tourney. Oh yeah, and hats off to the Husker kicker for kicking it out of bounds to start the Longhorn drive. Terrible. I watched the game after the family was in bed, so I saw the end around 1:00 a.m. Terrific game, very exciting if you were rooting for the underdog. Texas fans probably thought it was an awful game. Suh is the man!" -- Shaft Jr.

"Looks like Florida's officiating crew decided to take in a Texas game on a weekend when the Gators need them! Saw 'em off!" -- Alex T.

"A good question arose on the Dan Patrick show about whether they would have reviewed the clock in a regular season game. Most likely not. Apparently during the ND / Michigan game there was a chance for them to do so for ND but they didn't. The other question is, if NEB had been in Texas's place, would they have reviewed it?" -- Seve Chang

A tribute to Bobby Bowden

By John Kriz
Florida State Seminoles, '77-'79

This afternoon my heart was saddened at the announcement that legendary Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden was going to retire effective at the end of the Seminoles' bowl game. I experienced a myriad of emotions at that moment, for you see, Coach Bowden is a hero to me.

I had the privilege of playing under Coach Bowden at Florida State. The year was 1977 and Coach Bowden had already achieved legendary status at FSU by guiding a team that recently had the distinction of boasting the nation’s longest losing streak. In 1976, this new coach from West Virginia guided the Seminoles to a five-win season. My goodness, could it get any better than this? Little did the Seminole nation know what lay ahead. Little did I know what was in store for me.

In the spring of 1977, I wrote Coach Bowden about the possibility of being a walk-on at Florida State. I soon received a letter inviting me to try out. In August, I stepped on to the campus, received my equipment, and headed out to my very first practice. As I jogged onto the practice field, the thought raced through my mind, "What in the world am I doing here?" That question would soon be answered in a way I would never have anticipated.

That practice started out with a traditional stretching and warming-up routine known to all football players. What set that practice apart from anything I had ever experienced was what occurred after that warm-up.

Coach Bowden blew his whistle and the entire team sprinted to him in the middle of that practice field. In what would become a normal routine each practice session, Coach would lay out what his expectations were for that particular practice... nothing new there. What he did next impacted me for life. He prayed.

What?

I was used to saying a rote prayer before a game or occasionally after a game but before a routine practice? This prayer also seemed different –- it seemed to come from his heart. Coach Bowden was a man of God, and Coach Bowden cared deeply for his players.

That moment started me down a life-long path of desiring to follow God. The rest of the practice was a blur but that prayer and what it meant was not. Even today, I can close my eyes, and in my mind's eye, I can see that moment as clearly as if it occurred this afternoon.

The word "hero" in my humble opinion is one of the most overused and missused words in the English language. As a culture, we assign hero status to rock stars, actors, and athletes simply by a talent with which they were blessed. A hero is so much more. A hero is a hero by who he is. The Bible puts it succinctly: "as a man thinks in heart so he is." A hero becomes a hero because of what is in his heart.

Several stories come to mind thinking about Coach Bowden's heart. First and foremost, he didn't just talk about being a Christian; he lived out in his day-to-day life what it means to be a Christian. I was never a star athlete and quite honestly was shocked every day I was able to walk on that practice field as a member of the team. Coach not only knew me by name but was a constant source of encouragement to me. He always treated me as if I were an All-American. He was that way with everybody.

I never once heard him cuss or belittle a player. I never saw him drink an alcoholic beverage. He would, however, magically make an unlit cigar disappear from the start of practice to the end of practice without ever lighting it, but, hey, he was a coach in the South! Anything he asked of his players, you could guarantee he would be doing himself. He is a man of character.

He truly was concerned for each person on his team –- not as a player but as a man. To him, character conditioning was just as important as strength conditioning. He was always available to talk to any of his players. His door was always opened to each one of us at any time.

I recently heard a radio interview of Georgia head coach Mark Richt on locally based FamilyLife Today. During that interview, Coach Richt was asked to give a tribute to Coach Bowden. From the depth of his heart, Coach Richt said the following:

I want to thank you for blessing my life. You gave me the first opportunity to coach at the college level. You allowed me to coach the quarterbacks when everyone else said you were crazy to allow a graduate assistant coach do that.

Most importantly, you led me to the Lord. My life truly changed from that point. But it is your example, the environment you provided for me and my family that really attracted me to that end. You were bold enough to preach Christ that day after Pablo died. Pablo didn’t die in vain in that regard.

Also, I want to thank you for all the years I got to spend at Florida State in a very stable environment in a very unstable profession. You believed in me and my family and now even as I move forward to be the head coach at Georgia, you are still with me.

I don’t always call you as often as I should but I can reflect daily on the way you handled situations, and quite frankly there were a couple of times I thought you handled things improperly, and after being a head coach and sitting in the seat and living through some of the experiences I’ve lived through, I can understand completely why you did some things you did and I can respect you more now than the day I left.

I can guarantee you that a tribute such as that can be repeated by just about every player who has ever had the privilege of being coached by this remarkable man. It was not so much what he said but how he lived in the day to day.

As a graduation gift to my son, I was collecting letters of congratulation from friends and family to celebrate this major achievement. I had asked Coach if he would mind writing a letter, offering a word of advice to celebrate another step toward manhood for my son. Within a week, I received his reply.

One paragraph stood out as I read these words of wisdom to my son:

The ultimate success in life is not how much money you made or how many children you had or how big a house you got. That is not the measure of success. The measure of success is whether you made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior and are living trying to serve His purpose for your life. I think the best way to do this is to get your priorities in order. Make God your number one priority, which knowing your dad, I imagine that is the way you were raised. Second, keep your family as your next priority, and then third, your education. Remember they can take your athletic playing days away but they can’t take your education away. Then, of course, after that go after your profession with the same vigor that you have gone through life.

Coach, your legacy lives through me in many different ways. I find myself saying "Dadgummit" in moments of frustration. I see a bottle of Pepsi and I think of pouring a bag of peanuts into it before drinking it. But Coach, I also see those around me and try to think of ways I can help to make their day better. I try to be an encouragement to all I come in contact with in the course of the day, and most importantly, I try to keep God as my top priority in life.

Coach, your days on the FSU football field may be coming to a close, but your influence in the lives of your players will live on. They live on not only in our lives, but in the lives of our families and in the lives of all we come in contact with each day. To me, that is the legacy you leave. To me, you are always in my Hall of Fame. You are a hero to me.

This week's games

It's championship week with a conference title and BCS fortunes riding on all five games in the pool. Also riding on all five games is the possession of a solid-goldette statue called the Ramon Escobar Trophy and an accompanying check for $800. For some reason, championship week has always played a pivotal role in determining the eventual winner of the pool. Last year, I threw out the theory -- based on how much of a factor the wild ACC had played during the season -- that you had to win the ACC championship game to win the pool. Sure enough, the winner, Swim Summerlin, had unranked Virginia Tech in a pick 'em over Boston College, while most of the closest runners-up did not. This season, I think it's the SEC championship game that is going to play the role of kingmaker. That or it's going to be pool favorite Clemson in the familiar role of spoiler. Regardless, choose wisely this week.

For the aforementioned large sum of money and one of college football's top trophies, which Mike P. had planned to have the Yam Queen carry during next year's Yamfest parade before he dropped the 0-5 last week, select your winners and e-mail them back to me by 6 p.m. Thursday. Don't miss that train on the Thursday night game.

The Civil War for the Roses
Oregon State - Oregon
8 p.m., Thursday, ESPN
Line: Oregon by 10
* Underdog worth four points

Big East Championship
Cincinnati - Pittsburgh
11 a.m., Saturday, ABC
Line: Cincinnati by 1

SEC Championship Game
Florida - Alabama
3 p.m., Saturday, CBS
Line: Florida by 5
* Underdog worth three points

ACC Championship Game
Georgia Tech - Clemson
7 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: Georgia Tech by 1

Big 12 Championship Game
Texas - Nebraska
7 p.m., Saturday, ABC
Line: Texas by 14
* Underdog worth five points

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

Five Things

1. And so Arkansas, it seems, will be at the Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2.

This is undoubtedly causing great wailing and gnashing of teeth among Razorback fans. Arkies think the Hogs have a birthright to appear in the Cotton Bowl every season the team is bowl eligible. Thanks to the lingering SWC fixation (and sheer laziness), I'm pretty sure there are a lot of Arkansas fans who'd prefer the Cotton to the Orange, Sugar or Fiesta Bowls.

Part of this year's hoopla about the Cotton Bowl is not being played at the Cotton Bowl, but at Jerray! Jones' boondoggle of a stadium in Arlington. But I wonder if the Arkansas-A&M series, which will be played at Cowboys Stadium for 10 seasons, will damper the interest in going to the Cotton. Not this year, obviously, but after playing in the $1 billion stadium five consecutive seasons, the new should wear off for Arkansas fans.

While Dallas trumps Memphis in most things (Blues and BBQ being Memphis' strong points), there is a major drawback to the Cotton - it is broadcast on FOX.

While FOX does a good job with the NFL, it has done a horrible job with the Cotton. As the only college football game the network does all year, it's an afterthought. That's proven by FOX using Pat Summerall as the play-by-play man. At 79, he's just a shell of his former great self in the TV booth.

2. LSU Rocks

Last Saturday was my first game at Death Valley. The place should be renamed The Rock House, because the stadium felt like a rock concert.

At Razorback home games, during a time out you are bombarded with commercials on the jumbotron and over the PA system. At Tiger Stadium, they let the bands play and then crank up some music on the PA system right as the teams return to the field to fire up the crowd.

During the game, I heard Garth Brooks (Baton Rouge, which fired up the crowd), House of Pain (Jump Around, which oddly didn't cause a jumping frenzy in the student section), U2 (Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, during a video review on a challenge), Springsteen (Born To Run, during the time out following the punt return TD) and Michael Jackson (which, oddly, got the crowd more fired up than Jump Around). In the OT between possessions, they played some rap song that got the crowd dancing. DANCING!

When the game is at Arkansas, we're subjected to the (insert sponsor here) "Tailgater of the Day" and (insert Sponsor Here) "Can you name the Hog?" and (insert sponsor here) "Women's Sports Update." At LSU, that was done at halftime, not during crucial stretches where you needed the fans to be into the game.

Also, the LSU's Golden Band from Tigerland kicked the collective tails of the Marching Razorbacks. The LSU band played some Dave Matthews Band, Nirvana and Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline. When's the last time the Arkansas band broke out anything other than something from the 1970s?

Here is what happened during OT in the game in 2007. The LSU band played "Talkin' Out Da Side Of Ya Neck" by Dem Franchise Boyz. (Full discolsure: Being a 41-year-old white male, I had to Google that information.)



Arkansas AD Jeff Long was, naturally, at the game. I doubt he took notice, other than to think "Man, LSU should really be monetizing their time outs."

3. Joe Adams

I was standing on the 10-yard-line on the Arkansas bench when this happened. I can't describe the sound this collision made. Todd Curtis of ARSN or ISP or whatever was standing next to me. He thought Adams was dead.



Who doesn't like Pete Carroll?



4. Recurring Items

The SJ Top 25 is here.

Announcing teams are ready yet. Sorry. But with only a handful of games, it's probably not that important.

5. M8B Prediction

Will Florida beat Alabama in the SEC title game?



(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 ... especially since the Magic 8 Ball is 9-6 this season.)