Monday, November 30, 2009
Project Playoffs:
Week 13 standings and seedings
Standings in realigned conferences with seedings for a 16-team playoff. Click here for a full explanation of Project Playoffs.
Southeast
1 Florida (12-0)
10 Georgia Tech (10-2)
12 Miami (9-3)
Clemson (8-4)
Georgia (7-5)
South Carolina (7-5)
Florida State (6-6)
South Florida (7-4)
Central Florida (8-4)
Southern
2 Alabama (12-0)
11 LSU (9-3)
Ole Miss (8-4)
Tennessee (7-5)
Auburn (7-5)
Mississippi State (5-7)
Southern Miss (7-5)
Vanderbilt (2-10)
Memphis (2-10)
Mid-South
3 Texas (12-0)
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)
Northwest
5 Boise State (12-0)
6 Oregon (9-2)
Oregon State (8-3)
BYU (10-2)
Utah (9-3)
Air Force (7-5)
Washington (4-7)
Colorado (3-9)
Washington State (1-11)
North Central
7 Cincinnati (11-0)
9 Ohio State (10-2)
Notre Dame (6-6)
Michigan State (6-6)
Purdue (5-7)
Michigan (5-7)
Louisville (4-8)
Illinois (3-8)
Indiana (4-8)
Atlantic
8 Virginia Tech (9-3)
North Carolina (8-4)
Kentucky (7-5)
East Carolina (8-4)
Wake Forest (5-7)
North Carolina State (5-7)
Duke (5-7)
Virginia (3-9)
Maryland (2-10)
Northeast
13 Penn State (10-2)
14 Pittsburgh (9-2)
West Virginia (8-3)
Boston College (8-4)
Rutgers (8-3)
Connecticut (6-5)
Navy (8-4)
Syracuse (4-8)
Army (5-6)
Midwest
15 Iowa (10-2)
Nebraska (9-3)
Wisconsin (8-3)
Missouri (8-4)
Northwestern (8-4)
Minnesota (6-6)
Kansas State (6-6)
Kansas (5-7)
Iowa State (6-6)
Southwest
16 USC (8-3)
California (8-3)
Stanford (8-4)
Arizona (7-4)
UCLA (6-6)
Fresno State (7-4)
Arizona State (4-8)
Hawaii (6-6)
New Mexico (1-11)
From the Bench
Missed Chances Cost Hogs All Season
Robert Shields
Paper covers rock and obviously glammed-up glittery new gold helmets beats WAC red unis. The Razorbacks donned the all-red pearly uniforms for the fifth time Saturday night and were riding a four-game winning streak wearing them, but they’re not lucky anymore so it’s time to ditch them. Plus, the Hog might end up playing the Houston Cougars in a bowl game and it’s going to get confusing.
The Hogs made three colossal mistakes against LSU, and all of them cost the Hogs the game. In order, Ryan Mallett’s badly overthrown pass that resulted in an interception on the Hogs’ opening drive as they were nearing scoring position. The second mistake was allowing Trindon Holliday to return a punt for a touchdown. The third was Alex Tejada missing a field goal in overtime for the loss.
Tejada will catch a lot of flack as he has done this before in other games. You cannot blame the kid. You blame those that put him in that position. He has a history of missing pressure kicks, especially from the angle of the right hash mark, so don’t expect him to make one when you put him in that position.
Without Tejada’s earlier efforts in the game when he hit three field goals and three extra points, the Hogs would not have even made overtime. He had 12 of the Hogs’ 30 points -- not a bad effort. The offense can share a little of the blame. Getting near the red zone so many times and settling for field goals was fatal.
Still, the breaker in the game was the punt return. Typically, it is difficult for any team to win on the road in the SEC when it has that big a bust in the kicking game. A field goal or punt return against you on the road is worth a lot more than just seven points.
Back to overtime, surely it had to cross Bobby Petrino’s mind when he was 3 yards short to go for it on fourth down and play for the win and not leave it in the hands (or foot) of his kicker. He played the odds as any coach in the SEC would do. More often than not on the road that can cost you and it did.
The Hogs finished one game worse than my preseason prediction of 8-4. The bust in my predictions was the loss at Ole Miss. I predicted Nutt would miss a field goal for the Hogs to win. In the exact opposite, the Hogs missed a field goal at LSU to pick up the extra game for me to have gotten back to the 8-4 mark.
A 7-5 season is definite improvement over the 5-7 season last year, especially considering the extremely difficult schedule and road games. The 3-5 mark in SEC is not great, which is where the victory Saturday night would have made a big difference in finishing 4-4 in conference play and tied for third.
Now on to bowl season, and hopefully the Hogs will win their bowl to end the season on a high mark.
OTHER SEC NOTES
If you have watched much football over the last few months, it’s not hard to recognize the SEC really does play at a different level. The brutal hit on Joe Adams in the end zone is actually very typical in the SEC. In other conferences such as the Big Ten, you still see teams sending a jumping running back over the goal line. You never see that in the SEC because it’s a great way to get someone killed or paralyzed.
In other news from Saturday, two middle-of-the-pack teams in the SEC beat the two teams that are going to play in the ACC championship game.
HAWGBALL NOT
Why does the Razorback basketball team at a timeout go out onto the floor with new chairs put out for them? This has to be a joke as there is no one at Bud Walton behind the bench to hear them or bother them. I understand like at Durham or Chapel Hill removing yourself from the sideline, but the Hogs need to get over themselves. This is not Hawgball, and the crowd is a testament to the fact. If things continue like they have been, they are going to move the basketball team back to Barnhill so that the more successful women’s volleyball and gymnastics teams can compete in a larger venue.
Send famous Nolan quotes to fromthebench@yahoo.com
Order your Christmas stocking stuffer now www.fruitbatbooks.com
Robert Shields
Paper covers rock and obviously glammed-up glittery new gold helmets beats WAC red unis. The Razorbacks donned the all-red pearly uniforms for the fifth time Saturday night and were riding a four-game winning streak wearing them, but they’re not lucky anymore so it’s time to ditch them. Plus, the Hog might end up playing the Houston Cougars in a bowl game and it’s going to get confusing.
The Hogs made three colossal mistakes against LSU, and all of them cost the Hogs the game. In order, Ryan Mallett’s badly overthrown pass that resulted in an interception on the Hogs’ opening drive as they were nearing scoring position. The second mistake was allowing Trindon Holliday to return a punt for a touchdown. The third was Alex Tejada missing a field goal in overtime for the loss.
Tejada will catch a lot of flack as he has done this before in other games. You cannot blame the kid. You blame those that put him in that position. He has a history of missing pressure kicks, especially from the angle of the right hash mark, so don’t expect him to make one when you put him in that position.
Without Tejada’s earlier efforts in the game when he hit three field goals and three extra points, the Hogs would not have even made overtime. He had 12 of the Hogs’ 30 points -- not a bad effort. The offense can share a little of the blame. Getting near the red zone so many times and settling for field goals was fatal.
Still, the breaker in the game was the punt return. Typically, it is difficult for any team to win on the road in the SEC when it has that big a bust in the kicking game. A field goal or punt return against you on the road is worth a lot more than just seven points.
Back to overtime, surely it had to cross Bobby Petrino’s mind when he was 3 yards short to go for it on fourth down and play for the win and not leave it in the hands (or foot) of his kicker. He played the odds as any coach in the SEC would do. More often than not on the road that can cost you and it did.
The Hogs finished one game worse than my preseason prediction of 8-4. The bust in my predictions was the loss at Ole Miss. I predicted Nutt would miss a field goal for the Hogs to win. In the exact opposite, the Hogs missed a field goal at LSU to pick up the extra game for me to have gotten back to the 8-4 mark.
A 7-5 season is definite improvement over the 5-7 season last year, especially considering the extremely difficult schedule and road games. The 3-5 mark in SEC is not great, which is where the victory Saturday night would have made a big difference in finishing 4-4 in conference play and tied for third.
Now on to bowl season, and hopefully the Hogs will win their bowl to end the season on a high mark.
OTHER SEC NOTES
If you have watched much football over the last few months, it’s not hard to recognize the SEC really does play at a different level. The brutal hit on Joe Adams in the end zone is actually very typical in the SEC. In other conferences such as the Big Ten, you still see teams sending a jumping running back over the goal line. You never see that in the SEC because it’s a great way to get someone killed or paralyzed.
In other news from Saturday, two middle-of-the-pack teams in the SEC beat the two teams that are going to play in the ACC championship game.
HAWGBALL NOT
Why does the Razorback basketball team at a timeout go out onto the floor with new chairs put out for them? This has to be a joke as there is no one at Bud Walton behind the bench to hear them or bother them. I understand like at Durham or Chapel Hill removing yourself from the sideline, but the Hogs need to get over themselves. This is not Hawgball, and the crowd is a testament to the fact. If things continue like they have been, they are going to move the basketball team back to Barnhill so that the more successful women’s volleyball and gymnastics teams can compete in a larger venue.
Send famous Nolan quotes to fromthebench@yahoo.com
Order your Christmas stocking stuffer now www.fruitbatbooks.com
Friday, November 27, 2009
Better late than never - Five Things
1. I'd like to apologize to Houston Nutt. As one of the charter members of the posse wanting him out of Fayetteville, I was convinced he was completely over his head in the SEC. At one point, I even said he was the "worst coach in the SEC when it comes late-game management."
Les Miles proved me wrong.
You've all seen it by now. Trailing OM by 2, LSU hits a Hail Mary into easy field goal range. Miles, however, doesn't have the kicking team ready. He actually signals for a spike to stop the clock. But with only 1 second on the clock, it was obvious that was a losing decision before the QB even took the snap.
So congrats, Nutt. You're now the second-worst coach in the SEC when it comes to late-game management.
1A. Are you on Twitter? Are you following InsidetheBCS? You should be because it is pure hilarity, kind of like Les Miles in the final seconds of the Ole Miss game.
The Twitter feed is the brainchild of the new PR agency the BCS has hired. A PR agency headed by Ari Fleischer, the former press secretary for George W. Bush. Yes, that's right. Fleischer has now been a spin doctor for two incompetent organizations.
The PR firm also launched PlayoffProblem.com to spin against people who favor a CFB playoff system.
Obviously, this means war for Project Playoffs.
2. Last Saturday, I took a day off. With Arkansas playing in that dump of a stadium in Little Rock at an unTebowly hour, I elected to head to my in-laws for an early Thanksgiving. Since they live in NEA, we trekked through Central Arkansas en route. Stopping at Chik-Fil-A in Conway (which is, without a doubt, the busiest restaurant in Conway and perhaps the nation), I was struck by the number of people wearing Arkansas Razorback gear. It was odd.
No, people wearing Hog stuff isn't odd, per se, in Conway. What was odd was that the game was on TV and these people weren't watching ... yet felt compelled to sport the logos. Arkansas fans aren't the only ones who do this. I've seen countless other fans doing the same thing. But if you're a fan, shouldn't you — I don't know — be watching the game!?!
3. As if the Oregon uniforms weren't bad enough
4. Recurring Items
The SportsJournalists.com Top 25 is here.
Awful Announcing: Your Week Thirteen College Football Announcing Schedule
5. M8B Prediction
Will Arkansas (+3.5) cover the spread against LSU?
(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 8-6 this season.)
Les Miles proved me wrong.
You've all seen it by now. Trailing OM by 2, LSU hits a Hail Mary into easy field goal range. Miles, however, doesn't have the kicking team ready. He actually signals for a spike to stop the clock. But with only 1 second on the clock, it was obvious that was a losing decision before the QB even took the snap.
So congrats, Nutt. You're now the second-worst coach in the SEC when it comes to late-game management.
1A. Are you on Twitter? Are you following InsidetheBCS? You should be because it is pure hilarity, kind of like Les Miles in the final seconds of the Ole Miss game.
The Twitter feed is the brainchild of the new PR agency the BCS has hired. A PR agency headed by Ari Fleischer, the former press secretary for George W. Bush. Yes, that's right. Fleischer has now been a spin doctor for two incompetent organizations.
The PR firm also launched PlayoffProblem.com to spin against people who favor a CFB playoff system.
Obviously, this means war for Project Playoffs.
2. Last Saturday, I took a day off. With Arkansas playing in that dump of a stadium in Little Rock at an unTebowly hour, I elected to head to my in-laws for an early Thanksgiving. Since they live in NEA, we trekked through Central Arkansas en route. Stopping at Chik-Fil-A in Conway (which is, without a doubt, the busiest restaurant in Conway and perhaps the nation), I was struck by the number of people wearing Arkansas Razorback gear. It was odd.
No, people wearing Hog stuff isn't odd, per se, in Conway. What was odd was that the game was on TV and these people weren't watching ... yet felt compelled to sport the logos. Arkansas fans aren't the only ones who do this. I've seen countless other fans doing the same thing. But if you're a fan, shouldn't you — I don't know — be watching the game!?!
3. As if the Oregon uniforms weren't bad enough
4. Recurring Items
The SportsJournalists.com Top 25 is here.
Awful Announcing: Your Week Thirteen College Football Announcing Schedule
5. M8B Prediction
Will Arkansas (+3.5) cover the spread against LSU?
(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 8-6 this season.)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Seminole Memory Lane: Florida Week
By John Kriz
Gator Week! What a week when we are preparing for the annual game with the Gators. This is what college football is all about! If a player was caught wearing ANYTHING orange, he would be assigned DAWN PATROL. Dawn Patrol occurred before the sun would rise, before classes, and preferably before breakfast! A coach would meet you on the field with his beloved whistle and you would run until he was tired. Needless to say, you did not want to run Dawn Patrol.
Game day brought several traditions that I believe are still in place today. First, the Training Table pre-game meal would serve Gator meat. Each player was given a piece whether he asked for it or not. And yes, it did taste like chicken!
Pre-game, all the players literally put on war paint. By the time you went out on the field for pre-game warm-ups and finally when you ran out on the field, you had an adrenaline rush that has yet been compared to anything else I have experienced since.
On a side note, my last game was played on Florida Field. I have my game helmet from that day and you can see a Gator blue paint streak on it. Now what I don’t tell a whole lotta folks is that paint streak is located on the lower part of the back of my helmet. How the heck it got to that location is indeed a mystery of the ages.
Gator Week! What a week when we are preparing for the annual game with the Gators. This is what college football is all about! If a player was caught wearing ANYTHING orange, he would be assigned DAWN PATROL. Dawn Patrol occurred before the sun would rise, before classes, and preferably before breakfast! A coach would meet you on the field with his beloved whistle and you would run until he was tired. Needless to say, you did not want to run Dawn Patrol.
Game day brought several traditions that I believe are still in place today. First, the Training Table pre-game meal would serve Gator meat. Each player was given a piece whether he asked for it or not. And yes, it did taste like chicken!
Pre-game, all the players literally put on war paint. By the time you went out on the field for pre-game warm-ups and finally when you ran out on the field, you had an adrenaline rush that has yet been compared to anything else I have experienced since.
On a side note, my last game was played on Florida Field. I have my game helmet from that day and you can see a Gator blue paint streak on it. Now what I don’t tell a whole lotta folks is that paint streak is located on the lower part of the back of my helmet. How the heck it got to that location is indeed a mystery of the ages.
Letters to Ramon: Week 13
"No A&M-Texas game? It's the Thursday night upset special - or possibly a miserable blowout that everyone turns off in the 2nd quarter." -- Aggie Mark
"I don't think LSU loses two in a row, and I don't think they lose to us three years in a row, but I'm to far out of it to matter so I'm picking with my heart." -- Brian R.
"Love me some Clemson..." -- Robb O.
"I'm still chasing that point from the Cincinnati Thursday night game when I was in Nowhere, Mississippi. Aaaargh!" -- Danny K.
"Oklahoma - now I have to say that's its awesome that we're still the favorite. Bet a lot of this group will pick the upset, but it's in Norman... been an odd season on the road but 29-game win streak at home.Even Switzer and Wilkinson didn't do that." -- Sean O.
"Breaking my longstanding rule of not betting on Arkansas." -- E-Man
"And the Fighting Texas Aggies to turn the BCS on it's ear as night falls on Thanksgiving!" -- Aggie Jason
"Is Les Miles a dumb ass or what? He is so over-rated." -- Yo Sal
"Stanford – This might be a first ever for me. I’ve lost faith. That’s probably a sign that we’re ready for a change. I think (hope) God will punish me by making me miss out on the 3 points from an Irish win. Either way, confession is in order." -- Wuje the younger
"Of course you are forgiven for the major faux pas of not including the Florida State - Florida game as one of the game picks of the week. Forgiven yes.... not forgotten - you better watch your six (military lingo for watch you back!!!) I do realize you want my pick for that game as well.... UPSET OF THE WEEK - FSU over UF!!" -- Seminole Prognosticator
"Following the same logic… vote against Arkansas = a win for Arkansas." -- Jason C.
"And, as long as we're talking rivalries: Mizzou over Kansas! GO TIGERS!" -- Dorian W.
"Thanks for no Iron Bowl, I would hate to possibly have to pick uat...." -- Jeff K.
"I’d like to see us take another one down there, especially since a Cotton Bowl berth may be on the line (I REALLY don’t want to go to Memphis or Shreveport), but I did not like the way MSU ran over all us last week. It will interesting to see how LSU bounces back from that Ole Miss fiasco." -- Jeff G.
"Pitt - Because there has to be one decent team playing at Heinz Field [/disgruntled Steelers fan]. Oklahoma State - Stoops already has Touchdown Jesus on his mind. Stanford - Even the Pope thinks Weis should be fired. " -- Hog Tattoo
"Matt, are you and your family members trying to monopolize the top tier?" -- School of Noise
"Clemson smokes SC (but if SC wins, then the SEC is much stronger than the ACC)." -- Steve N.
"I can't believe you have left off the biggest and most intense backyard brawl of all. Regardless, Trey and I will be there Friday afternoon, supporting our Tigers while Lee and Kathy will be getting over being at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NY. Anyway, here are my miserable picks (sure will be glad when this year is over and I can start anew with the Basketball NCAA picks): 1) West Virginia (hard choice given my love for the city of Pittsburgh, but the female Mountaineer is getting stronger each week with those pushups); 2) Clemson (because those Tigers can be tough except last year when they let Bama embarass them); 3) Oklahoma State (I just have no faith in OU's abilities this year); 4) Arkansas (because Miles is by far the poorer coach, notwithstanding the better talent); and 5) Stanford (and yes, Weiss is toast... hope they offer Coach Little Bit, $aban, a Pot full of Gold to go there since he no longer owns the Alabama football recruits in state). Just remember, Trey and I were there at Jordan-Hare 20 years ago to witness the undefeated Tide ranked 2 nationally go down to a more determined group of Tigers. History can repeat itself... just have to have faith, baby." -- Big O
"Having to "watch" the games on espn gamecast on your phone while driving across Kansas pretty much sucks. However, the fact that that's even possible - pretty cool." -- Private Smith
"I don't think LSU loses two in a row, and I don't think they lose to us three years in a row, but I'm to far out of it to matter so I'm picking with my heart." -- Brian R.
"Love me some Clemson..." -- Robb O.
"I'm still chasing that point from the Cincinnati Thursday night game when I was in Nowhere, Mississippi. Aaaargh!" -- Danny K.
"Oklahoma - now I have to say that's its awesome that we're still the favorite. Bet a lot of this group will pick the upset, but it's in Norman... been an odd season on the road but 29-game win streak at home.Even Switzer and Wilkinson didn't do that." -- Sean O.
"Breaking my longstanding rule of not betting on Arkansas." -- E-Man
"And the Fighting Texas Aggies to turn the BCS on it's ear as night falls on Thanksgiving!" -- Aggie Jason
"Is Les Miles a dumb ass or what? He is so over-rated." -- Yo Sal
"Stanford – This might be a first ever for me. I’ve lost faith. That’s probably a sign that we’re ready for a change. I think (hope) God will punish me by making me miss out on the 3 points from an Irish win. Either way, confession is in order." -- Wuje the younger
"Of course you are forgiven for the major faux pas of not including the Florida State - Florida game as one of the game picks of the week. Forgiven yes.... not forgotten - you better watch your six (military lingo for watch you back!!!) I do realize you want my pick for that game as well.... UPSET OF THE WEEK - FSU over UF!!" -- Seminole Prognosticator
"Following the same logic… vote against Arkansas = a win for Arkansas." -- Jason C.
"And, as long as we're talking rivalries: Mizzou over Kansas! GO TIGERS!" -- Dorian W.
"Thanks for no Iron Bowl, I would hate to possibly have to pick uat...." -- Jeff K.
"I’d like to see us take another one down there, especially since a Cotton Bowl berth may be on the line (I REALLY don’t want to go to Memphis or Shreveport), but I did not like the way MSU ran over all us last week. It will interesting to see how LSU bounces back from that Ole Miss fiasco." -- Jeff G.
"Pitt - Because there has to be one decent team playing at Heinz Field [/disgruntled Steelers fan]. Oklahoma State - Stoops already has Touchdown Jesus on his mind. Stanford - Even the Pope thinks Weis should be fired. " -- Hog Tattoo
"Matt, are you and your family members trying to monopolize the top tier?" -- School of Noise
"Clemson smokes SC (but if SC wins, then the SEC is much stronger than the ACC)." -- Steve N.
"I can't believe you have left off the biggest and most intense backyard brawl of all. Regardless, Trey and I will be there Friday afternoon, supporting our Tigers while Lee and Kathy will be getting over being at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NY. Anyway, here are my miserable picks (sure will be glad when this year is over and I can start anew with the Basketball NCAA picks): 1) West Virginia (hard choice given my love for the city of Pittsburgh, but the female Mountaineer is getting stronger each week with those pushups); 2) Clemson (because those Tigers can be tough except last year when they let Bama embarass them); 3) Oklahoma State (I just have no faith in OU's abilities this year); 4) Arkansas (because Miles is by far the poorer coach, notwithstanding the better talent); and 5) Stanford (and yes, Weiss is toast... hope they offer Coach Little Bit, $aban, a Pot full of Gold to go there since he no longer owns the Alabama football recruits in state). Just remember, Trey and I were there at Jordan-Hare 20 years ago to witness the undefeated Tide ranked 2 nationally go down to a more determined group of Tigers. History can repeat itself... just have to have faith, baby." -- Big O
"Having to "watch" the games on espn gamecast on your phone while driving across Kansas pretty much sucks. However, the fact that that's even possible - pretty cool." -- Private Smith
This week's games
The games come a day early this week to help anyone going out of town for Thanksgiving, and it's nothing but rivalry games filled with drama and vitriol from top to bottom. So for $800 and the Ramon Escobar Trophy, the perfect centerpiece of any Thanksgiving table and one of the reasons the pilgrims came to America, select your winners and e-mail them back to me by 5 p.m. Friday.
The Backyard Brawl
Pittsburgh - West Virginia
6 p.m., Friday, ESPN2
Line: Pittsburgh by 1
Battle of the Palmetto State
Clemson - South Carolina
11 a.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: Clemson by 3
The Bedlam Series
Oklahoma State - Oklahoma
11:30 a.m., Saturday, Fox Sports Net
Line: Oklahoma by 10
* Underdog worth four points
Battle for the Golden Boot
Arkansas - LSU
6 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: LSU by 3
The Legends Trophy Game
Notre Dame - Stanford
7 p.m., Saturday, ABC/ESPN2
Line: Stanford by 8
* Underdog worth three points
Good luck.
****#****
The Backyard Brawl
Pittsburgh - West Virginia
6 p.m., Friday, ESPN2
Line: Pittsburgh by 1
Battle of the Palmetto State
Clemson - South Carolina
11 a.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: Clemson by 3
The Bedlam Series
Oklahoma State - Oklahoma
11:30 a.m., Saturday, Fox Sports Net
Line: Oklahoma by 10
* Underdog worth four points
Battle for the Golden Boot
Arkansas - LSU
6 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: LSU by 3
The Legends Trophy Game
Notre Dame - Stanford
7 p.m., Saturday, ABC/ESPN2
Line: Stanford by 8
* Underdog worth three points
Good luck.
****#****
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Pre-Thanksgiving haiku
Since this is Thanksgiving week, I decided to put my haiku in a day
early. I saw an article on Poolsville last week that I just had to make a
haiku on the subject:
A sight at Auburn
Make shift toilet on the field
Corndogs kickin' in
early. I saw an article on Poolsville last week that I just had to make a
haiku on the subject:
A sight at Auburn
Make shift toilet on the field
Corndogs kickin' in
Monday, November 23, 2009
Project Playoffs:
Week 12 standings and seedings
Standings in realigned conferences with seedings for a 16-team playoff. Click here for a full explanation of Project Playoffs.
Southern
1 Alabama (11-0)
LSU (8-3)
Ole Miss (8-3)
Auburn (7-4)
Tennessee (6-5)
Mississippi State (4-7)
Southern Miss (7-4)
Vanderbilt (2-10)
Memphis (2-9)
Mid-South
2 Texas (11-0)
4 TCU (11-0)
Oklahoma State (9-2)
Arkansas (7-4)
Texas Tech (7-4)
Oklahoma (6-5)
Texas A&M (6-5)
Baylor (4-7)
UTEP (3-8)
Southeast
3 Florida (11-0)
6 Georgia Tech (10-1)
14 Clemson (8-3)
15 Miami (8-3)
South Florida (7-3)
Georgia (6-5)
Florida State (6-5)
South Carolina (6-5)
Central Florida (7-4)
North Central
5 Cincinnati (10-0)
9 Ohio State (10-2)
Notre Dame (6-5)
Michigan State (6-6)
Purdue (5-7)
Louisville (4-7)
Michigan (5-7)
Illinois (3-7)
Indiana (4-8)
Northwest
7 Boise State (11-0)
8 Oregon (9-2)
Oregon State (8-3)
Utah (9-2)
BYU (9-2)
Air Force (7-5)
Washington (3-7)
Colorado (3-8)
Washington State (1-10)
Atlantic
10 Virginia Tech (8-3)
North Carolina (8-3)
Kentucky (7-4)
East Carolina (7-4)
Wake Forest (4-7)
Duke (5-6)
Virginia (3-8)
North Carolina State (4-7)
Maryland (2-9)
Northeast
11 Pittsburgh (9-1)
12 Penn State (10-2)
West Virginia (7-3)
Navy (8-3)
Boston College (7-4)
Rutgers (7-3)
Connecticut (5-5)
Syracuse (4-7)
Army (5-6)
Midwest
13 Iowa (10-2)
Nebraska (8-3)
Wisconsin (8-3)
Missouri (7-4)
Northwestern (8-4)
Minnesota (6-6)
Kansas (5-6)
Kansas State (6-6)
Iowa State (6-6)
Southwest
16 USC (7-3)
California (8-3)
Stanford (7-4)
Arizona (6-4)
UCLA (6-5)
Fresno State (7-4)
Arizona State (4-7)
Hawaii (5-6)
New Mexico (1-10)
Ramon's Escoblog: Week 12
The Awesome Meter: Rating the awesomeness of Week 12 -- LSU's final seconds in Oxford as masterfully called by Verne Lundquist: Rating 5 (Between Two Ferns)... High drama at Notre Dame Stadium regardless of outcome: Rating 4 (Whole Hog sauce #5)... Stanford coach's audition for Notre Dame goes south after a failed fourth-down conversion keeps the Axe in Berkeley: Rating 4 (Larry Zbyszko)... Yale coach fakes a punt on fourth and 22 that fails with a minute left and gives the ball back to Harvard to score the winning touchdown: Rating 2 (Televised card playing)... Oregon doing it again in overtime to everyone who picked against them: Rating 3 (Fauzio's penguin)... Local ABC affiliate showing the fourth quarter of Texas blowout instead of switching to Oregon game: Rating 1 (Army Wives)... The Land Grant Trophy: Rating 2 (Doug Virden smoking a pipe)... SEC Network affecting War Memorial Golf Course tailgating: Rating 2 (RazorMail)... Jeremy Peppas and the Poolsville blog being mentioned in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Rating 4 (Wondershowzen)... Me going 5-0 for the first time this season: Rating 5 (DeAndre Cole).From the Bench
Razorbacks Getting it Done With Change of Pants
Robert Shields
Keep wearing the red pants, Petrino. I don’t like them and they look like something out of the WAC, but you can’t argue with the results this season.
Ryan Mallett had a bad game, yet the guy still threw for five touchdowns, and that just showed the kind of talent the kid has going for him. He was often off on Saturday, but he is still brilliant enough to beat defenses anyway. Andre Ware, calling the game for something called the SEC Network that ruins tailgating for one lucky school once a week, said a lot of the guys on Sunday can’t throw like that kid. Mallett is also becoming more mobile every game. No one is going to mistake him for Matt Jones (during times when he is not using the Footlocker card), but he is moving well in and out of the pocket and hitting his receivers while doing it.
For the first time in a long time, the Hogs did a great job defending the home turf this season. If there is one game you want back as a Hog fan, it is probably not the Florida game but the Georgia game. The Hogs were on their way to win that game until a crucial part of the defense got tossed from the game and the team took four personal foul penalties in about six plays (must be a sign of poor discipline from the coaching staff). The Hogs should have won that home game, and if Fayetteville had delivered they would be sitting at 8-3 right now.
The three losses on the road at Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, and Oxford were all going to be very difficult games to win with all three of those schools at one point ranked in the Top 10 and Florida and Alabama still ranked 1 and 2.
The Hogs winning in Fayetteville this year against South Carolina and Auburn where huge steps in the right direction for this program. The Hogs defended Little Rock as usual, and since 1997 the Hogs have a 26-2 record there (93 percent), which is an amazing stat in college football.
Bobby Petrino remained undefeated for the second year in Little Rock. It often takes a good Razorback coach about five years before he loses that first game and the Internet begins to turn on him.
The fans arrived early for the morning start on the golf course outside War Memorial Stadium. The team arrived hours later around 9 a.m. Surprisingly, the fans rolled out to meet the busses that had a 12-motorcycle escort leading them down Markham Street. The sky was threatening and spitting rain, but the fans lined up at least four deep for the player walk through. Petrino shook hands and nodded his appreciation to the fans. The crowd was good and loud early causing Mississippi State some problems and forcing them into a delay-of-game penalty that killed one drive.
To my knowledge, the Hogs have not had to start a game that early at War Memorial since an Alabama game in 1996. I would be remiss not to mention the fans at Fayetteville have had to arrive for that early SEC game it seems like all year and have done a very good job for the team at that time in the morning for those who skipped Uncle Gaylord’s and didn’t have to return to the hotel.
The Hogs have one left for the season, and they have a two-game winning streak against LSU. I am sure the Tiger faithful will be reminded that they need to win back the Boot provided they first decide to let the LSU coaching staff return to the state after the debacle in Oxford.
Cheerleaders, send your thanksgiving tradition fromthebench@yahoo.com !
The latest on my book is at http://www.fruitbatbooks.com/ Order now, I said.
Robert Shields
Keep wearing the red pants, Petrino. I don’t like them and they look like something out of the WAC, but you can’t argue with the results this season.
Ryan Mallett had a bad game, yet the guy still threw for five touchdowns, and that just showed the kind of talent the kid has going for him. He was often off on Saturday, but he is still brilliant enough to beat defenses anyway. Andre Ware, calling the game for something called the SEC Network that ruins tailgating for one lucky school once a week, said a lot of the guys on Sunday can’t throw like that kid. Mallett is also becoming more mobile every game. No one is going to mistake him for Matt Jones (during times when he is not using the Footlocker card), but he is moving well in and out of the pocket and hitting his receivers while doing it.
For the first time in a long time, the Hogs did a great job defending the home turf this season. If there is one game you want back as a Hog fan, it is probably not the Florida game but the Georgia game. The Hogs were on their way to win that game until a crucial part of the defense got tossed from the game and the team took four personal foul penalties in about six plays (must be a sign of poor discipline from the coaching staff). The Hogs should have won that home game, and if Fayetteville had delivered they would be sitting at 8-3 right now.
The three losses on the road at Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, and Oxford were all going to be very difficult games to win with all three of those schools at one point ranked in the Top 10 and Florida and Alabama still ranked 1 and 2.
The Hogs winning in Fayetteville this year against South Carolina and Auburn where huge steps in the right direction for this program. The Hogs defended Little Rock as usual, and since 1997 the Hogs have a 26-2 record there (93 percent), which is an amazing stat in college football.
Bobby Petrino remained undefeated for the second year in Little Rock. It often takes a good Razorback coach about five years before he loses that first game and the Internet begins to turn on him.
The fans arrived early for the morning start on the golf course outside War Memorial Stadium. The team arrived hours later around 9 a.m. Surprisingly, the fans rolled out to meet the busses that had a 12-motorcycle escort leading them down Markham Street. The sky was threatening and spitting rain, but the fans lined up at least four deep for the player walk through. Petrino shook hands and nodded his appreciation to the fans. The crowd was good and loud early causing Mississippi State some problems and forcing them into a delay-of-game penalty that killed one drive.
To my knowledge, the Hogs have not had to start a game that early at War Memorial since an Alabama game in 1996. I would be remiss not to mention the fans at Fayetteville have had to arrive for that early SEC game it seems like all year and have done a very good job for the team at that time in the morning for those who skipped Uncle Gaylord’s and didn’t have to return to the hotel.
The Hogs have one left for the season, and they have a two-game winning streak against LSU. I am sure the Tiger faithful will be reminded that they need to win back the Boot provided they first decide to let the LSU coaching staff return to the state after the debacle in Oxford.
Cheerleaders, send your thanksgiving tradition fromthebench@yahoo.com !
The latest on my book is at http://www.fruitbatbooks.com/ Order now, I said.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Stay classy, Ole Miss
Shane Tate, lead mouthbreather/inbred hick of the Mississippi, is rallying the too-dumb-to-go-to-JUCO-let-lone-Ole-Miss types in the KKK ...
KKK Plans Rally at Ole Miss
“We are coming to Ole Miss to say enough is enough on attacking our Christian, southern heritage and culture, and it’s time for every person to have a right to freedom of speech,” Tate said.
Lago confirmed Ole Miss has been contacted by the KKK and said the group has the right to voice its opinions as long as it doesn’t interfere with university activity or the personal rights of others.
“We aren’t coming there to cause problems or cause trouble,” Tate said. “Trouble has already been caused by a handful at Ole Miss, including the black student body president, who wants to shape Ole Miss into yet another liberal sodomite college.”
KKK Plans Rally at Ole Miss
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Weeks happenings in a haiku
With all the happening in College football this past week, I had to make
it into a haiku:
Auburn chokes again
Weiss's future on the line.
Short tailgating time.
it into a haiku:
Auburn chokes again
Weiss's future on the line.
Short tailgating time.
Letters to Ramon: Week 12
"You just summed up the problem with the Pac 10. They actually worry about their bands and what they do." -- BR
"I can't see Les Miles loosing to Nut (again). Tigers please, please play well !!!!! Michigan State pushes JoPah toward retirement. Go Spartans. Stanford wins the battle of the brainiacks." -- Steve N.
"BC over UNC... UNC basketball has started. Even the football players moved on to watch how the team performs after losing 3 first round draft picks." -- Lee D.
"The Seminole Prognosticator is slowly by surely moving up in the rankings. Golly, another 27 weeks and by gosh the top spot would most certainly be within reach!" -- Seminole Prognosticator
"Unsure of the LSU – Ole Miss but thought I would give Houston some respect if he wins." -- Wes W.
"How many times did we pile into our stadium in record numbers for a big game like this just to suck eggs... Your turn now, Col. Reb!!" -- Dr. Alejandro
"This has been my worse showing ever, but unlike the few people in the ranks below me... I'm still putting picks in. I would appeal to the judges that anyone who discontinues putting picks in, should be ineligible for the last place free entry position. It takes real bad luck to actually put picks in week after week and still do so poorly vs. just quitting the pool and coasting into last place. That said, Here are my picks. 1) North Carolina or Boston College - whoever wins (but if I have to pick one I'll go w/ BC but only because they have equal opprtunity cheerleaders. I knew two girls that were previous cheerleaders there and they were both UGLY as sin - I know that sounds mean - but it's the truth). 2) LSU or Ole Miss - whoever score more (fine.. LSU,,, decision based on cooler helmet)." -- The Biz
"This is the point in the season when it becomes interesting. Two Pac-10 games? I’d rather try my luck with the ACC. I could go 0-5 as easily as 5-0. Spurrier says he’s staying at SC. If they get whipped in Columbia by Clemson again (I hear from a Clemson grad, but cannot confirm, that USC has beaten Clemson in Columbia a grand total of once since 1978), the decision might be slipping out of his hands." -- Jeff G.
"Unfortunately, Hooten Dale can pull these off. Spartans won't even need Spartacus to win this one. The Cardinal will roll like they did when Tiger Woods was there. The Quack Attack will dodge the Wildcats on opening day of Quack Killing Day." -- Robert N.
"BC - Because one Catholic college needs to field a decent football team in this country." -- Hog Tattoo
"In the Battle For The Pimp Cup game, I will be rooting for Ole Miss to hand LSU a loss as we all know what that would mean for our Arkansas Razorbacks a week from now. All signs point to another big day for DMacII which is the reason for me knowing Hootie will screw this up and lay an egg. LSU wins by 4." -- Moped Boy
"I can't see Les Miles loosing to Nut (again). Tigers please, please play well !!!!! Michigan State pushes JoPah toward retirement. Go Spartans. Stanford wins the battle of the brainiacks." -- Steve N.
"BC over UNC... UNC basketball has started. Even the football players moved on to watch how the team performs after losing 3 first round draft picks." -- Lee D.
"The Seminole Prognosticator is slowly by surely moving up in the rankings. Golly, another 27 weeks and by gosh the top spot would most certainly be within reach!" -- Seminole Prognosticator
"Unsure of the LSU – Ole Miss but thought I would give Houston some respect if he wins." -- Wes W.
"How many times did we pile into our stadium in record numbers for a big game like this just to suck eggs... Your turn now, Col. Reb!!" -- Dr. Alejandro
"This has been my worse showing ever, but unlike the few people in the ranks below me... I'm still putting picks in. I would appeal to the judges that anyone who discontinues putting picks in, should be ineligible for the last place free entry position. It takes real bad luck to actually put picks in week after week and still do so poorly vs. just quitting the pool and coasting into last place. That said, Here are my picks. 1) North Carolina or Boston College - whoever wins (but if I have to pick one I'll go w/ BC but only because they have equal opprtunity cheerleaders. I knew two girls that were previous cheerleaders there and they were both UGLY as sin - I know that sounds mean - but it's the truth). 2) LSU or Ole Miss - whoever score more (fine.. LSU,,, decision based on cooler helmet)." -- The Biz
"This is the point in the season when it becomes interesting. Two Pac-10 games? I’d rather try my luck with the ACC. I could go 0-5 as easily as 5-0. Spurrier says he’s staying at SC. If they get whipped in Columbia by Clemson again (I hear from a Clemson grad, but cannot confirm, that USC has beaten Clemson in Columbia a grand total of once since 1978), the decision might be slipping out of his hands." -- Jeff G.
"Unfortunately, Hooten Dale can pull these off. Spartans won't even need Spartacus to win this one. The Cardinal will roll like they did when Tiger Woods was there. The Quack Attack will dodge the Wildcats on opening day of Quack Killing Day." -- Robert N.
"BC - Because one Catholic college needs to field a decent football team in this country." -- Hog Tattoo
"In the Battle For The Pimp Cup game, I will be rooting for Ole Miss to hand LSU a loss as we all know what that would mean for our Arkansas Razorbacks a week from now. All signs point to another big day for DMacII which is the reason for me knowing Hootie will screw this up and lay an egg. LSU wins by 4." -- Moped Boy
This week's games
Last Saturday, the Stanford band played a special tribute to USC with a halftime production saluting the USC grad behind "Girls Gone Wild," and then Coach Jim Harbaugh went for two for the sole purpose of putting 50 on Pete Carroll. Stanford is feeling pretty full of themselves as they go into this season's edition of The Big Game. Meanwhile, Cal students were holding up signs of Oski the bear burning down a tree during the game with Arizona, and you know the Cal band is going to have something special in store for Stanford even if it probably won't live up to the tribute to Mario Bros. Maybe for the first time since The Play, this may actually be The Big Game. So what is Gameday doing at Arizona?
For $800 and the Ramon Escobar Trophy, which Jazzy Josh Miller out in San Francisco promises to take to next year's Big Game, select your winners and e-mail them back to me by 5 p.m. Friday.
North Carolina - Boston College
11 a.m., Saturday, ESPN2
Line: Boston College by 3
The Magnolia Bowl
LSU - Ole Miss
2:30 p.m., Saturday, CBS
Line: Ole Miss by 4
Battle of the Land Grants
Penn State - Michigan State
2:30 p.m., Saturday, ABC/ESPN
Line: Penn State by 3
The Big Game for the Stanford Axe
Cal - Stanford
6:30 p.m., Saturday, Versus
Line: Stanford by 7
* Underdog worth three points
Oregon - Arizona
7 p.m., Saturday, ABC
Line: Oregon by 6
* Underdog worth three points
Good luck.
****#****
For $800 and the Ramon Escobar Trophy, which Jazzy Josh Miller out in San Francisco promises to take to next year's Big Game, select your winners and e-mail them back to me by 5 p.m. Friday.
North Carolina - Boston College
11 a.m., Saturday, ESPN2
Line: Boston College by 3
The Magnolia Bowl
LSU - Ole Miss
2:30 p.m., Saturday, CBS
Line: Ole Miss by 4
Battle of the Land Grants
Penn State - Michigan State
2:30 p.m., Saturday, ABC/ESPN
Line: Penn State by 3
The Big Game for the Stanford Axe
Cal - Stanford
6:30 p.m., Saturday, Versus
Line: Stanford by 7
* Underdog worth three points
Oregon - Arizona
7 p.m., Saturday, ABC
Line: Oregon by 6
* Underdog worth three points
Good luck.
****#****
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Five Things
1. Recapping Fayetteville
We've discussed the blah scheduling in Fayetteville to death. While some will chalk up the blah 2009 atmosphere to the Bentonville princesses who are too busy texting to cheer*, in reality there were no marquee games after Georgia.
This was the worst attended slate of Fayetteville games since the 2005 season with 68,000 and change showing up in RRS**.That's the year Houston Nutt went 4-7 while some dude named Darren McFadden averaged less than 10 carries in the first six games.
Now we approach the final Little Rock game in War Memorial Stadium. With the 11:21 a.m. kickoff, the 'necks from Cabot and the swells from Maumelle won't be nearly as liquored up as normal for a Little Rock game. Throw in opening weekend of duck season (not rabbit season!) and even vaunted WMS might suffer from the RazorBlahs this season.
* - Seriously, have you tried getting a cell signal before the game? It's like a high-tech version of "Where's Waldo?" I've got three bars! (Take a step.) Call dropped, damn!
** - I'd have the exact numbers, but I left my flash drive with that info at the office and am too lazy to do the research a second time. Heck, I even had a nifty line graph of year-by-year attendance at Fayetteville ready to go. Basically, it rose a couple of years and then dipped, rose and then dipped. You get the idea.
2. Whose Ox Is Being Gored?
(Shameless Plug Alert!) I do a little radio show each morning. This morning, a former Razorback footballer wanted to talk about how sweet it was for Jim Harbaugh and Stanford to run it up on Pete Carroll and USC. Seems this football player thinks Carroll had the Trojans intentionally try to embarrass Arkansas a few years ago.
This was brought on by Harbaugh having his team go for 2 late in the game. At the time, Stanford was leading 48-21 with 6:55 remaining.
Anyway, when it was mentioned Arkansas was throwing deep against Troy in the fourth quarter with the starters still in the game. He didn't have a problem with it. Neither did my co-host.
As usual, what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander when it comes to sports fans and their favorite teams.
3. Quiz Time!
This Auburn player is exiting ...
A. A hyperbaric chamber designed to replenish oxygen in his blood system
B. A zen meditation retreat where he can escape the crowds cheering (or booing) and visit his happy place
C. A bathroom located on the Auburn sideline
4. Recurring Items
The SportsJournalists.com Top 25 is here.
Awful Announcing: Your Week Twelve College Football Announcing Schedule
Awful Announcing: Pam Ward Chronicles: Week Eleven
5. M8B Prediction
Will Arkansas (-11.5) cover against Mississippi State?
(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 7-6 this season.)
We've discussed the blah scheduling in Fayetteville to death. While some will chalk up the blah 2009 atmosphere to the Bentonville princesses who are too busy texting to cheer*, in reality there were no marquee games after Georgia.
This was the worst attended slate of Fayetteville games since the 2005 season with 68,000 and change showing up in RRS**.That's the year Houston Nutt went 4-7 while some dude named Darren McFadden averaged less than 10 carries in the first six games.
Now we approach the final Little Rock game in War Memorial Stadium. With the 11:21 a.m. kickoff, the 'necks from Cabot and the swells from Maumelle won't be nearly as liquored up as normal for a Little Rock game. Throw in opening weekend of duck season (not rabbit season!) and even vaunted WMS might suffer from the RazorBlahs this season.
* - Seriously, have you tried getting a cell signal before the game? It's like a high-tech version of "Where's Waldo?" I've got three bars! (Take a step.) Call dropped, damn!
** - I'd have the exact numbers, but I left my flash drive with that info at the office and am too lazy to do the research a second time. Heck, I even had a nifty line graph of year-by-year attendance at Fayetteville ready to go. Basically, it rose a couple of years and then dipped, rose and then dipped. You get the idea.
2. Whose Ox Is Being Gored?
(Shameless Plug Alert!) I do a little radio show each morning. This morning, a former Razorback footballer wanted to talk about how sweet it was for Jim Harbaugh and Stanford to run it up on Pete Carroll and USC. Seems this football player thinks Carroll had the Trojans intentionally try to embarrass Arkansas a few years ago.
This was brought on by Harbaugh having his team go for 2 late in the game. At the time, Stanford was leading 48-21 with 6:55 remaining.
Anyway, when it was mentioned Arkansas was throwing deep against Troy in the fourth quarter with the starters still in the game. He didn't have a problem with it. Neither did my co-host.
As usual, what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander when it comes to sports fans and their favorite teams.
3. Quiz Time!
This Auburn player is exiting ...
A. A hyperbaric chamber designed to replenish oxygen in his blood system
B. A zen meditation retreat where he can escape the crowds cheering (or booing) and visit his happy place
C. A bathroom located on the Auburn sideline
4. Recurring Items
The SportsJournalists.com Top 25 is here.
Awful Announcing: Your Week Twelve College Football Announcing Schedule
Awful Announcing: Pam Ward Chronicles: Week Eleven
5. M8B Prediction
Will Arkansas (-11.5) cover against Mississippi State?
(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 7-6 this season.)
The history of 'The Game' from Ivysport.com
THE GAME - HARVARD @ YALE 2009The first meeting between the teams occurred on November 13, 1875, at Hamilton Field in New Haven. Harvard won 4-0 by scoring four touchdowns and four field goals (at the time, a touchdown merely gave the scoring team the opportunity to gain one point by converting the field goal). This was the first intercollegiate football match between two U.S. teams. (Harvard had played McGill University of Montreal the previous year, and acquired the rules of the game from that team; previous intercollegiate matches were played under the rules of soccer, or European football.)
The rules that governed the early years of THE GAME were a modified version of the rules of rugby and made the game particularly brutal. In the second half of The Game of 1892, Harvard introduced the flying wedge formation, devised by chess master Lorin F. Deland, which so devastated Yale players that it was outlawed the following season (nevertheless, Yale won 6-0). After The Game of 1894, about which newspapers reported seven players carried off the field "in dying condition," the two schools broke off all official contact including athletic competition for two years. Since resuming in 1897, THE GAME has been played annually except during the First and Second World Wars.
THE GAME - Harvard @ Yale 2009 will be played this Saturday, November 21st at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, CT. Go Ancient Eight!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Southern Football's Dating Game (from WSJ)
To Keep Their Prime Seats, Fraternities Embrace an Old-Fashioned
Rite; Khakis and Bourbon
Project Playoffs:
Week 11 standings and seedings for 2009
Standings in realigned conferences with seedings for a 16-team playoff. Click here for a full explanation of Project Playoffs.
Southern
1 Alabama (10-0)
12 LSU (8-2)
Ole Miss (7-3)
Auburn (7-4)
Tennessee (5-5)
Mississippi State (4-6)
Southern Miss (6-4)
Vanderbilt (2-9)
Memphis (2-8)
Southeast
2 Florida (10-0)
7 Georgia Tech (10-1)
16 Clemson (7-3)
Miami (7-3)
Georgia (6-4)
South Florida (6-3)
Florida State (5-5)
South Carolina (6-5)
Central Florida (6-4)
Mid-South
3 Texas (10-0)
4 TCU (10-0)
14 Oklahoma State (8-2)
Oklahoma (6-4)
Arkansas (6-4)
Texas Tech (6-4)
Texas A&M (5-5)
Baylor (4-6)
UTEP (3-7)
North Central
5 Cincinnati (10-0)
9 Ohio State (9-2)
Notre Dame (6-4)
Michigan State (6-5)
Purdue (4-7)
Michigan (5-6)
Louisville (4-6)
Indiana (4-7)
Illinois (3-7)
Northwest
6 Boise State (10-0)
8 Oregon (8-2)
Oregon State (7-3)
Utah (8-2)
BYU (8-2)
Air Force (7-4)
Washington (3-7)
Colorado (3-7)
Washington State (1-9)
Northeast
10 Pittsburgh (9-1)
Penn State (9-2)
Boston College (7-3)
Rutgers (7-2)
West Virginia (7-3)
Navy (8-3)
Connecticut (4-5)
Syracuse (3-7)
Army (4-6)
Atlantic
11 Virginia Tech (7-3)
North Carolina (7-3)
Kentucky (6-4)
East Carolina (6-4)
Wake Forest (4-7)
Duke (5-5)
Virginia (3-7)
North Carolina State (4-6)
Maryland (2-8)
Midwest
13 Iowa (9-2)
Wisconsin (8-2)
Nebraska (7-3)
Missouri (6-4)
Minnesota (6-5)
Northwestern (7-4)
Kansas (5-5)
Iowa State (6-5)
Kansas State (6-5)
Southwest
15 USC (7-3)
Stanford (7-3)
Arizona (6-3)
California (7-3)
UCLA (5-5)
Fresno State (6-4)
Arizona State (4-6)
Hawaii (4-6)
New Mexico (0-10)
Ramon's Escoblog: Week 11
The it list (Reading time: 53 seconds) -- It: Saturday night between the hedges at Athens. Not it: Saturday nights between the buyouts at Notre Dame... It: Paul Johnson getting to the ACC championship game after only two seasons at Georgia Tech. Not it: Every school with a coaching vacancy two years ago that didn't hire him because their fans wanted an offense with more passing... It: Sitting on the couch waiting for updates on Golden Tate. Not it: Sitting in front of Alex at Golden Child... It: Trey's 0-5 in pursuit of the prize for last place. Not it: Trey's pursuit of Pacheco on the playground that resulted in him hitting a girl who was minding her own business jumping rope... It: Oregon's all-black Nike Pro Combat uniforms. Not it: Arkansas' all-red WAC uniforms... It: Dexter McCluster at Ole Miss. Not it: The idiot student who threw the corn dog with mustard into the Arkansas section 10 years ago at Ole Miss... It: "The Box." Not it: Any box trying to pick up CSS HD on Comcast... It: Super Dave Osborne's return to TNA. Not it: Super Nate Allen's return to the sports section but buried on page 2... It: Rutgers grad Maura B. scoring a 5-0. Not it: Rutgers fans scoring "Little Jovi."
From the Bench
Bowl Eligible
Robert Shields
The most missed person Saturday as the Hogs became bowl eligible was defensive coordinator Willy Robinson. The defense that got steadily better all season after the debacles against Georgia and Alabama seemed to go backward Saturday against a team from Conference ASU. Sure, Troy is a decent team and was on a winning streak, but this is not a school that should ever compete with a team in the SEC.
The Trojans constantly found holes in the Arkansas defense, which did not look the same and often did not look disguised at all. It appeared the defense was in the prevent defense most of the night set up to ensure the big play was not given up. Maybe that was the game plan knowing Ryan Mallett and company would torch the Trojan defense even worse than what the Hogs’ defense would get. Maybe it was just a plan to keep everyone in front of them and not give up the huge play.
The Hogs only rushed three men on most passing plays and at times rushed just two meaning that eight to nine men were dropped into coverage. This was not Willy Robinson’s defense. Even though he has been maligned by many fans earlier in the season, his presence, decision making, and mustache were definitely missed on Saturday.
The offense also just looks different, or should I say better, with Joe Adams on the field. One has to wonder how the Ole Miss and Florida games turn out if he was on the field. That he is a play maker would be an understatement. The kid is worth at least seven points a game if not more.
The offense looked great Saturday. I place that on two things. One, the opponent was not SEC caliber and, two, the Hogs relied heavily on the play-action pass offense. I like Mallett in this set and in the I formation.
Earlier in the season, I complained about a lot of the one-back sets and having Mallett alone in the shotgun. Mallett needs to be able to disguise if the play will be a pass or not. Early in the season when in the gun alone with four wideouts, he was a sitting duck in the pocket, especially against good defenses.
The play action freezes, if just for a moment, those linebackers. When in the I, the Hogs have allowed the backs to give Mallett extra protection and often the tailbacks and fullbacks have been the recipient of passes out of the backfield. The I formation has also helped the backs. The fullback leading the way for the tailbacks has been good for everyone.
Hopefully, the Hogs will continue this trend. Good defenses, though, have a tendency to stop the run and the Hogs are about to face two fairly good defenses in Mississippi State and LSU. The play action is never as effective when the running game is stopped. You can bet State’s top priority this week will be preparation to stop the Hogs’ running attack. After looking at film of Broderick Green, Michael Smith, Kniles Davis, Ronnie Wingo, and Dennis Johnson, the Mississippi State coaches will know that is their mission.
They know that Mallett will get his yards through the air. He has every game. But if they allow the running game to get going, they know the Hogs will dictate the whole game and what they will see the whole game is play-action passing that was highly effective this past week.
I do expect that the Hogs’ defense will play better this week against Mississippi State. The defense has played well against all these teams that play the spread offense. The Hogs’ defense has struggled in its losses to teams that of all things run the play-action pass such as Alabama and Ole Miss, two teams that play more often than not a traditional I formation. State tends to run the spread offense. The Hogs need this game badly to finish at least 7-5. I do not expect a let down.
Send your Trojan experience to fromthebench@yahoo.com
Or for information on my latest book www.fruitbatbooks.com
Robert Shields
The most missed person Saturday as the Hogs became bowl eligible was defensive coordinator Willy Robinson. The defense that got steadily better all season after the debacles against Georgia and Alabama seemed to go backward Saturday against a team from Conference ASU. Sure, Troy is a decent team and was on a winning streak, but this is not a school that should ever compete with a team in the SEC.
The Trojans constantly found holes in the Arkansas defense, which did not look the same and often did not look disguised at all. It appeared the defense was in the prevent defense most of the night set up to ensure the big play was not given up. Maybe that was the game plan knowing Ryan Mallett and company would torch the Trojan defense even worse than what the Hogs’ defense would get. Maybe it was just a plan to keep everyone in front of them and not give up the huge play.
The Hogs only rushed three men on most passing plays and at times rushed just two meaning that eight to nine men were dropped into coverage. This was not Willy Robinson’s defense. Even though he has been maligned by many fans earlier in the season, his presence, decision making, and mustache were definitely missed on Saturday.
The offense also just looks different, or should I say better, with Joe Adams on the field. One has to wonder how the Ole Miss and Florida games turn out if he was on the field. That he is a play maker would be an understatement. The kid is worth at least seven points a game if not more.
The offense looked great Saturday. I place that on two things. One, the opponent was not SEC caliber and, two, the Hogs relied heavily on the play-action pass offense. I like Mallett in this set and in the I formation.
Earlier in the season, I complained about a lot of the one-back sets and having Mallett alone in the shotgun. Mallett needs to be able to disguise if the play will be a pass or not. Early in the season when in the gun alone with four wideouts, he was a sitting duck in the pocket, especially against good defenses.
The play action freezes, if just for a moment, those linebackers. When in the I, the Hogs have allowed the backs to give Mallett extra protection and often the tailbacks and fullbacks have been the recipient of passes out of the backfield. The I formation has also helped the backs. The fullback leading the way for the tailbacks has been good for everyone.
Hopefully, the Hogs will continue this trend. Good defenses, though, have a tendency to stop the run and the Hogs are about to face two fairly good defenses in Mississippi State and LSU. The play action is never as effective when the running game is stopped. You can bet State’s top priority this week will be preparation to stop the Hogs’ running attack. After looking at film of Broderick Green, Michael Smith, Kniles Davis, Ronnie Wingo, and Dennis Johnson, the Mississippi State coaches will know that is their mission.
They know that Mallett will get his yards through the air. He has every game. But if they allow the running game to get going, they know the Hogs will dictate the whole game and what they will see the whole game is play-action passing that was highly effective this past week.
I do expect that the Hogs’ defense will play better this week against Mississippi State. The defense has played well against all these teams that play the spread offense. The Hogs’ defense has struggled in its losses to teams that of all things run the play-action pass such as Alabama and Ole Miss, two teams that play more often than not a traditional I formation. State tends to run the spread offense. The Hogs need this game badly to finish at least 7-5. I do not expect a let down.
Send your Trojan experience to fromthebench@yahoo.com
Or for information on my latest book www.fruitbatbooks.com
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Project Playoffs:
Week 10 standings and seedings for 2009
Standings in realigned conferences with seedings for a 16-team playoff. Click here for a full explanation of Project Playoffs.
Southeast
1 Florida (9-0)
8 Georgia Tech (9-1)
15 Miami (7-2)
Clemson (6-3)
South Florida (6-2)
Georgia (5-4)
South Carolina (6-4)
Florida State (4-5)
Central Florida (5-4)
Southern
2 Alabama (9-0)
12 LSU (7-2)
Auburn (7-3)
Tennessee (5-4)
Ole Miss (6-3)
Mississippi State (4-5)
Southern Miss (5-4)
Vanderbilt (2-8)
Memphis (2-7)
Mid-South
3 Texas (9-0)
4 TCU (9-0)
Oklahoma State (7-2)
Oklahoma (5-4)
Texas Tech (6-3)
Arkansas (5-4)
Texas A&M (5-4)
Baylor (4-5)
UTEP (3-6)
North Central
5 Cincinnati (9-0)
9 Ohio State (8-2)
Notre Dame (6-3)
Michigan State (5-5)
Purdue (4-6)
Michigan (5-5)
Louisville (3-6)
Illinois (3-6)
Indiana (4-6)
Northwest
6 Boise State (9-0)
7 Oregon (7-2)
Oregon State (6-3)
Utah (8-1)
BYU (7-2)
Air Force (6-4)
Washington (3-6)
Colorado (3-6)
Washington State (1-8)
Southwest
10 USC (7-1)
Arizona (6-2)
Stanford (6-3)
California (6-3)
Fresno State (6-3)
UCLA (4-5)
Arizona State (4-5)
Hawaii (3-6)
New Mexico (0-9)
Northeast
11 Pittsburgh (8-1)
16 Penn State (8-2)
West Virginia (7-2)
Boston College (6-3)
Navy (7-3)
Rutgers (6-2)
Connecticut (4-5)
Syracuse (3-6)
Army (3-6)
Midwest
13 Iowa (9-1)
Wisconsin (7-2)
Nebraska (6-3)
Missouri (5-4)
Minnesota (5-5)
Kansas State (6-4)
Kansas (5-4)
Northwestern (6-4)
Iowa State (5-5)
Atlantic
14 Virginia Tech (6-3)
North Carolina (6-3)
Kentucky (5-4)
Wake Forest (4-6)
Duke (5-4)
East Carolina (5-4)
Virginia (3-6)
North Carolina State (4-5)
Maryland (2-7)
Project Playoffs: Chapter 4 –– The Playoffs
The final element of this new system of college football is that it will produce a playoff, the ultimate goal in providing an equal shot to teams deserving of competing for a national championship.
Using the new conference alignment, the top team in each conference will get an automatic spot in the postseason playoffs. The remaining seven at-large spots will be filled with the highest-rated teams.
For this web site, composite rankings put together by Kenneth Massey of mratings.com were used. A composite ranking system similar to that or the BCS formula should be used to rank teams because it gives the traditional polls a continued voice in the system and takes into account several versions of power ratings. However, we won't hand the BCS the absolute power to select the only two teams in the country that deserve the right to play for the title. Instead, the revised ranking formula will simply be used to seed the teams that make the playoffs.
Playoff games will take place at the higher-seeded team's stadium of choice with the lower seed getting 30 percent of the tickets. The site could include the higher-seeded team's regular home field or a nearby stadium that is larger. Some nearby cities may want to bid on moving playoff games to draw tourism dollars. Even though this practice could become bowl-esque, at least the game would actually mean something. Unlike now.
Click here to see an example of conference realignment and playoff seeding.
Project Playoffs: Chapter 3 –– Realignment
Under this new plan, the top 81 schools in the country are selected based on average home attendance figures regardless of current division status. For the latest example, attendance figures for 2009 were used to realign teams. A four-year attendance average could be used by the NCAA if this plan were ever to turn into reality.
It is only fair that the fans are rewarded for supporting their school. The top 81 schools for the new Division 1 represent the colleges with the strongest followings. There is not a fairer method of selection.
The new conferences produce natural regional rivalries and break up the segregation — in many senses of the word if you consider the number of traditionally black colleges forced to sit on the sideline of the national picture — that larger conferences have forced on smaller ones in the past. The divisions below Division 1 will also be comprised of nine conferences with nine teams each, except for the bottom conference, which will have slightly more because of uneven numbers. All totaled, this will encompass all schools playing college football in Division I-A, I-AA, II, III, and NAIA.
Teams will continue to play 12-game regular seasons, which will include eight conference games and four meaningful non-conference games that can help improve a team's seeding in the playoffs. Teams will be allowed to schedule only two games with a team in a division below its own and two games with a team in a division above its own. Having four non-conference games allows schools to continue playing teams they have built up natural rivalries with in the past that may not be in their new conference.
Some of the bowl games — at least the sites that don't have a large enough payout to get in the rotation for the national championship game — could remain for those teams that don't make the playoffs or switch to early season "classic" games.
The new system of divisions will also have a self-correcting element that will keep the best teams in the top division in college football. Each year the team with the worst composite ranking in each division will move down a division, while the winner of the national championship in each of the lower divisions will move up.
This system produces a natural incentive to stay competitive even when fighting for last place. Games for last place now become more important and will keep fans interested in even the worst teams with this new element of drama. It provides an opportunity for teams at all levels to move up. For those schools that feel cheated for being in a lower division, the power to move up is completely in their hands. The cream will rise to the top in this system of relegation.
Another possible element to the new conference system: Every four years the conferences could be realigned based on new average attendance figures for the previous period. If a team is consistently bad yet fans are interested enough to show up for games every week, the fans deserve to be rewarded by getting their team another shot in the top conference. This provides an incentive for athletic departments to keep ticket prices low in order to maintain attendance. More importantly, it provides an incentive for fans to keep coming to games since they can now actually influence a team's destiny every five or 10 years.
At this point, you may be asking yourself, what about all the other sports? The existing conferences would remain intact for all sports except football. Schools can retain their conference affiliation while at the same time producing a fair system for the one college sport that doesn't have a system that works.
Click here to read more about Project Playoffs in part 4.
Project Playoffs: Chapter 2 –– The Need
The college football system does not work. Why? The current conference alignments serve TV dollars and greedy university administrators rather than the student-athletes they hypocritically claim as the top priority, and the fans are left at the mercy of the latest whim of these powers that be.
Under this system, the major colleges are stretched to all parts of the country just for conference play, and the so-called "mid-major" schools have virtually no shot at success in the diluted pool that was formerly known as Division I-A and I-AA.
The trend toward two-division super conferences also doesn't work, since it is impossible to produce a true conference champion as long as all conference members don't play each other every year. What the SEC and others have produced under this system would be more appropriately titled the "TV champion." These teams have played just enough conference members to call it a season and cash in on the TV title game, which is an exercise in excess. There is no reason for any conference to have as many as 14 teams, other than the current fight for the top TV markets, of course. The big conferences have formed a monopoly with far-reaching geographical influence that hurts teams in and out of these big-money conglomerates.
Most importantly for initiating this new plan is that while the Bowl Championship Series formula is a small step in the right direction, time has shown that it has resulted in more problems than solutions. It is still not a valid means to produce a national champion in the title game, and it is virtually meaningless for all other bowls since teams don’t even match up based on 3 vs. 4, 5 vs. 6, etc.
Why even play the season if political maneuvering by bowl sponsors, host cities, and conference commissioners is going to affect where a team lands in the postseason? Selecting a team for a bowl based on the number of tickets that school will sell is a method more suited for a preseason exhibition than the postseason. It is counter to what you play the season for.
The college football structure needs complete reform — not just in the creation of a playoff system to replace the bowls, but also in the conference structure in order to better produce an equitable playoff system. Conference realignment is the first step.
The bowl system has been an important part of college football's history, but it currently serves little purpose other than to promote the host city's convention and visitor's bureau. It victimizes the fans and whores the colleges participating. When teams look at bowls such as the Independence Bowl as punishment rather than reward, and other bowls like the Las Vegas Bowl and the Hawaii Bowl frequently serve as host to their hometown teams, it simply cheapens the entire season.
Click here to read more about Project Playoffs in part 3.
Project Playoffs: Chapter 1 –– The System
What if the NFL played its season out, and then instead of having a playoff to determine who would play in the Super Bowl, the NFL decided to let cities across the country invite teams to play in postseason games in order to increase the host city's tourism dollars and promote the game's corporate sponsor?
The selection of teams to play in these NFL postseason games would be based on how much money that team could make for the host city by selling tickets and bringing fans to town, so teams in regions close to these games would have a distinct advantage in being invited even if a team had a relatively poor season. Then when all the postseason games were over, the NFL would leave it up to sportswriters and assistants of the coaches to vote to determine the NFL champion.
Also, it would be up to the teams to decide what conference they played in regardless of geography, which would allow all the most successful teams to band together to make more TV money for each other and keep the lesser teams from ever gaining success.
Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Yet that's just the system college football has in place.
Project Playoffs is a solution to the BCS. Its goal is to realign college football conferences into fair and competitive divisions resulting in a sensible playoff format that produces a true national champion absent of politics.
Quick facts about this proposed system for college football:
• Colleges separated into nine nine-team divisions based on goegraphy
• The top 81 schools for the top conference are chosen based on average home attendance
• Conference winners automatically advance to 16-team postseason playoff
• The remaining seven slots in the playoffs are filled by teams with highest composite ranking
• Playoffs held at higher seed's stadium of choice until championship game
Click here to read more about Project Playoffs in part 2.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Letters to Ramon: Week 11
"How the hell do my Sooners lose 9 starters to injuries in one season? It has been a very strange year. Hopefully the rest of the OU faithful also have the ability to just shake their heads and be grateful that this is an off year rather than an every year like so many schools. Just need to keep having teams come to Norman. At least the Jackets are kicking ass with some triple option." -- Sean O.
"Not a lot of points this week. How am I suppose to catch up to Beranek?" -- Tom Van Damme
"Interesting, you think Charlie Weiss is outta there? I think Urban Meyer would leave for Notre Dame given the opportunity." -- My D.
"Thanks for the shout-out. And thanks for mentioning God's team and Golden Tate (one of the greatest names ever for a college football player). I was part of the traveling squad that visited Notre Dame last weekend (as was Marvin, Bunny, Ronnie Jennings, John Menefee, Chris Blackmon and of course.... The Vird). It was an all-Catholic High grad weekend and was wonderful, except for Charlie Weis' play-calling." -- Anonymous S.
"Will riot police knock heads when the popped collar wearing frat boys at Ole Miss find another time to chant 'The South will rise again'?" -- HogTattoo
"Tennessee – Ole miss then will come back and beat LSU next week. Cal – Bear beats a Wildcat. I think Arizona are the wildcats. I thought maybe they had quit playing football." -- Trigger Happy Jack featuring Dipes
"What? No Iowa-Ohio State? I was looking forward to picking O how I hate Ohio State over the shitty Hawkeyes. Thank you Northwestern!" -- Sir Thomas
"That was a cute prayer, which is all I can say for ND for the way they treated Willingham. Weis is about what they deserved. Not gonna get Urban, go for Spurrier! Although I do not believe he would serve the Catholics well. Get an up and comer!!!!! Say like Gus Malzahn! Just kidding... it will be an interesting weekend for the Irish faithful! I am sure that some are hoping for defeat to end this 'painful' marriage..." -- Double R D Romeo
"The pac 10 really should not be allowed in this pool." -- Dr. Aristotle Ditka
"One of the hardest weeks IMO." -- Mike P.
"I don’t want to piss off God, so I’ll rest on my previous Notre Dame comments. On second thought, maybe God hates Notre Dame – that’s why they’re losing. I noticed SI projected the Hogs to play OSU in the Cotton Bowl. Would that be in the new Cowboys stadium or still in that old dump at the fairgrounds? Our seats for the Missouri game were on the first level but way towards the top, so we couldn’t see the far end zone or the goal posts. We had to rely on the crowd to tell us if a kick was good or not. And it was cold. And we were losing. One of our group declared it a “trifecta of misery” and left at halftime." -- Jeff G.
"Give me old man Kiffin's defense against Houston 'Nut-House' anyday." -- Steve N.
"Urban will never make it to SB... the wifie doesn't like the weather, but that was a nice prayer. Heaven, help us, we're going to get creamed, but at least then, we won't have to read about Charlie's job being on the line. But, who the heck are they going to hire??" -- Team Harold
"Yes, this is humiliating, but we'll deal with it. We're recruiting middle school players as we speak, so 2015 will be our year!" -- Cory I.
"Does Oklahoma State win some sort of prize for most appearances in the 2009 pool?" -- Glenn B.
"Kinda shooting for 0-5 now to win the futility award." -- Aggie Mark
"Is it too late to change our choices, given the news today about the 3 Tennessee players being transferred to play for the Tennessee Department of Correction?" -- Moose
"I am glad to see U of AZ on the list for this week!! Everyone in Tucson is happy to see them doing so well and even happier that they made the BCS standings. It has been along time since that has taken place." -- Vivian
"Hey, you know why nobody likes to tackle players from Texas Tech? Because they have TT on their helmets! Hahahahahhaha!" -- Danny K.
"Not a lot of points this week. How am I suppose to catch up to Beranek?" -- Tom Van Damme
"Interesting, you think Charlie Weiss is outta there? I think Urban Meyer would leave for Notre Dame given the opportunity." -- My D.
"Thanks for the shout-out. And thanks for mentioning God's team and Golden Tate (one of the greatest names ever for a college football player). I was part of the traveling squad that visited Notre Dame last weekend (as was Marvin, Bunny, Ronnie Jennings, John Menefee, Chris Blackmon and of course.... The Vird). It was an all-Catholic High grad weekend and was wonderful, except for Charlie Weis' play-calling." -- Anonymous S.
"Will riot police knock heads when the popped collar wearing frat boys at Ole Miss find another time to chant 'The South will rise again'?" -- HogTattoo
"Tennessee – Ole miss then will come back and beat LSU next week. Cal – Bear beats a Wildcat. I think Arizona are the wildcats. I thought maybe they had quit playing football." -- Trigger Happy Jack featuring Dipes
"What? No Iowa-Ohio State? I was looking forward to picking O how I hate Ohio State over the shitty Hawkeyes. Thank you Northwestern!" -- Sir Thomas
"That was a cute prayer, which is all I can say for ND for the way they treated Willingham. Weis is about what they deserved. Not gonna get Urban, go for Spurrier! Although I do not believe he would serve the Catholics well. Get an up and comer!!!!! Say like Gus Malzahn! Just kidding... it will be an interesting weekend for the Irish faithful! I am sure that some are hoping for defeat to end this 'painful' marriage..." -- Double R D Romeo
"The pac 10 really should not be allowed in this pool." -- Dr. Aristotle Ditka
"One of the hardest weeks IMO." -- Mike P.
"I don’t want to piss off God, so I’ll rest on my previous Notre Dame comments. On second thought, maybe God hates Notre Dame – that’s why they’re losing. I noticed SI projected the Hogs to play OSU in the Cotton Bowl. Would that be in the new Cowboys stadium or still in that old dump at the fairgrounds? Our seats for the Missouri game were on the first level but way towards the top, so we couldn’t see the far end zone or the goal posts. We had to rely on the crowd to tell us if a kick was good or not. And it was cold. And we were losing. One of our group declared it a “trifecta of misery” and left at halftime." -- Jeff G.
"Give me old man Kiffin's defense against Houston 'Nut-House' anyday." -- Steve N.
"Urban will never make it to SB... the wifie doesn't like the weather, but that was a nice prayer. Heaven, help us, we're going to get creamed, but at least then, we won't have to read about Charlie's job being on the line. But, who the heck are they going to hire??" -- Team Harold
"Yes, this is humiliating, but we'll deal with it. We're recruiting middle school players as we speak, so 2015 will be our year!" -- Cory I.
"Does Oklahoma State win some sort of prize for most appearances in the 2009 pool?" -- Glenn B.
"Kinda shooting for 0-5 now to win the futility award." -- Aggie Mark
"Is it too late to change our choices, given the news today about the 3 Tennessee players being transferred to play for the Tennessee Department of Correction?" -- Moose
"I am glad to see U of AZ on the list for this week!! Everyone in Tucson is happy to see them doing so well and even happier that they made the BCS standings. It has been along time since that has taken place." -- Vivian
"Hey, you know why nobody likes to tackle players from Texas Tech? Because they have TT on their helmets! Hahahahahhaha!" -- Danny K.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Early Game Start
It was announced this week that the Razorback game in Little Rock
next weekend will Kickoff @ 11;20. A lot of tailgaters will not be happy.
Here is this weeks haiku on the subject:
An early kickoff
Tailgaters are not happy
Start drinking early.
next weekend will Kickoff @ 11;20. A lot of tailgaters will not be happy.
Here is this weeks haiku on the subject:
An early kickoff
Tailgaters are not happy
Start drinking early.
Five Things
1. And the Arkansas RazorBlah Streak continues this week.
After losing to Ole Miss, then playing the softest cupcake of the season, then an 11:21 a.m. kickoff (where both teams and the fans were listless through the first half), we come to the Troy game. Which falls on opening day of deer season (modern firearm) in Arkansas.
Yes, yes, Troy is 7-2, 6-0 in the Sunbelt. The Trojans aren't as cupcake-y as first thought when the schedule was released. But let's be honest here, the only Sunbelt team that would generate some buzz among Arkansas fans is based in Jonesboro, not Troy, Ala.
So if you attend the game or manage to find CSS on your cable or satellite provider, look for empty seats. More empties than in the South Carolina game. (Over/under on number of blaze orange caps and/or jackets in the stands? 57 1/2.)
Next week doesn't look much better. Yes, the game is in War Memorial Stadium against an SEC team. But it's another 11:21 kickoff. And it's opening day of duck season. Oh yeah, it's also against Mississippi State (4-5, 2-3). Given that, nobody can be blamed for choosing a Haydel Game Call over a Hog call.
2. Dear SEC, Please Upgrade To HD
In the wake of yet another SEC officiating blunder the replay officials in the booth of SEC games are watching low-definition TVs. That's right, you sitting at home with your 42-inch HD TV have a better view of plays under review than the guy actually doing the reviewing. Heck, there are people with HD TVs set up at their tailgates. Yet the SEC doesn't have HD for the replay official!?!
Even more troubling, this is an area the SEC could be monetizing. Given the craven chase for every dollar, it's inexcusable Mike Slive hasn't contracted with some manufacturer to be "The Official HD TV of the SEC." If nothing else get the local Best Buy to hook one up and slap a Golden Flake sticker on it.
3. You Can't Say That On TV (NSFW audio!)
4. Recurring Items
SportsJournalists.com Top 25 link is here.
AwfulAnnouncing provides college football announcers' schedules here and the Pammy Award update hasn't been posted yet.
5. M8B Prediction
Will Arkansas (-14.5) cover against Troy?
(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 6-6 this season.)
After losing to Ole Miss, then playing the softest cupcake of the season, then an 11:21 a.m. kickoff (where both teams and the fans were listless through the first half), we come to the Troy game. Which falls on opening day of deer season (modern firearm) in Arkansas.
Yes, yes, Troy is 7-2, 6-0 in the Sunbelt. The Trojans aren't as cupcake-y as first thought when the schedule was released. But let's be honest here, the only Sunbelt team that would generate some buzz among Arkansas fans is based in Jonesboro, not Troy, Ala.
So if you attend the game or manage to find CSS on your cable or satellite provider, look for empty seats. More empties than in the South Carolina game. (Over/under on number of blaze orange caps and/or jackets in the stands? 57 1/2.)
Next week doesn't look much better. Yes, the game is in War Memorial Stadium against an SEC team. But it's another 11:21 kickoff. And it's opening day of duck season. Oh yeah, it's also against Mississippi State (4-5, 2-3). Given that, nobody can be blamed for choosing a Haydel Game Call over a Hog call.
2. Dear SEC, Please Upgrade To HD
In the wake of yet another SEC officiating blunder the replay officials in the booth of SEC games are watching low-definition TVs. That's right, you sitting at home with your 42-inch HD TV have a better view of plays under review than the guy actually doing the reviewing. Heck, there are people with HD TVs set up at their tailgates. Yet the SEC doesn't have HD for the replay official!?!
Even more troubling, this is an area the SEC could be monetizing. Given the craven chase for every dollar, it's inexcusable Mike Slive hasn't contracted with some manufacturer to be "The Official HD TV of the SEC." If nothing else get the local Best Buy to hook one up and slap a Golden Flake sticker on it.
3. You Can't Say That On TV (NSFW audio!)
4. Recurring Items
SportsJournalists.com Top 25 link is here.
AwfulAnnouncing provides college football announcers' schedules here and the Pammy Award update hasn't been posted yet.
5. M8B Prediction
Will Arkansas (-14.5) cover against Troy?
(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 6-6 this season.)
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