From the Bench Quiz Time!
Robert T. Shields
Who likes trivia? I know I do. Test your sports knowledge with this From the Bench quiz.
Who did the Hogs play in the 1980 Sugar Bowl?
A) The bowl did not exist in 1980
B) A team of cops chasing them in the French Quarter
C) Hogs did not play in the Sugar Bowl in 1980
D) A bunch of professional kids from Alabama
Who quarterbacked the Hogs in the 1980 Sugar Bowl?
A) Ron Calcagni’s likeness from Sports Illustrated
B) Frank Broyles back when he was player/coach
C) They did not have a quarterback and instead ran the Wildcat
D) Kevin Scanlon
Who were the two super Razorback freshmen on that Sugar Bowl team?
A) Dean Martin and Sammy Davis
B) Jerry Jones and Sammy Walton
C) Russ Garber and Orlando Watters
D) Gary Anderson and Billy Ray Smith
The most important accomplishment for this year’s Hog football team was?
A) Getting Tennessee Tech on the schedule
B) Driving a car without getting arrested
C) Not allowing more than three kickoffs in a game for a touchdown
D) Beating LSU in Little Rock
From the Bench’s most covered topic this season was?
A) Wicked the Musical
B) My trip to the Flora-Bama Lounge
C) The sociological impact of Walton’s Mountain on the American psyche
D) Razorback football
From the Bench is afraid of?
A) Frank Broyles
B) Auburn winning the national championship
C) Drunk LSU fans
D) The other Robert Shields who is the mime
In 1994, KATV sports anchor Paul Eells went to the Final Four with which bubbly news anchor?
A) Dawn Scott
B) Karen Fuller
C) Pamela Anderson
D) Gina Kurre’s hair
Who was the MVP of the 2000 Cotton Bowl?
A) Roy Kramer
B) Gus Malzahn
C) Nobody is a valuable player at 10 a.m.
D) Cedric Cobbs
Houston Nutt did what when he was nervous?
A) Called his assistants “slap boys”
B) Tried to find synonyms for the words “special” and “precious”
C) Shook the eight ball to see what it said
D) Chewed his nails
Where do I keep my certificate for being the UA’s “Outstanding Student in Economics”?
A) Under my desk
B) On my wall
C) I didn’t really win the award
D) In a box in my garage next to the lawn mower
From the Bench thinks women’s tennis is superior to men’s because?
A) It moves faster, playing the best of five instead of seven like the men
B) The game is based on more than just power
C) All the out-of-sight fashions
D) Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Elena Dementiava, and Ashley Harkleroad
From the Bench over the years has embedded what into his writings?
A) Scripture from Pastor Floyd
B) Subliminal messages about the Great Stadium Debate
C) Love notes to the people he is stalking
D) Song lyrics
Who is still employed at the UofA?
A) Chancellor John White
B) Frank Broyles
C) Houston Nutt
D) Chuck Dicus
E) Bobby Petrino
-
Merry Christmas from fromthbench@yahoo.com
Daphne and Her No.2 Ticonderoga can be read at www.secretgirlsociety.com
end
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
From the Bench - Big Events Shaped Hog Season
The Super Seven Events That Shaped Razorback Football This Season
Robert Shields
This has been a big season for the Arkansas Razorback football team. Some allege it’s as exciting as the Lou Holtz-led 1977 season that led to the Orange Bowl. A record of 10-2 ending on a long winning streak has not been experienced in these parts in some time.
So what were the big events that shaped this great season of Razorback football? As usual, my list down memory lane runs in reverse as in the 12 days of Christmas, but I am only doing a super seven in honor of Ned Perme’s ever-so-accurate game forecasts all season.
7) It did not impact the regular season, but it will going forward and that is Bobby Petrino signing his contract extension after the Florida job was filled. He is in Fayetteville for a long time now because the buyout is too big for either side to leave the contract any time soon.
6) Greg Childs catch and dash to the end zone against Georgia in Athens. The Hogs had struggled to beat Georgia since entering the SEC but this time around took advantage of A.J. Green being suspended. The Hogs had to survive a miracle throw into its end zone, but the Childs touchdown was the play of the game. The defender bit on the fake to D.J. Williams, the safety took a bad angle, and the rest was history as Childs juked the defender to the ground. Fans at this point could feel it was going to be a special season.
5) This is a combo of events involving the running game. The loss at the beginning of the season of Dennis Johnson was staggering. You can partially blame the loss to Alabama on the nonexistence of a running game. With the loss of Johnson, the kickoff-return game was not even 10 percent of what it was when Johnson was returning them. Then Knile Davis arrived in spectacular fashion in the Ole Miss game in Fayetteville. The lack of a rushing attack and big-play potential from that spot probably cost the Hogs both the Alabama and Auburn game.
4) The interceptions thrown by Ryan Mallett in the Alabama game at Fayetteville. The Hogs held a slim 20-17 lead when the first interception came late in the fourth quarter. The interception set up a short field for Alabama, which took the ball and scored a touchdown to take the lead. The lack of a running game forced the Hogs to the air even with the lead. The second interception came while the Hogs were driving for a game-winning touchdown. The last interception sealed the game for Alabama and ended Mallett’s Heisman hopes.
3) I feel this should be ranked even higher, but most will not so I put it at number three. The Hogs who have traditionally struggled in close matchups against Mississippi State at Starkville and found themselves in another tussle this year. Having to come back and then hold on at the end was a tough struggle that led to overtime. The key event occurred when the Hogs had the lead and ran clock with its new-found running game, but Knile Davis fumbled it back to the Bulldogs putting them a short distance away for the game-winning touchdown. The key was that, for a change, the Razorback defense held unlike it did in the Alabama game. The defense forced a field goal by the Bulldogs that sent it into overtime. You never want to take the Hogs to overtime. Hogs win. Without this defensive stand, this season becomes very average looking and probably involves a trip back to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
2) This play will be remembered as the play of the season. It was the 80-yard touchdown catch and run by Kobi Hamilton on the last play of the half against LSU in Little Rock. Kobi ran a long crossing route that Mallet threw on the money. The two LSU defenders knocked each other out. The rest was just a dash to the end zone. It was the difference in the game. Another play that was almost as important in the game was the fourth down and three long pass to Joe Adams for a touchdown.
1) Bad officiating. It is hard to know the effect of blown calls, but it’s easy to say the two missed calls in the Auburn game were game changers. The missed fumble at the goal line by the replay official gave Auburn seven points. But the biggest missed call was the fumble by Broderick Green when he was obviously down. The Hogs had battled back and took a lead in the fourth quarter negating the effects of the blown Auburn fumble that was ruled a touchdown. The Green fumble turned into seven points for Auburn, putting the Razorbacks down two possessions. This forced the Hogs to abandon their running game and put Tyler Wilson in must-pass situations. He quickly threw two picks that led to more Auburn points. It was the difference between the Hogs being in the national championship game and being in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
-
Send your list to fromthebench@yahoo.com.
You can read Daphne and Her No.2 Ticonderoga at www.secretgirlsociety.com
The entire book is available on Kindle, nook, Createspace and Amazon.
end
Robert Shields
This has been a big season for the Arkansas Razorback football team. Some allege it’s as exciting as the Lou Holtz-led 1977 season that led to the Orange Bowl. A record of 10-2 ending on a long winning streak has not been experienced in these parts in some time.
So what were the big events that shaped this great season of Razorback football? As usual, my list down memory lane runs in reverse as in the 12 days of Christmas, but I am only doing a super seven in honor of Ned Perme’s ever-so-accurate game forecasts all season.
7) It did not impact the regular season, but it will going forward and that is Bobby Petrino signing his contract extension after the Florida job was filled. He is in Fayetteville for a long time now because the buyout is too big for either side to leave the contract any time soon.
6) Greg Childs catch and dash to the end zone against Georgia in Athens. The Hogs had struggled to beat Georgia since entering the SEC but this time around took advantage of A.J. Green being suspended. The Hogs had to survive a miracle throw into its end zone, but the Childs touchdown was the play of the game. The defender bit on the fake to D.J. Williams, the safety took a bad angle, and the rest was history as Childs juked the defender to the ground. Fans at this point could feel it was going to be a special season.
5) This is a combo of events involving the running game. The loss at the beginning of the season of Dennis Johnson was staggering. You can partially blame the loss to Alabama on the nonexistence of a running game. With the loss of Johnson, the kickoff-return game was not even 10 percent of what it was when Johnson was returning them. Then Knile Davis arrived in spectacular fashion in the Ole Miss game in Fayetteville. The lack of a rushing attack and big-play potential from that spot probably cost the Hogs both the Alabama and Auburn game.
4) The interceptions thrown by Ryan Mallett in the Alabama game at Fayetteville. The Hogs held a slim 20-17 lead when the first interception came late in the fourth quarter. The interception set up a short field for Alabama, which took the ball and scored a touchdown to take the lead. The lack of a running game forced the Hogs to the air even with the lead. The second interception came while the Hogs were driving for a game-winning touchdown. The last interception sealed the game for Alabama and ended Mallett’s Heisman hopes.
3) I feel this should be ranked even higher, but most will not so I put it at number three. The Hogs who have traditionally struggled in close matchups against Mississippi State at Starkville and found themselves in another tussle this year. Having to come back and then hold on at the end was a tough struggle that led to overtime. The key event occurred when the Hogs had the lead and ran clock with its new-found running game, but Knile Davis fumbled it back to the Bulldogs putting them a short distance away for the game-winning touchdown. The key was that, for a change, the Razorback defense held unlike it did in the Alabama game. The defense forced a field goal by the Bulldogs that sent it into overtime. You never want to take the Hogs to overtime. Hogs win. Without this defensive stand, this season becomes very average looking and probably involves a trip back to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
2) This play will be remembered as the play of the season. It was the 80-yard touchdown catch and run by Kobi Hamilton on the last play of the half against LSU in Little Rock. Kobi ran a long crossing route that Mallet threw on the money. The two LSU defenders knocked each other out. The rest was just a dash to the end zone. It was the difference in the game. Another play that was almost as important in the game was the fourth down and three long pass to Joe Adams for a touchdown.
1) Bad officiating. It is hard to know the effect of blown calls, but it’s easy to say the two missed calls in the Auburn game were game changers. The missed fumble at the goal line by the replay official gave Auburn seven points. But the biggest missed call was the fumble by Broderick Green when he was obviously down. The Hogs had battled back and took a lead in the fourth quarter negating the effects of the blown Auburn fumble that was ruled a touchdown. The Green fumble turned into seven points for Auburn, putting the Razorbacks down two possessions. This forced the Hogs to abandon their running game and put Tyler Wilson in must-pass situations. He quickly threw two picks that led to more Auburn points. It was the difference between the Hogs being in the national championship game and being in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
-
Send your list to fromthebench@yahoo.com.
You can read Daphne and Her No.2 Ticonderoga at www.secretgirlsociety.com
The entire book is available on Kindle, nook, Createspace and Amazon.
end
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Auburn crowned as winner of Slabby,
the CFPA's national championship award
Auburn Tigers named team of the year,
Georgia gets season's skunk award
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact Robert Shields
at fromthebench@yahoo.com.
Georgia gets season's skunk award
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact Robert Shields
at fromthebench@yahoo.com.
CFPA Championship Committee Votes
Auburn as the 2010 National Champion
Auburn as the 2010 National Champion
POOLSVILLE, USA (December 16, 2010) –– 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 2010 national champion with the following results.
1) Auburn
2) Oregon
3) Arkansas
4) TCU
5) Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Stanford (tie)
Congratulations to the Auburn University Tigers for being voted as the best college football team in 2010 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 152 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. After agreeing to accept shipping, 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, Florida in 2008, and Alabama in 2009.
Learn more about an alternative to the current BCS system that includes conference realignment and playoffs at Project Playoffs.
Auburn also 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 152 keen viewing eyes, Auburn University also came out as this year's winner for beating one of the toughest schedules in the country while dealing with one of the biggest off-the-field dramas in college football in recent years.
Georgia 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 2010, that team is the Georgia Bulldogs, which failed in every big game and is being rewarded with a trip to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis for squeaking out six wins against three other six-win also-rans and three annually bad football programs.
Monday, December 13, 2010
40 FTW: The bowl games
Forty Games for the Win!
Division I FCS Semifinal
Villanova - Eastern Washington
7 p.m., Dec. 17, ESPN2
Sagarin says: Villanova by 3
Division II Championship Game
Delta State - Minnesota Duluth
10 a.m., Dec. 18, ESPN2
No line
Division I FCS Semifinal
Georgia Southern - Delaware
11 a.m., Dec. 18, ESPNU
Sagarin says: Delaware by 7
* Underdog worth three points
New Mexico Bowl
BYU - UTEP
1 p.m., Dec. 18, ESPN
Line: BYU by 11
* Underdog worth four points
Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl
Mount Union - Wisconsin Whitewater
2:30 p.m., Dec. 18, ESPNU
No line
uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Northern Illinois - Fresno State
4:30 p.m., Dec. 18, ESPN
Line: Northern Illinois by 1
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Troy - Ohio
8 p.m., Dec. 18, ESPN
Line: Troy by 1
Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl
Louisville - Southern Miss
7 p.m., Dec. 21, ESPN
Line: Louisville by 3
MAACO Bowl
Utah - Boise State
7 p.m., Dec. 22, ESPN
Line: Boise State by 17
* Underdog worth six points
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Navy - San Diego State
7 p.m., Dec. 23, ESPN
Line: San Diego State by 5
* Underdog worth three points
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Tulsa - Hawaii
7 p.m., Dec. 24, ESPN
Line: Hawaii by 11
* Underdog worth four points
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Toledo - Florida International
7:30 p.m., Dec. 26, ESPN
Line: Toledo by 1
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Air Force - Georgia Tech
4 p.m., Dec. 27, ESPN
Line: Air Force by 2
Champs Sports Bowl
NC State - West Virginia
5:30 p.m., Dec. 28, ESPN
Line: West Virginia by 2
Insight Bowl
Iowa - Missouri
9 p.m., Dec. 28, ESPN
Line: Missouri by 1
Military Bowl
Maryland - East Carolina
1:30 p.m., Dec. 29, ESPN
Line: Maryland by 7
* Underdog worth three points
Texas Bowl
Illinois - Baylor
5 p.m., Dec. 29, ESPN
Line: Baylor by 1
Valero Alamo Bowl
Arizona - Oklahoma State
8 p.m., Dec. 29, ESPN
Line: Oklahoma State by 6
* Underdog worth three points
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
SMU - Army
11 a.m., Dec. 30, ESPN
Line: SMU by 8
* Underdog worth three points
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Syracuse - Kansas State
2:30 p.m., Dec. 30, ESPN
Line: Pick 'em
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
North Carolina - Tennessee
5:30 p.m., Dec. 30, ESPN
Line: North Carolina by 2
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl
Washington - Nebraska
9 p.m., Dec. 30, ESPN
Line: Nebraska by 13
* Underdog worth five points
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Clemson - South Florida
11 a.m., Dec. 31, ESPN
Line: Clemson by 4
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Miami - Notre Dame
1 p.m., Dec. 31, CBS
Line: Miami by 3
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Central Florida - Georgia
2:30 p.m., Dec. 31, ESPN
Line: Georgia by 6
* Underdog worth three points
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Florida State - South Carolina
6:30 p.m., Dec. 31, ESPN
Line: South Carolina by 3
TicketCity Bowl
Northwestern - Texas Tech
11 a.m., Jan. 1, ESPNU
Line: Texas Tech by 9
* Underdog worth four points
Outback Bowl
Penn State - Florida
Noon, Jan. 1, ABC
Line: Florida by 7
* Underdog worth three points
Capital One Bowl
Alabama - Michigan State
Noon, Jan. 1, ESPN
Line: Alabama by 10
* Underdog worth four points
Gator Bowl
Michigan - Mississippi State
12:30 p.m., Jan. 1, ESPN2
Line: Mississippi State by 5
* Underdog worth three points
The Rose Bowl Game
Wisconsin - TCU
4 p.m., Jan. 1, ESPN
Line: TCU by 2
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Oklahoma - Connecticut
7:30 p.m., Jan. 1, ESPN
Line: Oklahoma by 17
* Underdog worth six points
Discover Orange Bowl
Virginia Tech - Stanford
7 p.m., Jan. 3, ESPN
Line: Stanford by 3
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Arkansas - Ohio State
7:30 p.m., Jan. 4, ESPN
Line: Ohio State by 3
GoDaddy.com Bowl
Miami Ohio - Middle Tennessee
7 p.m., Jan. 6, ESPN
Line: Miami Ohio by 1
Division I FCS Championship Game
Select winner from semifinalists at top
6 p.m., Jan. 7, ESPN2
Sagarin says: To be determined
AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic
Texas A&M - LSU
7 p.m., Jan. 7, Fox
Line: LSU by 1
BBVA Compass Bowl
Pittsburgh - Kentucky
11 a.m., Jan. 8, ESPN
Line: Pittsburgh by 3
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Nevada - Boston College
8 p.m., Jan. 9, ESPN
Line: Nevada by 9
* Underdog worth four points
Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
Auburn - Oregon
7:30 p.m., Jan. 10, ESPN
Line: Auburn by 3
* Winner worth double points
For the Win!
****#****
Division I FCS Semifinal
Villanova - Eastern Washington
7 p.m., Dec. 17, ESPN2
Sagarin says: Villanova by 3
Division II Championship Game
Delta State - Minnesota Duluth
10 a.m., Dec. 18, ESPN2
No line
Division I FCS Semifinal
Georgia Southern - Delaware
11 a.m., Dec. 18, ESPNU
Sagarin says: Delaware by 7
* Underdog worth three points
New Mexico Bowl
BYU - UTEP
1 p.m., Dec. 18, ESPN
Line: BYU by 11
* Underdog worth four points
Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl
Mount Union - Wisconsin Whitewater
2:30 p.m., Dec. 18, ESPNU
No line
uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Northern Illinois - Fresno State
4:30 p.m., Dec. 18, ESPN
Line: Northern Illinois by 1
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Troy - Ohio
8 p.m., Dec. 18, ESPN
Line: Troy by 1
Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl
Louisville - Southern Miss
7 p.m., Dec. 21, ESPN
Line: Louisville by 3
MAACO Bowl
Utah - Boise State
7 p.m., Dec. 22, ESPN
Line: Boise State by 17
* Underdog worth six points
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Navy - San Diego State
7 p.m., Dec. 23, ESPN
Line: San Diego State by 5
* Underdog worth three points
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Tulsa - Hawaii
7 p.m., Dec. 24, ESPN
Line: Hawaii by 11
* Underdog worth four points
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Toledo - Florida International
7:30 p.m., Dec. 26, ESPN
Line: Toledo by 1
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Air Force - Georgia Tech
4 p.m., Dec. 27, ESPN
Line: Air Force by 2
Champs Sports Bowl
NC State - West Virginia
5:30 p.m., Dec. 28, ESPN
Line: West Virginia by 2
Insight Bowl
Iowa - Missouri
9 p.m., Dec. 28, ESPN
Line: Missouri by 1
Military Bowl
Maryland - East Carolina
1:30 p.m., Dec. 29, ESPN
Line: Maryland by 7
* Underdog worth three points
Texas Bowl
Illinois - Baylor
5 p.m., Dec. 29, ESPN
Line: Baylor by 1
Valero Alamo Bowl
Arizona - Oklahoma State
8 p.m., Dec. 29, ESPN
Line: Oklahoma State by 6
* Underdog worth three points
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
SMU - Army
11 a.m., Dec. 30, ESPN
Line: SMU by 8
* Underdog worth three points
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Syracuse - Kansas State
2:30 p.m., Dec. 30, ESPN
Line: Pick 'em
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
North Carolina - Tennessee
5:30 p.m., Dec. 30, ESPN
Line: North Carolina by 2
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl
Washington - Nebraska
9 p.m., Dec. 30, ESPN
Line: Nebraska by 13
* Underdog worth five points
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Clemson - South Florida
11 a.m., Dec. 31, ESPN
Line: Clemson by 4
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Miami - Notre Dame
1 p.m., Dec. 31, CBS
Line: Miami by 3
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Central Florida - Georgia
2:30 p.m., Dec. 31, ESPN
Line: Georgia by 6
* Underdog worth three points
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Florida State - South Carolina
6:30 p.m., Dec. 31, ESPN
Line: South Carolina by 3
TicketCity Bowl
Northwestern - Texas Tech
11 a.m., Jan. 1, ESPNU
Line: Texas Tech by 9
* Underdog worth four points
Outback Bowl
Penn State - Florida
Noon, Jan. 1, ABC
Line: Florida by 7
* Underdog worth three points
Capital One Bowl
Alabama - Michigan State
Noon, Jan. 1, ESPN
Line: Alabama by 10
* Underdog worth four points
Gator Bowl
Michigan - Mississippi State
12:30 p.m., Jan. 1, ESPN2
Line: Mississippi State by 5
* Underdog worth three points
The Rose Bowl Game
Wisconsin - TCU
4 p.m., Jan. 1, ESPN
Line: TCU by 2
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Oklahoma - Connecticut
7:30 p.m., Jan. 1, ESPN
Line: Oklahoma by 17
* Underdog worth six points
Discover Orange Bowl
Virginia Tech - Stanford
7 p.m., Jan. 3, ESPN
Line: Stanford by 3
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Arkansas - Ohio State
7:30 p.m., Jan. 4, ESPN
Line: Ohio State by 3
GoDaddy.com Bowl
Miami Ohio - Middle Tennessee
7 p.m., Jan. 6, ESPN
Line: Miami Ohio by 1
Division I FCS Championship Game
Select winner from semifinalists at top
6 p.m., Jan. 7, ESPN2
Sagarin says: To be determined
AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic
Texas A&M - LSU
7 p.m., Jan. 7, Fox
Line: LSU by 1
BBVA Compass Bowl
Pittsburgh - Kentucky
11 a.m., Jan. 8, ESPN
Line: Pittsburgh by 3
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Nevada - Boston College
8 p.m., Jan. 9, ESPN
Line: Nevada by 9
* Underdog worth four points
Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
Auburn - Oregon
7:30 p.m., Jan. 10, ESPN
Line: Auburn by 3
* Winner worth double points
For the Win!
****#****
From the Bench - Auburn's Willful Delusion
Willful Delusion by Auburn Fans Protecting Legend of Cam
Robert Shields
Congratulations to Cam Newton on his Heisman Trophy win. His play on the field was exemplary and even under the duress of Camgate he was very composed and dignified.
Shame on all those who left him off their ballot because, after all, the NCAA declared him eligible to play. But I understand why some voters stopped him from getting the highest percent of first place votes ever.
The court of public opinion has weighed in negatively on Cam, and I have been seated in that jury for the last couple of weeks. The following represents an ongoing conversation I have had with Auburn fans, AKA The Family, as I find their fans are a cult of personality like none other.
Aubie the Auburn fan: Cam is innocent of being involved in his dad’s pay for play scheme, innocent of these allegations of academic fraud when he was at Florida, and innocent of allegations that he stole a laptop computer while at Florida. I can’t believe these grandstanding Heisman voters not sending in their votes for the best college player of the decade because of this nonsense!
Me: Some want to stick him on that integrity clause because of all those news stories. You can blame the Heisman Trust because that self-righteous group is who put the focus on “integrity” after asking Reggie Bush to return his trophy. Never mind O.J. still has his.
Aubie: Those news stories were wild speculation being pushed by fans of Alabama and the national media that is always out to get Auburn.
Me: Fox Sports ran the article on academic cheating while Cam was at Florida because it had a source. Just because Florida can’t talk about those allegations doesn’t mean it never happened.
Aubie: It was an anonymous source just like with everything else
.
Me: Like that matters. It was an anonymous source who took down Nixon.
Aubie: Well, some members of the University of Florida’s judicial board said they knew nothing about allegations that Cam cheated while at that school.
Me: This does not surprise me. Unfortunately, I had a lot of experience with J-Board at the UofA thanks to women and noise in the dorm after hours. J-Board doesn’t see a lot of things. It’s up to the judicial coordinator who’s actually a faculty member who has a lot of power. He would not comment on any student because of federal law. J-Board is only a hearing of your student peers and some things just don’t make it to the jury. Plus, Cam left Florida and went to a junior college, so there would not have been any reason for it to come before the board because he was gone.
Aubie: All of your opinions are based on non-verified facts and speculation instead of actual facts. I wonder how many past and current Razorbacks have actually cheated among other things and nothing has been leaked and/or made up about them?
Me: Probably lots. The difference is that they didn’t get caught. Your player, according to Fox Sports, was caught not once, not twice, but three times.
Aubie: What makes you think he’s guilty when nothing has ever been proven? Are we now holding allegations, but not convictions, against people?
Me: Fox Sports has not printed a retraction. They stick by their source. Plus, if the kid was really innocent, he has a great lawsuit against that news group and several others. I have not seen anywhere that he denies it. Additionally, there is the issue that the NCAA believes his dad tried to sell his son’s services, and the issue of a stolen laptop that may have been in his possession. There seems to be a pattern. What makes you think he’s so innocent of everything?
Aubie: He was never found guilty. He was also never found guilty of the stolen laptop.
Me: Do you believe that he is innocent?
Aubie: Dude, I have no idea. It’s none of my business.
Me: It doesn’t make it OK because we were not supposed to find out. If you want to see the University of Florida Police Department report on the laptop issue, it’s on the Smoking Gun website – look for “Lame Laptop Thief.”
Aubie: Also, he wasn’t guilty by the NCAA of accepting any cash from Auburn or Mississippi State and knew nothing about what his dad was doing. On the ESPN college football awards show, he said he hasn’t even talked to his dad about all this.
Me: Never forget, he was ruled ineligible by Auburn. Why would a player be ruled ineligible if there was nothing to it? Your school had to petition to get him reinstated. It was for the infraction that his dad tried to sell his son’s services.
Aubie: Well, like I said, he never knew his dad was doing it.
Me: Sure, he has plausible deniability or whatever that term means. But for public opinion sake, it’s not reasonable. He said he talked to his dad all the time and left the decision of which college to sign with up to his dad. Most don’t believe the topic never could have come up in some form. It’s not like the old days when I called my dad person-to-person collect and he declined the call to call me back direct to avoid the huge long-distance call. You can talk to anyone by e-mail, instant messaging, texts, cell phone, old Ma Bell phone, and even fax. I have no doubt they were able to communicate all the time.
Aubie: This doesn’t prove he knew.
Me: It doesn’t remove the suspicion either. Never forget he was ruled ineligible. This means he was really ineligible the entire season. The NCAA just didn’t want to lower the hammer. Would you feel the same about him if he was at Alabama?
Aubie: Yeah, I know I would.
Me: I expect you to be biased for your team, but if we’re going to debate, I expect you to stay grounded in reality.
Aubie: You just don’t like Auburn!
Me: I am just suspicious of Auburn, and I think it’s an outlaw program. You can Google “dirty college football programs” and Auburn will show up on every list. Only at Auburn would they name the field after a coach who was a known cheater. Your school’s academic accreditation was on probation.
Aubie: You can’t prove Auburn is cheating.
Me: I just find it hard to believe that every great high school athlete in the South all of a sudden wanted to go to Auburn to play for the 5-19 coach from Iowa State. How does a 5-19 coach at Iowa State go to Auburn and make a statistically improbable turnaround of a 7-5 team to 13-0 in one year. It’s a head scratcher. I guess Gene Chizik is just all that and a bag of chips, though the other SEC coaches don’t see it that way. Auburn should have lost a game just to make it look legit.
[This is where I usually get the foot stomp, weird look, and get called a name.]
Me: I win. And furthermore, while I am not complaining, tell the female Auburn fans I saw flashing the crowd that it’s inappropriate behavior at a football game.
- Send your conversations with Auburn fans to fromthebench@yahoo.com.
You can read Daphne and Her No.2 Ticonderoga Chapter by Chapter on http://www.secretgirlsociety.com/
The entire book is available on Kindle, nook, Createspace and Amazon.
End
Robert Shields
Congratulations to Cam Newton on his Heisman Trophy win. His play on the field was exemplary and even under the duress of Camgate he was very composed and dignified.
Shame on all those who left him off their ballot because, after all, the NCAA declared him eligible to play. But I understand why some voters stopped him from getting the highest percent of first place votes ever.
The court of public opinion has weighed in negatively on Cam, and I have been seated in that jury for the last couple of weeks. The following represents an ongoing conversation I have had with Auburn fans, AKA The Family, as I find their fans are a cult of personality like none other.
Aubie the Auburn fan: Cam is innocent of being involved in his dad’s pay for play scheme, innocent of these allegations of academic fraud when he was at Florida, and innocent of allegations that he stole a laptop computer while at Florida. I can’t believe these grandstanding Heisman voters not sending in their votes for the best college player of the decade because of this nonsense!
Me: Some want to stick him on that integrity clause because of all those news stories. You can blame the Heisman Trust because that self-righteous group is who put the focus on “integrity” after asking Reggie Bush to return his trophy. Never mind O.J. still has his.
Aubie: Those news stories were wild speculation being pushed by fans of Alabama and the national media that is always out to get Auburn.
Me: Fox Sports ran the article on academic cheating while Cam was at Florida because it had a source. Just because Florida can’t talk about those allegations doesn’t mean it never happened.
Aubie: It was an anonymous source just like with everything else
.
Me: Like that matters. It was an anonymous source who took down Nixon.
Aubie: Well, some members of the University of Florida’s judicial board said they knew nothing about allegations that Cam cheated while at that school.
Me: This does not surprise me. Unfortunately, I had a lot of experience with J-Board at the UofA thanks to women and noise in the dorm after hours. J-Board doesn’t see a lot of things. It’s up to the judicial coordinator who’s actually a faculty member who has a lot of power. He would not comment on any student because of federal law. J-Board is only a hearing of your student peers and some things just don’t make it to the jury. Plus, Cam left Florida and went to a junior college, so there would not have been any reason for it to come before the board because he was gone.
Aubie: All of your opinions are based on non-verified facts and speculation instead of actual facts. I wonder how many past and current Razorbacks have actually cheated among other things and nothing has been leaked and/or made up about them?
Me: Probably lots. The difference is that they didn’t get caught. Your player, according to Fox Sports, was caught not once, not twice, but three times.
Aubie: What makes you think he’s guilty when nothing has ever been proven? Are we now holding allegations, but not convictions, against people?
Me: Fox Sports has not printed a retraction. They stick by their source. Plus, if the kid was really innocent, he has a great lawsuit against that news group and several others. I have not seen anywhere that he denies it. Additionally, there is the issue that the NCAA believes his dad tried to sell his son’s services, and the issue of a stolen laptop that may have been in his possession. There seems to be a pattern. What makes you think he’s so innocent of everything?
Aubie: He was never found guilty. He was also never found guilty of the stolen laptop.
Me: Do you believe that he is innocent?
Aubie: Dude, I have no idea. It’s none of my business.
Me: It doesn’t make it OK because we were not supposed to find out. If you want to see the University of Florida Police Department report on the laptop issue, it’s on the Smoking Gun website – look for “Lame Laptop Thief.”
Aubie: Also, he wasn’t guilty by the NCAA of accepting any cash from Auburn or Mississippi State and knew nothing about what his dad was doing. On the ESPN college football awards show, he said he hasn’t even talked to his dad about all this.
Me: Never forget, he was ruled ineligible by Auburn. Why would a player be ruled ineligible if there was nothing to it? Your school had to petition to get him reinstated. It was for the infraction that his dad tried to sell his son’s services.
Aubie: Well, like I said, he never knew his dad was doing it.
Me: Sure, he has plausible deniability or whatever that term means. But for public opinion sake, it’s not reasonable. He said he talked to his dad all the time and left the decision of which college to sign with up to his dad. Most don’t believe the topic never could have come up in some form. It’s not like the old days when I called my dad person-to-person collect and he declined the call to call me back direct to avoid the huge long-distance call. You can talk to anyone by e-mail, instant messaging, texts, cell phone, old Ma Bell phone, and even fax. I have no doubt they were able to communicate all the time.
Aubie: This doesn’t prove he knew.
Me: It doesn’t remove the suspicion either. Never forget he was ruled ineligible. This means he was really ineligible the entire season. The NCAA just didn’t want to lower the hammer. Would you feel the same about him if he was at Alabama?
Aubie: Yeah, I know I would.
Me: I expect you to be biased for your team, but if we’re going to debate, I expect you to stay grounded in reality.
Aubie: You just don’t like Auburn!
Me: I am just suspicious of Auburn, and I think it’s an outlaw program. You can Google “dirty college football programs” and Auburn will show up on every list. Only at Auburn would they name the field after a coach who was a known cheater. Your school’s academic accreditation was on probation.
Aubie: You can’t prove Auburn is cheating.
Me: I just find it hard to believe that every great high school athlete in the South all of a sudden wanted to go to Auburn to play for the 5-19 coach from Iowa State. How does a 5-19 coach at Iowa State go to Auburn and make a statistically improbable turnaround of a 7-5 team to 13-0 in one year. It’s a head scratcher. I guess Gene Chizik is just all that and a bag of chips, though the other SEC coaches don’t see it that way. Auburn should have lost a game just to make it look legit.
[This is where I usually get the foot stomp, weird look, and get called a name.]
Me: I win. And furthermore, while I am not complaining, tell the female Auburn fans I saw flashing the crowd that it’s inappropriate behavior at a football game.
- Send your conversations with Auburn fans to fromthebench@yahoo.com.
You can read Daphne and Her No.2 Ticonderoga Chapter by Chapter on http://www.secretgirlsociety.com/
The entire book is available on Kindle, nook, Createspace and Amazon.
End
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Editorial on the Army-Navy game
Why doesn't CBS move this game to primetime? Look at Saturday evening's TV lineup — Frosty, Frosty Returns, Flight Before Christmas (Huh?) and 48 Hours Mystery. Are you telling me Army-Navy wouldn't draw better TV ratings? In an era of faux patriotism (no, we should not treat "God Bless America" with the same reverence as The National Anthem), we should honor the real patriots at our service academies by showcasing the Best Rivalry In College Sports on primetime TV. Sure, the Heisman ceremony is on that night, but who wants to watch ESPN milk an hour of coverage out of a 10-minute event? That said, set the DVR for the 30 for 30 on SMU's cheating in the 1980s. It might be as good as the episode on The U and the two Escobars (neither of which were Ramon).
-- Scott
-- Scott
Extra Credit Week
Some professors have been known to offer a chance to improve your grade between the end of the semester and the final exam. Here's yours.
One of the extra-credit questions could be: Would you rather have Malzahn, Mullen, or Petrino if you were Florida?
Another could be: Why would a coach who had a statistically improbable improvement from 7-5 to 13-0 not be voted SEC coach of the year unless the other coaches thought he cheated to get there?
But instead, to avoid being labeled as unpatriotic and anti-Auburn (some say that's the same thing), you get the below to pick. Easy, right?
The Army - Navy Game
1:30 p.m., Saturday, CBS
Line: Navy by 7
* Underdog worth three points
The Heisman Trophy
LaMichael James (Oregon)
Andrew Luck (Stanford)
Kellen Moore (Boise State)
Cam Newton (Auburn)
7 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Good luck.
****#****
Following the Heisman presentation, stay tuned for Pony Excess!
One of the extra-credit questions could be: Would you rather have Malzahn, Mullen, or Petrino if you were Florida?
Another could be: Why would a coach who had a statistically improbable improvement from 7-5 to 13-0 not be voted SEC coach of the year unless the other coaches thought he cheated to get there?
But instead, to avoid being labeled as unpatriotic and anti-Auburn (some say that's the same thing), you get the below to pick. Easy, right?
The Army - Navy Game
1:30 p.m., Saturday, CBS
Line: Navy by 7
* Underdog worth three points
The Heisman Trophy
LaMichael James (Oregon)
Andrew Luck (Stanford)
Kellen Moore (Boise State)
Cam Newton (Auburn)
7 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Good luck.
****#****
Following the Heisman presentation, stay tuned for Pony Excess!
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Project Playoffs:
End of season standings and seedings
Wouldn't this be a lot more fun than the bowls?
There would be no Fiesta Bowl featuring Oklahoma as a 17-point favorite over Big East "champion" Connecticut, no Boise State relegated to the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl as a 17-point favorite over Utah, and no bowls featuring 6-6 teams completely undeserving of playing in the postseason.
Instead, how about 16 teams getting a shot to play for the national championship -- on the field?
The Project Playoffs Foundation has taken the top 81 schools by football attendance and divided them into nine geographically correct conferences. Though it will never happen because the greedy college administrators don't want to part with their conference television money, this realignment plan is the most sensible solution and will fix what ails the greatest sport with the worst postseason.
Using the Massey Comparison Rankings, which take every poll and computer rating into account, below is a projection of how the standings would be in each of these realigned conferences as of Week 13 prior to the money grab that is better known as the conference championship games.
Each conference winner gets an automatic birth into the 16-team playoff, and the next best seven teams according to an all-encompassing rating system would also make the playoff. Then all 16 teams are seeded regardless of conference finish using the same all-encompassing rating system.
First-round match-ups:
16 West Virginia at 1 Oregon
15 South Carolina at 2 Auburn
14 Virginia Tech at 3 TCU
13 LSU at 4 Stanford
12 Oklahoma State at 5 Boise State
11 Alabama at 6 Oklahoma
10 Missouri at 7 Ohio State
9 Wisconsin at 8 Arkansas
Potential second-round match-ups:
8 Arkansas at 1 Oregon
7 Ohio State at 2 Auburn
6 Oklahoma at 3 TCU
5 Boise State at 4 Stanford
Click here for a full explanation of Project Playoffs.
Northwest
1 Oregon (12-0)
5 Boise State (11-1)
Utah (10-2)
Air Force (8-4)
Oregon State (5-7)
Washington (6-6)
Fresno State (8-4)
BYU (6-6)
Washington State (2-10)
Southern
2 Auburn (13-0)
11 Alabama (9-3)
13 LSU (10-2)
Mississippi State (8-4)
Southern Miss (8-4)
Tennessee (6-6)
Ole Miss (4-8)
Vanderbilt (2-10)
Memphis (1-11)
Mid-South
3 TCU (12-0)
6 Oklahoma (11-2)
8 Arkansas (10-2)
12 Oklahoma State (10-2)
Texas A&M (9-3)
Baylor (7-5)
Texas Tech (7-5)
Texas (5-7)
Houston (5-7)
West
4 Stanford (11-1)
Hawaii (10-3)
USC (8-5)
Arizona (7-5)
Arizona State (6-6)
California (5-7)
UCLA (4-8)
UTEP (6-6)
New Mexico (1-11)
Mid-North
7 Ohio State (11-1)
Michigan State (11-1)
Notre Dame (7-5)
Michigan (7-5)
Illinois (6-6)
Louisville (6-6)
Cincinnati (4-8)
Purdue (4-8)
Indiana (5-7)
Midwest
9 Wisconsin (11-1)
10 Missouri (10-2)
Nebraska (10-3)
Iowa (7-5)
Kansas State (7-5)
Colorado (5-7)
Iowa State (5-7)
Minnesota (3-9)
Kansas (3-9)
Atlantic
14 Virginia Tech (11-2)
North Carolina State (8-4)
Maryland (8-4)
North Carolina (7-5)
Kentucky (6-6)
East Carolina (6-6)
Virginia (4-8)
Duke (3-9)
Wake Forest (3-9)
Southeast
15 South Carolina (9-4)
Florida State (9-4)
Florida (7-5)
Miami (7-5)
Central Florida (10-3)
Georgia (6-6)
Clemson (6-6)
South Florida (7-5)
Georgia Tech (6-6)
Northeast
16 West Virginia (9-3)
Navy (8-3)
Pittsburgh (7-5)
Penn State (7-5)
Connecticut (8-4)
Boston College (7-5)
Syracuse (7-5)
Army (6-5)
Rutgers (4-8)
Monday, December 06, 2010
From the Bench - Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl Win Could Be as Big for Program as Holtz’s Orange Bowl
Robert Shields
Be careful what you ask for.
Keep that statement in mind because I will return to it in a minute after a little history lesson in light of the Razorbacks making their first visit to a BCS bowl game since this crazy format came to college football in 1998.
If there was ever a year for a playoff, this is it. Every team in the top 10 thinks it is the best and may have a case for that since all of them seem to be playing their best football at the end of the season. Michigan State, an 11-1 team left out of the BCS, would especially like a playoff this year.
The Razorbacks are significantly better now than at the beginning of the season. The defense is playing better and the emergence of Knile Davis in the running game has made the Razorback offense nearly unstoppable in the best conference in the country.
The Razorback fan base is as excited as it was in the 1977 season when it went to the Orange Bowl and routed the Oklahoma Sooners, who many considered the best team in the nation. The Hogs actually routed the Sooners.
If you are old enough like me, you remember that the Hogs suspended three major players before the Orange Bowl, and Roland Sales emerged in the blowout victory. The Hogs defense kept the Oklahoma wishbone in check the entire game. That game was one of the most important wins ever for the Razorback football program.
Roll forward a little more than 30 years and the Hogs are heading to their biggest bowl game since the 1980 Sugar Bowl (a loss to Alabama), but the fan base is as ecstatic as when the Hogs made that Orange Bowl.
Back to being careful what you ask for. The Hogs have drawn the toughest team possible that they could have in Ohio State. The Hogs would have been much better off drawing a school like Connecticut. The Hogs certainly would have beaten them and rose in the ranks and remained in the top 10 -- something no Razorback team has done in more than two decades.
The Hogs’ path to stay in the top 10 in the final poll is very difficult as it goes through the Ohio State Buckeyes. Arkansas has fared poorly against Big Ten teams in its last three matchups against that conference in bowl games.
The first of those was the 1998 Citrus Bowl against Michigan. The Razorbacks fought back and took the lead in the second half, but interception returns by the Wolverines ended up being the difference in the game as Michigan won.
The next was in the 2002 Music City Bowl loss to Minnesota, and it’s hard to figure out why the Hogs were even playing in that game since they went to the SEC championship game that season. But Minnesota dominated the Hogs from beginning to end.
The last was the Capital One Bowl (formerly known as the Citrus Bowl before selling out to the banking conglomerate) against Wisconsin after the 2006 season. Wisconsin’s defense stopped the Hogs and bottled up an injured Darren McFadden. The Hogs played musical quarterbacks and failed on numerous attempts on the Wisconsin side of the field to get any points.
Now in the latest edition of the big bowl game, the Hogs draw the kingpin of the Big Ten. Since the arrival of the Vest, Ohio State has been the team to beat in that conference, which the Buckeyes have owned to the point that Michigan has become an afterthought.
Do not forget at one time during the season many considered these Buckeyes to be the best team in the nation. They sat at No. 1. One bad night in Madison, Wisconsin, is what is keeping them out of the BCS championship game.
Terrelle Pryor is as good as any quarterback the Hogs have faced this season, and the Buckeye defense is also as good as any the Hogs have seen. If Arkansas can find a way to win in the Sugar Bowl against such a tough opponent, they may end up at No. 3 just like when they won the Orange Bowl back in 1978.
Then what is next for Bobby Petrino?
-
Send your holiday bowl wishes to fromthebench@yahoo.com.
You can read Daphne and Her No.2 Ticonderoga at www.secretgirlsociety.com
For that Christmas stocking stuffer for the Hog fan in your family get Scarlet Fever: A Razorback House Divided. It is available on Kindle, nook, Amazon, and at www.fruitbatbooks.com
Robert Shields
Be careful what you ask for.
Keep that statement in mind because I will return to it in a minute after a little history lesson in light of the Razorbacks making their first visit to a BCS bowl game since this crazy format came to college football in 1998.
If there was ever a year for a playoff, this is it. Every team in the top 10 thinks it is the best and may have a case for that since all of them seem to be playing their best football at the end of the season. Michigan State, an 11-1 team left out of the BCS, would especially like a playoff this year.
The Razorbacks are significantly better now than at the beginning of the season. The defense is playing better and the emergence of Knile Davis in the running game has made the Razorback offense nearly unstoppable in the best conference in the country.
The Razorback fan base is as excited as it was in the 1977 season when it went to the Orange Bowl and routed the Oklahoma Sooners, who many considered the best team in the nation. The Hogs actually routed the Sooners.
If you are old enough like me, you remember that the Hogs suspended three major players before the Orange Bowl, and Roland Sales emerged in the blowout victory. The Hogs defense kept the Oklahoma wishbone in check the entire game. That game was one of the most important wins ever for the Razorback football program.
Roll forward a little more than 30 years and the Hogs are heading to their biggest bowl game since the 1980 Sugar Bowl (a loss to Alabama), but the fan base is as ecstatic as when the Hogs made that Orange Bowl.
Back to being careful what you ask for. The Hogs have drawn the toughest team possible that they could have in Ohio State. The Hogs would have been much better off drawing a school like Connecticut. The Hogs certainly would have beaten them and rose in the ranks and remained in the top 10 -- something no Razorback team has done in more than two decades.
The Hogs’ path to stay in the top 10 in the final poll is very difficult as it goes through the Ohio State Buckeyes. Arkansas has fared poorly against Big Ten teams in its last three matchups against that conference in bowl games.
The first of those was the 1998 Citrus Bowl against Michigan. The Razorbacks fought back and took the lead in the second half, but interception returns by the Wolverines ended up being the difference in the game as Michigan won.
The next was in the 2002 Music City Bowl loss to Minnesota, and it’s hard to figure out why the Hogs were even playing in that game since they went to the SEC championship game that season. But Minnesota dominated the Hogs from beginning to end.
The last was the Capital One Bowl (formerly known as the Citrus Bowl before selling out to the banking conglomerate) against Wisconsin after the 2006 season. Wisconsin’s defense stopped the Hogs and bottled up an injured Darren McFadden. The Hogs played musical quarterbacks and failed on numerous attempts on the Wisconsin side of the field to get any points.
Now in the latest edition of the big bowl game, the Hogs draw the kingpin of the Big Ten. Since the arrival of the Vest, Ohio State has been the team to beat in that conference, which the Buckeyes have owned to the point that Michigan has become an afterthought.
Do not forget at one time during the season many considered these Buckeyes to be the best team in the nation. They sat at No. 1. One bad night in Madison, Wisconsin, is what is keeping them out of the BCS championship game.
Terrelle Pryor is as good as any quarterback the Hogs have faced this season, and the Buckeye defense is also as good as any the Hogs have seen. If Arkansas can find a way to win in the Sugar Bowl against such a tough opponent, they may end up at No. 3 just like when they won the Orange Bowl back in 1978.
Then what is next for Bobby Petrino?
-
Send your holiday bowl wishes to fromthebench@yahoo.com.
You can read Daphne and Her No.2 Ticonderoga at www.secretgirlsociety.com
For that Christmas stocking stuffer for the Hog fan in your family get Scarlet Fever: A Razorback House Divided. It is available on Kindle, nook, Amazon, and at www.fruitbatbooks.com
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Newton ad idea
With all the Cam Newton controversy lately, he could do an insurance ad. So here it goes:
An insurance ad
Cam Newton, you jackwagon
Fifteen percent off.
An insurance ad
Cam Newton, you jackwagon
Fifteen percent off.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
SEC bylaw 14.01.3.2:
Cam Newton should be ineligible
"If at any time before or after matriculation in a member institution a student-athlete or any member of his/her family receives or agrees to receive, directly or indirectly, any aid or assistance beyond or in addition to that permitted by the Bylaws of this Conference (except such aid or assistance as such student-athlete may receive from those persons on whom the student is naturally or legally dependent for support), such student-athlete shall be ineligible for competition in any intercollegiate sport within the Conference for the remainder of his/her college career."
Live Fan Feedback: Week 14
Comments on the week from our expert panel of reporters, bankers, doctors, lawyers, ad wizards, lawn guys, bond guys, car guys, pilots, priests, principals, builders, teachers, bums, and nomads.
Continually updated throughout the day...
Sue Everybody with Glenn B:
Arizona over Arizona State - this game is a LOCK for Arizona.
South Carolina over Auburn - Ol' Ball Coach has this one in his sights. No offense to Chizik and Malzahn, but those guys still had tassels hanging off the ends of their bicycle handlebars back when Spurrier was in his heyday. I don't want either team to win, I do want Arkansas to go to a BCS bowl, but this pick is all business, Poolsville hardcore. Give me the bonus point.
Virginia Tech over Florida State - VA Tech has overcome an immense amount of self-inflicted adversity, but they are on a roll and will continue to roll, for this season at least. But look for an ascendant Florida State in the coming years.
Nebraska over Oklahoma in the Cornhuskers last Big 12 game. See ya!
Yawn. South Florida wins. Who do they play again? Yawn.
-
I’m not an Oregonian, but how does UConn/USF trump the Civil War? Token Big (L)east game maybe? -- C. Fish
I agree with your take on the championship games in conferences. BCS chaos will break out if either Auburn or Oregon lose. I'm still amused by a couple of the ESPN commentators (especially Rod Gilmore) that still want to bash TCU. I'll be happy for a Rose Bowl birth for TCU though against Wisconsin-if TCU loses badly, those commentators might have a leg to stand on. It's amazing to me how quickly they forget Standord lost by 20 or 21 to Oregon, so I don't see how Stanford could be considered for the mythical title. Also, Oregon has wins over four teams with winning records. I wish someone could explain the SOS component. -- Party P
-
Clearly, my demise must be associated with the lack of proper poetry.
She cleans the house and works all day,
She doesn't have much time to play.
She washes my clothes and fixes my dinnner.
But she never helps me pick a winner.
There in is where the problem lies.
Now ask her again why she's got two black eyes.
-- Danny K.
-
It's desperation time. While I have little hope to close the ranks between me and the leaders, all my efforst are now focused on the Jersey Shore Throwdown. I love Thursday night games... wife is out for dinner with the neighborhood girls... the kids will be in bed by 8:30... then it's just me, the Duel in the Desert, and a mini keg of New Castle Brown! -- Bizzy G
Just because I hate the Auburn fans doesn’t mean I don’t want the SEC in the championship game. War… nevermind! -- Pacheco Punch
For the 2nd year in a row, I'm really crushing it! -- DJ Jazzy Josh
Another 3-2 week, so I’m done. Hotels are booking up fast if you’re looking to go to New Orleans. The Holiday Inn French Quarter looks to be within walking distance of at least two Larry Flynt Hustler Clubs, so I’m there – maybe I’ll go even if the Hogs get screwed out of the Sugar Bowl. -- Jeff G.
-
Seminole Prognosticator Presents:
Arizona State - Arizona
I guess the Duel in the Desert is important to someone. Remember always... It is a dry heat! So is a microwave but you won't catch me living in one!
Auburn - South Carolina
Spurrier... need I say more.
Florida State - Virginia Tech
Who would have thought that not only would Florida State humiliate the Gators, Maryland would beat North Carolina State in the final moment of their game sending America's Team to the ACC Championship Game. How can I possibly go against my beloved Noles!!!
Nebraska - Oklahoma
Grain fed versus beef fed... I love a great steak as much as the next guy but gotta go Grain...
Connecticut - South Florida
After sending Randy Shannon to the employment lines with a paltry 1.8 million payout (my gosh how can the man live??? -- Reminds me of the great one (I just vomited in my mouth) Latrell Sprewell, who during contract negotiations was offended that he was offered but a pitiful multi-kazillion dollar contract uttered these immortal words... "Hey my kids gotta eat." My gosh they must be porkers.... but I digress) South Florida is on a roll.
I am feeling good for my first 5-0 week. Remember, you heard it first right here by the Seminole Prognosticator!!
-
Faldon's Other Five Thoughts:
Arizona — Wait, did I read that correctly? Arizona is playing Arizona State!?! I didn't think that was legal. They're in the same conference!?! Silly Arizonans, they should have consulted with Broyles.
Auburn — Did you listen to Finebaum on Monday after the Iron Bowl? It was the best thing on the radio ... well, on the radio as streamed through my computer. Yes, yes, his show is Alabama-centric but how is it not on in every SEC state? Next to Tony Kornheiser, Finebaum's radio work is the best sports talk you can listen to most days during football season.
Virginia Tech — Why don't other schools play Beamer Ball?
Nebraska — The Big 12 declined delivering the North trophy to the Cornhuskers' final game in Lincoln. Seems they feared for the safety of the conference lackey assigned that job. Really? Really!?! You mean to tell me the Big 12 couldn't hire some off-duty cops to protect the guy? As much money as athletic conferences pull in, the B12 could have hired Blackwater (or whatever that band of mercenaries ... err, security contractors ... call themselves now). If it seems like the conference was giving Nebraska the finger, it's because it was.
South Florida — Key West > West Haven
-
Although, how can you not love the last game Nebraska plays in The Big 12 being in a championship against Oklahoma? That just feels right. -- Danny K.
Continually updated throughout the day...
Sue Everybody with Glenn B:
Arizona over Arizona State - this game is a LOCK for Arizona.
South Carolina over Auburn - Ol' Ball Coach has this one in his sights. No offense to Chizik and Malzahn, but those guys still had tassels hanging off the ends of their bicycle handlebars back when Spurrier was in his heyday. I don't want either team to win, I do want Arkansas to go to a BCS bowl, but this pick is all business, Poolsville hardcore. Give me the bonus point.
Virginia Tech over Florida State - VA Tech has overcome an immense amount of self-inflicted adversity, but they are on a roll and will continue to roll, for this season at least. But look for an ascendant Florida State in the coming years.
Nebraska over Oklahoma in the Cornhuskers last Big 12 game. See ya!
Yawn. South Florida wins. Who do they play again? Yawn.
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I’m not an Oregonian, but how does UConn/USF trump the Civil War? Token Big (L)east game maybe? -- C. Fish
I agree with your take on the championship games in conferences. BCS chaos will break out if either Auburn or Oregon lose. I'm still amused by a couple of the ESPN commentators (especially Rod Gilmore) that still want to bash TCU. I'll be happy for a Rose Bowl birth for TCU though against Wisconsin-if TCU loses badly, those commentators might have a leg to stand on. It's amazing to me how quickly they forget Standord lost by 20 or 21 to Oregon, so I don't see how Stanford could be considered for the mythical title. Also, Oregon has wins over four teams with winning records. I wish someone could explain the SOS component. -- Party P
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Clearly, my demise must be associated with the lack of proper poetry.
She cleans the house and works all day,
She doesn't have much time to play.
She washes my clothes and fixes my dinnner.
But she never helps me pick a winner.
There in is where the problem lies.
Now ask her again why she's got two black eyes.
-- Danny K.
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It's desperation time. While I have little hope to close the ranks between me and the leaders, all my efforst are now focused on the Jersey Shore Throwdown. I love Thursday night games... wife is out for dinner with the neighborhood girls... the kids will be in bed by 8:30... then it's just me, the Duel in the Desert, and a mini keg of New Castle Brown! -- Bizzy G
Just because I hate the Auburn fans doesn’t mean I don’t want the SEC in the championship game. War… nevermind! -- Pacheco Punch
For the 2nd year in a row, I'm really crushing it! -- DJ Jazzy Josh
Another 3-2 week, so I’m done. Hotels are booking up fast if you’re looking to go to New Orleans. The Holiday Inn French Quarter looks to be within walking distance of at least two Larry Flynt Hustler Clubs, so I’m there – maybe I’ll go even if the Hogs get screwed out of the Sugar Bowl. -- Jeff G.
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Seminole Prognosticator Presents:
Arizona State - Arizona
I guess the Duel in the Desert is important to someone. Remember always... It is a dry heat! So is a microwave but you won't catch me living in one!
Auburn - South Carolina
Spurrier... need I say more.
Florida State - Virginia Tech
Who would have thought that not only would Florida State humiliate the Gators, Maryland would beat North Carolina State in the final moment of their game sending America's Team to the ACC Championship Game. How can I possibly go against my beloved Noles!!!
Nebraska - Oklahoma
Grain fed versus beef fed... I love a great steak as much as the next guy but gotta go Grain...
Connecticut - South Florida
After sending Randy Shannon to the employment lines with a paltry 1.8 million payout (my gosh how can the man live??? -- Reminds me of the great one (I just vomited in my mouth) Latrell Sprewell, who during contract negotiations was offended that he was offered but a pitiful multi-kazillion dollar contract uttered these immortal words... "Hey my kids gotta eat." My gosh they must be porkers.... but I digress) South Florida is on a roll.
I am feeling good for my first 5-0 week. Remember, you heard it first right here by the Seminole Prognosticator!!
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Faldon's Other Five Thoughts:
Arizona — Wait, did I read that correctly? Arizona is playing Arizona State!?! I didn't think that was legal. They're in the same conference!?! Silly Arizonans, they should have consulted with Broyles.
Auburn — Did you listen to Finebaum on Monday after the Iron Bowl? It was the best thing on the radio ... well, on the radio as streamed through my computer. Yes, yes, his show is Alabama-centric but how is it not on in every SEC state? Next to Tony Kornheiser, Finebaum's radio work is the best sports talk you can listen to most days during football season.
Virginia Tech — Why don't other schools play Beamer Ball?
Nebraska — The Big 12 declined delivering the North trophy to the Cornhuskers' final game in Lincoln. Seems they feared for the safety of the conference lackey assigned that job. Really? Really!?! You mean to tell me the Big 12 couldn't hire some off-duty cops to protect the guy? As much money as athletic conferences pull in, the B12 could have hired Blackwater (or whatever that band of mercenaries ... err, security contractors ... call themselves now). If it seems like the conference was giving Nebraska the finger, it's because it was.
South Florida — Key West > West Haven
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Although, how can you not love the last game Nebraska plays in The Big 12 being in a championship against Oklahoma? That just feels right. -- Danny K.
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