Things I'd like to see (or not see) happen in 2009:
Down on the Tigers: Stop voting Clemson in the Top 10 (or even 15) only to see them disappoint less than halfway through the season. Preseason -- No. 9 in both AP and USA Today polls. Postseason -- no votes in either.
Give the non-majors a shot: Highest-ranked team outside the BCS conferences preseason -- BYU at 16/17. Highest postseason -- Utah at 2/4. There are some good teams outside the six big conferences. TCU is perennially strong, and as Ted asked last week...why isn't Gary Patterson being tapped for something better?
Not-so-Big 12: Despite the offensive numbers earlier, the Big 12 proved itself inferior this bowl season. Coaches need to remember that defense, paired with a manimal named Tim Tebow, wins championships.
Set up SEC-USC matchups: I know the nonconference schedules are set through like 2015, but I would absolutely love to see a September pairing of USC and a Florida, Alabama or rebuilt LSU. Jerry Jones, if you're listening, there's a blockbuster you could schedule at the new Arlington stadium.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Moving on...
So the season is done, the crystal football now in Urban Meyer's trophy case. What's a fan to do? Obsess about recruiting, of course!
Ted and I have had offline conversations about the merits of Rivals.com and Scout.com. Our verdict boils down to this: A 5-star recruit (or a team of them) doesn't necessarily mean success at the collegiate level. (Though I'd argue that success in high school correlates much more with college success than college does with NFL.) Just look at Notre Dame -- the Irish have consistently (at least over the past few years) had classes well stocked with Rivals 4- and 5-star recruits. As for dominating records...not so much.
But these tools are about all we've got to work on. You can really read into what a coaching staff brings to a team and what a coach's priorities are by scouring those commit lists.
Look at SMU, for instance. June Jones had less than a month to cobble together the class of 2008. He managed six more recruits (29) than Phil Bennett did in 2007, with the same number of 3-star players. Lots of offensive line (think pass protection), a set of QBs and a bunch of linebackers.
For the 2009 class, with a full year to recruit, Jones has a couple of JuCo transfers (grrr....but at least they've got 3 and 4 stars by their names), no zero stars (had one of those last year), a half-dozen 3-stars and several more highly rated guys with high interest in SMU and scholarship offers. If you believe these rankings, the 2009 class could be SMU's best in years. And some of the better players are defensive backs and ends, areas SMU needs to really shore up in order to improve that win column.
So we'll keep watching until Feb. 4. Then the countdown to the 2009 season begins.
Ted and I have had offline conversations about the merits of Rivals.com and Scout.com. Our verdict boils down to this: A 5-star recruit (or a team of them) doesn't necessarily mean success at the collegiate level. (Though I'd argue that success in high school correlates much more with college success than college does with NFL.) Just look at Notre Dame -- the Irish have consistently (at least over the past few years) had classes well stocked with Rivals 4- and 5-star recruits. As for dominating records...not so much.
But these tools are about all we've got to work on. You can really read into what a coaching staff brings to a team and what a coach's priorities are by scouring those commit lists.
Look at SMU, for instance. June Jones had less than a month to cobble together the class of 2008. He managed six more recruits (29) than Phil Bennett did in 2007, with the same number of 3-star players. Lots of offensive line (think pass protection), a set of QBs and a bunch of linebackers.
For the 2009 class, with a full year to recruit, Jones has a couple of JuCo transfers (grrr....but at least they've got 3 and 4 stars by their names), no zero stars (had one of those last year), a half-dozen 3-stars and several more highly rated guys with high interest in SMU and scholarship offers. If you believe these rankings, the 2009 class could be SMU's best in years. And some of the better players are defensive backs and ends, areas SMU needs to really shore up in order to improve that win column.
So we'll keep watching until Feb. 4. Then the countdown to the 2009 season begins.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
A Plea for Ted Kim's Analysis ...
... on this Boston College news flash. Is BC out of line to insist that its coach stay for five years and not use the job as a stepping stone? Can the Eagles attract a top-flight coach if that's the case? Is Ted Kim dusting off his resume?
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Give me some Sugar
Not much I can add about the Sugar Bowl (debacle if you back the Tide, vindication if you're a Ute) other than to say wow. Didn't see it coming, nor did I see the thumping of Texas Tech at the Cotton Bowl.
And now, we wait for Fiesta and BCS Championship.
And now, we wait for Fiesta and BCS Championship.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Pigskin Potpourri, Poinsettia Edition
Now that TCU has upended Boise State in the most watchable matchup of the entire bowl season, it's worth asking: How did TCU wind up in the Mountain West instead of the Big 12?Baylor is all giddy that it managed to beat A&M this year and finish NEXT-to-last in the Big 12 South, a step up from its perennial doormat status. Iowa State is a joke. Kansas State had to pull Bill Snyder out of retirement to get back to the level where TCU already is now. Think of how much more competitive the Big 12 would be with TCU in the mix -- and how much more lively the DFW sports scene would be with a hometown Big 12 team.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Bowling: Midweek update
After catching some godawful football (didn't get to see it, but looks like the Las Vegas Bowl was an exception here) over the weekend (hello, New Orleans Bowl!), we've got a gem tomorrow night. Here's the rundown:
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Boise State vs. TCU
7 p.m. Tuesday, ESPN
See two BCS-eligible teams face each other in sunny San Diego. How the Poinsettia managed to snag these two mystifies me. But this may well be the best game of the non-major bowl season. Tough competitors from mid-major conferences. Both once considered BCS busters. Gonna be a major throwdown.
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Notre Dame at Hawaii
7 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN
This one's got pathetic written all over it. I find it difficult to believe that the Irish deserve to be in a bowl game, but when you've got 400 bowls and just 119 teams to fill them, this is what happens. Why do I say AT Hawaii? Because let's get serious here -- they've got more of an advantage than Boise State would have playing on the Smurf Turf.
Motor City Bowl
Central Michigan vs. Florida Atlantic
6:30 p.m. Friday, ESPN
As exciting a pairing as Sunday's New Orleans Bowl blockbuster of Southern Miss vs. Troy. Sun Belt and MAC. Woo. Hoo. Gonna have to be seriously eggnogged to enjoy this one. Even more reason to pity poor Detroit.
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Boise State vs. TCU
7 p.m. Tuesday, ESPN
See two BCS-eligible teams face each other in sunny San Diego. How the Poinsettia managed to snag these two mystifies me. But this may well be the best game of the non-major bowl season. Tough competitors from mid-major conferences. Both once considered BCS busters. Gonna be a major throwdown.
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Notre Dame at Hawaii
7 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN
This one's got pathetic written all over it. I find it difficult to believe that the Irish deserve to be in a bowl game, but when you've got 400 bowls and just 119 teams to fill them, this is what happens. Why do I say AT Hawaii? Because let's get serious here -- they've got more of an advantage than Boise State would have playing on the Smurf Turf.
Motor City Bowl
Central Michigan vs. Florida Atlantic
6:30 p.m. Friday, ESPN
As exciting a pairing as Sunday's New Orleans Bowl blockbuster of Southern Miss vs. Troy. Sun Belt and MAC. Woo. Hoo. Gonna have to be seriously eggnogged to enjoy this one. Even more reason to pity poor Detroit.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Bowling: And so it begins
After a couple weeks off, teams (and your favorite bloggers) will be back at it this weekend. We start with some pretty craptastic matchups. (Or is it "craptacular"?)
Saturday:
Eaglebank Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Navy, 10 a.m., ESPN -- This is the newest bowl on the block, and may be the only one that is an encore of a regular-season game. Wake lost 24-17 in their first game against the Midshipmen, all the way back on Sept. 27. Since then, the Demon Deacons dropped four into the L column, while Navy lost twice. Expect boringness, as these teams obviously know each other.
New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State vs. Fresno State, 1:30 p.m., ESPN -- A 6-6 Mountain West team against a 7-5 WAC team. These guys were in the same conference before the big divorce in the 1990s. I'd rather watch the Eaglebank. And you couldn't find a sponsor? Sign of a bad bowl...
Magicjack St. Petersburg Bowl: Memphis vs. South Florida, 3:30 p.m., ESPN -- Another inaugural bowl. South Florida, OK in nonconference play but dreadful in the Big East, gets to play a home game against Memphis, who at 6-6 managed to finish second in the C-USA East. (Shows the Conference USA's strength, no?) Shoot me, shoot me now. And what the heck is Magicjack? It's that thing you hear advertised on late-night TV that lets you "never pay a home phone bill again!"
Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl: BYU vs. Arizona, 7 p.m., ESPN -- Prime Time gives us a ranked team!! BYU was once thought to be the best BCS-buster candidate, now relegated to playing something like their 12th Las Vegas Bowl in a row. Or something like that. Cougars roll right over Arizona in this one.
Sunday:
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Troy, 7:15 p.m., ESPN -- No comment, other than to say I'll only be watching this one because I need football to sustain me through the weekend. But only watching this during the Sunday Night Football commercial breaks.
Saturday:
Eaglebank Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Navy, 10 a.m., ESPN -- This is the newest bowl on the block, and may be the only one that is an encore of a regular-season game. Wake lost 24-17 in their first game against the Midshipmen, all the way back on Sept. 27. Since then, the Demon Deacons dropped four into the L column, while Navy lost twice. Expect boringness, as these teams obviously know each other.
New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State vs. Fresno State, 1:30 p.m., ESPN -- A 6-6 Mountain West team against a 7-5 WAC team. These guys were in the same conference before the big divorce in the 1990s. I'd rather watch the Eaglebank. And you couldn't find a sponsor? Sign of a bad bowl...
Magicjack St. Petersburg Bowl: Memphis vs. South Florida, 3:30 p.m., ESPN -- Another inaugural bowl. South Florida, OK in nonconference play but dreadful in the Big East, gets to play a home game against Memphis, who at 6-6 managed to finish second in the C-USA East. (Shows the Conference USA's strength, no?) Shoot me, shoot me now. And what the heck is Magicjack? It's that thing you hear advertised on late-night TV that lets you "never pay a home phone bill again!"
Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl: BYU vs. Arizona, 7 p.m., ESPN -- Prime Time gives us a ranked team!! BYU was once thought to be the best BCS-buster candidate, now relegated to playing something like their 12th Las Vegas Bowl in a row. Or something like that. Cougars roll right over Arizona in this one.
Sunday:
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Troy, 7:15 p.m., ESPN -- No comment, other than to say I'll only be watching this one because I need football to sustain me through the weekend. But only watching this during the Sunday Night Football commercial breaks.
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