Bowl Season Priorities? Not watching too many games

Okay, so let’s start today by mocking, I mean, discussing the new names for the division of the Big Ten, and why they are nonsensical. “Leaders” and “Legends?” Was that focus group tested? And the new logo looks like something that was sketched up in MS Paint in about fifteen minutes.

Excuse me?

Yes?

You’re not going to talk about bowl games?

I was hoping I wouldn’t have to answer this question. No, no I am not.

May I ask why? It is after all, the most wonderful time of the year. It’s a veritable smorgasbord of games featuring teams that wouldn’t normally schedule each other any other way. It’s a bevy of riches.

Well, since you asked, I’ll be blunt: There are only two bowl games that I directly care about: my alma mater’s game in late December and the BCS Championship game on January 10. Oh, and the Sugar Bowl, but that’s because I’m married to an Ohio native. So I guess it’s three that I care about.

What? You only care about three bowl games? Isn’t that un-American? Why aren’t you dedicating more of your life the next three weeks to watching games, damnit?

Well, I have family visiting, and there’s Christmas coming up and I have to work the week after Christmas. Look, it’s not like I don’t want to watch the games; I am something of a college football addict and will acknowledge that. But circumstances don’t allow for me to fill time with 35 bowl games. So I’m picking and choosing.

But don’t you love the bowl system. As Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel told you on Twitter, “[T]hey're fun… they distinguish college from NFL, because thousands make an annual vacation out of it.”

Yes, they do distinguish college from the NFL. But given that intercollegiate athletics are a multi-billion dollar industry in its own right, and the arms races in certain conferences where it is rumored that a guy who was a high school coach six years ago is being offered head jobs for $3 million a year, that wall is crumbling just a bit, no?

I also can’t argue that they aren’t fun. Some games are thrilling, to be sure. Hell, one of the most exciting games from last season was an early bowl game between Idaho and Bowling Green.

But this idea that thousands make an annual vacation out of it? I don’t know how much water that actually holds. Some do; no question about that.

It’s not that easy, though, to get a flight at the last minute that isn’t going to run you hundreds of dollars – even with carriers like Southwest. And travel during the holiday season is always going to be a cost prohibitive measure because everyone wants to fly hither and yon, so room rates will go up in warmer climates (which is where most of these bowl games are).

Oh, and if you want to buy your ticket through your school, there is a chance you’ll be gouged on the price of the ticket, paying more than the value than you could get on a site like Stubhub.

Why would you want to buy your ticket through your school? Well, you want to do that so that you school won’t be forced to eat the cost of the unsold tickets and have those unsold tickets count against the bowl payout.

So you’d rather deny those hardworking student athletes a reward for a good season?

Nope. Not saying that at all. However, if we are going to keep this bowl system in the name of almighty tradition, we need to shore some things up, and mainly keep it as a reward of sorts. If you have a mediocre season, I don’t see that as being a reason to get sent to a bowl game – especially since it’s not like all of the bowls are in warm weather destinations. I grew up in New York City; it was never warm in December. Granted, it might be warmer than Syracuse that time of year, but I have feeling that Manhattan, Kansas and the Bronx are probably about a draw.

We’re not rewarding success with 70 bowl games; we’re accepting mediocrity and it’s getting close to the point of having participatory trophies for simply showing up for 12 games a season. I would rather see the number of bowls cut down, only 8-4 teams or better being allowed to go, and an adjustment to how the payouts are done so as not to hold an institution hostage and force them into the red for a glorified exhibition game.

Anyway, that’s why I’ve only got three bowl games that are appointment viewing. I might check in on the others, but like I said earlier, I’ve got plans. If you want to watch them all, feel free. But I won’t be glued to my television set.

The Woodchipper

With the breaking news of Urban Meyer's second resignation from the Florida Gators dropping today (courtesy of Brett McMurphy of AOL Fanhouse), and due to a discussion on Twitter with BCSChick and Lonely Tailgater, I decided to run through the coaching database and come up with who has been coaching at their current institution for at least ten seasons, so the line of demarcation is 2001.

There are a few special circumstances, where coaches left programs and returned. But in that case, if their total years add up to 10 or more, they were included.

Without further ado, listed in alphabetical order by institution (Coaching years in parentheses):
Randy Edsall - UConn (1999)
Howard Schnellenberger - Florida Atlantic (2001)
Pat Hill - Fresno State (1997)
Mark Richt - Georgia (2001)
Kirk Ferentz - Iowa (1999)
Bill Snyder - Kansas State (1989-2005; 2009-present)
Ralph Friedgen - Maryland (2001)
Gary Pinkel - Missouri (2001)
Chris Ault - Nevada (1976-1992; 1994-1995; 2004-present)
Jim Tressel - Ohio State (2001)
Bob Stoops - Oklahoma (1999)
Mike Riley - Oregon State (1997-1998; 2003-present)
Joe Paterno - Penn State (1966)
Greg Schiano - Rutgers (2001)
Mack Brown - Texas (1998)
Gary Patterson - TCU (2000)
Larry Blakeney - Troy (1991)
Frank Beamer - Virginia Tech (1987)
Jim Grobe - Wake Forest (2001)

NCAA Cam Newton Ruling Puzzling

So Cam Newton's father Cecil Newton, Sr. did request money for Cam Newton to play at Mississippi State. But allegedly, Cam knew nothing about that request. So he eligible to play in this weekend's SEC Championship Game against South Carolina with a trip to the BCS Championship and the Heisman Trophy on the line.

Newton's father will have limited access to the Auburn program, according to the NCAA. This basically means he can hang with his son and watch Auburn games, but that's probably about it from what I can gather.

Nothing will happen to Auburn.

Now, there's one other thing: All of that is based on the evidence that was before the NCAA at this time. The NCAA doesn't comment on potential or on-going investigations. And from what I can see, they haven't completely closed the book on this case yet.

If it turns out that the Newtons received extra benefits from Auburn, trust me: Auburn will feel the hammer from the NCAA. But as of right now, there doesn't seem to be any evidence that links Auburn to a payment to Cecil Newton.

Yes, yes, I know: there was a report from ESPN.com's Joe Schad that stated that Cam Newton told someone he wanted to go to Mississippi State, but the money from Auburn was "too much."

However, don't you think that if there was any validity to that report, that Newton would have been held out at some point prior? Or that the NCAA would have declared him ineligible?

Yes, Cecil Newton solicited for money from Mississippi State. But what some people are missing is that: a) no money changed hands and; b) Cam isn't at MSU.

So while what Cecil Newton did was appalling, it is hard to prove that Cam knew what his father was doing. These meetings being discussed were clandestine and I have yet to see that Cam was along for the ride to any of them.

How, then, can you punish the son for the sins of the father if the sin was merely asking for cash?

Do I think that this opens a loophole for parents or other relatives acting on behalf of players to ask for money from teams? No, I don't. Because receiving extra benefits is still a major violation (see Bush, Reggie for proof of that). And no, the Bush case, to me, is not relevant here at all. In that case, extra benefits were provided and received by both family and student-athlete in that scenario. The student-athlete in question received benefits of his own and even if he hadn't, there is no way that he could not have known about the house.

It's like people trying to compare Cam Newton's situation to the one involving University of Kentucky basketball player Enes Kanter and the fact that his family received benefits from a team over in his native Turkey. Again, notice the distinction: Benefits received vs. benefits asked for.

I can understand how some folks might think it is wrong. But in this case, as far as I am concerned, the NCAA got things right. Until further evidence is presented, Cam Newton should be allowed to play.

Black Friday to be Great for College Football

The term “Black Friday,” when associated with the day after Thanksgiving, is a day when the Christmas shopping season begins in earnest. If you’re willing to get up early enough (or now, willing to stay up late enough) and brave the crowds, you can find some great deals and steals.

College football fans will experience their own Black Friday this week, as a bevy of wonderful football action can be had simply for the cost of time spent away from the family and the crazy shoppers and plopped in front of the TV, at a sports bar or in a man cave somewhere.

Now that I think about it, the Black Friday analogy may not be the best descriptor for the bounty we can expect on Friday. Perhaps it would make more sense to refer to this Friday’s slate as “Thanksgiving 2: Cornucopia’s Revenge.”

There’s the crudités platter of MAC action, with division titles on the line if Northern Illinois can beat Eastern Michigan and Ohio can take out Kent State. Much like the celery/bell pepper/carrot platter, they will largely be ignored. Louisville/Rutgers and West Virginia/Pitt serve as the pre-dinner cocktails (because you will need some semblance of alcohol to get through those games).

Of course, all roads lead to the main event of Friday, the Iron Bowl. This is the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy of the day. Full of drama, intrigue and the chance of something crazy happening—just like the archetypal meal taking place on Thursday afternoon for most families. Last year, it was Auburn taking the Tide down to the wire; this year, Alabama gets to try and derail a championship run for the Tigers. Add in Cam Newton playing on the road against a hated rival while still under investigation, and it will be a wild scene in Tuscaloosa.

Filling in for the sweet potato/pumpkin pie in our football games as meal analogy, we have Arizona traveling to the Autzen Zoo to face Oregon. And for those who need a late night snack after gorging on food most of the day, we have the late kickoff of Boise State at Nevada.

When the light dawns on Saturday, there could be complete and utter chaos in the BCS, or the status quo could be set in relatively firm stone. I will say this though: it should be a helluva Black Friday.

Northwestern/Illinois Game Takes A Turn

On Monday, when I first saw pictures of the field for the Northwestern-Illinois game this coming weekend at Wrigley Field, my first reaction was, "Really?"

The end zone at the east end of the field, near the right field wall, wasn't even a full end zone. The bleachers cut off part of it, and the brick wall (while padded) essentially jutted out into the field of play. Good luck running any deep posts into the end zone or running anything other than shallow crosses from inside the five yard line.

It seemed like a recipe for disaster. As Matt Zemek of College Football News put it on Twitter: "If you're a parent of an Illinois or Northwestern WR / TE / RB / DB / CB / SS / FS-- any perimeter player--U should want this field re-drawn."

The layout was apparently approved by representatives of both Illinois and Northwestern. But today, the Big Ten stepped in and pulled a Lee Corso. Not so fast, my friends from the Land of Lincoln:

"The Big Ten Conference announced a series of adjustments to football playing rules in order to enhance student-athlete safety for the Illinois-Northwestern game to be played on Saturday, Nov. 20, at Wrigley Field in Chicago."

It would have been nice if the league had stepped in earlier during the surveying process for laying down the grid, but whatever. It's 24 hours to kickoff. Maybe they'll cut down the end zone at the west side and make it only 8 yards, or cut both back to be equitable, but I'm sure it'll be something simple.

Um:

The following rule changes were determined to be the best of all options and will be in effect for this game only based on the unique layout of the field.
1) All offensive plays will head toward the West end zone, including all extra points and all overtime possessions.
2) All kickoffs will be kicked toward the East end zone.
3) After every change of possession, the ball will be repositioned for the offense to head toward the West end zone.
4) As a result of a coin toss held by the conference office Friday morning, Illinois will occupy the West team bench in the first half and Northwestern will occupy the West team bench in the second half and for all overtime periods.

If you bought tickets for the East End Zone, how upset are you today that outside of kickoffs and turnovers returned for touchdowns, you aren't going to see any game action? I would be livid, personally.

I appreciate the fact that someone finally decided, after seeing the field, that enough was enough and that you really couldn't play a game in that configuration. Like I said upstream, it would have been better if this had occurred before the grid was actually laid down to find a better orientation for the field, but whatever.

Here's a thought, though: If you wanted to play a football game in the city of Chicago this weekend, wouldn't it have been nice to have scheduled the game in a venue that is actually designed for football? A novel concept, I know. If only the city of Chicago had such a facility.

Oh, wait. It does. It's called Soldier Field. And from what I can see, it's available this weekend.

Is it as iconic as Wrigley Field? Probably not, especially since the rebuild in 2003. But it wouldn't have allowed the game to become a mockery, either.

Unpacking The Current World of Cameron Newton

So let me see if I've got some of this straight.

In the last two weeks, Cam Newton has gone from potential Heisman frontrunner and a positive, happy redemption story in college football to an academic fraud at the University of Florida and (in conjunction with his father) pure chattel to be sold to the highest bidder for his on-field talents and skill set. Oh, and Cam Newton also may or may not be part of the New World Order, threw the ballots from some counties in Florida in 2000 out the window and may or may not have been behind the break up of the Beatles.

Does that sound about right?

I mean, it can't be any crazier than what is currently being reported on by various media outlets. The final straw happened on Twitter today, when it was tweeted and retweeted that a reporter from ESPN Radio in Dallas was alleging that the NCAA was going to suspend Cam Newton later this afternoon. When he was contacted, the reporter in question said that he never said that.

Oops. A false alarm.Misinformation gets out, gets retweeted and then when disproven just vanishes in a cloud of smoke as if it never happened.

Meanwhile, the Newton's are either being mocked for neither confirming nor denying the reports or for emphatically denying wrong doing—possibly because there are so many things that are being thrown their way that they cannot keep up.

There are reports. At this time, there is no concrete evidence suggesting that Newton or his father, Cecil Sr., received any monetary benefits for his enrolling at Auburn. There is no direct paper trail that has come to light that I've seen reported anywhere.

Until that can be proven, he should be eligible at Auburn unless Auburn decides to pull him off the field until the investigation is resolved or the NCAA states that he is ineligible and cannot play.

With regards to his academics, that is simply a red herring to me. Academic issues at the school he attended two (two!) instituions ago should, to me, have nothing to do with his ability to play at Auburn—again, unless Auburn decides it is relevant.

I'm not naive enough to think that players don't get sold to the highest bidder, or that players don't cheat. College students cheat. College students like money. That's a fact of life.

I'm also not naive enough to think that Cam Newton can't be judged because of allegations. In the court of public opinion, you can be convicted on the flimsiest bits of evidence. Hell, you can be convicted without any evidence; rampant speculation can be enough until you demonstrate concretely that you are innocent.

What I want, and will continue to cry out for, though, is patience. Let the investigation run its course. Let the evidence come to light and breathe. Then we will decide if Cam Newton and/or his family broke the rules. If he or his family are guilty, then convict them and run them into the ground if you so choose.

Just don't put the cart before the horse.

Pac-12 needs a conference title game site. It's right under their nose

With Colorado now being granted clearance to leave the Big 12 after this season to join Utah in the Pac-12 conference, there are two issues that will hopefully be resolved for the conference after a couple of meetings this month.

One issue is how to split the conference into divisions.

The other is to determine where to play the conference championship game.

The current line of thought on issue number one is that the conference is going to go with a North/South split and have a rotational pod system to ensure that the other schools will have access to California at least twice a year. You can't let that fertile recruiting ground go.

I personally, am in favor of more of a "zipper" process which would still allow for the multiple visits to California every season.

What I want to focus on, though, is the second issue. Where should the Pac-12 play their newly minted title game?

Glendale, Arizona, San Francisco, Seattle and Oakland have all been mentioned as possible sites for the game. Additionally, having the higher ranked school host the game at their home field has been brought up as an option to consider as well.

One other location has been mentioned as a possibility. It's the location that I am willing to get behind, as are others.

Las Vegas.

Sam Boyd Stadium, home of the UNLV Rebels. Okay technically, Sam Boyd is in Henderson, NV (about five miles or so from my house actually), but it is part of the greater Las Vegas Valley.

Sam Boyd Stadium, in its current configuration, seats about 36,000 although it can hold around 45,000 as it has for Las Vegas Bowls in recent years.

Now, this might seem small in comparison to some of the other stadiums that house the neutral site conference championship games in football.

However, there is no way that the Pac-12 would want to go to a large stadium and have shots of empty seats. There's a picture that you can find on the internet if you Google "ACC Championship Game Empty Seats."

Do that and look at that picture. See all of the empty seats? There is no way, given the risk that Larry Scott took this summer with the wacky Pac-16 plan, that he can sell a half-empty stadium to his constituents.

Sam Boyd Stadium makes sense because of venue size. It makes sense as a destination city with hotels galore. The weather, while it can be dicey in early December, still has a chance of being good.

Sounds like a win to me. Go ahead, Larry Scott and Pac-10 officials: roll the dice on Vegas.

Questioning Paying FBS Football Players

Reading the Associated Press article about Reggie Bush returning his Heisman Trophy and how that's not an admission of guilt (Um, sure), I was struck by the closing graphs (emphasis mine):

Bush said he also wants to start a program to help high school and college athletes deal with the pressures and temptations that come when their ability provides them celebrity and fame before they've turned pro.

"You're still a kid, but you're still asked to make adult decisions," Bush said, alluding to a handful of college teams -- including North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina -- dealing with probes into whether their players had improper contact with agents.

"Whatever the NCAA has, whatever programs they have, aren't working and it needs to be changed. If it's not changed, it's going to continue and it hasn't stopped yet," Bush said. "It's going to continue year after year after year and you're going to see kids be ineligible. You're going to see great athletes missing their junior and senior year and seasons because the system doesn't work.

"Obviously something has to be changed. You've got universities making millions of dollars off these kids and they don't get paid. The majority of college athletes who come in on scholarship come in [with] nothing. That's where you have a problem. You're making all this money off these kids and you're giving them crumbs and then you're surrounding these kids with money and telling them not to touch it," he said.

They don't get paid?

They don't get paid?

According to USC's own website, a student who attends USC for the 2010-2011 school year should expect to pay, in tuition and fees, room and board and for books about $54,100—not including personal expenses.

Now, when Reggie was there, it was a little bit lower—around the $40,000 to $45,000 range for the cost of attendance. Even so, let's say that you're there three years as a potential first round draft pick. You have received (tax free) something in the neighborhood of $120,000 to $140,000 if you attend a private school.

Is that money directly in your pocket? Well, no. But as an educator, it irks me when people who call for athletes to be "paid" discount the fact that a post-secondary education is a very expensive proposition. There are plenty of bright students who would kill for a chance to have a free ride to Southern Cal and wouldn't view it as "not being paid."

Additionally, even if you are receiving an athletic scholarship, there is nothing to stop you from getting a paying job during the summer. You are not obligated to take courses during the summer, so you can work if you need walk around money. Would it be enough to buy a tricked-out Impala with rims? No, probably not.

But I find the line that college football players are not receiving anything for their hard work to be laughable at best and downright sad at worst.

Additionally, name me a university that is making millions of dollars off of athletics. Hell, only 14 FBS athletic departments reported positive net generated revenues in 2009, which is a decline from 25 in 2008. Many public colleges and universities have had to resort to furloughs or layoffs for faculty and staff and are cutting programs, services and departments because of the sorry state of their budgets. So where could all of this money that the colleges and universities are allegedly making be going?

Here is a larger question I have for those, though, with the sentiment that football players should be paid: How are you going to do it?

Title IX doesn't appear to come into play here, as the Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Education (which oversees Title IX) states that:

Unequal aggregate expenditures for members of each sex or unequal expenditures for male and female teams if a recipient operates or sponsors separate teams will not constitute noncompliance with this section, but the Assistant Secretary may consider the failure to provide necessary funds for teams for one sex in assessing equality of opportunity for members of each sex."(34 C.F.R. §106.41(c))

So that isn't an issue at this point, unless pay for play gets implemented and a lawsuit generates because of it.

The questions I have:

1) Where is the money coming from? Who is actually going to create the fund that will pay the football players? Obviously, revenue is not coming directly from football itself; those funds are usually used to help prop up the so-called olympic, or non-revenue sports. Which, if paying football players forced those sports to be cut or reduced, then you could find yourself careening towards a potential Title IX conflict.

2) Who is going to determine how much a football player gets paid? Would that be expected to come from the NCAA to ensure some kind of fairness and level playing field? Or would it be left to the conferences or even the schools to set their own pay scale?

3) Scholarship athletes only, or are walk-ons eligible for a check?

4) In addition, do starters get more than third stringers? What happens if a player is a starter one year and gets beaten out the next?

5) Is this year round payment, or only during the fall semester/quarter?

If someone from the pay-for-play side can provide a well-thought out response to these questions, it would be greatly appreciated. But you have to be convincing.

Poll Position: It's Too Early To Matter

I don't know Scott Wolf, USC Trojans beat writer for the Los Angeles Daily News, personally.

His bio reads: "Scott Wolf has covered USC for the Daily News since 1996. A USC graduate, he covered his first Trojan game in 1984 for the Daily Trojan. Scott is known as the "scourge of the Internet message boards," according to radio host Petros Papadakis. Despite this moniker, there's no truth to the rumor he takes pleasure in antagonizing the "Internet geeks."

Well, it's not the internet geeks per se that he has been antagonizing lately.

It's the Big Ten Conference.

According to Pollspeak's Pollstalker function, Wolf had Ohio State ranked #6 in the preseason, Iowa #14 and Wisconsin #25. Ohio State and Iowa were near extreme lows and his vote for Wisconsin was the lowest ranking the Badgers received.

Ohio State was ranked #2, Iowa was #9 and Wisconsin was #12.

After week one, Wolf had Ohio State still at #6, Iowa at #13 and Wisconsin up at #23. These were the lowest rankings for these three teams.

After week two, Wolf dropped Ohio State to #7 (after being Miami (FL)), Iowa moved up to #10 and Wisconsin stayed at #23. While the ranking for Iowa was not extreme, the rankings for Ohio State and Wisconsin were once again the lowest ranking for these squads.

Three thoughts immediately come to mind after looking at this information. One, is that the ballot for a particular voter is simply their opinion about who they view as the best 25 teams in the country in any given week. The exercise I just performed could be done to tear apart anyone's ballot if you are a partisan of a particular team or conference.

The second thought is that this is the Associated Press poll. In the long run, while it is interesting to get the opinion of a writer like Scott Wolf or a talking head like Kirk Herbstreit, the relevance of the AP poll is inconsequential.

It is a topic of conversation and consternation to be sure, but it has no tangible impact on who is crowned the mythical national champion in Division 1-FBS football. Remember, the BCS is made up of the coaches poll and the Harris Interactive Poll. Harris came aboard after the AP, who used to be part of the formula, pulled out after the 2004 season.

The third thought I have is this: It's week two, people. Two games have been played by teams at most. Things need time to settle down before you can truly see who deserves to be ranked where.

So uptight Big Ten people, relax. Badgers and Buckeyes and Wolverines, come in from the ledge.

There is still plenty of time for all of this to shake out.

2010 Sunday Brunch: Week Two

Let's pass out some food and drinks and look at some performances from yesterday's action.

Raise a glass of champagne or send a mimosa to:

Mickey Matthews, James Madison University and Ed Meierkort, University of South Dakota: For the second week in a row, we cheer for Division 1-FCS teams knocking off BCS opponents.

The Coyotes of the University of South Dakota knocked off Minnesota 41-38, spoiling the home opener for the Golden Gophers and making things just a bit more uncomfortable for Tim Brewster.

The Dukes of James Madison, ranked number 11 in the FCS poll, outscoring Virginia Tech 14-3 in the second half to come from behind against the Hokies in their home opener on the short turnaround from Labor Day.

A big pot of coffee and a bottle of Advil for:

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer: Because the Hokies (0-2) must have been dealing with a hangover from the Labor Day tilt against Boise State. Yes, James Madison is not a pushover. But the short turnaround had to have impacted the preparation for the Hokies, and could explain why they ran out of steam in the second half.

Once again, it appears that the Hokies might not live up to expectations. Beamer has to try and right this ship quickly

A big platter of biscuits and gravy for:

Jimbo Fisher, Florida State; Randy Shannon, Miami (FL); Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech:

I was trying to think of an ultimate comfort food to comfort these coaches for bad losses this week.

Georgia Tech traveled to Lawrence, Kansas and lost to a Jayhawks team that lost to North Dakota State last week 6-3.

Miami traveled to Ohio State and self-destructed, with quarterback Jacory Harris throwing four interceptions in a 36-24 loss at the Horseshoe.

Florida State was never in the game against Oklahoma, getting dusted 47-17.

Combined with the loss by the Hokies, and it was a bad day for the top of the ACC.

An elegant and simple crab quiche for one goes to:

Denard Robinson, quarterback, Michigan: It's way too early to talk about the Heisman Trophy. Only two games have been played. But if he keeps up on this pace, Robinson will pass for about 2600 yards (12 games) at a 70 percent clip and rush for about 2700 yards on 28 carries a game (also in 12 games). Which would be unreal and is totally unrealistic at this point.

But the kid has been a star so far, and his confidence is soaring. With UMass, Bowling Green and Indiana looming, the sky truly is the limit.

Of course, the true tests for Robinson are in mid October and mid November. If he's still putting up ridiculous numbers by then, we'll talk.

Friday's Quick Slant: Picking some big Saturday Games

Four games of interest nationally on Saturday, so let's take a quick peek and offer some uninformed prognostications:

Michigan @ Notre Dame: Yeah, yeah, Brian Kelly's trying to wake up the echoes and Rich Rodriguez might have found a quarterback. The Irish fought off a rally by Purdue and the Wolverines christened the newly expanded Big House by demolishing UConn.

There is a significant chance of rain in the forecast, and with that in mind, I think Michigan might be better suited to win a game in sloppy weather. Even so, it has the makings of a shootout, and I like the Wolverines to win 38-35.

Flordia State @ Oklahoma: A rematch of the title game for the 2000 season, which Oklahoma won 13-2. Bob Stoops is still there, but Bobby Bowden is gone from the Florida State sidelines. Oklahoma survived a bit of a scare from Utah State (!) 31-24 last week while Florida State blasted Samford.

Oklahoma needs to get more out of Landry Jones, who looked like he was a first time starter against the Aggies from Logan, Utah. Jones needs to step up to keep Florida State from trying to stack the box. Also needing to step up is the Oklahoma secondary, who got three interceptions off of Diondre Borel but still gave up 341 yards passing. Christian Ponder is a very good quarterback, so the Sooners might have their work cut out for them.

But while it has been hard to call Stoops "Big Game Bob" any more, I don't see the Sooners losing this game at home. Even with trying to put 8 in the box to slow down the OU running game, I think DeMarco Murray has his way with the Seminoles. Ponder will make it interesting on his side, but I see at 30-27 type game won by OU.

Penn State @ Alabama: For the history, of course. (This game is a rematch of the 1979 Sugar Bowl, which decided the 1978 National Championship.) Because even though Mark Ingram is out for this game, Alabama won't need him. Penn State true freshman Robert Bolden looked good in his first game, but he was playing Youngstown State, and it still took the Nittany Lions a long time to get going in that game. There won't be a miraculous comeback against the Alabama defense in Tuscaloosa. Defensive coordinator Kirby Smart and Nick Saban will dial up lots of different looks to confuse young mister Bolden. If he can get out of there in one piece it will be a small miracle.

The Lions will go down hard, 31-14.

Miami (FL) @ Ohio State: Yet another championship game rematch (this time the 2002 regular season title), although the players involved in that controversial game are long gone. Since that game, Miami has been through some dark times but appears to have turned a corner under Randy Shannon, and expectations are high for this group. Led by flamboyant quarterback Jacory Harris, the swagger appears to have returned to "the U."

Meanwhile, business has continued as usual for the Buckeyes under Jim Tressel, as Ohio State has dominated the Big Ten but came up short in a couple of national title games and other big games until last year's run. Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State's potential Heisman candidate quarterback, still has a lot to prove, but if he can have a big game against the 'Canes, it would help elevate him.

Harris is the better pure quarterback, but Pryor is a dual-threat who is becoming better as a pocket passer. Both quarterbacks have talented backs and receivers around them. It's going to come down to the defenses and who winds up making a mistake. Even though Ohio State has lost the last two big non-conference games at home (USC, Texas), I think that the run from late last season will carry over here and the Buckeyes win a close one late, 24-21

Wednesday Quick Slant: Reggie Bush's Heisman

Back in May I wrote about the (at the time) seemingly endless wait for the decision of the NCAA regarding the Reggie Bush investigation. A decision hadn't been rendered, but I thought that it would be a lot of waiting for a slap on the wrist.

Well, it turned out to not be a slap on the wrist, and the NCAA threw a midsized book at USC, forcing the Trojans to essentially disavow any knowledge of Reggie Bush. This included removing his trophies and memorabilia from display at Heritage Hall and also led new athletic director Pat Haden to return the copy of the Heisman Trophy back to the Heisman Trust.

Earlier this week Yahoo! Sports (who initially broke the Reggie Bush story) reported that the Heisman Trust was going to revoke the award from Bush and ask for the trophy back. The Heisman Trust has since denied the veracity of the report.

There are quite a few folks who think that if the Heisman Trust does revoke the trophy that they are making a grave mistake. It's another case of hypocrisy against the trodden-on revenue generating athlete, and all Bush did was take a car and a rent free, six figure house for his parents. It's not like he ran a counterfiting operation (Billy Cannon) or committed a convoluted armed robbery in a Las Vegas hotel/casino (O.J. Simpson) or was a deadbeat dad (Billy Sims).

We can address whether intercollegiate athletes should be paid or not at another time, but for me, it's a simple issue:

Reggie Bush was ruled ineligible for the 2005 season by the NCAA. Which means, to me, that he shouldn't have been on the field. If he was not supposed to be on the field, then he shouldn't be allowed to retain a trophy that was acquired during a time of ineligibility.

Because while there are plenty of Heisman winners that performed questionably after their playing days were over, and while there are past Heisman winners who have received extra benefits, only one was caught and declared ineligible, from what I can gather.

That was Reggie Bush.

Is it piling on? Perhaps.

But taking back the Heisman, to me, is the only move.

The Boise State Conundrum

I am willing to admit when I am wrong.

I was wrong about last night on a variety of levels. I was wrong about it being a low scoring game, and I was wrong about Bosie State losing.

It's not because I don't like Boise State; I actually root for the Broncos because I think it might create the chaos necessary to get the ball rolling towards a playoff.

Yes, I am a playoff proponent, in part because it's nonsensical that in this day and age, when every other NCAA sport has a playoff that decides the champion, the participants in the national title game of the lead sport in college are picked by coaches, people formerly associated with the game, and a byzantine computer algorithm.

I am the kind of person who looks to the past to try and understand the present. How did we get here, etc. What I wanted to look at with regards to Boise State is how did we get here.

We all know about Boise State's impressive run through the WAC; they have won or shared tthe league title all but two years since joining it in 2001 (2001 and 2007 when Louisiana Tech and Hawai'i won it, respectively). Not only that, but outside of 2005' split title with Nevada, Boise State has gone undefeated every year it's won the WAC.

The WAC has been in a state of flux all of that time due to the comings and goings of teams and the reshuffling that took place due to the ACC expansion in 2004. What I wanted to focus on today was how Boise State has done in the part of the schedule that they have been able to control historically (to some degree). I wanted to see how the Broncos have fared in the non-conference portion of their schedule since joining the WAC in 2001.

So to the history books and the dusty parts of the interwebs where such data resides. I'd like to thank College Football Data Warehouse for providing me with the schedules for Boise State.

For this, I'll list the home games in blue and road games in red. Bowl games and neutral site games are listed in black. This includes the games through last night. (And yes, last night was considered a neutral site, even if it was a de facto home game for Virginia Tech. )

Rankings for opponents are from the coaches poll and reflect the team's rankings at the time of the game. Opponent's home conference in parentheses.

2001 (non-conference record: 2-2)
@ #21 South Carolina: L 13-32 (SEC)
Washington State: L 20-41 (Pac-10)
@ Idaho: W 45-13 (Sunbelt)
Central Michigan: W 26-10 (MAC)

2002 (4-1)
Idaho: W 38-21 (Sunbelt)
@Arkansas: L 14-41 (SEC)
@ Wyoming: W 35-13 (MWC)
Utah State: W 63-38 (Sunbelt)
Iowa State: W 34-16 in Humanitarian Bowl (Big 12)

2003 (4-1)
Idaho State: W 63-0 (I-AA)
@Idaho: W 24-10 (Sunbelt)
@Oregon State: L 24-26 (Pac-1o)
Wyoming: W 33-17 (MWC)
#19 TCU: W 34-31 in Fort Worth Bowl (C-USA)

2004 (3-1)
Idaho: W 65-7 (Sunbelt)
Oregon State: W 30-27 (Pac-10)
BYU: W 28-27 (MWC)
#8 Louisville: L 41-44 in Liberty Bowl (C-USA)

2005 (2-3)
@ #13 Georgia: L 13-48 (SEC)
@Oregon State: L 27-30 (Pac-10)
Bowling Green: W 48-20 (MAC)
Portland State: W 21-14 (I-AA)
#19 Boston College: L 21-27 in MPC Computers Bowl (ACC)

2006 (5-0)
Sacramento State: W 45-0 (I-AA)
Oregon State: W 42-14 (Pac-10)
@Wyoming: W 17-10 (MWC)
@Utah: W 36-3 (MWC)
#10 Oklahoma: W 43-42 in OT in Fiesta Bowl (Big 12)

2007 (3-2)
Weber State: W 56-7 (I-AA)
@Washington: L 10-24 (Pac-10)
Wyoming: W 24-14 (MWC)
Southern Mississippi: W 38-16 (C-USA)
East Carolina: L 38-41 in Hawai'i Bowl (C-USA)

2008 (4-1)
Idaho State: W 49-7 (I-AA)
Bowling Green: W 20-7 (MAC)
@ #12 Oregon: W 37-32 (Pac-10)
@Southern Mississippi: W 24-7 (C-USA)
#11 TCU: L 16-17 in SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl (MWC)

2009 (6-0)
#14 Oregon: W 19-8 (Pac-10)
Miami (OH): W 48-0 (MAC)
@Bowling Green: W 49-14 (MAC)
UC Davis: W 34-16 (I-AA)
@ Tulsa: W 28-21 (C-USA)
#3 TCU: W 17-10 in Fiesta Bowl (MWC)

2010 (1-0)
#6 Virginia Tech: W 33-30 in neutral site in Landover, MD (ACC)

So, for the record, since 2001:
Non-conference: 34-11 (including bowl games)
Bowl games: 4-4
BCS bowl games: 2-0
Vs. BCS conference schools: 7-8
vs. TCU: 2-1
vs. BYU: 1-0
vs. Utah: 1-0
vs. SEC: 0-3 (all on the road)
vs. Top-25 opponents: 6-5 (but on a 5-1 streak since playing Oklahoma in Fiesta Bowl)

It's not like this program is a flash in the pan. The Broncos have been steadily building themselves for the better part of a decade. Dan Hawkins started the job, but the program has hit another gear since Chris Petersen took over before the 2006 season, when the Broncos really started to become a national name.

What has some hands wringing already, though, is now that the Broncos have cleared the early season hurdle (although Oregon State still comes to the blue turf in two weeks) of a top-10 opponent, how far/how high will Boise State rise. They were moved up from number five to number three in the coaches poll released today, but we won't get the Harris Poll results for another couple of weeks, and the BCS standings sometime in late October.

When some more games get played and some things shake out, I don't see the Broncos being higher than number three in the BCS standings if Ohio State and Alabama handle their business. The albatross that is the weekly WAC power rating (and I think a couple of losses) will keep Boise State from Glendale.

Then again, stranger seasons have occurred recently....

Tuesday's Quick Slant: Get on the bus?

Apparently Pat Forde is going to drive the bus from Boise, Idaho to Glendale, Arizona, declaring last night that it's time to "Get. On. The. Bus." and leading the Forde Yard Dash this week with the same declaration.

I'm still going to wait to see if the Broncos can navigate some late season traps. Even though I was wrong about last night, I don't think it's a cakewalk for the Broncos at this point to head to the BCS title game.

Let's see when the Harris Poll comes out in October and how much they get penalized for the WAC strength of schedule - unless the WAC is miraculously going to beat up on all of their non-conference opponents.

Monday's Quick Slant: A glance at Virginia Tech-Boise State

It's the final game of opening weekend, and a fitting way to end the unofficial final day of summer.

Boise State playing a "neutral site" game against Virginia Tech in Landover, MD. (Washington, D.C.)

The number 3 ranked Broncos are the favorite and return 21 of 22 starters. Virginia Tech is among the favorites to win their division in the ACC.

While Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore is the more heralded of the signal callers, it would be foolish to overlook Tyrod Taylor of Virginia Tech. Taylor is a senior and has a huge arm, although his accuracy could be better. Taylor also can make plays with his legs, although he was not called on to do so that much last season.

Virginia Tech also has a talented backfield, with sophomore Ryan Williams being joined by returning junior Darren Evans to form a formidable one-two punch. Also, look for Taylor to utilize the big play with his arm by throwing to Jarret Boykin and Danny Coale.

Boise State will use some gadget plays and a healthy dose of screens and draws to take advantage of a normally aggressive Virginia Tech defense early on to set up some more conventional offense a bit later in the game. But look for diversified playcalling from the get-go, with multiple looks and formations and motions within the first 15-20 plays from the Broncos.

I said last week I see the Broncos losing two games this season: one game to Idaho. I think the other game is tonight. It will be close and a defensive struggle, but I think that the Hokies will make one more play than the Broncos (a blocked kick, perhaps) and that one play will make the difference. And then we'll see how the voters respond.

Virginia Tech 16, Boise State 14

2010 Sunday Brunch: Week One

Welcome to a new feature this year here at Pigskin Punditry: The Sunday Brunch, where we try to look at a few odds and ends from the Saturday games. This week's brunch will be brief because of my travel schedule, but we will have a fuller menu next week:

Coach(es) who deserve mimosas and bloody marys:

Craig Bohl, North Dakota State Bisons and Jack Crowe, Jacksonville State Gamecocks—these guys deserve a toast and a nice beverage for leading their teams to victory over Division 1-FBS competition. Yes, I know: they beat a rebuilding Kansas and a schizophrenic Ole Miss respectively.

But they still went on the road into hostile territory and beat teams from BCS automatic qualifying conferences.

The Bison upset the Jayhawks in a defensive struggle 6-3.

The Gamecocks won a shootout in Oxford with a bold gamble for a two point conversion in double overtime to seal a 49-48 win.

A huge platter of eggs Benedict for:

Coty Blanchard, quarterback, Jacksonville State: a big 30 yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-15 and then a game clinching two-point conversion. Not bad for a true freshman playing in his first game.

Denard Robinson, quarterback, Michigan: 383 yards of total offense. 19-22 passing. A school record for a quarterback with 197 yards rushing. Not a bad first start for the sophomore. Rich Rodriguez may have found his quarterback. Although I think we shall reserve judgment, because Tate Forcier looked impressive starting the year last year and we all know where things went as the season went on.

Coach who must be feeling nauseous:

Mike Riley, Oregon State: On the road (yes, it was technically a neutral site, but it was a road game on multiple levels) against one of the top mid major teams. A chance to drive down the field to tie the game (or even win it with a two-point conversion).

And the snap goes through the hands of your sophomore starting quarterback and he is forced to kick it out the back of the end zone.

Safety. Ball game. And with a trip to Boise State still looming later this month, it looks like yet another slow start for the Oregon State Beavers might be on the horizon.

Wednesday's Quick Slant: It's All About the "Y"

As I write this, BYU is holding the news conference to discuss the move to independence in football and to the WCC in some of their olympic sports.

Further proof that the mtn., a television network for the Mountain West Conference, was a big mistake.

Let me clarify that: It wasn't a mistake to create a television network for the conference, as the Big Ten has proved that a television network dedicated to one conference can be successful.

The debacle with regards to the mtn. is that it was poorly thought out and executed, and the inflexibility of either Comcast/CBS Sports or MWC commissioner Craig Thompson to renegotiate the deal or try to change parameters of coverage and exposure has led Utah to the Pac-10 (12) and BYU out the door as well.

Not that the people who actually broadcast game aren't good or don't work hard; this has nothing to do with on-camera or off-camera talent.

This is focused on the management, plain and simple.

It took well over a year for the mtn. to become available here in the Las Vegas Valley and in parts of San Diego (because the mtn. was not available on Cox). Hell, if you are in a place that carries Time Warner Cable (parts of San Diego County, for example), you still can't get the mtn.

TCU has emerged as a crown jewel of the conference in football, receiving a BCS bowl bid last season, but it's hard to find them in Dallas-Fort Worth on Versus and CBS College Sports. the mtn. also isn't available in Dallas-Forth Worth and it doesn't look like it will be anytime soon.

Heck, in 2007 BYU and Utah even went so far as to retain lawyers to look at the contract to see what could be done because they were not getting the exposure promised.

So is it any wonder that those two school and their rabid fan bases decided to leave for greener pastures?

Utah found a suitor in the Pac-10.

BYU is going it alone for football, although they found a partner in ESPN, who agreed to an eight year deal to broadcast BYU home games and also is allowing BYU-TV to rebroadcast the games on the same day as the initial airing.

That is a significant deal.

And while the WAC is crippled by the machinations of the Mountain West a couple of weeks ago when this story first started to evolve, WAC schools are giving BYU five games in 2011 and four games in 2012.

Is it a gamble? It sure is. Do I think it's going to fail? I don't think it will fail. But it's also too soon to call it a success for sure.

Pencil it in as a win, and let's reexamine it in four years.

Tuesday's Quick Slant: Wild Rebel on Hold

Pending a successful appeal, Ole Miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli will not be eligible to play in 2010.

Masoli, who transferred from Oregon after being booted off of the team by Chip Kelly, transferred to Ole Miss in the hopes of playing this season. Masoli still has a redshirt year that he can use, so he could be eligible in 2011.

The NCAA refused to waive the one year residency requirement for transfers. Masoli was appealing the requirement since he transferred to Ole Miss and enrolled in Parks and Recreation for his master's degree. Masoli received his bachelor's in sociology this summer from Oregon.

From the outside, and I'm just speculating and paraphrasing here, it appears that this is the message that the NCAA is delivering to Masoli:

"Congratulations on getting your bachelor's degree and enrolling in a master's program. But given your off the field transgressions of recent past and farther back (documented here in detail), it might be in your best interests to sit for a year and see if you can keep your nose clean and stay out of trouble. We are not going to allow you to game the system this year by utilizing this transfer exemption.

Because let's be frank, Jeremiah: If you hadn't been kicked off the Oregon team, you would not have gone to Ole Miss."

In other words: Child, please.

UPDATE: Here is a statement from the NCAA regarding Masoli:

NCAA issues waiver decision for Ole Miss student-athlete

The NCAA staff has granted a graduate student transfer waiver for University of Mississippi football student-athlete Jeremiah Masoli, but he must wait until the 2011-12 academic year to compete. Mr. Masoli can continue to pursue his academic career, is eligible to receive athletics aid, and may practice with the team.

In its decision, the staff noted the student-athlete was unable to participate at the University of Oregon based on his dismissal from the team, which is contrary to the intent of the waiver. The waiver exists to provide relief to student-athletes who transfer for academic reasons to pursue graduate studies, not to avoid disciplinary measures at the previous university.

According to NCAA rules, created by member schools, football graduate student-athletes must receive a waiver in order to compete if they enroll in a university other than where they received their undergraduate degree.

After receiving information from both universities and the student-athlete, the NCAA staff obtained the final piece of information yesterday evening from the University of Mississippi and issued its decision today. The university may appeal this staff decision to the Subcommittee for Legislative Relief, an independent group comprised of representatives from NCAA member colleges, universities and athletic conferences.

Monday's Quick Slant: Preseason Prognostications 2010

It's almost here.

After months of talking about realignment and arrests and agents and investigations into shady living arrangements, the 2010 season kicks off on Thursday with a slate of games highlighted by a rematch of the 2005 Fiesta Bowl: Pittsburgh at Utah.

All I can say is: Thank goodness.

But, in advance of the start of the regular season, it's time to offer up some preseason prognostications for the division winners and the BCS title game:

ACC-Atlantic: Florida State
ACC-Coastal: Virginia Tech
ACC Champ: Virginia Tech
Big 12-South: Oklahoma
Big 12-North: Nebraska
Big 12 Champ: Oklahoma
Big East: Pittsburgh
Big Ten: Ohio State
C-USA-East: UCF
C-USA-West: Houston
C-USA Champ: Houston
MAC-East: Temple
MAC-West: Central Michigan
MAC Champ: Temple
MWC: TCU
Pac-10: Oregon State
SEC-East: Florida
SEC-West: Alabama
SEC Champ: Alabama
Sunbelt: Middle Tennessee
WAC: Boise State

BCS title game: Oklahoma wins over Ohio State

I also think Navy will finish with the best record of the three independent squads, but Army will make a bowl game at 6-6.

Additionally, I think Boise State loses two games this year. One of those losses will be to Idaho as a going away present from the Vandals.

Maybe Superconferences weren't the wave of the future

With the recent announcement that Texas and BYU are going to play a home and home series in 2013 and 2014, the rumor mill has started to churn. Again.

But the noise this time isn't relating to the still undecided positioning of BYU vis-a-vis its desire to be independent.

The noise this time is quite intriguing, though.

When all of the sturm und drang of the potential Pac-16 came down this spring and earlier this summer, and Texas decided to come back to the Big 12 minus two and "save it," everyone was focused on the idea of superconferences and whether they were going to be the future of Division 1-FBS football.

But as Texas has stepped up its non-conference schedule lately, adding the BYU series to a future series with Southern Cal and a four game deal with Notre Dame, some are wondering if this means a move to independence for the Longhorns is in the works.

After all, this marriage with the rest of the Big 12 is shotgun, at best, unless Dan Beebe can show the schools the money.

Notre Dame might wind up being vindicated in all of this. As BYU continues to decide its football future, and Hawai'i has mentioned that given the state of the WAC that they might go independent as well.

Maybe we were all wrong. Perhaps the future isn't in 16 team leagues like the old Western Athletic Conference or the proposed Pac-16.

Maybe the future is a return to independence.