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