Sorry

I know today was supposed to be about strength of schedules. But something came up, so I will be back on Monday.

Dave

Oh, how hath the mighty fallen!!!

ALABAMA,  A DYNASTY? DON'T THINK SO

     During the broadcasts of the bowl games on ESPN, I kept hearing an ad about how some people thought that Alabama was still the best team in the country. I thought "hasn't that already been decided when Auburn beat Alabama. They are not the best team in the country." It seems that since the SEC is considered the best college football conference in the country that Auburn, who played in the BCS National title game, was NOT the better of the two teams. Or maybe it's just early taunting of Auburn for the next contest in November.
     Or maybe it's because Nick Saban is the coach and he is known for developing top talent into what has been referred to as a "dynasty" at Alabama. Winning three titles in four years could be evidence that a dynasty may be looming there in Tuscaloosca. But in order to build a dynasty, a team must possess ALL the necessary skills and characteristics. Obvious among these are the physical and mental preparation needed to win on a consistent, convincing basis. One of the intangibles in this mental preparation is being able to let go of a disappointing loss at the end of the regular season to win their bowl game.
     The 2008 Crimson Tide pretty much rolled over their competition in the regular season. They came close to losing to LSU, but won in overtime 27-21. They went to the SEC championship game undefeated to play the Florida Gators team with just one loss. Alabama was up 20-17 going into the fourth quarter. The Florida defense literally snuffed out Alabama in that quarter, holding them to only 6 yards total offense, while scoring two TD's on drives of 65 and 67 yards to win 31-20. A big disappointment for them to be sure.
     While Florida went on to play Oklahoma for the national title, Alabama went to what they considered to be a "lesser bowl", the Sugar Bowl, even though this bowl was a part of the BCS Bowl Championship Series. They had played in it 13 times previously, winning 8.
     They were put up against a Utah team that had gone undefeated in the Mountain West conference, but was not considered one of the two best teams to play for the national title based on strength of schedule. It was a perfect setup for Alabama to end on a winning note. It was in the South practically in their backyard. They were being favored by 10 points; they had played in this bowl many times before. With Utah coming east to play them, they were a shoo-in to win. Right?
     Well, something happened to Alabama between December 6, 2008 and January 2, 2009. Utah scored 21 unanswered points in the first quarter of the game, holding Alabama to just 33 yards. Aside from a 73-yard punt return for a TD in the second quarter, they only had 126 yards of total offense by halftime, trailing 21-10.
     Great teams always come back from deficits. Alabama was no different. While the Crimson Tide kicked off opening the 2nd half, fortune seemed to be with them. On Utah's first play from scrimmage, their quarterback Brian Johnson fumbled and Alabama recovered on the Utah 35 yard line. Seven plays later they hit paydirt with a Wilson-to-Coffee TD pass making it 21-17. Alabama seemingly had seized the momentum here and the Alabama faithful became almost certain that with that momentum, the Tide would certainly start to roll.
     How would Utah react?
     The kickoff took the Utes to their own 29. Brian Johnson completed four passes in that drive culminating with a 28-yard TD pass. Utah told Alabama that even though they were playing as a road team and came from the Mountain West Conference, they were not afraid of the "big and bad" Tide from the power SEC. In fact, Alabama had only 6 toal yards in the fourth quarter, going 3-and-out twice with a lost fumble, losing 31-17.
     I could go on with more stats, but the results are sufficient. Needless to say, Utah did not just beat Alabama, they embarrassed them in front of what, for all intents and purposes, was their home crowd. For a team averging 184 yards on the ground, and producing only 31 rushing yards on 33 attempts, they were not prepared mentally for a Utah team that had something to prove.  
     I will not recount the events of 2014 Sugar Bowl. They are available online. The only stat that stands out is Alabama's 5 turnovers. Alabama had 56 seconds left in the fourth quarter to get a tying score. First play from scrimmage, they fumble. Oklahoma picked it up and ran into the endzone for the game-winning touchdown. As it turned out, all of Alabama's turnovers led to touchdowns for the Sooners.
    
     Many times during the Alabama-Oklahoma Sugar Bowl, the radio announcers stated that Alabama was not playing their best because of their loss to Auburn and a national title berth. Great teams given the label "dynasty" do not let one loss, as disappointing as it is, affect them to the point of letting another team come into their neighborhood and push them around the way Utah and Oklahoma did. The greatness of any team is reflected in the pride they take out of playing great football, and respecting their fans' support throughout the years. In these two games, the Crimson Tide did neither and, therefore, do not deserve the label of "dynasty".

Friday: The myth of "strength of schedule".

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yea, I know it's January 7th. I am turning over a "new leaf", as they say. I stopped writing for awhile because I had more important things to work on. Now, many of those things are out of the way and I am back.

BOWL SEASON CONCLUDED

     Yes, dear wives of bowl game junkies. All 35 games are done.

     Florida State won on the last drive of the game, 7 plays, 80 yards beating the mighty SEC champion, Auburn 34-31. With 5:01 left on the clock in the 2nd quarter, Auburn led FSU 21-3. FSU went on a 66-yard, 11 play drive converting a 4th down on their own 40 yard line and a big 21 yard 3rd down run by Heisman Trophy Winner Jameis Winston giving them first-and-goal on the Auburn 3. Devonta Freeman, on the next play ran in for the TD.
     Everyone giving Auburn a chance to win said, "Florida State hasn't really played anybody" implying the ACC was not equal to the SEC. The 2013-14 bowl season featured 10 teams from the SEC, 11 from the ACC. Of the three teams they played that won bowl games from the ACC (Clemson, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse), FSU outscored them 151-30, two of those games being on the road. Of all their 7 victories over all ACC teams that went to bowl games, including Duke in the  Championship game, they outscored them 348-112. On average, that is 38.6-12.4, a difference of 26.2 Against all opponents, an average of over 50 points a game, 2nd in the country.
     Only once did FSU allow a team to score more than 17 points in a game. That was the 34 they gave up to Boston College. After the 17-point game with North Carolina State, the most points they allowed in a regular season game was 14 points twice. This was not just their offense that Auburn needed to be concerned about. Their defense was top notch as well, ending up first in scoring defense.
     Auburn, on the other hand, painted a different picture coming into the championship game. Their defense was nowhere near FSU's. If one looks at just the teams in their division of the SEC, they allowed 35 points against LSU (their only defeat), 41 against Texas A&M, and 38 against Alabama. They just outscored A&M and Alabama. Georgia scored 38 against them; Missouri 42. Their average points against all SEC teams was 29.6. Offensively, they beat up SEC opponents, averaging 38.4 pp/game, a difference of +8.8. While both offenses may have been equal statistic-wise, there was a big difference in the defenses.

      Maybe it took a 21-10 first half to wake up FSU, at least defensively. They allowed Auburn only 35 yards in the 3rd quarter. FSU could only get 91 yards and a field goal.
      It was the 4th quarter that was the most exciting. It was when both teams amassed almost 400 yards of offense and 31 points. That includes the 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by . It came down to a 1:19 on the clock with Auburn up 31-27. Jameis Winston and FSU had to get 80 yards. And they did with Winston completing 7 passes for 77 yards and FSU overcoming 2 penalties in the drive.

     Normally, with all the hype the SEC gets, one might say that Auburn was in a comfortable position. Afterall, the SEC had won the last 7 National Championship games. They have been touted as the most powerful conference in college football. And though Auburn led in total yards, rushing yard, first downs, 3rd down efficiency, and time of possession, (four key stats that would normally indicate dominance),  they were not ahead when the final ticks of the clock ran out at the Rose Bowl.

TOMORROW: Oh, how the mighty has fallen!!!

WHO WANTS A RING?

I am not getting very many hits with this. That's only because I haven't written anything yet. So I am starting today with just a couple of things of interest.

ANALYSTS?

Before the start of the Western and Eastern Conference Finals in the NBA began, most analysts were calling for a San Antonio Spurs-Miami Heat Finals series. Just goes to show that the analysts do not know much about the competitive spirit in sports. Both the Spurs and Heat are down 3-2 in both of the best of seven series with both of them going to their opponents' home court.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have outplayed the Spurs in their series. Everyone was picking San Antonio because they swept both of their series and, going back to the regular season had won 20 games in a row. During the regular season they had a 22-11 record on the road. They were looking very good.

Now they are on the verge of elimination. They lost both games in Oklahoma City and a third game at home two nights ago. It is a must-win situation for them.

Boston has just outplayed Miami. The Celtics almost won game 2 in Miami. Many factors are involved here, but the overall view is that they have played more like a team than the Heat. Again, LeBron James is playing more as a facilitator instead of a scorer. He has had opportunities to drive to the basket and, if not scoring, at least drawing a foul to shoot free throws. He is a subject of another blog another day.

It all comes down to who wants to win more. Right now, it looks like the Thunder and the Celtics. That could change tonight if San Antonio were to win. They and Miami are going to need fire in the belly if they are to stay alive. It will have to burn hotter than their opponents in order to have a chance.

Hello there. Yes, i am back. It has been awhile. Many things have been occurring in my life which has kept me from this page. I am making changes in my life. Maybe down the road a little ways I will share some of those things with you.

For now, I plan to move ahead with this blog, writing 2-3 times a week. Sports is always a possibility as I identify with that genre. I will make inroads in political issues, cultural issues, ideas of just about any kind. I just got through reading Fatherhood by Bill Cosby. That's a wonderful book if you like mixing comedy with fact. It's like the song A Spoonful of Sugar from Mary Poppins, facts are easier to swallow when couched with laughter.

There will be the serious side of life, too. Not everything that is good for us tastes good or comforts us. Looking at the world as it really is keeps us informed and can create an atmosphere of proactivity. This is necessary because our freedom is not free. We all must pay a price for the rights and privileges we enjoy. It is not just up to our uniformed militia to keep us free. We civilians must also do our part whereever we live to help make it a better place for the coming generation.

Being independent is great. But over 300 million people cannot live in the same place and be completely independent. Fostering a spirit of interdependence on each other, working together for the benefit of all of us, makes us all stronger.

TOO MANY EARLY HOME GAMES--DETRIMENTAL OR NOT?

WISCONSIN, ILLINOIS LOSE AFTER PLETHORA OF HOME GAMES

Something happened this past weekend in the Big 10 that I am not sure a lot of people noticed. Illinois looked good its first 6 games. Their first five were at home. They went on the road to Indiana and soundly defeated the Hoosiers 41-20. However, they just lost their second game two weeks later division against Purdue, a team they should have beaten.

Wisconsin won it's first 6 games. Five of those six were in Madison. The game against Northern Illinois was played at a neutral site in Soldier Field, roughly 150 miles from home. So call it a home game, too. Their first real road test as against Michigan State, which they lost 37-31 on the last play of the game on a Kirk Cousins to Keith Nichol Hail Mary in which the prayer was answered.

Both Illinois and Wisconsin played their first five games virtually at home with Wisconsin at six straight home games. I don't think that's a good idea. Of course, everyone wants to start out at home. But it's not a good thing for any team. It makes the players too comfortable. They can easily lose their focus playing in front of the home crowd. Nor can they see how good they really are until they win on the opposition's home turf.

Illinois' first road game came against Indiana. They had won five straight including a 17-14 win against then #22 Arizona State. Indiana's were 1-4 with no wins against FBS schools. They easily dominated the Hoosiers winning 41-20. The Fighting Illini next had the distinction of playing Ohio State after the Buckeyes blew a 21 point 3rd quarter lead losing to Nebraska 34-27. That was not a good omen for Illinois, though the game was at home and they lost 17-7. They then go back on the road to Purdue. The Boilermakers, though only 3-3, had won all they games at home this year and proved formidable against the Illini winning 21-14.

Wisconsin's first road game of the year was against Michigan State. They come into the game 6-0 and ranked #6 in the first BCS standings of 2011. What probably got them there was their decisive win at home against #13 Nebraska.

The Badgers have lost 3 out of the last 4 games against the Spartans. All three defeats came in East Lansing. The win on Saturday was not a fluke, in my opinion. MSU did not march down the field to win the game. It came on a Hail Mary pass on the last play of the game. But they scored 37 points against the Badgers who had, up to this game, had allowed just under 10 points a game. The Spartans deserved the win.

All of the teams in the BCS Top 10 had at least one road game in their first five games. Six of those schools started with at least two road games out of the first five. Five of those teams are ranked 6th or higher. Now maybe that's just coincidence. I don't think so. The teams who want to be the best know that they have to win on the road. They test their players early in the year to see what they're made of. Equally as important is the players' realization of what they are capable of on their opponent's turf. Those games show them where they are good and where their skills need refinement. It is a reality check to keep their minds on the game and not the hype of the media.

So those who scheduled the Badgers and Illinois may have done their team a disservice, though perhaps well-intentioned. Now that the Badgers have had their wake-up call against Michigan State, can they recover in time for a game against Ohio State on the road? Will they recover from the emotional loss last weekend and be able to win against a Buckeye team that is determined to prove that they can still be contenders in the Big Ten by putting all of the bad experiences of 2011 behind them? Illinois' path is tough as well. They must go on the road this weekend against Penn State, who is the only undefeated team in the Big Ten--Leaders Division and then they encounter both Michigan and Wisconsin. Though both of those are home games, they won't prove as easy as the early season schedule.

BCS shaken up; BYU vs TCU

TWO UPSETS STIR UP BCS POT

Well, now the BCS is actually looking interesting now. Two losses by Oklahoma and Wisconsin really puts things in perspective. One thing I do not understand is how Oklahoma only dropped six places in the rankings while Wisconsin dropped nine. Oklahoma lost to Texas Tech who was an unranked team in the BCS last Saturday. Another factor is that Tech beat the Sooners at home. That snapped a 39 home game winning streak by the Sooners.

Wisconsin lost on a last second Hail Mary pass from Kirk Cousins to Keith Nichol that was originally ruled not a touchdown only to be overturned by the replay official. I am sure that the official took long hard looks at that play knowing how his decision would affect the outcome. It puts a damper on the Badgers' goal of a perfect season along with the BCS championship game. But one-loss teams have made it to the game before so hope is not lost.

Frankly, the Sooners should be out of the Top 10. They lost to a non-ranked team at home. That should not happen to a championship caliber team. Wisconsin lost on its first real road game of the year. AND they lost to a BCS ranked team. So they should not have fallen as far. It looks like a bit of doctoring in the polls where pollsters just can't accept the Sooners losing, so they keep them close to the top when it's actually Wisconsin who should still be ranked in the Top 10. A last minute Hail Mary pass should not drop the Badgers below the Sooners, who lost at home to a then unranked team.

The more interesting part of the BCS standings is the top 4 of LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State, and Boise State. LSU has the blessing of a week off before playing at Alabama on November 5th. But they also have #10 ranked Arkansas the last week of the season. Other than LSU, Alabama has a much softer schedule ending with the Iron Bowl against cross-state rival Auburn who does not deserve their #23 ranking in the BCS with 3 losses.

Oklahoma State has three big games coming up--Baylor, Kansas State, and Texas Tech. I am not worried too much about the Bears because they have a very porous defense. They allowed 55 points to Texas A&M in their last game. Though they have a week off, I don't think they can outscore the Cowboys who are #2 in scoring offense at 48.6 points a game. Kansas State is 7-0. They face Oklahoma this weekend at home and the Cowboys the following week on the road. That is a brutal schedule. However, the Wildcats have beaten Miami(FL) and Texas Tech on the road, not to mention beating two other high-powered offenses in Baylor and Missouri. They and the Cowboys are at the top of the Big 12 with 4-0 records. The Wildcats will give the Sooners all they can handle this Saturday. They question will be if they have enough to beat Oklahoma State on the road.

Last, but not the least by any measure, are the Boise State Broncos. They still have to beat TCU at home. But TCU has had no trouble winning on the road at Air Force and San Diego State. They need to keep on winning. They play the up and coming BYU Cougars, who have not lost since being trounced by Utah in week 3. The Horned Frog defense has not been as formidable this year as in years passed, but they can still score with the likes of the Cougars.

Here's where Boise State can sneak into #2 in the rankings. There will be a loser with LSU-Alabama. Oklahoma State has the potential to lose at least one of their games. Boise State with its non-AQ status must beat TCU well so they will rise to #2 behind the #1 team if the Cowboys lose one. It is not that far of a stretch.

BYU'S FUTURE

Brigham Young has won 5 consecutive games. But four of those five have been at home. The wins against UCF and Utah State came down to the last minutes of the fourth quarter. Their only road win has been Oregon State, a winner of only one game this year. The last team to beat them, Utah(3-4, 0-4), has lost 3 of 4, winning only at Pittsburgh. The last game the Cougars played against a quality opponent was against Texas, a game which they lost in the last few minutes.

TCU has played but two quality opponents-Texas A&M and Southern Methodist. Both of those are losses giving up a combined 90 points. This looks like an even game between these two schools. It will definitely be a toughly fought encounter between these two schools who have become rivals.

In the six years that TCU played BYU in conference play, the Cougars are 2-4, averaging just under 21 ppg. However, their last three encounters have proven devastating, losing 32-7, 38-7, and 31-3. The last time the Cougars beat the Horned Frogs was 2007, where they won 27-22.

BCS RANKINGS OUT

There are very few surprises in the first 2011 BCS rankings. LSU and Alabama are 1 and 2 respectively. Oklahoma at #3 was not a surprise, but there is a small difference at #4. Oklahoma State occupies that spot. So the SEC and the Big 12 lead the pack going into week #8. The Top 25 shows the Big 10 with 6 schools, both the SEC and Big 12 each with 5, ACC and Pac-12 with 3, C-USA and the Big East 1; and the only non-AQ school Boise State ranked at #5. There are 10 undefeated teams in the group with Kansas State and Houston being the only two not in the Top 10. There are two teams with two losses-#17 Texas A&M and #24 Texas, both at 4-2. A look at the big games tomorrow.

BYU WITH ANOTHER GOOD SHOWING

BYU travelled to Beaver country on Saturday to f ace the 1-4 Oregon State. While the Beavers have not done well this year, they gave the Cougars a fight-tied at halftime and only down 24-21 at the end of the 3rd. The Cougars took charge in the fourth quarter scoring two touchdowns to seal the game 38-28.

The men from Provo showed once again that their running game is the key. They rushed for 282 yards, with the quarterback Riley Nelson leading the way with 87 yards on 12 carries with Alisa, Di Luigi and Quezada pounding out 184 yards for just under a 6-yard average. Nelson was efficient through the air with 217 yards and three touchdowns. A very good showing indeed for the men in blue.

I have to admit that I did not think that the Cougars would be 5-2 at this juncture. Their defense has been good throughout the year. It just took the offense some time to find their true strengths and now they seem to be running on all cylinders. And with three out of the next five games against teams with losing records, they could end up 8-4 or 9-3 if they beat Hawaii there.

Big Games in Big Ten, ACC, SEC

FOUR BIG GAMES TO WATCH

I can not help but think that unless you are in the Top 10 nationally, college football analysts become blind to the big games of the week. Having been around college football all my life, I wonder if instead of looking at the big games nationwide, they consider the Top 10 the elite and the only colleges worthy of their attention. That kind of attitude only insults all the players of the "non-elite"and turns college football into a caste system. That is not a good thing.

So here we go.

#11 MICHIGAN @ #23 MICHIGAN STATE

This yearly rivalry between brother schools is the biggest game in the state. Everyone in Michigan waits for this game. It has been said that when out-of-state students come to these two schools, they are educated on the importance of this game.

This game has a lot riding on it. Not only does the winning school get bragging rights for the next year, it is a Big Ten-Legends Division game that could very well determine its representative in the first Big Ten championship game.

Though technically it's an away game for the Wolverines, this could be classified as a home game for both. It is 64 miles from Ann Arbor to East Lansing. Thousands of Michigan faithful will make the 1 hour trip northeast to Spartanland.

MSU has had some trouble offensively. Though their apg is 28 points, they have only played three FBS schools. They scored 45 against Central Michigan, but only a combined 23 points against Notre Dame and Ohio State. Both of those games, however, were on the road. East Lansing will be rockin' this week to fire up the Spartans.

Michigan's seniors have never beaten MSU. College football has many philosophies within it. One major measure of success is "how did you do against your in-state rival". That thought alone will motivate the 4 and 5 year seniors to achieve victory.

OHIO STATE @ #16 ILLINOIS

Even though Ohio State is unranked, many analysts are favoring the Buckeyes against the Fighting Illini. You might think that OSU has not lost three conference games in a very long time. We are wrong to believe that. In 2004, the Buckeyes lost their first three conference games to Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Iowa, ending up 4-4 in conference. This, too, is a divisional game. They will not want to fall behind 3 games. That would literally put them out of contention for the Big Ten-Leaders Division title and the championship game. It is also Coach Fickell's last game if they do lose. I can not see why this would be so. He inherited a program with a lot of key players violating NCAA rules, thus losing their services for almost half the season. It is hard to get continuity from any football team when experienced players are missing from the lineup. Coach Fickell should be given some time. He may lose it if the Buckeyes lose.

Many analysts are not buying into the idea yet that Illinois is for real. Four of their first five games have been at home, the only road game being against Indiana which they won handsomely. They are just 1-6 in the last seven meetings with OSU. Their defense is ranked 17th in scoring at 17.8. This is much better than Nebraska's. Rushing defense against FBS schools is 98 ypg. They may want to force OSU to beat them with the pass which is the Buckeye's weakness.

At any rate, Illinois will want to win this game and finally get some respect from the nation.

#19 VIRGINIA TECH @ WAKE FOREST

Three of the Hokies' four games are on the road, heading to North Carolina with a meeting against the 4-1(3-0) Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. They had an impressive comeback win last week against Miami(FL). With 2:46 left in the game, Tech drove 77 yards in 8 plays for the winning score. That was their 1st conference win of the year against their lose to Clemson 23-3.

The Demon Deacons are definitely making some noise this year. It is their first 3-0 start in the ACC ever. However, these victories have been against the bottom three teams in their division-NC State, Boston College, and Florida State, which have a combined record of 6-11, 0-7 in conference play. Virginia Tech will be their first real test of the year.

While Wake has a potent passing game, their running game is suspect. They are 102nd out of 120th in the nation in rushing yards. VA Tech may play heavy on pass defense and make Wake beat them with the run. It may prove to be a long evening if that is the case. They have a good defense (48th nationally), so that may give the Hokies some trouble though it's not as good as the Clemson defense which held them to just 3 points. It will be a defensive struggle.

FLORIDA @ #24 AUBURN

Auburn should be thankful this is a home game. They have lost 2 of their 3 road games thus far, so they will be thankful to be playing at home against a very wounded Florida Gator team. They have the unfortunate fate of being in the same Western Division of the SEC with the likes of LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas, who they lost to 38-14 last week. Another reason for gratitude is that next week they play LSU at Baton Rouge. They need to be disciplined this week though, not looking past Florida, who has been literally beaten up, playing LSU and Alabama in consecutive weeks and being outscored 79-21.

Despite those two shellackings, Florida still has the 20th ranked scoring defense. Their problems deal with the offense where they have lost their quarterback John Brantley with only two freshmen for backup. Another problem deals with leadership. They have very few seniors around and it seems no one wants to be a leader on the team. Coach Muschamp says that it doesn't matter where that leadership comes from. It just needs to be there.

Auburn needs to stay in the hunt in their division. While they only have one loss, they still must play LSU and Alabama. Florida is in a similar situation in the East. While they are currently only one loss behind South Carolina and Georgia, another loss would put a lot of pressure on a team already carrying a heavy load that the SEC always brings to the schedule.

AFTERTHOUGHT--Before you believe analysts opinions and predictions about what is important and what is not, look at the schedules of your and other conferences. You may find that you'll miss out on some great games, like this week's.

No Important Games?

I must say that I have missed writing here. I have had some challenges that I needed to take care of, but I am back in the swing of the sports world again. It is good to be here.

ANALYZING THE ANALYSTS

I have heard some rumblings from the world of sports analysts. Many say that there are not any big games this weekend. Looking at the top 5 in the AP Poll, they are right. None of them will be challenged very much if at all.

#6 OKLAHOMA STATE @ #22 TEXAS
Looking at #6, Oklahoma State, there may be a challenge in store. They go to Austin this weekend to play the #22 Texas Longhorns. To say they were dominated by Oklahoma is an understatement. Texas was humiliated in their backyard 55-17. One thing they do not want to happen is to lose to both Oklahoma schools. In the last 12 years, they have faced Oklahoma and Oklahoma State consecutively three other times, splitting each year. This will be only their fourth time of facing Oklahoma teams back to back weeks. During that 12 year stretch, they have lost to both schools only once. That was last year. So they will come out determined not to let that happen again. They will play with fierceness and focus against a very powerful offense that is ranked #4 in total offense in the nation.

One thing in Texas' favor is their defense. Before Oklahoma, their defense allowed just under 15 ppg. So they may be able to hold the Cowboys down a bit from their 51.4 average. Texas needs to have a perfect game offensively if they are to challenge the Cowboys. The Cowboy defense is just 71st nationally in points allowed. They will with equal determination want to stay undefeated in the Big 12 to go into Bedlam week with a chance to unseat the Sooners, who they have not beaten in this game since 2002.

Not a big game, huh?

#18 ARIZONA STATE @ #9 OREGON

Arizona State goes into this game atop the South division in the PAC-12 with a record of 3-0 in conference play. Right on their heels are both USC and UCLA at 2-1. They fly north to face an Oregon team who have set their sites on a PAC-12 title. Since their opening loss to LSU, no one has even come close to competing with them. The closest point differential has been 56-31 against Arizona.

But the Sundevils have the best defense the Ducks have faced since LSU. They are going to need their best game on both sides of the ball, especially defensively to slow down the Ducks' attack. They are very quick defensively, which is what they will need against Oregon's offense.

Besides Oregon in the North Division, there is Stanford and Washington still undefeated. So the Ducks can not let down one iota against Arizona State, who will be gunning for an upset. The last conference game Oregon lost was against Stanford in 2009, 51-42, a span of 14 games.

FINAL NOTES

Tomorrow we'll look at some significant matchups in the Big Ten, ACC, and SEC.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL, PRO BASEBALL, AND BYU

CONFERENCE OUTLOOK

It looks like the Big 12 is going to stay intact. I am glad to see TCU back in a conference where they will be recognized for their body of work over the past 3-4 years. Gary Patterson has turned that program equaling any team in any conference, especially the Big East. They would have walked over those teams hands down.

And speaking of the Big East, where are they going? They are talking about 6 more football schools joining the conference. But who are they?

I am glad to see that the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry is still there. That's a big game for both schools. It is a big game for all of college football. When ABC broadcasts it on Saturday that tells you how important it is nationally.

COWHERD INSULTS GOOD PLAY

Overall, I like Colin Cowherd. But he can make some outlandish statements that ruin the fabric of sports. For example, he said that it is more interesting that the Yankees lose the divisional series than the Tigers winning it. This goes to show that Colin is in favor of the major market teams. I am glad that the Yankees lost. It shows that money cannot buy championships. It also shows that the game still has to be played to determine a winner. None of the never-ending analysis as to who is better based upon this or that factor.

It doesn't matter that the Yankees have won the most World Series or have been in the most World Series. It doesn't matter that they have Derek Jeter, Mark Teixiera, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Posada, and Rivera. Those guys are human just like every other player in baseball. It just so happens that they play for THE team with  the  biggest media market in the country next to Los Angeles. Sorry, Colin, that doesn't make them interesting. You value the wrong thing. You would rather spend time on a team that lost rather than praising the team that beat them simply because they're the Yankees. You would value teams that lose rather than mention the qualities that made them winners.

You say that giving credit is for VISA, Mastercard, and banks. You say it's not the business you are in. Well, you are wrong. It is part of your business. Your attitude shows a lack of respect for the game itself. Smaller market teams do not exist just so you can ignore them and praise only those teams you think are worth praising. Nor do they exist simply for the major market teams to come in and beat them year in and year out. They want to win as well. The problem comes when major market teams have the money and can buy great players from other teams. Because money does talk, these players naturally flow to where the money is and potentially make that major market team a contender year-in and year-out. It's even more important to acknowledge great play against a team like the Yankees, showing that money does not necessarily buy championships.

People in all of the 30 MLB cities love their baseball. While baseball, like every other major sport in America, has gone the way of being big business, it doesn't change the fans' love of their team. There are no apologies for not being an elitist team like the Yankees or the Red Sox. If they cannot play with the gutsiness and heart of a Detroit Tiger team, then too bad. The Tigers, in that series, were the better AND the most exciting team. Deal with it.

PRO FOOTBALL

And while we're in the Motor City, HOW 'BOUT THEM LIONS? They're 5-0 for the first time in 55 years. GO LIONS!!! It's good to see that team rebound from a winless season in 2008 to 2-14 in 2009 and 6-10 in 2010. It's true that the combined record of the teams they've beaten in this 5-0 start is 8-11. But three of those games--Tampa Bay, Minnesota, and Dallas are all road victories. So while they may not be considered the best team in the NFL right now, they are showing the league that they are improved and must be shown respect.

Keep in mind that the only other undefeated team right now are in the Lions' division-Green Bay and they don't meet until Thanksgiving Day, six weeks from now. Until then, the only team with a winning record on their schedule is next week against the 49ers at home. The best philosophy this Lions' team can adopt is--one game at a time.

BYU'S RECORD SURPRISING, BUT PLEASING

Well, I believe the BYU Cougars are finally getting into a rhythm. They realized that they cannot win without their running game contributing to the offense. They only had 145 yards total rushing in the first 3 games. Against Central Florida, Utah State, and San Jose State, they have averaged 183.7 yards a game.  They have averaged almost 27 points a game in those three wins.

This is better than I predicted. I figured them to be at the most 3-3. Two of their three wins came in the fourth quarter and they were far from dominating San Jose State. They have changed starting quarterbacks, putting Riley Nelson over Jake Heaps, who was touted in the preseason to be their quarterback of the future. Nelson, playing in about 5 1/2 quarters as a starter, is 24-38 for 363 yards, 5 touchdowns, two interceptions. He also has 127 yards in 20 carries so he also poses a threat to run the ball. That makes their offense a bit more unpredictable than before not to mention more exciting.

OKLAHOMA, TEXAS, ACC WRECKING ATMOSPHERE OF COLLEGE ATHLETICS

THINGS ARE NO LONGER THE SAME

There is currently a panic in college football. Everyone seems to be concerned about developing a super-conference. Syracuse and Pittsburgh jumped from the Big Eight to the ACC. Oklahoma wants to jump to the now Pac-12 conference just after they accepted Utah and Colorado into the mix. We really don’t know about Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, or Texas. We do know that one of Texas’ demands includes the Longhorn Network, which is an obstacle if they move to the Pac-12 with their TV contracts.

John Boeheim, basketball coach at Syracuse, understands the situation very well--”There’s two reasons, money and football.” Forget about geographic considerations; forget about traditional rivalries. Boeheim’s right. It’s all about money and football.

Consider this--if Oklahoma were to go to the Pac-12 and make it the Pac-whatever, there is a problem there. The primary one to me is time zones. That’s a two time zone jump for all the teams on the coast. There’s two where one time zone exists-Utah and Colorado. Another thing is mindset. Football in Oklahoma is almost religion. West Coast teams, for the most part, have other interests for their students, such as basketball, baseball, golf, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball. All of these are both for men and women.

　As of 2010, UCLA, Stanford and Southern Cal have the most NCAA championships; UCLA holds the most, winning a combined 107 team championships in men's and women's sports, with Stanford second, with 101, Southern California third with 93, Oklahoma State with 50, followed by Texas with 48.* The top 3 teams are all in the current Pac-12. Oklahoma is not even in the top five. If the only common thread is football, then Oklahoma would not make a good match. Their school does not have the history of the achievement of sports excellence in all college sports, not simply football.

The only university from the Big 12 even close is Oklahoma State. While they are fourth overall, they are a good 43 championships behind third place Southern Cal. I don’t think any team from the Big 12 is a good fit for the Pac-12. That includes not only Oklahoma, but Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas Tech.

While the college presidents are negotiating contracts, they will need to consider the bigger picture for their students and their fan base. These mergers into super conferences are to acquire money, increase exposure, and enhance recruiting for football. They could lose excellent players in the other NCAA sports. Some players may not want to travel across two time zones for basketball or baseball or women’s softball. They may want to be on a team fairly close to home or within a conference where teams do not have to travel half way across the country just for a game in that conference.

Of course it doesn’t make sense. That’s because the current atmosphere is all about supporting college football and getting more money. Isn’t it odd that the Big Ten is not involved in any of this. After the announcement of Syracuse and Pittsburgh moving to the ACC, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney made it perfectly clear that this change would not affect his conference, that they want to play each other more, not less, the primary emphasis being quality over quantity.** It’s refreshing to see a big name BCS conference taking a more practical approach to college athletics over the current trend of dismissing allegiances, changing loyalties, maintaining traditions, and serving their students’ needs more than serving money.

*National Collegiate Athletic Association, wikipedia

**“Big Ten Commissioner says No Change is Imminent,” New York Times College Sports Blog, September 17, 2011.

Debacle in Provo

BYU DEFEATS THEMSELVES WITH TURNOVERS, UTAH WINS 54-10

What happened in Provo, Utah last Saturday night should leave Cougar fans shaking their heads, wondering if the offense is going to become a part of the team. Again, the defense held them in the game until near the end of the first half when Utah put a drive together and scored just before halftime, making it 14-10. The Cougars had an offensive series after that just before halftime, but produced nothing.

It was the same old story for the Cougars. It began with their first series of the game. They proceeded to fumble the ball away and helped the Utes score a defensive touchdown with the fumble recovery. The next series saw some promise as BYU moved the ball into Utah territory only to fumble it away. Fumble #2. Utah marched down the field to the BYU 12 yard line where their defense held. Utah missed an easy 29 yard field goal. Partial redemption, they dodged a bullet.

The next drive looked impressive. Starting at their 20, the Cougars moved the ball all the way down to the Utah 6 yard line. If BYU were to score, it would make the fans forget about what happened on their first two possessions. But, no. BYU coughed it up at the Utah 3 yard line and the Utes recovered. Three possessions, three turnovers; at least 7 points lost.

The Cougar defense did its job, holding Utah’s offense to just 52 total yards in the 1^st quarter. The offense did put a drive together that finally produced some points-a 46-yard field goal. Considering they doubled Utah’s offensive output, the score could have been at least 10-7.

The second quarter saw Utah moving the ball more, though still no points at midway point. They moved into BYU territory twice only to be stopped on downs and an interception. The offense finally clicked for the Cougars with a 66-yard drive, finished off in traditional BYU fashion, a 32-yard touchdown to Ross Apo putting the Cougars ahead 10-7. It gave the Cougar faithful some hope as the defense had held the Ute offense in check and that it looked like the Cougars were finally running on all cylinders and would go into halftime ahead.

But the Utes finally found a glitch in the Cougar defense just before halftime. Quarterback Jordan Wynn completed 5 of 6 passes for 63 yards culminated by a 30 yard touchdown to his tight end Jake Murphy. That was Murphy’s third catch in that drive. Utah found on certain patterns that their tight end was open against BYU’s defense and capitalized on that. So at the half Utah was up 14-10.

Utah started off the second half the way it ended the first. Their opening series was a 5-play, 75 yard drive with a 59-yard touchdown pass at the end. A pass interference penalty on 3^rd down and 3 aided that drive. That was the Cougars’ third pass interference penalty of the game.
The fans did not have long to wait to see what direction their team was going. Most coaches would like to see their offense come out of the locker room after halftime with some fire in their bellies, move the ball down the field for a score and send a statement to the opposition. The Cougars’ first series of downs was a 3 and out. Nothing like letting air out of the balloon in front of the hometown crowd on your first home game of the season.

Between halves, Coach Bronco Mendenhall said, “They need to play with less emotion.“ It is understandable. He wanted them to focus their energies on being more efficient and precise instead of allowing emotions to dictate their actions. Legendary basketball Coach John Wooden said, “…if our emotions take over, we’re not going to execute near our personal level of competency, because both judgment and common sense will be impaired. When our emotions dominate our actions, we make mistakes.”*

Utah’s next possession saw them score a field goal. This became 17 unanswered points scored against the Cougars in a matter of not more than 9 minutes, the Cougar defense had become vulnerable. Three drives totally 157 yards now has BYU in a hole. They are down 14 points, 24-10. Their offense has only averaged 15 points the first two games. Though the offense showed promise in the first half, do they have enough to even tie the Running Utes, let alone take the lead. There is a lot of pressure here and when your team knows they need to achieve more than they have so far, emotions within the players can not help but rise to the surface.

True to Coach Wooden’s statement, emotions took over, at least for BYU’s kickoff return man. He fumbled the kickoff inside their own 5 yard line. Utah recovered and a touchdown ensued, making an even deeper hole for the Cougars to come out of, 30-10. It never got better. Another fumble and interception led to 14 more points. While the offense did threaten one time inside the Ute 20 yard line, they turned the ball over on downs. It was not possible to focus on precision offense while being beat up. Utah scored 40 points in the second half, 24 were the result of turnovers. So the defense is not altogether to blame. The offense and kickoff teams put them in many no-win situations. But where is the offense? All three running backs from last year’s team are back--Di Luigi, Kariya, and Quezada. In three games, they have a total of 193 yards amongst the trio with an average of roughly 3 yards a carry. Last year, these three totaled over 1900 yards with a 4.73 per carry average. They averaged almost 32 carries and 151 yards per game. This year, those averages are down to 3.0 yards on 20 carries, and 48 yards per game. It doesn’t make sense that three returning running backs with prior year success would be limited in their touches for the sake of a new offense bent on the pass. It’s turning the Cougars into a one-dimensional team. That makes them too predictable for opposing defenses.

Offensive coordinator Brandon Doman is not proving his worth to the Cougars. They need a running attack to complement their passing game. With 56 passes and only 11 running plays during this debacle, it is evident that the Cougar offense is not only predictable, but lends itself to turnovers--this game producing seven of them. Trying to become better doing the same thing over and over will not work. And if Coach Mendenhall can see improvement in this game, then he is only deluding himself and his team.

*Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success, "Self-Control", pg 54.

Corso's patronizing comments of Boise State

CORSO'S COMMENTS QUESTIONED

Let’s get one thing straight, Lee Corso. The Boise State Broncos belong with ALL the teams in ALL the AQ conferences. I am getting perturbed when I hear this ESPN College Gameday analyst say that he is impressed by the Broncos, but because of the fact that their strength of schedule isn’t comparable to the BCS conferences, they are not worthy of serious consideration to be in THE championship game.

By reason of the fact that teams in BCS conferences play each other every year gives credence to the argument that they play a tougher schedule. But take a look at the non-conference games those ranked BCS teams play:

Alabama-North Texas State (0-3), Kent State (0-3); Penn State (2-1): later in the year 1-AA Georgia Southern second to last game of the season;

LSU-FCS 1-AA Division Northwestern State (1-2); later in the year Western Kentucky, currently (0-3)

Florida State-Louisiana-Monroe, Sun Belt Conference(1-2); Charleston Southern FCS 1-AA, (0-3)

Stanford-San Jose State (0-3); Duke (1-2)

Wisconsin-UNLV (1-2); Oregon State (0-2); Northern Illinois (1-2)

Oklahoma State-Louisiana-Lafayette (2-1); Tulsa (1-2); Arizona (1-2)

Texas A&M- SMU (2-1); Idaho (1-2)

South Carolina- East Carolina (0-2); Georgia (1-2); Navy (2-1)

Oklahoma- Tulsa (1-2); Florida State (2-1)

None of these non-conference schedules supports the “strength of schedule” theory. Three of the top five FBS ranked teams in the country (Alabama, LSU, and Florida State) have either played an FCS team or will play an FCS team sometime this year.

Why don’t one of these top ranked teams ever schedule Boise State? I will tell you. First, in their eyes, they don’t have to. The Broncos are in a non-AQ conference. The non-conference strength of schedule of top ranked teams includes at least one other BCS conference school, such as Oklahoma-Florida State; Wisconsin-Oregon State; Stanford-Duke; Alabama-Penn State so far this year. This seems to justify the strength of schedule argument in spite of the fact that their other non-conference games come from other non-AQ or FCS schools, comparably weak by comparison.

Secondly, I think BCS schools are afraid to play Boise State. As even pro-BCS analyst Lee Corso said, “They impress me”. Of the other four top ranked teams before yesterday’s games, Oklahoma is 54-15 from 2006-10; Alabama 49-17; LSU 51-15; and Florida State 40-26. Boise State during that same period 61-5. Weaker conference schedule? Sure. There is no question that these other teams come from more balanced conferences than Boise State. However, Boise State has proven that they can play with teams like Oklahoma and Oregon, who, by the way, they have beaten twice in the past 5 years, once at Oregon.

So the arguments go on. My own personal feeling is that the BCS schools don’t want a team like Boise State on their non-conference schedule because they might lose to them early in the year and spoil any chance they might have for the BCS championship. They want to keep their non-conference schedules a bit cushy. They know how good the Broncos really are. Oh, they’ll play them in a bowl game, when the regular season is finished. By then their status as a team in a BCS conference has already assured them that Boise State will not be national champions.

Consider these two facts about Boise State. In their Fiesta Bowl victory against Oklahoma, they did something most teams would not have done. They went for two points in the first overtime period. It was not required for them to do that. They could have been content with the touchdown and extra point to match Oklahoma. A team from an “non-elite” conference would have played it safe and go into a second overtime. Not Boise State. It was a modified version of the old Statue of Liberty play that got them the two point conversion to win that game. But it was not the play that impresses me the most. It was the fact that they went for two points when failure to get that conversion would have given the victory to Oklahoma and thus continue the argument.

That was a big risk for Coach Chris Petersen. Looking back, he held the future of all great non-AQ schools to be considered for the BCS championship game on that one play. While the staunch stuffed shirts still have the edge, great non-AQ teams like Boise State are still talked about.

Finally, Boise State’s last two victories against Virginia Tech and Georgia came on the road. Yes, the places they played were considered neutral sites. However, those sites were conveniently located near the home bases for both Tech and Georgia. So they were road games and the Broncos did not crumble under crowd pressure in either location.

In the win over Virginia Tech, Tech led with 1:47 to play in the fourth quarter. Boise State had possession on their own 44 yard line. Kellen Moore and company proceeded to drive 56 yards in 5 plays to score the game winning touchdown. In Tech's next set of downs with just over a minute left, Tyrod Taylor threw 3 incompletions and was sacked. The Bronco defense held true under pressure to insure the win.

The irony? Virgina Tech went on to win 11 games and the ACC Conference championship.

In the future, Mr Corso, stop patronizing a seemingly unqualified team simply because they don't belong to your BCS.

Tomorrow--BYU’s debacle against Utah.

THIS WEEK AT BYU

Just a few thoughts as BYU heads into this weekend against its traditional rival the University of Utah. They are playing this week this year due to both teams leaving the Mountain West for greener pastures.

Last weekend BYU started out well against Texas, ahead 13-0 at the half. Things seemed to be going well for them until the second half where the Texas defense held the offense to just 68 total yards and 3 points. Texas' offense came out in the second half with 17 points for a one point victory over the Cougars 17-16.

The offense started out fairly well against the Texas defense with 168 yards in the first half. BYU's defense showed well again, holding Texas to just 289 total yards, though it did give up over 200 yards in the second half. One can understand that since the Cougar offense could not gel anything in the second half.

This weekend is the big rivalry game with the Utes. It's BYU's first home game. Both the team and the fans are going to be pumped up. However, it's a far cry for a road game for Utah since it's only a 45 mile trip from their home stadium in Salt Lake.

Coach Lane Kiffin of USC praised the Utah defense in last week's game against the Utes. That is what the Cougars' first year offensive coordinator Brandon Doman will be up against. Not only is he new to the job, but he is working on installing a brand new offensive scheme that has produced only 30 points and under 600 yards of offense in two games. While it has shown some promise here and there, that will not be enough to be successful against a defense like Utah's.

While Utah felt that they held their own against the Trojans, who basically controlled the line of scrimmage against the Utes. They know that they need to get better even with the kudos from Coach Kiffin. Utah needs more offense. They have the tools and a very experienced coordinator in Norm Chow. Ring a bell? Yes, the one who coached at BYU and helped win a national championship for USC in 2003 and 2004. While he has not had much success since his days with the Trojans, he is excited about being back in Utah where he played in the '60's.

I look for this to be a close, defensive game with the Utes coming out on top. While emotions may ride high for the Cougars, I believe Utah will weather the opposition at Edwards Stadium. 21-17.

9/11 and other stuff

I can remember where I was at the time I heard of the first plane at 6:45 Mountain Time. I was homeless and living in a recreational vehicle loaned to me by a friend. I had woken up about 6:30 and was just listening to the news. Amanda Blake reported it first at roughly 6:50am. Details were not known at the time. I did not see any of it. I do remember being at a friend's house and seeing the devastation to the twin towers either later that day or the next. When I heard confirmed reports about the perpetrators of this horror, I remember exclaiming, "We have been attacked on our own soil by a foreign power for the first time. This is an act of war." I was not remembering Pearl Harbor then. It is technically the first time it's happened on the Continental United States.

I said that I was homeless at the time. My mind was geared more toward just survival at that time, so the shock did not set in until later. What America has done since then is a response to this act. I thought about how this was different from a country attacking us. It was al-queda, a terrorist group who considers the US an enemy to the Muslim religion. It is not like a country in a specific location on the world map.  A terrorist could be someone walking down the street looking very normal. Yet he could be a part of this extremist group with a bomb attached to his body ready to blow up himself plus anyone within a certain perimeter.

Unlike a country, we did not know who to attack. We could not attack a country by just invading it. There was no country. Who were these extremists? Where were they? It was like trying to fight the war on terrorism against a ghost.

Those were my thoughts ten years ago. Since then, we have fought a war in the Middle East that I felt, initially, was wrong. It did not seem logical to fight Saddam Husein in Iraq. The Al-Queda network did not really exist there. Its leader, Osama Bin-Laden, was from Saudi Arabia. So why not search for him there? He required dialysis for his kidneys, so the logical choice would be to search for him where there is source of electricty. The claim of Weapons of Mass Destruction existing in Iraq and so we start the war there type of thinking has never proven to be valid, as WMD's were never found there.

I said that I initally did not support the war in Iraq. But I changed my mind only because I am a veteran, and I know that the President and his advisors have access to information I do not have. My biggest complaint was, "Where are we going to get the money to fund the war?" It turns out that the war in Iraq was funded by interest-bearing loans from foreign governments. So now much of our national debt is not just from the financial crises of 2008, but from war.

* * * * * * *

One of my favorite classic TV shows is Star Trek: TNG. Many episodes encounter a situation where the crew is required to follow Starfleet's Prime Directive. It revolves around the idea that Starfleet can not impose their values, culture, weapons, and technology upon any other living species in the galaxy. The idea behind this is that introduction of modern thought, culture, weapons, etc would interupt the natural evolution of the species.

Now while human beings here are one species, there are many different countries. These entities have different types of government from ours; their cultures have evolved over many generations far older than our own country; their perspective of the world is far different from ours; their histories diverge in many directions. We know that history forms what type of government they have. It forms their cultures, their traditions, and ways of thinking as well.

Our way of life is different from most of the world. We have a multitude of choices ranging from how we live our life, what values we espouse, what kind of car we will drive, etc. Our Constitution protects all of our choices and rights. It is a way of life envied by much of the world. After having served my country in 3 foreign countries, I still say that we are the best around.

However, that does not give us the right to be the policemen of the world. We do not have the right to impose our way of government, our cultural practices upon another simply in the name of freedom. We should protect weaker countries from stronger ones who would take over their country, thus destroying not only that country's government, but also all those things that make them the unique country they have become. We should also help countries regardless of whether they can offer us much or little in return in terms of natural resources. That is what is meant by protecting countries in the name of freedom.

More on super conferences

A new dynamic is in place in the Southwest. Baylor complains about Texas A&M's jump to the SEC, but then says, "We're not making a decision until Oklahoma does". That's like a guy who steps out of a crowd and barks at the opposing side then slithers back into the pack.

There's more. The letter last Friday from the Big 12 to the SEC promises that the other schools in the conference will okay A&M's move provided Oklahoma decides to stay in the Big 12. Well, Oklahoma, there you have it. Choose to leave the Big 12 and have it file a lawsuit against A&M and the SEC while taking OK State, Texas, and Texas Tech with you or stay in the Big 12 thus keeping the conference in tact with 9 teams and let A&M try their hand in the SEC where their butts will get kicked.

Really, all of this is very entertaining news, but it's a distraction to what is really important. College football is saying good-bye to the old, traditional ways of doing business to embrace a newer, more lucrative setup of the super conference system. All in the name of money.

In my other column today, I wrote about the importance of tradition. This may have implied that I was agreeing with Baylor's admonition. Not so. I have always believed in some traditions. I also believe in change when necessary. In some ways I agree with the super conference idea. Bigger contracts with TV and cable can bring teams to audiences that never get to see them. They also bring the sons and daughters of parents whose children may attend a university where the media doesn't reach normally into their homes so that they can see their children play.

But one does not rip up the foundation of what makes college football so appealing--its tradition and all of the atmosphere of competition and the bragging rights that come from beating a cross-town or traditional conference rival, such as Texas-Oklahoma or USC-UCLA. That atmosphere is created by  fans who love their football team. They come out to cheer, scream, and boo. It is a break from their workaday world where they can leave their inhibitions at home and be crazy for awhile. Eliminating tradition means eliminating the part of us that needs the release.

BYU and Utah both left the Mountain West Conference this year in hopes of greener pastures. One thing they did NOT do was eliminate their yearly rivalry. The game will take place earlier in the schedule rather than at the end of the season. That part of the tradition is changed. But nothing else. I believe both schools recognize the link that exists between them need not be broken by other factors. While the game will not determine who wins the conference anymore (as it did in years past) it will maintain the spirit of good, hard competition between their teams.

The fuss being made in the Southwest now is not a good omen for the fans of college football. The aspect of big money in an amateur sport eliminates an intangible that keeps us all sane.

College football shaking up

It's the wild and woolly college football. We all get excited about it every late summer/early fall. We love it. But this year a new dimension is added. The talk of super conferences is hot and heavy right now. One of the conferences that has been a mainstay throughout the years is the Big 12(formerly the Big 8). It's starting to breakup. This year Colorado moved to the Pac-12 and Nebraska to the Big Ten. That situation has been eased into quite well without too much notice.

Now Texas A&M has decided it wants to move to the SEC. The SEC has given its permission on condition of no lawsuits against A&M or the SEC. Lowly Baylor has stepped in and objected on grounds that it ruins the football culture Texas is very proud of. Their arguments are based upon the football tradition in Texas.

Valid argument? The football tradition in Texas has been around longer than your grandparents or mine. The Southwest Conference began in 1915. Charter members included Oklahoma, Oklahoma State (formerly Oklahoma A&M), Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, six of the ten remaining teams of the later created Big 12. So Baylor has an argument that breaking up what's left of the Big 12 would tarnish Texas' long 96 year rich tradition.

Add to this the fact that now the traditional Red River Shootout is in jeopardy. Yes, this traditional rivalry that that has existed forever as far as my memory is concerned is being threatened by the superconference dynamic. For many Texans, this could be on the edge of sacrilege. It's just about tantamount to having the Dallas Cowboys sold and moved to another state.
\
"That would never happen", you say. Well, twenty-five years ago that might have been  the reaction when a suggestion that the traditional Oklahoma-Nebraska game should end. Now it's reality. The thought of maintaining the tradition is giving way to whatever talks the most and the loudest--in this case, money, money, money.

The Big Ten managed to maintain its primary rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan by putting them in different divisions within the newly realigned conference. The powers that be there realized that this game is not just about the Big Ten. It is a national rivalry that people all across the country watch every year regardless of won-loss records. I have grown accustomed to it, though I have never lived for more than a year in either area.

Same thing with the Rose Bowl every year. Until the BCS, it touted the two best teams from the Pac-10(now 12) and the Big Ten. Many people would watch this because the game would prove to be very good, and it's the granddaddy of them all.

And so no Texas-Oklahoma yearly matchup at the state fair? Unheard of!!!! Preposterous. It, like Ohio St./Michigan, is a national rivalry. It doesn't just belong to Texas or the Big 12. It belongs to all of us. Because of tradition? Absolutely, without question. How dare the college football world would even think of eliminating this traditional matchup between two traditionally strong football schools? It's like tearing out a vital organ in our body and saying we could live without it.

Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops likens the elimination of the game to when Nebraska-Oklahoma tradition was ended. It's okay by him. He feels its a reflection of adapting to change. Oklahoma was fine after its split with the Cornhuskers. It'll be fine with the split with Texas. No problem. WRONG!!!
The Sooners have been tied to the fabric of football with Texas for close to 100 years.

Unfortunately, money speaks louder than tradition these days. That's the sad reality of all this. Conferences don't listen to their fans anymore. Sold out stadiums, screaming fans, bands playing fight songs, fans holding signs in support of their teams, programs, concessions, et al are not enough to drown out the call of multi-billion dollar contracts.

A sport that should be driven by competition and tradition has gone the way of the pros. It's too much of a business now. That ruins the "feel-good" atmosphere college football used to engender. It was nice to go to a game where the hometown team play against a rival from a nearby city or state. It brought a sense of community to us. It brought excitement to our hearts as we cheered for our team against an opponent that might take away our chances for the championship. Excitement breeds joy and good feelings.

Elimination of this aspect of traditional games will only make us indifferent to our community, taking away its strength and friendliness and replacing it with contempt and discord.

 

Boise State, BYU win; Talk over super conferences

BOISE STATE; SUPER CONFERENCES; BYU COORDINATOR'S FIRST TEST

Two years ago Boise State decided to up its competition by leaving the WAC and going to the Mountain West. This had the potential of making the Mountain West an AQ conference for the BCS as there would have been four great teams in the conference in BYU, Utah, TCU, and Boise State.

Back in the '60's, there was a cigarette commercial whose slogan was "I'd rather fight than switch". Well, with all the carping going on about strength of schedule and style, teams in the Mountain West got tired of the Rodney Dangerfield slogan, "I get no respect" and decided that they would do the opposite--they would rather switch than fight. Utah decided to go to the Pac-10, BYU became an independent, and TCU next year will join the Big East, leaving Boise State standing alone in the Mountain West, now a non-AQ conference for sure, though now in the hunt for a BCS berth after beating Georgia decisively this past weekend on the road.*

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S FUTURE

Chris Dodd, senior writer for CBSsports.com outlined the formation of 5 Super Conferences in the works right now--the ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and PAC-10. Of course, now, the Big 12 looks like it might be dissolving with Oklahoma thinking of going to the Pac-10 perhaps with Texas following. The Sooners would also like to see Oklahoma State and Texas Tech join in the move to the Pac-10, making it the Pac-14. Texas A&M wants out of the Big 12 and go to the SEC. There are many articles favoring pro and con. In the end, though, I think A&M will go to the SEC regardless of the traditional matchup arguments.

DOMAN'S FIRST TEST

There will be stammers and stutters when a team brings in a new offensive coordinator and a new system of offense. I don't care if there are 10 returning starters who know each other and have worked with each other. New offensive systems have new blocking skeems, new running plays, and new passing routes that require familiarity, timing, and crisp execution to be effective in a game.

Combine that with going into the SEC and facing any opponent regardless of record and coming out with a win. His choice of plays, familiarity with defensive systems not to mention that it's the first game of the season. He hasn't called a single play as an offensive coordinator nor has he had the luxury of game film to see what the opponent's defense is like.

That describes the situation Brandon Doman faced entering the game against Mississippi. He describes how he felt going into the game--"I had never searched my soul as much in my life in an athletic event." Really? He played at BYU from 1998-2001; was on the rosters of three NFL teams from 2002-04; and has been the quarterbacks' coach at BYU the past six years. One would think that he's accustomed to being under pressure.

I believe, though, that his soul searching experience is also understandable. It reflects his sense of responsibility to his team's success. As quarterback at BYU, his teams never had a losing season. Their best season was his senior year when they went 12-2. He's accustomed to winning. He has the benefit of longtime coach Lance Reynolds and receivers' coach Ben Cahoon. Both were starters on former BYU teams and no doubt share his feelings about creating a winning attitude at BYU.

He gave himself a "C" grade for his first game. While it was a win, it was wrought with miscues, penalties and turnovers he will want to address to his team. His task is no easier this weekend--the University of Texas Longhorns at home. It's a whole new set of challenges.** Let's see how it goes.

*--see yesterday's blog
**--see my blog from 8/11 "This Year"

BYU wins; first weekend results

FIRST WEEKEND

This was a very interesting weekend in college football. It actually started last Thursday when #11 Wisconsin rolled over the Mountain West's UNLV and Mississippi State held a clinic on rushing for 309 yards and 645 yards of total offense against Memphis. In this game time of possession was not a factor as Mississippi State had possession for under 23 minutes the entire game, just under 40% of the time.

Friday saw a real barn burner in Baylor. I wish I could have been here to see this one. There was 57 points scored in the first half with Baylor up 34-23. Then the Bears scored 13 unanswered points in the third quarter to lead by 24. TCU made a valiant effort, scoring 25 in the fourth quarter, only to see the Bears culminate a 60-yard drive in the last 4 minutes to kick a 37-yard field goal. TCU's defense was not what it was last year, giving up over 560 yards total offense.

One of the early games on Saturday saw Utah State go into Auburn to start off the season facing the 2010 national champion Tigers. I used to live in Utah and I remember when Utah State would go to places like Nebraska just to get a slice of the money. I don't think they had any illusions that they could beat them back then. The last 10 years they have not had a winning season, the closest being 4-7 in 2002.

However, I think the mindset has changed there. They went into Norman to face the preseason #7 Oklahoma Sooners last year and stayed with them, eventually losing 31-24. They were behind 21-17 with ten minutes left in the third quarter, but could get no closer and held the mighty Sooner offense to just 31 points.

This year they went into the mighty SEC and unfortunately could not hold on. With 10 minutes left, they executed a 14 play, 65 yard drive that took over 6 minutes off the clock to score a touchdown and put them up 38-28 with under four minutes left. It only took Auburn 1:31 to go 65 yards for a score to bring them within three. They then executed an onside kick to perfection and went down to score another touchdown to win.

Utah State came into Auburn with a good game plan--ball control. They had two drives of at least 7-minutes or more, one 6 minute drive and one 5 minute drive. All totalled-just over 26 minutes. Two of those drives were in the fourth quarter totalling over 11 minutes. Too bad the defense could not come through. They were certainly given enough rest.

BOISE STATE STARTING STRONG

The Boise State Broncos went into the Georgia Dome to face Georgia. Technically this was a neutral site, but there's nothing neutral about Georgia playing in their home state against the perennial BCS busting Broncos. They showed that they are a team to be reckoned with again this year, now wearing the conference banner of the Mountain West.

The Bronco offense performed as usual under the leadership of senior Kelvin Moore--390 yards total offense, 28-34 for 261. Their defense is what kept the Bulldogs at bay. Georgia's three scores came on a run of 80 yards in the 1st quarter, a 36-yard TD pass in the 3rd, and a 51-yard TD pass in the 4th. The rest of their yardage consisted of 57 yards rushing on 30 carries and 149 yards on 27 attempts passing. So the Bronco defense beat up on this SEC opponent pretty good keeping the Bulldogs from ever getting close after the first half.

BYU COMES THROUGH, BARELY

BYU started out this season as an independent, after playing in the old WAC and the Mountain West Conferences. Their first game was SEC opponent Mississippi on the road. Mississippi wanted to come back from their 2010 record of 4-8. That record may not look to great until one realizes that they are in the SEC Western Division against teams like Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, and Mississippi State. Pretty hefty competition. Their only win in SEC came against Kentucky. They wanted to come out strong in their home opener.

BYU wanted to show the nation that they could compete against the "big boys", going into the SEC and then this Saturday traveling to Austin to face Texas. There have been times in the past where they have proven themselves mostly on the bowl scene. The Independent status gives them an opportunity to play a meatier schedule with the likes of Ole Miss, Texas, Utah, UCF, Oregon State, and TCU. Five of those six games are on the road, though the game with Utah is only 43 miles north of Cougar Stadium, that could be considered a home game.

Not only was their playing status different, they employed an entire new offense under coordinator Brandon Doman, a former quarterback at the Y. Bringing a new system to the team can take some time getting used to, even though the offense had 9 starters returning. That may have been the reason for its sputtering offense in the first half against Ole Miss.

BYU showed some pretty good offense against Mississippi. However, it always seemed to stall through a combination of penalties, negative rushing yards, fumbled snaps, and incomplete passes. They scored 0 points in the first half with only 104 yards of offense. The BYU defense played fairly well, holding Ole Miss to 44 yards in just 16 plays for the first 26 minutes of the game. On their next possession they changed quarterbacks and executed a 49-yard, 8 play drive ending with a field goal. So while BYU had more yardage, they were not ahead on the scoreboard.

A team's first possession in the second half is crucial. It sets the tone for the team, especially on the road. BYU's first possession started out quite well. They moved the ball 67 yards to the Ole Miss 22 yard line, only to have Jake Heaps throw an interception that the Rebels ran back for a touchdown. Their next possession of 66 yards ended in a missed field goal of 31 yards.  Again BYU moved the ball--again no points.

Early in the fourth, Ole Miss kicked a field goal to go up 13-0. BYU finally mounted a drive ending in a touchdown to cut the lead to 13-7. Ole Miss' next possession resulted in a fumble caused, recovered and scored by Kyle Van Noy, putting BYU up 14-13 which was the final score.

This certainly was not pretty for the Cougars. New offense, new coordinator can cause even the hardest working team to hit-and-miss for the first game or two. One has to give credit to the never-say-die attitude. It's what kept them in the game and eventually gave them the win.

Teams like Utah State who get no respect from the AQ conferences, showed that they need to be taken seriously as they almost pulled a very big upset against the reigning national champion and #19 ranked Auburn. They played their best for 56 minutes against the SEC powerhouse. Unfortunately, the game is 60 minutes long. Boise State proved that they can play on anyone's home turf as good or better than at home.







Notre Dame under their new coach lost their home opener