|
 Happy New Year |
 Saturday, December 29, 2007 |
I know blogging has been brief, but I'm spending my time in good ol' South Carolina for the warm weather thanks to a good buddy who's got a place by the beach. So until after the new year, it will continue to be brief. But before I retire my blogging before the 2007 calendar year, here's a list of Big Ten new year resolutions:
Illinois - The Illini New Year's resolution is to avoid the Wisconsin syndrome. Yes Illini faithful, we know you're all excited about doing great this year, but have we all forgotten Wisconsin in 2006, or Penn State in 2005, or Purdue and Iowa in 2003 and 2004... The list is endless. Every year, there is one team that exceeds expectations, the media defines it as the first stepping stone to an era of greatness, but all too often teams simply simmer to mediocrity and fade into insignificance. Unfortunately for the Illini faithful, they are the 'it' team this year, and like a comet, they will simply pass us by. That's not to say they won't be a bowl team next year, but like Wisconsin they better relish their Rose Bowl trip this year.
Iowa - to bleed as much value out of coach Kirk's annual contract as possible. Common guys, he's getting the highest base salary in the Big Ten's collection of future hall of fame coaches (Jim Tressel, Lloyd Carr, Ron Zook, Joe Tiller, Barry Alvarez, and now Rich Rod) and you guys can't put together a good season since his 2 Big Ten championship runs? Luckily for Iowa, Minnesota is getting an even worse deal with their one win coach this year.
Michigan - Hey at the rate you're going, here's to the new Block M at Michigan. I know someone else probably already thought of that, but I am not claiming to be original here guys.
 Common guys, there are over 100 universities around the nation and your 2 new coaches at the two highest profile sports in your university are from the same university. And West Virginia, no less? I know Rich Rod was a good hire, but its like asking a hibachi chef run a gourmet Italian restaurant. You're Michigan, what are you guys doing trying to employ a gimmicky spread type offense. At least it'll make for some great laughs next year watching the Wolverine faithful act like they're thrilled with the spread.
Ohio State - Hey, nothing will propel Ohio State into the new year more than a win against LSU in their backyard. I was watching the Penn State game here in Myrtle Beach at a Sports Bar and an Ohio State fan walks in with his buddy, a Notre Dame fan. Surprisingly, throughout its decade of existence, all this criticism of the Big Ten's weakness and alleged lack of speed has galvanized Big Ten fans across the board to come together and he was actually rooting for Penn State. I've never been a 'conference' guy due to Penn States' years of independence. It was more of a root for Penn State and hope everyone else loses type mentality. But surprisingly since last year, I've found myself rooting for Big Ten teams to punish their bowl opponents and anyone else playing a SEC team. So when the clock counts down to 0 and the champaign is flowing this year, here's to hoping for Buckeye, Wolverine, and Badger victories.
Penn State - To add a few more pages into the offensive play book. Penn State actually showed a sign of life in their offensive play calling with the infusion of Daryl Clark's running ability. And with news that D. Clark will have 2 more years of eligibility, this could be the future of Penn State football especially with strong arm Pat Devlin waiting under his wings. Think back to Penn State in 2005 and I am already giddy for next year. If you can put points on the board, Penn State's defense will usually finish the job.
Purdue - Whatever happened to that famed Boilermaker D? It seems that the last 2 years, the Boilermakers have been great on offense and dismal on defense. They have become the Big East team in a Big Ten conference and hence are unable to win more games. Here's to hoping they pick up their D and become bowl eligible next year.
Wisconsin - And boy did Wisconsin lay two goose eggs this year. Ranked as high as #5 until they were gut punched by Illinois and then destroyed by Penn State (yes, they were both great teams this year, but Wisconsin entered the year as a favorite to win the Big Ten). Seems like the Bret B's love fest is about to fizzle real soon. I'm still sore about his decisions to run offsides TWICE to kill time off the clock back in 2006 and I think that's highly disrespectful as a coach (especially in his rookie season) to show such disdain for what's great about college football. It is what makes us better than those southern teams in the SEC. We play tough, we play hard and we play fair (referees aside), coaches in the Big Ten have the greatest amount of respect for one another. Rarely do you see coaches jump ship from one team in the Big Ten to another and in comes this rookie hotshot wannabe coach and he takes advantage of a loophole that no other coach in the country wanted to exploit even after he did it successfully two consecutive times. Here's to hoping Bret B. learns some class in 2008.
Michigan State, Minnesota, Indiana and Northwestern should all have the same new year resolutions - WIN MORE GAMES. |
posted by Nittany White Out @ 10:37 AM  |
|
|
|
| Busted! |
| Tuesday, December 18, 2007 |
Just revealed at Rivals
A Big Ten football officiating team that came under scrutiny for its performance in two conference games last month was led by a crew chief with a history of bankruptcy, casino gambling, child abuse and allegations of sexual harassment, a Yahoo! Sports investigation has revealed. He and his wife filed for bankruptcy in 2002 after the couple amassed $429,407 in liabilities, and two of the creditors were casinos. • He allegedly has gambled at casinos as far back as the 1980s, and a sister-in-law said gambling losses incurred by Pamon and Pamon's wife led to the couple filing for bankruptcy. • In 1997, he was charged with repeatedly beating three of his girlfriend's four sons with an electrical cord. He told authorities he beat the boys three times. • He allegedly was fired by the Chicago Police Department in 1996 after two female officers accused him of sexual harassment, according to published reports that cited law-enforcement officials as sources. • One of Pamon's former wives accused him during a court hearing in 1994 of striking her and sexually assaulting her 19-year-old niece, according to court records.
This was the very crew that officiated the supposed controversial Penn State-Purdue game this year. After Joe Tiller filed a grievance with the Big Ten, the crew was supposedly suspended but later everyone found out they officiated the Ohio State - Illinois upset the following week. Even in that game, Jim Tressel pointed to several bad calls during the game. So much for that suspension. But while details are starting to unfold, it is no secret to Penn State fans that we have horrible officiating in the Big Ten (Yes, even in games we win, some of the crews are either blind or blatantly idiots). Big Ten policy is that they do their own background checks on the officiating crews, but as we have mentioned earlier, they can't even keep their word when they 'suspend' a crew, how trustworthy are they when they conduct their own 'investigations'. Hell even Michigan used ineligible players against Penn State this year which went unpunished (not that it would have made a difference, but rules are clearly more like guidelines in the Big Ten). But it is about time outside sources like Yahoo Sports are keeping an independent eye on whats really going on. They are also the ones who broke open the Reggie Bush story.
Glad to see the Big Ten putting their personnel to good use.
|
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 8:15 PM |
|
|
|
| Coaches in Waiting |
| |
It seems the Bradley rumor is only starting to heat up with other blogs picking up on it and the Patriot Times reporting a telephone conversation between Bradley and West Virginia on the first day of the post-Rod era.
According to a source intimate with the situation, Bradley was contacted on Sunday morning by an intermediary sent by West Virginia University. This person asked him if he would be interested in talking about the WVU top job just vacated by Rich Rodriguez. And Bradley, understandably, waited about a nanosecond before responding, well, yeah, he would. With this, the scramble for a succession plan has officially begun. Forums, blogs and news outlets everywhere are now demanding a plan they can look forward to perhaps in the next 5 years. For years, Penn State fans were only certain of 2 things, First, we would run first, run second and then pass third if a run would not get us a first down. Second, the next Penn State coach would be someone who is already currently sitting in the coaching box or pacing the sidelines. With that said, the front runner for many years for this elusive post-Paterno coach was Tom Bradley. He is the reason if not the sole reason for Penn State's dominance on defense so why wouldn't the Penn State faithful be thrilled to embrace one of their own who has brought them so much pride over the years. Then there was Joe Paterno's broken leg last year. This was the real clear indication which of his assistances was hiding a golden ticket in his wallet all these years and lo and behold, it was Tom Bradley and Galen Hall, not L Johnson, or Jay Paterno that were named interm co-head coaches. In the only game that Joe was unable to attend, Tom Bradley and Galen Hall coached Penn State to victory.
So you can imagine why the idea of Bradley abandoning Penn State for West Virginia is so upsetting for the Lion faithful. Bradley was not only an accomplished assistant, recruiter and member of the Penn State family, but he was basically the next coach in waiting even if he wasn't awarded the official title. Fans could see it, the administration accepted it. Even Tom Bradley recognized it when he rejected temptation from Temple and Illinois in 2005 for coaching positions there.
So why the sudden panic of Bradley leaving for West Virginia? In 2005, Bradley along with other assistants were aware of the new lease on life Paterno was given after a few losing seasons which limited Paterno to 2008. And in 2005, with a Robinson-led team, Joe achieved an 11-1 season with a victory in the Orange Bowl against his 'best friend' Bobby Bowden. Many felt Paterno had finally satisfied his desire to go out on top and would finish out his 2008 contract and call it quits. This was evident in recruiting as recruits were now informed of who the next coach would be should Joe leave. But turn the page t0 2007 and the end of another disappointing Morelli led year and Joe basically telling the world that he will stick around on a year-to-year basis. His main reason? Because he cannot imagine life not coaching hence he will continue to do the only thing he is familiar with.
So for Bradley, Galen, Johnson and even Norwood, what do you do? You were all banking on being able to take more control of this historic program and now the coach is not giving up and tells you he basically has no idea when he will ever retire. 1 year, 5, years, hell even 10 years if Penn State is willing to allow a funeral procession to step onto the field. And this is why we have seen Norwood reluctantly leave Penn State despite his son still on the roster and the panic growing for Bradley leaving Penn State. Because now, it is entirely possible. We can only pray that Bradley's loyalty to Penn State is stronger than Joe's stubbornness. Joe might not be hurting the program by sticking around, but he is destroying the post-Paterno era. The less he reveals to the world, the more chaos will rain in Happy Valley when he does decides to go. Let's only hope he has something up his sleeves.Labels: brian norwood, galen hall, jay paterno, joe paterno, penn state, tom bradley, west virginia |
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 1:50 PM |
|
|
|
| Bradley on his way out? |
| Monday, December 17, 2007 |
This has started gaining steam and it is really going to be a problem if it is true. I pray it is not, but at least we should be informed of the possibility of a Bradley-less Penn State. This was reported by David Jones of the Patriot Times (the same glory whore of a reporter who believed that Joe Paterno's salary was a matter of national security) so I wouldn't put too much into it until it is backed up with other legitimate sources. But at least there is the possibility of this:
Penn State defensive coodinator Tom Bradley has been contacted by an intermediary at West Virginia University regarding the Mountaineers' coaching vacancy, The Patriot-News has learned.
Bradley, who has been a Penn State assistant coach for 29 years and defensive coordinator since 2000, indicated he is interested in talking to West Virginia officials for the job, a source told The Patriot-News.
Bradley did not return two calls made Monday by The Patriot-News.
The Mountaineers are seeking a new coach to replace Rich Rodriguez, who was introduced Monday as the head at the University of Michigan. I see no reason for Bradley to leave because it is almost a certainty that he is the next one in line for the Penn State coaching position. The only problem right now, is Joe Paterno has become so stubborn he is basically holding onto the job on a year to year basis leaving no room and peace of mind for Bradley and his assistants to plan their own futures. Do you think Bradley wants to stick around with West Virginia dangling in his face if he believes Joe Paterno will stick around for another 5-8 years which he very well could? Larry Johnson? There is no doubt Joe Paterno deserves to decide his future, but at this point, he keeps pointing to his age and whether he feels up to coaching as the determining factor of whether he comes back, and to the detriment of this program, it is not acceptable. |
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 7:11 PM |
|
|
|
| Sack Sandwich |
| |
  I can't control myself, I am still chuckling at the sight of Ryan Mallet running the spread option. I know Rich Rod is a great hire especially away from a school ranked higher than where he eventually ended up, but common Michigan. Its like hiring a sushi chef to take over a high class Italian restaurant. Sure you can slowly change your system into a spread attack, but didn't your little brother try that with inconsistent success just as recently as last year? I know, I know, you're Michigan and basically defy the laws of physics, but ask Nebraska how switching to a new system (though they tried the West Coast-style offense) overnight turned out for them. Hey, Rich could work out and dominate the Big Ten a la Jim Tressel style. But how successful was Northwestern, Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State and Indiana in a smash mouth league. Yeah, Illinois had its year this year, but how consistently successful can you be if you basically run a gimmicky offense.
Hope you enjoyed the sight of the winged helmets trying the spread option as much as I have.
 |
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 8:13 AM |
|
|
|
| Quarantine the athletic department! |
| Thursday, December 13, 2007 |
Seeing the trend?
| Non-Conference Quality Opponents |
|---|
| Florida Gators | Southern Miss (9-5), @ Florida State (7-6) | | Texas | @ Ohio State (10-2) | | Southern Cal | Virginia Tech (10-3), Notre Dame (6-6) | | LSU | @ Arizona (2-10), | | Ohio State | @ Texas Tech (9-5), Washington St. (10-3), Cincinnati (7-7) |
There is something to be taken from the last 5 BCS champion. They all scheduled quality opponents from other BCS conferences. In this day and age of needing to almost go undefeated to make it to the championship game (except this year), schools are shying away from scheduling other BCS opponents taking the easy way out and paying for that easy W. This is why Coastal Carolina and Temple serves absolutely no purpose being on our schedule. If we win, great, no one outside of Happy Valley cares and there is not a chance in hell voters will move the Lions up the rankings for beating Coastal or Temple. If we lose however, oh, break out the ear-muffs because the laughter will be heard all the way from El Paso. So scheduling these useless matchups are not only unattractive to ticket holders, but is a no-win situation.
Recently some prominent alum have threatened to withdraw their contributions to Penn State if the two idiots who wore Virginia Tech victim costumes for Halloween were not expelled prompting the university to actually issue a memo asking the students to conduct an 'impromptu' show of support. It is not the irony of requesting an 'impromptu' show of support which interests me, but rather the fact that the administration felt compelled by the threat of the dollar that they actually responded. I hereby call upon alumni and graduating students to issue monetary threats against the school. If we see Coastal Carolina or Temple on the schedule next year, we will keep those dollars tucked away in our wallets instead of headed over to dear ol' State.
That'll make em listen. Money always talks. |
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 7:14 PM |
|
|
|
| We're moving on up... |
| Wednesday, December 12, 2007 |
Oregon State is coming to town next year replace Arkansas State. And no offense to the Indians but the Beavers are much more useful BCS computer stats wise, and competition wise for the Nittany Lions. Oregon State is (8-4), third in the Pac-10 behind only USC and Arizona State. The Indians are from the Sun Belt, is 5-7 and plays more directional schools than the SEC. So you can see how the Nittany faithful is overjoyed with the replacement even if its not a major opponent. Losing to Oregon State isn't exactly the same backbreaker as losing to a Sun Belt school. The Beavers did beat #2 Cal at Cal so they aren't exactly the pushovers people put them out to be.
Oregon State is 8-4 this season under Coach Mike Riley, finishing third in the Pac-10 standings with a 6-3 record. The Beavers won six of their final seven games, including a 38-31 overtime win over No. 17 Oregon in the Civil War, as well as a victory at then-No. 2 California. Oregon State is playing Maryland in the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 28. In 2006, Oregon State knocked off No. 3 Southern California en route to a 10-4 record, culminated by a 39-38 win over Missouri in the Sun Bowl.
 Now that would make 2 interesting opponents on the Lion's schedule next year. With the Beavers coming to town and the Syracuse Orange game scheduled, we just moved a few spots up the toughest schedule list. Don't feel too bad for Arkansas State. They replaced Penn State with Alabama which should be a much more even matchup.
Now how do we get Penn State to kick Coastal Carolina off our schedule next year? |
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 7:37 PM |
|
|
|
| Train Wreck watch |
| Tuesday, December 11, 2007 |
"I was only assisting them in their search for a coach. I have a great job at a wonderful place, a place that my family calls home. It's time that Michigan goes on with their search for a football coach. I'll say it again, I'm going to be the coach at LSU next season." Les Miles  Man, its almost getting sad to watch at this point. Its like the bad breakup between a desperate girlfriend and a guy who's moving on. You can kick, scream, cry and throw as many tantrums as you want, but its just not going to happen. Common Michigan, you missed your chance, and Les Miles clearly is in a better situation at LSU than returning to your mecca of Ann Arbor. It serves him no good, creates even more pressure, and your fans will drive him out faster than Lloyd Carr if he does not quickly return to the national championship. That IS why fans are deeming Les Miles as the next savior of Michigan football isn't it? Because he is back in the BCS national championship and Michigan is making their annual trip to 'We-lost-to-ohio-state-so-we-are-here.com' bowl. Its time to move on or actually pony up more money to entice coaches. This is like the ugly high school chick who thinks shes hot stuff and gets frustrated when there are no takers. Heres to seeing Appalachian State's coach at Michigan next year. |
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 3:26 PM |
|
|
|
| Inflated Egos |
| Monday, December 10, 2007 |
It took long enough, but someone out there had to finally say it. The football world does not revolve around Michigan football. Yes, they are important. Yes, they are one of the winningest programs out there, but just like how Notre Dame can completely disappear from the face of the earth like this year, the college football world can become even more exciting and flourish. Can you remember a season of more memorable games and exciting upsets in your lifetimes?
"if the guy from Rutgers turned it down, why can't Les?" Skip Bertman (LSU athletic director)  I can already see the hordes of Wolverine fans headed to their local hardware stores for pitch forks and torches, but you had to have seen this coming. Lloyd Carr might have voluntarily 'resigned' following the Ohio State loss, but even my grandmother can see he was basically forced out. There was no option A or B for him. To be the first ranked team to drop out of the polls in losing to a subdivision Appalachian State team was the first of many signs of the eventual resignation. It was the loss to Oregon however, that placed the nail in his coffin. There was no turning back, I would not be surprised if he gave his 2-months' notice following the Oregon loss to Michigan.
But this is exactly the problem with Michigan football. They believe they are the center of the college football universe. The only fans that might be even more pompous would be Notre Dame fans, and they are a whole different animal. It is one thing to want a victory, it is another to demand it. Even as we speak, Wolverine fans are flooding forums and blogs demanding Bill Martin's head for blotching the Les Miles situation. Not once, do most of them actually consider the possibility that Les Miles would have eventually stayed at LSU. Yes, I've read the rumors about backdoor gestures towards Michigan that went unreturned, but even that did not guarantee Les Miles on the next flight to Ann Arbor.
Michigan, like their fans exist in their own bubble of self glorification. Simply the word Michigan can evoke a smug grin on their faces. And because of it, they expected coaches to line around the block in the cold with resumes in hand dying for the new opening in this mecca of college football. But eventually, the cold hard truth has Wolverine fans dismayed and angry. Even the coach at Rutgers, whose only 3 bowl appearances are under the current head coach in its program's existence, has turned down the job Wolverine fans deemed unattainable by mere mortals. The process is only going to get tougher on these Wolverine traditionalists. Eventually the athletic department will realize, that the word Michigan is not as powerful as they believe and cold hard cash is the way to go if they expect to lure a big name coach from either the NFL or another football program. They better learn it quick or soon we will see Wolverine fans headed for the nearest ledge of the highest bridge. To hear their holy grail is actually just another ordinary goblet will lead to mass panic in Ann Arbor.
Hey, I know the critics will point out that Penn State's resounding 'Joe Must Go' chant was heard just as recently as 2 years ago, but they must realize that while those doing the chanting might be short sighted morons, they did have a valid point. Joe Paterno came off his second losing season in a row and 4 in 5 years at that point. Lloyd Carr has been the definition of stable success in the Big Ten. He might not have been able to win the 'big one' but ask Alabama, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Miami if they won't be happy to have the success Lloyd Carr has had prior to his resignation. If Lloyd Carr couldn't cut it, boy does the next Wolverines coach have his work cut out for him. |
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 5:58 PM |
|
|
|
| WE ARE! ... Ashamed! |
| Friday, December 7, 2007 |
 I did not intend to blog during the weekends, but recent events have not only disturbed me, but jolted me out of my weekend hiatuses.
 I could stomach football players making boneheaded decisions. Its definitely unacceptable, but not as sickening as the two idiots who dressed up as shooting victims from Virginia Tech for a Halloween Party. I refuse to post the images simply because they do not deserve further recognition. The two, a male (Nathan Jones) and female (Jessica M*), decided it would be a good idea to dress up as dead students from a massacre just as recently as last year. I have always deemed myself Penn State proud, but after finding out about these images in a phone conversation with someone in Boston who saw the images on television, I was starved for words. These two morons were unable to make the right decision a two year old could make when deciding to dress up as either the 'good guys' or the 'bad guys' for Halloween. I am ashamed to call them students at Penn State and understand any of the backlash that people around the country will soon shower upon this university. But do remember there are 90,000 of us. These two might not be the only idiots in town, but they are definitely not the majority. If I had my way, I would have them both expelled and tossed out on their rear ends in the freezing weather, but unfortunately 'free speech' gives them a wall to cower behind.
WE ARE! ... Ashamed!
*Updated (1/08/2008): I was contacted by Jessica with an apology to those affected and upset over the incident and parts of her email is posted. We at NittanyWhiteOut commend her for stepping up to the plate and apologizing for her actions. As 18-23 year olds, there is no doubt students make mistakes, some more evident than others, but it takes guts and courage to simply say "I'm sorry" which Jessica has done. We wish her the best of luck and time will heal all things.
Labels: offensive, penn state, virginia tech victims costume |
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 10:42 PM |
|
|
|
| Big Ten vs SEC : The North - South divide |
| Wednesday, December 5, 2007 |
 "Big 10 football is having a very down year, and they're living in the past to gain respect today." I've officially been accused of being a pompous Northerner despite growing up in the West. But that's for another day.
There has been numerous accusations about the Big Ten living in the past and not modernizing like the SEC is in terms of upgrading their middle to lower tier teams. Teams like Mississippi State and Kentucky, perennial punching bags early in the century have now risen to respectability in the SEC and because of the "you're as strong as you're weakest link" type of argument, the SEC must therefore be tough if their weakest teams are now mediocre.
But teams like Illinois and Indiana very much the equivalent of the Midwest version of Kentucky and Mississippi State for years have become bowl eligible for the first time in years with wins against ranked opponents. Illinois even came close to knocking off Missouri which was ranked number 1 entering the last weekend of the season. But you have to admit, Ohio State's drubbing by Florida last year definitely left a foul taste for the Big Ten in the rest of the country. With the Buckeyes almost running the table again this year, it only seemed to give critics more firepower because a team that was humiliated last year by Florida is once again dominating the conference up north.
That's understandable, but not ultimately not reasonable. Any of the Big Ten's strengths only appear to be weaknesses through those Southern beer goggle lenses. Buckeye fans can point to their top ranked defense, but will only be met with laughter from SEC fans who claim the Big East is slow and inept on offense leading to that inflated statistic. To claim that playing away at Washington, Spartan Stadium, Beaver Stadium under the lights and Michigan Stadium in a rivalry game and walking away with dominating victories is tough will lead to screams of blasphemy and how Death Valley, the Swamp, Neyland and Sanford stadium are so loud, they could blind deaf players. So honestly, who are we kidding here. You're better off convincing me to send my kids to Michael Jackson's summer camp than SEC superiority. Though, don't get me wrong, I have the most respect for the SEC other than the Big Ten. There is no conference outside this Northern-Southern bloc that even comes close, even during the years USC is paying the entire offensive line of the New England Patriots to play for them. How many fans are realistically excited about their bowl matchups against the Pac 10 or the Big 12. Yeah, wins against them would be great, but won't earn you as much pride and berate the other conference as much as the Big Ten - SEC matchups. Its just a shame these inter-conference matchups aren't scheduled more frequently during the regular season.
To claim the SEC is having a great year of parity is one thing, to berate the Big Ten and call them weak is another. They might not be as flashy on offense, or take Les Miles type risks on fourth down, but that is just a different brand of football, and not necessarily a worst one. The Big Ten and the SEC are not just two conferences, but two ways of life. The Northern conservatism and the Southern chest-thumping don't always see eye to eye. And that is what makes the intersectional bowl matchups so exhilarating. This is why the BCS works. Even if Michigan defeats Florida and Illinois gets pounded by USC, we shall never know who would win in a Florida - Illinois matchup. And what's more conducive in stirring far greater passion than uncertainty. And how is passion not great for college football?
|
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 10:24 PM |
|
|
|
| James Carville puts foot in mouth |
| |
 In an interview on ESPN concerning the BCS, James Carville (a political pundit and a LSU grad) had this to say:
"But the reason that we're watching Southern Cal and Illinois, a game which no one wants to see as opposed to Southern Cal and Georgia a game which everyone would want to see is because the Rose Bowl has to do the Big Ten thing because thats the only way the Big Ten can make money is by being in the Rose Bowl because nobody wants their stinkin' team after the champion" You might be the Democratic version of Karl Rove, and successfully put Bill Clinton into the White House, but you are a bone fide idiot in my book. When you say "nobody wants [their] stinkin' team after the champion", you do mean Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State, the biggest draws when it comes to national ratings and ticket sales right?
Just as we speak, Michigan and Florida sold out the Capital One bowl in less than 13 hours in the fastest sellout in the bowl's history. This remark came as Carville touched base on why the BCS should be eliminated for a playoff.
In 2005 Ohio State's Fiesta bowl drew a rating of 12.9, Penn State's Orange bowl game drew 12.3. Guess what Georgia's Sugar bowl drew? A whooping 9.0
In 2004 Michigan in the Rose bowl drew 12.4. The SEC's Auburn in the Sugar? Another eye popping 9.4
In 2002 Ohio State's national championship game drew 17.2, Iowa's Orange bowl game drew 9.7. SEC's representative Georgia drew an amazing 9.2 for the Sugar Bowl.
Get the trend Carville?
But no, as stubborn about the SEC as you are about the playoff, it is people like you who have stirred moderate fans from the Pac-10 to the Big East against this southern entrenchment of inbred ignorance. What if, and there a big if.. Hawaii (corrected by a commenter) wallops Georgia (which might not happen because of the huge letdown against Pitt) and Illinois wins the Rose Bowl against USC? Boy, you better have an apology prepared Carville. |
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 1:27 PM |
|
|
|
| Exposed |
| Tuesday, December 4, 2007 |
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"
| School | Number 1 | Number 2 | Voted his own school |
|---|
| Frank Beamer | Virginia Tech | LSU | Virginia Tech | 2 / 5 | | Mike Bellotti | Oregon | Ohio State | LSU | 25 / NR | | Bret Bielema | Wisconsin | Ohio State | Oklahoma | 13 / 15 | | Larry Blakeney | Troy | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | Bobby Bowden | Florida State | LSU | Ohio State | - / NR | | Tommy Bowden | Clemson | Ohio State | LSU | 14 / 16 | | Jeff Bower | S. Mississippi | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | Art Brines | Houston | LSU | Oklahoma | - / NR | | Mack Brown | Texas | Ohio State | LSU | 17 / 17 | | Bill Callahan | Nebraska | Ohio State | Oklahoma | - / NR | | Neil Callaway | Alabama at Birmingham | Ohio State | Georgia | - / NR | | Lloyd Carr | Michigan | Ohio State | LSU | 21 / NR | | Mario Cristobal | Florida Int. | LSU | Oklahoma | - / NR | | Mark Dantonio | Michigan St. | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | Butch Davis | North Carolina | LSU | USC | - / NR | | Bill Doba | Washington St | Ohio State | USC | - / NR | | Randy Edsall | U Conn | Ohio State | Georgia | 23 / NR | | Dennis Franchione | Texas A&M | Ohio State | USC | - / NR | | Phillip Fulmer | Tennessee | Ohio State | LSU | 14 / 18 | | Jeff Genyk | E. Michigan | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | Joe Glenn | Wyoming | LSU | Oklahoma | - / NR | | Jim Grobe | Wake Forest | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | Dan Hawkins | Colorado | LSU | Oklahoma | - / NR | | Pat Hill | Fresno State | LSU | USC | - / NR | | Steve Kranthorpe | Louisville | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | Mike Leach | Texas Tech | Ohio State | Georgia | 22 / NR | | Rocky Long | New Mexico | LSU | Ohio State | - / NR | | Sonny Lubrick | Colorado State | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | Bill Lynch | Indiana | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | Doug Martin | Kent State | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | Les Miles | LSU | LSU | Ohio State | 1 / 2 | | Shane Montgomery | Miami (Ohio) | Ohio State | Oklahoma | - / NR | | Hal Mumme | New Mexico State | Hawaii | Ohio State | - / NR | | Joe Novak | Northern Illinois | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | Houston Nutt | Arkansas | Ohio State | LSU | 17 / 24 | | Tom O'Brien | North Carolina State | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | George O'Leary | Central Florida | Ohio State | LSU | 17 / NR | | Gary Patterson | TCU | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | Chris Peterson | Boise State | Ohio State | LSU | 14 / 22 | | Mark Richt | Georgia | Ohio State | Georgia | 2 / 4 | | Mike Riley | Oregon State | Ohio State | LSU | 24 / NR | | Rich Rodriguez | W. Virginia | Ohio State | LSU | 8 / 9 | | Greg Schiano | Rutgers | Ohio State | Georgia | - / NR | | Howard Schnellenberger | Florida Atlantic | Ohio State | Kansas | - / NR | | Mark Snyder | Marshall | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | Frank Solich | Ohio | Ohio State | Oklahoma | - / NR | | Steve Spurrier | South Carolina | Oklahoma | LSU | - / NR | | Rick Stockstill | Middle Tennessee | Ohio State | Oklahoma | - / NR | | Bob Stoops | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | Ohio State | 1 / 3 | | Jeff Tedford | California | Ohio State | USC | - / NR | | Joe Tiller | Purdue | Ohio State | Oklahoma | - / NR | | Bob Toledo | Tulane | Ohio State | Georgia | - / NR | | Dick Tomey | San Jose State | Ohio State | LSU | - / NR | | Jim Tressel | Ohio State | Ohio State | LSU | 1 / 1 | | Tommy Tubberville | Auburn | LSU | Oklahoma | 19 / 21 | | Charlie Weis | Notre Dame | Ohio State | Georgia | - / NR | | Tyrone Willingham | Washington | Ohio State | USC | - / NR | | Ron Zook | Illinois | Ohio State | LSU | 9 / 13 |
The final ballot of the coaches poll is made public and that is how things should be. There should be no secrecy with the coaches ballot in my opinion. If you're part of the 60 voters of the coaches' poll that can eventually affect teams on the other side of the country, your ballot should be public throughout the year. There's only really one reason why the ballots would be kept secret. To save the coaches from humiliation. Think Ohio State's Jim Tressel wouldn't want to keep his final ballot for last year secret when he voted Florida ahead of Michigan?
The lone coach who voted for Hawaii was Hal Mumme of New Mexico State. Who gave HIM a ballot? Other than that, the votes weren't really all that surprising. Coaches tended to vote along conference lines: SEC coaches placed Georgia or LSU in their top two, sometimes both, Pac 10 coaches supported USC and Big 10 coaches didn't really have much of a choice with Ohio State awarding the buckeyes the top spot and LSU second. Then there was Frank Beamer who felt he deserved a shot at the buckeyes despite having lost horribly to LSU earlier in the season.
| On the Ball reward |
|---|
| Delta |
| | Jim Tressel (Ohio State) | 0 | voted the Buckeyes #1 and they were ranked #1 in the BCS | | Mack Brown (Texas) | 0 | voted his Longhorns #17 with a delta of 0 from the actual BCS poll. |
| Drank a little too much kool aid award |
|---|
| Delta |
| | Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech) | +3 | Thinks he deserves to leapfrog the LSU Tigers that dismantled them earlier in the season by voting himself #2 when in fact he was #5. | | Mike Bellotti (Oregon) |
| This one is even funnier, the Ducks that fell apart with the loss of their star quarterback getting shutout by UCLA (that lost to Notre Dame) and in overtime to Oregon State, still thinks he should be ranked #25 despite not making it in the top 25 of the BCS poll. | | Houston Nutt (Arkansas) | +7 | That was a nice win against LSU Nutt, but that doesn't make you #17 in the nation. BCS believes you are #24 and thats more reasonable. | | Chris Peterson (Boise State) | +8 | "Oh oh Livin' on a Prayer" A win against Oklahoma last year doesn't make you #14, 8 spots higher than your actual BCS ranking. Nice try for BCS eligibility (need to be in the top 14 to be eligible), but maybe next year. | | Ron Zook (Illinois) | +4 | Hey buddy, nobody and I mean NOBODY in the top 10 should lose to Iowa. The Ohio State win was nice, but so was Appalachian State's win against Michigan but you don't see them in the top 25, let alone the top 10. So nice try for #9 Ron, but try #13. |
| Tried for the brass ring but fell on my ass award (need to be in the top 14 to be BCS eligible) |
|---|
| Delta |
| | Bret Bielma (Wisconsin) | +2 | maybe you're new, or just trying to skirt the rules again. But getting dismantled by Illinois and Penn State means you shouldn't be BCS eligible. Try #15 instead Bret. | | Tommy Bowden (Clemson) | +2 | It might not be your father's year, but doesn't mean its yours either. Nice win against South Carolina though. | | Phillip Fulmer (Tennessee) | +4 | "I would like to go to the Rose Bowl. How about that?" Fulmer responded after being asked if there was a bowl he preferred. Well, you might not be going to the rose bowl, but losing the SEC championship shouldn't make you BCS eligible either, try #18 instead. Welcome back to the Outback bowl. | | Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) | +2 | Playoff this, playoff that, you didn't get the job done against Colorado or Texas Tech (far worse losses than LSU's), so enjoy yet another BCS bowl and try again next year. | | Mark Richt (Georgia) | +2 | Mark might have the most valid case of any coach to vote his team higher than the BCS standings indicate. There is no hotter team other than USC than Georgia at the moment, but doesn't that Tennessee loss sure sting now? Nice attempt at getting into the big game, but a bowl berth against W Virginia can be another statement for what could have been. | | Les Miles | +1 | Lucky things turned out the way they did Les. After this season, there might be no luckier coach in the nation than the one pacing the sidelines at LSU. A miracle catch to win against Auburn, 4 fourth-down conversions in one drive to win against Florida. To be able to reach the big dance after losing the number 1 spot TWICE in a season. Boy, you remember to take that rabbit's foot with you down to New Orleans. Or you could just have your wife drive it down to you the day of. |
Labels: bcs, coach's poll, final ballot |
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 7:39 AM |
|
|
|
| What were they drinking?! |
| Monday, December 3, 2007 |
The Big Ten will have their work cut out for them:
| | Big Ten team | Conf. Record (Conf. standing) | Opponent | Conf. Record (Conf. standing) |
|---|
| National Championship | #1 Ohio State | 7-1 (#1) | #2 LSU | 6-2 (#1 SEC West) | | Rose Bowl | #13 Illinois | 6-2 (#2) | #7 USC | 7-2 (#1 Pac 10) | | Capital One Bowl | Michigan | 6-2 (#3) | #12 Florida | 5-3 (#2 SEC East) | | Outback Bowl | #18 Wisconsin | 5-3 (#4) | #16 Tennessee | 6-2 (#1 SEC East) | | Alamo Bowl | Penn State | 4-4 (#5) | Texas A&M | 4-4 (#4 Big 12 South) | | Champs Sports Bowl | Michigan State | 3-5 (#7) | #14 Boston College | 6-2 (#1 ACC Atlantic) | | Insight Bowl | Indiana | 3-5 (#8) | Oklahoma State | 4-4 (#5 Big 12 South) | | Motor City Bowl | Purdue | 3-5 (#9) | Central Michigan | 6-1 (#1 MAC West) |
In the 8 bowl matchups involving the Big Ten, you can make the claim that Purdue is the only favorite to win their game. Ohio State, even though they are ranked #1 playing against #2 LSU is obviously the underdog playing the national championship in New Orleans (LSU's home away from home). Which idiot came up with that idea? Why don't we play the national championship next year in Cleveland instead? There is absolutely no way you can make the case that Ohio State is the favorite in any sense, way, shape or form going into that game.
Then take a look at the other matchups. Illinois plays USC in... lo and behold, Southern California at the Rose Bowl. This isn't exactly the Big Ten or the Pac 10's fault, they've been doing it for decades now, but my point being its also a home game for the Trojans who are on their A-game lately.
Then theres #18 Wisconsin facing #16 Tennessee in the South at the Outback bowl where the Volunteers lost last year to Penn State. Keep going through the list and you'll see unranked Michigan matched up against #12 Florida, Penn State against Texas A&M in... you guessed it, San Antonio, Texas. And theres the head scratcher of a matchup between below average Michigan State and #14 Boston College.
The only matchup I can see which would be favorable for the Big Ten is the Motor City Bowl where its the only matchup against a non-BCS foe. So can anyone explain to me how winning a good majority of our bowl matchups in the past is not a feat just in itself. There is nothing that will bring me more pleasure this post season than to watch Big Ten teams kick the SEC in the teeth in games they are clearly supposed to be underdogs in. No excuses, throw out the stats, shut those media types up once and for all and bring glory back to the north. |
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 5:23 PM |
|
|
|
| Bowl matchups |
| |
| ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac 10 | SEC | other |
|---|
| ACC | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | | Big 12 | 2 | - | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| | Big East | 1 | 1 | - | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | | Big Ten | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | 1 | 3 | 1 | | Pac 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 2 | | SEC | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 0 | - | 2 | | other | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 8 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 14 |
Anyone remember the Big East's perfect bowl record last year? Well they play no games against the Big Ten and none against the SEC. With only 5 bowl games, 2 of which are against non-BCS competition, its no wonder they have such polished bowl records.
The Big Ten plays 3 against the SEC this year (LSU, Florida, and Tennessee), the most between any two conferences. Last year the Big Ten won 2 out of 3 matchups against the SEC and yet those hard headed fans from the South point to the Big Ten's only loss by Ohio State to Florida as their holy grail of superiority. But you'll have better luck convincing SEC fans of evolution than their non-superiority.
| SEC East |
|---|
Georgia | 10-2 | Gets the SEC at-large BCS bid without even having won the division or playing in the SEC championship game. | Tennessee | 9-4 | Tennessee (#1 SEC East) gets beat by #12 Cal (Pac-10) ends up playing in the SEC championship game | Florida | 9-3 |
| Kentucky | 7-5 |
| South Carolina | 6-6 | South Carolina (#4 SEC East) loses to Clemson (ACC #2) yet beats Kentucky (which beat LSU) and Georgia (#1 SEC East). | Vanderbilt | 5-7 | Vanderbilt (#6 SEC East) lost to Wake Forest (ACC #2) yet beats South Carolina and loses to Tennessee by 1. |
| SEC West | LSU | 11-2 | Loses twice when they were number 1 to Kentucky (who lost to Mississippi State) and Arkansas (who lost to Alabama) | Auburn | 8-4 | Auburn (#2 SEC West) gets beat at home by South Florida (Big East) and ends up beating #4 Florida | Arkansas | 8-4 |
| Mississppi St | 7-5 |
| Alabama | 6-6 | Alabama (#3 SEC West) loses to Florida State (ACC #4) and loses to Louisiana-Monroe (Sun Belt #3) ends up beating Tennessee that played in the SEC championship game.
| Mississippi | 3-9 | Mississippi St (#3 SEC West) loses to West Virigina (Big East #1) yet beats Auburn, Kentucky and Alabama. |
The list goes on.
People will say parity, people will say the conference is so tough teams can't get through without a loss, but what makes the SEC so much harder than any other conference, when the intersectional matchups show that teams from the SEC are losing to teams from the Big East, Pac 10 and ACC. So clamor down, we are sick of hearing about Southern speed. Take the time you rant and rave about the SEC and actually educate your student athletes. How bout that? Its time for the intersectional bowl matchups to determine the cream of the crop. There are 3 chances for the Big Ten and the SEC to duke it out and SEC fans, I know math is tough. But if you lose 2 out of 3 like last year, even if the 1 game you won was the national championship, you still aren't tougher. 2 out of 3 is over 50 percent. Get a calculator for Christmas.
|
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 9:52 AM |
|
|
|
| BCS madness |
| Sunday, December 2, 2007 |
And the selections are officially in:
| Home | Away |
|---|
| National Championship | Ohio State | LSU | | Rose Bowl | Illinois | USC | | Sugar Bowl | Hawaii | Georgia | | Fiesta Bowl | Oklahoma | West Virginia | | Orange Bowl | Virginia Tech | Kansas |
No real surprise with the national championship game. Say what you want about LSU or Ohio State, but the fact of the matter is, they knew how the system worked and did things right. LSU played one of the toughest schedules and despite 2 losses, it was eventually that strength of schedule that propelled them in. Ohio State on the other hand might have used the backdoor into the title game, but they won and eventually luck propelled them in. Are they the two most deserving? Probably not. Are they the best teams? Possibly. But even before the BCS, a national championship required talent, wins, and most importantly luck. There was no shortage of that this season for Buckeye and Tiger fan.
And Penn State will be facing the Aggies of Texas A&M. That's a scary matchup for the Lions. Their secondary could barely hold on against Michigan State's aerial attack, just imagine the Aggie's high flying offense.
|
| posted by Nittany White Out @ 1:48 PM |
|
|
|
|
|