It's not just Yahoo! Sports that's covering the U$C situation... CBS' Dennis Dodd weighs in on the NCAA's investigation into both the basketball and football programs:
This is bad stuff. The USC football team won national championships in 2003 and '04 and has finished in the top four every other year from 2002-08. Accusations like the ones against Bush -- made on the record, by the way, by a former friend of Bush -- call into question the entire dynasty. If the Trojans couldn't be bothered to sniff out the cheating that helped keep Bush on campus, what else happened inside Pete Carroll's program?
In Carroll's defense, he hasn't been accused of any of this cheating. He has shown unbelievably bad judgment, once pranking his team by pretending that LenDale White jumped off a nearby building and also allowing notorious alum O.J. Simpson to attend practice. So he has made light of suicide and homicide. But Carroll hasn't done this. He hasn't been accused, on the record, of paying off a player. That's the worst, and the dumbest, kind of cheating imaginable -- and that's what Tim Floyd is said to have done.
Add it up, and you have a brutal accusation against the USC basketball coach and damning accusations against the biggest USC football star in years. The NCAA's response, after opening separate investigations into both programs, has been to roll them into a single, program-wide look at USC athletics. The NCAA is looking for the dreaded "lack of institutional control," and the NCAA is going to find it.
This is cartoon stuff, the massive, two-sport improprieties being investigated at USC. This is Todd Bozeman meets Bobby Bowden. This is one coach being accused of outright cheating, and another coach being accused of not knowing, or wanting to know, the cheating happening with his players.
This is the most scandalous athletic program of this era. And that's saying something. So the question to ask right now is not this one: Who should be fired at USC?
The question is this:
Who shouldn't?
Yes, it's time to start thinking about the worst. The investigation into USC football (and basketball) took another ugly turn this week when Yahoo! Sports reported hoops coach Tim Floyd might have greased the palm of an O.J. Mayo runner.
The headlines scream Floyd. The drumbeats are foreshadowing disaster for the school's franchise sport. The NCAA recently lumped both cases together, making Troy a one-stop shop for the infractions committee. So when you think Floyd, think football, too.
You wonder when it will be time for the BCS fathers to consider ripping that 2004 national championship. If the allegations are true, Bush was competing while ineligible during the 2005 Orange Bowl, won by the Trojans 55-19 over Oklahoma. If the NCAA forfeits (or vacates) victories, it isn't going to stop at the regular season. But when it comes to bowls, all it can do is take away the wins, because I-A football is the only sport for which the NCAA doesn't stage a championship.
The NCAA already has put one of its toughest investigators, a bulldog named Rich Johanningmeier, on the USC cases. Johanningmeier started in 1986, has been sued (in the messy Alabama case) and, at least in some corners, is feared.
"Some of those guys if they find a locked door, they just go on home," said a coach whose program came close to the death penalty in a case headed by Johanningmeier. "This guy goes to the next door."
The case has the smell of lack of institutional control. That's an NCAA violation that is both major and cryptic. The association can go different directions in dropping the hammer. The vibe coming from the football side has long been that Bush was a rogue agent, acting on his own by taking cash, a house for his parents and bad advice from would-be agents.
It's getting to the point where it might not matter whether coaches knew of Bush's cash grab. The NCAA might determine USC should have known, that it had to keep better tabs on one of your best players. Remember when Dwayne Jarrett was getting sweetheart deal on his rent while living with Matt Leinart?
"I think USC has them a problem," the same coach said.
Bush's case has been lingering for three years in and out of the spotlight. The latest report gave us an idea of what the NCAA is thinking.
Yahoo! Sports is reporting what we've speculated about for a while- Heisman trophey winner Reggie Bush and his family may have accepted more than $100,000 in benefits while he was playing for the Trojans.
Check out the results of the 8 month investigation here: Cash and Carry
Things to note:
These were benefits from sports agents, and not directly related to USC (boosters, etc.)
Some of the things documented are kind of mickey mouse (limousine rides, etc.), and (in my opinion) are an understandable but stupid part of the NCAA's regulations
If true, USC might have to forfeit every game that Bush played in; including both (one) of the national championship(s)
If true, Bush may lose his Heisman
If true, USC may be placed under sanctions (yeah, right...)
I'm wondering if ESPN will give this story the same type of coverage that tOSU gets every time MoC makes another stupid decision. Given that they just spent a whopping 15 seconds on it during SportsCenter, I'm not hopeful.
More as it develops.
UPDATE- There may be a direct USC connection after all... I missed this in the first reading
Also, (running back coach Todd) McNair allegedly knew of Bush's involvement with the New Era venture before last season's national championship game against Texas, according to two sources. And at one point during the 2005 season, sources say Bush thought that Carroll knew about his parents' living arrangement and feared he was going to conduct his own investigation.
New information released today indicates that there may be audio tape recordings that might provide incriminating information on this matter. These tapes were made by the agent who allegedly provided benefits to Bush and his family in order to secure his investment.
Waaaay back in January, we were covering the "Reggie Bush Situation", where allegations were made regarding the former USC star and Heisman Trophy winner received (or his family received) benefits while he was in college.
Let me be clear- this is not "financial aid", but money and other things based solely on his athletic ability; particularly with the hopes that Reggie would return the favor once he went pro. ESPN has another update today, stating that Bush (and family) received $280k while he was a student.
Here's my take (for what it's worth):
If Bush took the money, U$C should forfeit games and he should have to give up the Heisman (which Vince Young won on the field anyway).
If U$C coaches knew about this, there should be NCAA Sanctions against the program. These sanctions are not fair, as they punish student athletes who had nothing to do with the violation. These sanctions will not happen, or if they do, they won't be significant. This is because U$C is the only major program west of Denver, and there's too much national television revenue that would be lost if they were significantly impacted.
There's precedent for this: the University of Miami should have been given the "Death Penalty" for the levels of egregious behavior on and off the field, but were instead given a lighter set of sanctions which allowed them to continue to play (and benefit television executives). Oklahoma should have also received these types of sanctions recently and in the past, as should others.
But it's not going to happen, for the same reason there's not going to be a Division 1A ("Bowl Subdivision") playoff- Money.
On Friday, one of the two partners in the sports marketing agency meets with the NCAA to discuss these allegations. While some believe that this is only an attempt to get Bush to pay up and settle, there are those that see this as bing a crucial part of the lawsuit- publicity on the entire situation.
In another article, we also get some answers about what's taking so freaking long. Other institutions have had allegations turn into sanctions relatively quickly; this has gone on for about a year. Part of this is because Bush and his agents settled earlier with the other partner of New Era Sports- a settlement that included prohibition to speak with the NCAA. Remember, the NCAA has no official power to subpoena witnesses in these types of "internal" matters, but they can access documents and statements from other legal proceedings.
So, unless Bush (and/or U$C- don't think that they don't have an investment in this process) finds a way to settle this financially by Friday, we're going to hear an awful lot more about it.
Not that I have any vested interest in seeing the Trojans on probation.
What makes KSU and USC different than UCO? Well, they're Division 1 (Bowl subdivision), and generate revenue for the NCAA via television contracts.
In case you'd forgotten...
Update: If you think I'm being selective or myopic about the NCAA's sanctioning history, you should read through the list here: The silly and the serious
I'm not surprised that the famous "USC Song Girl" was on the list of students who's grades are in question- she doesn't seem like the brightest bulb, if you know what I mean. I also wonder if that's where Reggie Bush took his ethics class??
If your definition of "normal" was a week where six road teams won, and there was only one "sure thing" on the picks board, then this week is for you.
We start our review with the end of an era. Yup, it happened- Mich1gAAn played a team with a defensive pulse and lost. Although, the MAChigan State Spartans did their best to "Sparty" it (Midwestern version of "Couging" it for our Pac 10 readers), giving away a 14 point lead in the final quarter. MSU's second consecutive victory over "The Victors" came due to outgaining their "big brothers" 417 to 251 yards, including 197 to 28 on the ground. Here's a video of the winning score in overtime, in case you're teaching a clinic in tackling sometime soon:
Yeah, just do the opposite of that and your team will be fine. At least the Spartans get to go home with an ugly trophy.
Elsewheres in "teams I wish would disappear", the "It's Ty Willingham's Fault" bowl also went to overtime, as Notre Ame beat Washington. A couple of weeks ago, Charlie Weis complained about the officials in their loss to TTUN. Four years ago, Domers complained about U$C's illegal play when someone paid Reggie Bush to push Matt Leinart into the end zone. Well, it looks like the complaints ... uh... prayers have been answered:
Yes, the Irish won, but there were other shenanigans as well. Several receptions were borderline traps, and the last play of the game should have been a double personal foul for leading with the helmet:
The kid was unconscious before he hit the turf... watch his arms. If this type of thing warrants league suspension (and I think it should), then certain "independent" teams should be held accountable by the NCAA. But, we all know that's not going to happen, and now Lou Holtz gets to talk about Clausen as a Heisman candidate. Call me when they beat a team with a winning record and play someone with a defensive pulse (see 4CA, Tate).
For the record, MAChigan State, Mich1gAAn, and Notre Ame have split the series against each other. That's a little like this, only you'd need to replace the steak with a sweaty sock that no one cares about.
Finally, in my "axe to grind" department we head to the balmy climes of South Florida for the Choklahoma match up with the Hurricanes. Granted, the Sooners didn't have their QB (get well soon, Bradford), but that doesn't explain managing to only go into the half up by three when the first two series Miami runs ended in interceptions. As expected, Miami won 21-20, and the uproar that "Miami's Back!" was heard throughout Army Surplus stores across the country.
Wisconsin beat Minnesota for yet another inane Big T1e1n trophy. Make up your mind- Bunyan in Michigan or Wisconsin or Minnesota... Sheesh
Ohio State beat Indiana without any sort of officiating assistance. You know, the one that went for 400+ on Mich1gAAn? Yeah, try 228, even missing our defensive captain and with a lot of young players getting reps. Oh, and there were passes to the tight end and a TD pass to a freshman fullback- the first fullback reception since 2001. Trust me, it's more rare than seeing Coach Mangino say "nope" at the Old Country Buffet.
Virginia woke up to beat North Carolina. Ralph Sampson must have eligibility left.
Both Oregon schools won, and TCU continues to be undefeated. If it matters.
Texas, Kansas, Florida were off. Brett Favre is still unretired.
Small schools: Anderson dropped a road loss to Hanover, Humbolt handled Azusa, Southern Nazarene defeated tasty, tasty Bacone. Westminster beat HINU 47-14.
In "The League"- Paula returns, Ben flakes, and Dan Williams keeps his name at the top of the scoreboard.
Seriously, I looked at this week's slate of games and basically flipped a coin. Great job by those of you who finished above 500.
Paula, looks like you haven't lost your touch. Doug? You know you can pick well and not jinx TCU, right?
A lot of folks tied up in the middle- Jeff's picks are after two weeks, so he's not there yet.
Nice name change, Matt- now what was that you were saying about beating Michael?
This week, there are a number of great games to watch, starting with Nebraska at Missouri on Thursday night. Saturday's showdowns include a battle of the top teams in the Big T1e1n, as Wisconsin comes to Columbus. Florida and LSU also square off in a "battle for the most mullets" between two top 5 programs. State Penn eats another cupcake, Sparty and the Zooks try to see who can lose first, and Georgia Tech looks for a way to get Bobby Bowden finally fired. Although, you can't fire someone who's undead... explains the Gators' decisions earlier this week.
Small schools- Southern Naz travels to Southwestern Baptist, APU hosts Southern Oregon, and the Fighting Ravens welcome Mt. St. Joseph's for homecoming (or as I call it- "no way am I setting foot on that campus" weekend).
Obscure game of the week: Just a quick "thank you" to our men in uniform, as we highlight the United States Merchant Marine Academy as they travel to play Worcester Tech in a Division Three match up.
Founded in 1947 and located in Kingsport New York, the USMMA strives to train men and women in order to keep our national oceanographic commerce lines running smoothly and safely. Mariner athletes can rest assured that their endeavors will move toward their recognition as a class, as will their ability to create and maintain a well polished binnacle. I have no freaking idea what that means.
One of several colleges in Worcester Massachusetts, Worcester Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1865 with the goal of being a place "where science and technology meet real world problems". That's good, but I'd be interested in seeing if a full beer bottle or empty one would do more damage in a bar fight. That's the type of research I want from a prestigious institution. It doesn't seem like a good place to be a freshman or find a spouse, and I couldn't find anything about students hitting the sauce. The athletic teams are called the "Engineers", although the "Rockets" might also be appropriate.
No update next week- I'll be busy in Yosemite trying not to get killed. See you in two!!
Three years of probation to be added to the institution's current two-year probationary period,
Reduction by one of the number of scholarships in men's basketball for the 2009-10 academic year from the NCAA maximum limit of 13 to 12. (Self-imposed by the university)
Reducing the number of off-campus contact and evaluation recruiting opportunities in men's basketball during the 2009-10 academic year by 15. (Self-imposed by the university)
Reducing the number of occasions in which men's basketball student-athletes may be supervised by strength and conditioning staff to no more than two per week. This is a reduction of 28 opportunities that generally are conducted May-August. (Self-imposed by the university.)
Vacation of wins in which involved men's basketball student-athletes competed during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons; and the vacation of the individual records of the student-athletes and record of the former men's basketball coach.
Violations:
impermissible presence of men's basketball coaching staff members during summer strength and conditioning activities
impermissible observation of out-of-season pick-up games
impermissible extra benefits: one in the amount of $239, and the other when the former assistant coach drove a student-athlete 171 miles from campus (allegedly to see his newborn baby)
"One of our mottos is, a relentless pursuit of competitive advantage in everything we do," Carroll said Thursday.
Um, Pete, that attitude is exactly what has landed USC in trouble.
"We're not in trouble," Carroll said.
Yes, you are. By college sports definition, any time NCAA investigators are hanging around, you are in trouble.
They showed up for the Reggie Bush stuff, and apparently they are going to stay for the Pete Rodriguez stuff, this special teams consultant who admitted he attended USC practices, which is a direct violation of those stupid rules.
And yet, we've only heard crickets from the NCAA. Anyone surprised?
Today, word came out that the Memphis Tiger will be force to vacate all of their victories in the record setting 2007-2008 season; which saw them lose in the NCAA finals to Kansas in overtime.
This sanction was a result of shady doings around their one-and-done guard Derrick Rose (now with the Chicago Bulls). It was revealed that his participation with Memphis was tainted by corrupt SAT scores, and that his brother in law received $1700 in travel benefits.
"... the university is on heightened review," Dee said of the probation. "Probably the most important thing about probation is once a school goes on probation, if they commit another major violation within five years they are subject to a special review and substantially harsher penalties."
Interestingly enough, the investigation took all of about eight months. Or, in other words less than half the time that they've been investigating the Reggie Bush situation at U$C.
Here's the difference between Memphis and U$C's situations: Memphis is just a small program in a small conference; and there's no NCAA television revenue from Memphis basketball (the tourney's revenue comes in no matter who's playing).
U$C is the only major football power west of Texas, in the highest revenue sport in the land, a sport that the NCAA has been unable to show any ability to effectively manage (see postseason, or lack there of).
If Memphis got a slap on the wrist, ain't nothing happening to U$C. Like I've said before, someone owes Abilene Christian an explanation.
This week, Abilene Christian received NCAA probation for various violations, including violation of victories and a two year probationary status for their football program.
I'll just point out that it's a typical response by the No Clue At All- Reggie Bush's investigation still flounders. As I said in the comment's of Mike's blog- If ACU was Division 1 and generated television revenue via the BC$ or March Madne$$, there would merely be a slap on the wrist for "secondaryviolations"
Seriously. It's going to get ugly, and nothing is worse than denial and oblivion with scandal. Just own up, 'Kay? We'll forgive you (as long as U$C gets penalized).
Audio recordings that allegedly establish an improper financial relationship between former USC running back Reggie Bush and a would-be sports marketing agent were played for NCAA investigators this week, sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Yahoo! Sports also has learned that the NCAA requested and has been given phone records of USC officials, including coaches, as part of the investigation.
Just say you cheated, dude. We'll still love you (if you run for touchdowns).
The University of Michigan football team consistently has violated NCAA rules governing off-season workouts, in-season demands on players and mandatory summer activities under coach Rich Rodriguez, numerous players told the Free Press.
Players on the 2008 and 2009 teams described training and practice sessions that far exceeded limits set by the NCAA, which governs college athletics. The restrictions are designed to protect players’ well-being, ensure adequate study time and prevent schools from gaining an unfair competitive advantage.
Did you catch that last part? An "unfair competitive advantage" can be had if these guidelines are not followed. Just think, TTUN could have finished 0-12, but they achieved an unfair advantage to go 3-9.
So, what will happen?
If the NCAA investigates and concludes that U-M willfully and repeatedly broke the rules, the NCAA could find major violations. That could trigger probation, loss of scholarships and loss of practice time.
Michigan, which has won more games than any program in college football history, has never been found guilty of major violations in football.
For those of you newbies (Where in the heck did you come from???) each week, I'll post a quick summary of the ins and outs, and will update both the weekly and overall scores. I also (as you can see) put things here during the week that relate to college sports, and welcome comments and content. Please use the comments section- if not, it will just be Michael, and you know how that gets.
Also- I'm posting "Roll Call"- please comment and add your information so people can know who they're up against, since we have such a large crowd. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with some nickname, and who wants that?
Well… we’ve officially kicked off for both the Pick-em season and the high holy days that are college football! Pretty successful and exciting week, especially if you’re a Nebraska Fan from Malibu… but more on that later.
Not all was well, however- Vanderbilt made Michigan look, well, ‘Michigan-like’, but could not pull out a win. Arkansas fans found out that their hopes for “this year” should start AFTER they play USC- although they were 20 points closer at home. As much as they tried, Kentucky couldn’t figure out the three point line in their game against Louisville- although literalist Michael Bush was obviously told to “break a leg” to start his senior season. FloridaState won, but Miami lost! Also, as much as it pains me to say it, Notre Dame won… What can you do against the Holy See? But, Colorado.... snicker... lost to a Division 1-AA school.
Fun Fact: Arkansas/Tennessee/Auburn defeated USC/Cal/WSU 89 to 82 in the SEC/Pac 10 clash. Minus the USC scores, it’s 75 to 32. Trojan football- money well spent. Who do they play next??? Looking at our league, Carrie was PERFECT! And I'm not just saying that becuse she's cute- she went 10-0 for what may only be the fifth time in the history of this "league". Here's how everyone ended up:
Points
Lots and lots of Shikes at the top of the list, but not the usual suspects. Annual challenger Dan and recently unretired Janie are in the lower echelons... perhaps that will change, perhaps the tide has turned.
Let's look at our other scores- picks percentages (for those who think that the whole confidence points things is too close to gambling and don't want to stumble...)
Next up- Most of our teams are continuing their tour of force, playing the highest caliber opponents. Nebraska hosts NichollsState (home of the Colonels), and Washington plays Oklahoma (If UW loses, they can still get jobs selling cars...). The SEC sees Auburn and MississippiState squaring off, as well as the Commodores and the Crimson Tide That's Also An Elephant meeting (was there even a commodore in Crimson Tide? I know it was about boats).
As an aside- what is it with Alabama people? Can't you choose a mascot? Crimson Tide/Elephant, Tigers/War Eagle, Blazers/Dragons... Don't get greedy, just settle on one. Please.
Back to the update- TCU wages against the mighty UC Davis Aggies, while the real Aggies will see Lousiana-Lafayette visit College Station. USC prepares for Nebraska with an off weekd, and Arkansas is guaranteed not to lose. Hooray!
Anderson squares off in Greencastle against the DePauW (Not DePauL, from Chicago- this one is Dan Quayle's alma mater. Proud...). Remember this fact in a couple of weeks when I rant about the Monon Bell game.
Huge games this week- Penn State travels to South Bend to face Notre Dame, which is a sure win for ND. If PSU wins, Joe Pa (a devout catholic) will surely be thinking about how this might impact his soul's future (look, he';s 114- you'd think about death too.)
In Austin, the "I can't believe I had tickets to this one and didn't go" game- #3 Texas hosts #5 Ohio State (Yes, I know they're number one... I don't believe they deserve it). If you don't watch this one, you don't love college football. Or Jesus.
Small college game of the week- In the NAIA, we go back to the homeland, where Urbana University plays Central State University in the Dayton Classic, held in Welcome Stadium on the UD campus. Urbana University's most well known alumni is my mom; this institution holds a loose affiliation with the Swedenborgian General Convention of the Church of the New Jerusalem in the United States of America. With a group that philosophically focusing on the afterlife, Urbana's students should be proud of their school spirit.
Central State, on the other hand, is a traditionally African American institution in Wilberforce Ohio. Famous Marauders include Vince Buck, Erik Williams; and the program is just being reinstated after cuts due to budget concerns.
Don't forget to "Roll Call"- and get your picks in...
For all of my Southern California friends who have already forgotten about football (see last post), let me point out a couple of "things" about the great USC team and my favorite squadron, by looking at common opponents.
This post is dedicated to my friend Trevor Schultz, who used to send me an email this time every year letting me know how the worst team in the nation had a claim to the title... "A beat B, who beat C, who beat D...."
Onto the rambling:
USC Offense vs. tOSU Offense. Common Opponent- Notre Dame (a road game for USC/OSU)
OSU offensive stats vs. ND: Passing- 342 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT Rushing- 275 yards, 2 TDs Total Offense- 617 yards, 34 points (and it should have been more) USC offensive stats vs. ND: Passing- 301 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INT (fo Rushing- 175 yards, 4 TDs (including the "Bush Push" to save the game) Total Offense- 476 yards, 34 points USC Defense vs. tOSU Defense. Common Opponent- Texas (a home game for USC/OSU- yup, I count the Rose Bowl as a USC home game)
Texas offensive stats vs. OSU: Vince Young Passing- 18/29 for 270 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INT Vince Young Rushing- 20 carries, 76 yards, 0 TDs Texas Total Offense- 382 yards, 25 points Texas offensive stats vs. USC: Vince Young Passing- 30/40 for 267 yards, 0 TDs Vince Young Rushing- 19 carries, 200 yards, 3 TDs Texas Total Offense- 556 yards, 41 points
And Pete Carroll is a "Defensive Guru". Like Charlie Weis is an offensive guru, I guess.
This was the best set of BCS games ever. Bar none. Not that we still couldn't use a playoff (in spite of what the new coordinator says), but these four games were amazing!
Here are some thoughts about each, without corporate sponsorship:
Fiesta Bowl: OhioState 34, Notre Dame 2o
Really nothing to say here- I'm still grinning. One piece of frustration (other than Brent Musberger)... I found out the day after the game that 1) tickets were going for $50 a pair (seems Notre Dame couldn't sell their allotment and there were a ton of extras- tell me again why they have an automatic BCS bid?) and 2) I have a student whose parents live 5 miles from the stadium that I could have stayed with. Dang, dang, dang, dang...
Thanks to Fox Sports' coverage of the NFL, we have two annoying features to cherish during the bowl season: 1) Aggressive promos of network shows (commercials and in-game tie ins... Kevin Pinkham is the master of these), and 2) The following progression: TD/Extra point/commercial break/kickoff/commercial break. Seriously, do we need more commercial breaks? I haven't been so exasperated since the dawn of the "stay tuned for more /commercial break/show credits/commercial break/new show intro/commercial break" era. Ladies and gentlemen, the blessing that is DVR.
The good news is that Fox Sports gets ALL of the BCS next year (except the Rose Bowl), including the new fifth game (played on January 8- you're telling me a playoff would take to long?). I wonder how much the BCS will fall out of favor once ESPN/ABC get off of the bandwagon and can start blasting it on air.
Sugar Bowl: West Virginia 38, Georgia 35.
Most surprising game that no one watched... Georgia was heavily favored in front of a home crowd, no one (including me) took the "Big Least" champion Mountaineers seriously, and then WVU goes out to a 28-0 lead in the early second quarter. The Dawgs come roaring back to make it a game, and WVU wins by faking a punt on 4th and 5 at the Georgia 48 with 1:45 to go in the game. Faking a punt. HUGE guts, that Rich Rodriguez. Almost as huge as Florida faking a punt on 4th and 2 at their own 17.
While I thought WVU had a great game, I wasn't impressed with their team. Their offense essentially spreads the field so they can run with their QB, and even their punt team has the same philosophy (until someone finally rushes the punter... dead punters usually end experiments with spread punts).
Nevertheless, they proved that they deserved to be there, in spite of all of the haters...
"How many innocent people will have to go to jail?" Well, I can think of one, for the crime of overacting.
I didn't get to see this three overtime thriller (too busy watching OklahomaState kick the crap out of Pepperdine in basketball), but I was torn throughout. I wanted PennState to lose so tOSU could rise in the polls, but a PSU win would bolster the Big T1e1n's record in bowls. Nonetheless, it was interesting that this went until 1:00 AM eastern, well after the coaches should have been in bed (after their 3:00 dinner and Matlock at 4:00).
Funny that it came down to kicker issues, given the history. Both of these (all time winningest) coaches have lost huge games because of missed field goals and extra points. "When karmas collide- tonight on ABC"
As another aside, it was sad to see PennState's linebacker Posluszny injure his knee. Speaking of karma; how is this guy the best linebacker in college while AJ Hawk is the defensive player of the year for the Big T1e1n and an award winner for the top interior lineman in the country (both over Posluszny). I guess the 'Linebacker U' tag is good for extra credit.
Again, another home game for one of the teams. In fact, three of the four bowls were home games... and you wonder why Florida and California schools are successful. They have great weather for year round practice (at every level- Pop Warner to college), and get home games in January. I'd love to see a bowl in Lambeau or in Soldier Field; but the closest we get is the BoiseIdaho bowl game.
"He's an all pro receiver, but this week Jerry Rice begins his most difficult challenge... on Dancing with the Stars" You're kidding, right? That's tougher than going across the middle against Steve Atwater? Rose Bowl: Texas 41, USC 38. whoops... Vince Young 41, USC 38.
And yes, my brother called it. This was the best BCS championship game ever. The OSU win means more to me, but this was a better game.
Vince Young is a man. M.A.N. He exists to deliver touchdowns the way cake exists to deliver icing. And yet, some NFL idiot will draft him low and try to make him a wide reciever.
Reggie Bush not only wasn't the best player on the field, he wasn't even the best player on his own team. LenDale White was unstoppable last night... it would be hard to pick between the two if I wasn an NFL GM. Do you want consistancy and durability or flash and sizzle? 5 yards every carry, or a lot of short gains with the possibility of ripping off a huge one? Again, this is why I'm not writing for ESPN.com.
For the record, USC has 1.5 championships and not 2, and I can't believe that the BCS committed ABC/ESPN networks kept propogating this lie- LSU won the BCS championship two years ago, while USC won the AP poll (the "we hate the BCS and will always vote for another team if possible because we're sportswriters who like to be important once a year" award).
A call from my friend Troy confirmed what I believed last night- Pete Carrol (and USC) were just too arrogant. Two fourth and 2 situations and you don't put the Heisman Trophy winner in at all? You're up by 12, and you (and everyone in the free world) know that Vince Young will be running the ball for the rest of the game, and you can't/don't come up with a plan to stop him? I'm glad I'm not the only person who thinks this.
I was really nervous that we would have "the big one" last night- a mega earthquake triggered by all of Southern California jumping off of the USC bandwagon. These people really do not deserve good athletics- all of the pro teams that they have in LA started somewhere else and moved here, and they've managed to lose two NFL franchises. Realistically, I understand this completely- there's too much else to do here. But be honest about that instead of acting like you're the best sports town ever when one of your teams starts to do well. With all of my students who were "pumped" about the game last night, only 10% of them could name more than three players on USC. Ah well...
The few true USC fans that I do know are still griping about the missed call that gave Texas a TD (Vince Young's knee was down) and the fumble/incomplete pass. Here are my responses: 1) What about the interception and fumble that wasn't reviewed and that Texas didn't get (to deprive USC of a score- DB caught the ball, landed on his back, fumbled out of bounds)? 2) What about other subjective calls (LenDale White's constant facemasking of defenders, the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he should have received for high stepping into the end zone, etc.)? 3) That call didn't cost you the game- your inability to play defense and convert fourth downs in the fourth quarter did. It's like the Nebraska game- the last play didn't give Michigan the loss, their 11 point choke did. Same for the Trojans, just make it a 12 point choke.
Given that USC was the "third greatest team ever" (according to ESPN), and they weren't even the greatest team this year , what does that say about the level of college football we've gotten to see this year? I believe it will be difficult to top it... Unless the Buckeyes win it all next year.
Well, every bit of hype was lived up to this week... seven amazing games, and several that came down to the wire.
If you weren't glued to your couch watching football this weekend, well, you probably were not in our apartment. Or if you were, you were Carrie. I think the "separation" comes on Sunday- when I'm finally separated from the remote control.
Let's relive the memories, shall we?
This week's version of the "Can they both lose?" game had Michigan kicking the holy stew out of Notre Dame in South Bend (no, 'Holy stew' is not an official Catholic meal- as far as you know). Even though I picked the Irish, it was a good win for a couple of reasons:
The Big T1e1n has now beaten the #2 team at home for two consecutive weeks
Perhaps now everyone will stop acting like Charlie Weiss is a genius (0-3 against top 5 teams)
Perhaps now everyone will get off of the "Brady Quinn, Heisman Trophy Winner" bandwagon (best quote, from Troy, "If he's a Heisman frontrunner, then I'm obviously good enough to be the backup for Detroit." Actually, given the Lions, this may be true...)
Makes it all the more likely that THE GAME will be for all the marbles, with 2 top ranked teams. The way it should be.
Iowa defeated IowaState for the legendary Cy-Hawk trophy. Oh, and a lifetime supply of CarHartt hats. The Clemson and FSU (Bowden Bowl) match up proved once and for that- well, nothing really. They'll play again next year. FSU lost, but got over 100 yards rushing, bringing their three game total to 148 yards. Wow. Oh, and the newfangled clock rules played a part in this one, too.
In the Clemson-FSU game mentioned above, after the Tigers scored and kicked off (the clock running on the kick now, not when it's fielded), Bowden had to use a time out just to be able to get his team on the field in order to attempt a miracle Hail Mary. This should never be the case. This rule has got to go. (HT: M-Zone)
Miami and Lousiville proved that Miami is still Miami (stay classy, Hurricanes), and that Lousiville is for real. Really. Either way, the Hurricanes lost 31-7. Downside? Now they'll start looking for a new coach to bring them back to the way they were. Yeah, that's a good idea... do 202 yards of panealties in the 1991 Cotton Bowl sound like what you're looking for?
Over on the Outdoor Life Network (seriously- they have the Mountain West contract), Texas Tech and TCU met for a classic match up of, well, I'm not sure. Maybe a match up of "Teams who have Texas in their names but haven't won a national championship". Anyway, Doug's frogs won 12-3, and Tech Coach Mike Leach still looks like Vince Gill. OLN went back to televised duck hunting immediately afterwards. Too bad Doug forgot to make his picks and take advantage of his alma mater's superiority.
The SEC had Tennessee and Florida battling down to the wire yet again, with the Hators prevailing 21-20 in the waning seconds in Knoxville. Vol faithful took the loss in stride, though, knowing that the team could go back to their jobs as dreamsicle salesmen on Monday. (HT: Dan Common)
Los Angeles survived the invasion from Husker Nation, and saw a great game of football. Ultimately, USC triumphed 28-10, but it was a much closer game than many imagined. In fact, the only questions remaining after the game were:
Do you think the Nebraska Alumni association will forgive everyone but Amanda, Janie, and Carrie for picking against the Huskers? (8 points, Terry?)
In "Games that only we care about", Syracuse defeated the "Zooks" (not fighting at all) at home 31-21, in a battle of members of ESPN.com's Bottom 10. Ouch. aTm defeated Army, UW beat Fresno State on a blocked extra point, Arkansas also squeaked by Vandy in Nashville, and Kentucky won. At least Vandy and Illinois didn't lose to a 1-AA school *cough Indiana cough* You'd think their coach had brain damage or something.... Oh. Sorry.
In our Small Schools update, the Quakers came out fighting and defeated Anderson 32-24, in spite of a late Raven rally including an onside kick recovery (great job, special teams coach). Azusa fell 27-7 to Wisconsin Whitewater, while ACU won 51-14. Savage Storm, indeed.
But in the midst of a weekend of highlights live controversy... first for our friends in stripes.
LSU/Auburn ("War Tiger!") ended up being an amazing finish, and would have been settled much earlier if AU defensive backs would wrap rather than just lowering a shoulder. Nonetheless, the late call (or no call) on the tipped pass/pass interference cost LSU a greater opportunity to win. Frustratingly, replay was used, and did not help do what it was designed to do.
In Eugene, there were not one but TWO blown calls and subsequent blown replays; both allowing the Ducks to overcome their hideous uniforms and Oklahoma's lead. First there was a pass interference call that should have been disallowed due to the ball being tipped (ironically, the exact opposite of what the issue was at LSU/Auburn). Second, Oregon clearly touched their onside kick attempt prior to it going 10 yards or being touched by Oklahoma's return team, and the ball was recovered behind the pile by an OU player. Yet, after further review, the ball was given to Oregon and they scored the winning touchdown. Some of us were yelling "Shenanigans", and speculating that Oregon's most famous alumni had something to do with it... but the reality is that Oklahoma still lost the game for three reasons: 1) The vaunted OU defense got burned deep on a pass while they were in prevent defense, 2) Stoops ran Peterson to set up the filed goal, but this burned off way too much time, and 3) OU's 44 yard field goal was blocked. Those things are within a team's control, even if the officiating isn't.
Even in the "ESPN on ABC Game of the Week", there were a c0uple of pieces of controversy. First, was the news regarding Reggie Bush, which the commentators didn't talk about much at all (well, seemingly not as often as they mentioned He Who Shall Not Be Named- even last week at the Texas Game, 3 years later, MoC's name was invoked...).
The second controversy involved College Gameday- Herbstreit and the guys go to the site of the biggest game of the week- while USC/Nebraska was a big game, it was speculated that GD would head to the LSU/Auburn game, or the UT/UFla game, or even to South Bend.
Not so fast my friends... Those games are all on competing networks (CBS/CBS/NBC), so GD was headed to LA. Online, several folks were asking "huh?", and conspiracy theories abounded. Finally, someone came forward with the truth- ESPN's Gameday is a part of the brand, and needs to follow to the designated game of the week. Wonder what they'll do this week, with Notre Dame/Michigan State and USC/Arizona being the "game", depending on the market...
Saddest part of this was the GameDay atmosphere- usually, there are people cheering and screaming and holding up signs behind the crew- this week, it was 6 in the morning (for the east coast kick off time), and LA people were neither awake or even aware that there was a game on. As I read on another blog-
Someone needs to release a star studded “Do They Know It’s Football?” for the clueless people of Los Angeles. Where’s Bono when you need him? Probably grandstanding about starving kids in Africa again. Priorities, man.
Don't ever let anyone tell you LA is a sports town. Onto the picks... Carrie comes back to earth, and Jake wakes up! We also had our first "no show", with Doug mailing it in during the busiest time of the year for SPU. Here's how this week's points worked out...
We had a couple of people who risked more on their picks, and as such some of the 6-4 folks got more points than the 7-3 ones. Here's where we are with our picks after three weeks:
Not only did Carrie come back to the pack, but she's now in a tie with her little brother. While at the same time it's looking more and more like maybe this year will be like the last two.
Points to this... uh, point. Carrie falls to fifth, and we have a couple of dogfights for 14th and 6th places. So, what will happen this week? Big games include-
Penn State at Ohio State
Arizona State at Cal
Notre Dame at Michigan State
Iowa at Illinois
Buffalo (snicker) at Auburn
C0lorado at Georgia (can anyone say 0-4?)
Louisiana Tech at Texas A&M
Alabama at Arkansas
Tennessee State at Vandy
Kentucky (snicker) at Florida
UCLA at UW
Anderson at Mt. St. Joseph (fun fact- no mountains in Indiana)
Small school highlight of the week- the Division 3 Ursinus Bears square off against the McDaniel Green Terror (I wish I were making that up). Located in Maryland, McDaniel was founede after the Civil War and has the distinction of being the first coed college south of the Mason Dixon line.
Ursinus, on the other hand, has as it' primary mission "to model civility, to prepare students for an interdependent world and to teach students how to put their ideas to work". Located near Philadelphia, it is missing a great opportunity to be the nation's premier research institution for rhinitic studies.
See, 'cause it's pronounced "yer sinus", and the rhnitis refers to- heck, you look it up.
Ok, it's all done but one. (yes, I know that there are two other games this week. January games with MAC schools are not "Bowls", no matter their title. Unless, of course, it's my dad's favorite- "Toilet Bowl").
Like I was saying- it's all done but one. AND (no surprise to anyone), I watched parts of most of these. Well, except the ones on the NotFor Long Network.
So, in the spirit of the New Year (and as a way to keep myself from an ulcer thinking about the game on the 8th), here are my quick thoughts about all of the games. And, because I'm that type of guy, I'll even include pre-game thoughts for the participants of the two Toilet Bowl games.
San DiegoCountyCredit Union Poinsettia: TCU 37, Northern Illinois 7 Both of these schools resolve to work to go to a bowl that has less than six names in its title. Sure makes tOSU’s efforts against NIU look suspect, don’t it?
Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas: BYU 38, Oregon 8 Nothing says Vegas for the holidays like crowds of Mormons. Oh, and for 2007 Oregon resolves to shoot Phil Knight next time he recommends a uniform change.
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Troy 41, Rice 17 We learned that R+L equals 8 letters total for the names of the Universities playing. And only twice as many fans.
Papajohns.com Bowl: South Florida 24, East Carolina 7 Both teams vow to go to a game where the sponsor can actually provide gifts. South Florida now gets to play the winner of the Central Michigan/Middle Tennessee game for the NCAA Directional Schools Trophy
New Mexico: San JoseState 20, New Mexico 12 Did you know that this bowl doesn’t have a sponsor? Yup, just an ESPN created game for more air time. And the home team still lost… Maybe it could be the Ron Mexico bowl next year.
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces: Utah 25, Tulsa 13 You would think that one of the teams from the Service Academies would be in this, wouldn’t you? Nope.
Sheraton Hawaii: Hawaii 41, ArizonaState 24 Just once, I’d love to see Hawaii in a bowl not in their home stadium. Nevertheless, Hawaii’s QB is amazing… more amazing, though, is to see the formercoachingstaff of the Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons on the Hawaii sidelines.
MotorCity: Central Michigan 31, Middle Tennessee 14 More directional football. For me, the directions were “turn off the TV, we’re going shopping”.
Emerald: FloridaState 44, UCLA 27 Lots of issues here: UCLA couldn’t replicate their magic from the USC game and couldn’t win a game in California; FloridaState is in the Emerald bowl (Oh, how the mighty have fallen, part 1), and (held in a baseball stadium) one team had no fans/stands behind them. Odd.
PetroSun Independence: OklahomaState 34, Alabama 31 Highlight of the game? The backward pass to the offensive tackle for a TD. Lineman unite!
Pacific Life Holiday: Cal 45, Texas A&M 10 Wow. For all of my Aggie friends, I can only say, “I’m sorry”. Felt like being at San Diego's Sea World, didn’t it?
Texas:Rutgers 37, KansasState 10 On the NFL Network, so nothing really to say here. Still chopping wood, I imagine.
GaylordHotelsMusicCity: Kentucky 28, Clemson 20 Hee hee… “Gay Lord”… Sorry, I was just so surprised that Kentucky won that I reverted to being a third grader. Wow, Kentucky made a bowl game? AND beat a Bowden?
Brut Sun: OregonState 39, Missouri 38 One of many games with fantastic finishes, this one highlighted by a 2 point conversion with time running out. Who could have guessed that it would be the second greatest 2 point conversion of the bowl season?
AutoZone Liberty: South Carolina 44, Houston 36 Refused to watch this, for Spurrier purposes. Just sayin'
Insight: Texas Tech 44, Minnesota 41 (OT) Those of us who know and love Glenn Mason are not surprised that he allowed his team to choke away a 31 point lead. We are surprised that he was fired- mostly because it should have happened a long time ago. Speaking for the rest of the Big T1e1n- how did the Gophers make a bowl game?
Champs Sports: Maryland 24, Purdue 7 Remember what I said about the Gophers? Double that for Purdue…
Meineke Car Care: BostonCollege 25, Navy 24 Another big comeback and fantastic finish- kid kicks a game winning field goal; he had never even played football prior to this season. I guess there is a purpose for soccer after all.
Alamo: Texas 26, Iowa 24 The “We bothgot hammered by OhioState” consolation game. Much closer than I imagined, but the reality is that Iowa scored most of their points in the first part of the game and then went into coast mode. Pity, that.
Chick-fil-A: Georgia 31, Virginia Tech 24 Surprising that Georgia won (They’ve had that type of season), but I need to be honest in confessing that I didn’t watch much of this… It makes me bitter that we don’t have a Chick-fil-A near here.
MPC Computers: Miami 21, Nevada 20 Smurf Turf!!! And Miami (Oh, how the mighty have fallen, part 2) at the end of the Coker era. There are lots of "Coker" and "snow" jokes I could make, but they're too easy. Let's just say that no one deserved to be in Boise on New Year's Eve than the Hurricanes... I'm surprised Idaho hasn't seceded from the Union and surrendered to Canadia.
JANUARY 1
After much reflection, I've decided that the New Year's Day games before the Rose Bowl were absolutely perfect. If you 'celebrated' a bit much, and were hung over, these would be just boring enough to make the transition back to reality a gentle landing.
Note- these reviews would be a lot more interesting, but FOX and ESPN are scrubbing YouTube of the highlights. Oh well, we've lived without Napster.
AT&T Cotton: Auburn 17, Nebraska 14 Well, it was interesting until halftime. If, by 'interesting', you mean "Nebraska moving the ball at will to the tune of 28 points (14 for Auburn)". After the "inspiring" halftime speech, we had three total points. Yup, that's pretty much a summary of both team's entire seasons. I wonder if there will be another apology...
Outback: PennState 20, Tennessee 10 Jo Pa in the booth, Big T1e1n over the "superior" SEC. Not that anyone at all would be proud to claim either of these two teams.
Capital One: Wisconsin 17, Arkansas 14 This is what happens when a team with no quarterback plays a team with no personality. After the first series, the Wisco defense shut down McFadden... but Felix Jones averaged 10.7 yards per carry. Yet another Big T1e1n victory, this time with our #3 beating the SEC runner up.
Toyota Gator: West Virginia 38, Georgia Tech 35 FINALLY a game worth watching. Calvin Johnson finally made his selection as the nation's best wide receiver make sense. Oh, and it showed just how overrated Reggie Ball is... he should have stopped going to class a couple of years ago. West Virginia mounted a great comeback, and proved that it's possible to win a game with coaching and preparation, even if you don't have the greatest athletes on the field. We'll revisit this thought later.
Rose Bowl presented by Citi: USC 32, Michigan 18 Look, I'm really torn about this. It was yet another "I hope the ground opens up and swallows both teams" game for me, but I was ultimately pulling for the Big T1e1n team. I never would have guessed in a bajillion years that Michigan would be unable to run the ball. They looked as good as advertised on defense (great against the run, atrocious against the pass), but I was confident that they would have more success with Hart. Shows what I know.
A friend of mine from Battle Creek said, "If there is ever an opportunity for Llllloyd Carr to be out-coached, it will happen." With no half time adjustments at all, looks like it happened again. To be fair, this proves something about Michigan as an educational institution- they recognize that mistakes happen, and don't just demand changes; choosing instead to allow for learning to hopefully take place. Other colleges, well, let's just say that they see thingsdifferently.
USC looked great, and should easily be a preseason favorite next year. Are they superior to the teams playing on Monday? Probably, with the exception that they weren't disciplined enough to play to win in all of their games.
Two frustrations: 1) There is already talk of a quarterback controversy at USC next year. Yup, the guy who just passed for 500 yards in the Rose Bowl may lose his job to a freshman (if he can stay out of jail). This is why USC has great recruiting classes every year- Carroll has no loyalty, and tells incoming students (correctly) "yup, you'll play". As a former football player (note that I did not say "athlete"), this frustrates me... There has got to be a sense of loyalty to the guys who have sacrificed for the team over the course of several seasons. Nope, it's the American way- we'll push aside the old if the new seems to be better, as long as it helps us meet our purpose.
Sermon aside, it's time for trivia! Who was the first college athlete penalized under rule 9-2 for taunting when it was first strengthened in 1995? Answer: Terry Glenn of Ohio State on August 27 against Boston College. His transgression? He signaled "first down" after a great catch. Fast forward to today, where the entire bowl season has seen so much post play celebration that it looks like a Broadway afterparty (zing!). However (frustration #2), USC brought it to an art only previously exhibited by Miami in the Cotton Bowl.
Let's take a lookie, shall we? Here's the rule (page122/123):
ARTICLE 1. There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct or any act that interferes with orderly game administration on the part of players, substitutes, coaches, authorized attendants or any other persons subject to the rules, before the game, during the game or between periods.
a. Specifically prohibited acts and conduct include: 1. No player, substitute, coach or other person subject to the rules shall use abusive, threatening or obscene language or gestures, or engage in such acts that provoke ill will or are demeaning to an opponent, to game officials or to the image of the game, including but not limited to: (a) Pointing the finger(s), hand(s), arm(s) or ball at an opponent, or imitating the slashing of the throat. (b) Taunting, baiting or ridiculing an opponent verbally. (c) Inciting an opponent or spectators in any other way, such as simulating the firing of a weapon or placing a hand by the ear to request recognition. (d) Any delayed, excessive, prolonged or choreographed act by which a player (or players) attempts to focus attention upon himself (or themselves). (e) Obviously altering stride as an unopposed runner approaches the opponent’s goal line, or diving into the end zone when unopposed. (f) Removal of a player’s helmet before he is in the team area (g) Punching one’s own chest or crossing one’s arms in front of the chest while standing over a prone player. (h) Going into the stands to interact with spectators, or bowing at the waist after a good play.
And here's what happened:
Unfortunately, this video doesn't fully capture the whole thing- the dancing and flexing after a sack, the taunting in the third and fourth quarters... Jarrett needs to wait until next year when he's a pro to start doing the "jump shot" thing with the ball or pointing at a DB on the way to the endzone. Yup, no penalties. I guess the NCAA loves them some USC- who else sells TV revenue on the west coast?
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: BoiseState 43, Oklahoma 42 OT Words cannot even begin to describe how amazing the end of this game was. So, onto the video:
After Peterson's 25 yard run on OU's OT posession, the folks that I was watching with said "BSU will go for 2- they know that they can't stop Peterson all night...". And, sure enough- Next thing you know, Bob Stoops is scouting out backyard football games for ideas for his offense.
Yet another great example of fantastic coaching overcoming 'inferior' talent. (more later)
People keep talking about how this "proves" that there should be a playoff... Nope. Not going to happen until someone figures out a way for all 64 (!) teams and major conferences to not loose any revenue. This has never been about having a "champion"- only about having great games that sell tickets and advertising. Why else would we have...
FedEx Orange: Louisville 24, WakeForest 13 And the scary thing? Louisville didn't have their preseason Heisman candidate running back. If Bush and Brohm both come back, UofL will be a top 5 team. If not? Well, their stadium was built by the Papa John's guy... so they got that going for them.
Oh, and Big East is 4-0 in the bowls. Of course, they collectively beat the worst ACC Champion in history, a 7-6 C-USA team, a Georgia Tech team with no defense and a back up QB, and the third team from the Big 12 north. Oh, and they have one more game to play, against the #3 MAC team. Yup, reasons to be proud.
Allstate Sugar: Notre Dame vs. LSU Remember earlier when we were talking about great coaching overcoming inferior talent? Charlie "no offensive first downs in the second half" is not a great coach. It was sad to read ND blogs today... they know, that with Quinn and Smaredgjanfwna leaving, their window has closed. Boo fricking hoo.
LSU, on the other hand, was amazing... Solid on defense, with an unbelievable QB. Look, you know how I feel about Troy- There is no way that Demarcus Russell should not be the #1 pick over all. If for no other reason, you do not want him to feel "dissed" when his team comes to play you.
International: Western Michigan vs. Cincinnati (in Toronto) Just about the only thing interesting to watch here is that Cincy's new coach used to be at Central Michigan; so he's familiar with Western's team. It may also be fascinating to see if they play by American or Canadian rules, and if there are enough television viewers to tell the difference.
GMAC: Ohio vs. Southern Miss We have a Solich sighting! And, I'm guessing that we'll have a Favre one as well. Wonder if the folks in Lincoln will send Coach game tapes from when the Huskers played Southern Miss the year after he was canned...
Tostitos BCS Championship Game: Florida vs. OhioState
