What a great weekend for upsets in the land of college football.
With five of the top ten teams losing this weekend, plus the top 2 teams both not looking great in their victories, the college football league and national championships are any team's for the taking...that is unless you are undefeated and play on blue turf...apologies to the Boise Staters from last year.
Here's the rundown of the weekend:
Friday Night:
#18 USF 21, #5 WVU 13 - My second favorite team in Florida continued their hot run by shutting down the Mountaineers, albeit without Pat White for the 2nd half.
Saturday:
Colorado 27, #3 Oklahoma 24 - Colorado's offense looked atrocious earlier in the season, but some costly turnovers helped the Buffs to an unbelievable upset.
Auburn 20, #4 UF 17 - So much for Tim Tebow being "God". The War Chickens seem to have the Gators number after beating them for the 2nd time in the last two years (they are the only team to beat UF in the last 19 games).
Kansas State 41, #6 Texas 21 - Kansas State's special teams dominated this game and Texas looked like they were lost for most of the game...
Maybe they aren't focused enough during the TV timeouts, as shown in this hilarious video found on Awful Announcing via Break.com taken from their struggles the week before against lowly UCF. Mack Brown seems to really have his teams focused on the task at hand...
http://view.break.com/372365 - Watch more free videos
Maryland 34, #10 Rutgers 24 - Apparently Greg Schiano's boys aren't as good as they appeared after they finally played a "real" opponent. And by real, I mean pathetic ACC bottom feeder using a back-up QB.
In total, there were nine Top 25 teams who went down and being a Seminole fan and resident of South Florida, no victory was sweeter than the Noles triumph over the Nick Satan lead Alabama Crimson Tide.
It was a great college football weekend, hopefully the big boys at the NFL can match it today and tomorrow!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
(Lack of) The Power of Ten
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Fantasy Miracle
In our league, the only way to get negative points is to lose a fumble (-2) or throw an interception (-3). So going into the night, it was obvious that I had less of a chance of winning than Britney Spears has to be a good mother (man, those poor kids).
Well, the fantasy football gods were looking over my team and Drew Brees posted -5 points giving my team the much-needed early season victory.
I'm sure Brees was thinking about my team's hopes when he was throwing those 4 picks and fumbling away Manning's (my opponent) victory.... ;-)
Thank you Mr. Brees....I'm just glad I wasn't on the other end of your freakish inability to throw to your own teammates instead of the Titans defense!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Rage
The stories run rampant all the time. Tank Johnson. Pacman Jones. Rae Carruth. On and on and on.
Sometimes the stories are bigger, sometimes they barely hit the national media radar. Regardless, it seems that football players are generally involved in more arrests and violent behavior off the field than any other athlete.
With the recent arrests of FSU football players Joe Surratt and Geno Hayes (both pictured above), it brings to mind how brutal the game of football is and what types of feelings and emotions it brings to its players.
In Surratt and Hayes' case late last week, the players were involved in an altercation outside a popular Tallahassee bar. Alcohol was involved. Eventually, the players got into it with the Tallahassee Police Department officers on duty outside the bar. There is a claim that it appears Surratt also hit an officer and Hayes needed to be Tasered.
What the players did was irrational, unacceptable, and unfortunate for all parties involved including bystanders.
Fights at bars happen all the time because liquor can get the best of anyone.
That's not the point here.
What's important is understanding the physical prowess and mental thoughts of a football player. Kids are taught at a very young age to act with rage and force on the field to tackle their opponent, lay a huge block on a defender, or otherwise use force to "win each individual battle."
While it is no excuse for what Surratt or Hayes did, nor what any other criminal does, football players are predisposed to use force and have altercations because of what they are taught while excelling at the entertaining, yet rage infested, game.
Bill Romanowski is a great example. At times, he would get so out of his mind with fury, that he would spit at opponents or fight teammates in practice. Not logical, just crazy.
But crazy is a trait that is needed when throwing your entire body around for the cause each and every hit, down, week, and season. Without that little bit of extra edge, a player would be at a disadvantage against opponents.
Of course, the best players (& people) can control that emotion and compartmentalize it on the field.
Unfortunately for some, they live their daily lives with it and can't separate what happens on the field from off it.
It's sad that a sport so entertaining, can so greatly affect people physically (see Kevin Everette, Mike Utley, and a slew of others), mentally (concussions and long term issues like Alzheimer's), and psychologically (Ray Finkle!).
Most people feel athletes are overpaid. However, when you think about it, if any athletes deserve the overpayment for their services and effort, its the football players who kill their bodies day in and day out while taking years off their life with each tackle or hit.
Oh Britney!
I think that Mike Patrick is a decent football announcer and a very good, if not excellent, college basketball play-by-play guy. But this little exchange in overtime of the Georgia vs. Alabama game the other night was just awkward and an overall horrible television moment!
Side note: It's always nice to post something that involves a Nick Saban-coached team losing...
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Ocean's 9: The Prequel?
Cast of characters: Simpson in cuffs. From left to right, top: Alexander, Beardsley, Riccio, Ehrlich. Bottom: Stewart, Cashmore, Fromong, McClinton.
Here is the link to their story:
Somewhere, George Clooney and Matt Damon must be laughing at this scheming plot gone so wrong...
Misunderstood!
Step on a star one year, you're the villain.
Switch the color of your jersey, and suddenly you are a team's savior.
We all know this villain and savior, one Mr. Terrell Owens.
Ok, maybe he's not the Cowboys savior, but my how the times have changed since the days of his stomping on the star at midfield wearing the colors of rival San Francisco.
Nowadays, the Cowboys fandom basically embraces T.O. because he is a very good football player. Past indiscretions and loyalties aside, T.O. gives the chance for the Cowboys to win.
But this story isn't about T.O.'s love/hate relationship with teammates, fans, or the public. That one has been written 1,000 too many times.
It's about perception versus reality. It's about why we tend criminalize T.O.'s childish antics and hold Chad Johnson's maneuvers in the highest regard for comedy. It's about how coaches like Nick Satan, Bill Parcells, and Bill Belicheat get away with selling out their players, organizations, and most importantly fans, while disgracing the game with lies and deceit.
I'll start by stating I am a Cowboys fan but have never been a T.O. fan. I didn't want them to pick him up. I used all the typical T.O.-bashing keywords....locker room cancer, showboat, selfish.
How could the Cowboys welcome a player who just a few years prior was degrading the star that represents all of the Cowboy successes and their shining as "America's Team"?
But what I didn't see was that T.O. is no different than Chad Johnson, a man loved by most all fans, media, and organizations alike. NFL players are paid to entertain. They are paid to perform on the field. The most important part of that performance is catching passes and scoring touchdowns, but keeping the fans entertained and interested in the game is a very close second.
Sure, T.O. has had his issues. Fake suicide attempt, running his mouth instead of being the quiet or politically correct speaker, questioning his superiors and teammates. However, when you look at all his "transgressions", the guy has never really done anything wrong, aside from being loud and proud of his ability, especially when you see some of the criminals running amok in professional sports.
So why does he get a $7,500 fine for making a very serious league allegation against the New England Patriots (spygate anyone?) into a funny and light-hearted joke by using the football as the camera to "tape" the Dolphins, while Chad Johnson gets off scot-free while jumping into the Dawg Pound in Cleveland and using a prop to make his "Hall of Fame" jacket?
Got me.
Now onto the hallowed coaching fraternity and their constant free pass. Parcells has jumped from team to team without anyone questioning his loyalty or how he just slid out of situations he didn't want to be in (Read: Cowboys and T.O. just like T.O. and Eagles). Or how, Satan, err Saban, just picks up and bolts from the Dolphins after realizing he was a terrible NFL coach. Or why somehow Belicheat does not get suspended while cheating the game and its rules?!?
On top of all that, these coaches, and many like them, continually avoid media scrutiny and questioning, while guys like T.O. and Ocho Cinco are honest and straight-forward while not holding back what they feel and believe. They are true to themselves whether you like it or not, unlike most in the coaching business.
Somehow these coaches broken promises, broken rules, and demands for control and huge salaries get a pass or are overlooked, while players are always called selfish.
After seeing the No Fun League once again hit Terrell Owens with a fine only because he was T.O., I've come to realize why we should appreciate players like him and Chad Johnson. We need to appreciate them for what they are: paid professional athletes and entertainers who allow us to enjoy the sport a little bit more than the player who just isn't as good at what they do when compared to T.O. and Ocho Cinco.
Not nearly as funny either!
They have shown to be generally harmless, and also extremely talented, athletes who are out there to promote themselves, their teams, and the game itself. They deserve the same amount of leverage, if not more than, these coaches because they are ones who allow us fans to enjoy the sports we watch.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Beli-cheat!
The New England Patriots are a dynasty. They have a great team and have had one for a long time. The whole video-gate saga was, and is, a black page in their amazing story on how to be a successful organization.
Those statements are obvious to most any football fan.
However, the more and more you listen to Belicheat, it just makes you hate him and his team, even though they are great at what they do.
Yes, Russ Parker's song is apporpriate:
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Boom goes the Dynamite!
This video is a little bit old, but I just saw it for the first time. Deadspin is the best!
Absolutely hilarious stuff. Something tells me ESPN hasn't been knocking on this guy's door recently.
Good Problem Solving!
Read up (warning: good problem solving ahead):
Sir, you deserve fan of the year. I don't think anyone can come close to your passion.....
Or stupidity.
NOTE TO SELF: Next time there is a drought, hit up the local fire truck!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
9/11/01 - We'll Never Forget!
9/11 - Its a date that no one in our lifetime will ever forget, but when you think about it, after six years, we still take many things for granted.
For some of us that day hit closer to home than for others, but without a doubt we'll all remember it and how our freedom as we knew it was compromised that day.
Just sending you this reminder to never take anything for granted. Love your family and friends...take advantage of all your blessings and talents - seen and unseen...take time out for others...live life to the fullest...don't be afraid to go after things you want...and most of all, enjoy yourself - life is too short not to.
Sometimes in our daily routine, we forget that, and 9/11 always makes me think of those things because of a person some of us knew, who always lived up to those ideals.
Dom (http://www.atributetodom.com/ for more information if you didn't have the pleasure of knowing this great man), you had all those areas covered. I miss you as we all do and you will never be forgotten. Thank you for being there for all of us during your 40 years with us, showing us how to laugh, learn, live, and love.
To all of you, be sure to go after your dreams, live your life to the fullest - how you want to, and enjoy everything that is important to you.
To all the fallen heroes of 9/11/01 and to all the service men and women who defend our freedom everyday...thank you for your heroism and all of your efforts.
Wishing you all the best always,
Brian
Sunday, September 9, 2007
How bout them Bulls???
Sticking with the round ball
When the ACC and its Commissioner decided to go after the likes of Miami, Virginia Tech, and even Boston College, the thought was that by adding these storied football programs from the Big East, the ACC would become a top football conference in addition to its basketball prowess.
What has happened in the last few years, though, is that while most people have been reassured that the ACC is a basketball powerhouse, football is far from dominance.
Sure, programs like FSU, Miami, and Virginia Tech have had past success, but that has not translated to football greatness as a conference over the last few years.
Let's look at some of the questionable results from this year and see how far behind the ACC is when compared to other big time football conferences, and some not-so-big time conferences:
#2 LSU 48, #9 Va. Tech 7 - LSU is a great team, but the Hokies looked like they were overwhelmed.
#16 Nebraska 20, Wake Forest 17 - Not the same Wake team as last year, but Nebraska isn't great.
#5 Oklahoma 51, Miami 13 - It took a little while, but Oklahoma totally outplayed and dominated the Canes.
East Carolina 34, UNC 31 - I know UNC is rebuilding with Butch Davis, but East Carolina is still EAST CAROLINA!
FSU 34, UAB 24 - UAB lead for a good portion of the game and they only have 60 or so players on scholarship. Not a good performance or result for the Seminoles, even with a short practice week after the Clemson loss.
#9 Va. Tech 17, East Carolina 7 - See UNC answer above minus the rebuilding part...Va. Tech is supposed to be the class of the league and ACC Championship contenders...17-7 victories over ECU are a far cry from championship caliber.
Wyoming 23, Virginia 3 - Wyoming? They have a football team?
UCF 25, NC State 23 - NC State might be rebuilding under Tom O'Brien, but UCF was 4-8 against a C-USA schedule last year. Plus lyin', cheatin' George O'Leary is their coach so that drops them down another level.
That's not a pretty picture after 2 weeks of the 2007 college football season. Sure there are a couple of bright spots like Georgia Tech rolling over Notre Dame (although, as we've seen so far, Notre Dame is terrible this year), but the above results plus a mediocre 4-4 bowl record in 2006 and 5-3 in 2005 show that the ACC continues to be a basketball conference that is far from football dominance.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Pointless Polling
Pre-season polls are downright pointless, especially in college football because they can mean so much at the end of the year BCS bowl choices. While it's great for overhyping teams and giving the media more material to work with, it generally proves to be inaccurate, as we saw this past weekend with Michigan at No. 5 and FSU at No. 19. Most importantly, if a team is not ranked highly early on, it can haunt them later in the year despite having a great season on the field.
This argument has been made before, but why not let the teams play 3 or 4 weeks of football and then start making some decisions on who belongs where? With all the turnover in player personnel from year to year from graduation, transfers, early entries to the draft, and new freshman recruits, this would allow for the teams to be slotted appropriately according to the effort and performance on the field, instead of on paper.
Seems easy to change, right?
Not if the media conglomerates have a say. ESPN, Sports Illustrated, conferences and all the other large, and not-so-large sports news outlets, utilize these mostly unfounded rankings to hype up their shows, periodicals, and other pre-season elements. It allows everyone to speculate and be an "expert" before the season.
Like ranking draft or recruiting classes when they first happen instead of after the players start performing, nobody really knows until the teams get on the field. But like many flaws in the system, pre-season polls will continue to be the norm rather than the exception.
Trenches
Tonight's FSU vs. Clemson snoozer of a game on ESPN is proof positive that the offensive and defensive lines are the most important parts of a football team. Sure, special teams come into play a lot in college as well, but the importance of a solid line on both sides of the balls wins and loses football games.
While so many people are enamored by the speed, arm strength, and playmaking abilities of quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and shut-down corners, the game is won and lost in the trenches...almost every single time. Aside from Davis and Spiller breaking a run here or there, tonight's game lacked many big plays because of a lack of experience, especially on the O-line.
Being a Seminole fan, and having been fortunate to be at school there for 3 National Championship games, I've been lucky enough to see some great talent on the field both for my beloved Noles and on the opponent's side.
For every lightning fast running back with long runs, I'll show you a few quality offensive lineman who open up his holes. For every cornerback with interception after interception, you'll generally see his teammates on the defensive line making the other team's QB miserable with constant pressure.
Therein lies the only thing I can hopefully look forward to as a Seminole fan after tonight's poor showing. The young men up front played much better in the 2nd half and the additions of Rick Trickett as O-line coach and the habitual quality that Mickey Andrews and Chuck Amato produce on 'D' will at least bring hope for better things to come in the next few years. Unfortunately, the growing pains will still be there for now...now let's at least keep up the hot recruiting for next year!
Side note: Ron Cherry is horrible and should never be given the privilege of ever working a high school game, nevermind ACC college football.
Side note #2: You should be ashamed as a student body when you rush the field after a mediocre win against a team you have beaten 4 out of the last 5 years. FSU of the 90's who was Top 5 every year...ok. FSU of 2007 who was 7-6 last year and barely ranked in the top 20...that's just a waste of a special moment. Good win for the Tigers, but the need to rush the field after that win on a level of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, was like a 3 at best. On the other hand, ASU Mountaineers students rushing the field in Boone after the Michigan win even though the game was hundreds of miles away in Ann Arbor...that is easily a 10...well done!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Lost Wolves
Appalachian State University!
Boone, NC. Population of 13,000. Home to the defending D-IAA champions, the Booners (that is what you call someone from Boone, no?) of ASU pulled off one of the greatest upsets in college football history, if not sports history.
In front of 109,000 Michigan fans at the "Big House" in Ann Arbor, on opening day no less, the Mountaineers, lead by QB Amanti Edwards, took home with them a $400,000 check for showing up and all of Michigan's title hopes and pride in one of the most unbelievable games we'll see in our lifetimes.
Congratulations are in order to the whole squad, but 1 player...
The hero (and goat in my opinion) Corey Lynch, a DB from Cape Coral, FL, made the game saving play to finish off the Wolverines by blocking a last second field goal attempt by Michigan's kicker Jason Gingell.
Although he made the game-saving play, what most people didn't notice was after the block, Lynch recovered the football and began running 70-yards towards the end zone.
One problem...he was tackled by Gingell! Lynch should have just fell on it to begin with, but wasting all that effort to be tackled by a KICKER a few yards short of the end zone is un-athletic and un-American.
Despite this, Lynch and his teammates pulled off an absolute miracle. It was excellent and one of the many reasons sports are so fun to watch.
If only Lynch could have figured out how to outrun a kicker, then it would've been perfect!
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Fantasy Football!!!
I was going to post a little story on Fantasy Football, but my buddy CTP beat me to it with a great one, so I'm getting lazy and just posting a link to his...
It's a good read. Check it out here.