Season 2009 Wrap-Up

Though the end of January marks my hiatus from NCAAF blogging you may see a post here and there in this off-season - there just seems to be a lot going on that can't be commented on. And you will see an updated look for the blog come August (this is just a draft).

What a year...from the sucker punch to the referee suspensions to the Tebow concussion to McCoy knockout in the big game, to the Tide's (temporary) return to glory, to the season-ending bowls and coaching carousel. Not to mention all the upsets, surprises, lost bets, BCS bashing, parties, road trips, Fiesta Bowl focus on TCU Showgirls, and all the other fun associated with the best of all sports. Now we have an entire off-season of smack-talk and road trip preparation for the upcoming season.

And what's in store for off-season 2010? Lots of talk about TCU, Boise State and Alabama -- all of whom are returning numerous starters. Let's just hope the BCS gets the bowl selection correct next year for TCU and BOise.

And for those of us who can't wait tuntil August for the pre-season polls here is the Rivals.com current, pre-pre-season poll (click here).

Until next season!

Final BCS Rant for 2009 Season

My final thoughts on the BCS - for now. I'm sure there will be more next year...

I have tried to better understand the BCS this year. Primarily, why they think a play-off won't work. They do have some semi-valid arguments but they all contain some holes. Though I think the BCS will be a note in the history books come 2020 we still have to live with it for now. All I'm asking is for some sensible changes... just like everyone else.

When the BCS started it had the intention to pit #1 and #2 - nothing more. But given that the team talent gap has obviously narrowed in the last 10 years it's just time to expand the BCS to at least four teams.

This past season was the top year for the non AQ conferences as far as money...but still nowhere close to what the AQ conferences earned. The BCS will tell us it's getting better but the gap is still huge. Has the percentage of the gap changed in the last 10 years? Why are the AQ conferences guaranteed at least $18 million? It's just the whole rich getting richer thing that bugs so much.

I worry that the NCAAF is turning into the NFL...rich guys, sitting in expensive booths, smoking cigars, under-the-table betting and bartering, wondering why us little folk don't see or suspect it. Hey, we do. PLEASE don't turn the best sport into a business that'll lose the tradition, the respect, the passion and spark and fans that we all so anticipate Feb through Aug and enjoy Sep through Jan.

See a history of BCS controversies here.

But BCS rantings aside, all in all, it could be worse. I just finished reading the autobiography of Vince Dooley (UGA coach / AD for 40 years), in which he stated: "The bowl process was very different back then [late 60's]. Not a lot of people know this but Bear Bryant of Alabama basically controlled the whole system and pretty much dictated who would go to what bowl." At least we have moved from a monarchy to an oligarchy.

1 - 4 on My Pre-Season Predictions

I started the season with five predictions...I was right on only one account. Though I love the unpredictability of college football it still annoys me no end that I can't predict it.

1. Florida does not finish #1.

This was the only one I was right about...indeed it is way difficult to repeat.2. Colt McCoy takes the Heisman.

Did anyone even know who Ingram, Gerhart and Su were at the beginning of the year?

3. BYU finally goes to a BCS bowl.

OK...a was a little too hopeful and biased on this one.

4. The PAC-10 Gap Widens.

Wrong again since more PAC-10 teams went to bowl games this year (7) than last(5). Though I may have just been a year early on this prediction.

5. The Big-10 Exposed.

Wow, did the big-10 ever prove me wrong. They did not look at all patsy this year and their bowl record (4-3) was much more impressive than I expected.

Coaching Changes

Though I admire the work of coaches there have been two that I tend to harp on more than others: Meyer and Carroll (see previous posts). But now Carroll is gone to Seattle and Meyer may not be coaching for a while. What am I to do? Well, a new coach emerged this past season that should fill those shoes nicely...Lane Kiffin, now at USC. Maybe he'll be the only one for me to rail on in 2010 but chances are some other dork will come along.

We always see changes in the coaching ranks this time of year but this has to be one of the most bizarre round of changes I've seen in a while (22 at last count). The most talked about and still the most confusing is Urban Meyer. His time at UF has been amazing and with TT there they made a great combination that is likely not to be matched for a long, long time. But is he leaving? Will he put his family and health before football? He should.

Urban: Though don't care for Meyer's sometimes whiny personality I can not dispute what he has done. He is a great coach, he has brought a lot to the game, he prepares his teams well and he's been good for college football all around. I wish him the best and hope he takes care of his priorities now so he can return to football later.

On Carroll: He built a great team and system at USC though it almost appears that he is getting out just as they may be hitting a rough spot. I hope he's not bailing on them when they most need some consistency and experience at the helm. Again, I can not dispute his success at USC but personally, I'm glad to see him leave the college scene...let the NFL deal with his sore loser antics.

Kiffin at USC? Boy, are they asking for it. They are in the midst of investigations and then they bring in big-mouth, SEC reprimanded, funny hat wearing Kiffin? Who is running that show? I don't see USC wearing a PAC-10 crown anytime soon.

Then there is the Mike Leach thing...what is going on with that? I think Leach did a great job at TT but if he has been doing it under the circumstances we are hearing about then good riddins. I am glad to see Tommy Tuberville back int eh game...we'll see good things out of TT and TT in the near future.

ENDZONE

Dooley at Tennessee? That has got to be a tough for Dad Dooley...40+ years with UGA and now he'll be rootin for his son at a serious UGA rival.

Bowl Wrap-Up 2009-10

This was one of the best bowl seasons I can recall. It just seemed to have more close games and surprises than usual and its this un-predictability that keeps college football so darn fascinating. Here is my commentary on a few of the bowls...

SUMMARY

Though not known for their bowl playing skills, BYU made quite an impression as they man-handled Oregon State(after a sluggish start) 44-20 and started the MWC off to a 4-1 bowl season.

The Georgia-Texas A&M game was rather odd: zero scoring in the first 27 minutes but a final score of 44-20, dawgs being the victor.

Though much was said about the TCU-Boise match-up it was one of the most enjoyable games IMHO. The highly touted and favored TCU team seemed still upset about the missed opportunity to play a team from an AQ conference - they looked confused, plan-less, had no answer for a very good BSU defense, and simply did not play with the intensity that carried them throughout their un-defeated season. It was a huge let down to TCU fans and proponents as the cream-of-the-MWC-crop did not play as expected.

Now take nothing from Boise State. They had a plan, played with confidence and seemed to never doubt their right to be on that stage nor their chances of winning. The BSU defense was the highlight of the game for me. And the O-line made TCU's Hughes a non-factor. BSU is the only team to beat two conference champs and deserve to be higher than their final #4 ranking.

Although the injured McCoy put a bit of a damper on the expected close NC match-up it was still a game that highlighted very good defenses, Alabama's abilities, and Texas coaching adjustments for a new QB. It still had all the flavor of a NC game with added drama that seemed almost scripted.

I was surprised by the Big 10 wins, especially Ohio State over Oregon and Penn State over LSU. I enjoyed the OT Arkansas win, surprised at the Oklahoma win over Stanford, and not surprised at Nebraska over Arizona. The PAC-10 results (2-5) were interesting since they did so well last year.

ENDZONE

There were 34 bowls played, of which, there were seven Top 25 match-ups with the higher ranked team winning only two of the seven. Of the 11 other Top 25 teams that played un-ranked teams, eight won their games. The conference results were as follows:

Conference	Schools	Record	Percentage
Independents (1)	Navy	1-0	1.000
MWC (5)	AF,BYU,TCU,Utah,Wyom	4-1	.800
Big East (6)	Cincy,Pitt,Rut,UConn,USF,WVU	4-2	.667
SEC (10)	Ala,Ark,Aub,Flor,Geor,Ky,LSU,Miss,SCar,Tenn	6-4	.600
Big Ten (7)	Iowa,MichSt,Minn,NWstrn,OSU,PSU,Wis	4-3	.571
Big 12 (8)	ISU,Mizzou,Neb,OU,OklaSt,Texas,TexA&M,TT	4-4	.500
WAC (4)	BoiseSt,FresSt,Idaho,Nev	2-2	.500
Sun Belt (2)	MidTen,Troy	1-1	.500
ACC (7)	BC,Clem,FSU,GT,Miami,UNC,VT	3-4	.429
C-USA (6)	ECU,Hou,Marsh,SMU,SoMiss,UCF	2-4	.333
Pac-10 (7)	Ariz,Cal,Ore,OreSt,Stan,UCLA,USC	2-5	.286
MAC (5)	BGreen,CMich,NIU,Ohio,Tem	1-4	.200

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