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

Bowl Pick-em Contest Results

Week 15: BCS Bowls Commentary

The bowls are set and its time for the annual, month-long ranting about how in the heck so-and-so got pared with so-and-so. See the full bowl schedule here. And the BCS has really outdone its own idiocy this time around...

Outrage

Not only is the BCS refusing to risk TCU or Boise ruining the bowl games of one of their AQ conferences, they pit them against one another when they just played each other a year ago in the Poinsettia Bowl. The conservatism (spinelessness) of the BCS does not bode well with the

risk taking nature of college football. TCU is not excited...you could see it in their faces when the announcement came down. "Manufactured enthusiasm" as a friend said and I must agree. They knew they were not going to get their chance against one of the big guys, and neither would Boise. No chance for either team to be like last years Utah...to show the nation they could stand up with the elite...no chance to pad to the case for the BCS to change its precious formula...no chance to prove themselves. Not if the all-powerful BCS has anything to say about it - and unfortunately they do.

Well Said

Yahoo! Sports columnist Wetzel said it well: "The [BCS] is designed to reward the big brands of the sport. Just as important as what you did this week, or this month, is what you did a decade ago. Perception is everything. The BCS sells this as fair....[The BCS] launched a clown-show website...that claims there can’t be a playoff because college football is incapable of figuring out how one might work. Sure, every other sports entity on the planet can do it, but we somehow can’t decide how many teams would be in it or where they’d play and so on? So stop asking. This is a ploy designed to create gridlock. It’s based on the idea fans lack basic mental competency."

Click here to read the full article.

Week 14: The Rocky III Syndrome

Remember Rocky III? Mick scheduled only powder-puff opponents for Rocky and he whooped them all handily. Meanwhile, Clubber Lang wanted his shot at the champ - but kept getting denied. When he finally got his chance, Lang showed Rocky that fighting only soft opponents makes you soft yourself. That's what we saw Saturday...

Back in August most everyone agreed we'd see Florida and Texas in the NC game. My how close we came to not seeing either. Florida played only two teams currently ranked along with three FCS or mid-major teams. The other SEC-East teams were having a down year. The Big 12 was also having a down year and that hurt Texas. Soft schedules take away the drive, hunger...yes, the eye of the tiger that top teams have.

Florida with Tim Tebow will always be remembered as one of the great eras at Florida. And TT was good for the game being an exceptional role model. But without the 3rd NC in four years they will not be the historic team they hoped for at the start of the season.

Summary

*Texas deserved to win Saturday only because the Nebraska offense didn't make any TD's - all FG's. Hand it to the Texas defense.

*'Bama deserves the #1 ranking more than anyone else...hands down.

*Cincy and TCU will have to settle since we don't have a playoff.

*Congrats to Sark and the Huskies for taking out #19 Cal...I think they got somethin' a brewin' up there in the Cascades.

*And, personally, thanks to Arizona for upsetting USC. For the first time in recent memory USC does not even show in the "Others Receiving Votes" list.

Pitiful Pete: Yes, another slam on my least favorite coach Pete Carroll. Can you believe this guy? Two weeks after complaining about Stanford going for two after the TD he does this...and all with that goofy, cocky smile on his face.

EndZone

Just a couple of funny videos for the week: Click here to see a parody on Max Hall's comments (I hope this is the last we hear of this). Or, click here to see the FSU sleeping offensive lineman.