As many of you know, I've had my hand in various projects over the last three years. From contributions to the new Massanutten Magazine to winning Regional Sports Columnist of the Year for my work with the Breeze, I'm extremely proud of how the last four years have played out. I've devoted a tonnage of hours to writing and developing important thoughts about not just sports, but larger, headier topics that I feel are important for us to poke and prod at. I like to tell myself that I've elevated the level of discourse around me, even if it's only by one tenth of 1 percent, and I'm so thankful for the loyalty that many of you have shown me as readers.
With all that being said, I haven't devoted time, brainpower, or other resources to any project ever like I have my upcoming book. Many of you have heard me make reference to it, or even seen me drop a mysterious acronym -- DCC -- from time to time. And today, I'm ready to announce, to at least you lot, the title and scope of that project.
It's called Drunk_Couch_Confessions, and you can find my own little marketing project over at www.DrunkCouchConfessions.com. I've got another blog of my own over there, and... well, suffice it to say that it's nothing like this one. Throughout the coming weeks, you'll find short stories, news briefs, some creative non-fiction prose, and, eventually, excerpts from the book itself.
What's the book about? Well, its influences are all over the place, ranging from Rachel Carson to Dave Barry to Stephen Colbert to Hunter S. Thompson. It's an anthology of people, places, and events I encountered from 2009-2015 during my time at JMU. In some ways, it's similar to Tucker Max's cult hit, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. But there's a lot more substance here than you might think, so, quite literally, don't judge a book by its cover. There will be stories of keg-tapping and team-fapping aplenty, but at its core, it's a collection of investigations. Why do 18-year olds go to college? What is there to gain, besides learning how to write research papers and memorizing the phylogenic tree? What are the differences between the Millennial generation and Generation X? And why is it all so god-damn expensive?
I might not have all the answers to these questions, but I do plan on being the one who asks them in the most intriguing and engaging format. That's what I've been working on over the last three years. And I hope you'll continue to be a part of that.
Okay, enough of that. Let's talk college football.
1. If it's true you've got to start each season with the National Champion, then we'd better start with Ohio State. You can read all of the analysis you want of the Buckeyes, but their season boils down to a November 21 date with Michigan State. Since Virginia Tech doesn't have the offense to match OSU regardless of Buckeye suspensions, and the Harbaugh-led Wolverines are probably a year or two away from being threatening, can Michigan State spoil what is probably an otherwise perfect season?
I don't know. I try to avoid major predictions on big games until I've at least seen some of the season, but it's bound to be a gritty game that won't be decided until late in the second half. And the Buckeyes had better pray they pull it out, because the Big 10 is shallower than a baby pool this year. One misstep against any team during the regular season, and it'll be curtains for Meyer's repeat performance.
2. How about the conferences who have a virtually guaranteed spot in the second playoff? The Pac-12 and SEC champions would have to get completely mauled to miss out on a bid. Instead, the hottest debate this off-season has been which conference has the toughest subdivision in college football. The SEC West has been loaded in previous years, though for my money, never quite as loaded as you think. This year, it'll feature a great Auburn team, a better-than-most Alabama team, and... Arkansas? The Mississippi schools are overrated -- Ole Miss might as well trot a 1960s AFL offense out on the field -- and LSU hasn't been a Top 10 team in a few years now. All these defenses are wildly susceptible to Spread offenses, which is why I'll stake my cash on the Pac-12 South this year. USC should compete for a playoff spot, with Arizona, UCLA, Stanford, Utah, and maybe even Arizona State vying for a national ranking.
3. Speaking of the Pac-12 South, check out this video of West Virginia anti-hero and current Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez canceling practice. I guess you could say they were happy about the day off. (And while we're talking about Arizona, shout-out to friend of the blog Kenzie Kleespies, who just transferred from JMU to play Volleyball for the Wildcats.)
4. Who's going to replace Mike Schikman as the play-by-play man for JMU? That's been the most frequently asked question about JMU athletics over the past year. (Well, other than you-know-what.)
Well, I was scrolling through my Facebook News yesterday, and good ole Curt Dudley had linked to this new page on JMU Athletics. Debate answered. Welcome to the team, Dave Thomas! Great nomination from Lord Jeffrey Bourne.
5. James Madison is no stranger to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory these past few years, so it's hard to say this with a straight face, but... Could JMU really be 7-0 coming into a homecoming matchup with the Richmond Ticks? After the annual opening salvo of cupcakes, Madison draws FBS Southern Methodist in Texas on September 26. JMU hasn't won an FBS game since 21-16, but SMU has a first-year head coach. And what's that, you say? Why do they have a first-year head coach? Because SMU was a god-awful football team last year, and they played so poorly that pretty much their whole staff got fired.
The Dukes will line up for SMU's fourth match of the season. The Mustangs will be sporting a minimum of two losses, because they play Big 12 favorites Baylor and TCU in Weeks 1 and 3, respectively. So who's in between in Week 2? The Mustangs -- currently ranked 113 of 128 in ESPN's Football Power Index Rankings -- draw North Texas on September 12. The outcome of that game could hint at JMU's odds at winning down on the plains.
6. I know I trashed the Big 10 earlier, but I'm not sure the ACC has much of a margin for error for this playoff system, either. It's fairly easy to make the argument that Florida State got into the inaugural CFP playoff last year thanks to its momentum from 2013. With the core of that Seminoles team departed for the NFL, they're unlikely to carry the same favor. And Clemson? They've always been good under Dabo, but never quite good enough to take seriously. If Ohio State loses and the ACC is flat, who's getting in? One or the other? Two Big 12 teams? I honestly don't know. But because it's grounded in reality with real consequences, the Big 10 vs ACC elimination concept is a much more interesting debate than trying to parse conference subdivisions.
7. Earlier this month, Clemson football players signed off of Twitter yet again for the 5-month college football season, camp to bowl game. This has been happening for years now at Clemson, and they're not even the only school that does this. I'm torn on how I should feel about this. On the one hand, college athletes consistently show bad judgement on social media, broadcasting thoughts or engaging in arguments that are damaging to their own reputation as well as their schools. From a coach's perspective, I totally get how this is a blessing for your program. It's a big chunk of bullshit that you won't have to deal with.
On the other hand... shouldn't student-athletes eschew blanket bans in favor of learning how to temper one's actions or deal with every-day adult distractions?
8. Does Jimbo Fisher get enough respect? An interesting piece on ESPN.com cites anonymous opinions from peer coaches who give their candid thoughts on him. He's an elite recruiter with a couple conference championships and a National Title on his resume, and that's only over the last five years. I can't name five better coaches than him right now. So why does it feel like he's undervalued as a commodity?
9. It's interesting to think about how the Commonwealth Cup might get someone fired this year. UVA-Tech doesn't exactly bubble to the surface as a top-tier rivalry in the overall world of college athletics, but it's certainly still taken very seriously here in Virginia, despite the hard times both programs have fallen on. Mike London fielded a good defense last season, but the offense was abysmal. I'm not dialed into the UVA program like I probably should be, but I have to imagine he's on an ever-warming seat.
On the other hand, Frank Beamer's squad in Blacksburg has been on a steady decline for a few years now. If Tech cedes the Cup to the Cavaliers this year, I think Beamer's own pattern of dominance over his archrival could spell his own doom.
10. West Virginia was picked to finish in the middle of the Big 12 pack this year, and you know what? I get it. Major departures in the wide receiver core, along with a couple of key offensive linemen, have left this team without its star power for 2015. But for the first time in several years, West Virginia might have a legit defense to rely on. The leading man in Defensive Coordinator Tony Gibson's club is Karl Joseph, who will probably be an All-American this year. Check out his Junior Hits compilation, and also this personal favorite, appropriately called "Karl Joseph Kills a man in Texas." I get sore just watching some of this stuff.
10. West Virginia was picked to finish in the middle of the Big 12 pack this year, and you know what? I get it. Major departures in the wide receiver core, along with a couple of key offensive linemen, have left this team without its star power for 2015. But for the first time in several years, West Virginia might have a legit defense to rely on. The leading man in Defensive Coordinator Tony Gibson's club is Karl Joseph, who will probably be an All-American this year. Check out his Junior Hits compilation, and also this personal favorite, appropriately called "Karl Joseph Kills a man in Texas." I get sore just watching some of this stuff.
