A very happy New Year to you all, and welcome back. The blog has been on extended leave, with finals, JMU athletic department work, and other fun stuff I've been up to. For details, try texting me, you nosey lot. I didnt start a sports blog to brag about how awesome I am.
But speaking of the inception of this sports blog, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the last year. Believe it or not, at this time last year I was a declared Biology major, intent on studying to be a genetic counselor. Over the past 365 days I have become a WRTC major, started a surprisingly well-read sports blog (48 hits from Germany alone in December?), hung out in press boxes, sat courtside for basketball games, talked shit with Mickie Matthews, and called the sports information director by his first name- I don't know why that last one impresses me so much, but it does. Anyway, it's been a wild year for me, but I have all of you readers to thank for that. Thanks for putting up with my twitter rants and improving my self-esteem by checking the "cool" box. Thanks for frequently calling me 4 minutes after I've posted a blog to tell me about editing errors (okay, that one is only my mom). Thanks for bragging to friends about me.
Thanks for taking the time out of your day to listen to my opinions. Because, ultimately, all I have to offer is a writing style and a big basket of opinions. The fact that mine are sought above many others is an invaluable asset.
Okay, enough of that. Let's get on to the business of the day- counting down BCS games by level of interest!
Now, please note that I am rating BCS games solely on level of interest and watchability. I am in no way making comment on the quality of teams or where I believe the teams shoud be ranked in the BCS poll.
5. BCS National Championship Game: Alabama vs LSU
Let's cut the crap here people. I don't care if it's the national championship. The last time this game was played, it was maybe the most hyped up game of all time. "Game of the century," it was billed. Final score? 9-6, in overtime. What is this, the world series? I don't care how many All-Americans are in this game, it was physically painful to watch the first time. Gene W. from ESPN wrote an excellent response where he announced, and i quote: "Only a classic is worthy of a Jan. 9 rematch in New Orleans. And this wasn't one of them." I couldn't agree more, yet that's what we're going to be dragged into watching. The unpronouncable Geney wrote that "classics don't have four interceptions, four missed field goals, 13 penalties, one fumble, one botched punt return and zero touchdowns." If someone described a game you might potentially watch in advance and told you it would have four picks, four missed field goals, and no touchdowns... does that sound like an exciting game to you?
I know defense wins championships. All I'm saying is that it doesn't win TV ratings too.
4. Sugar Bowl: Virginia Tech vs Michigan
Alright, so I pretty much despise both of these programs. But so what? This game is still kind of lame. Let's put aside the fact that neither of these teams really belong in this game because, though I am obsessed with complaining about how unfair it is that these two teams received at large bids, it doesn't have anything to do with the actual watchability of the game. Instead, let's focus on the notable run game plotline. We've got Denard "I'm-not-quite-as-good-as-Pat-White-despite-1000-comparisons-a-game" Robinson and his impressive dual threat capabilities against the light speed of David Wilson. This game will revolve around which one of those two players will make more plays. Both defenses really suck- especially Michigan's, regardless of what their inflated stats say- so expect lots of big plays from both sides. That may be the only redeeming quality to this game. Virginia Tech's special teams kind of suck too; even Tech fans won't argue with you on how bad their kicking game is, and when Tech fans admit something is bad, then you know it must be REALLY bad.
3. Rose Bowl: Oregon vs Wisconsin
I love this matchup because its sort of a sign of the times bowl game. We've got the classic, gigantic offensive line, power running game with Wisconsin vs the spread option speed of Oregon. I also love that both of these teams were unstoppable last year, yet both got beat in their respective BCS games. Don't forget about the qb dual between Darron Thomas and Russell Wilson- both are mobile and can beat you both ways. In a game contestng two teams with dominating runningbacks, I'm looking for whoever has the edge in the passing game. Watch the exposed matchup between Oregon's DB's, who are down their top cornerback, going against Wisconsin's wide receivers.
2. Orange Bowl- WVU vs Clemson
This is the most evenly matched bowl game of the entire postseason. And talk about shootout potential, oh man. The WVU defense has really stepped it up their last three games, but I'm not sure I'm buying the hype against the likes of South Florida. They'll get their first real test since Cincinatti in Clemson, an offense that looked highly entertaining in th ACC chamionship against Virginia Tech. Sammy Watkins is a star in the making, there's no denying that, but WVU has offensive playmakers literally all over the place. Whoever comes up with the last defensive stop probably wins in a wildly high scoring game.
1. Fiesta Bowl- Stanford vs Oklahoma State
Admit it. You thought I was going to rank the Orange Bow highest because of West Virginia.
In all seriousness, this quarterback dual is one for the ages. You've got the second coming of John Elway going up against Brandon Weeden, the quintessential Air Raid quarterback. Weeden and OSU's offense is the WVU offense, just 1000 times better. Their quarterback is older, smarter, and knows how to play within himself. Justin Blackmon is Stedman Bailey, just much more freakishly athletic. Oh yeah. And they have a running game. After that, it's literally the exact same offense, instituted by Dana Holgorsen at both schools. But just becase I think State wins doesn't mean Stanford doesn't have weapons either. Or maybe I should say weapon, singular. Because all they need is Luck (pun intended). Andrew Luck runs an old school tight end-centric offense and is supplemented by an incredibly average defense, and they look like the Green Bay Packers out there week in and week out. So if you never watch another college football game again in your life, watch this one. Because odds are, you will never see quarterback play like this in one college football game for the rest of your life.
Find out how you stack up against me. My picks: LSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, WVU, Oklahoma State
happy new year everyone!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
2011 Mid Majors Primer
Now that football is done and over with, we can all make the surprisingly difficult mental transition to basketball season. Once you’ve reminded yourself to look for new poll results one day later and adjusted yourself to the concept of actually meaningful games on a Wednesday night, we can all get on with the season!
If there’s one thing you can count on every year in basketball, it’s the same five or six programs being light years ahead of the other 300 schools in Division 1 basketball. I don’t mean to anoint the Duke’s and Kentucky’s of the world as unbeatable, but I do think it’s pretty hard to argue that their coaching, recruiting, and the intrinsic value of these bluebloods give them a consistently substantial leg up over other programs. So which nontraditional mid-major programs will bust through this year to challenge the familiar big boys? It may only be early December, but I’ve got five teams for you to watch as we chug right on through nonconference play:
5. Middle Tennessee State (Sun Belt); The Blue Raiders might not face too much talent in the Sun Belt or their own out of conference schedule, but it’s hard to deny a team that leads all of college basketball in field goal percentage and averages 80 points a game. They’ve nabbed notable wins at Loyola Marymount and UCLA; those wins will improve their potential seeding if they can beat out Denver for the Sun Belt title. A late January showdown at Vanderbilt will show how dangerous this team can really be down the stretch. (Game to watch for- @Vanderbilt, January 28)-
4. Kent State (MAC); Kent State has a veteran team that knows how to close games and play unselfishly, as those of you who went to the Tuesday night game found out. This team has the schedule and the talent to play itself into the conversation for an at large berth in the NCAA tournament this year, and that’s probably a good thing. With Toledo and Ohio sniffing around with talented teams as well, the Mid-American could be looking at a rare multi-bid season. (Game to watch for- @Utah State, December 22)
3. Cleveland State (Horizon); Who’s Butler? The Vikes are out to prove that the Horizon league’s recent success has not been a flash in the plan. All Cleveland state has done this year is upset a top ten squad on the road in their opener and follow that up with quality wins against Rhode Island and fellow list member Kent state. Like the MAAC, the Horizon League wants to prove it too is worthy of being a multi-bid conference this year. Cleveland State is the obvious favorite, but Milwaukee could be a threat to the Vikings in the conference tournament. Don’t discount Butler either, since we all seemed to last year, and look where that got them. (Game to watch for- Robert Morris, December 8)
2. Creighton (MVC)- Picked by ESPN in the preseason to be the mid-major team to beat this year, the undefeated Bluejays are actually ranked as high as 17th in some polls now. They have wins over two teams from AQ leagues, with a third impressive win last year at San Diego State. Playing in the Valley has been no easy feat the last fear years with teams like Wichita State and Missouri State really playing well, but this may be the year Creighton rises to the top. I doubt they run the table in conference play, but a strong Valley record coupled with an impressive nonconference resume puts the Bluejays in position to make a deep tournament run in March. (Game to watch for- @Wichita St, December 31)
1. Harvard (Ivy)- Many of you might remember the Cornell team from two years ago that maybe went a little underappreciated. The Big Red got the last laugh though, as they joked their way into the Sweet Sixteen. The no-scholarship group’s impressive run might have gone even farther if had they not run into John Wall’s Kentucky team. Why is that important? Well, this year’s Harvard team is as good as that Ivy team, maybe even better. Poll voters finally relented and voted the Crimson into the Top 25 after holding a ranked Florida State team to 41 points. They beat a tough-minded Central Florida team, and have a big Litmus test this week at Connecticut. We’re going to find out how good this team really is. (Game to watch for- @UConn, December 8)
That’s all well and good for those teams, but now I have to address the elephant in the room. Since we’re talking mid-majors, where does JMU fit into all of this? It’s hard to tell for sure while Devon Moore is out, but suffice it to say that the 2011-2012 hard court Dukes are still a work in progress. When they remember to play good defense, they seem to look like a team that is completely capable of making a run at the CAA title. When they get hot, they can absolutely shoot lights out from the perimeter. On the other hand, sloppy play and impatience can really undermine this team, as the Dukes went 6 of 23 from behind the arc and turned the ball over 19 times in a twenty point home loss to Kent State Tuesday night. It doesn’t matter. I still believe in this team’s staying power. If the Dukes can find better penetration in the lane and clean up the transition game (JMU had only 10 points off 23 Kent State turnovers), the Dukes should be a legitimate conference threat for the title this year.
If there’s one thing you can count on every year in basketball, it’s the same five or six programs being light years ahead of the other 300 schools in Division 1 basketball. I don’t mean to anoint the Duke’s and Kentucky’s of the world as unbeatable, but I do think it’s pretty hard to argue that their coaching, recruiting, and the intrinsic value of these bluebloods give them a consistently substantial leg up over other programs. So which nontraditional mid-major programs will bust through this year to challenge the familiar big boys? It may only be early December, but I’ve got five teams for you to watch as we chug right on through nonconference play:
5. Middle Tennessee State (Sun Belt); The Blue Raiders might not face too much talent in the Sun Belt or their own out of conference schedule, but it’s hard to deny a team that leads all of college basketball in field goal percentage and averages 80 points a game. They’ve nabbed notable wins at Loyola Marymount and UCLA; those wins will improve their potential seeding if they can beat out Denver for the Sun Belt title. A late January showdown at Vanderbilt will show how dangerous this team can really be down the stretch. (Game to watch for- @Vanderbilt, January 28)-
4. Kent State (MAC); Kent State has a veteran team that knows how to close games and play unselfishly, as those of you who went to the Tuesday night game found out. This team has the schedule and the talent to play itself into the conversation for an at large berth in the NCAA tournament this year, and that’s probably a good thing. With Toledo and Ohio sniffing around with talented teams as well, the Mid-American could be looking at a rare multi-bid season. (Game to watch for- @Utah State, December 22)
3. Cleveland State (Horizon); Who’s Butler? The Vikes are out to prove that the Horizon league’s recent success has not been a flash in the plan. All Cleveland state has done this year is upset a top ten squad on the road in their opener and follow that up with quality wins against Rhode Island and fellow list member Kent state. Like the MAAC, the Horizon League wants to prove it too is worthy of being a multi-bid conference this year. Cleveland State is the obvious favorite, but Milwaukee could be a threat to the Vikings in the conference tournament. Don’t discount Butler either, since we all seemed to last year, and look where that got them. (Game to watch for- Robert Morris, December 8)
2. Creighton (MVC)- Picked by ESPN in the preseason to be the mid-major team to beat this year, the undefeated Bluejays are actually ranked as high as 17th in some polls now. They have wins over two teams from AQ leagues, with a third impressive win last year at San Diego State. Playing in the Valley has been no easy feat the last fear years with teams like Wichita State and Missouri State really playing well, but this may be the year Creighton rises to the top. I doubt they run the table in conference play, but a strong Valley record coupled with an impressive nonconference resume puts the Bluejays in position to make a deep tournament run in March. (Game to watch for- @Wichita St, December 31)
1. Harvard (Ivy)- Many of you might remember the Cornell team from two years ago that maybe went a little underappreciated. The Big Red got the last laugh though, as they joked their way into the Sweet Sixteen. The no-scholarship group’s impressive run might have gone even farther if had they not run into John Wall’s Kentucky team. Why is that important? Well, this year’s Harvard team is as good as that Ivy team, maybe even better. Poll voters finally relented and voted the Crimson into the Top 25 after holding a ranked Florida State team to 41 points. They beat a tough-minded Central Florida team, and have a big Litmus test this week at Connecticut. We’re going to find out how good this team really is. (Game to watch for- @UConn, December 8)
That’s all well and good for those teams, but now I have to address the elephant in the room. Since we’re talking mid-majors, where does JMU fit into all of this? It’s hard to tell for sure while Devon Moore is out, but suffice it to say that the 2011-2012 hard court Dukes are still a work in progress. When they remember to play good defense, they seem to look like a team that is completely capable of making a run at the CAA title. When they get hot, they can absolutely shoot lights out from the perimeter. On the other hand, sloppy play and impatience can really undermine this team, as the Dukes went 6 of 23 from behind the arc and turned the ball over 19 times in a twenty point home loss to Kent State Tuesday night. It doesn’t matter. I still believe in this team’s staying power. If the Dukes can find better penetration in the lane and clean up the transition game (JMU had only 10 points off 23 Kent State turnovers), the Dukes should be a legitimate conference threat for the title this year.
BCS or Bust?
There is no doubt in my mind that it’s the most wonderful time of the year, and it’s got nothing to do with the Xbox games I’ll be unwrapping in a couple of weeks.
The autumn confluence of baseball, football, basketball, and hockey is the sports equivalent of metaphysical poetry-- the end result is so epic that mental ecstasy is inevitable. Days like last Saturday are so full of sports that I have to preplan my sports-watching schedule in advance. Money can’t buy that type of happiness. But you know what doesn’t bring happiness? The single black spot on an otherwise blissful sports continuum- the BCS.
Time for a splash of cold water sports fans. JMU football just lost to North Dakota State. To put it bluntly, it sucks. There is no getting around that. But we had a nice campaign at the end of this year, and we even sent our seniors out with our first playoff berth since 2008. After the pang of defeat settles and we can actually look back on the year, there will be a neat since of accomplishment and finality. After an eight win season, we were eliminated by a solid, balanced football team.
Eliminated. It’s an ugly word for the loser, of course. It’s definitely not fun to be eliminated. However unpleasant it might be, everyone knows where a team stands when they’re eliminated. It’s a black and white mould, either you’re still in or you’re out. You know where that doesn’t exist? The BCS.
Rather than creating hard lines in the sand, the BCS system relies on the court of public opinion to create indistinguishable shades of grey. There are sometimes years like 2010 where no system is really necessary to determine who should play for the national championship. The millions of people who watched the BCS national championship last year all probably agreed Oregon and Auburn should be playing each other for the title. On the other hand, for every simple year, there’s a year of pure and utter unadulterated chaos. Take this year. There’s LSU, and then… who else? Even Houston is a one-loss team now. Alabama was lined up to go rematch the Tigers for the national championship, but what about Oklahoma State? What about Stanford? Boise State, even two-loss teams like Wisconsin and Oregon? How can anyone pick one opponent for LSU without making five or six teams feel like they got left out in the cold?
Maybe you’re that guy with all the answers though, and you think it falls together oh so neatly in ways we mere mortals don’t understand. Well I see your 2011 season, and raise you the entire 2007 season. Otherwise known to fans as “that really crazy year in college football,” the #1 and #2 teams in the country lost in the same weekend on three separate weekends. Two of those were the last two consecutive weeks of the regular season, culminating in a Saturday night game where Pittsburgh upset #2 WVU, knocked the Mountaineers out of the national title game, and knocked eventual champion LSU back into the title game. That season was such a mess, a playoff could have very easily resulted in any team winning. Think VCU all over again, you know, if VCU actually had a football team.
The other problem I have with the BCS format is, as mentioned before, it sometimes relies way too much on human polls. Over 65% of the BCS is determined by what voters in the Harris Poll and USA Today Poll think of teams. Virginia Tech was ranked as high as #3 in polls this year. After watching Clemson play them twice, is this the third best team in the country? But it’s not just the Virginia Tech’s of the world that cause ranking problems. Non-automatic qualifying teams like Houston and Boise State are clearly good teams on their own level, but how much of that talent transfers over when playing an SEC team? No one really has an answer for that. The only way to know for sure is to stick them in a bracket and let them have at it.
I’m not going to pretend a playoff has all the answers. Frankly, I like the fact that the current bowl system creates niches for teams that would probably never get a playoff bid. Just as there’s a Orange Bowl bid waiting for the ACC champion, there’s always a Belk Bowl bid for mid-level east coast teams. I’m not a big believer in the everyone-should-get-a-trophy, let’s-award-mediocrity cause, but at the same time, this format allows every team to compete for some sort of post season trip, not just the best of the best. And you know what? Don’t even get me started on the injury and academic risks to the pro prospects with an extended, multiple game playoff. This newspaper column can’t even begin to offer enough space for that conversation.
No system fixes all the problems or answers all the questions. But when everyone from Congress to the weird guy in the corner of your 8:00AM class has been screaming about how awful the BCS is for months, maybe it’s time we as a society accept the fact that BCS might not stand for the best case scenario. Maybe it’s time we change this thing.
***writer's note***
The above was written for the purposes of print journalism for Monday, December 5. Because of my deadline, I had to write the article and turn it in before the actual BCS bowl schedule was announced and thus could not include my personal reaction to the BCS selections. The selection of Michigan and Virginia Tech as at large teams confirms many of the things said about the BCS. Is the purpose of the college football postseason to reward the best teams, or to make money? The BCS often walks this line like a very drunk man at a sobriety checkpoint. Sometimes they even poll vault this line all together, like when a Sugar Bowl affiliate, when asked why Virginia Tech was chosen over other teams, chose to cite Virginia Tech's fan base as reasoning why they were selected. I give credit to the Virginia Tech fans for being very dedicated to their team- one of the very, very few things wvu and vt fans have in common, and something I can't say about the fans of archrival pitt- but when the first reason named is 1. directly related to the making of money and 2. completely unrelated to on the field play.. you have to wonder what's going on these guys' minds when they choose the teams to play in their bowl games.
Actually, scratch that. You don't have to wonder. They pretty much just spelled it out for us.
The autumn confluence of baseball, football, basketball, and hockey is the sports equivalent of metaphysical poetry-- the end result is so epic that mental ecstasy is inevitable. Days like last Saturday are so full of sports that I have to preplan my sports-watching schedule in advance. Money can’t buy that type of happiness. But you know what doesn’t bring happiness? The single black spot on an otherwise blissful sports continuum- the BCS.
Time for a splash of cold water sports fans. JMU football just lost to North Dakota State. To put it bluntly, it sucks. There is no getting around that. But we had a nice campaign at the end of this year, and we even sent our seniors out with our first playoff berth since 2008. After the pang of defeat settles and we can actually look back on the year, there will be a neat since of accomplishment and finality. After an eight win season, we were eliminated by a solid, balanced football team.
Eliminated. It’s an ugly word for the loser, of course. It’s definitely not fun to be eliminated. However unpleasant it might be, everyone knows where a team stands when they’re eliminated. It’s a black and white mould, either you’re still in or you’re out. You know where that doesn’t exist? The BCS.
Rather than creating hard lines in the sand, the BCS system relies on the court of public opinion to create indistinguishable shades of grey. There are sometimes years like 2010 where no system is really necessary to determine who should play for the national championship. The millions of people who watched the BCS national championship last year all probably agreed Oregon and Auburn should be playing each other for the title. On the other hand, for every simple year, there’s a year of pure and utter unadulterated chaos. Take this year. There’s LSU, and then… who else? Even Houston is a one-loss team now. Alabama was lined up to go rematch the Tigers for the national championship, but what about Oklahoma State? What about Stanford? Boise State, even two-loss teams like Wisconsin and Oregon? How can anyone pick one opponent for LSU without making five or six teams feel like they got left out in the cold?
Maybe you’re that guy with all the answers though, and you think it falls together oh so neatly in ways we mere mortals don’t understand. Well I see your 2011 season, and raise you the entire 2007 season. Otherwise known to fans as “that really crazy year in college football,” the #1 and #2 teams in the country lost in the same weekend on three separate weekends. Two of those were the last two consecutive weeks of the regular season, culminating in a Saturday night game where Pittsburgh upset #2 WVU, knocked the Mountaineers out of the national title game, and knocked eventual champion LSU back into the title game. That season was such a mess, a playoff could have very easily resulted in any team winning. Think VCU all over again, you know, if VCU actually had a football team.
The other problem I have with the BCS format is, as mentioned before, it sometimes relies way too much on human polls. Over 65% of the BCS is determined by what voters in the Harris Poll and USA Today Poll think of teams. Virginia Tech was ranked as high as #3 in polls this year. After watching Clemson play them twice, is this the third best team in the country? But it’s not just the Virginia Tech’s of the world that cause ranking problems. Non-automatic qualifying teams like Houston and Boise State are clearly good teams on their own level, but how much of that talent transfers over when playing an SEC team? No one really has an answer for that. The only way to know for sure is to stick them in a bracket and let them have at it.
I’m not going to pretend a playoff has all the answers. Frankly, I like the fact that the current bowl system creates niches for teams that would probably never get a playoff bid. Just as there’s a Orange Bowl bid waiting for the ACC champion, there’s always a Belk Bowl bid for mid-level east coast teams. I’m not a big believer in the everyone-should-get-a-trophy, let’s-award-mediocrity cause, but at the same time, this format allows every team to compete for some sort of post season trip, not just the best of the best. And you know what? Don’t even get me started on the injury and academic risks to the pro prospects with an extended, multiple game playoff. This newspaper column can’t even begin to offer enough space for that conversation.
No system fixes all the problems or answers all the questions. But when everyone from Congress to the weird guy in the corner of your 8:00AM class has been screaming about how awful the BCS is for months, maybe it’s time we as a society accept the fact that BCS might not stand for the best case scenario. Maybe it’s time we change this thing.
***writer's note***
The above was written for the purposes of print journalism for Monday, December 5. Because of my deadline, I had to write the article and turn it in before the actual BCS bowl schedule was announced and thus could not include my personal reaction to the BCS selections. The selection of Michigan and Virginia Tech as at large teams confirms many of the things said about the BCS. Is the purpose of the college football postseason to reward the best teams, or to make money? The BCS often walks this line like a very drunk man at a sobriety checkpoint. Sometimes they even poll vault this line all together, like when a Sugar Bowl affiliate, when asked why Virginia Tech was chosen over other teams, chose to cite Virginia Tech's fan base as reasoning why they were selected. I give credit to the Virginia Tech fans for being very dedicated to their team- one of the very, very few things wvu and vt fans have in common, and something I can't say about the fans of archrival pitt- but when the first reason named is 1. directly related to the making of money and 2. completely unrelated to on the field play.. you have to wonder what's going on these guys' minds when they choose the teams to play in their bowl games.
Actually, scratch that. You don't have to wonder. They pretty much just spelled it out for us.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Pregame: Championship Week, Pt 2
Jumping right into Big 12 Play...
Big 12:
Kansas State can technically still snag a piece of the pie with an OkSt loss, but let's be honest. As far as the BCS is concerned, this is a two-pony show. That's probably a good thing too, because as good of a story as Bill Snyder's camp is this year, I'm not sure they're gonna hold up against the big boys. They barely beat a top 30 Texas team, and allowed 50 points to both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
Anyway, the winner of Bedlam this weekend goes to a BCS bowl. There's an outside chance that both teams go, assuming the Sooners win. Otherwise, there's not a whole lot of discussion required here. Both teams have great skill players on offense, and he quarterback dual will be quite a treat. But I like Weeden and JB to defend home turf. Even in the preseason, I wasn't buying into Oklahoma as the best team in the Big 12. I picked OSU to win the conference outright, and I'm sticking by that preseason pick.
Prediction: Oklahoma makes it interesting, but the pokes go to a BCS game. The real question is, how impressively do they have to win to jump Alabama in the polls? Oklahoma State 41, Oklahoma 31
Pac-12:
Tonight is the Pac-12 championship game between fringe national title contender Oregon and 6-6 UCLA. The Bruins sit in this title game not really out of personal merit, but because they are the least awfullest team in the Pac-12 south that is actually elligible to play in the title game. That's right- they're so bad that I actually had to invent the word awfullest just to fully describe the situation. It's that bad.
Prediction: Reggie Bush apologizes for tonight's inevitable blowout. Oregon 55, UCLA 20
SEC:
So, here we are. The elephant in the room. Undefeated LSU takes on Boise State's most recent overrated victim, Georgia. I've been on ESPN all week listening to how good Georgia has been playing recently, and how they're really gonna hang with LSU. The Tigers will prevail of course, because no one wants to upset the established order, but at least it will be a good game...
Prediction: Well I'm sorry, but that's a load of crap. Georgia is playing well? Because they hung 62 on New Mexico State? Color me unimpressed. Barely scraping out wins against the likes of Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt, and a very injured Tennessee team does not mean you've caught fire. LSU is gonna do to Mark Reicht's team what Cam Newton did to South Carolina in last year's SEC title game. Remember that one? It wasn't pretty. LSU 42, Georgia 13.
Still... let's play the imagination game for a second. What happens if Georgia wins? There's a brain teaser for you. In my mind, LSU would remain the #1 team (after all, they'd just be another one loss team with a better resume than everyone else), though in the fickle minds of poll voters, I'm not so sure they wouldn't lose a step to a couple of other top teams. Georgia suddenly has to go to a BCS game, but you can't hold LSU back from an at large bid after dominating the whole regular season. Does Alabama get left out in the cold? It's pretty much a done deal that Houston is going to go to the BCS, but what do you do about Boise State, who has now beaten the SEC champion?
Scenarios abound. I look forward to delving into them all with you later this weekend.
Big 12:
Kansas State can technically still snag a piece of the pie with an OkSt loss, but let's be honest. As far as the BCS is concerned, this is a two-pony show. That's probably a good thing too, because as good of a story as Bill Snyder's camp is this year, I'm not sure they're gonna hold up against the big boys. They barely beat a top 30 Texas team, and allowed 50 points to both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
Anyway, the winner of Bedlam this weekend goes to a BCS bowl. There's an outside chance that both teams go, assuming the Sooners win. Otherwise, there's not a whole lot of discussion required here. Both teams have great skill players on offense, and he quarterback dual will be quite a treat. But I like Weeden and JB to defend home turf. Even in the preseason, I wasn't buying into Oklahoma as the best team in the Big 12. I picked OSU to win the conference outright, and I'm sticking by that preseason pick.
Prediction: Oklahoma makes it interesting, but the pokes go to a BCS game. The real question is, how impressively do they have to win to jump Alabama in the polls? Oklahoma State 41, Oklahoma 31
Pac-12:
Tonight is the Pac-12 championship game between fringe national title contender Oregon and 6-6 UCLA. The Bruins sit in this title game not really out of personal merit, but because they are the least awfullest team in the Pac-12 south that is actually elligible to play in the title game. That's right- they're so bad that I actually had to invent the word awfullest just to fully describe the situation. It's that bad.
Prediction: Reggie Bush apologizes for tonight's inevitable blowout. Oregon 55, UCLA 20
SEC:
So, here we are. The elephant in the room. Undefeated LSU takes on Boise State's most recent overrated victim, Georgia. I've been on ESPN all week listening to how good Georgia has been playing recently, and how they're really gonna hang with LSU. The Tigers will prevail of course, because no one wants to upset the established order, but at least it will be a good game...
Prediction: Well I'm sorry, but that's a load of crap. Georgia is playing well? Because they hung 62 on New Mexico State? Color me unimpressed. Barely scraping out wins against the likes of Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt, and a very injured Tennessee team does not mean you've caught fire. LSU is gonna do to Mark Reicht's team what Cam Newton did to South Carolina in last year's SEC title game. Remember that one? It wasn't pretty. LSU 42, Georgia 13.
Still... let's play the imagination game for a second. What happens if Georgia wins? There's a brain teaser for you. In my mind, LSU would remain the #1 team (after all, they'd just be another one loss team with a better resume than everyone else), though in the fickle minds of poll voters, I'm not so sure they wouldn't lose a step to a couple of other top teams. Georgia suddenly has to go to a BCS game, but you can't hold LSU back from an at large bid after dominating the whole regular season. Does Alabama get left out in the cold? It's pretty much a done deal that Houston is going to go to the BCS, but what do you do about Boise State, who has now beaten the SEC champion?
Scenarios abound. I look forward to delving into them all with you later this weekend.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Pregame: Championship Week, Pt 1
Hey all and welcome to the weekend Pregame, championship week edition. I'll be giving you my thoughts on each conference's championship week matchups, and we'll even predict some winners. As always, feel free to tell me how incredibly amazing/stupid I am.
ACC:
Virginia Tech will play Clemson in Charlotte, North Carolina for the right to represent the ACC in a BCS game. Last year, the representative Hokies got bold italicized underlined CREAMED by at large Andrew Luck and company, and the conference is probably looking for a measure of redemption.
For these teams, it's really been a story of going in opposite directions. Clemson opened pretty hot, including this original romp of Virginia Tech as a part of their 8-0 start. But in the last four games, Clemson has gone 1-3 (including a rather embarassing rout at the hands of North Carolina State). Quarterback Tajh Boyd has thrown four touchdowns compared to seven interceptions, and his offensive line has allowed 11 sacks. Not to great.
Meanwhile, Virginia Tech... well, at least they haven't lost since the aforementioned Clemson game. Until last week's game in Charlottesville, I thought Tech looked incredibly unimpressive while running through their mindnumbingly easy schedule. Still, they turned it on against UVA last week that somehow appears to be the third best team in the ACC. It's hard to say for sure with a one-game sample size against your in-state rival, but the Hokies appear to be peaking at the right time.
Well, who cares. In a championship game, I'm not sure that really matters after the first quarter. Clemson is too good of a team AND matches up too well with Virginia Tech to get blown out by a team who is not outright athletically superior. Tajh Boyd needs to get his act together, and the offense as a hole needs to play better. If that happens, it'll be a good game. If not, then it'll be another early Christmas in Blacksburg.
Prediction: The media might be lined up to coddle Logan Thomas day in and day out, but I'm not. This kid is not the real deal, and lacks the experience to lead his team down the stretch. Virginia Tech will jump out to an early lead, but I expect Clemson to wake up some time late in the second quarter. The second half will be all defense, but I expect Clemson to score just enough points to eek out a small victory. Clemson 19, Virginia Tech 17
Big East:
If you haven't been following this conference race (and let's be honest, most of you probably haven't), it's an absolute mess. It's one of the only times I've ever seen where no one actually controls their own destiny. Here are the contenders and what's going on with them:
Louisville- Off this week, schedule is already completed with a conference record of 5-2. They own a h2h win over West Virginia, but lost at Cincinatti.
Cincinatti- Bearcats were undefeated in conference play and in the driver seat until their bigtime quarterback Zach Collaros was injured. Following that, Cincinatti lost to West Virginia and Rutgers, and now sit at 4-2. A win on Saturday at home against cellar dweller UConn keeps them in contention for a share of the Big East title and a possible BCS berth.
West Virginia- West Virginia easily boasts the most explosive offense and probably the most athletic team, but as always, they've got a couple losses that kind of just make you go... huh? WVU lost to Syracuse early on, and lost to Louisville at home in the beginning of November. They play tonight (Thursday night) against South Florida, and are currently 4-2.
SO. West Virginia beat Cincinatti, who beat Louisville, who beat West Virginia. Except Louisville is already done, and the other two aren't.
Louisville needs Cincinatti to lose on Saturday. Then they clinch the BCS berth with their head to head win over WVU.
Cincinatti needs to win on Saturday, but they also need a loss from WVU tonight. Then they would clench the BCS berth because of their head to head win over Louisville.
West Virginia needs to win Thursday night, and they need Cincinatti to win Saturday too. That keeps the 3-way tie with each team at 5-2. Each team's h2h record against the other two teams would be 1-1, which means you go to the next tiebreaker: BCS ranking. Right now, WVU is the only team ranked in the top 25 of the BCS rankings, and a Cincinatti win at home over UConn would not likely push them over WVU.
West Virginia certainly needs the most things, but...
Prediction: You say Rube Goldberg, I say common sense. Call me biased, but all those things happening is really not that unrealistic. South Florida has played WVU tough and even forced a little bit of a rivalry between the two schools, but the Bulls are pretty awful this year and have only managed one conference win. They haven't even qualified for bowl eligibility yet. Combine that with the liklihood of their backup quarterback Bobby Eveld starting with the poor quality of the USF secondary and I smell a rout. WVU 45, USF 10. Meanwhile, Cincinatti backup Munchie Legeaux is starting to figure things out, and though UConn has a surprisingly intimidating front 7, I don't think they will contain him or the outstanding runningback the Bearcats feature. They're gonna get Pead on (love saying that). Cincinatti 24, Connecticut 13
WVU finishes ranked 21st. Cincinatti remains unranked.
Big 10
This might be the best game all weekend. The Badgers get another shot to beat Michigan State after the Spartans' miraculous hail mary won the regular season meeting. MSU will have a couple defensive players back that weren't available in the regular season game, including one bigtime pass rusher, which is important to note because of the escapability of Russell Wilson. I love State's receiver Keshawn Martin too. He's a big time playmaker that steps up in big game situations, and I think he's got great reporte with Kirk Cousins too.
All of that pales in comparison, though, to Montee Ball. Ball has 1622 yards on the season and averages 6.5 yards a carry. He's got 34 TOUCHDOWNS this season. 34. Those numbers are pretty rediculous for a quarterback, but for a runningback? Absolutely rediculous. Even by his standards, he's been going off lately. If Montee Ball continues to play in his groove, I can't possibly see how Michigan State can do anything to stop him.
Prediction: Obviously I like Montee Ball and and Wisconsin, per mini-rant above. Michigan State's defense is underrated, but somehow so is Montee Ball. Despite the renewed blood on the defensive line, Wisconsin will dominate the line of scrimmage, pound the ball left and right, and go to their second straight BCS game to set up wonderful runningback and mobile quarterback duals. Wisconsin 35, Michigan State 24.
Tomorrow, I cover the remaining three conferences. Saturday/Sunday I'll be covering at large bids.
ACC:
Virginia Tech will play Clemson in Charlotte, North Carolina for the right to represent the ACC in a BCS game. Last year, the representative Hokies got bold italicized underlined CREAMED by at large Andrew Luck and company, and the conference is probably looking for a measure of redemption.
For these teams, it's really been a story of going in opposite directions. Clemson opened pretty hot, including this original romp of Virginia Tech as a part of their 8-0 start. But in the last four games, Clemson has gone 1-3 (including a rather embarassing rout at the hands of North Carolina State). Quarterback Tajh Boyd has thrown four touchdowns compared to seven interceptions, and his offensive line has allowed 11 sacks. Not to great.
Meanwhile, Virginia Tech... well, at least they haven't lost since the aforementioned Clemson game. Until last week's game in Charlottesville, I thought Tech looked incredibly unimpressive while running through their mindnumbingly easy schedule. Still, they turned it on against UVA last week that somehow appears to be the third best team in the ACC. It's hard to say for sure with a one-game sample size against your in-state rival, but the Hokies appear to be peaking at the right time.
Well, who cares. In a championship game, I'm not sure that really matters after the first quarter. Clemson is too good of a team AND matches up too well with Virginia Tech to get blown out by a team who is not outright athletically superior. Tajh Boyd needs to get his act together, and the offense as a hole needs to play better. If that happens, it'll be a good game. If not, then it'll be another early Christmas in Blacksburg.
Prediction: The media might be lined up to coddle Logan Thomas day in and day out, but I'm not. This kid is not the real deal, and lacks the experience to lead his team down the stretch. Virginia Tech will jump out to an early lead, but I expect Clemson to wake up some time late in the second quarter. The second half will be all defense, but I expect Clemson to score just enough points to eek out a small victory. Clemson 19, Virginia Tech 17
Big East:
If you haven't been following this conference race (and let's be honest, most of you probably haven't), it's an absolute mess. It's one of the only times I've ever seen where no one actually controls their own destiny. Here are the contenders and what's going on with them:
Louisville- Off this week, schedule is already completed with a conference record of 5-2. They own a h2h win over West Virginia, but lost at Cincinatti.
Cincinatti- Bearcats were undefeated in conference play and in the driver seat until their bigtime quarterback Zach Collaros was injured. Following that, Cincinatti lost to West Virginia and Rutgers, and now sit at 4-2. A win on Saturday at home against cellar dweller UConn keeps them in contention for a share of the Big East title and a possible BCS berth.
West Virginia- West Virginia easily boasts the most explosive offense and probably the most athletic team, but as always, they've got a couple losses that kind of just make you go... huh? WVU lost to Syracuse early on, and lost to Louisville at home in the beginning of November. They play tonight (Thursday night) against South Florida, and are currently 4-2.
SO. West Virginia beat Cincinatti, who beat Louisville, who beat West Virginia. Except Louisville is already done, and the other two aren't.
Louisville needs Cincinatti to lose on Saturday. Then they clinch the BCS berth with their head to head win over WVU.
Cincinatti needs to win on Saturday, but they also need a loss from WVU tonight. Then they would clench the BCS berth because of their head to head win over Louisville.
West Virginia needs to win Thursday night, and they need Cincinatti to win Saturday too. That keeps the 3-way tie with each team at 5-2. Each team's h2h record against the other two teams would be 1-1, which means you go to the next tiebreaker: BCS ranking. Right now, WVU is the only team ranked in the top 25 of the BCS rankings, and a Cincinatti win at home over UConn would not likely push them over WVU.
West Virginia certainly needs the most things, but...
Prediction: You say Rube Goldberg, I say common sense. Call me biased, but all those things happening is really not that unrealistic. South Florida has played WVU tough and even forced a little bit of a rivalry between the two schools, but the Bulls are pretty awful this year and have only managed one conference win. They haven't even qualified for bowl eligibility yet. Combine that with the liklihood of their backup quarterback Bobby Eveld starting with the poor quality of the USF secondary and I smell a rout. WVU 45, USF 10. Meanwhile, Cincinatti backup Munchie Legeaux is starting to figure things out, and though UConn has a surprisingly intimidating front 7, I don't think they will contain him or the outstanding runningback the Bearcats feature. They're gonna get Pead on (love saying that). Cincinatti 24, Connecticut 13
WVU finishes ranked 21st. Cincinatti remains unranked.
Big 10
This might be the best game all weekend. The Badgers get another shot to beat Michigan State after the Spartans' miraculous hail mary won the regular season meeting. MSU will have a couple defensive players back that weren't available in the regular season game, including one bigtime pass rusher, which is important to note because of the escapability of Russell Wilson. I love State's receiver Keshawn Martin too. He's a big time playmaker that steps up in big game situations, and I think he's got great reporte with Kirk Cousins too.
All of that pales in comparison, though, to Montee Ball. Ball has 1622 yards on the season and averages 6.5 yards a carry. He's got 34 TOUCHDOWNS this season. 34. Those numbers are pretty rediculous for a quarterback, but for a runningback? Absolutely rediculous. Even by his standards, he's been going off lately. If Montee Ball continues to play in his groove, I can't possibly see how Michigan State can do anything to stop him.
Prediction: Obviously I like Montee Ball and and Wisconsin, per mini-rant above. Michigan State's defense is underrated, but somehow so is Montee Ball. Despite the renewed blood on the defensive line, Wisconsin will dominate the line of scrimmage, pound the ball left and right, and go to their second straight BCS game to set up wonderful runningback and mobile quarterback duals. Wisconsin 35, Michigan State 24.
Tomorrow, I cover the remaining three conferences. Saturday/Sunday I'll be covering at large bids.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Rant Time: Save Some Brawl for Me
It’s one of my all-time favorite stories to tell people. On a cold and rainy November night in 2010, I took the long haul up to Morgantown, West Virginia. My extended family owns some incredible season tickets right behind the bench, and I was treated to my first basketball game in over ten years in the WVU Coliseum. The trip was far from ideal, crammed in the back of a friend’s sedan with four other guys and who knows how many bags. I was dropped off a mile downhill from the Coliseum and had to walk uphill in a horribly misty rain carrying my stuff for the weekend. But as I walked into that arena, I had forgotten all that. I sat soaking it all in. As the warm-up ended and the national anthem started, I tried to savor every esoteric flavor of the moment, but one in particular stands out above all the rest.
“…and the home of the brave!” Loud applause. Cheers everywhere. And then, from just a couple rows behind us:
“BEAT THE HELL OUTTA PITT!”
That’s all well and good, but this was the home opener. We were there for a fall game against Oakland College. Pitt is always played in February, usually on or within about three days of my birthday.
It didn’t matter. Beat the hell outta Pitt. As West Virginia, we must beat the hell outta Pitt. It is our primary purpose of life.
Rivalries are the crack that makes college football so addictive. More people probably watch the NFL, with its top notch talent, wild personalities, and Superbowl winners. But everyone loves a good college football rivalry. From proximity-induced rivalries like the Iron Bowl to the how-did-this-even-become-a-rivalry rivalries like USC-Notre Dame, Thanksgiving week might be the only week of the year where college football is watched much more fervently than the NFL. Yet a seemingly unavoidable conflict seems to be moving through college football, hellbent on tearing rivalries apart. I am talking, of course, about the juggernaut that is conference realignment.
To say I’m sick of conference realignment stories would be an understatement. It has dominated the headlines of college football this year in an incredibly boring, ball-hog fashion. Nobody can talk about anything else but the Big East constantly escalating suckiness, the Big 12 having who-knows-how-many teams, and the ACC rising from low level mediocrity to mediocre mediocrity with the addition of Pitt and Syracuse. Will Texas A&M make it in the SEC? Who knows? Who cares? At this point, why don’t we just wait until they move and find out?
But to ignore conference realignment and the disbanding of prominent national rivalries in this context would be utter negligence on my part. Just yesterday, the Texas Longhorns played what looks like it might be their last game against the Texas A&M Aggies. They have played since 1894, and it is the 3rd longest running rivalry in division 1A college football. Common sense would probably dictate that they keep the rivalry going, but combine a little anger over a TV network with conference realignment, and wham. You’re looking at the end of a historic rivalry.
It’s certainly a sad trend to witness as a passionate fan first, journalist second. But apply that trend to West Virginia, the team I’ve been groomed to love just about all my life, and it’s downright depressing.
West Virginia-Pitt might be a mere regional rivalry, but it’s one of the most heated rivalries I’ve ever seen. Think Alabama-Auburn without the national title implications (though there’s an exception for every rule- my apologies, fellow mountaineer fans), except maybe even meaner. I don’t expect there to be any ESPN documentaries about my beloved Backyard Brawl any time soon, but it doesn’t mean the players aren’t out for blood. Last time the Brawl came to Morgantown, there were so many state troopers on the field that you could have robbed every bank in West Virginia blind and nobody would have been any wiser until you were three states away.
But like any good rivalry, a team is really defined by their rival. Try thinking about Auburn’s 2010 national championship year without reminiscing over that miraculous Cam Newton-led comeback over Alabama in Tuscaloosa. West Virginia and Pitt are no different. Penn State hasn’t played Pitt in years, and you can hardly call the Marshall-WVU series a real rivalry when the Thundering Herd has actually never beaten WVU. With a shocking absence of true rivalries around, the Backyard Brawl means more now than it ever has.
Here is the part of the story where realignment rears its ugly head. The athletic directors of both schools want the rivalry to continue. The fans and players all want it. I’m sure ESPN and the NCAA still want it. So if literally everyone still wants the rivalry, why on Earth would it be discontinued? Ahh, but with Pitt going to the ACC and WVU to the Big 12, it might just not be possible. WVU would have to play nine games in conference alone, and Pitt would have to play a similar schedule in the ACC. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for a big rivalry, especially when the strength of schedule is already so high with teams like Oklahoma/Virginia Tech, Texas/Florida State, and Oklahoma State/Clemson.
Conference change or no conference change, though, WVU and Pitt hate each other. Even more so, the fans hate each other. Hop on any messenger board and the vitriol spewed at opposing fans is downright filthy- and that’s coming from a college guy with an admittedly colorful vocabulary (Colorful here translates to “must remember to censor self in front of parents at all times.”). But despite all the hate, it’s really an incredibly twisted love. It’s a real, down-to-the-core love… to hate. What is WVU without eat shit Pitt? What is Pitt without Morganhole? The rivalry does indeed define the schools on more than one occasion.
So yeah, I hate Pitt. I have as long as I can remember, and I probably always will. But if we stop playing Pitt, I will be incredibly, incredibly angry. Because I love Pitt. I love to hate them. Pitt is the creepy neighbor down the street that you love making fun of. You can’t stand their weirdness, but who would you rag on if they moved out of the neighborhood? I need that creepy neighbor in my life. I need Pitt.
Tonight is the 104th Backyard Brawl. Here’s to hoping that it isn’t the last time these two teams meet on the football field. Here’s to the continued tradition of rivalries in college football. Here’s to the 105th Backyard Brawl.
Oh yeah. And eat shit, Pitt.
“…and the home of the brave!” Loud applause. Cheers everywhere. And then, from just a couple rows behind us:
“BEAT THE HELL OUTTA PITT!”
That’s all well and good, but this was the home opener. We were there for a fall game against Oakland College. Pitt is always played in February, usually on or within about three days of my birthday.
It didn’t matter. Beat the hell outta Pitt. As West Virginia, we must beat the hell outta Pitt. It is our primary purpose of life.
Rivalries are the crack that makes college football so addictive. More people probably watch the NFL, with its top notch talent, wild personalities, and Superbowl winners. But everyone loves a good college football rivalry. From proximity-induced rivalries like the Iron Bowl to the how-did-this-even-become-a-rivalry rivalries like USC-Notre Dame, Thanksgiving week might be the only week of the year where college football is watched much more fervently than the NFL. Yet a seemingly unavoidable conflict seems to be moving through college football, hellbent on tearing rivalries apart. I am talking, of course, about the juggernaut that is conference realignment.
To say I’m sick of conference realignment stories would be an understatement. It has dominated the headlines of college football this year in an incredibly boring, ball-hog fashion. Nobody can talk about anything else but the Big East constantly escalating suckiness, the Big 12 having who-knows-how-many teams, and the ACC rising from low level mediocrity to mediocre mediocrity with the addition of Pitt and Syracuse. Will Texas A&M make it in the SEC? Who knows? Who cares? At this point, why don’t we just wait until they move and find out?
But to ignore conference realignment and the disbanding of prominent national rivalries in this context would be utter negligence on my part. Just yesterday, the Texas Longhorns played what looks like it might be their last game against the Texas A&M Aggies. They have played since 1894, and it is the 3rd longest running rivalry in division 1A college football. Common sense would probably dictate that they keep the rivalry going, but combine a little anger over a TV network with conference realignment, and wham. You’re looking at the end of a historic rivalry.
It’s certainly a sad trend to witness as a passionate fan first, journalist second. But apply that trend to West Virginia, the team I’ve been groomed to love just about all my life, and it’s downright depressing.
West Virginia-Pitt might be a mere regional rivalry, but it’s one of the most heated rivalries I’ve ever seen. Think Alabama-Auburn without the national title implications (though there’s an exception for every rule- my apologies, fellow mountaineer fans), except maybe even meaner. I don’t expect there to be any ESPN documentaries about my beloved Backyard Brawl any time soon, but it doesn’t mean the players aren’t out for blood. Last time the Brawl came to Morgantown, there were so many state troopers on the field that you could have robbed every bank in West Virginia blind and nobody would have been any wiser until you were three states away.
But like any good rivalry, a team is really defined by their rival. Try thinking about Auburn’s 2010 national championship year without reminiscing over that miraculous Cam Newton-led comeback over Alabama in Tuscaloosa. West Virginia and Pitt are no different. Penn State hasn’t played Pitt in years, and you can hardly call the Marshall-WVU series a real rivalry when the Thundering Herd has actually never beaten WVU. With a shocking absence of true rivalries around, the Backyard Brawl means more now than it ever has.
Here is the part of the story where realignment rears its ugly head. The athletic directors of both schools want the rivalry to continue. The fans and players all want it. I’m sure ESPN and the NCAA still want it. So if literally everyone still wants the rivalry, why on Earth would it be discontinued? Ahh, but with Pitt going to the ACC and WVU to the Big 12, it might just not be possible. WVU would have to play nine games in conference alone, and Pitt would have to play a similar schedule in the ACC. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for a big rivalry, especially when the strength of schedule is already so high with teams like Oklahoma/Virginia Tech, Texas/Florida State, and Oklahoma State/Clemson.
Conference change or no conference change, though, WVU and Pitt hate each other. Even more so, the fans hate each other. Hop on any messenger board and the vitriol spewed at opposing fans is downright filthy- and that’s coming from a college guy with an admittedly colorful vocabulary (Colorful here translates to “must remember to censor self in front of parents at all times.”). But despite all the hate, it’s really an incredibly twisted love. It’s a real, down-to-the-core love… to hate. What is WVU without eat shit Pitt? What is Pitt without Morganhole? The rivalry does indeed define the schools on more than one occasion.
So yeah, I hate Pitt. I have as long as I can remember, and I probably always will. But if we stop playing Pitt, I will be incredibly, incredibly angry. Because I love Pitt. I love to hate them. Pitt is the creepy neighbor down the street that you love making fun of. You can’t stand their weirdness, but who would you rag on if they moved out of the neighborhood? I need that creepy neighbor in my life. I need Pitt.
Tonight is the 104th Backyard Brawl. Here’s to hoping that it isn’t the last time these two teams meet on the football field. Here’s to the continued tradition of rivalries in college football. Here’s to the 105th Backyard Brawl.
Oh yeah. And eat shit, Pitt.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Win, and You're In (Maybe)
At 6-4 and less than 24 hours away from their final regular season game, James Madison is probably the most interesting team in all of FCS football this year. Here is everything you need to know about the defining game of JMU's 2011 football season:
How We Got Here: One year removed from a program-altering upset of Virginia Tech, JMU brought a veteran defense and a surprisingly capable offense back to the gridiron. Big things were expected of the Dukes. FBS foe North Carolina beat the Dukes in Chapel Hill, but back to back FBS upsets are literally unheard of at the FCS level, so no surprises there. Many fans I talked to were afraid that such a beatdown at the hands of even an average FBS teammeant that the Dukes were bound were mediocrity for the third straight year. Whatever the negative perception was, the team clearly didn't feel the same way. JMU eeked out a close win over possible playoff team Central Connecticut State at the inception of the new Bridgeforth Stadium.
The offense really started to mesh after that. JMU defeated a very good, playoff-bound Liberty team in Lynchburg. After the Liberty football team realized they were about to break curfew, they retreated indoors, and the Dukes headed Williamsburg and picked up their first conference win against #6 William and Mary.
But all good things must come to an end. Justin Thorpe was promptly suspended for five games, and via federal family protection laws, we were not offically told why. Pretty much everyone understands that he failed a drug test, sources telling me because of nothing other than weed. Backup linebacker Chase Williams was also suspended, but let's face it, when the quarterback and anyone else on the team is indefinitely suspended, the quarterback will be the main one in the spotlight.
Freshman quarterback Jace Edwards takes the snaps at this point in time. With Family Weekend's annual rivalry against the Spiders looming, many wondered if JMU would fall to the creepy crawlers to the third straight year. Not the case. In his JMU debut, Edwards managed a rushing romp of epic proportions as Richmond was promptly squashed.
If you're squeamish, look away. This next part gets nasty.
JMU loses to Maine in overtime on a gadget 2-pt conversion play. Maine's play rises to #2 on Sportscenter's Top Plays. Dae'Quan Scott and Jace Edwards both suffer separated shoulders. JMU bounces back to thrash cellar dweller Villanova, but JMU loses the inaugural ODU game to second half injuries after somewhat controlling the first half. Hope floats with the possibility of a would-be impressive road victory at New Hampshire, but injuries and the far travel distance prove too much for JMU, and lose their third in a four game stretch.
That is, of course, five games. Justin Thorpe returns and leads a romp over Rhode Island on Senior Day in Bridgeforth. And now here we sit with the Dukes (6-4, 4-3).
On the Precipice of Glory: JMU travels to UMass Saturday, an average team who has had a tough go of it this year and is inelligible to make the postseason anyway. They have very little to play for. JMU, on the other hand, has everything to play for. By rule, a team must win seven games to qualify for the postseason in FCS football. This is as must-win as must-win gets. Should JMU beat UMass, the selection committee will have an admittedly hard decision- JMU beat two solid out of conference opponents, and they followed those wins up by playing a season in what is probably the toughest division in FCS football (with apologies to the Big South. The committee will also need to consider the fact that JMU is appealing for more than just their football program- the Dukes are one of the most spirited and supported teams out there, and Bridgeforth Stadium in its entirety is second to no other stadium on the FCS level. The committee does consider these things when deciding not only who makes the playoffs, but where the home games are played.
On the Verge of Defeat: The return of Justin Thorpe really fired some people up last week, and we played great against Rhode Island. But it doesn't change the fact that we are really, really injured. The offensive line is a mess at this point, and it won't get any better soon. It's not unreasonable to think we could travel all the way up to the northeast tip of the country and lose another game up there. That would definitively end our season at 6-5 for the third straight year, and the coaching carousel would begin. But even if we stand at 7-4 after the UMass game, a playoff berth is not guarenteed. While its true that JMU has played admirably in the face of hardship and played some tough opponents, the bottom line is that JMU's only CAA wins have come from teams under .500 in conference play. That is a pretty damning statistic, and a win at UMass (5-5, 3-4) won't change that either. They might prefer a Delaware team that has been a little inconsistent, but has beaten both ODU and conference leader Towson. Either way, it could be bad. Should I prefer the quick death of a UMass loss, or the slow, drawn out pain of a no bid from the FCS playoff committee? Neither one sounds incredibly appealing.
The Verdict: An inspired JMU squad goes up to Massachusetts and sends a message to the committee. The game is close early on as JMU leads by only 6 at halftime, but the Dukes turn it up in the second half as they have in most of their wins this year. Good guys win 27-13. The playoff committee wants to allow JMU in, but they soon realize too much of the JMU appeal comes from Bridgeforth Stadium. After a tight vote, JMU is awarded a first-round home rematch against Liberty, with App State looming around the corner for the winner.
How We Got Here: One year removed from a program-altering upset of Virginia Tech, JMU brought a veteran defense and a surprisingly capable offense back to the gridiron. Big things were expected of the Dukes. FBS foe North Carolina beat the Dukes in Chapel Hill, but back to back FBS upsets are literally unheard of at the FCS level, so no surprises there. Many fans I talked to were afraid that such a beatdown at the hands of even an average FBS teammeant that the Dukes were bound were mediocrity for the third straight year. Whatever the negative perception was, the team clearly didn't feel the same way. JMU eeked out a close win over possible playoff team Central Connecticut State at the inception of the new Bridgeforth Stadium.
The offense really started to mesh after that. JMU defeated a very good, playoff-bound Liberty team in Lynchburg. After the Liberty football team realized they were about to break curfew, they retreated indoors, and the Dukes headed Williamsburg and picked up their first conference win against #6 William and Mary.
But all good things must come to an end. Justin Thorpe was promptly suspended for five games, and via federal family protection laws, we were not offically told why. Pretty much everyone understands that he failed a drug test, sources telling me because of nothing other than weed. Backup linebacker Chase Williams was also suspended, but let's face it, when the quarterback and anyone else on the team is indefinitely suspended, the quarterback will be the main one in the spotlight.
Freshman quarterback Jace Edwards takes the snaps at this point in time. With Family Weekend's annual rivalry against the Spiders looming, many wondered if JMU would fall to the creepy crawlers to the third straight year. Not the case. In his JMU debut, Edwards managed a rushing romp of epic proportions as Richmond was promptly squashed.
If you're squeamish, look away. This next part gets nasty.
JMU loses to Maine in overtime on a gadget 2-pt conversion play. Maine's play rises to #2 on Sportscenter's Top Plays. Dae'Quan Scott and Jace Edwards both suffer separated shoulders. JMU bounces back to thrash cellar dweller Villanova, but JMU loses the inaugural ODU game to second half injuries after somewhat controlling the first half. Hope floats with the possibility of a would-be impressive road victory at New Hampshire, but injuries and the far travel distance prove too much for JMU, and lose their third in a four game stretch.
That is, of course, five games. Justin Thorpe returns and leads a romp over Rhode Island on Senior Day in Bridgeforth. And now here we sit with the Dukes (6-4, 4-3).
On the Precipice of Glory: JMU travels to UMass Saturday, an average team who has had a tough go of it this year and is inelligible to make the postseason anyway. They have very little to play for. JMU, on the other hand, has everything to play for. By rule, a team must win seven games to qualify for the postseason in FCS football. This is as must-win as must-win gets. Should JMU beat UMass, the selection committee will have an admittedly hard decision- JMU beat two solid out of conference opponents, and they followed those wins up by playing a season in what is probably the toughest division in FCS football (with apologies to the Big South. The committee will also need to consider the fact that JMU is appealing for more than just their football program- the Dukes are one of the most spirited and supported teams out there, and Bridgeforth Stadium in its entirety is second to no other stadium on the FCS level. The committee does consider these things when deciding not only who makes the playoffs, but where the home games are played.
On the Verge of Defeat: The return of Justin Thorpe really fired some people up last week, and we played great against Rhode Island. But it doesn't change the fact that we are really, really injured. The offensive line is a mess at this point, and it won't get any better soon. It's not unreasonable to think we could travel all the way up to the northeast tip of the country and lose another game up there. That would definitively end our season at 6-5 for the third straight year, and the coaching carousel would begin. But even if we stand at 7-4 after the UMass game, a playoff berth is not guarenteed. While its true that JMU has played admirably in the face of hardship and played some tough opponents, the bottom line is that JMU's only CAA wins have come from teams under .500 in conference play. That is a pretty damning statistic, and a win at UMass (5-5, 3-4) won't change that either. They might prefer a Delaware team that has been a little inconsistent, but has beaten both ODU and conference leader Towson. Either way, it could be bad. Should I prefer the quick death of a UMass loss, or the slow, drawn out pain of a no bid from the FCS playoff committee? Neither one sounds incredibly appealing.
The Verdict: An inspired JMU squad goes up to Massachusetts and sends a message to the committee. The game is close early on as JMU leads by only 6 at halftime, but the Dukes turn it up in the second half as they have in most of their wins this year. Good guys win 27-13. The playoff committee wants to allow JMU in, but they soon realize too much of the JMU appeal comes from Bridgeforth Stadium. After a tight vote, JMU is awarded a first-round home rematch against Liberty, with App State looming around the corner for the winner.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)