Where should Boise State rank?

Where does Boise State rank now?

Ok, so there was that game last night where Boise State played Louisiana Tech… and won 45-35.

Are you impressed with Boise State?

Well, to me, I can’t say as much. Now don’t get me wrong, Boise State is a good team, no doubt about it. And they have won every game on their schedule, which includes a home game vs. Oregon. But where do they rank?

To me, Boise State should be ranked at LEAST below all undefeated teams in the nation, and I think there are at least 3 teams with one loss that should be ranked ahead of Boise State. Everybody likes to pull for the underdog, and with valid reasons, but the purpose of the top 25 is to put the best teams in line for a BCS Championship. Is Boise State one of those top two…not at all.

The strength of their schedule is severely lacking too. To struggle against a 3-6 team and win by 10 is laughable. That was last night’s game.

You spanked a 1-6 San Jose State team…big deal.

Scrubbed a 2-6 Hawaii team…ok, what else ya working on?

Tulsa was a nice team last year, but they are 4-4 now, and you beat them only by one touchdown.

Why did you play UC Davis?

Bowling Green is currently 4-5 and you beat them too.

But you did have a good win over Fresno State. They are 5-3 but have not been ranked anytime this year.

Miami OH is 1-9.…what’s up with that?

And of course, you started the season off beating Oregon.

Folks, I just cannot give the nod for a top 3 or top 5 team in Boise State if this is the level of competition they face. Only two teams at this moment have a winning record, and many of the others are bottom feeders. This does NOT make for a top 5 team, regardless of the record.

It’s funny because I hear media guys and gals talk about only the fact that they are undefeated…folks that does NOT determine your strength. Two of the last 4 games Boise State have are bottom feeders, but one could easily argue that Nevada and Idaho are benefiting from similar games. This does not make for a strong Boise State team, and last night showed that even against a losing team, they barely got the job done.

Is Boise State a top 10 team…of course they are. You cannot take away the fact that they are undefeated, AND that they beat Oregon. But folks, if Oregon wins out, and Boise State wins out, there is no argument that Oregon should be the better team.

The logic behind the idea that BSU beat Oregon is flawed because it’s not just the head on competition. If you use that same premise then Michigan ought to be ranked ahead of Notre Dame. Never mind that Michigan is 5-4, all that matters is that they beat Notre Dame, so they ought to be ranked higher, even if ND goes 10-2 and Michigan goes 5-7.

See how silly that sounds?

Oregon lost one game, but they have made up for it several times over by beating ranked foes. Boise State has not done so, in fact struggled against less than average teams. This does not make them a top 5 team, but I will not argue them being in the top 10. Now, if a lot of upsets happen today, they will , BY DEFAULT, slide up the rankings. But that does not mean they are better… remember Ole Miss…and Virginia Tech.

Certainly a BCS bowl is in the sights, but a national championship? Not really, not until they start playing higher caliber teams.

My NEW BCS top 8, Nov. 4th 2009

My NEW BCS Top 8

I know the real BCS scores are out, and right now if you are an undefeated team, you are on that top 10 list easily, but there are also a few one-loss teams that are making a statement to try to get to that BCS Championship.

As I speak there are still technically MANY teams that can fight for that Championship game. To be truthful, at this moment if you have one loss, you are still in the mix IF you are in a BCS conference.

For example, from the ACC there is still Georgia Tech with one loss. You have Pittsburgh with one loss from the Big East, and Penn State from the Big 10. LSU still has one loss in the SEC, while Oregon remains with only one loss from the first game of their season. And although they are not a BCS Conference, I give Utah a nod too because the Mountain West Conference is as tough as most of the BCS conferences this year.

But because Oregon defeated USC in a major game, I would, at least for the moment, make them the best one loss team in the nation, and include them in my list of the top 8…this is temporary, because I have not run other teams through my NEW BCS formula. I only did the 7 undefeated teams and Oregon. So for the moment, I have my top 8 teams, based on my formula.

#8 Oregon (291 points): This is premature, because I have not run the other one loss teams through my formula, but I will give them the TEMPORARY benefit of the doubt for this spot because they knocked off USC, which was a major win. But because they have played a lot of the bottom feeders of the Pac-10, this could be with mixed reviews.

#7 Boise State (300 points): You see here how a BCS team with one loss is almost as good as a team from a weak conference like Boise State? To their credit, they have won every game, including beating Oregon, but when your WAC schedule turns weak as water, there isn’t much respect that one can give over the other teams. Beating one great team is awesome, but to be a BCS Champ, you gotta beat more than one a year.

#6 Cincinnati (303 points): Only 3 points make the difference between Cincinnati and Boise State, and the strength of schedule favors Cincinnati. Granted, both teams are seen as underdogs, but if the Bearcats can get that big game with Pittsburgh without them losing another game, it would clearly validate them over Boise State…still gotta win to get there though.

#5 TCU (311 points): TCU to me is coming out of a better and stronger conference at the moment than Cincinnati. Having Utah, BYU and Air Force makes a pretty tough conference, not to take anything away from the Big East. But the formula also shows that this TCU team has a very good defense, and they do have 2 quality wins over top 25 teams, as opposed to one by Boise State or Cincinnati.

#4 Florida (326 points): The difference between Florida and the two teams above them is only 5 points…this is razor thin. But you can easily guess one of those teams above Florida, and if both go undefeated, they would meet in the SEC Championship… as I said on other blogs, this is a problem that will solve itself.

#3 Alabama (331 points): Alabama is by my stats the best defensive team on the list, and this is what helped them lock in this spot. But some wonder how good this team is, and we will learn everything this weekend when LSU plays Alabama. If they get by LSU, we expect a date with Florida in the SEC Championships. Few will argue that the winner goes to the BCS Championship.

#2 Texas (332 points): Slimmest of margins make Texas almost a shoe in for the BCS Championship. The Big 12 isn’t as dangerous as it was last year, and Texas has no equal. The next few games could be a walk in the park, but the Longhorns have to be careful not to slip up on games they are favored to win. Texas gets a bonus game in the Big 12 Championship, which if they win should remove any doubt as to them being either the best, or second best, in the nation.

#1 Iowa (342 points): Many wonder if Iowa could squeeze in the BCS if they go undefeated, and my formula has them as the best team in the nation…BUT there is an exception here. Iowa is the only team in this list with 9 games and 9 wins. That extra game gives them many more points above anyone with 8 wins. As you can see, they have 11 points more than Texas, who is number 2. But a couple of weeks ago when I started doing this, Iowa had about a 40 point lead, having played one more game than anybody else. What this may be showing is that as the season goes on, we learn the true strength of Iowa in that even after 9 wins, their hold on the number 1 spot is very small…and apparently shrinking.

So if the season ended now, one might assume that I am saying that Iowa and Texas plays in the National Championship…not really. Remember, Iowa has played more games at this point than anybody else, and is benefiting from that advantage. All things being equal, it seems to boil back down to Texas vs. the likely winner of the Alabama/Florida SEC championship …but that is only if Alabama gets by LSU.

And what if Iowa beats Ohio State?

What if Cincinnati beats Pittsburgh?

So many questions…but all will be told in time….

Did Brett Farve Justify himself?

Justified win for Brett Farve?

So the Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers AT Green Bay by 12…

Interesting.

I realize this is just the 8th game of a 16 game regular season, but the circus that has been around Brett Farve has been legendary by media standards. This has been happening for about 3 years, when Brett Farve was a Packer, and was thinking about retiring.

There are a lot of people that are on different sides of the fence on this, and there were indeed some boos when Brett took to the field, but there were also a lot of cheers too. But it just seems to me that the media took the more exciting venue, that of the boos and the controversy that surrounded this great quarterback.

Some people say that Brett Farve is THE best quarterback ever…I don’t believe that, I certainly think he is on the list of maybe top 10, maybe top 15 of all time. If he wins another Superbowl…which at this moment is still quite possible, he would be on my top 10 list easily…maybe top 5.

But it is all the drama that surrounds Farve that made this a story that every sports show wanted to follow. Now, for the record…we here in the Carolina Panthers area didn’t get to see that game, because we were FORCED to watch a dismal Panthers team play the Cardinals (although the Panthers did win that game).

So, was the win justified for Farve? I assure you, there were a lot of “haters” of Brett out there. I am not the #1 fan of Brett Farve, but I seriously appreciate what he has done for football. Personally I think he was done wrong by those fans, media and the team he helped build.

I remember that this was the guy that brought a Superbowl to Green Bay, and took them to a second…and on his last year with the Packers he had them on the verge of another Superbowl. But he felt it was time to quit and retire, while at the same time the management of the Packers had spent 12 million on a Honda Civic….

That being Aaron Rodgers….and let me point out, he is a decent quarterback. But the problem here is that the management gave this guy all this money and felt that they needed to play him….even unproven they felt he should lead the team instead of Brett Farve.

So the problems kinda started there. Farve wanted to play, but the Packers management felt he should be a starter anymore…remember folks just the year before this happened, Brett Farve had the Packers in the NFC Championship…it wasn’t like the Packers was 7-9.

So now the problems start, because the Packers want Brett to play second string…which in all honestly is a load of crap because they made the mistake of overpaying a second string quarterback. Brett was not willing to do that, so now there is beef between Farve and Packers management, which resulted in him wanting to be traded.

To me, the fault lies with the Packer management…not the fans, because they are caught in the middle. Management did poorly in trying to recoup what they spent on Rodgers. So the result is that they had to get rid of Farve…this is where it gets wicked.

They KNEW he wanted to go to another NFC North team, but refused any deals with them, and instead found a team in the New York Jets that they could send him to. A team with no real future, and one that was not on the Packers schedule. And get this, the deal with the Jets included that they (the Jets) could not trade him to any team that would play the Packers in Green Bay. This deal, if you read between the lines, shows that the management of the Packers were dead set on kicking Brett Farve out, THEN locking the door behind him so that he never, ever sets foot in Lambeau Field ever again.

Don’t tell me THAT isn’t wicked and evil.

So Brett Farve is forced out of the team he took to 2 Superbowls, and a hair shy of a third. As soon as he goes to the Jets, he helps the team through the first half of the season but they faltered in the end. And somewhere in the management of Green Bay, they are laughing at him.

At the end of the season Brett calls it quits but now a new story comes up… there is a chance he could play for Minnesota…which scares Green Bay to the roots of their boots. If Brett Farve goes to Minnesota, that means he would be able to do the one thing Green Bay management tried to prevent him from doing…

Coming home.

I say again, this is not the fans fault, so my blame is not directed at the fans…at this time. This is ALL the fault of Green Bay management, who kicked out a legend who only kept winning for the team, in exchange for an over-priced quarterback.

So now the rumors are flying around about Brett Farve possibly playing for the Vikings, and the media is rehashing it over and over like Thanksgiving Turkey two weeks after Thanksgiving. By their repeated and annoying reporting, people are stating to blame Brett Farve for not making up his mind…

Uh folks, get a life! The man deserves the right to decide how to live his life…leave him alone!.

So the circus spins around over the summer and finally Brett Farve makes it official that he is now a Viking…to the dismay of the Packer Fans, who now begin to hate him. But this is misplaced…Brett Farve was KICKED out of Green Bay by poor management, he would have loved to stay there a few more years. Him going to Minnesota was the best career move he could make, and he did it. His loyalty to Green Bay was severed when the management tried to conspire to prevent him from setting foot in Green Bay as a player ever again…but the funny thing was that they wanted to talk to him about a contract deal AFTER he retired, so they could retain the rights to all Brett Farve jerseys…

Wicked monsters.

But now I place blame on some of the fans of Green Bay. If you are a Packer fan and booed Brett Farve, shame on you. How many Superbowls did Aaron Rodgers win for you? How many NFC Championships did he win? How dare you turn coat on a man who gave you everything he could…and was stabbed by the team he helped build?

I can understand if you booed him as the game was going on, because you have to root for your Packers…I understand that. But put your differences aside for 10 minutes and give that man what he is due…respect. Cheer his legacy at the beginning of the game, and even at the end, but you can boo him during the game.

So we go through all the rumors and talks about Brett Farve playing with the Vikings which of course are the hated foes of the Packers…along with the Bears let’s not forget.

So I can understand how some Packer fans feel, having their legend go to another team, I understand that. But this is where the fanatics show their butts…a real fan would root for the Packers through and through…A REAL FAN would remember what Brett Farve did for their team and city and give him that respect.

And so the media takes turns taking shots at Farve, saying that he throws too many interceptions and the can’t win, and that if Farve ONLY hands the ball off Adrian Peterson, they will be fine. But as the season starts, we see that the Vikings indeed needed a passing game. It’s odd because during the pre season there were many criticisms about some players saying they didn’t need Brett Farve, and was better off with their original quarterback…how’s that working out?

Now lets not fool ourselves to say that Brett is a saint…after all, he isn’t playing in New Orleans….

(HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…oh that never gets old…..)

Ahem…

Anyway I didn’t want to say all that to make it look like Brett Farve was totally innocent in all that has transpired the last few months or the last 3 years, but to me, a man who plays in the NFL ought to have a right to call his shots if he is still good enough to call them. But too many people feel like they have a right to tell Farve when HE should retire, and that isn’t their responsibility. So many people got sick of hearing about the Farve saga, but blame the media for that. Those people camped out on his doorstep looking for anything to throw out there, and places like ESPN and FOX ran with it.

So now the game is over, and Farve has beaten his old team. Justified?

After all the hell he went through just to play football…yes, it was justified. And yet he could have said some things and thrown some daggers…which would have been pulled off his back, but he did not.

Brett Farve is a professional, and he handled all this as best he could. I think he handled it better than the media and some of the fanatics of Packer fans. I give the highest respect to the Packer fans that remembered who Farve was, and what he meant to them. It is ok to boo him during the game because you have to cheer for your Packers, but for just a few minutes before and after the game, give the man his due…he earned it.

And that was justified Sunday evening.

Halloween, Horror and College Football

The HORROR of College Football

Halloween is upon us, and with it comes the fear that over 100 teams fear to embrace…that there are guarantees in life…one is the demise of a season.

And all teams choose to play a game…much like Jigsaw imposes on his victims…knowing that few, if any are designed to succeed.

And so most fail.

Halloween brings the horror already realized, and the horrors of those realized on All Saints Day, and yet it also delays the feared ending of some, where their seasons come to a quick and correct ending…with no sequel in sight.

This season was nothing but a ruse to many teams, knowing that there are many teams designed to fail…to be fodder, for the greater cause. But let us take a moment to look at this horror movie and sort out the victims….for we know there will be many.

If there is a real Camp Crystal Lake, it will indeed resemble the ACC. As many contenders as sequels, and a body count to match. The ACC continues to slay one another as mindlessly as the next batch of campers find their way to the lake, only to discover too late that their fate was already charted. The ACC had a chance to produce a “Jason” with Virginia Tech, but failed miserably…but word has it that Georgia Tech stands hidden in the forest, with a certain hockey mask.

Can we believe that THIS is the Jason the ACC needs to put fear in the BCS? We have seen this before, and lately the ACC has not put terror in any other conference. And victims this year seemed to have claimed Florida State, Clemson and Wake Forest, while Duke, NC State and Maryland lie at the bottom of the murky swamp.

Shall we fear Jason Yellow Jacket…or shall we look for another?

Haddonfield, seems to be a town hiding a terrible secret…much like that of the Big 10. On that fateful day, when Michael Myers began his terror, few knew, nor read the signs of what would happen, save only Dr. Loomis. Is this any different this year, with Iowa standing at the door of the BCS Championship? The mission for Myers was simple, to find and eradicate his family…which led to a long chase to find his sister… and dispose of her.

How similar can this be of Iowa and the last several games against Penn State, where there has been a grand and epic struggle, only to end in sad endings? But again, Iowa has hunted their quarry and defeated Penn State, but Ohio State may be the only thing keeping them from a BCS Championship. But Ohio State is flawed, much like the aged Dr. Loomis, who did all he could to thwart the actions of Myers. Can Ohio State prevent Iowa from their goal, or will Iowa take for granted the other “lesser” teams, and lose a chance at a most valued prize. Only Illinois has fallen under, as many other teams in the Big 10 can make a challenge. There are more sequels to come.

Beware if there is a moon out on Halloween night, for you never know who will change to a beastly werewolf…such is my warning to the Big 12. Was it not last year where at least 7 quarterbacks proved that they were NFL ready? Was there not six teams that were ranked in the top 25 through much of the year? But this year, not much noise has been made of the conference outside of Texas…and they look exposed.

Has the conference found silver bullets to destroy the Texas Werewolf? You DO know that silver can destroy a werewolf…just as one loss could be a deadly force against Texas’ bid to the BCS. But we have been fooled several times by their changes…who informed us that Colorado would be any better than last year…we were fools to buy that.

And who said that Nebraska was the fear of the town…nay, I saw no claws, fangs or body hair resembling a werewolf on these Huskers…I only saw mere men fall by the wayside. We have however, seen a great man fall in Oklahoma, and with it also went the dreams of the season. It would seem that only Oklahoma State remain to challenge Texas, and by doing such we shall see by the light of the full moon who is REALLY a werewolf… and who is not.

The house of Count Dracula may seem large, but only eight rooms are being used, and one may well be Count Dracula himself. From the grave the Big East was counted as nothing, as a slain evil, never to return. In fact, the beginning of the season there were no Big East teams ranked. Yet from the grave has risen one who bears the marks of Vlad Dracul…and yet there seems to be another.

Cincinnati at this moment is undefeated, and should they run the table, may say they should be in the BCS… but has there been enough “blood” sacrificed to validate this? Who has this team beaten that qualifies this as THE Count…rather than some other vampire who serves another?

Some say Pittsburgh holds the strings, and controls the scene from afar in the conference, and it is only a matter of time before the two meet…to settle once and for all who is the REAL Dracula. Yet consider this…is there a Val Helsing in the mists…. A West Virginia…or maybe a South Florida? Alas, it may well not be West Virginia, as news travels that they were recently slain by South Florida. It would then seem that either Cincinnati OR Pittsburgh is then the true Dracula…but are either strong enough to force themselves into the BCS?

A classic John Carpenter movie, “The Fog”, was about a curse that was laid upon a hapless town on the 100th anniversary of the founding of their town….some might say there is such a “fog” or even “curse” upon the SEC in the recent rumors of less than professional officiating.

More than once has such wickedness cost a team a win, one that Georgia can clearly testify to. In the movie, the curse came because the town lied to a ship of lepers that wanted to make a home near their town, in exchange for much gold. The townsfolk swore on the deal…took the gold…but destroyed the lepers…thus the curse 100 years later.

Victims of greed we all can be of times, but at the expense of other teams in the SEC? Some say a curse will fall upon the SEC, as some say that the poor officiating was used in conspiracy to promote Florida and Alabama, to ensure a SEC remain in the BCS hunt. Others say there is a curse on the SEC for their apparent lack of hiring African American coaches…only ONE in their history…and yet they benefit so greatly from African American players….

What is in the fog of the SEC…most see Florida, maybe Alabama. I have heard some say it was Ole Miss, but I see no truth in that. There were rumors that Tennessee had risen from the depths of the sunken ship and reclaimed what was rightly theirs…we ALMOST saw that at the hands of Alabama, but the Crimson Tide bare escaped with their lives. It leads me to believe they won’t live much longer at that rate. But one could say the same for Florida as well….

There may well be an Elm Street in every state, but the Pac-10 stares at fear tangible in that they now must pray for access to the BCS Championship. With several teams out of BCS Conferences that are perfect, the PAC-10 has no hope of jumping over the likes of a perfect Florida, or Alabama or Texas. And with the East Coast Bias, most people never see these Pac-10 teams unless they play earlier in the day. Out of sight, out of mind…unless you are Freddy Krueger.

In the famed series of movies, the creature of the night would appear in a victim’s nightmare and claim them for his own…the Pac-10 would have to perform similar feats to put fear in the BCS, and force the nation to pay attention to them.

For on Halloween there will be a Nightmare on Elm Street when USC plays against Oregon, and everything is on the line. Both teams have one loss, and neither can afford another. Yet a game of this importance would certainly propel the winner into a greater chance of a BCS shot, right? It is critical that a Duck or Trojan becomes the nightmare of the BCS, and may have to make horrid work of their opponent to put fear in the voters of the polls. Trust me, you don’t want to sleep when this game comes on… especially those on the east coast.

We have discovered that Sleepy Hollow is more than a legend, it is a real place… the name has changed to the Mountain West Conference, and there have been rumors of not one…not two…but possibly THREE Headless horsemen roaming about.

I once heard there may have even been a fourth from the Air Force, but I am being told that this is not so true. It has been more confirmed that those Headless Horsemen come from TCU, Utah and BYU…U know what I mean by that…

These teams seek that which they have lost…respect. For their competitive conference, few give them a chance to actually be in the BCS, even if one goes undefeated. At this moment it remains to be only TCU, as both BYU and Utah have lost their heads earlier in the year. But because it was early, there is a chance…however slight, to get it back.

Will anyone take notice of the Mountain West Horseman as he rides through the night, looking for another victim? How many more will they have to defeat before the BCS acknowledges them as a real threat to the BCS?

And what is this I hear of this Hunchback that clamors about being better than anybody else? Who told this creature that they were the equal of the other teams simply because they have a nice record? Their best win so far this year was at home to Boston College, having lost games to USC and Michigan. Do not try to scare me with such stories from Notre Dame….win games against TOUGH opponents before you try to scare us.

And I have seen the parts being built for this Frankenstein they call Boise State. A powerful creature, with indeed a history of doing damage…but many say the parts are made of cheap material. A weak schedule with only ONE good win makes this a creature with great potential, but very flawed. We can see Boise State as much a contender to the BCS now as we can consider Frankenstein as equal to a human. Until Boise State schedules more quality opponents, we will continue to shun Boise State as the village shunned Frankenstein…which lead to his demise at the end.

I warn you, Halloween will bring many sad tidings for many. For some, the realization that there is no post season, for some, the realization that there is no conference championship, and for others, no BCS Bowl game. Hearts will be broken, spirits will be split…dreams will be shattered in the faces of tens of thousands.

There will be…losers….

(what did you think I was gonna say…it’s all in fun!)

Happy Halloween all, may your favorite team win!

New BCS Top 15, Oct 29th

The NEW BCS, OCT 29th version

The top 15

Again, if you have not read my blogs before, jump back a few and see how I came up with these numbers. It is NOT etched in stone but give some sense of validity rather than just having a bunch of dudes picking teams.

My NEW BCS is based on rewarding points for factors of the game, the most important being WINNING. I give 20 points for every game a team wins. But I award bonus points for other factors, such as winning at home, winning conference games, winning by certain amounts and so forth. I also award…or penalize a team if the teams on their schedule are above .500, even or below. I penalize teams that play a non Division I foe, whether they win OR lose.

Again, you’ll have to jump back to find the posts on what I am talking about, if you want I can go over it again in my next blog to explain some things. But until then, let’s count down my top 15:

#15 Utah 187 points: Folks, I gotta tell ya, the schedule Utah has played thus far is VERY poor, it is hard to put them in the ranks of the top 10 when more of their teams have losing records than anybody else. This is a heavy penalty that shows a weak strength of schedule. But there is still time to rise in the ranks, since the Mountain West is indeed a good conference this year.

#14 Virginia Tech 233 points: Two losses virtually destroys any chance to the BCS, and we all thought VA Tech was all that too. Consider this folks, this team has two losses, and still is better than Utah…if the Hokies had won one of those two games, they could easily have been in the top 10.

#13 Oklahoma State 234 points: That embarrassing loss to Houston must still be like mud in their face, but the difference between Oklahoma State and a top 10 is actually about 30 points. It’s just harder to compete at this moment with teams with 7 wins under their belt, so this could even out eventually.

#12 Oregon 235 points: This is odd because for a team with 1 loss, I have them outside the top 10. Why? Their strength of schedule takes some punch out of what they have done, although they have defeated two top 15 ranked teams. If you are looking at 6 win teams, this is one of the best, but compared to the undefeated teams, they fall behind a bit. Still plenty of time to get in the mix though.

#11 USC 261 points: Interesting, since they play this weekend against one another. Of my elite teams, I actually had USC ranked at the bottom at this period of time. This was out of my elite 8 teams, but after adding a few more teams on, I had to slide USC down even further. The margin of difference is slim, in fact they missed my top 10 by only 4 points, meaning this is by no means the end of the judgment.

#10 Cincinnati 265 points: This one is funny because I had them ranked much higher when I did the elite teams. But what may be showing is that even with a perfect record, Cincinnati still has to prove some things. Beating South Florida was their only mark, and it was a bottom 25 team. They need to run the tables to get real consideration and votes of confidence to play in that BCS Championship.

#9 TCU 271 points. Between ranks 6-11 only about 16 points separate these teams, meaning these are very close rankings. TCU has an advantage of 7 wins, but very slightly higher quality of wins and a good defense gives them some points as well. IF TCU runs the tables…are they for real?

#8 Penn State 273 points: The loss to Iowa hurts big time to Penn State, but they are only a handful of points off some better teams. Penn State can still make a game of this, if they can run the tables, but they would have to hope that Iowa loses a couple of times. Is it possible….who knows, but Penn State with a few more wins will be making a strong case for a one loss team.

#7 Pittsburgh 274 points: We see that this team is only one point better than Penn State, but that loss to NC State may have ruined a magical season. Like Cincinnati, this team suffers from a weaker schedule that could sooner catch up to them. Both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are rooting for one another, so that when they play, it will mean much more than just two Big East teams playing one another…it could lead to a BCS Championship.

#6 Boise State 277 points: Even at 7-0 this team could be in trouble for slipping further down in the rankings. Even if Boise State continues to win, the quality of their wins against a weaker schedule could count against them…it clearly is the case with Utah, it could be the same for Boise State. So again, is wins the ONLY thing that counts? Nope, not if you want to be a champion.

#5 Florida 284 points: In light of the SEC officials and stuff going on, and with Florida playing with injured players, and the close games, this is still the team to beat. I have this team here because they are clearly one of the best teams, but now some wonder about the true strength of the SEC, if officials are playing to the “better teams”. Keep in mind that a couple of the teams ahead of Florida have an extra game under their belt, so it should all even out in the wash.

#4 Georgia Tech 287 points: This one is a BIG surprise to me folks, and considering how the ACC beats each other up, I don’t see this standing long, but to this point I think Georgia Tech is one of the best teams in the nation. If you cannot stop their triple option, you will lose. I thought for sure that this was a simplistic strategy that was years out of date, but Georgia Tech is proving that if teams don’t study for it, they will get beat by it. Georgia Tech in the BCS Championship? I think it is still too early, but don’t completely rule that out.

#2 Iowa 310 points: Now understand, Iowa is here because YES they have a perfect record, but also because they have one more game ahead of most other teams. That one game pulls a lot of points. They are only about 12 points ahead of Georgia Tech and Texas, so as those teams even out their schedule, it will tell us the true story. Iowa still has Ohio State on the schedule, which many circle as THE key game for the entire Big 10…if Iowa wins that…it will create some REAL controversy for the BCS Championships.

#1 Alabama 326 points: Everything I said about Iowa…goes for Alabama. They have an extra game ahead of the other teams, and they came within a shade of losing to Tennessee. Is this team REALLY as good as they say. I wasn’t too convinced last year, and they have the advantage of several good home game wins, and a schedule that at the moment is pretty tough, but when things shake out, as they usually do, I am not too sure this team will stay where it is. But for now, they are here.

So, those are my NEW BCS top 15, with Virginia Tech playing UNC tonight, we shall see if that changes any. A win for Virginia Tech could vault them close to the top 10…who knows?

Top 10 NFL teams OCT 29th

Top 10 NFL teams, Oct 29th

Ok, so I am a little late, sue me.

Anyway, as we get into the 8th week (7th for many) we see that the list of undefeated teams has dropped by one. So three teams remain undefeated, and they are obviously on the top 10 list.

But there is only 1 team with one loss, so obviously they are on the list too. However, there are 9 teams with 2 losses, so I had to decide who would not make it on my list. I am not putting any team with 3 losses on this week, maybe next week, but not this week.

Before I start with the top 10, let me share with you two teams that didn’t make it and why:

Green Bay Packers 4-2: Yeah, we know about the huge game this weekend when Brett Farve comes back home, but I am not convinced that this is a top 10 team. If they beat the Vikings, then they are in because their record would be 5-2, but there have been some questionable games thus far. Their only quality games thus far was against the Bears, which is now falling down to average, and vs. the Bengals and Vikings…both they lost.

Philadelphia Eagles 4-2: To be honest, I thought they would beat up the Redskins more than they did. The defense of the Eagles looks great, the offense needs a little help, and with an injury to Westbrook, this team looks weaker. I could put them on if I had one more spot, but I just need them to beat a quality team before I can do that.

And so, the top 10:

#10 Atlanta Falcons 4-2 Losing at Dallas hurt the team, whom I had as #6 last week, but I can’t discount this young team’s potential. Their schedule has been pretty hard, and to only lose 2 games is very good, yet coming up they have games against the Saints, Giants and Eagles, with a few softer ones sprinkled in. It may be hard for them to stay here and not get bumped out.

#9 Arizona Cardinals 4-2: I gotta tell you, I am not too impressed with NFC West teams, but for Arizona to travel across the country, and beat the Giants says a heck of a lot for the Cardinals. This to me could be a signature win for the team, and I have them as perhaps the 4th best NFC team in the NFL….maybe 3rd best.

#8 New York Giants 5-2: The Giants drop 3 spots for losing at home to the Cardinals, and now some start to wonder how good this team really is. Their previous 5 wins were against lesser opponents, and now having lost to the Saints and Cardinals changes how we may have to see the Giants… are they the real thing?

#7 Cincinnati Bengals 5-2: These cats are still in the mix, and after beating the Bears they have proven that this may well be a team to keep an eye out for. With the Ravens and Steelers coming up back to back, this may well define whether this team will be in the playoffs or just making cheap noise…we will know soon enough.

#6 Pittsburgh Steelers 5-2: Seems the defending champs are clawing their way back into the mix. Just last week I had them #10, and the week before that not ranked, but that win over the Vikings certainly put them back in. It proves that losing a couple of games early means nothing if you can rebound. The Steelers are certainly looking to get some “get back” from the Bengals, which comes up soon enough.

#5 New England Patriots 5-2: I am just not ready to bail out on the experience that this team has, and at 5-2, they are clearly in the hunt. I had them at #7 last week, and #9 the week before that. Winning their last two games will do that, but then again, beating the Titans and Buccs really doesn’t mean much….did anybody watch that Pats/Buccs game in London? I didn’t

#4 Minnesota Vikings 6-1: Since this is the only team with one loss, I can’t drop them too much further than this. I had them #3 last week, but the week before I had them #4, so this is about average. Losing to the defending Superbowl Champs in their home is a tough assignment, but this week when the travel to Green Bay, it will tell us much more. If Minnesota wins that game, they will have a lockdown on the division, and all but guaranteed to the playoffs. The way they are playing, I see them as the 2nd best NFC team in the league.

#3 Indianapolis Colts 6-0: For the Colts to be here, I am implying that they are the weakest undefeated team so far. Beating the Jags didn’t prove much, but the Miami game was pretty interesting. Handling the Cardinals in their house is nice, but beating Seattle, Tennessee and St. Louis does not prove much. With maybe 4 games left of some caliber, the Colts could easily rack up 10-12 wins, maybe more. I just need to see them against a tough opponent…say New England in about 3 weeks….

#2 New Orleans Saints 6-0: YES, my hometown, my place of birth, finally we are in there like swimwear! There is still a lot of work to be done, because 6-0 does not put you in the Superbowl…ask Tennessee about that 13-0 record that vanished. But I gotta tell ya, this record has been with merit. Factor out the Lions (please) and you see that this is indeed a tough schedule, beating the Eagles, Jets, Giants and Dolphins. To me, right now, this is the best NFC team in the league and seems to run with the belief that they will GLADLY give you 30 points…as long as they score 40.

#1 Denver Broncos 6-0: I thought a moment of whether the Broncos should be #1 or #2, but either way, if it ends like that, both would meet in the Superbowl. The Broncos beat Cincinnati in their house, dumped the Cowboys, beat the Patriots and stopped the Chargers…that is a good list of opponents. And I think this team is on a mission, yet I can’t help shake the feeling that the newness of it won’t last. With games against the Ravens, Steelers, Chargers, Giants, Colts and Eagles, there is NO way they are going undefeated…just not gonna happen, but four of those teams are AFC foes they need to gauge themselves against, so we will know the truth from those games.

So there ya have it, my top 10 as we slide into Halloween weekend. Have fun!

NCAA Bans Dez Bryant

NCAA bans Dez Bryant

Let’s call this what it is…a stupid move by the NCAA.

This to me is a hypocrisy of what the NCAA is supposed to stand for. They like to force all these corny public service announcements about how important academics is to these schools, and how every fan ought to act like some docile puppy while watching their favorite teams, but this foolish move seems to imply that the powers that be in the NCAA are nothing but idiots.

Say what you want about what Dez Bryant of Oklahoma State did, but there was nothing wrong with going to visit Deion Sanders…there is no rule against that. But if you are telling me that lying is punishable by losing an entire year, that is crap.

This is a terrible way to punish a student, and lets not forget that this is still a KID, for a full season. This punishment offers no venues for forgiveness at all. And to me, the fact that the NCAA wanted to speak to him again was a slap in the face of what some people call a “forgiving country”.

They kicked him out for the rest of the year a couple of weeks ago, and then wanted to talk to him again…for WHAT? The obvious reason was that maybe there was some way for them to work with Dez Bryant to see if they can still bring him back to play. But whatever came out of that meeting seemed to only reinforce the NCAA that lying is punishable by banishment from football.

I’m surprised the idiots didn’t arrest him…isn’t there a law for lying? (he said, but not laughing)

To me this is a terrible injustice because the NCAA is punishing this kid for lying, and he loses his entire season…how many of you remember the punch the player at Oregon threw at the beginning of the year? Guess what, he is allowed to come back because there is some grace involved.

Now I know that the ruling bodies in those two cases are different, because the NCAA did not kick that player from Oregon out (Blount), the ruling was passed by the university, and as such they could also turn it back, to which at this point they have done. But if they could do that, why couldn’t the NCAA?

Tell me which is more offensive…lying (which we ALL do, EVERYDAY!) or punching another player on national television.

I am not the biggest Oklahoma State fan, but I certainly am not a fan of the idiots of the NCAA who apparently like to destroy a kid’s chances to play for trivial reason.

Grow up NCAA!

SEC Football conspiracy?

The SEC Conspiracy?

So now we have a little problem here with the SEC football and their officials….

What else is really new?

As many of you know, there has been some VERY questionable calls made by SEC officials, and I remember watching one of my favorite shows, “PTI” on ESPN, and one of the guys there made a very interesting remark. He said that he felt that sometimes the officials make a call that seems to favor the WINNING team, to almost imply that sometimes the SEC officials will favor teams like LSU, Florida and Alabama over the other teams.

In fact, Tennessee Head Coach Lane Kiffin has almost implied as much, which earlier in the year people thought he was nuts.

But when Georgia was called for a celebration penalty that did not exist, that caused a problem. And then the Florida game seemed to make larger waves.

So now we have a problem, is it possible that the SEC officials are biased to the better teams, to ensure that the SEC will get their best teams to the top for a BCS Championship?

That seems foolish because after all, even if they did, Florida DID win the National Championship, right? All the scheming in the world would not have helped if they got there and lost. So there can’t be credibility to this.

But I say to you, it may not be THE factor, but it certainly has been one. Consider right now, people like to say that the SEC is the best conference…have we really seen that? Granted Alabama and Florida are undefeated, but how close did Alabama come to losing to Tennessee? VERY close. Sure they beat Ole Miss, but I honestly felt that they were seriously overrated anyway. I will give them VA Tech, that was a good game.

Florida has not put teams away like in the past, and barely escaped LSU. I know there has been some injuries on the team but sometimes the best teams are the healthiest. Both Florida and Alabama have major games this weekend…both COULD lose those games.

But the question is more about the SEC and the refs, but I think takes root in the SEC. The refs don’t make these decisions unless there is a stronger body of influence on them…that being the conference they come from. So if the refs are called into question… then the SEC as a conference must be called into question.

This is not against every fan or student, by no means am I questioning THEM, I am questioning the governing body of the SEC. Conspiracy, maybe, who am I to say, but I can give you one strong argument… African American coaches.

Everybody do your homework on this now….how many black head coaches has the SEC had in their history of college football?

Come on, you know the answer to this…

20? Nope, too high.

10? Nah, still too high.

5? Close but still to high.

2? Almost…but still too high.

The answer is one.

Folks, we are living in 2009, and the SEC has only had ONE black head coach in their history…if that does not spell a problem in “the land of the free” then something is SERIOUSLY wrong.

Sylvester Crooms is the only black head coach the SEC ever had, and I submit to you, that was conspired several years ago just to get that “goose egg” off their back. Back in about 2001 there was an interview on ABC sports about the lack of black head coaches in the NCAA, and they had the SEC Commissioner in the studio for that interview.

They asked this man about it, and his answer was almost implying “that’s just the way it is in the south”.

Jackass.

I live in the south, and although I know that is how some feel, we cannot continue to have stupid comments like that fall out of somebody’s mouth like that.

In fact, the interview with the SEC Commissioner seemed to almost backfire against him, because his ignorance seemed to be shown on national television. I remember then telling somebody that what the SEC will probably do is conspire to find the team with the worst record in the SEC, get rid of whoever that coach was, and hire a black head coach, just to say they are conforming with society…

A society that believes that quality does not come in color.

Well, to be honest, I thought that would have been Vanderbilt, since they were usually the worst team in the SEC, but Mississippi State wasn’t that far behind. So about a year or two after that interview, the SEC then had their very first black head coach…

Put on the worst team in the SEC…and expected to do miracles…yeah right.

We all know how the story goes, Crooms could not get the team to a National Championship or too many winning seasons, so they ditched him and went back to the “good ole boy” network. It might be 100 years before the SEC decides to get another black head coach, because it’s just not what stupid people do. Stupid people hire based on color of skin, not quality of character or equality.

So yeah, I DO believe there is some conspiracy going on, the past has proven it, and I love college football as much as anybody here, but sometimes the things they do are beyond foolishness. I don’t get it, the SEC has won National Championships with black quarterbacks (Tee Martin of Tennessee and Chris Leak of Florida for starters), so why is there such a racial divide for a black head coach? Heck, even the ACC, which is also in the south, has had more black head coaches in football than the SEC…in fact, got one NOW in Miami.

Oh well, far be it from me to figure this stuff out. Sometimes it just pisses me off when a sport we are supposed to have fun watching and cheering for can get tainted by morons who still live like we’re in 1959 instead of 2009.

NEW BCS Top 10, Oct 23rd

NEW BCS Standings, Oct 23rd

Ok, if you are not hip to my blog, you might want to jump back a few posts and read what I mean by the “new” BCS. Simply put, I wanted to create a formula to decide who the best teams might be at this stage of the season, based on 24 factors.

I have used that formula to figure out who may well be the top 10 teams of the season thus far, but it is not a perfect formula. It takes into account the current facts, but as each week goes by, it can change quite dramatically. I broke the major factors into groups, and use these following to determine my formulaL

Factor #1 Wins: Most important, and I give 20 points for every win a team has.

Factors 2&3: Road and home wins: I place a bit more emphasis on winning at home, and protecting your house, than on the road. I give 7 extra points for every home win, and 5 extra points for every road win.

Factors 4-6: FBS factor: I give 7 points for every team you beat that is in your conference, and 3 points for every team out of your conference. IF you play a team that is not a FBS school, you LOSE two points. This rewards those who play tougher schedules, and penalizes the cupcakes.

Factors 7-10 Ranked foes: You get extra points for knocking off a top 25 team at the time they were ranked. If you beat a #4 team in week 3, and they fall off by week 6, you still get credit for beating them when they were ranked. I give 10 points to any team that knocks off a top 5 team, 7 points for beating a 6-10 team, 5 points for beating a team ranked between 11-15 and 3 points for beating any team from 16 to 25.

Factors 11-13: Strength factor: I reward extra points if you beat a team that has a winning record, or even a .500 record. I give 7 points for every team on your schedule that has a winning record as the season goes on. Any team with an even record nets you 3 points, but any team that falls under .500, you LOSE 2 points.

Factors 14-16: Beatdown factor: The more points you pile on, the more you get. But you must beat your team by at least 16 to qualify. If a team wins by over 16 points, I give them one extra point. If they win by over 24 points, I give them 3 points. If they crush their opponent by over 36, they get 5 extra points.

Factors 17-19: Passing factor: A team is considered great if they are a top 20 passing team OR rushing…or both. I give 5 points to the team that is in the top 5 in passing yards and touchdowns, for a total of 10 points possible. I give 3 points if they are in the top 10 in either category, and 1 point if they are in the top 20 in either.

Factors 20-22: Rushing factor: Same as Passing, I give 5 points if a team is in the top 5 in rushing yards or rushing touchdowns, and 3 points if in the top 10, and a single point if in the top 20.

Factors 23-24: Defense factor: They say offense wins games but defense wins championships. I am not so sure about that, but I do give 5 additional points if the team holds each opponent to under 8 points, and 2 points if they hold each team under 16. It’s my way of rewarding good defensive play.

Now, having gone through all that, here are my top 1 teams according to my NEW BCS formula:

#12 LSU: 189 points. With no real valuable wins, and nowhere in the top 20 in passing or rushing, this team edges out at the bottom of my list.

#11 Miami: 195 points. Similar to LSU, as far as rushing and passing, but some very quality wins keeps them in the loop.

#10 AND #9 TIE USC and Oregon: 205 points. Two one loss teams out of the Pac 10 look pretty good, but we know that they have to play one another soon… this problem will fix itself.

#8 TCU: 222 points: TCU scores in every category, but they need a couple of quality wins to jump over anybody…they are on track to see those very games ahead.

#7 Boise State: 225 points: Very narrow margin with Boise State, and with no real quality wins left, I see them slipping further down. It won’t take much for TCU to overtake them if both continue to win.

#6 Cincinnati: 234 points: This seems to prove that an undefeated team out of even a “weaker” BCS conference is indeed better than Boise State or TCU, and Cincinnati has a couple of big games yet to come.

#5 Georgia Tech: 237 points: With 7 games played, they do have an advantage over those who have so far played 6, so this score may not be totally honest and even. But considering they have one loss, this will be a serious question if they win out.

#4 Texas: 238 points: Some question how Texas has played lately, and a few even say that Texas will lose to Missouri. But to me this is one of the best teams in the nation, and if they sweep the Big 12, they are a shoe in for the National Title.

#3 Florida: 247 points: Much that is said about Texas can be said about Florida and their many close games. But like Texas, if they win out, they are likely in the BCS Championship.

#2 Iowa: 291 points: I have Iowa here only because they have 7 wins, and no one else underneath them has such. The extra game, to this point, has been the reason why they are here at #2. What my formula seems to imply is that winning, and more of it, is indeed most important. But as the other teams play their schedule, things will even out.

#1 Alabama: 297 points: Just as with Iowa, Alabama has 7 wins as well, which on paper look more impressive than 6 wins. If you consider that they are 40 points ahead of Florida and Texas, this could easily be about even. Alabama has the edge only because they get the benefits of the points for a 7th win. As more games are played, we will see the truth come out.

So that’s what I got so far folks, I don’t claim to say this is the gospel, just something fun to do to make conversation. As it stands right now, I have Alabama and Iowa as the two best teams, but ONLY because they have 7 wins. After all, a 7-0 record is better than a 6-0 record, right?

Right? (he said, expecting a debate….)

Florida State 30 UNC 27

Florida State 30 UNC 27

Speedblog

I’ll admit, this was a tough game for me to watch, in fact, I spent more time flipping channels between Southern vs. Prarie View, the UFL game on VS, and even the preseason basketball game of the Lakers vs. the Nuggets.

I was concerned because I had a lot of mixed feelings for this game.

I am a UNC fan through and through, but we all know that the football edge of UNC isn’t why most people support the Tarheels. And I also like Florida State, not because of the Seminoles, but because I believe Bobby Bowden is one of those guys that should be respected for what he has done for the program.

What ticks me off is when some idiot starts to use age discrimination against the man who built the program from the ground up. And sadly, a lot of the guys on ESPN are on the fence about Bobby Bowden.

What this shows is that we as a people are ignorant to history, and we can see something 2 days ago, but still refuse to acknowledge it. Wasn’t it just a few years ago when the media was using age against Joe Paterno? How did that turn out so far?

And people like to talk about the “what have you done for me lately”. Well, wasn’t Florida State 9-4 LAST YEAR? It’s like these idiots developed amnesia about this coaching legend! So now Florida State comes in Chapel Hill 2-4, and Bowden’s coaching life on the line.

I blogged about this and felt that FSU should win because 5 out of the 6 games they have had thus far were against winning teams, and most have been ranked throughout the season. Folks, that is one hell of a schedule so far. But it gets easier, and it is possible that FSU can win at least 6, maybe as much as 7 games. I also felt that a lot of their losses come in their home state, that the road games might be the best thing for these Seminoles.

On the flip side, as much as I love UNC, their 4-2 record seemed bogus to me, although last year it was pretty good. They had only played one ranked team so far this year, and lost to them. I just felt that Florida State was good enough to beat UNC, and I figured it would be by 6 points. Turns out they won by 3.

So FSU is now 3-4, with a home game vs. NC State. Normally I think they can win, but again, there is some uncanny problem about FSU playing in their home state. They NEED this win, but so far they have one 1 game in the last SIX at home…not a good stat.

But if they can get by the Wolfpack, the road games vs. Clemson and Wake Forest could get them on the right track. It is possible for them to be 6-4 after that, or maybe 5-5. They will need to beat Maryland at home to likely qualify for a bowl, because that last game is on the road vs. Florida.

For the Tarheels, life gets harder. They go TO Virginia Tech, which could end up being a 4-4 result. They are home vs. Duke and Miami, and most think they will split that, before going on the road to play Boston College and NC State. It is quite possible that the hated rivals of UNC/NC State could decide whether UNC qualifies for a bowl.

In truth, I am pulling for both teams, but they still have to perform on the field…my best to them both.